Author's Note: Okay I was supposed to update my Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic, but as 25 days of Christmas was showing a Harry Potter marathon…I had to update this immediately. On another note….I'm such a dork, I cry at every Harry Potter movie either by sadness of happiness (ie: Hagrid released from jail and their reunion at Chamber of Secrets) ANYWAY my fellow dorks…..onward to the chapter.
This happens before the chapter begins FYI: "He was their friend. And he betrayed them. He was their friend. I hope he finds me. But when he does, I'm going to be ready. When he does, I'm going to kill him."
Updated - 8/26/18
~Of Silver and Gold~
Chapter 14: Discoveries
Ever since her initial conversation with Professor Lupin, it seemed that Angel had more questions than ever before. If seemed that in that short topic she had had a glimpse of what it was like to be a teen for him and more importantly, how his life was affected by Sirius Black, the Potters and Amorette Holmes. This topic played over and over in her head so often, that she found herself feigning illness to get out of Herbology.
Once she got out, she immediately headed towards his office and away from the common room. The closer to Christmas it became, the less she saw of her friends on the weekends. Fridays were early days for third years, because of the Hogsmeade trips. Her friends took advantage of it and immediately headed towards the little village on that day and usually left her to her own devices. This suited her just fine, since it meant that she had more time on her hands to continue to little research project without others being nosy. She knew that if her brother found out of her visits to Professor Lupin, he would start interrogating her.
Smiling at the thought, she knocked on the Professor's door but received no response. As she poked her head in, she noticed that it was empty. Professor Lupin usually had a high pile of papers to grade, but this time it was bare. His desk was clean and there was nothing out of place.
"Looking for someone" a voice drawled.
Angel jumped in surprise and turned to see Professor Snape; she sighed in relief. Her uncle was looking at her curiously, especially since she had complained that she had no interest in being near the DADA professor but a week ago. Pushing her back, he closed the door for the pair and signaled her to go somewhere else. But that would not suffice because as he began to walk away, she stopped him.
"Professor!" she called out.
He stopped as did his billowing cloak and he looked at her curiously.
"Yes….Miss Malfoy?" he asked.
"Could we possibly talk in your office?" she asked.
He thought for a moment and nodded letting her follow him in silence. Many watchers wondered why there was a student following Professor Snape willingly, while others, specifically the Gryffindors who believed she was in detention.
She walked into his office and he closed it behind them. He was quiet until he sat on his chair and stared at her curiously.
"Well Angel, I must ask, why were you waiting for Lupin?"
She shrugged. She noticed that the formalities was over and they could return to their normal ways.
"Don't lie to me Angel"
She sighed.
"Uncle Sev it's just that he was informing me about some project I was interested in."
"I see…tea?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"I'm not fond of tea" she said sighing.
"Yes, but I think it polite to ask, you see" he smirked.
She let out a smile and shook her head at his dry humor.
Severus was a person that was a constant in her life. He was the one who helped her mother give birth to her and he was her godfather in every sense of the word. He was dry….it was his personality and his ambiguity that made him most enjoyable.
"Now really, tell me this project and I'll aid your cause" Snape said.
Angel rolled her eyes.
"Since when do you aid any cause?" she said amused.
There was no malice in her tone, only truth. Because as much as she loved her godfather, he was not fond of playing children's games, quests, pretend games anything. He was always direct, had no time for funny business and never offered to really help.
"Nevertheless, you've caught my interest. So go on.." he drawled.
Angel sighed and slid the book his direction. He looked down at the book and lifted it to inspect the title. As he read the graduating year, he raised his brow and turned his gaze back on her. He wondered just what this child was up to.
"Well?" he asked.
Angel bit her lip and he knew he was in for a story. She reminded him so much of her mother. She bit her lip when thinking, nervous, amused, or angry; she had this attitude that was specifically her mother's. Tragically, at least in his perspective, she had one problem: she had qualities of the damn Black. She was a troublemaker, not meaning to be one of course…at least to him, but she was sometimes just like Black that it annoyed him.
"Troublemaking?" he added.
She scoffed acting offended.
"No, not really" she said. "Uncle Sev….did you ever know of Amorette Holmes?" she asked.
He raised his brow felt a pang. His friendship of her surrogate parents was a strong bond, and if he answered truthfully to her questions then he would break it. If she didn't then she would not trust him whatsoever.
"Yes…I believe I do" he said. "Well did, a while ago. She was a fellow Slytherin. Good girl, I suppose, loved trouble that's for sure."
Angel smirked at the thought.
"She sounds like me" she teased.
He looked at her seriously and avoided eye contact.
"Yes…some days she does" he said in a different tone.
