Willow knew everyone was watching her. She was receiving weird glances from her fellow Slytherin and she did her best to ignore them as they were led to the dormitories. Someone bumped into her and continue walking, not bothering to stop and apologize. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a girl wearing too many makeup and walking like she was the queen of England herself. [Great. Another Cordelia.] She gritted her teeth when she heard her talk loudly to another girl beside her.
"I can't believe they let a Mudblood in Slytherin. And she's mental that one, believe me. She's not even pretty. I mean, she's at the same level than Granger. I bet she'll run out to the Gryffindor in less than a week."
Willow was pissed. She kept her gaze down, knowing her eyes were probably pitch black right now. From behind her red hair fallen on her forehead, she concentrated on the girl that she had heard being called Pansy, the leader of Draco's fanclub.
Suddenly, the ground went more slippery than it was normally. Pansy squealed loudly when her foot slipped on a greasy stone she fell face first, breaking her nose in the process. Most of the Slytherin broke into instant laugher and the redhead grinned evilly. The ground normal again, she stepped over Pansy. "At least, I'm a Mudblood that knows how to walk properly." She followed the prefect to the common room.
When crossing Malfoy, she was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. He grabbed her arm. "I don't know how you did that, Rosenberg," he started. "But you did well. This shall be enough to shut her up for a couple of days. You've passed the first test to be in Slytherin." He winked at her, then let her go.
With a last smile behind her, Willow continue on her way to the common room. She laughed again when she heard Malfoy's voice. "Come on, Pansy. Your blocking the way."
[It might not be so bad after all.]
* * *
She was back outside the mansion in the middle of the night. It was made of stone, tourettes giving it the look of a victorian house. There was large windows where sunlight could surely easily penetrate inside the mansion to illuminated it as well as moonlight could make its way inside to make the marble glow. Beautiful carved statues of stone guarded the grounds and the gentil sound of running water from a nearby fountain could lull even the most hyperactive child to sleep.
It was different than an ordinary dream though. She could move like she wanted and had free will of her thoughts. The grass was damp under her feet and the wind blew her hair around her face. She was dressed in a long green silk nightgown, something she didn't own in reality's realm. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight and shadows caressed her body like a lover's hands.
Willow looked up. A green smoke flew above the mansion and suddenly, the shapeless substance shifted to form a skull with a snake protuding from its mouth : Voldemort's mark. She knew that when the shape was above a house, horror must be happening inside it... or outside as the case was this time.
Willow crept silently toward the two dark shapes near the fountain. A man wearing a black cloak stood straight, hands outstretched, trying to grasp something held tightly by another man kneeling in front of him. A man with black hair and hautingly familiar dark eyes filled with tears. "Please, master. Let me keep her. I won't disapoint you again."
"You are right about this, Severus. But I won't let you have the pleasure of keeping her. Let this be a warning and, hopefully, a punishment painful enough to make you learn no to try and take me for an idiot again. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you had been seeing an auror for years?"
"I understand, my lord. Her death was punishment enough and an helpful reminder to me to keep faithful to you. Don't take her... please."
"Know that now, Severus. I'll keep a close eye on you. Live knowing your daughter will be raised as a *muggle* with a muggle family in the muggle world. I hope that will be lesson enough." Without another word, he painfully grabbed the child from the helpless crying man's hands. The small bundle cried in obvious distress at being pryied from its father's warmth.
The cloaked man disapeared with the child and the man let out an awful scream of anguish. Pushed by an inner urge, Willow walked to him. She stopped dead in her track when she saw him pull a blank face and stand up. "Oh. My. God. Professor Snape?!" But he didn't hear her. She was but a mere spectator in what could only be described as a vision of some sort from the potion master's past. When she had first seen him, her soul had cried toward the man wearing a cold mask to hide his pain and his thirst for vengence. Somehow, she knew her destiny was to help him make peace with his past.
Then, as if sensing her opening her heart to him, Severus Snape looked directly into her green eyes. "My lover is gone. My passion died with her. I need my daughter to make me live again." He took her left hand in his and she felt something being pressed into her palm. "Help me free her," he whispered softly. Her eyes widened when his turned black and blue bolts of energy crackled around their joined hands. Blinding white light surrounded her and she closed her eyes.
* * *
Willow sat up straight in her bed, panting a little. She calmed down a bit and flopped down on her pilow. Sunlight streamed form the windows and she sighed. The magical clock on her bedside table indicated six o'clock. "Well, it's too late to go back to sleep," she muttered to herself.
Looking down at herself, she froze when she saw a silver ring with an onyx resting on her ring finger of her left hand. It hadn't been there when she went to bed the night before. In fact, the only one who could have possibly put it there was... [No, it can't be! It was just a dream!] But her heart and her mind knew the truth. It had been a vision that had told her what needed to be done.
