A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, just a lot of description took up space. Hope that's not a problem ;)
Blissangel91494: Thank you! Yes, I wanted to start showing that tad bit of jealously now that they're older and starting to get to that stage in their teenage years. It's more of a possessive jealously at this point rather than a romantic jealousy. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Enjoy this chapter!
twilightlover427: That information is going to be very slow coming. Severus has to protect her and that knowledge could mean her death if someone found out, especially with the Dark Lord coming, but it will come.
Angelabelle5656: LOL Yeah, I hate Pansy...
Muninn landed on her shoulder, just after dropping the small parcels in front of her plate. The emerald green paper stood out against the envelopes and brown wrappings. She saved it for last, breaking the seals on the envelopes first. The first was a card and another charm from Professor McGonagall, a Treble clef.
Connecting it to her bracelet, she heard Pansy snort, purposefully audibly. Draco had been the first to tell her 'Happy Birthday' that morning, sparking a stream of others. Olivia was sure Pansy had been pissed at the attention it was giving her. She simply ignored it, which only seemed to make her more angry. She found it amusing.
She untied a couple parcels to find Dumbledore's gift of socks, no surprise there, and another, more advanced version of an herbology text from Professor Sprout. There was a bag of the new crème de menthe white chocolates from Magnus and Hayden. The green gift was last. As she unwrapped it, she could feel Pansy watching intently out of the corner of her eye.
Olivia gasped. It was perfect. The Corvus constellation in the form of a hair pin, tiny diamonds at each star point, thin white gold connecting them. It would match perfectly.
"Who on earth would wear something like that? It looks positively cheap," Pansy scoffed.
"Oh, Pansy, perhaps you should have a closer look. Maybe you can't see from there, but it's 24 karat white gold with each star being a white diamond. It looks to be about 3 carats in total, in perfect clarity and color," she explained calmly.
"I should hope so," Draco said, taking a drink of his orange juice. Olivia looked to him, seeing him give Pansy his full attention. "My mother wouldn't spend money on anything less than perfect." She watched the girl blanch, visibly sinking into her spot.
Olivia placed the piece back into it's velvet case, but she noticed something else. The case seemed much thinner than the box it had been sent in. Lifting the case, she felt Draco elbow her arm.
"We should get going. You can drop your stuff off on your way to Potions. I have to get a book I forgot before Transfigurations," he said, giving her a look that made her gather her gifts and quickly shoo Muninn away with bacon.
As they made their way out of the Great Hall, she whispered, "Thanks for the help with Pansy."
"No problem. She's been horrid all morning."
"Just this morning?" she laughed.
"Well," he said, shrugging. Olivia raised her eyebrow, questioning his rational mind. "Alright, she's always horrid. Did you know she practically threw herself in my lap the other night?"
"I do not want to hear about it," she replied, sounding disgusted. "Besides, it didn't look like you minded much," she added quietly.
Draco stopped suddenly. "It was you, wasn't it? You made her sneeze." Olivia turned, looking at him seriously. "Olivia, that was bloody disgusting!"
"No, Draco, she's disgusting. She's attempting to use you to further her own status. Is that what you want to be? Just a name? A face? Because that's all you are to her." Olivia turned again, but stopped once more. "You deserve more than that, Draco. Don't let her 'charms' fool you."
She left him to think about what she'd said. Olivia knew him. She knew he'd be mad that she saw what he didn't; he'd need some time and space. After making her way back to her dorm, she found a spot in her trunk for the box, but before she locked it away, she wanted to know what else was inside. She lifted the case from the box, finding another underneath, a smaller one.
As she opened it, she found a necklace with a pendant, a smaller replica of the hair piece. Olivia really was impressed by the design. If the hair piece was from her Aunt and Uncle, was the necklace also from them? No. She knew exactly why Draco had insisted they leave the Great Hall before she noticed it. He'd said it was so she could take her things back to her dorm before class, but there was still plenty of time.