He got up and handed her a cup of tea. She was about to protest till he gave her a stare that made her lift the cup and sip from it reluctantly. She despised tea ever since Trelawney had interrupted her caramel tea.
"Don't whine, it's vanilla tea." She began to sip it with more calmness. "Always have to buy this idiotic tea in case you enter my office."
"Thanks" she mumbled and sipped her tea.
"As I was saying" he said now composing himself. "She was a troublemaker but a great student. Greatest competition to Lily Evans she was."
"Lily Evans?" she asked.
"She was the accursed woman having to give birth to Potter" he said.
She let out a small laugh and sipped her tea.
"As I was saying, Amorette was very close to your mother and father."
She stared at him wondering why he hadn't turned to look at her. She knew that he didn't like being nostalgic about anything. She didn't even ask about why he wouldn't look at her, but she didn't care, she wanted to learn more.
"How close?" she asked.
"Narcissa thought of her as a sister, they had a bond that Lucius and I thought was impossible to break, but it did, as every friendship does." He said waving his hand as if it was nothing.
She got up and she walked over towards him, curious as to what he was staring at. She peered at the picture of the people she cared for waving at the photo. Her uncle had little love for anything personal in his office, but she knew he had things that reminded him of his past. She smiled softly, but then she looked on as she noticed something different.
"Uncle Sev…." She whispered.
She lifted the photo and in her hands was the answer. There was a picture of her father and mother smiling at the camera with an infant Draco. She noticed that Draco looked around a year old, and that Severus had his arm around the person she wanted to learn about. There was Amorette Holmes staring ahead with a wide smile, and a pregnant belly. She took in a sharp breath and saw the picture move, Amorette rubbing her stomach along with Narcissa.
"You see, the bond was broken the moment that Amorette married Sirius Black. You might think that because she was now a Black, Narcissa and her would be closer, but on the contrary they rifted because of Black. It was not something small such as him being a Gryffindor, but rather it was the fact that he was banished from their family." He began. "He betrayed the family because of his beliefs and in Narcissa's eyes there was nothing more despicable."
Severus knew that he was crossing the fine line of breaking his promise, and keeping it intact. He was unsure where he was going, what would he say and if he would break the perfect image that his goddaughter had on the Malfoys. But as she gripped the photo tightly and turned pale, he knew that he had made his decision.
"They rifted as she began being more cordial along with the Potters, after all she and Lily Evans had made a bond as well. The moment that she was pregnant with her first child a misfortune occurred-"
"She was pregnant" she repeated with a shocked tone.
"Yes….she was very excited. A girl was what she was expected to have."
She looked at the picture and held the frame tighter in her grip till her hands were white. She shook her head.
"When was this?" she asked.
He didn't reply at her. She turned and looked at him with a hard expression.
"When was this?" she screeched.
"Turn the frame around" he replied.
Her hands trembled and she turned the frame around. There carved were the words: Reunion August 13, 1992. She turned the picture back around and stared at how Narcissa's stomach showed no signs of pregnancy.
"She's not showing" she whispered.
"She's not pregnant" was Severus' reply.
Angel felt the room beginning to spin and suddenly darkness surrounded her. Severus cursed, thinking he was perhaps too blunt with her, considering the severity of the news. He muttered the cleaning spell for the blasted tea that he shouldn't have even offered.
"Enervate" he muttered.
She groaned and opened her eyes once more. She shook her head at first thinking it was some sort of dream, but her eyes watered immediately as she remembered what she had heard. Severus stuck out his hand and pulled her up.
"You're lying" she whispered looking at the ground.
He sighed. The crack in her tone and her shaking made him know that perhaps she was too young to really grasp the situation calmly. 'Did you really think anyone would take news like this calmly?!' A voice said in his head, eerily like Lilly.
"Dear girl, what do I have to gain if I lied, also, why would I tell you that you're the spawn of Black?" he asked.
She wiped her tears angrily.
"Can I have this?" she asked even softer than before.
Her eyes would not tear away from the photograph specifically the blonde rubbing her stomach proudly.
"Yes you may." He said.
He wasn't one to be too sensitive and he inwardly sighed knowing that she would have wanted a conversation.
"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked reluctantly.
She shook her head.
"I'd rather not….I'd rather talk to my cat" she replied.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and tugged her into his body. She wrapped her arms immediately around his waist and he held her as she cried softly. She rarely cried, but when she did she would rush to her mother.
She cursed as she thought of them as family. She didn't belong, she was just a stray that they took in.
"I'm a Black.." she whispered.
"Sadly to say yes, but if it makes you feel better I'm still fond of you despite of that" he said.
