I Do Not Own Harry Potter.
Thanks to Arien Llethmiel, GemJewel, and csferosha for reviewing the fic. It's nice to hear from people who are reading your work. Prepare to see a pissed off Saveage. Hope you all enjoy the updates.
Mattie :o)
Saveage had stormed through the castle at breakneck speed towards the Staff Room. Mrs. Norris followed her for a few moments, meowing a warning until Saveage turned and growled at her. The look on her face was enough to make whoever was in her path move out of the way and stay there. As a result, the corridor that contained the Staff Room was empty.
She was walking so fast she almost missed the door. She burst through it and slammed it so hard it sprang back open a fraction.
"How dare you!" she yelled. Not even giving a preamble or explanation, she charged at Severus and let fly. "I can't believe you would do such a thing! How dare you!"
Severus had been sitting in his favorite armchair by the fire, engrossed in Medieval Potion Making. He had spilt some coffee on his pants as Saveage burst through the door. After she uttered her first words he knew that he was in for quite an argument. He slowly and smoothly stood from his chair.
"It's nice to see you, too, Sage," he drawled.
"Don't give me that 'the-world-could-burn-and-I-wouldn't-care' attitude! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" she yelled.
"I really must ask you to lower your voice. There may be students passing through the corridor." Snape continued with his nonchalant attitude and voice. He was determined not to lose his calm.
"Blast the bloody students! You put her in danger! You deliberately put her in danger by doing something you knew would anger me!"
"I did nothing of the sort." She had almost hit the target. He had known that allowing Eva to go to Hogsmeade would anger Sage, but he had not done it to anger her on purpose. "I signed the form because the Headmaster thought she would like to leave the castle every now and then." His tone was clipped and dangerous, anyone who valued their life would have recognized now would be a good time to stop before he blew up.
But Sage had tunnel vision at this point. She could not see beyond what he had done and the situation that it might have caused.
"That was not your decision to make! I wanted her to stay within the safety of the castle! I asked Dumbledore to keep her safe! You had no right . . ."
"I AM HER FATHER!" roared Severus. His eyes looked like coal and his features were angry and hard. He had tried to remain calm, but Sage's attitude and accusations had finally gotten under his skin.
Sage took a small step back at Severus' angry voice and countenance, but quickly moved forward again when sixteen years of worry and wondering and memories lost came back to her.
"You dare lay claim to that now? After sixteen years of knowing? You want to claim rights now?"
"Someone needed to look after her. I am not the one who abandoned her without an explanation!" Severus knew that was a low blow, but he felt he had reason to aim below the belt.
"You speak to me of abandonment?" Sage hissed. Her hands balled into fists. "You," she spat "who did not even respond to me? You didn't even reply and give me hope or an answer. How dare you!"
"What do you mean reply? You just run away without a word or warning and show up with my daughter sixteen years later!"
"Without a word? I sent you a letter by my house elf. I waited for months for you to reply and tell me that you forgave me for what I did and that you would wait for me and Eva."
"Letter?" said Severus. "I never received a letter. I waited for some kind of communication from you, but nothing ever came. I realized you had decided I wasn't worth being disinherited."
"You know very well that I never thought any such thing," she snapped. She was trying to figure out how it was that he never received her letter.
"Then why did you just leave?!" he asked, rather brusquely. He was just as confused as she was, but he suspected she was just trying to cover her own backside.
"He wouldn't have done," she whispered to herself. Sage abruptly realized that her father might have given all the house elves instructions not to send any owls or messages to anyone. "Damn it!" she exclaimed.
"What now? Can't find a good enough story to cover yourself?"
"And damn you, Severus! Don't you dare get shirty with me!" She huffed over to the chair he had just vacated and sat down heavily. She rested her head in her hands and tried to clear her mind. "I think I know where all our problems began," she mumbled.
"Enlighten me," drawled Severus. His blasé attitude was back in place, more for defense than anything else.
Sage ignored his tone. She wanted to talk this through to understand how things had played out. "When father found out-" she stopped abruptly and looked up at Severus. "No, I need to go further back." She sighed and stood from the chair.
"The day you proposed was one of the happiest days of my life, second only to the day Eva was born. I did not mention it to my father for a few weeks, for reasons that we both know too well." She sighed and leaned against one of the tables in the room. Severus had resumed his seat in the chair by the fire. "The day that I approached him with the news was the same day that we last saw each other. I told him that I had accepted the proposal and he flew off the handle. He told me about the offer of the Black family; I told him that I would not marry a man I did not love-"
"I know all of this, Sage. I was there," Severus said.
"I know, but what you don't know is that before I went to your home, I cast a spell on myself." Sage looked down at her shoes.
