**disclaimer** I don't own Harry Potter, blah blah blah.I also don't own
Foamy the Squirrel. The wonderful people of Ill Will Press own my beloved
Foamy. I'm only stealing him and possible Germiane for some later
chapters.*grins* I beseech you all my readers, review?
Three Bound Together
Chapter Six, An Uncle of My Own
Lissa threw herself onto her bed and screamed loudly into her pillow. She could not believe what had just happened.
Her mortal enemy, one of them, had kissed her and she had actually kissed the stupid little bugger back. Why did he have to
kiss her at that very moment? She was always the most vulnerable when she was angry and screaming. Ever since before she
could remember, her brother had always been able to make her cry by saying something horrible. The feeling of his lips against
her had ripped the newly birthed, weak feelings for him to rise up and she had instinctively kissed him back. She let out
another scream that was muffled by her pillow. She was so stupid! A few minutes later she pulled her face from the soft
material and stared dully at the picture of the first Headgirl on the wall. The painted girl's brow was slightly furrowed as she
looked at Lissa.
"Whatever is happening can't be that bad, it's not like you parents were killed or anything."
For several moments Lissa was completely silent, memories washing over her. Why did this wretched girl in the portrait have to
remind her of something so horrible? She had only managed to forget the stone of agony rubbing away at her heart when
she had been working. She balled her hands up into angry fists, her nails making moon shaped indents in her palms.
"You stupid, inconsiderate, mass of paint! How dare you remind me of that! I had just forgotten!"
The girl in the portrait sniffled, the outburst from Lissa hitting her hard. "I was just trying to help!"
"Well don't help me any bloody more!"
The painted girl let out a sob and disappeared behind the frame, probably into the Headboy's room so she could be consoled
by her boyfriend, the first Headboy. Lissa dropped her head into her hands and sighed quietly. She wished she had not taken
her angry out of the painted girl, but she could not help herself. The pain had come back and she had to take it out on
someone. With a soft sigh, her mind reached out to the ever present safety blanket that was her brother, needing to feel the
loving veil that was thrown over to her whenever their minds joined.
A few weeks later, Lissa had been completely avoiding everyone she knew. Malfoy had, luckily, not come any closer to
her then he had too, in fear that she might rip his swollen head off. One of the reasons he had not come near her was he
happy that he had been kissed back by the girl he had become infatuated with in the middle of fifth year. Lissa sighed quietly
as she hurriedly scratched her ink laden quill along the surface of the porous parchment. She had stupidly left a Charms essay
until the last minute. She groaned and dropped her quill down beside her parchment, rubbing her tired eyes with ink-stained
fingers. It was only the middle of October and the teachers were already preparing them for the O.W.L.S at the end of the
year. If 'Mione had been around, she would have been studying madly even know. A cloud of sadness surrounded her as she
remembered her one of her ex-best friends. She had always been a little closer to the other female member of the Dream
Team, but when she had transferred to Beauxbatons she had completely blocked out all communications. Lissa opened a
drawer in the desk she was sitting at and drew out the last letter she had ever gotten from Hermione Granger.
Dear Analissa;
Thank you for your concern about my welfare at Beauxbatons. I can assure you that I fit in here much better then back
at Hogwarts. I would ask you how you like the new term at Hogwarts, but frankly I could care less. It does not really matter
to me how you are doing, because it does not matter. Please do not try to contact me anymore Ms. Maeko because if you
do, I will not answer. I do not wish to ruin my chances at a new life without being overshadowed by my old.
Hermione Ann Granger
P.S. Tell Harry and Ron that they can still write me, they are probably reading this over your shoulder anyway.
Lissa's eyes watered as she reread the piece of parchment. She did not know why she kept the blasted thing; it only drove the
knife of pain farther into her heart. With a soft sigh she dropped it back into its respectful place in the drawer and let her head
rest in her hands. Her mind slowly drifted back to the conversation she had had with Dumbledore. He had said that her
mother's maiden name was Snape. So, would not that mean that Severus Snape, the dreaded Potions Master, was her
uncle? If that was indeed true, she really was not an orphan. But would not he have stepped forward to claim her and her
brother at the time of their parent's death? Why had not she ever noticed the similarities between her and her uncle? They
both had the same black hair, though Lissa at least kept hers constantly clean, and the same easily ignited temper. She
sighed quietly and got up from her chair. She wanted to talk to her uncle, if he indeed was her uncle though it was unlikely
that there was any other family with the last name of Snape, she needed to know why he had not come for her and Gabe.
She grabbed her robes off the back of her chair and threw them around her shoulders. She quickly left the Head's common
room, not before casting several anti-theft charms over her homework, heading farther into the dungeons.
Lissa arrived at her Head of House's classroom a few minutes later, a determined look on her face. She tried to open the
door, but found it was locked. She snorted softly, it would figure that someone like Snape would be paranoid enough to have
to lock his classroom up at night. She took her wand out of her robes and cast a few unlocking spells before slipping into the
dark room. It was almost surreal to be in the classroom at night. The light from the few candles in the corners of the room hit
the desks and bounced off at strange angles. She started walking towards the solid door behind Snape's desk, and did not
see someone creeping up behind her. Lissa let out a muffled shriek when someone whispered, "Morbiculus." And promptly
tumbled over when her legs stopped obeying the commands her brain was frantically sending. She lay on the cold stone for a
few seconds before someone rolled her over with the tip of their shoe. Confused dark brown eyes met furious black. Snape
hissed angrily at her and removed the jinx from her.
