The girls arrived in England three days after their parents were
gone. Nataliya had done all the planning, being the more headstrong twin
and in a sense, she was the leader. They were hiking around the
countryside on foot, unsure of what they were looking for, but they knew it
was in that area.
"What is over those hills," Nataliya had asked earlier that day when they had arrived in a small village.
"Nothing," the old woman running the pub had answered. "Just an old ghost town, practically in ruins. Not worth your time going over those hills."
But they went anyway. Nataliya was sure there was something more there, and Liliya felt it too. The trek took them but a few hours seeing as how they could move faster than any being on the planet.
Just as the sun began to set, there it was. A small village nestled in the trees with a small welcome sign reading, "Welcome to Hogsmeade".
Nataliya held out her hand for a moment and turned to her sister. "Do you feel that strange energy in the air?" Liliya nodded and waved her hand about. "Some kind of magic, human magic I think."
As the sun began to sit, a chill set in the air and the girls wanted to find a place to rest. They made their way into the unpaved streets of the small village, looking for a place to sit and maybe eat.
"The Three Broomsticks," Liliya read aloud. "Look, it's a pub of sorts. Let's go in and have a drink."
Nataliya led the way and pushed the door open. The air was warm and fragrant and the atmosphere was cheerful enough. The place was slightly crowded with people dressed in clothing quite unfamiliar and very different from the jeans and turtlenecks the girls donned.
As the girls entered, a small table of patrons gasped loudly. One of the women, an elderly lady in a green cloak, dropped her glass, shattering it on the floor. Nataliya heard several whispers of the word "muggle" which made no sense in their vocabulary.
"Muggle," Liliya asked with a small frown.
Nataliya shook her head, "I don't care." She turned to the table of people that gasped at their arrival. "I care about them."
The girls made their way to that table and Liliya waited for Nataliya to speak. "You recognize us," she said softly to the woman who dropped her glass.
There was a young man there with messy black hair and glasses. He was staring at them with wide eyes and turned to his companion, a tall man with white blonde hair and striking gray eyes.
"You look like someone we know, but it's not possible that you are related to him..." he trailed off looking to his companions. "Can they?"
The girls took the liberty of moving chairs to the table and sitting with the group. "We come in search of information," Nataliya said simply. "Our father was here...once. We don't know when and mother says he is dead. We have a sister of sorts who should have attended your school..." Nataliya stopped and peeked into their minds, gathering information on what exactly was a witch and a wizard. "Ah," she said suddenly, "she attended your school to learn to be a witch."
"My name's Harry Potter," the man said and waited for a reaction. Nataliya gave none so he continued. "I teach at Hogwarts and I can tell you about your father if you can give us a name."
"I am Nataliya and this is my twin sister, Liliya. Our father isSeverus Snape," she said simply.
The blonde man slapped his hand on the tabletop making the group of witches and wizards jump. "I knew it, they look just like him!"
"How can your father be Severus Snape," Harry asked. "He was married to Alexandra but he took no other wife..." he trailed off, a look of understanding dawning on his face. "Amy," he said gently. This caused a ripple of emotion in the group. They exchanged looks of sympathy and sadness.
"We did know your mum," Harry said at last. "She was...a wonderful person. I had no idea that she was pregnant with you two."
Liliya finally spoke up, "We heard the vague story. We have always known that Victor was not our father, but we cared not. Now that they are both gone and now that we will never see them again, we wished to know about our father."
"When did he die," Nataliya asked.
This question seemed to surprise them all. "Die," the blonde haired man said. "He isn't dead! He's back at the castle right now, would you like to meet him?"
Nataliya bit her bottom lip out of habit. "This wasn't as we expected," she said slowly. "My sister and I need a moment to decide."
Harry stood up, "Let me show you to the bar and help you make your decision." His voice knew enough for the girls to trust him. "I know about your kind," he said as soon as they were out of earshot. "I can help you with any questions you have."
Nataliya turned to her sister. "He isn't dead, and obviously mother didn't know. He wont be expecting anything from us, not anything that a human father would expect because he has changed over."
Ana nodded and tapped her foot as she thought. "We should see him. I feel he needs to know we are alive. He does not even know we were conceived and...he needs to know."
