Taken
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Soon enough, the holidays were over, the students came back, and Abby was back in the infirmary again, spending her days with Madam Pomfrey. And Severus was happy for more than one reason - the girl was no longer staying in his rooms, and Dumbledore had yet to ask for his decision on temporarily becoming the child's guardian. Which was good, since he didn't know the answer yet. He couldn't even say it was no, even though he knew it was the best answer.
Even though Abby wasn't staying with him anymore, that didn't mean she didn't stop spending time with him. Yes, she did still visit all of her friends; the Gryffindors, Slytherins, and even Hagrid, but Abby still insisted on visiting him at least once a day. And it always varied. Sometimes it was before her bedtime. Sometimes it was during the detentions. And sometimes it was during his class.
Soon, the students of not only his House, but of others, had nicknamed her 'The Bat's Shadow'. They never said it when he was around, but of course, Severus had his ways of finding out.
Despite the fact that he should have, Severus didn't feel like stopping the visits. Because sometimes, it was quite enjoyable - having someone that didn't fear him because they want something from him, like Dumbledore did. Having someone that looked for him simply because they wanted to spend time with him. And though he wouldn't admit it, and would deny fiercely it if someone said it, he thought it was a bit like having child, a child that one day thought he would have with Lily. Before it all went to hell.
And besides, her visit were a way for him to examine her progress. All her wounds healed, her skin, hair, and eyes gained a more healthy shine as she steadily gained some weight, and her vocabulary, which was more like a three year old when she arrived, was also getting much better. She actually was starting to look and act her age.
"Hi, Mr. Severus!" said Abby cheerfully as she skipped into the almost empty classroom one Saturday afternoon, almost two and a half months after her arrival outside the gates of Hogwarts. She'd finally got over her habit of shorting his name, but she refused to call him anything else, much to his dismay.
"Walk, Abagail," Severus said without even looking up from marking his students' homework. "Does Madam Pomfrey know that you've walked off yet again?" he asked, even though he didn't need to. The nurse always knew when the girl walked off.
"Yup!" Rounding around the desk, Abby rested her forearms on the arms of the professors straight back on the chair and peered up at his work. "Why is it all covered in red ink?" she asked, nodding at the essay.
"Because my students are dunderheads," sneered Severus. The owner of this particular essay was a Gryffindor, who went by the name of Timothy Hunter, and was more of an idiot at potions than a normal Lion. He was immensely glad that in June, the boy would be finishing up his fifth year, and that he would never get the 'O' he needed to return for N.E.W.T. Potions. Then he would never teach another student like that again.
"Why are they dunderheads this time?" asked Abby with a tilt of her head. She didn't even question the term anymore, Severus said it often enough around her.
"Because most don't try to surely learn what I'm trying to teach them," Severus said coldly. "They think that Potions is a simple class that they can just breeze through. But in fact, it is a very complex and dangerous art that is not for the weak minded, and they foolishly mess around without any thought of the consequences. Thankful, my Slytherins know better than that." Most of the time anyway. And when they did, they underwent extra classes that made them think twice of doing anything like that again.
"Oh... Can you teach me something about Potions, Mr. Severus?" Abby asked suddenly, earning a questioning look from Severus.
"May I ask why?" said Severus with a raise of his eyebrow.
"Cause you make Potions sound really wicked," said Abby with a bright smile, and for once, Severus did not feel the urge to correct her language. "And I've seen you teach sometimes, and I want to try being your student for a day. Please?" she begged.
"You could simply wait until your first year at Hogwarts like a normal child," pointed out Severus.
"But that's years from now," whined Abby. "Pretty, pretty please?" she asked again, her eyes wide in an attempt at the puppy dog look that children were fond of.
Setting down his quill, Severus stared down at the girl. Why she was so interested in an art that most people found boring and too complicated, he didn't know. But who was he to deny it? If he didn't, he was sure she'd go off to some other teacher, one that didn't know what he or she was doing. "Fine," he said finally, and winced when Abby cheered. "We'll try a simple potion."
