Severus was woken abruptly by the bright blue-white phoenix that had drifted into the room. He sighed and shielded his still closed eyes. "Severus," the Headmaster's voice sounded slightly alarmed, "come to my office. It's quite urgent."
As the light disappeared, he checked the clock, seeing that it was nearing three. He groaned, annoyed at the interruption, and got up. Seeking out the Pepper Up on his dresser in the dark, he wondered what had happened. He was sure he wouldn't get any more rest tonight.
Once the potion took effect, he got dressed and made his way out of the dungeons and towards the Headmaster's office. He did notice that the stairs were already formed and he started up them, hearing voices as he neared the door.
He heard yelling that he recognized as Potter right before he entered quietly. "What's happening to me?" Potter asked desperately. He looked at the boy, covered in a cold sweat, pale, and shaking.
"You wished to see me, Headmaster?" he asked, observing the rest of the room, mostly filled with Weasleys.
"Severus, I'm afraid we can't wait...not even until the morning. Otherwise, we'll all be vulnerable," Dumbledore said as he stood, tense. He didn't ask any questions, knowing that it was part of what they'd discussed months prior. It was certain he'd get no rest, now.
As he pulled the boy down the stairs, turning towards his personal stores, where he was certain they wouldn't be disturbed, he thought on the apparent pointless task ahead of him. He could tell Potter had no natural ability towards Occlumency, but Dumbledore wouldn't hear of it, making him at the very least try.
The only way Potter would learn any amount of Occlumency would be to use shear force to will away any unwanted presence inside his mind, but that was only a minimal possibility. He didn't have the control required, plain and simple.
He didn't have the patience to deal with him, let alone the tolerance for his Gryffindor sensibilities. Potter truly was too much like his father for Severus's liking. Severus was curious, though, to see inside his mind. He also wouldn't deny feeling a certain desire to show Potter that he was weak in such an area. Maybe he could push the boy to have some semblance of control.
"It appears there is a connection between the Dark Lord's mind and your own. Whether he is, as yet, aware of this connection is, for the moment, unclear. Pray he remains ignorant," he began, readying his wand.
"You mean if he knows about it, then, he'll be able to read my mind?" Potter questioned.
"Read it. Control it. Unhinge it." Severus knew he needed to be absolutely blunt with him to get it through his thick skull that it was dire that he take this serious. "In the past, it was often the Dark Lord's pleasure to invade the minds of his victims, creating visions designed to torture them into madness. Only after extracting the last exquisite ounce of agony, only when he had them literally begging for death, would he finally kill them. Used properly, the power of Occlumency will help shield you from access or influence. In these lessons, I will attempt to penetrate your mind. You will attempt to resist. Prepare yourself." Holding his wand out, he cast, "Legilimens."
Olivia woke with a start, finding herself in her room at Malfoy Manor. A crash downstairs caused her to sit up suddenly, pulling the comforter back before swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. As she stood, a seeping dread seemed to fill the pit of her stomach.
Something was telling her to stay put, but she was pulled towards the door, her hand pausing on the handle. Opening the door, she gazed out, seeing hardly no light except for the few dimmed sconces on the walls lighting the hall and a flickering light coming from downstairs.
She stepped out into the hallway. Instead of going downstairs towards the light, she turned towards the room next to hers, Draco's. Turning the handle, the door opened silently and she looked around, expecting to see his sleeping form, but finding none.
That seeping dread was beginning to turn into something far worse as she neared the stairs. The marble was cold beneath her feet, almost too cold, painfully so. One step at a time, she had made it far enough to see where the light was coming from. It was flickering from, she assumed, the fireplace in the sitting room.
Olivia couldn't see anyone or hear anything that would make her believe anyone was awake or even in the Manor at all. Something in her gut was telling her to turn back, to run, but she still took another step down.
At the last step, she paused, straining to listen again, but hearing nothing. The closer she came to rounding the corner into the room, the more she was seeing. There were shadows low on the wall, silhouetted by the fireplace, but she couldn't make out what the shadows were.
One more step brought a dark black-looking puddle into view, marring the stark white marble. The gasp caught in her throat and she couldn't make a sound. Her eyes started to tear, but, still, her feet pushed her forward, bringing more of the scene into view.
Near white-blonde hair was splayed onto the floor, some stained a deep dark red, almost black. The tears began to fall as she recognized her uncle's form first. The next, her aunt, slumped in the high-back chair.
