Okay! So HIIIII! I'm back... so yeah this took me a while to get to. The thing is that I write these things in one or two days but it takes me forever to get in the creative/writing mood to actually start to write it.
But here it is finally! So I hope that you like it, and I know that the way I portray Snape in this chapter is extremely different than the way he comes across in the books, but I wanted to show how much Sam means to him and how she changes him and how if she's happy, then he's happy and how that makes him different; more loving and generous... and a bit more naughty.
But yeah, read on -
Chapter 10
The next morning, Severus trudged down the stairs, weary having hardly slept the previous night. Yesterday had been far too active for his taste and he had found himself nearly running to the bedroom; fantasies of bed and sleep twinkling in his head.
But he hadn't been able to shake one event from his head.
His father.
Severus snorted quietly as he yawned. He knew that was who he'd see when he faced the Boggart, but nevertheless it still shook him to his very core when the black fog had morphed into the all too familiar figure of Tobias Snape; the man who had beaten him and his mother almost since his birth. He could still hear the screams and shouts that had echoed through his small home in Spinners' End; they were carved into the walls, they resonated in each crack and in each wooden beam. They were a part of that house as much as they were a part of Severus' memories, etched into the curves and swirls of his mind, haunting every dream filled hour with their fear and hopelessness.
Those eyes. Those eyes still haunted him. When thinking of his father, which he rarely did if he could help it, those eyes were the features that he remembered the most. They were cold and unyielding. They were what frightened Severus the most, they held the true ruthlessness and severity; they were what had petrified Severus when a little girl with eerily similar eyes had been put under his care all those years ago.
That was why he had kept his distance from her, whilst still fulfilling his protective duties at the same time; a difficult thing; but not impossible.
Severus knew that the past never lets go, it clings to everything new and lives on through them.
Severus' fear and memories of those eyes had manifested themselves so much so, that when he had seen her eyes he didn't see their kindness, he didn't notice their warmth; nor did he see their despair at his frostiness. He only saw what he expected to see, so when he looked into her eyes, he didn't truly see them. He saw his fathers'.
He had been looking without seeing; imagining without looking; and judging before asking.
Only when someone told him to look harder did he see what he had been missing all along.
Her eyes sparkled when she laughed, they had clear flecks of emerald green within them; they reminded him of the sea — beautifully calm, with the potential to be free and frisky, yet powerful and deadly. But cold? That was the one thing they were not.
It was then that he had let her in. Begun to care; and begun to love.
Colour flooded back into his life when he had discovered how to love her and had learnt to accept her love in return. His vision suddenly jumped about in spurts of blue, gold, yellow, red, green, indigo, violet; all of the colours of the rainbow danced around him, making him feel as if he was standing at the end, but instead of gold coins, there was a little girl with golden hair, grinning mischievously up at him. She was his lucky charm.
Severus didn't feel so torn apart when she was with him. He managed to forget about his first, and only, love; he was finally able to live again, with a faithful companion by his side. One who actually understood him; she didn't ask questions or judge him. She listened to him; consoled him; talked to him.
She truthfully was all he had in the world. But he was okay with that; for he would rather have someone beyond special, than a million people whose love didn't add up to a third of that which Samantha could give.
Yet at the same time, he would rather have one person who meant more to him than the world, than have no one at all.
He didn't want to be alone again.
But Sam was growing up; she was pulling further and further away from him, pulling the seam that knitted them together, apart, tugging at the threads of his heart. Severus knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be alone again and Sam would be gone, with the one she loved, and she would be happy; she wouldn't need him anymore.
He sighed as he slumped down on a stair and leaned his head against the wall next to him; he dragged a hand down his face and groaned.
"Why can't life ever be simple?" He groaned to himself.
"Because then it wouldn't be any fun." A voice behind him answered and Severus whipped around to see Fred standing at the top of the stairs, hands in his jean pockets and an understanding smile on his face.
"Eavesdropping Weasley?" Snape snapped feebly. He tried to sound venomous, but they both knew that he wasn't up to it.
Fred shrugged and tried to smooth out the front of his wrinkled shirt.
Severus turned back around and stared at the pattern of the wood by his feet. He only moved his gaze slightly when Fred came to sit on the same step as him.
Neither spoke until Severus raised his eyes.
"Is Samantha still—?"
"Asleep? Yeah." Fred smiled wistfully and absentmindedly lifted a hand to run his fingers over his lips.