They turned back to Harry. "Yes," Nataliya said with a small smile. "We will go to this castle and see him."
Harry pointed at the table, "You see that man, his name is Draco and he will take you to your father. I still have some business to attend to here..." he trailed off looking towards the door. "And I can't go back with you right now."
Nataliya looked into his thoughts and smiled. "You are in love," she said. "I have always been curious about love...but I will have time to inquire of mortal feelings later. I must put the man who sired us first."
The twins left Harry at the bar and approached the man named Draco. "You will take us to the castle?"
He shrugged, "Sure, why not? I was on my way back anyway. Your dad is near my quarters." He grabbed his cloak and led them out the door. "It isn't far from here, just a few kilometers up the path. You can't miss it." He looked at them and frowned, "I met your mum once. She was a muggle and I'm assuming you are muggles as well. How is it that you can see the village?"
"I don't understand the word muggle fully," Nataliya answered. "What is muggle? Is it human?"
He looked at them for a moment, "It's non-magic folk, like you two."
Nataliya looked at Liliya and nodded. "Yes, we are muggle, but as our father is Severus Snape, we see the village." She pointed into the distance. "I see the castle."
Draco shrugged. "Okay, sure why not." He began to quicken the pace and the girls kept up easily. "He's brilliant, your father. He teaches potions still and there's none better potions master."
"Potions?"
Draco snorted, "You know nothing of our world, do you?"
"No," Liliya said softly. "We did not know of his existence until a few days ago. My mother is gone now, as is our father."
"Dead," he asked calmly. "Mine are dead you know. I killed them." He was clearly trying to get a reaction. He accepted their silence and continued. "I am married to your sister. She lives with me in the castle."
"Ah," Nataliya said. "What do you do there?"
"I'm studying to take over Severus' position as potions master and head of Slytherin house."
"He is leaving?"
Draco nodded, "He hasn't been well for years, not since he made your mum leave. Or so I am told, I didn't know her."
Nataliya looked at her sister for a moment. This is going to be trying, she told her telepathically But we must do it. I feel strange, like he needs to know...and I think he is dying. I think father was right and he is stricken with disease. Maybe he is just waiting until he has some sort of confirmation that mother has moved on.
Nataliya nodded slightly and continued to follow Draco into the large stone castle.
"What is over those hills," Nataliya had asked earlier that day when they had arrived in a small village.
"Nothing," the old woman running the pub had answered. "Just an old ghost town, practically in ruins. Not worth your time going over those hills."
But they went anyway. Nataliya was sure there was something more there, and Liliya felt it too. The trek took them but a few hours seeing as how they could move faster than any being on the planet.
Just as the sun began to set, there it was. A small village nestled in the trees with a small welcome sign reading, "Welcome to Hogsmeade".
Nataliya held out her hand for a moment and turned to her sister. "Do you feel that strange energy in the air?" Liliya nodded and waved her hand about. "Some kind of magic, human magic I think."
As the sun began to sit, a chill set in the air and the girls wanted to find a place to rest. They made their way into the unpaved streets of the small village, looking for a place to sit and maybe eat.
"The Three Broomsticks," Liliya read aloud. "Look, it's a pub of sorts. Let's go in and have a drink."
Nataliya led the way and pushed the door open. The air was warm and fragrant and the atmosphere was cheerful enough. The place was slightly crowded with people dressed in clothing quite unfamiliar and very different from the jeans and turtlenecks the girls donned.
As the girls entered, a small table of patrons gasped loudly. One of the women, an elderly lady in a green cloak, dropped her glass, shattering it on the floor. Nataliya heard several whispers of the word "muggle" which made no sense in their vocabulary.
"Muggle," Liliya asked with a small frown.
Nataliya shook her head, "I don't care." She turned to the table of people that gasped at their arrival. "I care about them."
The girls made their way to that table and Liliya waited for Nataliya to speak. "You recognize us," she said softly to the woman who dropped her glass.
There was a young man there with messy black hair and glasses. He was staring at them with wide eyes and turned to his companion, a tall man with white blonde hair and striking gray eyes.
"You look like someone we know, but it's not possible that you are related to him..." he trailed off looking to his companions. "Can they?"
