X.
Author's Note: As I was reading through the last chapter, I realized I made a mistake in saying that Snape changed his name upon starting his teaching career, for earlier I had said that people would know him if he was named by captured Death Eaters. So I've changed that and taken out the section saying that he changed his name, as errors bug the heck out of me. He'll change his name NOW, of course... Just thought I'd clarify.
* * *
From the train, the two travelers caught a ride to their final destination, a small manor near Devon. He paid the driver and magicked their things inside. Cecil stood on the walk, staring at the building, while Severus started inside.
Halfway to the house, he turned with an exasperated sigh. "Aren't you coming?"
She turned her gaze on him, her arms folded firmly across her chest. "Why did you tell the driver that your name was Valera?"
He froze, staring back at her. She had heard? He had thought that... well... nevermind. She knew and was suspicious. "Go inside, Cecil."
"No."
His head tilted to the side and he raised an eyebrow. He could not recall a single time before now where she had so directly disobeyed him. It was... unsettling. "Do as I say."
The answer was the same, this time accompanied by a swift shake of her head. "No."
"I never thought you one to be childish, Cecil. There are things that you need not know at the current time. There is no reason for me to be forced the drudgery of explaining an occurrence to you when it is truly none of your concern. You were a child for prying. Do not make me treat you accordingly. Inside."
She stared hard at him, attempting in vain to read those glittering dark eyes. But even in all the years she had been his daughter, she had never quite been able to do that, especially not when he didn't want her to. She debated inwardly what to do. He was hiding something from her, from everyone. There was something about him that he wanted no one to know... not even her.
They had never had an argument before. This was... strange, to say the least. It had taken all of her courage and willpower to stand up to him. Severus was a very overbearing father. While of course he was never cruel to her, it was always very well known that she was not to disobey him. There was something in his voice, an edge, a hint of power, that had always persuaded her to do as she was told and not to argue.
And she never had.
Until now.
She licked her lips, which had become suddenly dry, and averted her gaze from Snape's piercing eyes to the stone path at her feet. She sighed and stepped forward. Perhaps it was best to save that will power for a time when she might need it more.
She walked past Snape, ignoring him completely, and entered the house. Cecil Valera... well, it wasn't horrible, at least.
* * *
Whatever paranoia had seized Severus Snape at Hogwarts and led him to compulsively flee the school had certainly not released him upon their arrival at Devon. If anything, it multiplied.
While, at Hogwarts he had been overprotective of Cecil, he had never so completely clung to her like he did now. He seldom, if ever, let the young teenager out of his sight for more than a few moments. He continued to instruct her himself, rather than send her away to school. He himself rarely left the house, and of course did not allow her to either.
When they did wander out into the world, he always made certain that her arm was latched through his, and he kept glancing around himself for someone who was never there. A flash of a woman's long blonde hair never ceased to course panic through his veins.
At such times, she was the only one who could calm him, convince him that it was nothing, and gently lead him back home. And once inside the doors, with all the wards securely placed, he would return to normal. His not-quite-smile would come back and he would ask when dinner would be ready. And she would smile back and stride off to find the house-elf, pausing sometimes to watch Severus as he gazed unseeingly into the fire.
He was haunted, it seemed, and utterly miserable. He hid it well, through animated conversation over dinner and a light kiss on her head when he went out for his nightly walk, but it was there. She had never accompanied him on these strolls, which he took in any weather, knowing them to be private... between himself and his inner demons.
The traditional walk was the only time where Cecil was left alone, though he securely warded all the doors and windows before leaving. "It isn't you," he had told her once, the first time he had done it, "it's the world I do not trust."
The world. She rolled her eyes. Always the world. The world was against him; he didn't trust the world. Great Merlin, what had the damned world ever done to him, to force the both of them into hiding away from it?
The remainder of her school year passed like this, with them enclosed in their own private world... just her, Severus, and Tinny the house-elf. However, the summer brought an unexpected treat.
Severus, noticing with guilt that Cecil had become nearly despondent in her seclusion, suddenly proposed a trip to Diagon Alley, claiming that he needed supplies from Flourish and Blotts. When he asked if she wanted to come along, she literally threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his thin form in an impulsive hug. He looked a bit taken aback by the unprecedented gesture, and patted her back rather awkwardly.
The next day found the two in the midst of the hustle and bustle that was Diagon Alley.
Strangely enough, Cecil had not been there since the summer before her first year. Severus had always gotten her supplies himself from then on, saying that it was 'no trouble.' She had never thought about that before.
