"Walk much, Sis?" Harry asked as he caught Severina as she fell. Her owl nipped at him as its cage came in range. He gave it a dirty look then put his attention back on her.
She looked up a bit startled. "What?" She was also quite embarrassed.
"I asked if you walk much since you seem to be falling all over yourself." Harry smirked at her. So, she liked Bill. He would have to play with that.
"Uh… Yes, just tripped is all." Bill, who had started to move toward them as she fell, was now smiling at her. She felt something odd move through her, something she did not recognize. Never had she felt the sensation.
"Hmmm. Could Ron have a sister-in-law soon?" Harry asked in jest. Bill seemed interested in her nearly as much as she was in him.
Severina jerked back and looked at him in surprise. "What… I never… Why would you… What made you…" She was lost for words.
"I'm only kidding, Sis, geez. Though, a better family I couldn't ask for."
"Huh?" He rolled his eyes and started pulling her along.
"Come on before daddy dearest sees the way you two are looking at each other." He pulled her in the direction of the others.
"What?" She suddenly straightened and looked toward her father.
"I don't think he's noticed yet. Just act normal." He looked ahead and saw Remus walking close to Snape. Hermione had already left them behind, and Ron was at his side laughing. The youngest Weasley son found the whole thing with Bill hilarious. Harry really worried about Ron at times.
Severina nodded at Harry and pulled away from him to walk on her own. She spared on last look to Bill, who smiled with a final wave before turning to walk the other way.
Harry picked up his pace a bit so he could catch up with Severus. "Sir, can I have a word with you in private?"
Snape raised a brow and looked at Harry suspiciously. "Whatever for, Potter?"
"I would prefer not to speak about it with everyone around."
"Very well." He stopped and motioned Remus to take the others on ahead. Remus seemed reluctant but did so. Once they were suitably in the distance, Snape looked at Harry. "Well, Potter?"
"Well… Sir…" He looked down at his shoes.
"Spit it out, boy," Severus commanded impatiently.
"It's about my mother and… and you."
Snape's brow rose higher. "What about us?" He feared he knew where Harry was going.
"Well… Did you lover her… Were you in love with her and she with you?" He frowned a bit as he asked. Did he really want the answer?
Severus sighed and looked at Harry in a way Harry had never seen on the man's face before. "I did love her." He looked away. "And, I believe, in some way, she did love me. But… never as much as she did your father." He did not look pleased as the words left his mouth. He felt he had said too much.
"Why… I mean how. I thought they were inseparable?" Harry wanted to understand. He wanted to know why he had a sister who was fathered by Snape of all people. He wanted to know why he had never known.
Snape snorted. "Perhaps you should talk about that with Lupin. As to how your sister came to be, which I presume is what you wish to know?"
"Well, I know how she came to be, but yes I wonder how the two of you got together and why my mom didn't raise her."
Severus did not want to talk about it, but he supposed Harry had a right to know. "Your father."
"My father stopped her? Why would she stay with him then? After all she sacrificed for me."
"Your father did not know. She hid from him everything about Severina."
"What?! Did… did she not want her? Love her?"
"Yes, Lilly loved her. She did not want to take the chance he would hat her for what had come to pass."
"How could she then? Not keep her own flesh and blood because of some man?" Harry was becoming more openly upset. He could not believe what she had done and why. He did not realize he was not truly understanding things. Severus was not good at talking about Lily, even after so much time.
"You do not understand and I am not certain I know how to explain it to you. The headmaster knows the story quite well. Why don't you ask him." He was not asking or suggesting. He was done talking with Harry about it, but he made a mental note to seek Albus out before Harry could.
"I will, but I guess I realized my mother wasn't the person everyone thought she was. She was weak. Family should mean more." He fought his tears as he walked away. Severus watched him go, hating that Harry had obtained that image of his mother. He said nothing, though, as he followed.
Severina sat with Ron waiting on Harry and her father to arrive back at the castle. She had her broom, Ron having insisted she try it out. Harry saw it and knew the best way to keep things off him. "So, shall we try out your new broom?" He did his best to act and look normal.
Severina looked at him. She tilted her head and glanced at Snape. "Are you alright, both of you?"
"I am fine, 'Rina. I have some things to attend to." He hurried inside to speak with the headmaster.
"Yeah, I'm great… So, wanna try your new broom?"
Severina watched Snape leave before turning to Harry. He is ashamed and having a hard time meetin her eyes. She noticed his behavior but let him alone. They had disagreed more than enough for one day, and she did not want to push their fresh relationship to far. "Okay. You guys gonna join me?" They nodded and retrieved their brooms.
Harry kept up with her as they flew, but she and Ron both noticed he was not his normal self. His fluid, natural grace was gone. The Firebolt seemed to be having trouble understanding what he wanted. Finally, Severina pulled to a stop. She met Ron's worried eyes. "Harry?"
"Yes, Vena." He stopped beside her.
"I was a student here your first two years. I know you fly better than that. What's wrong?" She eyed him with concern. Her mind traveled to the day he fell from his broom and broke his arm only to be 'treated' by that idiot Lockhart.
"I'm… I'm just tired I guess from all the excitement today." He was not doing such a great job of lying.
