Severus Snape was not a man to be messed with. He feared no one, not even
Voldemort. Voldemort could be easily killed; after all young Potter had
done it once. Even now he could be killed, if Potter, his girlfriend, and
best friend kept their noses out of it.
He sighed as he looked up at the clock on the wall. He had missed dinner again, but that was nothing new with the past week. But, considering that today was the students' first night back, it wasn't a good thing. Knowing Miss. Granger she would be at his door quite soon in the hopes of finding him.
He sighed once more. He knew full well why Hermione and her friends would be looking for him. And if he was right, then Mr. Malfoy would get there before them, or just after them. It had been a week since he had seen Kat. She had come into his chambers early on Christmas morning, and told him she loved him. Then she had left, and there had been no sign of her since.
Something had happened, he could sense it in her that day. Something was changing, she was changing. He could sense a spell around her, one of her doing. Even though she had bewitched her appearance, he still caught the glimmer in her eyes; her mother's eyes were coming through. Time was growing short, and there was nothing he could do to protect the only thing he had left in this life. He couldn't protect his own daughter from herself, and it was killing him to watch her follow her mother.
He looked up as a knock resounded on the door. They were here. He stood up and went over to the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door wearing his usual scowl
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione had had it. During all of dinner, she had felt Malfoy's eyes on her. There was still no sign of Kitty or Snape, and by this time she wanted to know where in Merlin's name her cousin was. She knew something was wrong, she just knew it. She sat on the bench as everyone left the room, even the professors left before her. Harry and Ron stood next to her, watching her unsure of what to do.
"Hermione?" Harry began softly. "What is it?"
"Something's wrong with Kitty. I can feel it. She should be here."
"Maybe she's up in her room." Ron said slowly.
"She's not."
The three of them turned to look at Draco, surprised that he had come over without their knowledge.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked accusingly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "She was suppose to meet me before dinner, she wasn't there. It's not like her." He replied, before his eyes took on a harder edge.
"You want to know how I know," he continued, leaning down so he was eye level with her. "The same way you know. I can sense her."
Hermione looked at him for a few seconds, reading his eyes. "Well, I guess we should go to the only other person who would know where she is."
"I know where his chambers are." Draco replied standing up and stepping back so she could stand up.
"Aren't his chambers with his office?" Harry asked realizing whom they were talking about.
"I'm afraid not Mr. Potter. Professor Snape chooses to have them separate. Anyway, I thought you would like to know that he is in his chambers. Goodnight."
They all watched as Professor Dumbledore walked out of the hall. None of them had even realized he was still in the room.
"Well, you heard him, let's go." Hermione said turning on her heels and walked out of the Hall.
"You sure you want to spend the rest of you life with her Potter?"
Harry smiled. "Are you sure you want to spend your life with Kat?"
Draco smirked. "I'm positive, so let's go find her." With that he followed Hermione out of the hall, looking much like the man they were going to find.
"I swear Harry, sometimes those two are downright scary."
"I know Ron, I know." he replied, "Come on we better go catch up with them." with that the two boys, really young men, ran after the two who were so determined to find Kat.
Ten minutes later they had arrived at Snape's chambers, and knocked on the door. Moments later Snape opened the door, scowling at them.
"What do you want?" he asked clearly not wanting them to be there.
Hermione walked right past him into the room. All of them, including Snape looked at her in shock. Snape rolled his eyes, but invited the rest of Hermione's followers in, raising an eyebrow at Draco. 'What in merlin's name was he doing with Potter and friends?' he thought to himself as they sat down in his living room.
"Nice place." Ron whispered to Harry as they looked around the room.
They sat in a large room, in front of a fireplace that was the size of the wall, it looked like ten people could stand in it at once. On the floor there was a large emerald green rug covering almost the entire stone floor. Draco was sitting on a black couch with silver trim on the right side of the fireplace, facing the door. Ron and Harry sat across from him on another couch; identical to the one Draco sat on. Between the two couches, facing the fireplace were two chairs, both silver with black trim. Snape sat in the one next to Draco's couch, Hermione in the other next to Harry and Ron.
"I hate to repeat myself, but what do you want." Snape said once they had all sat down.