Severus saw this and felt his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline out of shock. But he didn't say anything. He allowed himself to analyse the boy and noticed that he was wearing the same clothes he had seen him in last night.
He simply shook his head and sighed.
"She really loves you, you know." Fred said quietly. "You're not going to lose her."
Severus looked up at Fred with a look the twin had never seen in his potion master's eyes before; vulnerability and worry.
"She doesn't need me anymore." Snape whispered turning his attention to his wringing hands.
"She'll always need you; just not in the same way she did when she was younger." Fred reassured Snape with a smile as he brought his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his chin on his knees.
"Why are you being kind to me?" Snape asked grimly.
"Because I know."
Severus turned and gave Fred a questioning look.
"I know that when you are at Hogwarts you miss her and that's why you act as you do." Fred said almost absently. "It took seeing you with her in thee past days to make me realise."
Snape sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"She is my only family; how could I not miss her?" Severus murmured; all fears of letting his walls fall again were gone and it felt relieving to talk to another person. "I know that you'll miss her when you go back to school." He finished and smirked at Fred's look of surprise. "I may be grumpy, but I am not blind Mr Weasley." He gave Fred a knowing look and the Weasley broke out into an embarrassed grin.
Fred began to laugh silently.
"What?" Severus asked.
"It's just weird, talking to you like this. I mean, all of my time at Hogwarts I've only ever seen you as mean and miserable. I just never expected you to… uh—" Fred puzzled over how to put this delicately.
"Be normal? Have human emotions? Be nice? Have a heart?" Severus listed with a grin. "Oh, I've heard it all."
Fred grinned back and chuckled.
"It's still surreal." He said.
"I can imagine." Snape said with a nod. "So… I notice that you're wearing the same clothes you were last night." He raised his eyebrows at the boy and watched him blush.
"Yeah, well. Oh. OH! No, we didn't do that…. Uh, I was—um, you see I—" He stammered, scratching the back of his neck.
"Fred, it's fine." Severus said, patting him on the shoulder.
Fred hung his head with a small smile playing at his lips.
"As long as Samantha is happy, then so am I." He smirked as he stood, "Well, as of now, I am hungry." He declared descending the steps and Fred followed with a wide grin on his face.
He could get used to the new Snape.
Fred descended the final steps with Snape and entered the quiet kitchen. It being only 8:00 there weren't many people down there.
Molly was up as always and was bustling about, cleaning and cooking, whilst chatting to a rather sleepy looking Ginny. Arthur had already left for work, somewhat hesitantly, and Sirius sat reading yesterday's paper which had been left on the table.
A fire danced in the grate, casting morphed shadows across the room.
Ginny raised her head, from where it rested on her arms, as the two men entered the room. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she heard that Snape was giving her brother advice on how to improve the "Skiving Snack box" and new recipes they could use.
Molly turned around slowly as her keen ears picked up on the conversation.
"Well, good morning." She said warily, her brow creased slightly.
"Morning Mum." Fred chirped.
"Good Morning Molly." Severus responded with a small smile.
"Hungry are we?" Molly waved off her own question. "Of course you are."
She turned and flicked her wand at the stove which lit up instantly, the sizzling sound of bacon and crackling of fried eggs filled the room.
Severus and Fred moved to sit opposite each other at the table.
"So, is Samantha still in bed?" Molly asked. "Oh Ginevra, do close your mouth, it's very unattractive." She scolded her daughter who sat up straight, her mouth closing with a 'pop'.
"Yes, she is. I don't blame her personally; yesterday wasn't the nicest of days." Severus muttered; nodding his thanks to Molly as a plate full of breakfast landed in front of him.
"Mmm; same for you though." Fred worked out past his mouth full, pointing to Severus with his knife.
"I'll give you that one." Severus muttered as he picked up his cutlery. "Don't speak with your mouth full." He said quietly.
Fred just laughed. Snape smirked in return.
Ginny stared and Sirius frowned over the top of the paper.
Molly just smiled.
"So Murtlap Essence, where can you get some?" Fred continued their earlier conversation, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere surrounding them.
"Well, I'm sure you can get some from Diagon Alley, but it's quite expensive from there, so I can give you some from the store cupboard at Hogwarts if you want, it is never used by anyone, so no one's going to miss it." Severus said as he lifted a forkful of bacon and eggs to his mouth.