Smiling, she put the necklace back in its place and put them inside her trunk. Casting a quick disguise spell, she locked it and began towards the classroom.
"How are your classes?" he asked, sitting across from her. Their meals had just appeared on the table as they sat down in his quarters.
"Fine. Boring mostly. I'm having to force myself to do the work."
"That's how it was for me, when I was your age. Nothing was as challenging as I wanted it to be."
"Exactly," she said, sighing. "I want something that will actually make me work to learn it, make me think. At least Arithmancy is partially that way, but still it's kind of...mechanical."
"You've been studying other things?" he asked, curious.
Olivia glanced up from her food. "Yeah. Nothing too seriously, though."
As they continued eating, she saw his fingers tighten around his knife, but quickly loosen. He noticed her gaze and she looked away, thoughts swirling behind her eyes along with a quiet anxiety. Severus knew Olivia was highly perceptive. He tried to hide the discomfort as much as he could, but sometimes the dull burn would become ice-prickling pain that lasted for just a second or two. It would catch him off guard.
He would never admit it vocally, but his own worry was there. He knew what was likely coming and he did not welcome it. It could be weeks, months, or a year; he didn't know, but he knew that it was coming. Soon.
"Daddy?" she asked, hesitant.
"Hm?"
"Could you...help me with Occlumency? I know there are some things I need to alter, but I'm not sure what else I can do. I need to know if it's strong."
He simply nodded in acquiescence. "After Halloween."
Once their dinner was finished and it disappeared, leaving an empty table, he retrieved the package from his desk. "It isn't much of a gift, but there's a good amount of information you'll find within," he said, placing it in front of her before sitting back in his chair.
She pulled apart the wrappings, finding two slightly worn books. "Confronting the Faceless and Magick Moste Evile," she muttered.
"You must keep the latter hidden; it's restricted."
Olivia opened them and immediately found the scratched notations and many modifications. "These are yours." She found a few headers that caught her attention, realizing her dad's intention. "Thank you, Daddy," she said sincerely.
"Sit down," came Dumbledore's voice, "please." Everyone, too excited to wait, quieted quickly and sat down. The Goblet of Fire created an eery blue light that gave the room an ominous feel. "Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The champion selection." He raised his hand, the torches dimming themselves around the hall.
The headmaster moved towards the goblet, its flames flickering brighter. The flames seemed to spit orange as a piece of paper flew into the air. Catching it, he turned it over in his hands, reading. "The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!" A series of cheers erupted around the room and the goblet began flickering again, another piece of paper flying overhead. "The champion from Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" Another bit of parchment erupted, "The Hogwarts champion Cedric Diggory!"
As the majority of the room cheered, he continued, "Excellent! We now have our three champions. But in the end only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory. The Triwizard Cup!" The room was in awe as the crystal cup was revealed.
The goblet caught her eye again, it's flickering had started again. She sat up straighter, confused as to why it didn't seem to be finished. A soft gasp escaped her as a piece of paper came from it, Dumbledore catching it and quickly reading it with a cautious interest. "Harry Potter..." Olivia looked around the room, finding him seated along the wall, his face seemed petrified. "Harry Potter," the headmasters voice grew louder. "Harry Potter!" he yelled at last, causing Hermione to shove him to his feet.
She turned, catching Draco's eye. He just gave her the tiniest of shrugs and turned his eyes back to Harry; a bit of anger stormed across his face. Olivia knew he couldn't have gotten his name through, he didn't have the magical capabilities to be able to pass the age line, let alone be able to modify the goblet to produce four names instead of three.
She was sure only the teachers would have the knowledge and power to be able to do that. They would also have access. If that was the case, who had done it? It wasn't any that she knew, for sure. That left three, one of which she highly doubted, which brought her to conclude that it was either Karkaroff or Mad-Eye Moody. Looking at both, neither gave any sign of being either pleased or surprised at the revelation.