"Where's Kitty?" Hermione asked.
"Where is Katia?" Draco asked at the same time.
Snape glanced between them, then looked at Potter and Weasley. "Do you have anything to add." He said with a scowl.
"No sir." Ron replied.
"Ekaterina went back to her mother's village Christmas Day."
"That was a week ago. When will she be back?" Draco asked. Something wasn't right, Katia would have written him to tell him she wouldn't be there, and this wasn't like her.
"I'm not quite sure. Whenever she is done with whatever it is they needed her for."
"Do you know what they needed her for?" Hermione asked quickly. There was too little she knew about her aunt's family. She really needed to get some information out of someone, starting with a family name.
"No, she came and saw me early in the morning and told me she had to go see the family. She has sent no word since."
"Have you sent any letters to her?" Ron asked slowly.
"Owls can't travel to the village."
Everyone turned to look behind Snape and Hermione.
"Katia?"
"Kitty?"
"Kat?"
"Ekaterina?"
Kat smiled as they all talked in unison. It was quite strange hearing five people say four different versions of her name. "Yes, it's really me. Don't look so shocked." She rolled her eyes softly at the absurdness of the situation. She leaned against the doorframe to her father's bedroom; she really didn't want to move into the light.
"When did you get back?" her father asked softly.
"What happened at the village?" Hermione asked right after him.
She sighed softly, but still her father and Draco heard her. Severus still had a feeling that something had happened, something big. Draco tried to look at her more closely, but she was still hidden in the shadows.
"I got back just now. They called me back for a funeral."
"Oh Kitty, I'm so sorry." Hermione said standing up.
"Hermione, don't take this the wrong way, but you really don't want to get close to me right now. Actually, you can't come close to me right now. My uncle and aunt died from a disease, that as far as we know is only contagious to our family, but I really don't want to risk any of you getting it. In fact, right now I really need to see Madam Pomfrey so if you will excuse me, I'll be on my way." With that she turned and began to walk towards the window where a broom was waiting.
She swayed slightly as the room began to spin. Not now, she had to get away before they saw her. Another wave of dizziness hit her, and she closed her eyes. As she started to sink to her knees she whispered the spell, then gave over to the darkness.
He sighed as he looked up at the clock on the wall. He had missed dinner again, but that was nothing new with the past week. But, considering that today was the students' first night back, it wasn't a good thing. Knowing Miss. Granger she would be at his door quite soon in the hopes of finding him.
He sighed once more. He knew full well why Hermione and her friends would be looking for him. And if he was right, then Mr. Malfoy would get there before them, or just after them. It had been a week since he had seen Kat. She had come into his chambers early on Christmas morning, and told him she loved him. Then she had left, and there had been no sign of her since.
Something had happened, he could sense it in her that day. Something was changing, she was changing. He could sense a spell around her, one of her doing. Even though she had bewitched her appearance, he still caught the glimmer in her eyes; her mother's eyes were coming through. Time was growing short, and there was nothing he could do to protect the only thing he had left in this life. He couldn't protect his own daughter from herself, and it was killing him to watch her follow her mother.
He looked up as a knock resounded on the door. They were here. He stood up and went over to the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door wearing his usual scowl
~*~*~*~*~
Hermione had had it. During all of dinner, she had felt Malfoy's eyes on her. There was still no sign of Kitty or Snape, and by this time she wanted to know where in Merlin's name her cousin was. She knew something was wrong, she just knew it. She sat on the bench as everyone left the room, even the professors left before her. Harry and Ron stood next to her, watching her unsure of what to do.
"Hermione?" Harry began softly. "What is it?"
"Something's wrong with Kitty. I can feel it. She should be here."
"Maybe she's up in her room." Ron said slowly.
"She's not."
The three of them turned to look at Draco, surprised that he had come over without their knowledge.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked accusingly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "She was suppose to meet me before dinner, she wasn't there. It's not like her." He replied, before his eyes took on a harder edge.
"You want to know how I know," he continued, leaning down so he was eye level with her. "The same way you know. I can sense her."
Hermione looked at him for a few seconds, reading his eyes. "Well, I guess we should go to the only other person who would know where she is."
