A/N: I didn't mean for this chapter to be so long. I have a bad habit of posting long chapters, and it makes my stories a little less than 10 chapters long :p Plus, I couldn't find a good spot to split this into two chapters, soooo sue me. I tried to split it but couldn't...anyways, I hope the last chapter answered some questions on how Arabella grew up. If some things still aren't clear, don't hesitate to ask
I stayed in my room as the students took their OWL's. A knock at my door surprised me. I opened the door, shocked to see Snape. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
"May I come in? It's urgent."
"Yes, come in."
I stepped aside and he walked in. He closed the door and turned towards me.
"The headmaster has disappeared." he said, in a low voice.
"What? Where is he?" I asked, in shock.
"No one knows. Potter was discovered holding meetings and practices with several students."
"Meetings?"
"It seems he was trying to form some sort of army in Dumbledore's name. They were discovered and Umbridge called the minister to have the headmaster arrested."
My jaw dropped. "But, he got away..?"
"He escaped, but no one has any clue of his whereabouts."
I sat in a chair and digested the news. Snape simply stood with his hands behind his back, distressed.
"Is there any way to find him?" I asked.
"No. It's better that we don't know where he's gone. Umbridge has already questioned half the teachers about it."
That was true. It would be better for Dumbledore to have gone without anyone knowing where he went.
"Well, what can we do?"
Before he could answer, a firework went off by my window. We instantly saw several others light up the sky.
"What is going on?" I asked.
Suddenly, Filch came bursting into my room.
"The students are going mad! Come out and help the teachers stop them." he said, in a panic.
Snape and I hurried outside. All the students were cheering and applauding. The Weasley twins were the ones causing all the madness.
I couldn't help but wonder how Umbridge was taking everything. I smiled and joined in the cheering. Some students gasped as Harry collapsed to the floor. Hermione ran to his aid, along with Ron.
Harry looked dazed and shaken. He got to his feet and hurried back to the castle with Hermione and Ron following behind.
He must've seen something…
"Did you see?" I asked Snape.
"What?"
"Harry Potter's seen something." I panted. "He collapsed just now, and he seemed rather dazed."
"Potter?"
"Do you know any other Harry Potters?" I asked, frantically waving my hands.
"The headmistress wishes to see the two of you." Filch said, popping out of nowhere.
"Headmistress?"
"Umbridge." Snape replied.
I felt anxious to find out what Harry saw, but there would be greater consequences if we ignored Umbridge's call. Snape and I followed Filch to see Umbridge. When we entered her office, Harry was tied to a chair and his friends had been caught by the inquisitor team.
"Ah, Snape. He will answer my questions whether he wants to or not. Have you brought any Veritaserum?" she asked, with a smug look on her face.
"I'm afraid you've used up all my stores, headmistress. The last bit being used on Miss Chang." Snape replied.
He continued. "Unless you wish to poison Potter-and I would have great sympathy if you did-I cannot help you."
Umbridge groaned and pointed at us. "You're useless-no. You're just trying to help him. You're under house arrest!"
"Headmistress, should I like to hear nonsense being spoken to me I'd speak with Hagrid." Snape said, slowly.
"Filch! Make sure these two are put back into their dorm rooms!" Umbridge ordered.
Snape gave Filch a hard stare. He hesitated and backed away. There were some benefits to being acquainted with Snape.
"We can escort ourselves, thank you." he said, leaving the room.
"He's got Padfoot!" Harry blurted out.
We stopped and Snape looked at him with wide eyes.
"He's got him. Where it's hidden." Harry said.
"Who? What's Padfoot? Where what's hidden? What's he talking about, Snape?" Umbridge insisted.
Snape glanced at her. "No idea."
He wandered off and I followed. Once we were out of sight, he grabbed my wrist and ran.
I scrambled to keep up. "Would it kill you to just ask me to follow you?"
"They have him. The dark lord has him." he said, anxiously.
"Who?"
"Sirius. That must've been what Potter saw."
I drew back my wrist and stopped.
"It can't be true. He's just showing Harry what he wants him to see."
"Even so, we must contact the Order and tell them what's happened. We can't just ignore what Potter saw."
He hurried on ahead with me following behind. The stairs circled in a spiral and led back to the potions room. We entered, but one thought caught my mind.
"But, how can we contact them? An owl won't be fast enough."
"We're not using an owl. Give me your hand." he said, holding out his own.
