Emily pulled out her crisp potions text and ran her hand over the smooth cover. It was the nicest book she owned at the moment. Normally students would sell back books to fund the later year purchases, but Emily looked at the book and wondered if she could part with something so nice.
"Sit down, be quiet, open your books to page five hundred and seventy two." The door slammed shut loudly and Emily jumped out of her revere. She quickly did as was bid. Professor Snape swiped his wand towards the chalkboard and directions for the day appeared.
"READ, your text on the calming draught, and follow the directions on the board. You should have a viable potion by the end of class with plenty of time to spare…BEGIN" he said.
XXX
Severus Snape sat down heavily at his desk. Albus was due back at the end of the day. He was growing increasingly anxious to find out what the old man had to say about what happened in Hogsmead. He couldn't help but look over to the small girl sitting in the front row of the potions tables. The girl was much smaller than the other students. He looked at her graying robes that looked very much out of place against the crisp black robes of the other students. At least she didn't have the abomination of a textbook she had started the year with. It had old bits of previous first year potions spilled all throughout it, and the ink stain had set it past viable.
He watched the girl silently and he could see her every so often look down at her hands, moving her fingers slightly. He stared at her and pondered many possibilities, but his mind kept running back to the day he remembered holding his daughter's infant body in his hands. Her limp form, handed over to the ministry in a body bag, the funeral. His wife had asked to be cremated by magical fire, which he cast himself. He was only able to watch for a moment, and turned away from his beautiful wife. Her ashes were scattered around the garden of their large ancient manor. His daughter however he did not have the power to burn. She was buried in a coffin, along with an empty coffin for his son in the Family Cemetery by an old church outside of Derby. Yet here sat a child who reminded him so much of his son and of his wife. He could feel the anger curling inside of him as he stared at the girl. She wavered his foundation, this little chit who was nothing more that a small child.
He watched her finish her vial of potion stopper it and slide down from her chair. She hesitantly walked up to him and he could see the apprehension that drew across her face for a moment before she schooled her face into a cool mask.
"Professor, my calming draught." She said in quiet voice. He took the vial from the small child and he examined the silky blue substance. It was a top quality potion, especially for a student working with second hand tools.
"Adequate, Miss Arden." He said, his eyes flickering to the girl. He watched her stare at him for a moment, her face suddenly becoming blank and he watched as she started to fall forward but she caught herself just in time. He stared at her, appalled at the child who was bent over his desk. At first a strike of panic went through him when he first thought the girl was going to sick up all over his desk, but when she straightened, he saw a fairly serious nose bleed, a trail of droplets left behind on his desk.
"Miss Arden." He said, conjuring a handkerchief for her. In a daze she took it and pressed it to her face.
"It would be best if you reported to Madam Proomfy, if you think you can make it on your own?" He said in a bored tone.
"yes, s-sir." She said. He watched as she went to her potions station.
"Leave it Miss Arden, you can return to pick it up once you have been sorted out by the nurse." He said. He watched her then depart from the classroom and he could feel himself suddenly relax in one sense that he didn't have to sit and stare at the girl, but on the other hand he suddenly felt himself acutely aware of the fact that she was ill and something was wrong. What did he care for the little chit? Class was dismissed and he sighed as he walked over to the girl's potions kit. He calmly began packing up her set. He looked at the old cauldron that was nearly rusted through, combined with the terribly dull knife and other bent utensils. He looked in disgust at the old rusted top ingredient containers and old corks. It had certainly been a few years since a they had a magical child that was the full ward of the ministry of magic come to Hogwarts, however it angered him that this child simply was denied such basic equipment. The pewter cauldron would barely pass inspection, and given a few volatile potions they would make in third year, it wouldn't last. He put together the case and clipped it closed. He stared down at the initials etched onto it, F.P.R. some random student from many years ago probably. The faded leather case was cracked in a few areas as well.
"Severus." He turned to look back at his doorway and found the tall figure of Albus Dumbledore standing there. He was clad in robes of ruby red this day, and the old man had his traveling cloak draped over his shoulder, which he sent away with a flick of his long wand held in his bony hand.
"Well, headmaster?" Severus asked. He could suddenly feel his heart racing and he watched the older man closed the door behind him and with another silent wave of his wand warded it against outsiders.
