Hello, peeps! Yes, yes, "Anor" and "Ithil" mean "Sun" and "Moon" in
Elvish. But that's not really all that important to the story. Speaking
of the story - I haven't gotten as many reviews. Do sequels just not get
as any? Did everybody go away? Sigh - oh, well. I'll shut up now.
*~*~*~*~*~
The food was delicious, but Erin wasn't hungry. She tapped her spoon on the table, then on the plate, then on Calvin's head.
"Hey!"
"Gotcha," said Erin with a grin. Calvin grumbled and went back to dinner. Erin looked up to meet Draco's cool gray eyes across the table from hers. He, too, wasn't eating.
Erin couldn't stand just sitting here. She got up and walked toward the exit. On the way, though, somebody caught her robe. It was George.
"Hey, Erin."
"What?"
"There's this girl I saw, just before going to dinner. Black hair, sort of pale, dressed in dirty pants - do you know her?"
Erin was puzzled. "No, why?"
George gestured with his fork. "I dunno. I guess - well, we thought she might be a relative of Snape's or something."
"Snape?" repeated Erin, startled. "Why?"
"You should have seen her," said Fred through a mouthful of chicken. "It was like looking at Snape, only smaller, and female."
"Creepy," said George.
Erin shrugged. "He's never told me about any relatives."
"Well, tell us if you figure it out, okay?"
"Okay." Erin paused to wave to Henry Creevey and then walked into the hall.
*~*~*~*
"Sock," said Felicity to the gargoyle.
Christopher Snape looked at her incredulously. "Sock?"
"Sock," she said firmly. The boy shrugged as the gargoyle leaped aside and the two young children entered.
"Wow," breathed Christopher, gazing around at the portraits of former Headmasters. "This place is old."
"Yeah, really," affirmed Felicity. She went to the desk and sat in the chair behind it. "Lookee! I'm Headmaster!"
Christopher laughed. "I'm a wizard, too!" he shouted. He climbed up onto another chair and fetched down the Sorting Hat.
"Don't put that on!" warned Felicity. "It puts you in your House."
"Oops!" said Christopher, and he put the hat back gingerly and climbed off the chair. "You know," he said, wandering over to one wall, "I might go to Hogwarts someday."
"What about your sister?"
"She's a Squib, like my mum. What's in here?" Christopher opened a cabinet door and pulled out a basin filled with a silvery, swirling substance. The two youngsters stared at the contents.
"It's like - " said Felicity hesitantly.
"Yeah," breathed Christopher. He looked up impishly. "Dare you to touch it."
"You touch it."
"I dared you first."
"I will not."
"Wimp."
"I am not a wimp."
"Then touch it!"
"Fine," said Felicity, miffed. She extended one delicate forefinger and touched the swirling contents of the basin. And was sucked inside.
"Felicity!" Christopher screamed.
*~*~*~*~*~
"Hegemony," said Erin, and the door to the Slytherin common room opened. She walked inside - and crashed straight into somebody.
Both collapsed to the floor. Erin scrambled to get up first, and was about to help the other up when she stopped and stared at the two cool black eyes glittering into hers.
It was obviously the girl Fred and George had seen, and Erin could now agree with them - it was creepy, how much like Snape she looked.
Carefully Erin extended a hand, but the other girl ignored it and stood on her own. She was at least two inches taller than Erin and a good deal thinner. She was rather pretty, too, thought Erin, when one got over that macabre resemblance.
The other girl was studying Erin carefully, and she now offered Erin her hand. "You must be Erin Kristoff," she said.
Erin recovered herself and shook the girl's hand. "That's me," she said cheerfully.
"I'm Nina Snape," she said. "Your cousin."
*~*~*~*~*
Felicity lay crumpled on the stone floor. Shivering, she pulled herself into a crouching position. She was at Hogwarts, that was for sure - she even recognized the hallway. But she had just been in Dumbledore's office. Why was she here? Felicity got up and turned to see the library. She could ask Madame Pince for help.
Carefully she walked over and pulled open the heavy door. "Madame Pince?" she called inside, but nobody was there. Well, not strictly true. There was one person studying in the corner. Timidly Felicity walked toward him, but then stopped dead as he looked up.
"Professor Snape?" she asked in astonishment.
He did not answer. He did not even see her. But there could be no doubt that it was her sister's guardian.
"Sir?" Felicity tried again.
Snape looked back down at the table. Felicity walked a little closer. She could see now that he wore the robes of Slytherin. She looked at him closely. He looked younger, like a fifth-year, and his hair was longer. It fell down a little past his shoulders, thick and wild as a pony's mane. But his glittering black eyes looked so bleak.