"What are you doing here Ms Roza? You are in my classroom at one in the morning, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Lissa was surprised when he did not shout at her and she quickly sat up, feeling particularly vulnerable lying prostrate on the
floor.
"I needed to know."
"Know what Ms Roza? What was so important that you had to break into my classroom in the middle of the night?"
Her dark brown eyes hardened as she pushed herself up to her feet. The temperature in the classroom dropped several
degrees as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest.
"I needed to know whether or not Gabe and I were truly orphans. Our mother shared the same last name as you and I find it
hard to believe there are two pure blood families with the last name of Snape."
Severus's face did not portray his emotions, but his mind was whirring furiously. Albus had promised him he would not reveal to
either of the twins that he was indeed their uncle. They were supposed to find out on their own. He let out a sigh and
motioned for her to follow him.
"I do believe we should go sit down in my study, this may take a lot of explaining to do Analissa."
She nodded and dutifully followed after her teacher.
After Lissa had been seated, Severus paced around in front of the fire. She decided to give him as much time as he
needed, she wanted horribly to know if she had any family. Her eyes watched him move until finally he stopped in front of her,
a small table separating them.
"Analissa, I am your mother's brother. So, I suppose that makes you my niece and your brother my nephew."
Lissa smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth barely turning up.
"So why aren't you Gabe and my legal guardian? It makes sense considering you are our only living relative. Or is there a
whole branch of Snapes I don't know about?"
"To answer you last question first, I have another sister and my parents are still alive. They do not know of your existence. They
all, including myself in the beginning, frowned upon the fact that your mother married your father. They did not want her to
be drawn into the dark corruption of Voldemort's reign. I doubt they even know that she is dead. Now for your first question,
the reason I did not become your legal guardian is because one, would you really have believed me? And two, it was to
protect you from the taint of evil. Voldemort would have somehow found out about that."
A frown crossed Lissa's face as she looked up at her uncle. That wasn't right she decided. Her mother's own family did not
even know that she was dead and had had children. A small seed of daughterly love flared in heart for her uncle. He had
actually cared enough about her brother and her to protect them by not acknowledging them.
"Un.Prof.Err, damn.Now what am I supposed to call you? Professor and Uncle both seem too bloody formal."
Severus hid a smile from his lips, but let it warm his eyes. He reached out to touch his niece's cheek.
"You may call me whatever you wish Analissa."
"Then I know exactly what I will call you.Gus."
"Gus??" Confusion was clearly written on his face, all traces of the normally evil and surly Potions Master were gone.
"Well, the end of your name is Rus, and I think it sounds like Gus. I've wanted to call that for ages."
He chuckled softly and finally drew his finger tips from his niece's cheek. He was about to say something when Lissa quickly cut
him off.
"I want to send a letter to the rest of my mother's family. I want them to know that she did indeed get married to my father,
had children, and then died trying to protect us. I don't care if they don't answer; I just think they need to know.Will you
send it off for me?"
"Yes of course."
She smiled up to him and dropped the subject; she would touch on it again. Uncle and niece delved into conversation, trying
to make up for the lost years of their lives.
Lissa had talked with her uncle for several hours and it was no earlier then six in the morning when she finally returned to
the Head's common room. She knew that if she went to bed now, she would only get up for dinner and then sleep on through
the night. She sat down on one of the plush, overstuffed emerald green armchairs and stared moodily into the fire before her.
Halloween was fast approaching, signifying the darker half of the year. Lissa's mind drifted back to the pervious holidays,
remembering all her silly little costumes and the idea that all the dead came back for a single night and danced around the
world. For a few minutes, she surrounded herself in the delicious quilt of memories and warmth loosing herself in remembering.
Unknown to her, Malfoy had come down from his bedroom and had been surprised at seeing her reclining in a chair. He
noticed that she was still wearing her school robes from the day before and her eyes were looking unseeingly into the fire. He
crept towards her until he was sitting on the couch closet to her chair; he then waited for her to come out of her daze. Lissa's
subconscious screamed a hysterical warning at her when Malfoy seated himself beside her. Her head whipped around as she
glared at him, her dark brown eyes retreating to obsidian.
"What the hell are you doing down here at this ungoddessly hour?"
"I should be asking you the same question; you are still wearing your school robes."
A feral growl ripped from her throat as she clenched her fists, the temperature rising in the room, the air almost wavering from
heat. "Keep your nose out of my business Malfoy. I have my own reasons to be still wearing my robes."
He put his hands up in a protective gesture, his silver eyes peeking out from the gaps between his fingers. "Fine, fine."
For several minutes they sat in silence, Lissa's gaze slowly returning to the fire and Malfoy staring at the plush black carpet. A
sudden thought struck her and a very slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Malfoy, what do you think about a Halloween carnival?"
"A carnival? Hmm.Sounds like a good idea, do you know if Dumbledore will agree to it?"