Her foot hit something warm, something thick and wet. Shutting her eyes tight, she didn't dare look, but something was forcing her eyes to open again, her head turning downwards. She followed the trail of blood to a set of dead eyes wide open, Draco's face stuck with a look of terror.
Olivia heard her own gasps then. "No..." she heard herself sob, her chest clenching tight with the pain. Instinctively, she took a step back, her foot hitting something solid. "No, no, no, no..." she whispered over and over. Turning around, all she saw was black before she screamed, stumbling back, covering her face with her hands.
Her foot caught in the puddle of blood again, slipping. She fell, feeling the warmth of the blood soaking through the fabric of her gown. Olivia's breathing turned into gasping, hyperventilation. She couldn't breathe, her lungs trying desperately to take in the air.
Suddenly, she stopped. A slithering, hissing sound forced her to stop. She froze, her eyes wide. The darkness outside of the room seemed to be pulsating, the air around her thick with dark magic. Then, something began to move beyond.
His robes floated in the darkness, his form coming into view. The pale skin of his hands and face contrasting against the dark. Drawing his wand, he pointed it at her, hissing, "Avada-"
"NO!" Olivia screamed, shooting up in her bed that had been transfigured temporarily in her old expanded room in her father's quarters. The hyperventilating returned in full force, her chest and lungs seizing with sharp pains. She pushed her body to move, nearly falling as she stumbled out of bed. "Daddy," she called, desperate to make sure he was alright.
Her door shot open, the sight of him there make her collapse, his arms catching her before gently settling with her on the floor. "Olivia, what is it?! What happened?!"
"I-t w-was just a...a nightmare," she sobbed in relief. He seemed to relax, clutching her tightly. She moved her arms around him, tightening her hold, hands twisting into the black cloth of his pajamas. Olivia continued to cry. "Y-you were all d-dead."
Severus felt his chest tighten at the sight. His daughter laying half in his lap, curled on the floor, sobbing from a nightmare. All he could do was hold her and let her cry. She was trembling with every breath.
"Why can't we just run? Go overseas, away from all of it..." she asked quietly as she'd begun to calm.
The question make him tighten his hold a bit more, shutting his eyes. She didn't understand. She never would unless he told her. "Olivia," he began, his voice rough with the thought. He glanced down at his wand on the floor next to them. Grasping it hesitantly, knowing she was vulnerable at that moment, he told himself that he had to. He had to know for sure that she could protect the knowledge. "Look at me," he said, helping her sit up. As she turned her head, her eyes connecting with his, he muttered, "Legilimens."
She felt his mind rush into her own, seeming to plow through everything he possibly could. Olivia threw up every shield and useless memory she could out of instinct. This was the first time he'd entered her mind with such ferocity. The pain from the force would've been crippling had she been standing.
He wasn't stopping. She knew he wouldn't until he found something important or she made him believe that he had. She needed to think, but it was so hard with the pain and after everything she'd just seen. Olivia continued to push useless memories forward before she steered him in a direction that led to a memory of meeting the Dark Lord. That was a memory she could use, since it wasn't something secret, but she hid her internal emotions that were attached to it, making her seem indifferent about the experience.
She sent him in another direction, letting a memory surface. This time, she was sitting on a bench, outside, as Maxim asked her to the Yule Ball. She didn't change anything, just leaving the memory alone. None of this seemed to make him pull back. She needed to do something else.
The idea hit her. Pulling two memories, weaving together the emotions from one and the visual of another, she readied herself. Olivia used a bit of force against him, trying to push him out, but not completely. He pushed back with more force. She pretended to fall back in defeat, letting him find the memory she'd set up.
"It has been an honor, Olivia," he said smiling. It was late. While it was nearing midnight, she stifled a yawn and Maxim suggested they end the evening. Leaning forward, Maxim brought his fingers up to brush the curl away from her cheek. "May I kiss you goodnight?" he whispered gently, his green eyes flitting back and forth between her inky black ones. She nodded slightly, blushing beneath his touch.
As his lips brushed hers, she felt a fire drift from her belly to her cheeks. The nervous ball of fire that rested in her stomach turned into a flame that spread throughout her whole body.
Olivia's nerves died down after a couple of seconds, giving her confidence to move her lips against his. Lifting her arms up, she took his hand into hers and rested the other on his chest, feeling the fur trim of his single-shoulder half cape.
As he pulled away, she blushed again, seeing his eyes staring into hers again. "Goodnight," he said, stepping back, pulling her hand up to kiss it.