A few minutes later, Severus and Abby were standing at one of the desk, the girl standing on a stool since she wasn't tall enough yet, making Severus mentally note to check on her growth progress with Pomfrey. "We'll be trying a potion today that isn't particularly useful," he explained to the excited child. "But its one that's easy enough for almost anyone to do." Plus, there was no way the potion would harm her at any stage, even if her magic flared up.
Practically bouncing, Abby nodded on confirmation. "What should I do first, Mr. Severus?"
"First, we'll bring the water to a low boil," said Severus, using a spell to cause the flames under the small cauldron to rise. "Then while we wait for that, we need to crush this..."
As they got more and more into the potion, Severus noted that the girl actually became calm and serious, following his instructions to the best of her abilities. There were times he needed to help, and even a few times where she grimaced at some of the more disgusting parts, but none of that stopped her from trying. Her tongue was stuck out of the corner of her mouth most of the time in concentration, and she was a bit red in the cheeks from the heat of the flames, but even so, she never stopped smiling for long.
"Now, add in these slices of rainbow slug," said Severus as they were finally coming to a close. The rainbow slug wasn't a rare creature, but Abby treated the multicoloured slices as if they were gold while she carefully placed them in the currently pure white potion that had the look of a bubble bath. "Good, now stir it seven times clockwise," he instructed.
Counting softly under her breathe, Abby stirred the potion seven times with the silver stirrer. With each turn, a new colour was added to the potion; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally, violet. With a tiny gasp, Abby went wide eyed as the bubbles each became a miniature rainbow. "Pretty," she breathed, watching it start to quickly bubble.
Severus couldn't help but nod. This was one of the first potions his own mother taught him, and even as a young boy that was suppose to hate everything pretty, he could not help but think how amazing this potion was, despite being so simple to make now that he was a grown man. "Now step down from the stool and watch."
Leaping down from her stool, Abby stepped back and watched with excitement as a bubble rose away from the potion, almost a miniature rainbow, and gently floated in the dark classroom. "Bubbles!" she squealed, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands as more and more bubbles rose into the air.
"You can even touch them," said Severus with a hidden smile. "Try. They do not break easily."
With a single finger, Abby poked the bubble, and giggled when it did not pop, but was merely pushed away. "Wow!" she said happily before she started her own self-decided mission of poking each bubble in the room. Severus leaned against the table and simply watched. He wasn't sure why, but he felt rather... warm in the once cold dungeons. He couldn't explain it. Was this how his mother felt when she watched him make his first potion? Or use magic for the first time?
Though he would never admit it, Severus wouldn't find feeling like this again.
A few minutes must have passed before an unnaturally loud 'pop' filled the air, snapping Severus out of his thoughts when it was followed with a 'splat'. "Abagail?" he said, glancing around for her.
"Oops..." The girl turned to him slowly, and Severus had to hold back a laugh, something that was not natural to him. With her hands held out in front of her as if she just started clapping, Abby was covered in something that resembled multicoloured paint, making her look as if a bucket of it had been thrown in her face. "I popped it," she admitted meekly, a bright blush barely appearing under a splatter of violet.
He couldn't help it. Throwing his head back, Severus laughed, a booming sound that echoed in the classroom. He laughed so hard that it started to hurt. He couldn't remember the last time he laughed like that, no, he could remember the last time he laughed at all.
"You have a nice laugh, Mr. Severus," said Abby with a bright green smile when he finally stopped. "Why don't you do it more?"
"It's not often I have something to laugh about," said Severus lowly, trying to compose himself. "Now come along, we'll have to take you back to Madam Pomfrey so she can give you a bath." Unfortunately, magic couldn't fix everything. Some things just had to be done the old fashion way.
He didn't see Abby's determined grin underneath all the colours. "Yes, Mr. Severus!"
Knocking on the infirmary door a few minutes later, Severus tried to ignore the giggle of students as they passed by, seeing Abby still covered in paint. He sneered at a few, but it was counteracted by Abby as she waved to everyone that even looked at them.
"Yes? Good Merlin, what happened to you, Abby?" asked Pomfrey as she opened the door. "Did someone dump buckets of paint on you?"
"Something like that," said Severus dryly. "Do not worry, Pomfrey, the paint should come off with a good scrubbing. I'll leave her to you."