"You told me you had. I don't see how this . . ." Severus stopped and looked at Sage's guilty posture. She had never told him which spell she had cast on herself. He remembered something she had said moments ago. "You said that you were waiting for me to forgive you. What exactly was I supposed to forgive?" He waited for her to respond, but she just continued to look at her shoes. "Damn it, Sage! Answer me!"
Sage looked up and Severus saw the tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Severus. I didn't know what else to do." She sniffed and wiped at the tears that had fallen, cursing them for making her appear weak in front of him. "I couldn't think of another way to get out of the marriage Father wanted for me. I thought that if I had . . . That if I got . . . I didn't think it was going to turn out like this. I'm so sorry."
Severus didn't need her to say anything more; he knew which spell she had cast over herself. She had lied to him that day. She had hidden the truth and he had not seen it. He sat forward and, putting his head in his hands, sighed. "And I thought I was accomplished at seeing lies."
"You were not looking for one, Severus. I know now that what I did was wrong. I had hoped that Father would allow our marriage if he knew . . ." Sage sighed and walked towards the fire. "He had always been against our relationship, after he found out about - you know. He was livid when I told him I was pregnant. He wanted me to 'take care of it,' as he put it."
Severus jumped out of the chair. "He what?!"
Sage did not look up from the flames. "He was upset and he said something he did not mean. I don't know how he did it, but he made arrangements for us to leave three days later, to America." She reached for her handkerchief and dried her eyes. "He didn't speak about the child or ask how I was feeling, even when he knew I was miserable."
"My only ray of light was the hope that you might reply to my letter and tell me that you understood and that you would wait for me and our child. But it never came," she whispered.
"I told you; I never received-"
"Yes, I know, Severus. I understand what happened now. My father probably confiscated the letter from Binky. He was determined to believe you were still a Death Eater; he didn't even believe Professor Dumbledore's explanation. I should have known he'd done something when he kept on commenting that you had not inquired about me and the baby." Sage's tone was flat and defeated. Her father's lie had gone with him to the grave and she would never have the chance to ask him why he had poured such unhappiness upon her. "All the time I was pregnant, he never even referred to Eva as a human. He always said 'it' or called her 'his child,' as if I had done nothing in the situation. He only changed when she was born.
"He wanted me to keep her in the nursery at first, but I refused to allow him to shut my baby away. He did not touch her until she was one month old then I could see that she had him wrapped around her little finger from the start. He began to dote on her, but he forbade Mother and I to speak of you when she was in the room. He even shortened her name so he wouldn't be reminded of you when he spoke to her."
"She thought I was dead," said Severus. "I asked her what she knew about her father once and she said that she had assumed I was dead because you refused to speak of me."
"I couldn't tell her much without being discovered. I told her that her father was a good man and a talented wizard. There were only some minor details that I could tell her without Father finding out."
Severus nodded. He figured that her father would do something like that. In a way he was grateful that at least Aurelius had not taught Eva that her father was some sort of monster who had used Sage and then abandoned her when he found out about the child.
"Was it your father's decision not to send her to Hogwarts when she reached training age?"
Sage smiled. "Yes. He would have done anything to keep Eva from contact with you. He had his sources and he'd tracked you through the years. Knowing you were one of the Professors, he never would have allowed her to come here. When anyone outside of the family asked, he declared Hogwarts wasn't good enough for his precious granddaughter. He organized a plan for her studies so that we three would be able to teach her everything she needed and she was told that it was normal for some students to be taught at home."
Severus decided to take up the tale from there. "But then your parents refused to aid some plan of the Dark Lord's and when he killed them, you brought her here for shelter."
"How did . . ?" Sage turned wide eyes to Severus. Then realization dawned on her. "Dumbledore told you. Yes, he would, you're in the Order." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Eva saw it happen. I would have given the world to spare her from that, but I was too late. I got there just as she was about to scream." Tears were flowing freely down her face and Severus slowly walked towards her. "I got her out of the house as quickly as I could. I was more surprised at my own calmness than hers. She's always been more like you than me; always had this knack for hiding her feelings, or just burying them. I knew that with Father and Mother gone, he would come after me and I knew I wouldn't be strong enough to fend him off. I couldn't think of anywhere else for us to go where he wouldn't find us. We don't have anyone else to protect us," she sobbed.
Severus reached out and pulled her close to him. He held her tightly and allowed her to sob out her fear. He whispered soft words of comfort and slowly rocked from side to side.
When she had quieted a little, he pulled her away and lifted her chin so she would look him in the eye. "You have me to protect you now. I promise I will not let anything happen to either of you."
