Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, or items.
Comments: Well, here you have it - a clue on Silver's parentage! It's not much to go by, I'll admit, but you get to eliminate some people from the circle.
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Chapter 36 – "Flower"
Harry took a deep breath as he looked into Silver's face. She was waiting patiently for him to invade her mind and uncover possibly her worst memories. He wanted to know, but then again he didn't.
"Just do it, Harry," she said, interrupting his train of thoughts.
"Alright," he said, his mouth feeling dry, "Here goes."
He closed his eyes and said quietly, "Legilimens."
He felt as if he were being pulled in to Silver. It was a very odd feeling – almost as if she were sucking him up.
He 'landed' in the same wooden room where he had previously witnessed many memories of her being beaten. He figured it was her bedroom. A small girl of seven or eight years wearing black robes with silver trim was slinging a small backpack over her shoulder. He knew it was Silver from the reddish- brown hair and big, expressive eyes. She was beautiful, even in her childhood. The door banged open, and the girl gave a squeak and flinched.
"Get out here, you useless brat!" a woman's voice called.
"Coming, mum!" she said quickly. She headed for the door, where a shadowy figure was standing. Harry had figured out by now that Silver knew how to manipulate her memories so that her mother's face was always blocked. He didn't understand why she didn't want him to know who it was, but he had never pushed the matter.
The woman gave Silver a hard punch on the side of her head as she passed, and Silver's small head bounced off of the wooden doorway. She didn't cry out, complain, or even put a hand to her head, she just kept walking. She walked to the kitchen, her mother following her. Harry saw a pained look in her eyes. She sat down and her mother banged a plate down in front of her. On it lay a piece of toast, burnt and unbuttered. Silver's eyes widened when she saw it, and she crammed it into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in days. Her mother gave her a sharp slap, causing her eyes to widen.
"Use your manners, you filthy pig," her mother hissed.
"Yes, mum," she whispered, cringing.
"You will be going with Bella today," the woman announced.
Harry's mind spun. Bella? Bella as in Bellatrix Lestrange?
He watched as the small girl's eyes grew wide with fear and anxiety.
"No, mum!" she said, "Bella is really mean, she's worse than y..."
She was cut off as her mother gave her a shove that sent her crashing to the ground. Harry had a feeling the last word of her sentence was going to be "you", but he couldn't be sure. At that moment, a knock came.
"Don't argue with me, impertinent child!" her mother said as she stalked to the door.
Silver nodded mutely as her mother walked out of the room. Harry watched as tears began to fill her eyes. She rubbed her head where she had been punched gingerly, and a tear slid down her cheek. She angrily brushed it away and sniffled up her tears, yanking her hand away form her head. He saw the determined spark that she so often held now pass through her eyes. Her mother came in and grabbed her by the arm.
"Don't embarrass me, you brat," she hissed in Silver's ear.
When they arrived at the door, her mother's voice immediately filled with cheeriness.
"Now just go along with Bella, sweetie, and mummy will come to the meeting later," she told her, patting her head before pushing her a bit harshly out the door.
Harry felt shocked when he realized that Silver had been pushed towards an eight-year younger Bellatrix Lestrange.
"How are you, kitten?" Lestrange greeted warmly after Silver's mother had closed the door.
Silver looked surprised. He watched as her eyes filled with hope. "G...good," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lestrange turned around and slapped her in the blink of an eye. The small girl gasped, and the hopefulness left.
"How about now?" Lestrange taunted, "Still feeling good?"
"No," she whispered.
"Good," Lestrange replied, "Now let's go. The Dark Lord does not like to be kept waiting."
With that, Lestrange took off. Harry watched as the younger Silver took a deep breath and jogged after her. Lestrange led the small girl through alleys where surely, if the girl hadn't been holding on to the back of Lestrange's robes the whole time, she would have gotten kidnapped. Finally, they arrived at a small cellar door. Lestrange opened it and shoved Silver inside. Harry heard a sickening thud, and then a flopping sound that could only mean Silver was falling down a flight of stairs.
Harry found it slightly annoying that you couldn't move around in the memories the way you did in a Penseive, but he saw pretty much everything anyway. The vision blurred for a moment, and then Harry was staring at a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs. Lestrange walked down and kicked the girl on her way past.
"Get up!" she hissed.
Trembling and wiping tears, Silver did as she was told with no complaint. Lestrange walked to a cabinet to the side of the small passageway that they were in, and pulled out a mask. After pulling it on, she was wearing the 'official' Death Eater apparel, seeing as she was already wearing black robes.
She grabbed Silver and hissed, "Stay close, or I'll leave without you."