"Bye, Mr. Severus!" said Abby with a wave of her orange covered hand. "Thanks for the potion lesson!"
Hesitantly, Severus gave a nod back, heading back to his lab to clean up the mess the splatter had caused. Or maybe he could get a Gryffindor to do it for detention later...
~o0o~
"Really, child, how in the world did you get this much paint in your hair?"
Shrugging, Abby endured it as Madam Pomfrey ran a comb through her partially dry hair, wincing when she hit a snag. "Sorry, Miss Poppy. Mr. Severus was just showing me how to make a potion."
"And he couldn't show you a potion that didn't turn you the colours of the rainbow?" said Pomfrey with a huff. "Really..."
There was a knock on the door, stopping Pomfrey before she could go on, and McGonagall stepped inside, giving the nurse a nod of apology. "Sorry for intruding, Poppy, but Albus would like to see Abby as soon as possible, please."
"Oh, thank you, Minerva. Dear, go get dressed," said Pomfrey, pushing her towards her temporary room. Nodding hesitantly, Abby stood up and shuffled into her room, glancing at the two older women before she shut the door behind her. Something about the look on McGonagall's felt ... wrong. But still, she slipped out of her bathrobe and got into her favorite outfit of a dark green t-shirt with a snake in the bottom left corner - courtesy of Alice - jeans, and black flats.
"Let me do your hair before you go, dear," said Pomfrey when Abby emerged a few minutes later, motioning for her to sit down again. She ran her fingers loosely through her hair before bringing forth a black headband that she pulled over her forehead. "There, that's much better." She gave Abby a quick hug from behind. "Remember to behave for the Headmaster, alright?"
"You're not coming with me?" asked Abby, turning to the nurse. She'd never meet the grandfatherly man alone before. At least Madam Pomfrey or Mr. Severus were with her.
"Not this time," said Pomfrey with a shake of her head. "Now you go along with Professor McGonagall, she'll take you to the Headmaster's office."
With a nod, Abby stood and went to McGonagall, who smiled at her gently before leading her down the hallways. The trip seemed to take forever for the young girl, even though it was only ten minutes at best before they reached a stone gargoyle, its face twisting into a smirk. If Abby wasn't so use to the strange things that happened due to magic, she might have run and hide. Instead, she simply gulped and took a step back.
"Butterbeer," said McGonagall after a moment, at that seemed to be what the gargoyle needed to hear, for it nodded and moved to the side, revealing a stairway. "Just go to the top, Abby, and knock on the door," the professor instructed. "The Headmaster should be waiting for you."
"Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?" asked Abby.
Pausing for a long moment, McGonagall shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear. That's between you and Dumbledore." She patted her shoulder, smiling at her again, before giving her a nudge to go up the stairs. Abby went up slowly, reaching an impressive set of doors, and after a long hesitant moment, knocked once, then twice.
"Ah, Abby." The door swung open. "Please come in, my girl, and take a seat. I'll be with you in a minute."
Nodding, Abby closed the door behind her, glancing around the office with wide eyes. It was the first time she'd been in the Headmaster's office, and she was slightly amazed by all the little treasures he had laying around. She could see that Dumbledore was kneeling in front of the fireplace, talking with someone in a low voice. She guessed it'd been a few minutes before he could speak with her. At least she knew now what he was doing - the first time she saw Mr. Severus with his head in the fireplace, she screamed and almost fainted.
She had just settled into a comfy looking chair that was across from the desk, when a red bird swooped over to her, landing on the arm and startling her. It was a pretty bird though, its feathers a mixture of red and gold, and it tiled its head so it could look at her. "Hi," she said in a whisper, slowly holding out her hand. In answer, the bird rubbed its head against it, cooing.
"I see Fawkes has decided to formally introduce himself," said Dumbledore as he sat at his desk. "This is Fawkes, Abby, a phoenix. "
"What's a phoenix?" asked Abby, gently stoking down Fawkes' head and neck, who continued to coo.