She shot a sidelong glance at her father as they walked briskly, arm-in-arm as usual, through the crowded streets. What was he hiding? Was it something to do with her?
He stopped after a bit and looked up. "Ah, here we are." She broke away from him to look inside the window at the books displayed there. He waited a moment, then cleared his throat. "Cecil."
Glancing up, she shook her head. "I'll be right in, Father... I just want to look at this."
She felt his gaze linger on her for several minutes before he acquiesced. "Don't be too long."
"Yes, Father." She waited until he had entered the store to straighten up and look around herself. A sense of freedom tugged at her limbs, now that she was out from under the watchful eyes of Severus. She felt a childish desire to skip down the streets, but instead calmed herself into a slow pace. Her wide, blue eyes took in everything, shops, people, everything. She was free to watch without rebuke for staring, or from being kept close like a toddler prone to wandering.
Diagon Alley seemed brighter, and she found herself wandering further and further away from Flourish and Blotts. She was gazing in a window when she bumped into him. "Oh!" she exclaimed, backing away. "I'm sorry."
She found herself looking at a horrid visage of an old wizard. Sunken eyes stared out at her from beneath bushy eyebrows. There were patches missing from those eyebrows, as well as from the lank hair that fell in a tangled mess over his sneering face. "You should be more careful, little girl," he snarled, advancing on her. "You never know where you might end up if you're not... careful."
She tried to back away, but found that his scrawny hand had leapt out to grab onto her arm. "No, please... I'm sorry... I didn't mean any..."
"Oh, they never mean anything, do they? Always not their fault. Well, perhaps you shall have to learn your lesson for wandering into Knockturn Alley..." She found a sharp wand tip jabbing into her ribs, and was about to scream when another hand clamped down on her shoulder from behind her and a flash of sparks shot from another wand tip, hitting the wizard in the face. He screamed and stumbled away, clutching at his head.
She whirled, relief flooding her. "Oh, Father, I'm so..." Her voice trailed off and she found that she was not facing Severus' elegant black robes, but tattered grey ones. "Oh." She looked up further to see a young boy about her age, with shocking red hair that fell lightly over his face and a crooked smile.
"You okay?" he asked with an easy grin.
She nodded slowly. "Yes, thank you."
He offered his arm to her and she took it gratefully, suddenly very aware of how weak her knees felt. "You must not be from around her. Otherwise you'd know not to go wandering near Knockturn Alley." He grimaced. "Nasty place, that. Shame it has to be so near here." She nodded wordlessly, staring at her feet. "I'm Bill, by the way."
She managed a small smile up at him. "Cecil."
"Pretty name," he commented, nudging her lightly in the side. "And where can I escort you, Miss Cecil. Certainly you didn't come here on your own."
"No... my father's at Flourish and Blotts."
He pointed ahead of them. "I'll have you there in no time." He looked down at her again. "You going to Hogwarts?"
"No. I was but... no."
"Oh." He seemed disappointed. "I'll be going there this year. Me and my brother Charlie. Family just moved here, you know. Was too far to travel to before. I'm rather looking forward to it. We both are."
She forced a smile. Thinking about Hogwarts had seemed to form a large lump in the pit of her stomach. "It's very nice. I... I miss it."
"I bet." He rounded a corner. "Well, here we..."
"WHERE have you been?!" demanded Severus, sweeping towards them, infuriated. His eyes were wide and his face was colorless, save for two spots of pink in the very middle of his cheeks. His hands were clenched into fists as he strode towards them, his black cape billowing behind him. Cecil fought the urge to hide behind Bill.
"I'm sorry, Father," she murmured, but he didn't seem to hear as he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her close. She could hear his heart beating frantically beneath his layers of clothing, and his hands were shaking as they gripped her.
"You have no *idea* how worried I was! You said you'd be right in, and then I come back and you're gone! Do you know how horrible that was?" He pushed her away slightly and glared down at her. The corners of his mouth were trembling oddly. "Promise me, Cecil... *promise* me that you will never, *ever* do anything like that again."
"Father..."
"PROMISE ME!"
She jerked back, suddenly frightened, and bit back tears. "I promise, Father."
He let out a breath and pulled her close again, hugging her tightly before glaring up at Bill, taking in the long hair, tattered, second-hand robes, and scuffed boots. "Who, may I ask, are you?" His words were laced with venom.
He glanced at Cecil, who was once again staring at her feet, her face flushed. "Bill Weasley, sir." He extended his hand.
Snape pointedly ignored it and instead took Cecil hand and draped it through his arm. "I don't want to see you near my daughter again. Do you understand me?"
Bill nodded stiffly. "I understand."