Sage looked incredulous. "But I lied to you. I should have told you; I should have found a way to let you know," she said.
"I admit that things would have been a lot easier had I known about Eva, but there were things and people preventing that from happening. I'm just glad that I found out now, rather than a few years down the road when she's all grown up and building a relationship would be too difficult."
"That would never be; she may not know much about you, but she loves her father. She is so much like you that I knew that once she was at Hogwarts, she would figure it out before long."
"She is a bit like me; I won't deny it. But she's got your temper and unhealthy appreciation for fairness," joked Severus.
Sage laughed. It was amazing how quickly they had fallen back into their former routine. Sage always trying to make him loosen up and laugh and Severus dryly poking fun at her attempts.
"As for her figuring out who I am, I don't think she's had enough clues to put anything together yet."
"That's good. I want to sit her down and explain everything; you know, break it to her gently."
"If she's so much like me, then a rude awakening won't shake her too badly," said Severus.
"It's not the fact that you're her father that needs explaining. It's her grandfather's attitude that I need to approach cautiously. She was so close to him that, at times, I thought they could read each other's minds. It's not going to be easy to explain."
Severus moved his hand from her waist to her cheek and allowed his thumb to caress her lips. "I never thought . . . " his voice faded and he leaned his head forward.
Sage matched his move and their lips soon engaged in a dance. Severus pulled back a fraction and darted his tongue out to taste her lips in a silent request. Sage opened her mouth and allowed Severus to deepen his kiss. She had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be in his arms, forgotten how his kiss could make her abandon all logical thought.
Severus moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck. He wanted her to stay right where she was. There was no way he was going to let her go now that she had come back to him, now that she was back in his arms.
Neither of them knew that they had an audience, of one, but one that they had not intended to see or hear anything that had just been said and done. It was not until they heard a loud sob that they broke apart and looked towards the slightly open door.
"Eva," breathed Sage.
Eva recognized her mother's voice instantly and her smile widened. But when she heard the shouts her curiosity was sparked and she listened to what she was saying.
"Blast the bloody students! You put her in danger! You deliberately put her in danger by doing something that you knew would anger me!"
"I did nothing of the sort."
Eva stood stock-still. It seemed her heart had just stopped beating. Her mother was speaking to Professor Snape. All the thoughts and doubts that had been plaguing her mind for the last few days - the last week if she were honest - came flooding back to her mind. She listened more intently to the combatants.
"I signed the form because the Headmaster thought she would like to leave the castle every now and then." It was Professor Snape and he didn't sound very happy.
Eva thought about what he said. He had signed the permission form for her to go to Hogsmeade. But only your parent or guardian could sign that; had her mother left her in Professor Snape's guardianship?
"That was not your decision to make! I wanted her to stay within the safety of the castle! I asked Dumbledore to keep her safe! You had no right -"
"I AM HER FATHER!" roared Professor Snape.
A gasp escaped Eva's lips and she quickly placed her hand over her mouth to prevent any more sound from escaping. Her breathing came in fast shallow bursts. She listened as her parents argued.
She felt her world collapse around her, piece by piece, as she heard her mother explain the circumstances of her birth. Tears ran down her face and over the hand she had clasped over her mouth. All the things that she had thought were truths in her life were swept from her in one fell blow. She was an illegitimate child. Her father had not known about her, as she had thought. Her grandfather had hated her from the time he found out about her conception. Her wonderful, beautiful, graying old man of a grandfather; the man she had worshipped as the kindest and best wizard in the free world, was not the man that she thought. He was a vindictive, grudge-holding, hateful man, and he had not wanted her.
She stopped listening when her mother told Professor Snape that they had no one to protect them. She thought about all that she had heard. Her mother had lied to her. Her grandfather had lied to her. Her grandmother had lied to her. No one told her anything that could have possibly made this moment any less painful. Nothing. She had never felt more betrayed or alone in her life.
She opened her eyes and looked inside the room once again and found her parents in an embrace. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. They were embracing as if nothing had just happened. As if they had just had the most normal conversation of their lives; when they had just been arguing and biting each other's heads off, not ten minutes before. It was then that the loud sob tore at Eva's throat and even her hand could not hold it back.
She saw her mother and Professor Snape look out at her through the door and heard her mother say her name. Professor Snape had a blank look on his face and Eva wondered absently what must have been going through his head. She did not think on it long, though, because her mother was soon walking towards her. As fast as lightning the door in front of Eva slammed shut and locked without her touching it. She turned on her heel and bolted out of the corridor.