"A phoenix is a magical bird that can live for thousands of years by regeneration, who's songs can calm even the most angry person, and who's tears can heal just about anything. Plus, they are very rare and very intelligent." Dumbledore smiled. "I do believe Fawkes has become attached to you, my dear. He's the one that found you outside the gates."
"Oh." Abby smiled at Fawkes. "Thank you, Fawkes, for saving me."
Trilling, Fawkes rubbed her cheek, and with a flap of his wings, flew up to the stand nearby. Abby was slightly sad to see him go, even though he had only moved about ten feet away. He'd felt so warm, like a gentle fire. Like the fire she had in her belly...
Wait, when did she have a fire in her belly?
"Now, my dear, I've called you up here for a reason," said Dumbledore, interrupting her thoughts while he clasped his hands in front of him. "You've been here at Hogwarts for almost three months now, and yet, we have not found any information about your parents."
Bowing her head, Abby nodded. Really, she didn't care if they found her parents or not. They obviously didn't like her, not if they beat her up so much that she forgot. And she was happy at Hogwarts, with Madam Pomfrey, Robin, the Weasley boys, Alice and Alex... and with Mr. Severus...
"Miss Thomson sent me a letter last night," Dumbledore went on. "The head of her department, the Special Victims Department, has decided that while they will continue to look for your parents, you can't stay at Hogwarts any longer."
"What?" cried Abby. What did he mean - she had to leave Hogwarts? Why?
"I'm sorry, my dear," said Dumbledore. "The department has decided to take you to a Muggle orphanage until your parents are found, which is apparently procedure in this type of situation. If not... if not you'll remain there until someone decided to adopt you or you return to Hogwarts for school."
"But I don't want to leave," said Abby with a few shakes of her head. "I love it here, Mr. Dumbledore, I don't want to leave." More then anything, she didn't want to leave. She truly did love it here.
"You don't have a choice, Abby," said Dumbledore gently. "And I can't stop them."
"Isn't there something you can do?" begged the young girl. "Please?"
"... I'm sorry, my dear," said Dumbledore. "There's nothing I can do. I wish I could adopt you myself. But the Ministry does not believe an old man like me is capable of taking care of a child your age. They want someone... younger."
Lip quivering, Abby gave a little sob, tears running down her cheeks. "But - But I don't want to leave my home," she cried, burying her face in her hands. She didn't know what her home was like before she lost her memory, but it couldn't have been anything like this. She actually felt happy here. Loved. Wanted.
A brush of warmth touched her shoulder, and leaning over the top of the chair, Fawkes rubbed the tear stained cheek as he sang sadly for Abby, who continued to cry. She was being taken away from her home. And Dumbledore could only watch them both with a lack of light in his blue eyes.
~o0o~
"Morning, Mr. Severus," said Abby quietly as she sat down for breakfast the morning after the paint incident. Severus looked down at her with a frown. She had never been that quiet with him before.
"Good morning, Abagail," Severus answered none the less, but gave Pomfrey a look, who returned with a sigh.
"We received some news last night that there's been no leads on her parents," said Pomfrey. "So Miss Thomson will be coming by to pick her up today and take her to a Muggle orphanage."
"Is that so?" said Severus with a raised eyebrow. That would explain why Abby was so sullen. "And how do you feel about that, Abagail?"
"I don't wanna go, Mr. Severus," said Abby with a shake of her head. "I like it here! Hogwarts is my home!"
Those words were almost identical to the words Severus' spoke when he was teen, after his mother died over the school year, and he begged Dumbledore to let him stay during the summer - he'd do anything! Of course, he'd been denied, and was forced to go home to his father. It had been one of the worst times of his life, and when he started to consider joining the Dark Lord.
"And I want to stay here with you, and Miss Poppy, and Robin!" Abby went on with a sniffle. "And everyone else! I don't want to leave! Please don't let them take me!"
"I know, darling," said Pomfrey comfortingly, patting her back gently. "But you don't have a choice. Even Dumbledore said so."
