Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Blood Price

Chapter 6: Past and Patient

(A.N.) I'm sorry this took so long, but all my attention has been divided between school and my main writing project, Touch. A big thanks to all readers and reviewers. Also, this chapter has not been beta'd since she's not currently available. So bear with my mistakes. Enjoy the chapter!

That bloody hurt.

I had expected her to be angry, sure. Resentment and shock I'd also predicted. But not trying to kill me…not with my own bloody spell. Oh, who am I kidding? I hadn't thought she would try to kill me at all.

Draco Malfoy was restraining my daughter with apparent ease while she struggled and screamed.

And sobbed.

Huge tears coursed down her face, and her green eyes burned with a terrible rage. I had known that her foster family had been killed, but how was that my fault? She had a right to be angry with me, but I didn't have a bloody thing to do with their murders.

Draco murmured something I couldn't hear to her and the effect was almost instantaneous: Samara stopped flailing and dropped her wand, and then turned her head to gape at the boy. I felt my eyes narrow before I could help it. I wasn't blind or deaf. I was fully aware of Draco's reputation and, frankly, I hadn't given a bloody damn…

Well, until he'd lain his Malfoy hands on my daughter.

Merlin, I didn't have the right to be feeling protective. I hadn't even known she'd existed until Dumbledore had shown up with her at the Sorting Ceremony. Hell, it had taken me a few minutes to realize that she wasn't her mother with dyed hair.

I looked over at Dumbledore. "That went well," I hissed. This was his bloody fault. Partly anyway.

"Now, Severus, I think it went quite well, considering." He said it smiling.

That's it. It's finally happened. Dumbledore has completely lost his mind, crossed the line between genius and insanity.

"It would go better if Malfoy let go of me," Samara stated sullenly. Apparently whatever he had said to her has lost its effect.

Frowning, Draco said indignantly, "I have a first name you know."

"And I have a whole bunch of other fucking names for you, Malfoy. Your surname is the most polite one. Now deal with it, or I call you 'man whore' from this day forward."

Nice comeback.

"I thought it was 'bloody man whore'," Draco teased. It took all I had not to strangle him.

"If you don't let go of me, motherfucker, I will beat you to a bloody pulp and then hex you until you're dead," she growled back, pretty much echoing my own thoughts on the matter. However, it didn't sound nearly as threatening from her as is should have since it was apparent that he was so much stronger that her. She must have gotten all that spirit from her mother. Rachel has been a spitfire, too.

Rachel…

"Miss Shoreglade," Dumbledore said firmly, keeping my mind from pursuing that memory, "you will cease trying to kill your father or harming Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy, please release her immediately."

When Malfoy complied, Samara stepped away from him quickly, glaring. As I stood up, however, I found that glare turned on me. Jade eyes, Rachel's eyes, stared into my own. She had Rachel's skin as well, a clear and flawless complexion that was as pale as alabaster.

But, poor girl, she did have some of my features.

The obvious was the nose. The only difference was that hers wasn't as pronounced as mine. She had gotten the color of her hair from me, instead of Rachel's light brown curls, and the prominent facial bones, as well. Also, she seemed to have picked up that cold gaze of mine.

"I think, Mr. Malfoy, Madame Pomfry, that we should leave them to talk. There is much catching up they need to do." As he spoke, Dumbledore rushed the woman and boy out the door and, after following then out, shut it soundly.

Waiting for her to do something, I regarded her silently. Having no idea what to say was a new sensation for me.

"You," she said quietly, "…I don't wasn't to have anything to do with you. Get out."

"Samara," I began, "I—"

"I don't want to hear it," she cut me off, holding up a hand, "You left me, have been absent all my life, and you got the only family I've ever known killed by Death Eaters. Which," she added, "I was blamed for and was subsequently sent to Azkaban because of. Without knowing you at all, you have already managed to screw up my life. I don't want to see how much more you could possibly fuck me over in person. Now get out."

That was the longest speech I'd ever heard her give, and all of it was about how much she loathed me.

Damn it.

