Hi again! Here's your chapter for this week! :) Happy Good Friday and Happy Spring Break! :D

A little shout-out to Moon Lantern, DragonSlayer2187 and MaimOrSeriouslyInjure for the comments last chapter! :D (You guys all get virtual cookies from Padfoot! (::) ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Uncertainties and Speculations

I stumbled backwards, letting the curtain slip through my fingers and back into place as I sat on the bed. Thousands of questions flew through my brain. I was so confused. Who was this Harry Potter? Was he related to me? My fraternal twin? That would be the only explanation that made sense; Voldemort and Bellatrix calling me 'Potter', the fact that he seemed my age and the eerily similar green eyes that we shared.

Madam Pomfery was still fussing about, ordering the strict woman and the two other kids around. I hardly noticed, lost as I was in a daze, still trying to understand everything, until a new male voice spoke up – Harry.

"Please Madam Pomfery – I'm fine. Really. Can't I go back up to Gryffindor Tower?"

The matron scoffed and I grinned as I imagined the look on her face. From the little I had overheard while in the Hospital Wing, she was not about to let him get away with that excuse.

I then had to hold back a chuckle as she began a tirade about how 'fragile and delicate' he was and how often he got injured and how so much like his father he was. That bit caught my attention, dispersing my mirth at Harry's situation. Did he know our parents? Or was he left in an orphanage too… no, surely they would have left us in the same orphanage, right?

My head hurt once again, a dull throbbing behind my eyes as I tried to figure it out. I shook thoughts of our parents out of my head, but resolved to ask Harry about them as soon as I could… or at least Professor Dumbledore. Surely he would know them.

"But Madam-"

"-Can't believe the nerve of today's students! When I was learning in this school, no one would dare question a Healer's authority. Most certainly not!"

"But I-"

"-And especially a student such as yourself, here at least twice a year. You know how I am about my patients! And-"

"Madam-"

"POPPY!" The strict teacher yelled, her voice carrying over her rant and cutting her off in the middle of a sentence. "If you have everything handled here, I will escort Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger back to Gryffindor Tower."

An intake of breath foreshadowed an oncoming argument, but she pressed on.

"And I will send word to Severus. I do suppose you'd appreciate his help?"

"That would be wonderful, Minerva."

"Not Snape!" Harry shouted, indignant. Though I wondered why he didn't seem to like Severus Snape very much. He had seemed perfectly friendly and comforting, if a bit brusque. I could feel a slight pink tinge come over my cheeks as I remembered practically tackling him in a hug the night before. Wow, had it really only been about twenty-four hours? It seemed like ages ago that I had arrived at Hogwarts. Maybe it was a side effect of the vast amounts of magic enclosed in the walls of the place.

"Professor Snape, Mr. Potter," Minerva said, sounding annoyed. It seemed that she had reprimanded him for it before.

Harry let out a huff and I imagined him rolling his eyes. I smiled.

"Now let's get on with it. Expecto Patronum!" Minerva said loudly. I assumed it was a spell, but I couldn't see anything that had happened. From the shocked gasps from the girl and boys outside the curtain though, I took it that it had been a fantastic piece of magic. I suddenly felt very out of place, longing to be able to do my own magic. Was it even a possibility?

The Hospital Wing door opened, then closed, and I realized that Minerva and the other two students had left while I was thinking about magic.

I could hear Madam Pomfery mumbling under her breath and bottles clinking as she bustled back and forth through the empty ward. Harry seemed to have resigned himself to his predicament and remained silent as she fussed over him.

Not long after the three others had left, the doors to the ward opened again and the vaguely familiar footsteps of Severus Snape strode into the room, clacking on the stone floor.

"Oh Severus, good to see you," Madam Pomfery said, sounding relieved. "Can you take a look at Mr. Potter's hand? I'm not sure what to do about it-"

"Mister Potter is injured yet again, I take it?" He sneered silkily. It sent chills down my spine, reminding me of Voldemort's smooth way of talking. I hugged my knees to my chest, then froze as a spring on my bed creaked. Luckily it seemed that no one had noticed.

"Not this time, Severus. It's dark magic, I'm sure of it. And as it's your specialty, I'd really like you to take a look at it."

I heard the billowing of Snape's black cloak and a grunt of suppressed pain from Harry. I wished I could see what was happening.

"Potter…" Snape's voice had changed. It was softer, more parental. "Where did you get this?"

There was a hint of anger in his words and I shivered, very nearly worried for whoever the words were aimed at.

Harry mumbled something indistinct, but apparently Severus had heard him loud and clear.

"And what detentions did you get them from?"

I could feel the malice in his voice and hugged my knees tighter to my chest. It seemed obvious that he already knew whom had caused whatever injury they were talking about, but he wanted Harry to say who it was anyway.