"Excitement. Something happen I don't know about? Snape wasn't that entertaining." Ron hovered beside him. "Somethin's wrong, Harry."
"No, I'm fine. I think I just need a rest is all. Why don't you two continued to ride. I think I'm going in."
"What did you an' Snape talk about?" Ron had a sickening feeling that was why Harry was acting the way he was.
Severina shook her head. "Leave it, Ron. He doesn't want to talk."
"I'm falling behind in potions," Harry continued to lie. Well, it was not a lie exactly. Potions was not his best subject. "I asked if there was any make up work."
"Let's fly, Ron. Let him work whatever out on his own." Severina did not quite believe what he was saying. She took to the air, pushing her new broom with little effort. She went fast and high.
"New broom sure is a beaut!" Ron exclaimed. Harry only nodded before making his way down and inside. He wanted to speak to Dumbledore.
Snape had left only moments before Harry tapped the gargoyle. The statue soon slid aside and the staircase carried him up to the office. Albus smiled at him. "Mr. Potter, do come in and have a seat." Harry sat down in the chair the headmaster had motioned to. "Is something troubling you, Harry. You look quite distracted."
"Yes, I talked to Snape about my mother and sister."
"Oh?" Dumbledore acted as though he had not already known.
"He said you would know why my mother was a coward."
Albus stilled himself. Severus had been right. "Lily was hardly a coward, Harry."
"Why? Everything I was taught about her being selfless and brave was a lie."
Albus stood and walked to a cabinet across the room. From inside, he procured a small wooden box. He returned to his desk and sat down. Harry watched, arms crossed. "Your mother… Lily knew that an auror and a deatheater could never be together, nor could she raise the child of one. She also doubted James' ability to handle what had happened between her and Severus." He opened the box and removed two small velvet bags. He took the contents from inside the red one and placed it on the surface of his desk. A necklace of gold lay there with a dark rose red tinted black stone set in it.
"So, she abandoned my sister so she could keep my father?" Harry sounded out raged. He felt much more than that.
Dumbledore sighed. "She left your sister where she knew she would be safe from the hands of the man that killed her. Not from James. She did eventually tell him."
"She wasn't safe. She has the scar. They found her." Harry was practically snarling.
"Yes. At the age of seventeen, they took her and placed the dark mark upon her arm. They did not know, however, that she was Lily's daughter. They knew only that Severus had hidden his heir from them."
Not giving up his anger, Harry changed the subject, or rather tried. "What are the stones for?"
"Your mother left them with me the day of your birth. They are for her children, she said." He handed the red one to Harry. The stone flickered with life for a moment. "That one is yours." He passed over the bag that went with it.
"What are the for?" He did not really want anything from his mother at the moment.
"They link you together so that you will always be able to hear the call of the other should something befall them. They let you communicate, feel what the other feels if both allow. A message is stored on each of them from mother to child." Dumbledore began to dig through a drawer. He pulled out some lemon drops, his dish was empty on his desk and needed filled. "Lemon drop?" He held them out in offer after taking one himself.
"No, thank you." Dumbledore shrugged and filled his dish, putting the rest away. "I do not wish to hear anything from that woman right now. To me she abandoned her daughter, left her alone in the world. Just like… It doesn't matter."
"Just like she did you?" Remus made his presence known to Harry. He did not step away from the staircase.
"It doesn't matter now. I know why she protected me. Guilt from what she had done to her other child."
"Harry…" Remus was stunned and appalled. He shook his head. He could not handle talking to Harry for the moment. He turned with sorrowful eyes and left the room.
"You do not have to listen to the words of your mother, but take them so you may always be connected to your sister."
"For that reason and that reason alone I will accept them. I'll make sure Vena gets the other." He took the other as Dumbledore handed the small pouch to him.
Albus nodded. "You will find her in the infirmary. Mr. Weasley seems to have had an accident."
"Ron!" Harry stood and rushed from the room without so much as a goodbye. The headmaster was not surprised, but he did frown in thought. He could not fully accept the way Harry had come to see his mother.
Remus had no one to turn to but Severus. Snape was the only one who would have any idea how he felt. Some of his sorrow left as he entered the other man's work room. Severus was chasing a very small owl around the room. Scorch marks on the walls and other things led Remus to believe he had tried to stun the small creature with little success. "Bloody pest hold still!"
"Can't catch a small owl, Severus? That's pretty bad."
Severus looked toward the door, where Remus stood, and sneered. "What do you want, Lupin. I'm a bit busy at the moment."
Remus looked around more thoroughly. A few cauldrons and shattered vials were scattered on the floor. Some putrid liquid was smoking on the floor as well. "I can see that you are." He stepped farther in but not too far.
"If you aren't going to help then leave."
The owl, sensing Remus was calm and kind, flew over and landed on the man's shoulder with a little angry hoot toward Snape. "Where did it come from?"
"How would I know that? Get that thing out of here, and if I ever see it again it will be on the menu for dinner!"
"It is in your dungeon in your work room," Remus pointed out. Before either could say another word, Severina's new owl cam flying in. He landed on the table before Severus, eyeing the potions master.
"What does he want?" Snape eyed the large bird. The small owl flew over and landed beside the other.
"You are going to the owls, Sev."
"Is there a reason you are here?" He turned his attention back to Lupin.
"Harry."