Once the headmaster left the hall, the other professors following him, whispers and heated discussion overwhelmed any thought she had. She took the opportunity, knowing that they would be tied up with the champions for a time. It wasn't likely she'd get the chance again. Olivia made her way to Moody's classroom.
She was sure that his sleeping quarters would be warded, but his classroom and office weren't likely to be under protection during school hours. She heard someone following her and she turned to see Draco catching up to her.
"You look like you're going somewhere?" he questioned as he followed.
"Taking my chance. No student could've gotten the goblet to do that. Hell, no student could fool Dumbledore's age line. It could only have been a teacher. None that we know would do that to Precious Harry Potter, putting him in danger like that. That leaves who?" she explained while walking quickly.
"Moody, Karkarov, and that Beauxbatons lady."
"Madam Maxine wouldn't have motive, Fleur doesn't seem like she'll last long in the competition so what would be the point of adding an extra champion? Think about motives," she continued as she opened the DADA classroom door, walking in quickly, closing it behind Draco.
"Karkarov used to be a Death Eater. He could be trying to get back at Potter for the Dark Lord's fall. Moody...I'm not sure. He's an auror; that's all I know."
Olivia closed her eyes and felt the air for warding. None. Good. She crossed the room and took the stairs towards his office. "Something isn't right about him. I don't know what it is, but I don't like him." She felt for wards outside his office. "Damn. There's a subtle ward here. Why would a teacher ward his office during school hours?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Maybe he had students' work inside, or a test or something." He answered. "He's a bit unusual, but I like his classes."
"Bugger, why didn't I learn how to remove wards?" she asked herself, feeling exasperated.
"Wait, can you tell what type? I don't have that energy feel like you do," he said hurriedly.
Olivia felt an unusual flicker of magic, unusual but familiar. "It feels like a modified Protego Totallus. I've felt this before, but...where?"
"Protego Pars is the modification I know. Father uses it on the bottom drawers of his desk and the cabinet underneath the bookshelf in the back of his office."
"There's a cabinet there?"
"Exactly. It protects only a small piece of a room or object. It's not the actual room," he said opening the door to the office. Not feeling any disruption, Olivia walked inside, feeling around. "Olivia."
"Hm?"
"Why would Mad-Eye Moody, an auror, be using a Death Eater's modification of the protection charm?"
"Better question," she said, feeling the source. "Why would Mad-Eye Moody, an auror, be using a Death Eater's modification of the protection charm on this trunk?"
They heard the classroom door open and a the clunking of steps into the room. Olivia turned quickly, heading to the door, a mask having been plastered on her face. "Professor! We were just looking for you," she called down to the man, limping towards the stairs.
"Ah, Miss Snape, Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you?"
"Well, sir, I hoped you might settle an argument very quickly, if it's not too much trouble. You see, Draco and I were arguing over the nature of Inferi, whether they are actual creatures or simply a body animated by magic."
He laughed as he made his way slowly up the stairs. "Inferi. That's an odd subject for a third and fourth year," he commented, giving them a curious glance. "They are non-sentient, corpses, reanimated by Necromancy."
"See, Draco. I told you they are in no way related to zombies or anything like them. You," she said, poking him hard in the chest, "owe me 5 Galleons." Olivia laughed and passed Moody, taking the stairs down.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, rubbing his chest as he went to follow her.
"Thank you, Professor, for clearing that up for Draco. See you in tomorrow's class," she smiled as she and Draco exited the room. After making it down two flights of stairs towards the dungeons, she felt safe enough to lean against a wall and catch her breath. "That was close."
"You made me look like an idiot," he hissed.
"Sorry," she gave him an apologetic look. "It was all I could think of that quickly. Tell you what, we'll call it even on the rest of those Pepper Imps, hm?" He looked slightly pissed. "I don't suppose you know any ways to remove that type of ward?" she asked, taking his mind to something else.