"Him? I'm sure he will, any excuse for festivities he would jump at."
She nodded slowly, her dark brown eyes boring holes into Malfoy's. A visible shudder ran through him as he broke her intense
stare.
"If you wouldn't mind, please don't stare at me. It is very unnerving."
"My staring at you is unnerving? Honestly, you stare at me far longer then I stare at you." She snorted darkly and looked at the
clock on the mantle above the roaring fire. It was almost seven.
"Now, please excuse me Malfoy, I need to get ready for school." Without waiting for an answer she got up and swept by him,
her robes fluttering behind her as if born on a nonexistent wind. It struck him how much her walk reminded her of a certain
Potion's Master.
Lissa spent the next hour in the bathroom, showering and dressing. It was luckily Saturday, but unluckily it was a
Hogsmeade weekend and being Headgirl she had to go and supervise. She had chosen out a pair of simple, black muggle
jeans and an equally black shirt. She had no desire at all to dress as the pureblood witch she was supposed to be. She sighed
quietly as she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and her hair was a mess, despite the
uncountable times she had brushed it. She absently ran a hand through her hair, her eyes glazing over as she thought of a
certain blond haired person. He had such wonderful eyes, those deep silver depths that threatened to pull her in and never
let go.A horrified gasp came out of Lissa as she realized she was mooning over Draco Malfoy, someone she had vowed to
hate until her dying day. She sighed softly and dropped her hand to the counter. There was no sense in dawdling anymore.
The Hogsmeade visit started in less than thirty minutes and she knew she had to get going. She heaved another sigh and left
the bathroom. She grabbed the wool black sweater and threw it on, pulling the hood over her face. Her visage was thrown
into shadow and she smirked ever so slightly. Maybe if she was lucky she would be able to hole up in The Three Broomsticks all
day.
Half an hour later Lissa was being pulled around Hogsmeade by an overly excited Bradley. A constant stream of chatter
came from the girl as she dragged her into Honeydukes.
"Oh LOOK! Forever Blowing Bubbles Eatable Bubbles! I must get some!! AAHHHH!! One stone of Honeyduckes BEST chocolate!
OHMAGOD!! THIS PLACE IS HEAVEN!"
Lissa tried to shake her arm out of her friend's grip, but the hyper girl had her in a death grip. Several minutes later, she let out
an aggravated shriek and kicked her friend hard in the shins.
"Let me GO! I understand that you want to buy a year's worth supply of chocolate and sugar, but let me go!!"
"Okay!! Lets go get some SUGAR! Then we can go to the THREE BROOMSTICKS and have some BUTTERBEER!"
Lissa groaned quietly and finally wrenched her arm from her friend. She edged away behind an aisle, pretending to be
interested in a box of sugar coated fire flies. After a few minutes of poking through the sticky, slightly smelly, treats with the tip
of her wand, someone put their hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, a candied fire fly stuck on the tip of her wand.
Standing in front of her in a set of dark green robes was a cocky looking Malfoy, his trademark sneer on his face. When her face
was revealed to him, the look on his face was wiped off and a warm smile was in its place.
"Analissa! I thought you were someone else. Why are you wearing mudblood clothes? Robes are so much better."
"Don't you tell me which clothes are better Malfoy. I do have a mind of my own thank you very bloody much!" Her face
remained passive, though her eyes were darkening slightly.
"I wasn't saying you didn't have a mind of your own. I was just saying." He stopped talking when she put a hand up, a
slightly exasperated look on her face.
"Stop talking Draco, you're just digging yourself into a deeper hole."
Lissa turned around and shook her wand, the fire fly falling back into the tray. She then stuck her wand in the holster on her
forearm, beneath her sweater and pulled the hood up. Malfoy was staring at her, a bemused and confused expression on his
face. His mind was furiously working around what she had just told him. She did not notice and walked out of the aisle,
grabbing Bradley's arm, and left the shop.
Some time later, Lissa and Bradley were sitting at a small table in the Three Broomsticks. Bradley was devouring sweets
at a sickening rate and Lissa was mulling over a bottle of warm butterbeer. Why had Draco.No Malfoy, she chided herself,
had that look on his face when she had left? It did not make any sense. She sighed and took a deep draft from the bottle in
her hands, then choked as she swallowed when Draco came in. He looked all around the crowded room and then their eyes
met. A smile came across his face and he started to head over. Lissa squeaked and looked at Bradley.
"Brad! He's coming over!"
"So?"
"SO??"
"Sorry, do you mind if I leave for a bit? I need some more chocolate."
"Um.Okay, hurry back??"
"Of course!"
Bradley then got up and bounced across the crowded room, for some reason much faster then Draco was moving. After
what seemed like an eternity, but was really no longer then half a minute, he was standing at her table. He smiled warmly
down to her, his silver eyes bright.
"Hello Analissa, do you mind if I sit here?" He motioned to the seat Bradley had recently vacated. Lissa nodded slowly and
sipped her butterbeer a little nervously. He plopped himself down in the chair and grinned widely at her. He himself was on the
verge of a total nervy spaz as he looked at her. He rested his elbow on the table, his cheek falling into his open hand.
"So."