To hell with the school rules! Eva ran at breakneck speed out of the corridor and through her haze of tears found the Entrance Hall. She had to get out of here. She ran towards the door and just vaguely heard Professor Dumbledore call her name but ignored the man. She felt a hand on her arm, slowing her down, and just as quickly it was gone. She did not need to turn around to see that the man had been blasted backwards when he had touched her. She forgot to check her emotions, as she had been trained since infancy, even though she knew that if she did not, she might hurt someone. In her present state she would welcome the opportunity, welcome the chance to have someone else feel as horrible as she did at that moment.
She was running across the lawns of the school when she heard Professor Snape's voice behind her. "Eva, stop! Do not run away!" Eva had never seen Professor Snape run anywhere before; the thought startled her, but it did not slow her. She kept running blindly, not caring that she was headed straight into the Forbidden Forest.
"Eva!" This time the voice came from another place. It was coming from the gates of the school. She turned and slowed enough to see who it was. Harry. He and Neville were walking back to school. She saw the look of concern in his eyes, but that did not stop her either, she continued her flight and was soon in the cool depths of the forest.
She did not slow her speed until the forest floor proved too difficult to navigate. She slowed and picked her way through as brambles tore pieces of her robes. She did not know how long she walked before an inviting clearing in the forest at last led her stop. It reminded her of her favorite spot in the forest around Nocturino Manor.
She sat on a small rock and looked out into nothing. There was so much to think about that she couldn't think about anything. She stared up into the sky and felt the tears come to her eyes once again. Irritated, she swiped at them with her fist. She didn't want to cry anymore. She knew that this was something she would have to deal with soon, but first she needed to clear her head. It was easier to go into something like this when you were annoyingly calm and everyone else was not.
Eva thought about all that she had overheard. If she were to admit it to herself, she had never truly believed that her father was dead. She knew that she would have felt it in her heart if he were. But she had never guessed that her mother would have kept his identity a secret from her. She understood that Saveage was pressured by Grandfather to keep it a secret, but Eva had the right to know!
She sighed. Eva knew that it all boiled down to the fact that her grandfather had not liked Professor Snape and had wanted to keep him and Saveage apart. She could not blame her mother or Professor Snape for anything more than being in love. It had not been their fault that Grandfather had instructed the house elves not to deliver any messages and she understood how her parents could have misunderstood the mutual silence. Except for Grandfather, it was all one horrid mix-up and she was unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle.
Rubbing her eyes she looked back up at the sky and saw that it was almost sundown. She quickly stood and looked around; she realized that she had not paid attention to how she got to the clearing and that meant she did not know how to get out of the forest. She tried to think about the position of the castle relative to the forest. If she had gone straight from the entrance of the castle, then all she had to do was go straight back. But she did not know if she had gone straight or veered off course somewhere. She figured her could try to backtrack her own trail, but realized the fading light would make that impossible.
"Oh great," she said to herself. She sat back down and wondered how she was going to get herself out of this one. She had once gotten lost in the forest near the Manor, but she had sent up sparks and her grandfather had found her.
"That's it!" She stood and reached for her wand, which she had placed in her robes today. She patted her robes and couldn't find the wand. "Oh no!" she cried. It must have fallen in her dash towards the clearing. She had no wand and no idea what to do now.
She thought absently of Summoning her Firebolt, but thought that maybe it was too far for it to come. "It's worth a shot," she told herself. "Accio Firebolt!" she shouted. She waited, but nothing happened. She was about to give up when she heard a swishing sound in the air. She looked up and saw her Firebolt in the sky. "Yes!"
She was soon in the air above the trees and on her way back to the castle that was just barely visible. She couldn't see anyone on the lawns of the school as she passed over them, but she figured it was probably because it was now dark. She was soon at the castle and dropped down on the roof of the East Tower, but decided that she did not want to see anyone just yet.
Knowing that the students were probably all at dinner, she turned her broom towards Gryffindor tower. She had been told which window was the dormitory for Neville and Harry when she and Neville were doing their essay for Potions outside. She hovered near the window and tapped on it. When no one answered she tried to push it in. She was surprised when it opened without a problem.
She drifted into the room and hopped off her broom. She did not want to linger in the event that someone came into the room. She quickly went over to the first bed and opened the trunk at the foot of it. It was Ron's. She closed it and went to the next one. She hit pay dirt. Harry had once told her that his father had left him an Invisibility Cloak. Eva was going to need it right now. She quickly took it out of the trunk and rummaged for a quill, ink and a little piece of parchment. She wrote her note quickly.
Dear Harry,
I need to borrow your cloak. I promise to bring it back to you. Don't tell anyone please.