Silver immediately grabbed onto Lestrange, fear in her eyes. Harry saw her wince with every step she took, and felt a rush of anger. How could anybody treat such a small child like that? Suddenly something distracted him from his thoughts. Lestrange was making her way towards a tall figure – but it couldn't be who he thought it was...
"Get off me, child," Lestrange snapped as she and Silver arrived in front of the stranger.
She flung Silver from her, and Silver would have gone toppling backwards if the stranger had not reached out and pushed her back upwards.
Lestrange gave a giggle that sickened Harry. "You're so sweet, Severus," she told the tall figure.
"Hardly," Snape replied coldly.
He was peering down at Silver from behind his mask. Lestrange reached out and grabbed Silver's arm.
"Say hello, you rude child," she barked, twisting Silver's arm.
Silver's face contorted with pain. "He...Hello," she gasped.
Lestrange continued to twist her arm, and Snape made an odd motion with his arms. It was almost as if he were going to reach out for Silver, but he stopped himself.
"Let her go," he snapped, his voice higher than usual.
Lestrange released Silver and stared up at Snape.
"She's not your child," Snape hissed menacingly.
"Her mother has entrusted her to my care," Lestrange answered.
Snape appeared to look down at Silver again, although Harry couldn't really tell, because he had a mask on. Losing patience, Lestrange whipped around.
"I'm going to go find Narcissa," she announced.
She looked down at Silver. "Keep up if you can," she challenged.
With that, she Disapparated away. Silver gave a small gasp. Snape looked around, and then squatted down.
"Child," he said.
She gave him a terrified look and began to run away, but he reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm. She turned to him, wide-eyed and scared out of her wits.
"You're running the wrong way," he told her, "She's over there by the man with the long blonde hair."
Silver looked over to where Snape was pointing, and there were two masked women and a tall man with a blonde ponytail. No doubt it was Narcissa, Lucius, and Bellatrix. Silver turned her gaze back to Snape, still wide- eyed.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Snape let go of her arm and stood up, but Silver remained there, staring up at him. He looked up for a few seconds before glancing down at her once more.
"You're still here," he commented.
"You're not going to hit me?" Silver asked, in awe.
"No, child," he replied impatiently.
"Not once?" Silver prodded.
"No," Snape answered, sounding uncomfortable.
Her eyes widened and lit up, and she shot him a shy smile. "Thank you," she whispered again.
Then she turned and ran to Lestrange. Harry followed. Silver clung to Lestrange's robes and stared over at Snape for a long time, until suddenly everybody hushed. Then, they began to assemble hurriedly into a crescent before Voldemort's throne, in which he was now sitting.
"Welcome," Voldemort greeted them, sounding not unlike Snape when he welcomed his classes at the beginning of the year.
Silver turned away as he began to call his subjects up and punish them, and Harry turned to watch her. She seemed to be fighting some kind of inner battle. He reached out a hand to comfort her, but it passed straight through her. Curse these memories, he thought frustratedly. He was forced to settle for watching her. Suddenly, Lestrange reached out and yanked her into a standing position.
"Here she is, my Lord," she said, pushing Silver towards the throne.
Voldemort turned his head toward Silver and she gasped. His snakelike red eyes seemed amused. Silver began to fight against Lestrange, turning and trying to run in the other direction. Lestrange gave her a powerful punch, and she fell into submission. Out of the corner of his eye, he distinctly saw a Death Eater flinch when Silver was punched. He could guess who it was.
"Sorry, my Lord," Lestrange said, wrestling Silver up to his feet.
Voldemort reached out and took Silver's arm.
"Go," he hissed at Lestrange, who hurriedly ran back to her place.
He then turned to Silver, and spoke to her in a low voice which no one else could hear.
"Stop fighting me," he whispered.
"Never!" Silver answered.
He laughed, and then spoke to the crowd.
"In my hands at this very moment is one whom I sense has great potential," he announced, "She has a strong and determined spirit. I am pleased."
"I don't want you to be pleased with me, you great git!" Silver exclaimed loudly.
Several Death Eaters gasped. Voldemort turned to her and began to laugh. Harry had a feeling that normally that type of behavior would have resulted in death.
"You will change your mind, young one," he said, and then, leaning so close to her that she winced, "You will change your mind."
He released her as she was still struggling, and she fell back off the small stage that his throne was set up on and hit her head. She didn't move, and Harry guessed she was unconscious.
"Leave her," Voldemort ordered, although nobody made an effort to get her.