"No. I've only heard Father cast it; it wears down over time because it's such a condensed charm."
"How long does it last?"
"A couple weeks maybe."
"There's no way he'd be away from his office for that long."
"Father won't tell me that spell. He wouldn't want me knowing how to remove it and I doubt it's in any book here."
"I'll see if I can find something in the books Dad gave me." They started down another set of stairs and the corridor towards Slytherin. "That's about all we can do besides keep an eye on them both. There's no way we could get to Durmstrang's ship to look around."
"If only we had his bloody eye," he said jokingly. Olivia laughed.
"Relax," he said, standing in front of the armchair she was seated in. "I'm not forcing into your mind. I'm just going in to see how you've set it up."
"Ok," she said as she took a deep breath.
Severus was to start training his daughter in Occlumency. Well, he couldn't say for sure whether it was training or not. Olivia had already done the work. He was just helping her perfect it. He watched her steel herself. "Ready?" When she nodded, he cast. "Legillimens."
Abruptly, everything turned black; he felt himself being pulled into darkness as if sinking into a black hole. He still felt ground beneath his feet, however. Wand still in hand, he cast light around him, seeing only a few feet in diameter. What he did see was nothing but sparse ground, trees, twisting roots, rocks, and darkness. The branches overhead must dampen out any light source.
He had to give it to her. It couldn't be navigated easily. Severus simply began walking, his hand brushing the trunk of a tree, his mind immediately overcome by a memory. Olivia was studying in the library alone, nothing important. Walking ahead, he touched another tree, but this time there was nothing. He smirked.
The further he walked, the more trees he touched. He realized that there was a random number of trees that held these unimportant memories: studying, eating, walking, etc. The wood was difficult to travel through, having to cross the roots and get around downed trees that were too massive to simply crawl over.
A light began to emerge in the distance and he knew that something lay ahead. He picked up speed and extinguished his wand when he had enough light. What laid ahead seemed daunting. He could tell from the outside that it was a maze. The heavy hedges stood approximately ten feet tall. They were overgrown and had ivy streaming out in random patches.
The light overhead was provided by a full moon, but the dense fog and humid air created a grey overcast to everything. The maze seemed to be two hundred meters across. He saw a tower extending far above, probably in the center. There were no windows, but it likely reached a height that was nearly the width of the maze.
Walking around, he noticed the shape was a circular one, and he had not seen an entrance yet. He finally came across an unusual thatch of ivy. Pushing it aside, he found a door. There were no keyholes or combinations, locks or even handles. He placed his hand upon the hard wood. Severus thought of what ways Olivia would use to open it. It had to be opened either by thought or spell. Trying to remember specific things she would use, he felt a shift in the door. He pushed.
He smiled. Only someone who knew her beyond simply seeing her or knowing of her could access the maze. Smart. Walking inside, he saw how tightly compact the maze was; the shrubbery was overgrown to the point where you had to push your way through the passages and many turns. The further he went, the more he found nothing but turns and dead ends. Where would she hide memories in this section?
Severus had to stop for a moment to think. The close quarters were making him frustrated and slightly claustrophobic, which he was sure was the entire point. Taking a breath, he looked down at his feet. Pebbles, twigs, and dead leaves were randomly scattered across the cobblestone. He bent down to examine them, taking a small pebble in hand. Nothing. He tried another and was overwhelmed by a memory of Olivia painting in his quarters in front of the fire. A leaf brought forth a memory of her and Draco playing by the lake. A tiny stone, not even the size of a marble, carried a memory of her standing with Narcissa and Lucius, waiting for Draco at the train station.
He continued to walk, winding his way through the paths, looking for any sign of another entrance or exit. Severus wasn't sure how long he walked, but at last, he found another door, similar to the one before. Pressing his hand to the door, he thought about Olivia when she was young, just playing. The door didn't move. He thought of something else, of brewing with her, teaching her. It opened.