She smiled against his chest and he patted her head, leaning to kiss her head.
"You should head back to the common room." He said.
She unwrapped her arms from his waist and she nodded somewhat reluctantly.
"Why tell me the truth?" she asked.
He sighed and squeezed her shoulder.
"I don't lie to you nor Draco and you know that well." He said. "I want to keep that promise to you my dear. I want you to also know that I'm still your godfather."
He let out a smile, thinking that she might need one, and wiped a few leaked tears.
"Do be strong, for you're just like your mother. And she was a true Slytherin. I'll be damned if you become a Gryffindor."
She let out a sad smile and let him lead her out of his office. As she was lead outside they met Remus and Harry walking down the hallway, apparently after their lesson. They looked at one another, and Angel dropped her head avoiding any eye contact.
"Lupin" Snape said.
"Snape" he replied.
Remus noticed that Angel was not acting as she normally would. She didn't look up, and he noticed that Harry himself had noticed a change.
"Miss Malfoy, I heard that you were looking for me in my office, the portraits said so. Is there anything you still need?" he asked.
She flinched at the last name and she shook her head.
"No Professor" she whispered and held the frame closer to her chest.
"I'll be seeing you tomorrow as planned" Snape said and squeezed her shoulder.
She nodded and began to walk away, much to Remus and Harry's confusion.
"Go after her" Remus told Harry.
As he rushed off behind her, Remus walked towards Severus' office and entered without knocking.
"What do you want Lupin?" Severus said in an annoyed tone.
He closed the door behind him and he sat himself down much to Severus' annoyance.
"What did you do to the poor girl? She was depressed and I am pretty sure she was weeping. Mistreating your own niece Snivelus?" Remus asked.
Severus turned to face him, showing his anger. It seemed that no matter how many years passed since their graduation, the tension and resentment was well cemented in the pair. For Severus it was one thing to be despised for being himself another when it dealt with his goddaughter.
"It's Snape to you, werewolf" he hissed. "Here you go" he threw him the Wolfsbane potion and he waved him off .
"Severus you didn't answer-"
"Leave. You got what you needed now leave" he ordered.
"You told her didn't you" he said. "You told her the truth!"
Severus raised his brow and smirked.
"Why would it bother you? It is none of your business and as a matter of fact, I don't see as to why you would care." he asked.
Remus faltered but he glared.
"You know that I should have raised her not the Malfoys" he said. "Despite of what Black did, she was my goddaughter"
Severus glared in return.
"What be raised by a werewolf? Yes, that's safe." He said "It's for the best"
Severus turned his back to him and glared.
"You can leave now Lupin" Severus said.
Remus got up indignantly and he walked out of the office slamming the door behind him. He couldn't believe how cruel Severus was being, crushing the spirit of a twelve year old. He slammed the door of his office closed and he drank the potion in one fell swoop.
With Harry…
When Angel ran off, Harry was admittedly surprised. It was unlike her to be so shut off, even in her most annoying of moments she at least made eye contact. So as soon as he followed her, it took her some time to truly figure out where she went. It had taken him a while until he realized she would be at the Black Lake. There he took in her figure as she threw rocks angrily at the lake, not bothering to even try to get them to float. He walked towards her tentatively not wanting to frighten her.
"Go away" she hissed and threw the rock harder as to make a loud splash.
He stopped mid-step and he wondered if he should indeed leave her alone.
"It's me" he said.
"And it sounds like you heard me. Go away!" she said.
He sighed and as he walked towards her; if she was going to be a brat he would treat her as such. Ignoring her request he walked closer only to have her immediately turn to glare at him with cold eyes. He hadn't seen that expression on her face before. It wasn't just anger, something under it made him flinch.
"Damn it Potter can you just stop being a hero for one second of your life?" she said angrily.
He was taken aback by her viciousness. She was usually rude, but never like this. He saw her crying and her eyes that he stared at many nights were now red. Her cheeks were pink from her anger and sadness. Her clothes were crumpled, which was rare considering that she was always so clean and kept.
"Angel.." he whispered.
She took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes trying to compose herself.
"Go away, I don't need a hero, and I definitely don't need you" she said.
He walked towards her and as much as she protested, he pulled her to him. She pushed herself angrily and she struggled until she felt two arms wrap themselves around her. As soon as she felt them around her, she let out a little whimper and tears fell down her face. She broke down, and he held her a close as he could to try and comfort her. He felt his shirt getting wet, but he didn't mind, whatever was wrong, she needed it. In turn he raised one hand to rub her scalp softly making sure she was comforted. This was not normal for him, to give comfort to others, but something in him told him he was doing right. She gripped his shirt and nuzzled his shoulder showing some gratefulness.