Harry began to walk towards her unconscious figure when he began to spin again. He knew he was being taken to another memory. Finally, he landed just outside of Silver's house to find himself looking at Bellatrix Lestrange once more. He inwardly groaned. He really didn't feel like seeing her any more – he was angry enough as it was. The Silver he was looking at was the same one that was sitting across from him on the couch at that very moment. Her eyes had their guarded look, and she was still shouldering a small backpack. Lestrange looked at her and smiled in a horribly sickening way.
"How are you, my sweet?" she asked, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"Terrible," Silver replied sarcastically.
Lestrange knocked her firmly on the side of the head. "Hold your sarcastic tongue in the future!" she ordered.
Lestrange turned and began to walk, and with a roll of her eyes, Silver followed. Harry got the feeling that she was used to being punched in the head by now. Lestrange was leading her through the exact same alleys that they had walked through when Silver was seven. Lestrange kept glancing at her watch, and muttering, "Late."
When they arrived outside the cellar door, Lestrange turned to Silver menacingly.
"You'd better hope he doesn't remember you from last time," she hissed, "And you had better be respectful."
"I won't be respectful to anyone who sees fit to take the lives of innocent people," Silver whispered, looking to the side.
Lestrange grabbed her by the hair and yanked her forwards.
"What did you say?" she hissed.
"I...I said..." Silver began, wining in pain as Lestrange continued to abuse her hair.
"You heard what she said, did you not?" a voice suddenly came.
Lestrange turned to look at a very angry-looking Snape. "What's it to you?" she spat.
"I was just wondering if you were as deaf as you are dense," he replied evenly.
Lestrange let go of Silver's hair. "Why are you defending the girl, Severus?" she asked, a smile playing upon her features.
Snape's features hardened. "You are giving her unjust punishment," he answered.
Lestrange let out a laugh. "Oh, she deserves it," she assured him, "Did you not hear what she said?"
"I thought we already covered the fact that I had," Snape said in a bored voice.
"Fine," Lestrange said, looking both confused and appalled, "Here – have fun with her."
She opened the cellar, went in, and closed it firmly behind her. Snape and Silver stayed put for a moment, before Snape opened the door and went in, not even looking at Silver. Silver's eyes glowed with curiosity as she followed him down the stairs at a trot.
"You," she said, panting as she caught up with him, "I remember you!"
He pulled a mask out of the cabinet and examined it. "I doubt it," he answered.
"I do!" she insisted, "You saved me last time, too."
Snape gave her a sharp look.
"Remember?" Silver asked.
"No," Snape replied, putting his mask on and reaching for the door.
"Wait!" Silver cried.
Amazingly, Snape waited. He turned to Silver, his expression unreadable due to the mask.
"Thank you," Silver said quietly.
Snape turned and entered the chamber before another second had passed. Harry watched as Silver's eyes filled with confusion. She tentatively opened the door and looked around until her eyes locked on Snape. She began after him, but swiftly changed course, shaking her head to herself. She stood in a corner by herself, waiting, he guessed, for the meeting to begin. As she waited, she began to shake as she looked towards the throne. For a moment, everything became fuzzy, and then Harry was watching as Silver was shoved up towards Voldemort once more.
She stood defiantly beside his throne, not looking at him or acknowledging him in any way. Voldemort's eyes swept over her greedily.
"Now here's a sight for sore eyes," he commented.
Silver turned to him angrily. "Don't you say that about me, you dirty old git!" she exclaimed indignantly.
In response Voldemort reached out, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her to him. He spoke as loudly as before, looking straight at Silver.
"You would do well to remember who I am, my innocent little flower," he told her.
"I know very well who you are, Tom," she answered.
Harry's eyes bulged out. Was she crazy? She was talking to Voldemort as if he were...an inferior.
Voldemort twisted her arm, causing her to wince. "You will not call me by that name," he demanded.
"I will, too," she answered.
Harry had the crazy urge to laugh at the way she spoke to Voldemort. She was treading on very thin lines – in fact, he wondered why Voldemort hadn't either killed her or used the Cruciatus Curse yet.
"I like your spirit," he informed her, "You will make an excellent addition to the ranks."
"I'm not joining any r- let go!" Silver cried.
He had exposed her forearm and was about to press his finger onto it in order to give her the Dark Mark. He looked up at her in amusement.
"As you wish," he said, letting go, "But you may not leave, or you will take the Mark."
Silver seemed to debate for a second before clutching her arm close to her and glaring at him.
"I see you have not much changed since you were eight," he said, "Of course, I am talking about your mental development – you seem to have made quite an improvement, physically."
Silver blushed. "You horrid, dirty old man!" she accused.
Voldemort laughed. "You, flower, are good for a laugh," he informed her.
"My name isn't flower and I wasn't trying to be funny," she informed him.