Hesitant, I reached out my hand and held his. He kept it secure in his firm grip and we apparated. I had never done it before, and I was in for a ride.
We zoomed through different locations and finally stopped. I held out my hands to keep my balance. Snape stood without a hint of discomfort.
"Did we just...apparate?" I asked, feeling woozy.
He nodded. "Yes. It's not my favorite way to travel, but these are no ordinary circumstances. Are you alright?"
I felt something coming up my throat, but I swallowed it.
"Fine." I croaked.
He turned, his cape following. "Come."
We were at the Weasley's home. I remembered how many years I had lived with the family. I left before Ron was born. Old enough to return to my own world.
Snape knocked on the door and eyed the country environment. The land stretched in every direction. It seemed like it went on for miles and miles. Finally, the door opened.
"Snape? Arabella, is that you?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
She had some flour on her face and wore an apron.
"The dark lord is back, and he has Sirius. Potter saw it in a vision, and we've come to send the Order over to the ministry." Snape explained.
Despite what could be happening at the moment, he seemed so calm. He spoke clearly and calmly. I, on the other hand, was desperate to send help and rescue Sirius and assist Harry.
Mrs. Weasley let us in, shocked at what she had heard.
"You're sure about this?" she asked, brushing flour from her face.
"We wouldn't have come if we weren't." Snape assured her.
"I'll contact the others, but why did you come here? Just give me a minute." she said, hurrying upstairs.
I answered her with a loud voice, since she was upstairs. "Umbridge has taken over the whole school. Hogwarts isn't safe enough to send news from."
I turned to Snape and asked, "So, what's the plan?"
"There is no plan. You're not going. You wouldn't last a minute without tripping over something and breaking your neck." he said, densely.
I twisted my mouth. "Very funny. Harry's going to need as much help as he can get."
"I insist that you stay here." he said, strictly. "The Order has been prepared for this kind of thing. You have not."
It really bothered me to accept he was right. I lowered my gaze, accepting defeat.
"What can we do?"
"We must remain here. Umbridge has us under house arrest at Hogwarts, so we just have to wait until the Order deals with this issue." he replied.
"We can't just sit here. How can you even suggest it?"
"We've done our part. All that's left-"
I felt myself turn red with anger. "How can you sit here and cower while-"
"Never associate my name with that word." he hissed. "You think it's easy for me to just sit here while Dumbledore is gone and I have you to look after."
"I never asked you to look after me. You agreed to take me in as your apprentice, and yet you continue to-"
"Enough." he yelled.
The house was silent again.
"Enough." he repeated. "It's no use arguing when You-Know-Who is taking action."
I bit my lip from guilt. "Right. You know, I never thanked you."
"For what?" he asked, as I sat in a chair.
"For bandaging my injuries from the Yule Ball last year. So, thank you."
He shook his head. "It was my duty."
We remained silent until Mrs. Weasley came downstairs.
"You two doing alright? The Order's already on their way to the ministry. Can I get you anything?' she asked, tentatively.
I shook my head. "No, thank you."
Snape shook his head.
Mrs. Weasley rushed back upstairs, leaving us alone once more. I stared at Snape and let out a small sigh.
"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.
He didn't reply. He just looked at me.
"Well, I was just wondering if you're afraid of anything."
"I'm afraid of failure." he replied.
I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows in surprise. Not because of his answer but because he actually answered.
"Failure." I repeated. "Interesting."
"You're always asking questions. Curiosity seems to be a habit of yours." he observed.
I smiled to myself. "Yes, it's kind of a curse. It can be rather vexing at times."
"And you? What do you fear?"
I swallowed. I should've known he'd return fire and turn my own question towards me. Rubbing my arm, I looked around the room, as if the answer was there.
"I-I'm afraid of death." I said, quietly.
"Dying, you mean?"
I shook my head. "No. It's not that. I fear death. It just comes and snatches the ones you love. It seeks out anyone it can grab. But, it's a part of life, I suppose."
Snape said nothing. He only listened. Sometimes you need that. You just need someone to listen and not try to correct you or argue. Just listen.
"It is a part of life." he agreed. "But, you said you believe there's a good side to it."
I chuckled. "Yes, I did. That doesn't make death something to long for."
After about an hour, I fell asleep. Harry filled my dreams.
"You only saw what the dark lord wanted you to see." Lucius Malfoy said, approaching Harry and his friends.