Love,
Eva
She put the note under his pillow with enough of it sticking out for him to see. She draped the cloak over herself and left the room with her Firebolt. It was a bit difficult to walk with the broom and still remain under the cloak. She left the Gryffindor common room and exited through the portrait of the Fat Lady, who asked who was there.
She beat a hasty retreat to the end of the corridor, where she knew Neville would be passing on his way to his dormitory. She did not have to wait long. Gryffindors were soon filing past her unseen form and talking. It was rather interesting to hear what they had to say since it involved her.
A girl she did not know, but recognized as a Gryffindor by the patch on her robes, said, "I heard that the Professors are going to all go out and look for her as soon as we're in the dormitories."
The girl with her said, "It's kind of sad, though, she wasn't a bad person, even if she is a Slytherin."
"Yeah."
Two Gryffindor boys passed by and seemed to be deep in conversation. "Do you think they'll fire Snape over this? She is in his house."
"I doubt it. Too bad, though. Might have made Potions bearable if he were to go."
"Did you see Harry at dinner? He's a wreck."
The other boy laughed and they moved onward.
Eva heard Ron and Hermione's voice coming up the corridor to her. From what she heard they were reasoning with Harry.
"They're all going out in a little while," said Ron. "They'll find her, mate."
"It's all her own fault, anyway. Why'd she go and run in there in the first place?" said Hermione.
"She was distraught, Hermione!" argued Harry. "She'd been crying, I could tell."
Eva could tell he was close to losing it. She felt a surge of affection for him, but checked herself; she wanted to talk with Neville first.
"I'm going with them to look for her," he said. He turned and made his way back.
"You can't, Harry!" said Hermione. "You'll get caught! It's not worth getting expelled over."
Harry stopped and thought. "I won't get caught if I use the Invisibility Cloak." He dashed ahead and took the remaining steps two at a time.
Eva heard a few more people talking about her absence and the ensuing search for her whereabouts. There was even a group of girls who were convinced that she had been abducted into the forest and that the professors were now looking for her body. It was clear that news traveled fast in Hogwarts, not accurately, but fast.
Eva stayed still and finally saw Neville coming up the corridor. She waited until he was close enough to her and not visible to anyone coming down either side of the corridor. She reached out and pulled him into the folds of the cloak and placed her hand over his mouth rather forcefully.
He was soon over his momentary shock and Eva removed her hand from his mouth. He was going to ask her something, but she quickly replaced her hand on his mouth. She motioned towards the end of the corridor where he had just been and they began their walk. It was slow-going because they had to make sure the cloak completely covered them.
Eva took him to classroom eleven which was the only place she could think of where they could talk without interruption. She always wore the key around her neck in case she and Harry could find an extra hour to practice. She unlocked the door and they crept inside. Eva tossed off the cloak and moved to the torch she knew would be on her right. She only lit the one torch so as not to arouse suspicion should a prefect walk down the corridor.
Neville made a low whistle at the sight Eva made. Her long hair, which was usually well kept and neatly pulled back, was now hanging in tangles and greasy. Her robe was torn in several places; Neville knew she would need a new one. Her jeans were also torn, as was her turtleneck. Most telling, though, was her face. It was tear-stained and smudged with dirt. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her nose was red. She had scratches on her cheeks and a rather nasty looking gash on her neck.
"You look a sight!" was all he could think of to say. "Are you all right?"
Eva thought that she had cried out all the tears her eyes could have had, but to her surprise, more sprang to her eyes. Neville was quick to embrace her and led her to the two chairs closest to the lit torch.
"Is it your Mum? Did something happen when you saw her?" he asked.
Eva nodded her head.
"Can you tell me what it was? You might feel better if you talk about it."
Eva wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Neville. I feel like a baby, crying like this."
"There's nothing wrong with crying. You just talk and if you feel like crying, go ahead."
Eva smiled and looked down at her hands. "The note that I got in Hogsmeade told me that my Mum had come to see me, as you know. Well, when I got to the castle Professor Dumbledore pointed me to the Staff Room, where he said my Mum was." A sob tore at her throat and she looked for her handkerchief in her robes. Neville stretched out his arm, offering her his own which she took.
"She was talking - no, arguing - with Professor Snape."
Neville could not see where the problem was. He would have been ecstatic if his Gran had come to give Snape a dress down, but he did not express his opinion. "What were they arguing about?" he asked instead.
"Me. Professor Snape said that he's my . . . that he's my father."
Neville opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Some thoughts came to his mind, but none of them were intelligible enough to speak. He let Eva continue talking.
"My Mum and the Professor talked about what happened between the time before I was born and now and she said that my Grandfather didn't want to let them get married. Mum got pregnant on purpose and that's why Grandfather took her and Grandmama to America. She said that he hated me, that he wanted her to get rid of me before I was born. She lied to me, Neville. For fifteen years, she's lied to me."