"Goodnight," she whispered in reply before he turned to leave. She couldn't stop smiling.
She felt him pull out of her mind, her hand immediately going up to press against her temple. Olivia blushed slightly at the thought that she'd just showed her father that memory. Why had she picked that one? She silently chastised herself.
He quickly made sure she was steady as he stood, going to find a potion for her headache. He knew that she had more skill than what it seemed. She'd let that memory through. However, he wouldn't have been able to tell had he not known her so well.
Making his way back to her, he held the potion out, which she took quickly. "Why that memory?" he asked, curious of her reasoning.
"It," she began, sighing as the potion began to relieve the pain, "it wasn't real." Olivia saw his eyes widen slightly. "Well, it was, but...not completely. The emotions didn't go with that memory. They were from another."
"You weaved two together?" he asked. She nodded. It seemed as if it was one. He hadn't been able to tell, even knowing her as he did. Severus was confident that she could protect her mind. Satisfaction and pride was quickly drowned out by the thought of what he had to tell her. "Come sit," he said, standing.
He helped her up and led her to the sitting room where she sat on the sofa. He walked over to his desk, reaching down to open the drawer. As he pulled out the box, he refused to think too much, but the sight of it immediately put his heart into his throat. Making his way back over to where she sat, staring into the fire.
Pointing his wand at the fireplace, he increased its flame, giving them more light. "Olivia," he whispered, clearing his throat as he settled the box onto the table. "What I am about to tell you must never be spoken of, do you understand?"
She looked at him in slight surprise. The box looked old, tattered. Her father had a serious look about him. Olivia nodded.
"You cannot even tell Draco, Olivia. If it becomes known, I..." he stopped, not wanting to think about the repercussions. "I cannot predict what might happen." Severus shifted the lid, not truly wanting to do this. "You can't possibly understand why I must do what I do unless you know of her."
Her heart sank as the realization dawned on her. "Is...is this about my mother?" she asked, already starting to feel emotions well behind her eyes.
Severus nodded as he pulled the lid from the box. Inside, there were many letters, photos, and other things. His fingers found a photo, probably the last photo he'd gotten of her. She was just a little older than Olivia was now. Her red hair was flowing with the breeze, the Black Lake in the background. His jaw clenched tight as he handed to photo to her.
Olivia took the photo, her hand shaking slightly, but she wasn't sure if it was from what had happened earlier or what was about to happen. She looked at the photo, tears starting to form. She was beautiful. At first, Olivia thought she looked nothing like her, but the more she looked, the more she saw those smaller details.
"We met as children. Her magic had only started to surface and she was muggleborn," he said, seeing Olivia's eyes shoot up. "She didn't know what she was. I told her about our world." He took a steadying breath. "When we came to Hogwarts, she was sorted into Gryffindor, I into Slytherin. We were so different. I pushed everyone away except her. She made friends with everyone. As we got older, I was bullied more and more. It made me hate. There was a day, I was...she stepped in to defend me. I got so angry, I said something I wish to this day I never had. After that, our friendship was lost. I realized that I loved her, but she fell for the one person I despised most. After school, I became a Death Eater; she joined the Order and got married. They had a child, a boy."
She listened intently, hanging on to every word. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about any of it. Olivia could see it in how tense he was, the way he set his mouth when he paused.
"I had overheard a prophecy that predicted the Dark Lord's fall. I was desperate to please and went straight to him. She and I...it was before I knew what I had done. I had no idea that I..." He shut his eyes tight. "I had signed her death warrant. The prophecy was about her son."
Olivia held her breath. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?
"I went to Dumbledore and begged him to save her. I pledged myself to him, thus becoming a double agent, a spy. It did no good... Halloween night, the Dark Lord found them, killed her and tried to kill her son." Severus looked at Olivia. The shock was evident in her eyes. "I found you in the house. I didn't even know Lily had another child. It wasn't until Dumbledore gave me this letter that I knew you were even mine." He reached into the box, pulling the letter from the top.
"Then...that means," she grasped for the words, "Harry Potter is my half-brother?" He nodded, handing her the letter.
"I swore to protect you both, for her. That's why I cannot just take you and leave; though, I want to. I have to...make sure that he is gone for good."
She took the letter and watched as he stood, a bit shakily. Olivia had never seen her dad this way, this sad and...vulnerable. He walked to his desk, slumping into the chair, turning away from her. Her mind reeled with all the information.