"Your name is flower if I say it is," Voldemort replied, "And I didn't ask if you were trying to be funny, did I?"
"Hmph," was her reply.
Voldemort directed his gaze to a group of very shocked Death Eaters.
"Do you see the mercy of your Lord?" he asked.
A rousing chorus of yeses answered him. He grinned.
"This girl you see before you who openly denies my name, you will soon see bow before me," he told them, "Of her own free will. Then, you will see the power of your master."
Silver snorted loudly, and Voldemort's head snapped towards her. Harry saw definite annoyance.
"Are you asking for torture?" he inquired, twirling his wand about.
She glanced at it warily. "No," she conceded.
"I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless you would like to compliment me," he answered.
Silver glared. Voldemort continued to tell them about his future plans for Silver, which included bringing animals over to the Dark Side and making her his personal apprentice. Silver rolled her eyes at each of his suggestions, which caused him to become undeniably annoyed, yet amused. Harry, personally, felt that he could roll over laughing. The way she treated Voldemort was – unparalleled. Even Dumbledore did not address him so casually or rudely. And Voldemort seemed to be refraining from punishing her, although Harry supposed it was for obvious reasons. The only way he would ever get her to the Dark Side was by sweet-talking her, that much was obvious.
When the meeting was dismissed, Lestrange left Silver to walk home herself. As Silver walked home, not noticing a certain Potions Master behind her, she fumed to herself rather loudly.
"I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless you would like to compliment me," she mimicked in a high voice, "Oh, well all right, Tom, how about, your breath smells better than...oh wait, nothing. You're better looking than...oh wait, nobody. Your morals are higher than...oh look, nobody again. Is anybody sensing a pattern?"
Harry glanced at Snape, who was walking behind her and trying very hard to keep from smiling. As they came to a fork in the road, he spoke to her in his usual harsh tone.
"I would suggest keeping your voice down a bit."
With that, he took the opposite road from Silver. Silver jumped, and then backpedaled instantly to watch him until he disappeared behind a curve. Then, she turned to continue home, and Harry felt a spinning feeling once again.
This time, he landed in the memory that he had seen before. It started exactly where it always started.
"Bring her to me," Voldemort said. A masked Death Eater, whom he assumed was Lestrange, pushed Silver forwards. Silver fought with a passion, but Voldemort managed to reach out in one swift motion and grab her arm.
"Come here, flower," he said.
She spat at him, and he laughed.
"You would do well not to enrage your master," he advised her.
"You're not my master, Tom," she replied, "And you never will be."
Voldemort's eyes filled with rage – apparently that had been the last straw. He threw her from his small stage, and she landed on the ground, but still conscious.
"Crucio," he hissed, pointing his wand at her.
Silver bit her lip hard to keep from crying out, and he laughed. "You cannot escape it!" he cried.
Finally, Silver's mouth opened and she let out an anguished cry. Voldemort laughed with satisfaction as he lifted his wand.
"There now," he said, "I take it you are feeling more compliant?"
She got up, eyes flaming, and spat at him once more. The wad of saliva landed on the lap of his robes. Tears streaming from her face, she got up and began to run for the door. A few Death Eaters began to get up, but Voldemort stopped them.
"No," he said quietly, his eyes bright with rage, "Let her go. She will still be mine."
Harry watched as Silver ran blindly through the dark alleys until she came to the edge of the forest. She ran right into it without thinking, sobbing.
Suddenly he began to spin again, and then he heard her voice.
"Harry?"
He opened his eyes, and there she was, sitting in front of him. Her eyes were bright with tears. He pulled her close, and she cried silently for a few moments before wiping her eyes. A glance at the clock revealed that time had passed quickly, and it was nearly bedtime and well past dinnertime. He didn't feel remotely hungry, however, so he didn't comment. When she pulled away, her eyes were still bright.
"That was the only time I've ever cried out when I was abused," she said quietly, "It hurt a lot, Harry."
"Well, he was pretty mad," Harry said, trying his hardest not to look too amused, "You sure do know how to bug him, don't you?"
To his surprise, she smiled. "Yep," she admitted, rather cheerfully, "It was like a game to me – see how much I could taunt him before he kills me."
Harry's brow furrowed. "Why would you want to do that?" he asked.
"Well, Harry, I had nothing to live for," she replied softly, "The only thing I knew was that I didn't want to become a Death Eater – so I didn't."
Harry was silent for a moment, and she leaned into his arms.
"You've known Snape for a long time," he said at last.
"He protected me before he even knew me," she agreed, "And that's why he's not a git, Harry."
"Not to you," Harry said, "But honestly, think of his passwords."