It was a smart idea, creating that sort of locking system. One would truly have to know her in order to access those deeper memories. As he passed through the opening, his eyes widened at the sight. The maze was much more open here, but it was only due to the extra space being taken up by so many plants, flowers, bushes, berries, and fruit. Everything deadly, toxic, and poisonous was in full view. He had to duck down in order to pass by a great branch of three inch thorns.
If someone attempted to simply plow through this, they would likely have an intense migraine and back out immediately. Except one person, he was sure. He looked around closely, using his every sense to determine what each specimen was. He found an elderberry bush that, to most people, it would look toxic due to the coloring of the plant and its berries, but it was actually the bright green bush with red berries that was the inedible plant. This nearly black bush had edible berries, although the stems were toxic.
He touched a cluster of berries and was spun back into his own classroom, Olivia slammed the lid onto the cauldron just as it was about to explode. Looking around, he found fragrant sumac, which he knew was often mistaken for poison ivy. Touching it, he saw her asking Lucius about a book, smiling, and hugging him. The tiniest peak of moss growing between some stones showed her casting a sneezing hex towards Miss Parkinson, as she was seated upon Draco's lap. That particular memory did make him laugh a little.
It took him a little longer to find the opening in the maze, the center where a tower stood. Another door, also similar to the others, was the only entrance. Knowing it would be the same, he pushed his hand against the middle and thought about something that she would have hidden within. He thought of the Christmas party and it immediately moved.
Pitch darkness consumed him again. He pulled out his wand, attempting to light up the space, but nothing happened. Shaking his head, amused, he pushed it back into his sleeve. Severus began to feel around the space, finding what felt like a shelf. Books. He ran his hands along the shelf and above. It was a tower of books. Opening one, he found it empty. He placed it back and found another.
Olivia was watching as Draco stood and crossed the library, taking a book from a shelf and inserting a page. He put the book on the table and tucked a mirror into the bag that laid there. Severus stayed in the memory to see Miss Granger return to the spot, study the book long enough to run back towards the catalogs. He noticed both Olivia and Draco seemed relieved and relaxed into their seats.
He came across a ladder and took just enough steps that he was a few shelves above. Taking a book, he opened it to find Olivia on the train next to the youngest Mulciber boy, a dementor drifting by the door. She had her wand in hand as she exited the compartment to see Lupin repelling it with the Patronus charm. She asked about Potter and returned to her compartment.
As she reached for another, he could feel her mind beginning to urge him not to. He focused on her emotions and found that it was simply worry. He grasped and opened it, being pulled into smoke and ash, the Mark overhead. So that was what she had seen. He placed it back on the shelf quickly and rose higher. Taking a step onto the shelf he walked carefully along the tiny walkway, feeling for another, he saw himself, lying asleep in his bed at Spinner's End. Olivia scampered into the bed as the lightning struck outside. He grunted as she tried her hardest to squeeze between his chest and his arm. She was very young in this memory, possibly four. "It's alright," he said deeply, still half asleep. "It's just a storm. It'll pass."
Reaching again, he could feel her hesitating to push him away. He could tell that she didn't want him out, that she simply worried about his reaction to some of these deeper memories. But he couldn't stop; he needed to know what sort of memories laid within this tower if only to know how to better protect her. It took him to the Great Hall, her sorting. The hat said quietly, "Hmm...the product of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor." Olivia's eyes widened with the information. "Ah, yes, you did not know. Both bravery and cunning run in your very blood, bravery on both sides, it seems," the hat continued. "But I know exactly where to put you. SLYTHERIN!" He felt for one last book, feeling her mind starting to fight again, he grabbed it quickly and found her and Draco standing outside of Moody's office, her hands raised, feeling for warding.
"Bugger, why didn't I learn how to remove wards?" she asked.
"Wait, can you tell what type? I don't have that energy feel like you do," he said hurriedly.
Olivia felt again. "It feels like a modified Protego Totallus. I've felt this before, but...where?"