"Good," he spat.
With that, he stalked away, pulling Cecil along with him. She glanced over her shoulder at the red-haired boy and mouthed, 'Sorry.' He only nodded and watched as the two figures disappeared.
Snape was furious. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, you silly girl, by wandering off like that. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? I am supposed to protect you, but I find it very difficult to do so when you deliberately throw yourself into the way of trouble. I cannot stress the importance of your constantly staying by me. I'm the only one who can protect you."
"Protect me from what?" She glared back up at him, now equally as angry. He had made fools out of both of them by his little scene back there. There was no reason for him to react like he had done. She was fine, she wasn't hurt. He stared blankly back at her. "Well? Protect me from what?"
"Nothing," he said finally, resuming his brisk pace.
She fought against him, pulling them to a stop again. "No. Tell me. What are you constantly protecting me from? Why do we have to hide, why did we have to change our names? Why in hell did we have to leave all my friends and move to the middle of nowhere?" She wrenched away from him, backing away. "Why are you so afraid?"
He ran a tongue over his lips as he regarded her. "You do not understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"I am trying to protect you from... from scum who would want to hurt you... like..." he closed his eyes and his voice dropped to a whisper, "like the men who killed your mother."
She froze for several minutes. Her mother. Never before had he spoken of her, other than to say that she had been killed by followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She blinked back tears and stepped forward, taking Severus' hand in hers. He had not moved since he had spoken the words, and when he opened his eyes to look down at her, he seemed very old. She squeezed his hand. "Let's go home now, Father."
"Yes," he whispered, his voice seeming very far away, his hand gripping hers. "Yes, let's."
* * *
They caught a wizarding bus back to Devon, and neither spoke a word as the vehicle flew over the towns below. Both climbed from the bus and Severus leaned rather heavily on Cecil's arm as they walked down the path towards their manor. "I bet Tinny has dinner ready, Father, she said softly, wishing desperately that she knew what was wrong.
Severus nodded and smiled down at her, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cecil..."
She shook her head. "Don't. You don't need to." And with a semblance of new understanding, they entered the house together, the door closing and locking behind them. Neither noticed the tall redheaded boy standing a few meters away, watching them from the shadows.
END CHAPTER TEN
Author's Note: Fifty points to the house of the person who can tell me where I got Snape's new last name from.
Author's Note: As I was reading through the last chapter, I realized I made a mistake in saying that Snape changed his name upon starting his teaching career, for earlier I had said that people would know him if he was named by captured Death Eaters. So I've changed that and taken out the section saying that he changed his name, as errors bug the heck out of me. He'll change his name NOW, of course... Just thought I'd clarify.
* * *
From the train, the two travelers caught a ride to their final destination, a small manor near Devon. He paid the driver and magicked their things inside. Cecil stood on the walk, staring at the building, while Severus started inside.
Halfway to the house, he turned with an exasperated sigh. "Aren't you coming?"
She turned her gaze on him, her arms folded firmly across her chest. "Why did you tell the driver that your name was Valera?"
He froze, staring back at her. She had heard? He had thought that... well... nevermind. She knew and was suspicious. "Go inside, Cecil."
"No."
His head tilted to the side and he raised an eyebrow. He could not recall a single time before now where she had so directly disobeyed him. It was... unsettling. "Do as I say."
The answer was the same, this time accompanied by a swift shake of her head. "No."
"I never thought you one to be childish, Cecil. There are things that you need not know at the current time. There is no reason for me to be forced the drudgery of explaining an occurrence to you when it is truly none of your concern. You were a child for prying. Do not make me treat you accordingly. Inside."
She stared hard at him, attempting in vain to read those glittering dark eyes. But even in all the years she had been his daughter, she had never quite been able to do that, especially not when he didn't want her to. She debated inwardly what to do. He was hiding something from her, from everyone. There was something about him that he wanted no one to know... not even her.
They had never had an argument before. This was... strange, to say the least. It had taken all of her courage and willpower to stand up to him. Severus was a very overbearing father. While of course he was never cruel to her, it was always very well known that she was not to disobey him. There was something in his voice, an edge, a hint of power, that had always persuaded her to do as she was told and not to argue.
And she never had.
Until now.
She licked her lips, which had become suddenly dry, and averted her gaze from Snape's piercing eyes to the stone path at her feet. She sighed and stepped forward. Perhaps it was best to save that will power for a time when she might need it more.
She walked past Snape, ignoring him completely, and entered the house. Cecil Valera... well, it wasn't horrible, at least.