Snape took a deep breath and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small piece of crumpled parchment. "Street-rat," it read. He pulled out another piece. "Bastard," said this one. Snape tossed them down on the table and stared at them.
"Blast you, Malfoy," he whispered, and got up abruptly, stuffing the bits of parchment into his pocket. With quick, smooth steps he walked out of the library. Felicity hurried behind.
"Snape," said someone in a drawling voice. Both Felicity and Snape turned to see a boy standing in the corridor. For a second Felicity thought it was Draco, but then she realized it was his father, Lucius Malfoy.
"Come with me," said Malfoy idly, and began to walk down the halls. Snape hesitated. Felicity saw that he was shaking slightly. Then he tossed his hair out of his eyes and followed Malfoy down the corridor. But Felicity had seen the look Snape had given Malfoy; a look of such intense hatred that it had chilled the little girl to the bone.
She'd once seen a giant Doberman being pulled on a leash once, and it had refused to move. Its owner went to it and hit it on the head, hard. The Doberman followed its owner then, but it had given the man that exact same look. She'd read in the newspaper a month later that the dog had attacked the man and nearly killed him. She shivered violently.
"I think you've had enough adventure, Miss Felicity," said a familiar voice behind her. Felicity turned to see Dumbledore standing behind her, his glasses winking in the torchlight.
"Yes, please," she said in a small voice. "I want to go home."
Dumbledore reached for her hand, and in an instant Felicity was back in his office.
"What's that thing for," asked Felicity tentatively, eyeing the basin with great distrust.
"It is where I keep my memories."
"Then if you remember that, where were you?"
"I was in the library the entire time. I just happened to be - a little concealed."
"Why?"
"Because I wished to be," he said, firmly but not unkindly. Felicity knew better than to push.
"Is Malfoy still mean?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Yes, he's still mean."
"Is Snape still scared?"
"No," said Dumbledore. "I do not believe that Professor Snape is scared anymore."
"What was he afraid of? The little bits of parchment?"
"That," said Dumbledore, "I will explain some other time."
Felicity nodded glumly, then jumped as she remembered something. "Where's Christopher?"
"He ran to get me, and he is now on his way to joining his sister. I suggest, little lady, that you do so as well. I will be busy here for a few minutes."
"Doing what?" asked Felicity.
"Changing the password to my office," said Dumbledore mildly, looking at her over his glasses and smiling.
*~*~*~*~*~
The food was delicious, but Erin wasn't hungry. She tapped her spoon on the table, then on the plate, then on Calvin's head.
"Hey!"
"Gotcha," said Erin with a grin. Calvin grumbled and went back to dinner. Erin looked up to meet Draco's cool gray eyes across the table from hers. He, too, wasn't eating.
Erin couldn't stand just sitting here. She got up and walked toward the exit. On the way, though, somebody caught her robe. It was George.
"Hey, Erin."
"What?"
"There's this girl I saw, just before going to dinner. Black hair, sort of pale, dressed in dirty pants - do you know her?"
Erin was puzzled. "No, why?"
George gestured with his fork. "I dunno. I guess - well, we thought she might be a relative of Snape's or something."
"Snape?" repeated Erin, startled. "Why?"
"You should have seen her," said Fred through a mouthful of chicken. "It was like looking at Snape, only smaller, and female."
"Creepy," said George.
Erin shrugged. "He's never told me about any relatives."
"Well, tell us if you figure it out, okay?"
"Okay." Erin paused to wave to Henry Creevey and then walked into the hall.
*~*~*~*
"Sock," said Felicity to the gargoyle.
Christopher Snape looked at her incredulously. "Sock?"
"Sock," she said firmly. The boy shrugged as the gargoyle leaped aside and the two young children entered.
"Wow," breathed Christopher, gazing around at the portraits of former Headmasters. "This place is old."
"Yeah, really," affirmed Felicity. She went to the desk and sat in the chair behind it. "Lookee! I'm Headmaster!"
Christopher laughed. "I'm a wizard, too!" he shouted. He climbed up onto another chair and fetched down the Sorting Hat.
"Don't put that on!" warned Felicity. "It puts you in your House."
"Oops!" said Christopher, and he put the hat back gingerly and climbed off the chair. "You know," he said, wandering over to one wall, "I might go to Hogwarts someday."
"What about your sister?"
"She's a Squib, like my mum. What's in here?" Christopher opened a cabinet door and pulled out a basin filled with a silvery, swirling substance. The two youngsters stared at the contents.
"It's like - " said Felicity hesitantly.