Looking down at the letter, she saw her father's name penned there in an elegant hand. She pulled the letter from the envelope and started to read. It wasn't long before the tears ran down her cheeks, especially when she saw her name...written in her mother's hand. Tell her Mommy loves her.
Her dad hadn't moved, or made a sound, since he'd left her there with the letter. Olivia looked up, seeing even just in his profile, the pained expression he wore as his head rested in one hand. He loved her...deeply. He was doing all of this for her, for her mother and Harry, too. He put himself in danger every time he left to protect her, to protect all of them, to avenge her, to make amends.
Olivia now understood more about what the Sorting Hat had said. Bravery on both sides, it seems. She put the photo and letter down on the table as she stood. Walking towards him, she could see even more clearly the emotions he was holding back, hiding.
She stood in front of his chair, reaching out to pull his hand away from his face. Their eyes met for a moment before she leaned down, wrapping her arms around him. "I love you, Daddy," she said quietly, her voice shaking.
Severus let out the pained breath he seemed to have held for the longest time. He realized that part of what he feared was that she would blame him, hate him, as he did himself. His arms swept around her, pulling her into his lap. He couldn't have been more wrong.
They lost track of how long they remained there, her in his arms. Olivia had started to doze off. Apparently, he could tell how tired she was because he tapped her arm. "You should get some rest," he said. She yawned and nodded as she moved to stand.
Olivia saw the box still laying open on the table, the letter and photo right where she'd left them. "Could I...go through it?" she asked softly, hoping he'd let her.
Severus eyed it a moment. "It's yours."
"A-are you sure?" Olivia didn't want to take them away from him. It was everything he had.
"I'm sure. I have memories. You don't. Take it." He turned away again as she gathered it up, taking it with her to her room.
She set it next to her bed. She had no energy to go through it all now, but she looked at the photo again. Her mother. Her mother had died for Harry and for her. Her father had protected her ever since.
The Dark Lord had killed her. The thought made her sick. He was still out there, killing, making someone else motherless, or an orphan. Her father had to see him so often, bow to him, do his bidding. How did he do it? She couldn't even begin to imagine.
Olivia saw him in a new light that night. Of course, he was her dad; he loved her. She knew that. He would always protect her. He was powerful and brave. But, he was sacrificing everything to bring down one of the most powerful Dark Lords there's ever been. He was doing it for her, for Harry, for their mother, for everyone. In that moment, she felt quite proud to be his daughter.
The night had been filled with so much emotion. There was pain, heartache. However, she now knew everything. She knew without a shadow of a doubt who she was and who she wanted to be. She wanted to be powerful and brave and protect the people she loved. And, even though she didn't even know him, she wanted to help Harry Potter. He was her half-brother, after all. If he was the key to defeating the Dark Lord once and for all, she'd make sure she was there to see it and make sure he succeeded.
She smiled, feeling elated with the knowledge. Her determination was stronger than ever. She was the product of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, both brave and strong. She would not let them down. Olivia pulled her wand from beneath her pillow, feeling such a strong sense of the magic within her.
Every feeling she'd experienced that night, she allowed to fill her, thinking about it all. She saw herself, curled against her father in his lap, comforting each other. She saw the photo of her mother and the words she'd read. Tell her Mommy loves her.
"Expecto Patronum," she said softly, a tear making it's way down her cheek. The blue-white light began to wisp from her wand, swirling and building into something larger. She saw the pointed ears and snout, the delicate paws, and thick bushy tail. A fox.
Olivia hadn't expected it, but she looked at the corporeal form of her Patronus fondly. The fox was a cunning creature, clever and playful, but also faithful. The Patronus lifted it's nose, seeming to sniff the air around her. It cocked it's head to one side as it studied her.
She smiled as it sat, tail curling around itself, but it got up when she moved towards the door. Keeping her focus, she opened her door quietly and stepped back towards the sitting room. Olivia pointed her wand outward, sending her Patronus over to where she knew her dad still sat. The foxes ear perked up as it bounded towards the desk. Olivia nearly laughed at the sight. It stopped at the corner, taking careful steps around the desk.
Severus saw the light as it slowly came into view. He dropped his hand and looked down. A fox. He'd never seen a fox Patronus. Where had it come from? He looked towards the bedrooms, seeing Olivia there, wand in hand. Glancing back down, he saw that it was peaking around the corner, ears back. Suddenly, it seemed almost to smile, coming into full view, ears up, tail moving side to side. He couldn't help but smile back.