"If you do anything to us, I'll break it." Harry said, bravely.
"Everyone has a story, Ara."
"You dare speak his name. You filthy, half-blood!"
"What do you fear?"
"Saying your last goodbye?"
"You are a fool, Harry Potter. And, you will lose everything."
"You'll never know love or friendship. And, I feel sorry for you."
"Run, Ara! Run down to Mrs. Weasley's house!"
He waved his wand and fire came bursting through it. My mum let out a horrible shriek… a horrible shriek…
Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memory's so clear
Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be
That you are mine
My eyes opened slowly, but I didn't make a move. My eyebrows buried when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. Their thumb was stroking it gently. The person had been singing. I heard their voice in my dream.
It sounded like the song I sang to Severus when he was drunk. My eyes began to widen. He was singing me to sleep. I debated on whether or not to say anything or pretend to be asleep. With some thought, I decided not to move.
Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley rushed downstairs. Snape quickly removed his hand from my shoulder, and I pretended to have just woken up.
"You must hurry to Hogwarts!" she said.
"Hogwarts?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Yes, go! So much has happened! Arthur couldn't tell me what exactly, but it's crucial that you return." she explained.
"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Weasley." I said, smiling at her.
Snape rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand. We apparated to Hogwarts into Dumbledore's office. He was standing there with a gloomy look on his face.
"Headmaster." Snape said. "What's happened?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "He's back. The ministry knows it."
I was shocked. "They saw...You-Know-Who..?"
"Yes, yes, they saw him. Umbridge has been arrested and my name is clear. Harry's name, as well."
"Harry. Is he alright?" I asked.
Dumbledore lowered his eyes.
Snape stepped up. "Is he injured?"
"Sirius. Sirius Black was killed in the midst of the chaos." Dumbledore said, quietly.
I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands. Sirius, Harry's godfather, was dead. I couldn't believe it. Snape also looked distressed by the news.
"Where is he now?" he asked.
"Packing to go home with the rest of the children that joined him. I suggest you both do the same. The feast is about to begin." he said, sitting at his desk.
My eyes had begun to water, but I wiped the tears away. Snape motioned for me to follow him out of the room. Dumbledore rested his forehead onto his knuckle as we left the room. When we were out of his office, I stopped walking.
Snape noticed and asked, "What-?"
"He was Harry's only family left." I cried, burying my face in my hands.
"We did what we could." Snape said, quietly.
"Why did you insist that we stay at the Weasley's? We could've done something." I said, starting to sob.
"It's a miracle that none of the children that accompanied him were killed." he argued.
"Why didn't you just swallow your pride and help them?" I asked, nearly spitting the words. "This is my fault. If I hadn't-"
Snape grabbed both my shoulders and looked into my watery eyes.
"Look at me. None of this is your fault. It's lucky that Potter managed to communicate the word to us. Things could've been a lot worse if he hadn't or you hadn't seen him collapse from the vision."
"But, don't you see?" I asked, wiping my eyes. "I failed to rescue someone from death….again."
His eyes narrowed, unsure of what I was talking about. After a moment, his eyes softened.
"You think your mother's death was your fault." he realized.
"I could've done something."
"It's unwise to settle and focus on such thoughts."
"I know it is. The thought just keeps invading my thoughts, especially now. It's haunting me."
He stood as I wiped my tears away. Then, Snape used his finger to lift my chin, and I was lost in his dark eyes.
"It's haunting you..because you're giving it that power." he said. "You have to overcome this. You realize it, don't you?"
"I know." I said. "It's just...I'm not ready to do it on my own."
"No one ever said you'd have to do it alone."
I couldn't contain myself. Without thinking, I hugged him. I've never received so much kindness from someone before. He staggered a bit, but then he returned the hug by wrapping his right arm around me.
After a moment, we parted.
"You should pack your things. Are you going to the feast?" he asked.
"I'm not very hungry. I think I'll just pack up and go."
He nodded. "Then, until next year."
"Goodbye." I said.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Btw, in case anyone was curious, the song Arabella sang to Severus a few chapters ago is the same one that Severus sang to her in this chapter. I know it might seem odd that he would be singing for someone, but he did it while she was asleep, so there's a difference! Also, the song is called "To Where You Are" by the one and only Josh Groban. The song basically describes Arabella and Snape's song for each other. I think it fits well with them. And, it's kind of a good song for him and Lily.