Lip trembling, Abby looked to Severus, who could only sigh. "I'm sorry. But if the Headmaster agreed, there's nothing I can do -"
A pain-filled cry escaped the young girl. "I thought you'd help me, Mr. Severus!" Abby said with a choked sob. "I-I hate you!" Pushing her chair back so hard that it fell to the floor with a clatter that silenced everyone for a moment, she raced out of the Great Hall. Everyone burst into a flurry of whispers as she left. Up at the High Table, Severus groaned. He wouldn't have wanted to hear that either.
"We knew it would happen eventually, Severus," said Pomfrey softly as she stood up, already moving to go after Abby. Down below, Severus could see Alice doing the same after a word with her boyfriend.
Yes, he did know it would happen. Eventually. But now that it was... Severus wasn't so sure he wanted it to.
When Dumbledore sat down a few minutes later, Severus wasted only a long moment before leaning over to the Headmaster and asking in a harsh whisper, "Is what Abagail says true? Is she really leaving for a Muggle orphanage this afternoon?"
"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore with a nod.
"And there's nothing you can do?" It wasn't for his benefit, Severus told himself. It just was that more than one person would miss her, and he didn't want to hear them moan and whine about the loss of her.
"There is nothing I can do," slowly said Dumbledore, and the stressed word was not lost on Severus.
"So there is something that someone can do?"
The Headmaster turned to Severus, and there was no glint or sparkle in his eyes. "I already asked you to adopt Abby, even if it was only on a temporary bases. You never answered me. When the head of the Special Victims Department said she would be taken today, there was nothing I could say to stop him."
"So you're saying its my fault that Abagail is being sent to the orphanage," said Severus with a snap before he could stop himself, anger starting to boil. He was answered with a cold look that no person would ever want to see coming from Albus Dumbledore, who leaned closer and forced Severus to lean away.
"I didn't say it was your fault, Severus," said Dumbledore lowly. "I'm saying you had a chance - a chance to give Abby a loving home here with you, even if you don't think that's possible. And you've lost it."
~o0o~
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Abby sniffled loudly as she started at her swinging feet. She was suppose to be packing, but she didn't feel like it. How could she, when she knew that she wouldn't probably never return to Hogwarts? It felt like all her happiness had been sucked out of her in a single moment. Even Alice or Madam Pomfrey couldn't make her feel better.
"Come on, Abby," said Pomfrey gently. "Miss Thomson will be here to pick you up in less than an hour. You need to finish packing."
"I don't wanna go," mumbled Abby, her hands gripping the sheets tightly.
"I know, dear, but you don't have a choice," said the nurse sadly, "and you know that as well as I do. There's nothing we can do."
Biting her lips, which something she'd done many times in the last few hours, Abby nodded and leapt to the ground, reaching into the set of dressers Pomfrey had let her use during her stay and started pulling out clothes harshly before tossing them into the trunk nearby, the bottom lined with her drawing materials. It only took a few minutes to finish, and even though the inside of her trunk was now a mess, Abby scrambled back onto her bed, grabbed Mr. Dragon, and curled into a ball. "Done," she said bitterly.
Pomfrey sighed before going through the trunk, folding her clothes with magic, not even bothering to reprimand her. She knew how bad she felt. Watching her momentarily, Abby flopped to her side, burying her face in her pillows and letting her tears stain them. She might not remember anything before she came to Hogwarts, but she knew this had to be the worse day of her life.
A half hour later, Abby solemnly followed Pomfrey through Hogwarts' hallways for what would be the last time. She clutched Mr. Dragon tightly in her arms, the only thing now that helped her from bursting into tears, and wondered if she'd see Mr. Severus before she left. Probably not, since he was most likely mad for her yelling at him. But she wanted to tell him she was sorry for saying she hated him, since it was far from the truth...
They were just reaching the doors to wait for the Thomson lady to pick Abby up when more than one person called out her name, causing the small girl to turn back to the Great Hall, where she realized people where having lunch.
"I was afraid you were gone," said Charlie Weasley with a weak grin, his older brother trailing behind him. "Is it true you're leaving?" His smile turned into a frown when Abby nodded in confirmation. "I'm so sorry, Abby. I really wish you could stay."
"I do too..." said the young girl slowly.
"I'm going to miss you," said Charlie as he wrapped his arms around her. "But I'll ask my parents if I can come visit you, alright?"
