Disclaimer: Don't even think about it.

Author stuff: Yea. Part 3. Rejoice from heaven. (I just realized that the dry, sarcastic tone of voice with which I write this does not carry in print; oops.) Reviews always welcome. Even bad ones.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 3: Sylvia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Severus hadn't seen the poor girl so beaten up in years; not since before his sister divorced the great git she had married and followed to the US, then allowed to impregnate her. She had finally gotten rid of him when the man had hurt their daughter, Sylvia, so badly that she was in the hospital for a week. Severus had threatened to try and get custody of his niece if she didn't make him go.

But surely the git couldn't have gotten hold of Sylvia again…?

And Sylvia ought to have been at her own school anyway! Although Severus didn't think much of the wizarding schools in America, Dempenworth was quite exceptional. And he knew they kept good track of their students.

When she moaned and turned on her side he stood without thinking and went to her, ignoring the glare of Madam Pomfrey. Sylvia and her mother, Semele, (Severus had always thought their family deranged for their obsession with the first name starting with "S"; he only had one relative of the name Snape whose first name was not an "S" name, and that was his cousin Ralph) were two of the few people he actually liked, and he adored Sylvia as if she were his own daughter. He would comfort her if he pleased.

"Sylvia?" he asked quietly.

"Uncle Severus?" She opened her eyes tentatively, as if she thought she were imagining things.

"Hello, sweet. You're okay now." He knelt so she wouldn't have to look up.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow. Was Severus Snape, nastiest gnat in the land (as she privately thought of him) using a term of endearment?

Suddenly she sat up looking around wildly, her dark hair flying in all directions. "My coat! Where's my coat?"

Sylvia had shown up dressed like a muggle teenager, or what they supposed an American muggle teenager dressed like. She had on stiff knee high black leather boots; a frayed low slung skirt that ended above her knees; a cropped dark red tank top; and a long black leather jacket that ended just before the boots began. The skirt and top looked like they had seen better days; both were almost as beat up looking as Sylvia. Madam Pomfrey had taken the coat off and lain it on a chair when the girl was brought in.

Severus handed it to her, saying, "Calm down, it's right here."

She sighed in relief, clutching it to herself. Then she laid it open across her legs and started rumaging through the many, many interior pockets. Then, much to the shock of everyone, she pulled out a small, glossy black cat with startlingly green eyes. Dumbledore wondered who had done the spells on the pockets of the coat so that they could accommodate actual living creatures, then noticed the fact that Severus seemed to be pretending he was a plant.

"Oh Kali baby are you okay? I'm so sorry I left you in there so long…" She was now talking to her cat, who seemed quite happy, as she was purring cuddled up in the girls hands.

Severus looked questioningly at Dumbledore, wondering if he should question her or let the headmaster. Dumbledore looked from the girl to him, then nodded. Severus took that as the signal to ask his niece what exactly was going on.

"Sylvia?"

"Yes, Uncle Severus?" She looked up at him. Madam Pomfrey had trouble concealing her reaction, it was so strange to hear him called that.

"Don't think I'm not happy to see you, because I am, but… what are you doing here?"

Tears started to fill the girls eyes, and Severus felt like someone was trying to pull his heart out with Weasleys old wand.

"Oh, oh it was awful—I was kidnapped and-and…. And Mom….it was dark and all I—I could think about was her and they kept…and oh, Mom…." She was sobbing hysterically between the words, barely making any sense. Severus felt rage starting to build in him at anyone who would dare harm his niece, then felt the floor drop out from under him when he heard her mention his sister.

She was almost desperately clutching at his arm. He held her face between his hands trying to still her, and asked in a quiet and impressively calm voice, "Sylvia, Sylvia what about your mother? What about Semele?"

For one moment she looked at her uncle Severus, tears glittering on the bruises on her cheeks and in the deep hollows under her eyes, and said in a voice that only trembled slightly, "She's dead. Mom is dead."

Severus' legs gave out on him, and he caught himself on the edge of her bed. She was weeping into his shoulder then, and he mechanically put his arms around her. His eyes were wide and haunted, and he didn't notice when Madam Pomfrey used a spell that would put them both to sleep. He merely welcomed the induced haze, where he didn't have to think about how much poor Sylvia must be hurting, how much he was hurting, and how he would never see his beloved sister again.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Okay, okay. I realize I'm not good at the goopy tragic emotional stuff. But you get my drift. And yes, I know Snape doesn't generally act like this. That's the point! His sister and niece are the only people in the world near and dear to him, so of course he's going to treat them differently and act differently around them than other people. Get my logic? Of course, his sister is now a "was" near and dear to him. She's dead. As we found out. Oh just review it!!!

PS: I do realize that, as Hermione always says, you can't Apparate in Hogwarts. There is a rational explanation to… everything. Just wait! All will be revealed, eventually.

Double PS: Sylvia's last name is Snape, and so is her mothers because after she divorced Sylvias father she took her maiden name again, and so did Sylvia. I'm not sure if I'm going to mention that in the story itself, though I might, so just for safety's sake I thought I'd mention here. Right then. I'm shutting up now; ch 4 should be up shortly. Review now please.