"I know where his chambers are." Draco replied standing up and stepping back so she could stand up.
"Aren't his chambers with his office?" Harry asked realizing whom they were talking about.
"I'm afraid not Mr. Potter. Professor Snape chooses to have them separate. Anyway, I thought you would like to know that he is in his chambers. Goodnight."
They all watched as Professor Dumbledore walked out of the hall. None of them had even realized he was still in the room.
"Well, you heard him, let's go." Hermione said turning on her heels and walked out of the Hall.
"You sure you want to spend the rest of you life with her Potter?"
Harry smiled. "Are you sure you want to spend your life with Kat?"
Draco smirked. "I'm positive, so let's go find her." With that he followed Hermione out of the hall, looking much like the man they were going to find.
"I swear Harry, sometimes those two are downright scary."
"I know Ron, I know." he replied, "Come on we better go catch up with them." with that the two boys, really young men, ran after the two who were so determined to find Kat.
Ten minutes later they had arrived at Snape's chambers, and knocked on the door. Moments later Snape opened the door, scowling at them.
"What do you want?" he asked clearly not wanting them to be there.
Hermione walked right past him into the room. All of them, including Snape looked at her in shock. Snape rolled his eyes, but invited the rest of Hermione's followers in, raising an eyebrow at Draco. 'What in merlin's name was he doing with Potter and friends?' he thought to himself as they sat down in his living room.
"Nice place." Ron whispered to Harry as they looked around the room.
They sat in a large room, in front of a fireplace that was the size of the wall, it looked like ten people could stand in it at once. On the floor there was a large emerald green rug covering almost the entire stone floor. Draco was sitting on a black couch with silver trim on the right side of the fireplace, facing the door. Ron and Harry sat across from him on another couch; identical to the one Draco sat on. Between the two couches, facing the fireplace were two chairs, both silver with black trim. Snape sat in the one next to Draco's couch, Hermione in the other next to Harry and Ron.
"I hate to repeat myself, but what do you want." Snape said once they had all sat down.
"Where's Kitty?" Hermione asked.
"Where is Katia?" Draco asked at the same time.
Snape glanced between them, then looked at Potter and Weasley. "Do you have anything to add." He said with a scowl.
"No sir." Ron replied.
"Ekaterina went back to her mother's village Christmas Day."
"That was a week ago. When will she be back?" Draco asked. Something wasn't right, Katia would have written him to tell him she wouldn't be there, and this wasn't like her.
"I'm not quite sure. Whenever she is done with whatever it is they needed her for."
"Do you know what they needed her for?" Hermione asked quickly. There was too little she knew about her aunt's family. She really needed to get some information out of someone, starting with a family name.
"No, she came and saw me early in the morning and told me she had to go see the family. She has sent no word since."
"Have you sent any letters to her?" Ron asked slowly.
"Owls can't travel to the village."
Everyone turned to look behind Snape and Hermione.
"Katia?"
"Kitty?"
"Kat?"
"Ekaterina?"
Kat smiled as they all talked in unison. It was quite strange hearing five people say four different versions of her name. "Yes, it's really me. Don't look so shocked." She rolled her eyes softly at the absurdness of the situation. She leaned against the doorframe to her father's bedroom; she really didn't want to move into the light.
"When did you get back?" her father asked softly.
"What happened at the village?" Hermione asked right after him.
She sighed softly, but still her father and Draco heard her. Severus still had a feeling that something had happened, something big. Draco tried to look at her more closely, but she was still hidden in the shadows.
"I got back just now. They called me back for a funeral."
"Oh Kitty, I'm so sorry." Hermione said standing up.
"Hermione, don't take this the wrong way, but you really don't want to get close to me right now. Actually, you can't come close to me right now. My uncle and aunt died from a disease, that as far as we know is only contagious to our family, but I really don't want to risk any of you getting it. In fact, right now I really need to see Madam Pomfrey so if you will excuse me, I'll be on my way." With that she turned and began to walk towards the window where a broom was waiting.
She swayed slightly as the room began to spin. Not now, she had to get away before they saw her. Another wave of dizziness hit her, and she closed her eyes. As she started to sink to her knees she whispered the spell, then gave over to the darkness.