"I didn't even know you were in existence, Samara. I didn't know your mother was pregnant, or that I was supposed to be there for you." I was trying to reason with her. She was my daughter, my responsibility. But I didn't understand, still, why her adoptive family getting killed was my fault.

"Go to hell. I hear it's nice this time of year."

She was going to make this difficult. The girl had right to be angry, damn it, but I still…

Wait a bloody minute.

Death Eaters had killed her family? And they had told her it was because of me? Then…

Damn you, Bellatrix. Damn you to hell and back. This was her doing, and she was doing it without the Dark Lord's permission. He wouldn't waste his time with Samara. If he was displeased with me, if he had found out, then wouldn't bother seeking a child I hadn't even known lived. This whole thing had to be her doing. All because of what? Of that..?

I shook my head forcefully. No use in think about it now. I forced myself to respond to Samara's statement calmly. "I've been there already." She looked at me sharply. "And it's not."

A flash of amusement passed through her eyes so quickly, I wasn't even sure it had been there at all. "Go anyway," she replied, sitting back down, "Go anywhere, as long as it gets you away from me."

"We will discuss this, Samara," I promised grimly, "Sooner or later. You are not only my daughter; you are also my student and a part of my House. I will know, at all times, where you are and what and how you are doing." It was the truth. Especially since I knew Bellatrix wouldn't let this go, and that Samara was still in danger from her and her allies. Like Bellatrix's sister and her family, the Malfoys. I believe I will also keeping a close eye on Draco Malfoy, then. And all the other students whose parents answered to the Dark Lord and were allied with Bellatrix.

For now, though, I'll let Malfoy watch over her. I knew that he hated taking orders from his father, Lucius, and that's where any order for harming someone would come from. Plus, Samara spoke to him. Granted, it was mostly insults and threats, but she never said even that much to anyone else.

"Until that talk, Samara," I told her, "Malfoy will still be reporting to me."

"He can go to the bloody burning pit with you."

I gave her a reproving look.

She glared back at me icily. For a moment, it was like looking into a mirror, and damningly unnerving.

As I was about to walk out the doors, they were flung open and Madame Pomfry rushed in with Professor McGonagall. They were carrying a stretcher between them.

Pomfry spoke hurriedly, "What was in it, Minerva?"

"I don't know! One of the Slytherin fifth years dropped it in her drink, and before I could stop her, the silly girl drank the concoction unknowingly! Just wait until I get my hands on them!" McGonagall fumed as they set down the stretcher.

Ginny Weasley was lying on it.

"Oh, Severus!" Pomfry exclaimed, sounding relieved, "What is it that they gave her? Do you know?"

I examined the Gryffindor. She was shaking violently and she seemed to be struggling to breathe. Her lips were turning bluer by the second.

Something swished by me, and then Samara was at the Weasley girl's side. Startled, I watched as my daughter conducted her own swift investigation. It was like watching Rachel when she had volunteered her time to here, in the Infirmary, during our student days.

While checking Weasley's eyes, Samara asked in a very professional tone, "Do you know what color the liquid was?"

Frown more as she tried to recall, McGonagall replied, "Milky, with a yellow tinge, I suppose. And it was thicker than most liquids. Do you know what it is Miss Shoreglade?"

"I believe it is snake venom, Professor."

It was amazing how quickly she had identified the substance, and that she was suddenly so respectful.

Stepping forward, I added, "Most likely rattlesnake. Anything less toxic wouldn't affect her this much, and anything more would have already killed her."

"I have anti-venom somewhere," Pomfry announced, scurrying to her cabinets. Pulling out a slim bottle, she popped the cork and rushed back to her patient and, while Samara propped up Weasley's head, poured it down the red-head's throat. When the bottle was empty, Pomfry leaned back and sighed in relief, "That should do it."

Minerva nodded, also in apparent relief, and then motioned to me. "Severus, it was a member of your House who did this. We need to track him down."

"Fine. Who was it?"

As she led me out of the Infirmary, the last thing I heard was Samara saying "I'll sit with her."

She never looked up as I left.

(A.N.) Yes, it was short, and I apologize, but I do promise that the next chapters will be longer. I swear! Now, please reveiw and thanks for reading!