Silver gave a halfhearted laugh. "Okay then," she conceded, "He's not a git to me."
She suddenly buried her head into the front of his robes. "Oh, Harry, what if he's dead right now?" she asked.
Harry wasn't sure how to respond, but he did the best he could. "He would have died for what he wanted to die for – you," he answered.
"I don't want him to die for me," she replied, "I don't want him to die at all."
Memories of Sirius began to wash over Harry, as if his death had happened just yesterday.
"I know," he croaked.
They held each other for a long while, and even after Silver fell asleep, she was still holding him tightly. He took her in his arms and carried her over to Snape's bed. He pulled back the covers and set her down in it, and then pulled them up to her shoulders. She stirred, and her eyes fluttered open momentarily.
"Don't leave me, Harry," she said quietly, before closing her eyes once more.
He felt it would be wrong to sleep under the covers with her, so he lay down on top of them. She scooted over to him unconsciously, and he put an arm around her blanketed figure. His mind drifted back to Sirius' death as he fell asleep.
Suddenly he felt something hit the side of his face. His arm still around Silver, he peered upwards and nearly yelped. Snape was standing above him, looking angrier than he'd ever seen him.
"Get out of my bed," he demanded fiercely.
Harry obediently and quickly jumped out, fearing for his life. Snape bent a bit, so that his face was close to Harry's. He was breathing hard and trembling with rage, his face beginning to redden. Harry had definitely never seen him this mad.
"What were you doing in bed with her?" he asked, looking as if he'd like nothing more than to strangle Harry.
"We didn't do anything!" Harry said defensively, "She asked me to stay with her."
"Why would she do that?" he demanded.
"Because, she just showed me her memories of Voldemort using Occlumency, and she probably didn't want to be alone. Is that a problem?" Harry answered.
He knew he had made a mistake when Snape raised his wand and pointed it at him. Harry couldn't do anything but stand there, trapped between the bed and the nightstand, as Snape opened his mouth to curse him with who-knew- what, but Silver saved him.
She cried out, and both of their heads shot towards her.
"No!" she cried, "I didn't do it!"
She began to flinch repeatedly, as if somebody were hitting her hard. She screamed out this time, and Harry watched in shock as Snape reached over and took a hold of her flailing body.
"Silver," he said quietly, "Wake up."
"I'm...not...a...Death Eater!" she yelled, flinching in between words.
"Silver!" Snape demanded, shaking her gently, but firmly at the same time.
Her eyes shot open, and she looked at Snape with surprise.
"You're alive," she whispered.
Then, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted.
"Get me a Revival potion, Potter," Snape ordered, "The cupboard on the left wall."
Harry walked up to the cupboard and opened it to be presented with a variety of different potions. He had absolutely no clue which one was a Revival potion. He stood, gaping at the contents for a moment, until he was swept into shadows. Snape reached past his head and grabbed a glowing white potion.
"Damn you, Potter, you're useless!" he snapped as he walked back towards Silver.
Harry tried to think of a comeback, but he decided it was best not to insult a man who hated his father's guts, hated his guts, and had just discovered him sleeping in his bed with the equivalent of his daughter. Instead he watched as Snape propped her up and trickled some of the potion into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open as he emptied the vial's contents down her throat. She looked at Snape for a long time before reaching out and touching his cheek with a scared look in her eye.
"You're really alive?" she said at last.
"Yes," he confirmed.
She enfolded him in a tight hug and refused to let go for several minutes. Harry couldn't see Snape's face from where he was standing, but he watched as tears began to trickle down Silver's cheeks. Finally, she drew away. Harry edged over to the side to get a glimpse of Snape's face.
"I thought you were d...dead," she sobbed.
Snape rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Well I'm not," he answered, "So you have no reason to be crying."
Silver wiped her eyes and nodded. "S...sorry," she sniffled.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Snape answered, "Now go back to sleep."
He flicked his wand and the lights went out, leaving only a dim fire.
"You get the couch, Potter," he announced.
Harry walked over to the couch and lay down on it. No sooner had he lay down than something hit him in the face. A pillow. A second later, two blankets sailed over and dropped on his face. He wondered if Snape was trying to suffocate him and make it look like an accident. After fixing his blankets, he snuck a glance over in Silver's direction over the top of the couch. Snape had conjured up a fluffy, reclining armchair next to the bed and looked as if he were already asleep. Silver was sleeping on the edge of the bed closest to the armchair and Snape, and he could tell that she was already sleeping. He lay back down and closed his eyes, and heard a distinct shuffling from the other corner of the room. He didn't bother to see who it was, but instead focused his remaining efforts on clearing his mind to ensure a good night's sleep.