Immediately she sensed his nervousness and her own faded away. She set her bottle on the table and smiled up to him, her
dark eyes sparkling slightly.
"What made you decide to come over and sit with me? There are a ton of other girls around here who don't curse you every
time they see you."
"That's one of the reasons I came over to sit with you. I also wanted someone I could carry on a decent conversation with. As
you can obviously see," he swept his arm around the room, motioning at all the happy people, "no one here has two brain
cells to rub together."
Lissa's smile widened and she leaned back in her chair.
"Well, at least someone needs me for something. My best friend left me for the company of chocolate. My brother is off with
Goddess knows who. I gladly welcome your company. So, what do you want to talk about?"
Time wore on and the two conversed for the better part of two hours. It seemed strange to Lissa that Bradley had not
yet come back from Honeydukes, until she realized her friend had left her alone on purpose. She looked around and
remembered that she needed to shepherd all the children back up to school. She looked at Draco with a slight grimace.
"I'm sorry Draco, but it's time I herd all the kids back up to school. You could help me, you being Headboy and all..."
"Awww.Can we continue this discussion later?"
"Sure we do sha." She did not have a chance to finish her sentence because Draco had closed the small distance between
them and had pressed his lips against hers. A slight gasp escaped her, surprise written on every part of her face. Her surprise
did not last long though, seconds later she had wrapped one hand around his neck, pulling him closer. For several minutes
they were eating each other's faces, until Lissa pulled away, her cheeks like chocolate covered raspberries.
"Er.I didn't expect that to ever happen.Though I'm glad it did."
He smiled warmly to her and got up, offering her his hand. She took it and he wrapped his arm around her waist in a
protective gesture.
"Me too Sissa, me too."
When they got back to the school, the newly formed couple broke apart. Lissa headed for the library and Draco went
for the Great Hall. When she had found her normal table and had a book propped up, her mind reached for the comforting
presence of her brother. When she had found him and he had accepted her, she let her joy wash over the both of them.
For a moment there was nothing but silence reaching its cold tendrils like fog to all corners of her brain, then Gabe replied, an
unreadable emotion laced in his words.
She sighed quietly, knowing her brother would react like this. He had always been overly protective over her. It had come in
handy several times over the summer when she was harassed by some of the local muggles.
I
I
His voice came across too loud and a migraine immediately started clawing at the sensitive tissues of her mind.
And with that, he pulled his presence from her mind and was gone. Lissa heaved a massive sigh and got up from her seat in
the silent library. If she even hoped for the horrid headache to go away, she needed to go lie down for as long as possible. She
tucked her book, Mysterious Magicians of the Millennia, under her arm and headed for her room.
Gabriel tore out of the Slytherin common room, a murderous gleam on his face. He would very easily kill his little sister's
boyfriend if he so much as looked at her wrong. He had always known that there would be the day when she would meet a
guy and start dating him and he would have to give the unsuspecting boy "the talk" about how to treat his baby sister. But
Malfoy? Why for Merlin's sake did Lissa choose him for her first? There were no good qualities about him. He was always
sneering and looking down on people. If he thought that his sister was just going to be a pretty face to hang on his arm for a
week before he broke her heart, the little bastard had another thing coming. Gabe growled under his breath as he saw
Draco coming out of the Great Hall. He strode towards him, the very air around him seemingly crackling with an invisible
energy. When he was within grabbing distance, he lunged forward and got a handful of the front of Draco's robes and
pushed him against the wall. His dark brown eyes were gleaming with the love he felt for his sister and the need to protect her
from all harm.
"Listen up Malfoy, and listen well. If you so much as look at Lissa wrong, you will see the full rage of a wizard. Trust me, with as
much power as I have and seeing as how Lissa can give me her power if needed, I would be a very formidable force. You will
also find yourself devoid of a particularly important part of your anatomy and that part of you will be thrust down your throat
before I kill you. Got it Ferret?"
Draco, through out this entire rant, had been staring at Gabe. Outwardly he had an air of indifference as if being thrust
against a wall and being threatened by the elder brothers of his girlfriends was an every day occurrence. On the inside he was
practically bubbling. He was glad that Gabriel cared enough about Lissa to threaten him for her happiness.
"Yes Gabriel, I understand. And trust me; I will never do anything to hurt Lissa. She is very special to me."
"Yeah, she better be, because if I ever find out that you have been cheating on her with some stupid Hufflepuff bimbo you
will."
"Die from the full brunt of your power. I understand. As I said, I will not ever hurt Lissa."
Gabriel grunted slightly and grudgingly let go of Draco. He stepped away from him, his eyes still smoldering. Just before he
turned on his heel to find and talk with Lissa, he whispered threateningly in Draco's direction. "Remember boy, I will be
watching you."
With that, he strode away in the direction of the Head's common room and bedrooms, in need of a serious discussion with his
sister about this newly revealed uncle.
Weeee!! Another chapter forced out of my.err.creative.mind. *sighs* You know, I would really appreciate some reviews. It's not really that hard. It's just a simple click and a couple words. A simple review can really make a writers day. It's really nice when someone tells you what they think of your story.Even if it is a flame, it is still appreciated. Anyway, enough ranting and raving. Simply put, please review and I will love you forever. I might even incorporate you somehow into the story. Only if you review though!