"Yeah," breathed Christopher. He looked up impishly. "Dare you to touch it."
"You touch it."
"I dared you first."
"I will not."
"Wimp."
"I am not a wimp."
"Then touch it!"
"Fine," said Felicity, miffed. She extended one delicate forefinger and touched the swirling contents of the basin. And was sucked inside.
"Felicity!" Christopher screamed.
*~*~*~*~*~
"Hegemony," said Erin, and the door to the Slytherin common room opened. She walked inside - and crashed straight into somebody.
Both collapsed to the floor. Erin scrambled to get up first, and was about to help the other up when she stopped and stared at the two cool black eyes glittering into hers.
It was obviously the girl Fred and George had seen, and Erin could now agree with them - it was creepy, how much like Snape she looked.
Carefully Erin extended a hand, but the other girl ignored it and stood on her own. She was at least two inches taller than Erin and a good deal thinner. She was rather pretty, too, thought Erin, when one got over that macabre resemblance.
The other girl was studying Erin carefully, and she now offered Erin her hand. "You must be Erin Kristoff," she said.
Erin recovered herself and shook the girl's hand. "That's me," she said cheerfully.
"I'm Nina Snape," she said. "Your cousin."
*~*~*~*~*
Felicity lay crumpled on the stone floor. Shivering, she pulled herself into a crouching position. She was at Hogwarts, that was for sure - she even recognized the hallway. But she had just been in Dumbledore's office. Why was she here? Felicity got up and turned to see the library. She could ask Madame Pince for help.
Carefully she walked over and pulled open the heavy door. "Madame Pince?" she called inside, but nobody was there. Well, not strictly true. There was one person studying in the corner. Timidly Felicity walked toward him, but then stopped dead as he looked up.
"Professor Snape?" she asked in astonishment.
He did not answer. He did not even see her. But there could be no doubt that it was her sister's guardian.
"Sir?" Felicity tried again.
Snape looked back down at the table. Felicity walked a little closer. She could see now that he wore the robes of Slytherin. She looked at him closely. He looked younger, like a fifth-year, and his hair was longer. It fell down a little past his shoulders, thick and wild as a pony's mane. But his glittering black eyes looked so bleak.
Snape took a deep breath and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small piece of crumpled parchment. "Street-rat," it read. He pulled out another piece. "Bastard," said this one. Snape tossed them down on the table and stared at them.
"Blast you, Malfoy," he whispered, and got up abruptly, stuffing the bits of parchment into his pocket. With quick, smooth steps he walked out of the library. Felicity hurried behind.
"Snape," said someone in a drawling voice. Both Felicity and Snape turned to see a boy standing in the corridor. For a second Felicity thought it was Draco, but then she realized it was his father, Lucius Malfoy.
"Come with me," said Malfoy idly, and began to walk down the halls. Snape hesitated. Felicity saw that he was shaking slightly. Then he tossed his hair out of his eyes and followed Malfoy down the corridor. But Felicity had seen the look Snape had given Malfoy; a look of such intense hatred that it had chilled the little girl to the bone.
She'd once seen a giant Doberman being pulled on a leash once, and it had refused to move. Its owner went to it and hit it on the head, hard. The Doberman followed its owner then, but it had given the man that exact same look. She'd read in the newspaper a month later that the dog had attacked the man and nearly killed him. She shivered violently.
"I think you've had enough adventure, Miss Felicity," said a familiar voice behind her. Felicity turned to see Dumbledore standing behind her, his glasses winking in the torchlight.
"Yes, please," she said in a small voice. "I want to go home."
Dumbledore reached for her hand, and in an instant Felicity was back in his office.
"What's that thing for," asked Felicity tentatively, eyeing the basin with great distrust.
"It is where I keep my memories."
"Then if you remember that, where were you?"
"I was in the library the entire time. I just happened to be - a little concealed."
"Why?"
"Because I wished to be," he said, firmly but not unkindly. Felicity knew better than to push.
"Is Malfoy still mean?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Yes, he's still mean."
"Is Snape still scared?"
"No," said Dumbledore. "I do not believe that Professor Snape is scared anymore."
"What was he afraid of? The little bits of parchment?"
"That," said Dumbledore, "I will explain some other time."
Felicity nodded glumly, then jumped as she remembered something. "Where's Christopher?"
"He ran to get me, and he is now on his way to joining his sister. I suggest, little lady, that you do so as well. I will be busy here for a few minutes."
"Doing what?" asked Felicity.
"Changing the password to my office," said Dumbledore mildly, looking at her over his glasses and smiling.