Chapter Eleven: A New Power and Fear
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Draco and Hope landed on the floor of the infirmary with a loud thump. As Draco picked Hope up and laid her on one of the empty beds, he started yelling for Madam Pomfrey.
After a couple of minutes, Draco got annoyed and left to find the mediwitch. He went to her office and knocked harshly. A moment later, a sleepy looking Poppy arrived, muttering about kids and being out after curfew.
Draco stifled his laugh and cleared his throat. "I have someone who requires medical attention. In case you forgot, tonight was the rescue mission."
Madam Pomfrey immediately straightened and stopped muttering before walking over to the bed. She waved her wand but as soon as the magic hit Hope to examine her, she awoke with a start.
"Where am I?" She asked, trying to hide the fear that was evident in her voice.
Draco sighed. "Hope, I'm really sorry, but I'm going to listen to Severus, and he told me to keep you unconscious…."
"NO!" Hope screamed and a blue light went around her. "No more magic…please…Draco, I thought I could trust you!"
Draco's face fell. Hope was afraid of him? He wasn't trying to hurt her, just trying to save her from the pain that would occur at any time because of the curse placed on her. He moved to touch the light and was thrown back.
"Young lady, remove this thing right now so I can heal you!" Madam Pomfrey bellowed at the young girl. Hope started shaking, out of fear and out of the pain that still resided on her body from the curses.
Pomfrey was about to yell at the girl again when a voice spoke quietly, "Poppy, what is going on in here?"
"Headmaster! She won't put this shield down. How do you expect me to heal the girl when I can't get near her!" She took out her frustration on the older man in front of her.
Ignoring the mediwitch, Dumbledore went to Hope and gently placed his hand against the shield. It didn't throw him back like it did Draco, but it wouldn't allow him entrance.
"Hope?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"Leave me alone!" She mumbled, curled up in a ball.
"I'm not going to hurt you; I just want you to remove your shield so we can talk."
"No! Where's Severus, what have you done with him?" Hope lifted her head to look at the older wizard.
"Severus is safe, he'll be here in a few minutes."
"What about everyone else? Harry? And that purple haired girl? Are they all okay?"
"Everyone's fine." Dumbledore calmly assured the girl.
"I don't believe you! Severus wouldn't have left me like that…"
"Well, you weren't supposed to be awake to know he had…" Draco mumbled to himself, but Hope's ears picked up on it.
Hope retreated farther away. Her mind was a blur and it was difficult to determine who was a threat and who wasn't. She buried her head against her knees and started crying when the familiar voice caused her to look up.
"WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU DUNDERHEAD'S DOING TO MY GODDAUGHTER!"
Severus was enraged. He had clearly given Draco orders to keep Hope unconscious, yet he walked in and they are trying to calm her down! She shouldn't be awake to be upset!
After yelling at them, he heard Hope call for him. He took one look at the girl and was forced not to fling a curse at anyone else in the room. Instead he settled for yelling at everyone to get out.
Alone with his goddaughter, he went and placed his hand on the shield.
"Hope, will you take this down for me? I have something that is yours."
Hope glanced at him curiously but the shield remained. He met his goddaughters eyes and saw the fear, the confusion, the pain, all clearly written in her eyes.
Hope sighed. She really wanted to lower the shield, but she wasn't sure how. She wasn't sure how she brought it up, but the pain when she had was a lot better than it was now.
"I don't know how…"
"What do you mean? You conjured it, whose wand did you use? And how did you know what spell to cast, and how did you change colors…" Severus stopped at the look on Hope's face.
"You didn't, did you? You did it wandless?"
She slowly nodded. "I don't know how. I was afraid, and wanted to keep that lady away from me. Then Draco pointed his wand at me and I saw Voldemort shooting that curse at me, then you stunning me…I was scared and I wanted a way to keep them away, and it just happened. Like the water did."
Severus figured she was talking about the water they had given her the first night, so didn't pursue the issue. Instead he tried to explain what he thought was happening.
"My guess would be that your powers are showing themselves. After being pent up for so long, and not being able to express themselves at age eleven like most wizarding children, they are expressing themselves now, wandless. We'll need to get you a wand soon, because otherwise it'll get dangerous."
Hope nodded. "But how do I lower it?"
"The opposite way you raised it. Think about how you want me beside you. How I'm not a threat, and I'm not going to hurt you."
He watched as she concentrated, and the shield shimmered before slowly disintegrating. Hope laid back against the headboard of the bed, exhausted.
Severus walked over to her and pulled the black book out of his pocket. "I thought you might want this. It's yours. Nobody can read it unless you give them permission to do so. Nobody else can write in it. If you want, you may continue writing in it."
Hope nodded and took the book. As Severus turned to leave, Hope's tiny voice caught his attention.
"Severus?"
"Yes, Hope?"
"Could you maybe, stay? Tell me about my parents? My real ones, that is. I never really got to know them."
Severus smiled. He went back to the girl beside him and knew she was still a little scared and didn't' want to be left alone.
"Your mother was beautiful. She looked much like you did, with long, blonde hair, a slender figure, and breathtaking eyes. The only difference in you two that I recognize, is that her eyes were a different color."
"What color?"
"They were a lavender color."
Hope smiled. "So I'm like her twin?"
Snape smiled. "Very much so. I'll show you pictures once you can get down to my chambers."
She nodded. "They were on the light side, right?"
"Very much so. Your parents went up against Voldemort more times than the Potters. They were the ones who convinced me that you could be on the side of the light and not lose everything you ever wanted. They had a beautiful baby girl, named Hope Leanne Collins, lived in an elegant home, and although they didn't flaunt their wealth, you knew they were rich."
"Leanne? I never knew my middle name. My foster parents told me that the condition they got me on was not to change my name. They never knew my middle name, so I never really had one."
"Now you know it. Your father always used to call you Lea. I picked up on the name, but thought it would be cruel to use it after their deaths."
"Lea…hmmm. You can call me Lea, Severus. It would be a good reminder that I had not only two sets of parents who loved me, but a godfather who cares for me as well," she said as she reached over to hug him.
Severus was shocked at first. The girl was trusting him and he was afraid he would break it. When he thought about it though, he knew that in the past three months he had come to love this girl as if she were his daughter, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
When Hope pulled away and yawned, Severus knew she needed sleep. Besides, there was still a group of people outside who were waiting for him to explain what happened.
"Go to sleep, Lea."
"Mmm…okay…but stay here? I don't want to be alone…to wake up alone again…it makes me think I'm back there."
Severus brushed the hair off her face. "I'll be here. Go to sleep."
And with that, Hope drifted off to a peaceful sleep, trusting that her godfather would keep her safe.
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A/N: Thanks to reviewers, and to Nita.
I'm going to start posting more than once a week. I do apoligize for the delay in this chapter. I had it written, but Friday night my computer was being rebuilt so I didn't have internet, and Saturday I was at a friends and the Casting Crowns concert. Sorry! Here it is. I'll start posting on Monday's and Wednesday's too. Please review!
Kayla