Your Lord and Master, Foamy the Squirrel a.k.a. Gothic Monkey
Three Bound Together
Chapter Six, An Uncle of My Own
Lissa threw herself onto her bed and screamed loudly into her pillow. She could not believe what had just happened.
Her mortal enemy, one of them, had kissed her and she had actually kissed the stupid little bugger back. Why did he have to
kiss her at that very moment? She was always the most vulnerable when she was angry and screaming. Ever since before she
could remember, her brother had always been able to make her cry by saying something horrible. The feeling of his lips against
her had ripped the newly birthed, weak feelings for him to rise up and she had instinctively kissed him back. She let out
another scream that was muffled by her pillow. She was so stupid! A few minutes later she pulled her face from the soft
material and stared dully at the picture of the first Headgirl on the wall. The painted girl's brow was slightly furrowed as she
looked at Lissa.
"Whatever is happening can't be that bad, it's not like you parents were killed or anything."
For several moments Lissa was completely silent, memories washing over her. Why did this wretched girl in the portrait have to
remind her of something so horrible? She had only managed to forget the stone of agony rubbing away at her heart when
she had been working. She balled her hands up into angry fists, her nails making moon shaped indents in her palms.
"You stupid, inconsiderate, mass of paint! How dare you remind me of that! I had just forgotten!"
The girl in the portrait sniffled, the outburst from Lissa hitting her hard. "I was just trying to help!"
"Well don't help me any bloody more!"
The painted girl let out a sob and disappeared behind the frame, probably into the Headboy's room so she could be consoled
by her boyfriend, the first Headboy. Lissa dropped her head into her hands and sighed quietly. She wished she had not taken
her angry out of the painted girl, but she could not help herself. The pain had come back and she had to take it out on
someone. With a soft sigh, her mind reached out to the ever present safety blanket that was her brother, needing to feel the
loving veil that was thrown over to her whenever their minds joined.
A few weeks later, Lissa had been completely avoiding everyone she knew. Malfoy had, luckily, not come any closer to
her then he had too, in fear that she might rip his swollen head off. One of the reasons he had not come near her was he
happy that he had been kissed back by the girl he had become infatuated with in the middle of fifth year. Lissa sighed quietly
as she hurriedly scratched her ink laden quill along the surface of the porous parchment. She had stupidly left a Charms essay
until the last minute. She groaned and dropped her quill down beside her parchment, rubbing her tired eyes with ink-stained
fingers. It was only the middle of October and the teachers were already preparing them for the O.W.L.S at the end of the
year. If 'Mione had been around, she would have been studying madly even know. A cloud of sadness surrounded her as she
remembered her one of her ex-best friends. She had always been a little closer to the other female member of the Dream
Team, but when she had transferred to Beauxbatons she had completely blocked out all communications. Lissa opened a
drawer in the desk she was sitting at and drew out the last letter she had ever gotten from Hermione Granger.
Dear Analissa;
Thank you for your concern about my welfare at Beauxbatons. I can assure you that I fit in here much better then back
at Hogwarts. I would ask you how you like the new term at Hogwarts, but frankly I could care less. It does not really matter
to me how you are doing, because it does not matter. Please do not try to contact me anymore Ms. Maeko because if you
do, I will not answer. I do not wish to ruin my chances at a new life without being overshadowed by my old.
Hermione Ann Granger
P.S. Tell Harry and Ron that they can still write me, they are probably reading this over your shoulder anyway.
Lissa's eyes watered as she reread the piece of parchment. She did not know why she kept the blasted thing; it only drove the
knife of pain farther into her heart. With a soft sigh she dropped it back into its respectful place in the drawer and let her head
rest in her hands. Her mind slowly drifted back to the conversation she had had with Dumbledore. He had said that her
mother's maiden name was Snape. So, would not that mean that Severus Snape, the dreaded Potions Master, was her
uncle? If that was indeed true, she really was not an orphan. But would not he have stepped forward to claim her and her
brother at the time of their parent's death? Why had not she ever noticed the similarities between her and her uncle? They
both had the same black hair, though Lissa at least kept hers constantly clean, and the same easily ignited temper. She
sighed quietly and got up from her chair. She wanted to talk to her uncle, if he indeed was her uncle though it was unlikely
that there was any other family with the last name of Snape, she needed to know why he had not come for her and Gabe.
She grabbed her robes off the back of her chair and threw them around her shoulders. She quickly left the Head's common
room, not before casting several anti-theft charms over her homework, heading farther into the dungeons.
Lissa arrived at her Head of House's classroom a few minutes later, a determined look on her face. She tried to open the
door, but found it was locked. She snorted softly, it would figure that someone like Snape would be paranoid enough to have
to lock his classroom up at night. She took her wand out of her robes and cast a few unlocking spells before slipping into the
dark room. It was almost surreal to be in the classroom at night. The light from the few candles in the corners of the room hit
the desks and bounced off at strange angles. She started walking towards the solid door behind Snape's desk, and did not
see someone creeping up behind her. Lissa let out a muffled shriek when someone whispered, "Morbiculus." And promptly
tumbled over when her legs stopped obeying the commands her brain was frantically sending. She lay on the cold stone for a
few seconds before someone rolled her over with the tip of their shoe. Confused dark brown eyes met furious black. Snape
hissed angrily at her and removed the jinx from her.