The girls took the liberty of moving chairs to the table and sitting with the group. "We come in search of information," Nataliya said simply. "Our father was here...once. We don't know when and mother says he is dead. We have a sister of sorts who should have attended your school..." Nataliya stopped and peeked into their minds, gathering information on what exactly was a witch and a wizard. "Ah," she said suddenly, "she attended your school to learn to be a witch."
"My name's Harry Potter," the man said and waited for a reaction. Nataliya gave none so he continued. "I teach at Hogwarts and I can tell you about your father if you can give us a name."
"I am Nataliya and this is my twin sister, Liliya. Our father isSeverus Snape," she said simply.
The blonde man slapped his hand on the tabletop making the group of witches and wizards jump. "I knew it, they look just like him!"
"How can your father be Severus Snape," Harry asked. "He was married to Alexandra but he took no other wife..." he trailed off, a look of understanding dawning on his face. "Amy," he said gently. This caused a ripple of emotion in the group. They exchanged looks of sympathy and sadness.
"We did know your mum," Harry said at last. "She was...a wonderful person. I had no idea that she was pregnant with you two."
Liliya finally spoke up, "We heard the vague story. We have always known that Victor was not our father, but we cared not. Now that they are both gone and now that we will never see them again, we wished to know about our father."
"When did he die," Nataliya asked.
This question seemed to surprise them all. "Die," the blonde haired man said. "He isn't dead! He's back at the castle right now, would you like to meet him?"
Nataliya bit her bottom lip out of habit. "This wasn't as we expected," she said slowly. "My sister and I need a moment to decide."
Harry stood up, "Let me show you to the bar and help you make your decision." His voice knew enough for the girls to trust him. "I know about your kind," he said as soon as they were out of earshot. "I can help you with any questions you have."
Nataliya turned to her sister. "He isn't dead, and obviously mother didn't know. He wont be expecting anything from us, not anything that a human father would expect because he has changed over."
Ana nodded and tapped her foot as she thought. "We should see him. I feel he needs to know we are alive. He does not even know we were conceived and...he needs to know."
They turned back to Harry. "Yes," Nataliya said with a small smile. "We will go to this castle and see him."
Harry pointed at the table, "You see that man, his name is Draco and he will take you to your father. I still have some business to attend to here..." he trailed off looking towards the door. "And I can't go back with you right now."
Nataliya looked into his thoughts and smiled. "You are in love," she said. "I have always been curious about love...but I will have time to inquire of mortal feelings later. I must put the man who sired us first."
The twins left Harry at the bar and approached the man named Draco. "You will take us to the castle?"
He shrugged, "Sure, why not? I was on my way back anyway. Your dad is near my quarters." He grabbed his cloak and led them out the door. "It isn't far from here, just a few kilometers up the path. You can't miss it." He looked at them and frowned, "I met your mum once. She was a muggle and I'm assuming you are muggles as well. How is it that you can see the village?"
"I don't understand the word muggle fully," Nataliya answered. "What is muggle? Is it human?"
He looked at them for a moment, "It's non-magic folk, like you two."
Nataliya looked at Liliya and nodded. "Yes, we are muggle, but as our father is Severus Snape, we see the village." She pointed into the distance. "I see the castle."
Draco shrugged. "Okay, sure why not." He began to quicken the pace and the girls kept up easily. "He's brilliant, your father. He teaches potions still and there's none better potions master."
"Potions?"
Draco snorted, "You know nothing of our world, do you?"
"No," Liliya said softly. "We did not know of his existence until a few days ago. My mother is gone now, as is our father."
"Dead," he asked calmly. "Mine are dead you know. I killed them." He was clearly trying to get a reaction. He accepted their silence and continued. "I am married to your sister. She lives with me in the castle."
"Ah," Nataliya said. "What do you do there?"
"I'm studying to take over Severus' position as potions master and head of Slytherin house."
"He is leaving?"
Draco nodded, "He hasn't been well for years, not since he made your mum leave. Or so I am told, I didn't know her."
Nataliya looked at her sister for a moment. This is going to be trying, she told her telepathically But we must do it. I feel strange, like he needs to know...and I think he is dying. I think father was right and he is stricken with disease. Maybe he is just waiting until he has some sort of confirmation that mother has moved on.
Nataliya nodded slightly and continued to follow Draco into the large stone castle.