Another mumble came from Harry's direction, but not even Snape understood it.

"What did you say, Potter?"

Harry let out a sigh. "Professor Umbridge."

I had to quickly stifle a gasp at the news. One of his professors was hurting him during detention? Weren't there laws about that in the Wizarding World?

"I told you, I'm fine," Harry said shortly.

"I would have to disagree, Mr. Potter. Those wounds were inflicted with a blood quill. Do you even know what that means?" Severus' criticism was back, but not as harsh as it had been before.

Harry's silence was answer enough.

Snape began to explain about blood quills and disjointed words reached my ears. "Cursed… may never heal… nerve damage…" I couldn't believe that such a thing had been set on my brother. What kind of twisted Professor would use a cursed object on a student?

I yawned, realizing how tired I was. Unfortunately, Madam Pomfery seemed to have heard, because she showed up a second later, her head peering between the curtains. I heard Snape's voice falter for a moment, before he continued speaking to Harry.

"Silencio," She muttered, pointing her wand at the curtains. I gave her a questioning look and she answered my unspoken question.

"A silencing charm dear. So they can't hear what we're saying and we can have a conversation in peace."

"Oh."

I realized that I could no longer hear Harry and Severus Snape talking from the other side of the curtain. And suddenly I remembered something.

"Madam Pomfery… Is… I mean to say, is that… my brother?" I took a deep breath, then looked up at her face.

She appeared startled for a second, then a small smile appeared on her lips. "Just like your mother and father you are… a troublemaker, being where you shouldn't and yet smarter than a switch when you need to be." She shook her head good-naturedly.

"Does that mean yes?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course he is, my dear. Unfortunately both of you need to get some sleep and as he's never heard anything about you, he'll need to by spoken to by the headmaster before meeting you."

I sighed heavily, put out that I wouldn't get to meet the only real family I'd known for fourteen years as soon as I'd like to. "Will I be able to meet him soon at least?"

The matron smiled. "I truly don't know dear, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know. I promise."

I sighed and lay back on my bed, pulling the sheets over me once more. "Will Harry be okay, Madam Pomfery?"

She took my hand, stroking it gently. I was surprised, but pleased. She reminded me a lot of Ms. Fawley. "He is going to be perfectly fine, Miss Potter. Don't you worry about him. Severus is the best at what he does and your brother will be good as new in no time."

I just had one more question, but didn't quite know how to phrase it. The older woman was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring unseeingly at the overlap in the curtains, in the direction of the conversation we could no longer hear. "Madam Pomfery?"

"Hm? Yes dear?"

"Well," I paused, wondering if she would think the request odd. "Um… could I talk to Professor Snape?"

I saw something I couldn't quite place in her eyes, but was relieved when she gave a wide smile and heartily agreed. "I'll let him know you'd like to speak to him and send him over after he's finished attending to Mr. Potter."

A wide grin split my face. "Thanks Madam Pomfery!"

She chuckled at my enthusiasm and stood up, exiting through the gap in the curtains she had been staring at. "Just wait a minute or two dear."

I tried to listen to her as she left, but she hadn't taken down the silencing spell. Sighing in frustration, I flopped back down on the bed and began to count ceiling tiles.

I'd only gotten to 48 when the curtains opened again and the familiar form of Severus Snape came through them. He was muttering under his breath and scowling, but his face softened when he saw me. "Hello Miss Potter," he said, sitting down in the exact spot that Madam Pomfery had vacated only minutes before. "Are you feeling well?"

I nodded, beaming at his concern. "Yeah, but will Harry be okay?" Even though Madam Pomfery had already said he would, I wanted to be sure.

A strange expression overtook his face, sort of halfway in-between amusement and exasperation.

"He will make a full recovery. Though he does have a certain knack for getting into trouble and for getting injured."

I sighed, relieved, and grinned. "Good. And um... I'd just like to tell you, well… thank you." The last two words were hardly more than a whisper, but I knew that he'd heard them, as he stiffened slightly.

"What for?"

I gave him a strange look. Didn't he get it? "Um, well… for rescuing me and… stuff," I said awkwardly. "Just… thank you."

I looked up when he remained silent, but was surprised to see a smile on his face and a tear sliding down his cheek, his dark eyes staring right at me, but unfocused and seeing something other than my face.

When he didn't move I felt slightly worried. "Sir?"

He didn't give any indication that he had heard me.

"Sir? Professor Snape?"

His eyes suddenly refocused and zeroed in on my face. The intensity of his stare, flickering as it was from my eyes to my hair and back again, was disconcerting, but just as I was about to say something, his eyes filled with tears and he whispered a quiet "You're welcome." before leaving the way he had come.

And as Madam Pomfery turned out the lights and I sank back onto my pillows I was only wondering one thing – What in the world was that all about?

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