"Don't forget me, brat," mumbled Bill with a slightly blush. "I'll come too."
"And me, too," said Robin as she suddenly appeared behind the Weasley boys, earning a yelp of surprise from Bill and a giggle from Abby. "I'll come and bring you some of the house-elves' goodies," she promised with a wink, even though her smile seemed forced.
"Oh, good, you haven't left yet," said Alice as she came running up, her boyfriend Alexander right behind her as she hugged Abby tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much, little one," she said tearfully. "You brought a light into the Slytherin House that we don't have often. Oh, I wish I was seventeen already and could adopt you myself and keep you here."
Placing a hand on his girlfriends shoulder, Alexander nodding in agreement.
Sniffling, Abby smiled weakly, and said her goodbyes to each of the students that had come to wish her goodbye, and even from some of the teachers as they came down from the High Table. But the one person she wanted the most never came.
The door eased open just as Abby was getting a tearful hug from Hagrid, and Thomson stepped inside. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting? I was just coming to get you..."
"Its quite alright, Miss Thomson," said Dumbledore with a nod of acknowledgment to her before looking down to Abby. "Ready to go, my dear?"
Not answering at first, she peered though the open Great Hall doors, and Abby could see Mr. Severus eating at the table, talking with the lady Defense teacher, who she never really met. It didn't seem like he was coming to say goodbye to her. "I guess," she said in a mumble as Hagrid placed her back on the floor.
As Thomson shrunk her trunk and placed it in her pocket, Abby turned to Alice. "Can you do something for me?" she asked quietly. When answered with a nod, she held out her stuffed toy. "Could you give him to Mr. Severus? And tell him I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say I hate him."
"Of course, sweetie," said Alice as she took Mr. Dragon, holding him as if he were fine china. "I promise to give it to him soon as possible."
A hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder. "Ready, honey?" asked Thomson, her smile bright, but unnerving. Still, Abby nodded and walked away with her, hugging herself tightly since Mr. Dragon was now gone. She glanced back as she was lead through the doors, trying to see Mr. Severus one last time but simple winced as they slammed shut in her face and the grip on her shoulder tightened.
"We're going to walk to the Apparition point, alright, honey?" said Thomson sweetly as she gently pushed her froward, down the path. Even though it had snow recently, someone had already cleared a path way to the gates, and Abby shivered against the cold wind, glad that she was wrapped in warm clothes. "Come on now."
"Is the orphanage nice, Miss Thomson?" asked Abby as they the gates, which opened for them with a creak.
"Oh yes, very nice," said Thomson cheerfully, so sweet it made Abby's teeth hurt. "Its so nice, you might not want to ever leave. Now grab my arm, and hold on tight.."
Doing as she was told, Abby glanced at Hogwarts, the castle covered in a light dusting of snow that glinted in the sunlight. "Bye, Mr. Severus," she whispered before both she and Thomson disappeared with a pop.
A few seconds later, Abby gagged as she appeared in what she assumed was the Muggle orphanage, bent over to hold back the urge to vomit as Thomson pulled her arm away from her. That was her first time doing something that, and frankly, she never wanted to do it again.
"Here we are!" said Thomson with more overly sweet cheerfulness as opened a door, and looking up, Abby blinked as she looked around. It was almost a pitch black room with only a few candles giving any light. In the corner was a few beds with even fewer blankets scattered about, and close to that was a small room with no door that must have been a bathroom, but that was it.
"Where are we?" asked Abby, her mind going into overdrive. Something wasn't right.
"Your new home, of course," said Thomson, like it was obvious, and with a shove, she pushed Abby away from her, who fell into the room with a cry of pain. "Enjoy, you little brat!" she spat. And slamming the door shut, she was gone.
"Wait - come back!" called out Abby in vain, scrambling up. "Come back!" She couldn't just leave her here! Where even was here? Panicking, she raced forward, feeling for the door she was just pushed through.
"Don't even bother. There's no way out of here."
Freezing, Abby slowly turned towards the voice, and was greeted by multiple pairs of eyes that glowed in the dim light. "Who...Who are you?" she asked in a fearful whisper.