Neville placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe she had a reason."
"She said that Grandfather had forbidden her to speak of my father, but that's not good enough. I had a right to know!" Eva looked Neville in the eye, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. "It's not fair, Neville."
"No, it's not," said Neville. He stood and pulled her into a hug.
Eva stood in Neville's comforting embrace for what seemed like a long time; it was actually only a few minutes later that the door was unlocked and Harry walked into the room.
"Eva!" He crossed the length of the room to where she was now standing next to Neville. "Are you all right? What happened? How did you get out of the forest?" He hugged her tightly and then pulled her back to examine the damage done. "You look a sight!"
"Thank you," Eva joked.
"Are you all right?" he asked again.
"Yes, I'm fine. Neville's been kind enough to allow me to chew his ear off."
"What happened? Why were you crying?"
"You know that saying, 'The truth hurts'? Well, whoever said it knew what they were talking about."
Harry pulled her into a hug again and looked questioningly at Neville.
"Do you mind if I tell him?" he asked Eva.
"No, go ahead." She didn't think she could stand to tell the story again.
"Eva's Mum came and she overheard her and Snape arguing. She found out that Snape's her father and her Mum said that her Grandfather hated her."
"They lied to me," Eva said into Harry's shoulder.
"She flew out of the forest and climbed through our window. That's how she got your Invisibility Cloak," explained Neville.
"I didn't tell you that," said Eva.
"I kind of figured it out when you pulled me under the cloak and had your broom with you."
"Oh." Eva snuggled closer to Harry. She felt safe in his arms and didn't want to leave that shelter.
Harry smiled when she moved closer, her arms encircling his waist. "As much as I'd like to stay here; we need to get you to the infirmary. That gash on your neck looks pretty bad."
"No. If I go to the infirmary, then Madam Pomfrey will alert Mum that I'm back." Eva had one advantage over her mother and Snape and that was that they were slightly off center because she ran.
"Eva, you can't just go back to your room and let them search endlessly. Besides, those cuts need to be looked at," reasoned Harry.
"No, they don't," said Eva. She touched her right hand to her left.
"But . . ." Harry was about to protest against Eva's insistence on not seeing Madam Pomfrey. He stopped, however, when he saw that Eva's left hand was now scratch-free.
Eva moved her left hand over her right hand and that too was looking like it had that morning. She placed both hands on her cheeks and the scratches on her face faded bit-by-bit. She felt around her neck and winced when her fingers found the gash. She concentrated and that too was soon gone. She made sure her arms and legs were all right and then looked up to Neville and Harry.
"I must ask you not to tell anyone about what you just saw. People would treat me like even more of a freak if they knew about that."
Neville responded for both of them. "We have no idea what you just did, so describing it would be difficult."
"Good. Now, I need you to do something for me."
She turned to one of the desks in the room and pulled up the top. She found a piece of parchment, ink and a quill and hurriedly wrote a note. She folded it and handed it to Neville.
"I need you to call my owl and send him with this. It's for Professor Dumbledore. Horatio will find where he is. You can take my Firebolt. Fly back into your dormitory when you're done."
Neville nodded and was quickly out the door.
"What do you need me to do?" asked Harry.
"Would you mind coming with me to Dumbledore's office? In case I lose my nerve and try to run," she requested.
"Sure, but I don't know how we're going to get there."
Eva went to the fireplace and picked up a little pot filled with powder. "I'm guessing that Professor Dumbledore put this here in case we needed to talk to him about something."
She threw a handful of powder into the fire and then stepped into it. She said, "the Headmaster's office," and dropped another handful of the powder. She walked into the room when she stopped spinning and waited for Harry.
"Good evening, Mr. Potter," said one of the portraits. "Is the Headmaster expecting you?" it asked.
"Evening, Professor Dippett," replied Harry.
He walked over to the chintz chair where Eva had plopped down and closed her eyes. "Tired?"
"Mmm. Healing does take a lot of my energy, but I think it's mostly because of everything else."
"You've had a rough day," said Harry.
Eva scooted over as much as she could in the chair. "Sit with me?"
Harry sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. That was how they were found when everyone came to the office.
"Eva!" cried Sage when she saw her daughter. She began to walk towards her, but stopped when Eva seemed to recoil and burrow closer to Harry's side. Severus stepped forward and eyed Harry. His eyes kept flickering to the arm he had around Eva's shoulder. Harry removed it, but Eva caught his hand and held it within her own on her lap.