"Excellent." Fred said enthusiastically.
"What. The. Hell?"
Fred and Snape turned around to see Ron openly gaping at them from the doorway, Harry was looking slightly shocked from where he stood beside him and Hermione remained behind them both, a kind smile on her face.
"Oh do shut up Ronald." She said as she pushed past him to sit on the bench smiling kindly at the two men already seated, Harry, smirked slightly and went to sit opposite her, dragging Ron with him by his shirt sleeve.
As plates of food landed in front of them, Ron was instantly distracted and begun to stuff his face, Snape watched with a slightly disgusted look on his face but shook his head when very familiar footsteps could be heard running lithely down the stairs.
Sam appeared with a large smile on her face as she bounded through the doorway.
She was wearing a large, loose, black, knitted jumper that fell off one shoulder over a tight, black, spaghetti strap, tank top. Underneath, she was wearing short black leggings that just reached her knees. On her feet she wore black lace-up trainers and her hair was worn in a loose ponytail, her long hair trailing over her shoulder.
As usual, her necklace hung at her throat.
After their kiss, she had fallen asleep in Fred's arms and he had a chance to analyse the pendant; he had seen with frustration that the writing was in a language he could not understand. So he had shrugged slightly and snuggled into her from where they were tangled together underneath her cloak.
As Snape watched her now, he saw with a melancholy happiness how her eyes were bright and there was a skip in her step; she was happy.
She bounded up to Severus and kissed him on the cheek.
"Morning Sev." She greeted him and ran around the table to plonk herself next to Fred on the opposite side of the table.
"Morning." She said, looking up at the redhead.
"Good Morning." Fred replied with a grin, leaning down to kiss her subtly on the forehead, a hot blush crawled up Sam's neck but she chuckled and smiled shyly at the teen, leaning into him.
Snape snorted none too elegantly and received a look from Fred and a guilty smile from Sam as the two separated before anyone could see the exchange.
"Ugh, Fred where is your brother? We need to get to Diagon Alley soon." Molly exclaimed, grabbing his plate and adding it to the pile which was now washing itself.
"Uh, I don't know. I'll go and see; I need to change anyway." Fred said and he stood up after quickly kissing Sam again on the top of her head.
"Isn't that what you were wearing last night?" Ginny asked, turning her attention from her Hogwarts letter, and looking him up and down as he passed her.
"Now that you mention it, I didn't see you after you took Sam to her room." George said with a cruel grin as he stepped into the room.
"No way!" Ron yelled, eyes flicking from Sam to his brother. "You two?" He said, almost hopelessly.
"I'll be right back." Fred said hurriedly, darting from the room, hitting George over the head as he went.
Sam shook her head with a grin and moved herself and her plate around the table so that she was sitting beside Snape.
"You okay?" She asked after swallowing her mouthful of food. Severus nodded in response.
Sam tried to ignore Ron's stare but she clearly heard George's incredulous voice from their end of the table.
"You didn't honestly think that you had a chance with her did you Ronnikins?"
Snape, who had been taking a sip from his pumpkin juice at the time, sprayed it everywhere, coughing and sputtering for air; Sam hit him on the back repeatedly trying to cover her own laughter and knew that she had failed miserably due to the dark shade of red Ron had turned.
Suddenly, from the very end of the table there was a great 'crack' as Kreacher appeared, today's Daily Prophet in his wrinkled hand. Sirius grunted in response and threw the old one in the fire, plucking the new one up and examining the front cover. Suddenly, he cleared his throat and looked up at the occupants of the table.
"Severus, you may want to see this." Sirius said intensely.
The animagus stood and strode down to where Snape was sitting confusedly.
He slammed the paper down on the table; the front cover flickered and moved before them.
Everyone gathered around, and all of their eyes widened.
It read:
"Murder at the Ministry"
'Tragedy and panic strikes as Death Eaters purged the Ministry yesterday. No one knows how the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were able to enter, but it is known that the 'Guard' had been called for an emergency, and 10 members of the Wizengamot are said to have been killed as they left after participating in a trial. The exact details are unknown, but the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge reassured all; "This disaster is being investigated fully, but I can say with absolute certainty, that mass murderer Sirius Black is behind the attack and we are on high alert. This will not happen again."