* * *
Whatever paranoia had seized Severus Snape at Hogwarts and led him to compulsively flee the school had certainly not released him upon their arrival at Devon. If anything, it multiplied.
While, at Hogwarts he had been overprotective of Cecil, he had never so completely clung to her like he did now. He seldom, if ever, let the young teenager out of his sight for more than a few moments. He continued to instruct her himself, rather than send her away to school. He himself rarely left the house, and of course did not allow her to either.
When they did wander out into the world, he always made certain that her arm was latched through his, and he kept glancing around himself for someone who was never there. A flash of a woman's long blonde hair never ceased to course panic through his veins.
At such times, she was the only one who could calm him, convince him that it was nothing, and gently lead him back home. And once inside the doors, with all the wards securely placed, he would return to normal. His not-quite-smile would come back and he would ask when dinner would be ready. And she would smile back and stride off to find the house-elf, pausing sometimes to watch Severus as he gazed unseeingly into the fire.
He was haunted, it seemed, and utterly miserable. He hid it well, through animated conversation over dinner and a light kiss on her head when he went out for his nightly walk, but it was there. She had never accompanied him on these strolls, which he took in any weather, knowing them to be private... between himself and his inner demons.
The traditional walk was the only time where Cecil was left alone, though he securely warded all the doors and windows before leaving. "It isn't you," he had told her once, the first time he had done it, "it's the world I do not trust."
The world. She rolled her eyes. Always the world. The world was against him; he didn't trust the world. Great Merlin, what had the damned world ever done to him, to force the both of them into hiding away from it?
The remainder of her school year passed like this, with them enclosed in their own private world... just her, Severus, and Tinny the house-elf. However, the summer brought an unexpected treat.
Severus, noticing with guilt that Cecil had become nearly despondent in her seclusion, suddenly proposed a trip to Diagon Alley, claiming that he needed supplies from Flourish and Blotts. When he asked if she wanted to come along, she literally threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his thin form in an impulsive hug. He looked a bit taken aback by the unprecedented gesture, and patted her back rather awkwardly.
The next day found the two in the midst of the hustle and bustle that was Diagon Alley.
Strangely enough, Cecil had not been there since the summer before her first year. Severus had always gotten her supplies himself from then on, saying that it was 'no trouble.' She had never thought about that before.
She shot a sidelong glance at her father as they walked briskly, arm-in-arm as usual, through the crowded streets. What was he hiding? Was it something to do with her?
He stopped after a bit and looked up. "Ah, here we are." She broke away from him to look inside the window at the books displayed there. He waited a moment, then cleared his throat. "Cecil."
Glancing up, she shook her head. "I'll be right in, Father... I just want to look at this."
She felt his gaze linger on her for several minutes before he acquiesced. "Don't be too long."
"Yes, Father." She waited until he had entered the store to straighten up and look around herself. A sense of freedom tugged at her limbs, now that she was out from under the watchful eyes of Severus. She felt a childish desire to skip down the streets, but instead calmed herself into a slow pace. Her wide, blue eyes took in everything, shops, people, everything. She was free to watch without rebuke for staring, or from being kept close like a toddler prone to wandering.
Diagon Alley seemed brighter, and she found herself wandering further and further away from Flourish and Blotts. She was gazing in a window when she bumped into him. "Oh!" she exclaimed, backing away. "I'm sorry."
She found herself looking at a horrid visage of an old wizard. Sunken eyes stared out at her from beneath bushy eyebrows. There were patches missing from those eyebrows, as well as from the lank hair that fell in a tangled mess over his sneering face. "You should be more careful, little girl," he snarled, advancing on her. "You never know where you might end up if you're not... careful."
She tried to back away, but found that his scrawny hand had leapt out to grab onto her arm. "No, please... I'm sorry... I didn't mean any..."
"Oh, they never mean anything, do they? Always not their fault. Well, perhaps you shall have to learn your lesson for wandering into Knockturn Alley..." She found a sharp wand tip jabbing into her ribs, and was about to scream when another hand clamped down on her shoulder from behind her and a flash of sparks shot from another wand tip, hitting the wizard in the face. He screamed and stumbled away, clutching at his head.
She whirled, relief flooding her. "Oh, Father, I'm so..." Her voice trailed off and she found that she was not facing Severus' elegant black robes, but tattered grey ones. "Oh." She looked up further to see a young boy about her age, with shocking red hair that fell lightly over his face and a crooked smile.
"You okay?" he asked with an easy grin.
She nodded slowly. "Yes, thank you."