Resolve face in place, she made her way to the bathroom, determined to find out the truth about what happened that night and the secret about Snape's past. He was the head of Slytherin, her house. Surely, it wouldn't be too difficult, could it?
"I can't believe they let a Mudblood in Slytherin. And she's mental that one, believe me. She's not even pretty. I mean, she's at the same level than Granger. I bet she'll run out to the Gryffindor in less than a week."
Willow was pissed. She kept her gaze down, knowing her eyes were probably pitch black right now. From behind her red hair fallen on her forehead, she concentrated on the girl that she had heard being called Pansy, the leader of Draco's fanclub.
Suddenly, the ground went more slippery than it was normally. Pansy squealed loudly when her foot slipped on a greasy stone she fell face first, breaking her nose in the process. Most of the Slytherin broke into instant laugher and the redhead grinned evilly. The ground normal again, she stepped over Pansy. "At least, I'm a Mudblood that knows how to walk properly." She followed the prefect to the common room.
When crossing Malfoy, she was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. He grabbed her arm. "I don't know how you did that, Rosenberg," he started. "But you did well. This shall be enough to shut her up for a couple of days. You've passed the first test to be in Slytherin." He winked at her, then let her go.
With a last smile behind her, Willow continue on her way to the common room. She laughed again when she heard Malfoy's voice. "Come on, Pansy. Your blocking the way."
[It might not be so bad after all.]
* * *
She was back outside the mansion in the middle of the night. It was made of stone, tourettes giving it the look of a victorian house. There was large windows where sunlight could surely easily penetrate inside the mansion to illuminated it as well as moonlight could make its way inside to make the marble glow. Beautiful carved statues of stone guarded the grounds and the gentil sound of running water from a nearby fountain could lull even the most hyperactive child to sleep.
It was different than an ordinary dream though. She could move like she wanted and had free will of her thoughts. The grass was damp under her feet and the wind blew her hair around her face. She was dressed in a long green silk nightgown, something she didn't own in reality's realm. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight and shadows caressed her body like a lover's hands.
Willow looked up. A green smoke flew above the mansion and suddenly, the shapeless substance shifted to form a skull with a snake protuding from its mouth : Voldemort's mark. She knew that when the shape was above a house, horror must be happening inside it... or outside as the case was this time.
Willow crept silently toward the two dark shapes near the fountain. A man wearing a black cloak stood straight, hands outstretched, trying to grasp something held tightly by another man kneeling in front of him. A man with black hair and hautingly familiar dark eyes filled with tears. "Please, master. Let me keep her. I won't disapoint you again."
"You are right about this, Severus. But I won't let you have the pleasure of keeping her. Let this be a warning and, hopefully, a punishment painful enough to make you learn no to try and take me for an idiot again. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you had been seeing an auror for years?"
"I understand, my lord. Her death was punishment enough and an helpful reminder to me to keep faithful to you. Don't take her... please."
"Know that now, Severus. I'll keep a close eye on you. Live knowing your daughter will be raised as a *muggle* with a muggle family in the muggle world. I hope that will be lesson enough." Without another word, he painfully grabbed the child from the helpless crying man's hands. The small bundle cried in obvious distress at being pryied from its father's warmth.
The cloaked man disapeared with the child and the man let out an awful scream of anguish. Pushed by an inner urge, Willow walked to him. She stopped dead in her track when she saw him pull a blank face and stand up. "Oh. My. God. Professor Snape?!" But he didn't hear her. She was but a mere spectator in what could only be described as a vision of some sort from the potion master's past. When she had first seen him, her soul had cried toward the man wearing a cold mask to hide his pain and his thirst for vengence. Somehow, she knew her destiny was to help him make peace with his past.
Then, as if sensing her opening her heart to him, Severus Snape looked directly into her green eyes. "My lover is gone. My passion died with her. I need my daughter to make me live again." He took her left hand in his and she felt something being pressed into her palm. "Help me free her," he whispered softly. Her eyes widened when his turned black and blue bolts of energy crackled around their joined hands. Blinding white light surrounded her and she closed her eyes.
* * *
Willow sat up straight in her bed, panting a little. She calmed down a bit and flopped down on her pilow. Sunlight streamed form the windows and she sighed. The magical clock on her bedside table indicated six o'clock. "Well, it's too late to go back to sleep," she muttered to herself.
Looking down at herself, she froze when she saw a silver ring with an onyx resting on her ring finger of her left hand. It hadn't been there when she went to bed the night before. In fact, the only one who could have possibly put it there was... [No, it can't be! It was just a dream!] But her heart and her mind knew the truth. It had been a vision that had told her what needed to be done.
Resolve face in place, she made her way to the bathroom, determined to find out the truth about what happened that night and the secret about Snape's past. He was the head of Slytherin, her house. Surely, it wouldn't be too difficult, could it?