"What are you doing here Ms Roza? You are in my classroom at one in the morning, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Lissa was surprised when he did not shout at her and she quickly sat up, feeling particularly vulnerable lying prostrate on the
floor.
"I needed to know."
"Know what Ms Roza? What was so important that you had to break into my classroom in the middle of the night?"
Her dark brown eyes hardened as she pushed herself up to her feet. The temperature in the classroom dropped several
degrees as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest.
"I needed to know whether or not Gabe and I were truly orphans. Our mother shared the same last name as you and I find it
hard to believe there are two pure blood families with the last name of Snape."
Severus's face did not portray his emotions, but his mind was whirring furiously. Albus had promised him he would not reveal to
either of the twins that he was indeed their uncle. They were supposed to find out on their own. He let out a sigh and
motioned for her to follow him.
"I do believe we should go sit down in my study, this may take a lot of explaining to do Analissa."
She nodded and dutifully followed after her teacher.
After Lissa had been seated, Severus paced around in front of the fire. She decided to give him as much time as he
needed, she wanted horribly to know if she had any family. Her eyes watched him move until finally he stopped in front of her,
a small table separating them.
"Analissa, I am your mother's brother. So, I suppose that makes you my niece and your brother my nephew."
Lissa smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth barely turning up.
"So why aren't you Gabe and my legal guardian? It makes sense considering you are our only living relative. Or is there a
whole branch of Snapes I don't know about?"
"To answer you last question first, I have another sister and my parents are still alive. They do not know of your existence. They
all, including myself in the beginning, frowned upon the fact that your mother married your father. They did not want her to
be drawn into the dark corruption of Voldemort's reign. I doubt they even know that she is dead. Now for your first question,
the reason I did not become your legal guardian is because one, would you really have believed me? And two, it was to
protect you from the taint of evil. Voldemort would have somehow found out about that."
A frown crossed Lissa's face as she looked up at her uncle. That wasn't right she decided. Her mother's own family did not
even know that she was dead and had had children. A small seed of daughterly love flared in heart for her uncle. He had
actually cared enough about her brother and her to protect them by not acknowledging them.
"Un.Prof.Err, damn.Now what am I supposed to call you? Professor and Uncle both seem too bloody formal."
Severus hid a smile from his lips, but let it warm his eyes. He reached out to touch his niece's cheek.
"You may call me whatever you wish Analissa."
"Then I know exactly what I will call you.Gus."
"Gus??" Confusion was clearly written on his face, all traces of the normally evil and surly Potions Master were gone.
"Well, the end of your name is Rus, and I think it sounds like Gus. I've wanted to call that for ages."
He chuckled softly and finally drew his finger tips from his niece's cheek. He was about to say something when Lissa quickly cut
him off.
"I want to send a letter to the rest of my mother's family. I want them to know that she did indeed get married to my father,
had children, and then died trying to protect us. I don't care if they don't answer; I just think they need to know.Will you
send it off for me?"
"Yes of course."
She smiled up to him and dropped the subject; she would touch on it again. Uncle and niece delved into conversation, trying
to make up for the lost years of their lives.
Lissa had talked with her uncle for several hours and it was no earlier then six in the morning when she finally returned to
the Head's common room. She knew that if she went to bed now, she would only get up for dinner and then sleep on through
the night. She sat down on one of the plush, overstuffed emerald green armchairs and stared moodily into the fire before her.
Halloween was fast approaching, signifying the darker half of the year. Lissa's mind drifted back to the pervious holidays,
remembering all her silly little costumes and the idea that all the dead came back for a single night and danced around the
world. For a few minutes, she surrounded herself in the delicious quilt of memories and warmth loosing herself in remembering.
Unknown to her, Malfoy had come down from his bedroom and had been surprised at seeing her reclining in a chair. He
noticed that she was still wearing her school robes from the day before and her eyes were looking unseeingly into the fire. He
crept towards her until he was sitting on the couch closet to her chair; he then waited for her to come out of her daze. Lissa's
subconscious screamed a hysterical warning at her when Malfoy seated himself beside her. Her head whipped around as she
glared at him, her dark brown eyes retreating to obsidian.
"What the hell are you doing down here at this ungoddessly hour?"
"I should be asking you the same question; you are still wearing your school robes."
A feral growl ripped from her throat as she clenched her fists, the temperature rising in the room, the air almost wavering from
heat. "Keep your nose out of my business Malfoy. I have my own reasons to be still wearing my robes."
He put his hands up in a protective gesture, his silver eyes peeking out from the gaps between his fingers. "Fine, fine."
For several minutes they sat in silence, Lissa's gaze slowly returning to the fire and Malfoy staring at the plush black carpet. A
sudden thought struck her and a very slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Malfoy, what do you think about a Halloween carnival?"
"A carnival? Hmm.Sounds like a good idea, do you know if Dumbledore will agree to it?"
"Him? I'm sure he will, any excuse for festivities he would jump at."
She nodded slowly, her dark brown eyes boring holes into Malfoy's. A visible shudder ran through him as he broke her intense
stare.