Previous Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov seems to have reverted back to the Dark Side, leading the attack. Not only did the Death Eaters target the members of the Wizengamot, but the long time absent Samantha Harlow; "The Youngest Auror in the World", was seen amongst the crowd on that day, along with "The Boy Who Lived"; Harry Potter, whose reason for his presence at the ministry is still a mystery, he was being supervised by Arthur Weasley who works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Dolohov and his followers directly targeted Harlow, resulting in a fight many witnessed. Harlow and her guardian, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape, were said by spectators to have fought "valiantly", and according to Ms. Martha Wallington who watched the spectacle, "the Death Eaters didn't stand a chance." The two defeated twenty Death Eaters alone and escaped through the Floo Network unharmed. They were seen moments later in Diagon Alley, and along with Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley, they apparated to safety. Where they are is unknown, but Arthur Weasley confirmed that everyone is indeed in one piece and safe.
As soon as the victims escaped, the Ministry was put on lockdown, several more unannounced Death Eaters were found amongst the crowd. All Death Eaters present on that day are now being held in Azkaban until the date of their trial.
Cornelius Fudge refused to comment on the attack on the seventeen year old Auror. He reassures the Wizarding World that those responsible will be persecuted.'
The passage ended there.
Sam leant back and whistled impressively.
"Well that's… interesting." She finally voiced, her eyes watched the picture on the front cover of her casting the final spell before disappearing through the Floo network with Severus.
"Hmm." Severus frowned.
"What's interesting?" Fred had just walked into the kitchen, dressed in dark jeans and a knitted forest green jumper, to see everyone huddled together.
"Read this." Sam picked up the paper and handed it to Fred who had moved to stand by her side.
After a moment, Fred raised his eyes and looked at Sam.
"Interesting." He said slowly.
"Yes, it is rather." Samantha agreed as she moved to perch on the table, her feet resting on the bench.
"Well, at least the Death Eaters who were there are in Azkaban… even if it is for the time being." Ginny said optimistically.
"Well, yeah. But now You-Know-Who is going to see this. What do you think he'll do then?" Fred said with his eyebrows raised as he placed the paper down on the table.
Everyone frowned and stayed silent for a long time.
"This isn't good. Now that he knows Arthur is involved, he's going to come after you." Samantha voiced exactly what Severus had been thinking. "Oh god I'm sorry Molly."
"Oh hush you silly girl. This is not your doing." Molly said fondly as she wrung her hands behind her back nervously before huffing out a determined breath. "Well, no one can find us here, you children will be safe at Hogwarts and Diagon Alley is perfectly safe; we'll be fine." She nodded to herself. "Yes, perfectly safe. Now chop-chop let's get going." She clapped her hands and the children headed into the hall.
Molly took her apron off and left the room when Samantha looked worriedly at Snape.
"It's not safe for them Sev." She whispered.
"I know, I know. But what are we going to do?" He murmured back to her.
Sam gave him a guilty look and raised her eyebrows.
Severus' eyes widened.
"No."
"Oh come on. No one but them will know!" She hissed.
"Samantha—" He groaned.
"Severus. It. Is. Not. Safe. For. Them."
Severus stared at her as she looked back at him determinedly.
Finally, he closed his eyes and began to massage his temples.
"You are going to be the death of me Samantha." He groaned.
He expected her to grin and throw herself at him appreciatively but she only laid a hand on his shoulder and he raised his eyes to hers.
She was looking at him intensely and she leant forward to hug him gently.
"Thank you Sev." She whispered to him.
"You have your wand?" He asked as he returned the hug.
"Of course I do Severus!" She exclaimed with a laugh. Suddenly she frowned and pulled back to look at him. "You're not coming?" She asked.
"No. Only you can go without being recognised, if I go, people will know. Just – just be careful."
She paused for a while before swallowing and nodding.
"I will be." She reassured him before reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too." He stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead.
"I promise to bring you back some liquorice wands." She said as she backed away slowly pointing at him.
Severus grinned and shook his head.
"Go on."
She turned and headed for the front door where the sound of the Weasley clan arguing could be heard.
When she was in the doorway she turned and looked at Severus hopefully.
"Are you sure you're not coming?"
"You don't need me." He said softly.
Sam opened her mouth to say something, but then her expression softened.
"I'll always need you Severus." She said earnestly, "Always."
Then she turned and disappeared into the hallway.
Severus was left, standing alone in the kitchen, with tears in his eyes.
YAAAAAYYYYY! So there you go!
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Lots of love and thanks
from
Alicia
xxxx