"The man in question had his magical core removed, he will never cast magic again, and I believe it had driven him quite mad. He is currently sitting in Azkaban, and even with my current… persuasion techniques, I found it difficult to get a fully accurate description."
"What do you mean? Did he describe who did it? What happened?" Snape asked. He looked down at his hands and he realized he was still clutching the girl's potions kit. He set it down lightly on the table.
"He described the event as being torn apart, not far off from the descriptions in your family journals?" Albus said.
"Of course headmaster, but Alexander was with me the entire day…" He said, frustration growing with the situation and inadvertently at the headmaster.
"I was not accusing him my boy. He described the culprit as being, in his own words, just a small girl." Albus said. Both men were quiet.
Just then there came a quiet knock on the door. Both men turned to stare at it. Severus waved his wand and the wards were lifted.
"ENTER." He called. The door turned down quietly and in stepped the hesitantly form of Emily Arden. Both men locked eyes on her and she froze in her tracks at seeing the two powerful men.
"I-I-I'll just come back later." She said in a breathy voice. Her long black hair was scattered a bit, and she started to step back from the door.
"Miss Arden, if you would come in." The headmaster said. The girl let her hair fall in front of her face for a moment before she quietly stepped into the room, leaving the door open.
"Please shut the door." The warm man continued. She did as he beckoned and Severus could detect the slightest tingle of the headmaster's magic silently casting a ward. He stared at the little girl who had whipped her head back at the door, seemingly to reach out to something that was invisible to both men, before she left it alone and made her way over to the two professors.
"I-I've come to just pick up my potions kit." She said.
"Of course, my dear, now we were just curious, were you in hogsmead this past weekend?" The headmaster said. Emily's eyes flickered for a moment, and Severus could see many thoughts behind her eyes.
"Yes Sir, I was paired with Hermione Granger, sir." She said. Severus watched as her nervous features were schooled into a face of calm. His heart suddenly raced in his chest, watching the small girl.
"Yes, yes, Professor McGonigal said that she arrived and stunned the man who was attacking you." The headmaster said. The girl looked into his blue and and suddenly she tore her gaze away from his and looked down.
"Yes."
"Did anything happen before she arrived."
"Well… he stopped." She said. Both men eyed her.
"Here you are, Emily, you may go." The headmaster said, levitating her potions kit to her. She watched him for a moment before she scurried over to the potions room door and made a silent exit. Severus turned to the headmaster.
"THAT'S it?" He asked. His heart was racing and Severus had felt sick to his stomach.
"For now, Severus, I will call her into my office in a few days. Poppy has summoned me with a report about the girl, I believe she fell ill during your class today?" He asked.
"Yes, she had a nosebleed all over my desk." Severus said.
"Blood… I see." The headmaster was silent for a moment, and then Severus realized the implications.
"Absolutely not." Severus said.
"It is up to you, my boy. Do have a conversation with Alex. It has come to my attention through the portraits that Alexander and Emily seem to confide in each other. The nature of their confidence I would like to know, Severus." Albus said looking at the man firmly. Snape stared at him, and he nodded numbly to the man, who then swept from the office. Snape turned the corner from the student desks and he sat down heavily at his high backed desk chair. He stared down at the drops of seemingly fresh blood on his desk. It was charmed imperviously for ingredients to retain their moisture. He watched the red dots with a sense of trepidation and wonder. With a cast of his wand, the blood droplets were suddenly encapsulated into a small glass vial. Severus pulled out a notebook, and various sheets of parchments to write. He had a potion to brew and some arithmancy to perform. He went into his private office and scanned the wall for the book her was looking for.
"Entails….Entalis…" he murmured looking for the book he sought. Finally he found it at the bottom shelf, stuck away for years. It was written by a man named Theodore Entalis, and it was entitled "Parentis Entalis" He returned to his office and slammed the book down, flipping to the page that listed the steps for a blood relation potion.
A/N
Another chapter busted out since last night, how lovely! Things are moving on, yes? So give me some feedback on the direction. How would you imagine Snape's Reaction. What about Alex? Harry? Emily? What should happen now? Your thoughts and ideas make me write more! x