"If you wouldn't mind, please don't stare at me. It is very unnerving."
"My staring at you is unnerving? Honestly, you stare at me far longer then I stare at you." She snorted darkly and looked at the
clock on the mantle above the roaring fire. It was almost seven.
"Now, please excuse me Malfoy, I need to get ready for school." Without waiting for an answer she got up and swept by him,
her robes fluttering behind her as if born on a nonexistent wind. It struck him how much her walk reminded her of a certain
Potion's Master.
Lissa spent the next hour in the bathroom, showering and dressing. It was luckily Saturday, but unluckily it was a
Hogsmeade weekend and being Headgirl she had to go and supervise. She had chosen out a pair of simple, black muggle
jeans and an equally black shirt. She had no desire at all to dress as the pureblood witch she was supposed to be. She sighed
quietly as she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and her hair was a mess, despite the
uncountable times she had brushed it. She absently ran a hand through her hair, her eyes glazing over as she thought of a
certain blond haired person. He had such wonderful eyes, those deep silver depths that threatened to pull her in and never
let go.A horrified gasp came out of Lissa as she realized she was mooning over Draco Malfoy, someone she had vowed to
hate until her dying day. She sighed softly and dropped her hand to the counter. There was no sense in dawdling anymore.
The Hogsmeade visit started in less than thirty minutes and she knew she had to get going. She heaved another sigh and left
the bathroom. She grabbed the wool black sweater and threw it on, pulling the hood over her face. Her visage was thrown
into shadow and she smirked ever so slightly. Maybe if she was lucky she would be able to hole up in The Three Broomsticks all
day.
Half an hour later Lissa was being pulled around Hogsmeade by an overly excited Bradley. A constant stream of chatter
came from the girl as she dragged her into Honeydukes.
"Oh LOOK! Forever Blowing Bubbles Eatable Bubbles! I must get some!! AAHHHH!! One stone of Honeyduckes BEST chocolate!
OHMAGOD!! THIS PLACE IS HEAVEN!"
Lissa tried to shake her arm out of her friend's grip, but the hyper girl had her in a death grip. Several minutes later, she let out
an aggravated shriek and kicked her friend hard in the shins.
"Let me GO! I understand that you want to buy a year's worth supply of chocolate and sugar, but let me go!!"
"Okay!! Lets go get some SUGAR! Then we can go to the THREE BROOMSTICKS and have some BUTTERBEER!"
Lissa groaned quietly and finally wrenched her arm from her friend. She edged away behind an aisle, pretending to be
interested in a box of sugar coated fire flies. After a few minutes of poking through the sticky, slightly smelly, treats with the tip
of her wand, someone put their hand on her shoulder. She whipped around, a candied fire fly stuck on the tip of her wand.
Standing in front of her in a set of dark green robes was a cocky looking Malfoy, his trademark sneer on his face. When her face
was revealed to him, the look on his face was wiped off and a warm smile was in its place.
"Analissa! I thought you were someone else. Why are you wearing mudblood clothes? Robes are so much better."
"Don't you tell me which clothes are better Malfoy. I do have a mind of my own thank you very bloody much!" Her face
remained passive, though her eyes were darkening slightly.
"I wasn't saying you didn't have a mind of your own. I was just saying." He stopped talking when she put a hand up, a
slightly exasperated look on her face.
"Stop talking Draco, you're just digging yourself into a deeper hole."
Lissa turned around and shook her wand, the fire fly falling back into the tray. She then stuck her wand in the holster on her
forearm, beneath her sweater and pulled the hood up. Malfoy was staring at her, a bemused and confused expression on his
face. His mind was furiously working around what she had just told him. She did not notice and walked out of the aisle,
grabbing Bradley's arm, and left the shop.
Some time later, Lissa and Bradley were sitting at a small table in the Three Broomsticks. Bradley was devouring sweets
at a sickening rate and Lissa was mulling over a bottle of warm butterbeer. Why had Draco.No Malfoy, she chided herself,
had that look on his face when she had left? It did not make any sense. She sighed and took a deep draft from the bottle in
her hands, then choked as she swallowed when Draco came in. He looked all around the crowded room and then their eyes
met. A smile came across his face and he started to head over. Lissa squeaked and looked at Bradley.
"Brad! He's coming over!"
"So?"
"SO??"
"Sorry, do you mind if I leave for a bit? I need some more chocolate."
"Um.Okay, hurry back??"
"Of course!"
Bradley then got up and bounced across the crowded room, for some reason much faster then Draco was moving. After
what seemed like an eternity, but was really no longer then half a minute, he was standing at her table. He smiled warmly
down to her, his silver eyes bright.
"Hello Analissa, do you mind if I sit here?" He motioned to the seat Bradley had recently vacated. Lissa nodded slowly and
sipped her butterbeer a little nervously. He plopped himself down in the chair and grinned widely at her. He himself was on the
verge of a total nervy spaz as he looked at her. He rested his elbow on the table, his cheek falling into his open hand.
"So."
Immediately she sensed his nervousness and her own faded away. She set her bottle on the table and smiled up to him, her
dark eyes sparkling slightly.