After a few minutes she stopped weeping, but they remained in the position.
"I despise you" she muttered against his shoulder.
He smiled and held her close. She smelled like….peaches? A girl? That was the first thing that came to mind. Hermione smelled like ink and books, not that it was anything bad, but it wasn't really a girl. Angel smelled like something nice that he could never define.
"You like me" he said.
"No I don't. I tolerate you" she muttered.
Harry frowned at her comment. He liked her that was simple to him. Like black and white, you either like someone or you don't.
She had to admit, having him hold her was something that she needed. Even though he was oblivious to what she was dealing him, the idea of him holding her comforted her in a way that she felt safe. Her cheek rested comfortably at what she could reach: his shoulder and she took him in. He smelled of fresh rain, peppermint and something else. Whatever he smelled of, she felt safe, at least safe enough to cry.
After a while, she finally decided that this was too much. She was too vulnerable to deal with emotions that she couldn't understand. But underneath it all she wasn't surprised that was fond of him.
"Can you let go of me now?" she asked softly.
He nodded and pulled himself away from her, only to stare at her vulnerable expression.
"What happened?" he asked.
She looked up at him and their eyes connected. He smiled softly and she frowned in return, despite it all she was too vulnerable.
"Nothing Harry…this never happened" she whispered.
She looked away and went under the tree to get her photographic frame.
"But-"he began.
"Please" she whispered.
He nodded and as he saw her walk away he felt that he was getting closer to his goal. He half smiled and he took out the Marauder's Map. He looked at the map wondering if he should check on her, but he decided not to, instead going back to the common room. He himself hadn't had a good day, but at least it was forgotten as he had brought her comfort.
…
As for Angel, she trailed up towards the castle her thoughts all a jumble. She could feel people's eyes on her, she stood up straight and walked with her head held high, the photo frame against her bosom. Her eyes hardened as people whispered around her, and it ceased; no matter what year they were, they knew her power as a Malfoy.
She muttered the password.
"Cunning" and the common room was opened.
As the fire burned in the fireplace, and the room was warm she felt cold. The room was absolutely lonely, probably people eating dinner. She noticed that there were two plates of food on the table and turned to face Draco waiting for her on the couch. He lifted his head and smiled.
…
Draco knew that most of his sister's day was spent moping over not being able to head to Hogsmeade. So he had figured the best way to make it up was to have dinner for just the two of them. There were moments that other people interfered but he wanted to make sure that no matter how many people were around her, she was his number one priority.
So as he heard her come in, he smiled simply wishing her a hello, but as he studied her, his smile disappeared. He didn't know what to do, but as a brother, he suspected that this was what she needed. He did the simple gesture of opening his arms.
"Come on" he said.
He saw something in her crumble, especially as her lower lip began to tremble. Her shoulders sagged, and he saw her let her satchel fall to the ground. But almost immediately as she processed his words she came forward. She threw the photograph on the opposing couch not caring and rushed towards him. He grunted at the impact but he wrapped her arms around her immediately.
Leaning against the couch, he let her lay atop of him as they snuggled close to one another against the couch. He was really worried about her but said nothing, instead he kissed her forehead and waited for her to talk. But no avail as his baby sister simply cried against him.
"Hey what's wrong?" he asked after a while.
She whimpered and wept turning around to face him, and smothered her face against his chest. He held her close and kissed her forehead trying to calm her down.
"Hey….come on, tell me" he whispered.
She shook her head and held him closer. Everything around her was breaking, her whole life was crumbling and everything she saw was a lie. Her parents were a lie; she was the mutt they had taken in. She was just someone they were forced to take in, that's how she saw it. She didn't deserve her brother, he wasn't her brother, he loved her based on a lie.
"I'm sorry" she wailed.
He shushed her and held her close trying to stop her from crying.
"I love you" he whispered trying to comfort her.
She wept even more and mumbled something intelligible which he took as "I love you too". He was glad no one was there; he could never stand people seeing her so vulnerable. They were strong, and family stuck together. She was his baby sister, and he would protect her from everyone, even the vicious classmates of their house.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked.
"Just hold me" she whispered.
"Like that?" he asked wrapping his arms tighter around her shoulders.
"Tighter" she whispered throatily.
"Like this?" he whispered lowering his voice to calm her down.
"Tighter" she whispered for the third time.
"Okay" he whispered.
He placed his head on hers and let her cry. She needed this, and he would do anything she asked. As he held her close, he rocked her to sleep. He felt his own eyes water seeing her in pain, but he wiped them quickly not wanting to be vulnerable. Afterall he would always be her rock.