He offered his arm to her and she took it gratefully, suddenly very aware of how weak her knees felt. "You must not be from around her. Otherwise you'd know not to go wandering near Knockturn Alley." He grimaced. "Nasty place, that. Shame it has to be so near here." She nodded wordlessly, staring at her feet. "I'm Bill, by the way."
She managed a small smile up at him. "Cecil."
"Pretty name," he commented, nudging her lightly in the side. "And where can I escort you, Miss Cecil. Certainly you didn't come here on your own."
"No... my father's at Flourish and Blotts."
He pointed ahead of them. "I'll have you there in no time." He looked down at her again. "You going to Hogwarts?"
"No. I was but... no."
"Oh." He seemed disappointed. "I'll be going there this year. Me and my brother Charlie. Family just moved here, you know. Was too far to travel to before. I'm rather looking forward to it. We both are."
She forced a smile. Thinking about Hogwarts had seemed to form a large lump in the pit of her stomach. "It's very nice. I... I miss it."
"I bet." He rounded a corner. "Well, here we..."
"WHERE have you been?!" demanded Severus, sweeping towards them, infuriated. His eyes were wide and his face was colorless, save for two spots of pink in the very middle of his cheeks. His hands were clenched into fists as he strode towards them, his black cape billowing behind him. Cecil fought the urge to hide behind Bill.
"I'm sorry, Father," she murmured, but he didn't seem to hear as he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her close. She could hear his heart beating frantically beneath his layers of clothing, and his hands were shaking as they gripped her.
"You have no *idea* how worried I was! You said you'd be right in, and then I come back and you're gone! Do you know how horrible that was?" He pushed her away slightly and glared down at her. The corners of his mouth were trembling oddly. "Promise me, Cecil... *promise* me that you will never, *ever* do anything like that again."
"Father..."
"PROMISE ME!"
She jerked back, suddenly frightened, and bit back tears. "I promise, Father."
He let out a breath and pulled her close again, hugging her tightly before glaring up at Bill, taking in the long hair, tattered, second-hand robes, and scuffed boots. "Who, may I ask, are you?" His words were laced with venom.
He glanced at Cecil, who was once again staring at her feet, her face flushed. "Bill Weasley, sir." He extended his hand.
Snape pointedly ignored it and instead took Cecil hand and draped it through his arm. "I don't want to see you near my daughter again. Do you understand me?"
Bill nodded stiffly. "I understand."
"Good," he spat.
With that, he stalked away, pulling Cecil along with him. She glanced over her shoulder at the red-haired boy and mouthed, 'Sorry.' He only nodded and watched as the two figures disappeared.
Snape was furious. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, you silly girl, by wandering off like that. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? I am supposed to protect you, but I find it very difficult to do so when you deliberately throw yourself into the way of trouble. I cannot stress the importance of your constantly staying by me. I'm the only one who can protect you."
"Protect me from what?" She glared back up at him, now equally as angry. He had made fools out of both of them by his little scene back there. There was no reason for him to react like he had done. She was fine, she wasn't hurt. He stared blankly back at her. "Well? Protect me from what?"
"Nothing," he said finally, resuming his brisk pace.
She fought against him, pulling them to a stop again. "No. Tell me. What are you constantly protecting me from? Why do we have to hide, why did we have to change our names? Why in hell did we have to leave all my friends and move to the middle of nowhere?" She wrenched away from him, backing away. "Why are you so afraid?"
He ran a tongue over his lips as he regarded her. "You do not understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"I am trying to protect you from... from scum who would want to hurt you... like..." he closed his eyes and his voice dropped to a whisper, "like the men who killed your mother."
She froze for several minutes. Her mother. Never before had he spoken of her, other than to say that she had been killed by followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She blinked back tears and stepped forward, taking Severus' hand in hers. He had not moved since he had spoken the words, and when he opened his eyes to look down at her, he seemed very old. She squeezed his hand. "Let's go home now, Father."
"Yes," he whispered, his voice seeming very far away, his hand gripping hers. "Yes, let's."
* * *
They caught a wizarding bus back to Devon, and neither spoke a word as the vehicle flew over the towns below. Both climbed from the bus and Severus leaned rather heavily on Cecil's arm as they walked down the path towards their manor. "I bet Tinny has dinner ready, Father, she said softly, wishing desperately that she knew what was wrong.
Severus nodded and smiled down at her, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cecil..."
She shook her head. "Don't. You don't need to." And with a semblance of new understanding, they entered the house together, the door closing and locking behind them. Neither noticed the tall redheaded boy standing a few meters away, watching them from the shadows.
END CHAPTER TEN
Author's Note: Fifty points to the house of the person who can tell me where I got Snape's new last name from.