Eva was looking down at her hands, but spoke to the Professors gathered in the office. "I would like to apologize for running off like I did. I know that I worried you and wasted your time by making you search for me. There is no excuse for breaking a school rule and I will accept whatever punishment you see fit to give me."
Harry squeezed her hand in support. There was no other Slytherin that would have faced punishment for what they did; she was one of a kind. Even the Professors seemed shocked at her apology and acceptance of punishment. All, that is, except Professor Dumbledore. "If Professor Snape would not mind my taking this one decision in my hands?" he asked and waited for Severus' nod of approval. He turned back to Eva.
Eva would have been frightened that the Headmaster, himself, was giving her punishment, were it not for the twinkle in his blue eyes as he looked over his glasses at her. "You will be serving two weeks detention; next Saturday as well. You will begin Monday night at 8:00."
Eva nodded. "Whom shall I report to?"
"Me," he replied. He turned and looked through the crowd of professors, searching for the school nurse. "Madam Pomfrey, if you would be so kind?"
Madam Pomfrey moved forward and began to check Eva for bumps and bruises. When she found nothing except her torn robes and clothes she stood. "She's fine. Although, I can't understand how she got through all those bushes without a scratch," she commented. "A dose of Revitalizing Potion would help her, and something to eat, since she missed dinner."
"Professor Sprout, if you would be so kind as to have the house elves bring some food. I'm sure the rest of you have work you have put on hold for the search. Thank you all for the help." Dumbledore dismissed the remaining professors. He turned to Harry. "You should go with Professor McGonagall. She will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower."
Harry stood, but Eva kept a tight hold on his hand. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked.
"You have done quite enough, Mr. Potter," growled Severus. "Return to your dormitory."
"I don't believe he asked you," snapped Eva.
"You will keep a civil tongue in your head, young lady," said Saveage.
Harry squeezed Eva's hand before she could snap at her mother. "I'll stay if you want me to, but I think it would be better for you to talk to them alone." Eva nodded and brought his hand to her cheek. Harry leaned closer and whispered, "Relax, hold, but control." Eva nodded against his head. Those were the words and instructions she had been giving him concerning Occlumency and wandless magic. Relax. Hold onto your emotions, but control them.
"Goodnight. We'll talk whenever you're ready," he whispered. He let go of her hand and, nodding in the direction of the adults in the room, exited.
The silence that followed was anything but comfortable. The only one who seemed to be unaffected was Professor Dumbledore. The tray with Eva's dinner entered with Dobby the house elf, and he waited until Eva had finished half her plate before announcing he would leave them to discuss the situation. He exited, but not before patting Eva on the shoulder.
"Are you sure you're all right, Eva?" asked Sage.
"I am fine, Mother," she answered.
"I hadn't planned on your finding out the way you did. I had hoped to be able to have a real talk," Saveage explained.
"Well, that plan was shot to hell," she remarked.
"Watch your language, young lady," warned Professor Snape. "You may be upset, but you will keep a civil tongue."
"I will do no such thing," snapped Eva. "You have no right to tell me what to do."
"I am your father," growled Severus.
Eva gave an unladylike snort. "One who didn't even bother to look for me or my mother for fifteen years?"
"You know very well why I didn't look for you," retorted Severus.
"Yeah, I do. You thought my mother preferred my grandfather's money to you. So it's not that you didn't want to look for us; you just didn't have the balls to face possible rejection."
"Severa!" cried Saveage. "You have gone far enough!"
Eva turned to her mother. "I haven't even started." Her eyes narrowed. "You lied to me. For fifteen years, you lied through your teeth."
"There were reasons - " began Saveage.
"Ah, yes, the reasons. Grandfather forbade you to say anything. You could stand up to him on a lot of other things, but when it came to letting your daughter know the truth, you backed down. You're just like him," she jerked her head in Severus' direction. "Neither of you had the balls to stand up for yourselves, let alone for me."
Eva turned and sat down in the chair she had occupied with Harry. She waited for one of them to begin. It was Professor Snape.
"First, 50 points from Slytherin for that lack of respect toward me and your mother."
Eva gave another snort.
"Now, if you are done with your dramatics, perhaps you would like to hear our story?"
"By all means. It's been a while since I last read a romance novel."
Severus was about to reprimand her for her smart comment, but Sage put her hand on his arm and shook her head. Severus closed his mouth.
Eva caught the exchange and decided to get in one last comment. He may as well know what he was dealing with when it came to Eva. "Wise decision, Professor. You may soon realize, if you haven't already, that I have what many people consider a sharp tongue."
Trying to diffuse what was quickly becoming a bad confrontation between the two, Sage began her story.