"Protego Pars is the modification I know. Father uses it on the bottom drawers of his desk and the cabinet underneath the bookshelf in the back of his office."
"There's a cabinet there?"
"Exactly. It protects only a small piece of a room or object. It's not the actual room," he said opening the door to the office. Olivia walked inside, feeling around. "Olivia."
"Hm?"
"Why would Mad-Eye Moody, an auror, be using a Death Eater's modification of the protection charm?"
"Better question," she said, feeling the source. "Why would Mad-Eye Moody, an auror, be using a Death Eater's modification of the protection charm on this trunk?"
The classroom door opened and a clunking of steps came into the room. Olivia turned quickly, heading to the door, a mask having been plastered on her face. "Professor! We were just looking for you," she called down to the man, limping towards the stairs.
He pulled out of her mind, stumbling a little as he came back to his quarters. His legs had cramped up from standing for so long. He looked at the clock. Three hours. It took him three hours to navigate her mind and he knew her as well as anyone could.
"Olivia, you could've been caught," he scolded. She cringed and slumped into her chair. "What if he found out you were actually snooping rather than 'just looking for him?'"
"Well," she said, unable to find an answer, "what do you think about the trunk? The warding?"
"Olivia, I want you to avoid Moody as much as possible; stay away, understand?" he ordered.
"Yes, Sir."
He sighed and sat down on the couch. "Back to your Occlumency. I find your mind rather well guarded, but I have a couple of suggestions. The doorways are unique, but it was easy to catch on to. The entrance to the tower should be the strongest. Make the entrance hidden and pick one memory that would grant access, particularly one that only you know of. It would be too easy for the Dark Lord to use memories he gained through someone you know to access your deepest thoughts. The tower is too easy for him to be able to crush...bury it. Create an underground cellar rather than a tower. I must say, however, that I am rather impressed," he smiled at her. "It took me three hours and I know you well. It would take someone else much longer than that and they would likely give up and back out after so long. The Dark Lord, on the other hand, would not."
"What can I do to guard it against him specifically?" she asked cautiously.
"Make the changes I put to you and it will be as guarded as it can be. He forces himself into the minds of others when he wants to. The protection you've put into place already will make him slow down in order to get through and you'll have the time to push him out or find something to distract him. We'll work on that. It will be painful, Olivia; I trust you know that."
Olivia nodded. "I know. I need to do this, though. I need to make sure that he can't use me to get to you or Draco or Aunt Cissa or Uncle Lucius. Don't be gentle because it's me, Daddy. I need to be ready for it."
"You will be."
"Daddy?"
"Yes?" he asked, his exhaustion showing in his voice only.
"A-about that other memory..." Severus glanced in her direction. "The Sorting Hat. Was it right?"
He nodded. "You must keep that between us, Olivia. Especially now," he said quietly.
"Is that why you don't talk about her? Because she wasn't in Slytherin?" Olivia asked him gently, feeling that she was pushing that boundary just a little.
"No...and yes." She could see a flicker of pain edge across his face and she immediately regretted asking. "That fact must remain secret for now, for your protection, but it isn't the main reason."
She watched him turn his face away from her, staring into the fire. He looked down, letting his hair fall, shielding himself. She could feel a twinge behind her eyes. Getting up, she went to the couch, sitting down next to him. As she hugged him tightly, she said, "It's ok, Daddy. I don't have to know right now. Thank you for helping me with my Occlumency. I should probably get back to my dorm." Olivia knew that it was time for her to leave, though she hated doing so. He didn't move as she bent down and placed a kiss on his temple. "Goodnight, Daddy."
As she retreated, she heard him move and she turned to see him rub his eyes discreetly, then pinching the bridge of his nose. It hurt her. Exiting his quarters, she stood in the small hidden hall between his rooms and the common room. Leaning against the wall, alone and in the dark, she allowed the emotion to fall.