"What made you decide to come over and sit with me? There are a ton of other girls around here who don't curse you every
time they see you."
"That's one of the reasons I came over to sit with you. I also wanted someone I could carry on a decent conversation with. As
you can obviously see," he swept his arm around the room, motioning at all the happy people, "no one here has two brain
cells to rub together."
Lissa's smile widened and she leaned back in her chair.
"Well, at least someone needs me for something. My best friend left me for the company of chocolate. My brother is off with
Goddess knows who. I gladly welcome your company. So, what do you want to talk about?"
Time wore on and the two conversed for the better part of two hours. It seemed strange to Lissa that Bradley had not
yet come back from Honeydukes, until she realized her friend had left her alone on purpose. She looked around and
remembered that she needed to shepherd all the children back up to school. She looked at Draco with a slight grimace.
"I'm sorry Draco, but it's time I herd all the kids back up to school. You could help me, you being Headboy and all..."
"Awww.Can we continue this discussion later?"
"Sure we do sha." She did not have a chance to finish her sentence because Draco had closed the small distance between
them and had pressed his lips against hers. A slight gasp escaped her, surprise written on every part of her face. Her surprise
did not last long though, seconds later she had wrapped one hand around his neck, pulling him closer. For several minutes
they were eating each other's faces, until Lissa pulled away, her cheeks like chocolate covered raspberries.
"Er.I didn't expect that to ever happen.Though I'm glad it did."
He smiled warmly to her and got up, offering her his hand. She took it and he wrapped his arm around her waist in a
protective gesture.
"Me too Sissa, me too."
When they got back to the school, the newly formed couple broke apart. Lissa headed for the library and Draco went
for the Great Hall. When she had found her normal table and had a book propped up, her mind reached for the comforting
presence of her brother. When she had found him and he had accepted her, she let her joy wash over the both of them.
For a moment there was nothing but silence reaching its cold tendrils like fog to all corners of her brain, then Gabe replied, an
unreadable emotion laced in his words.
She sighed quietly, knowing her brother would react like this. He had always been overly protective over her. It had come in
handy several times over the summer when she was harassed by some of the local muggles.
I
I
His voice came across too loud and a migraine immediately started clawing at the sensitive tissues of her mind.
And with that, he pulled his presence from her mind and was gone. Lissa heaved a massive sigh and got up from her seat in
the silent library. If she even hoped for the horrid headache to go away, she needed to go lie down for as long as possible. She
tucked her book, Mysterious Magicians of the Millennia, under her arm and headed for her room.
Gabriel tore out of the Slytherin common room, a murderous gleam on his face. He would very easily kill his little sister's
boyfriend if he so much as looked at her wrong. He had always known that there would be the day when she would meet a
guy and start dating him and he would have to give the unsuspecting boy "the talk" about how to treat his baby sister. But
Malfoy? Why for Merlin's sake did Lissa choose him for her first? There were no good qualities about him. He was always
sneering and looking down on people. If he thought that his sister was just going to be a pretty face to hang on his arm for a
week before he broke her heart, the little bastard had another thing coming. Gabe growled under his breath as he saw
Draco coming out of the Great Hall. He strode towards him, the very air around him seemingly crackling with an invisible
energy. When he was within grabbing distance, he lunged forward and got a handful of the front of Draco's robes and
pushed him against the wall. His dark brown eyes were gleaming with the love he felt for his sister and the need to protect her
from all harm.
"Listen up Malfoy, and listen well. If you so much as look at Lissa wrong, you will see the full rage of a wizard. Trust me, with as
much power as I have and seeing as how Lissa can give me her power if needed, I would be a very formidable force. You will
also find yourself devoid of a particularly important part of your anatomy and that part of you will be thrust down your throat
before I kill you. Got it Ferret?"
Draco, through out this entire rant, had been staring at Gabe. Outwardly he had an air of indifference as if being thrust
against a wall and being threatened by the elder brothers of his girlfriends was an every day occurrence. On the inside he was
practically bubbling. He was glad that Gabriel cared enough about Lissa to threaten him for her happiness.
"Yes Gabriel, I understand. And trust me; I will never do anything to hurt Lissa. She is very special to me."
"Yeah, she better be, because if I ever find out that you have been cheating on her with some stupid Hufflepuff bimbo you
will."
"Die from the full brunt of your power. I understand. As I said, I will not ever hurt Lissa."
Gabriel grunted slightly and grudgingly let go of Draco. He stepped away from him, his eyes still smoldering. Just before he
turned on his heel to find and talk with Lissa, he whispered threateningly in Draco's direction. "Remember boy, I will be
watching you."
With that, he strode away in the direction of the Head's common room and bedrooms, in need of a serious discussion with his
sister about this newly revealed uncle.
Weeee!! Another chapter forced out of my.err.creative.mind. *sighs* You know, I would really appreciate some reviews. It's not really that hard. It's just a simple click and a couple words. A simple review can really make a writers day. It's really nice when someone tells you what they think of your story.Even if it is a flame, it is still appreciated. Anyway, enough ranting and raving. Simply put, please review and I will love you forever. I might even incorporate you somehow into the story. Only if you review though!
Your Lord and Master, Foamy the Squirrel a.k.a. Gothic Monkey