"Your father and I met at a ball that was held by your Uncle Lucius and Auntie Narcissa. Your grandparents had hoped I would find someone suitable there. We began seeing each other and about a year after Severus proposed."
"Your grandfather had approved the match on the basis of the Snape family name. You well know, Eva, that your grandfather prided himself in the purity of wizarding blood. About nine months after we began dating, your grandfather seemed to change his mind about our relationship. He had his reasons, but the heart of the matter is he did not give his consent for the marriage."
"Which is why you decided to get pregnant," stated Eva.
"Yes. I will not deny that I did. You must understand, though, that I loved your father and when one is in love, rational thought leaves the brain. I know now that what I did was wrong, but I would not change it if I could."
"Why not?" asked Eva.
"Because I would not have you," she said.
Eva shifted uncomfortably. She did not want to get emotional and lose the advantage over her mother. She turned to Professor Snape. "Do you agree?"
Professor Snape obviously did not like being questioned by one of his students, but answered anyway. "Her version of the story is correct. Even if she did leave out a few details."
"She doesn't need to know them," argued Sage.
"You think Potter, Weasley and Granger won't volunteer the information to her?"
"How would they know?"
"They stayed at the headquarters for the Order last summer."
"Just because they know about that doesn't mean they'll tell her. Why would they want to, anyway?"
"Because Potter seems to take a perverse pleasure in putting his nose where it does not belong," he said.
Eva cleared her throat loudly. "Just to refresh your memory; keeping information from me is how we got here in the first place."
Severus pinned her with a mean glare. "I'm beginning to tire of your smart remarks."
Eva shrugged. "Like father, like daughter."
Sage smirked. "I told you she's more like you than she is me."
"Are either of you going to tell me the supposed circumstances, or am I going to have to pay Harry a visit?" asked Eva.
Severus raised an eyebrow at her, but decided that now was not the time to reprimand her on her insolence; she did have a good reason to be upset. "The activities that I used to participate in did not please your grandfather."
"What 'activities'?" she asked.
Severus did not know exactly how to explain his part in the War, so he just did the first thing that came to his mind; something he had done with no one else. He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm to the elbow and held out his forearm to Eva.
Eva knew that sign; it was the Dark Mark. She looked into her father's eyes with what must have been a cross between fear and perplexity. Her mother stepped in for him at that point.
"Your father is no longer a Death Eater, Eva. He has been helping Professor Dumbledore since before Voldemort's last fall. He is still helping now."
Questions, fears and doubt raced through Eva's mind. How did he come to have that Mark? What could have possibly made him turn to the Dark Arts? Why did he turn back, for that matter? How was he helping the cause now? Was his involvement going to put her mother in danger?
"I know that this is difficult to understand, Darling. Maybe you should go on to bed and we can continue to talk in the morning," suggested Sage.
Eva looked at her mother. There was one other question that had been running through her mind. If she did not ask it now, she might never get the answer. "What does Draco know that I don't? What did you and Uncle Lucius decide over a year ago?"
Severus looked at Eva surprised and then at Sage. Sage in turn, looked at her hands. "How much has Draco told you?"
"Nothing. He said that his father would kill him if he said anything, which I would not doubt. Is there something to tell?"
"No," she answered quickly. "I have not made any agreement with your Uncle Lucius. It is all speculation on his part and false hope, I might add."
Eva nodded, not completely satisfied with the answer, but she was too tired to think about questioning her mother any further. She stood and so did her mother and Professor Snape. "Goodnight, Mum," she walked to her mother and gave her a hug. She turned to Professor Snape and didn't really know what to do. "Goodnight, Professor," she gave him a hug as well, but only received his hands on her back in return, which made her end the embrace quickly.
She turned to leave the room, but Professor Snape called her back. "I believe you may like to have this back." He was holding her wand.
Eva smiled. She had planned to ask Hagrid to look for it tomorrow. She walked up to him and took it from him. "Thank you, Professor."
"You are welcome." His tone did not hold the usual coldness and Eva looked up at him. He had something that could slightly pass as a smile on his face and his eyes were warm and kind. She smiled back at him.
Sage waited until Eva had gone before turning to Severus. "You did well."
"I doubt it," he replied. He sat in a chair heavily and ran a hand down his face.
He had experienced something akin to panic when he had seen her head straight into the Forbidden Forest. He knew what kind of creatures lurked in there. The centaurs alone could have done her a great harm; they were still not very happy with Albus and the school staff. He had almost lost it when he found her wand.
"I know that you must be tired," said Sage, breaking into his thoughts. "We should get some sleep. I know she's going to have a ton of questions in the morning."
"That's what I'm afraid of," replied Severus. He wasn't sure he wanted to answer all of his daughter's questions.