Chapter 27

When lunch was over, Viola stomped off to Arithmancy. Senna watched her go, still pondering her words.

Senna had a free period. She picked up her bag and made her way to the library. This had become her default for free periods.

"Senna!" Hannah's voice came from behind her. 'Oh, she's been avoiding us all day. She must think we hate her.' Hannah's thoughts said.

Hannah was a bit out of breath when she caught up. Her round face was pink. "Senna, I'm sorry," she huffed, "I think you misunderstood our last conversation. I don't want you to think that I don't want to be friends…"

They were in a very crowded corridor. Senna motioned for them to start walking to Hannah's next class. Once they turned the corner, there was less noise. "Ernie, Susan, and Justin seem to disagree." Senna told her.

"They're just afraid." Hannah assured her. But it didn't help. She could read it in Hannah's thoughts. She was afraid too. Her display of wandless, Parseltongue magic in Charms that one day freaked her out. And this stuck with Hannah.

"And you are too." Senna said quietly.

"I'm—I'm not." Hannah lied. Her voice was small.

Senna sighed. She felt guilty. She knew that Hannah liked her. She saw through Senna, and understood Senna's true nature. She didn't believe the rumors going around.

Hannah was a gift from the universe.

'You're so stupid. Why can't you just choose someone who would stick around no matter what? Someone who isn't scared of you?' Viola's words echoed in her head.

She knew Hannah was loyal. She would stick with Senna, no matter what. But she was also afraid of her. It would also hurt Hannah, to make her choose her over them. It would divide Hannah from her friends, the same way hanging out with Viola divided Senna from the Hufflepuffs. Senna wouldn't wish that on her sweet friend. Hannah deserved better.

Senna stopped walking. Hannah stopped too, but Senna protested, "Just go to class." She said in a cold voice. "Don't worry about me."

"But Senna—" Hannah started.

"I said," Senna's voice was quieter now, but still cold, "Don't worry about me anymore. Just worry about yourself. And Justin, and Ernie, and Susan. Worry about them. Okay?"

Hannah's mouth was open. Her thoughts were in a flurry. 'Oh no, she's mad, how do I fix this?'

But Senna didn't give her a chance to try and fix things. She knew that this would be better for Hannah. The only one who would suffer, was herself, and she was okay with this. She turned around and began walking to the library, leaving Hannah in the corridor.

In the library, Senna must've reread the same paragraph a dozen times. But she simply could not absorb its information. Her mind was elsewhere.

She was starting to come to terms with the fact that Viola might be right. She might be choosing the wrong people. She was choosing people who couldn't be by her side. Hannah would choose her, but that would ruin her life. She didn't know where Tonks stood. But Viola did choose her, in a weird, messed-up sort of way.

Problem was… Senna wasn't sure if she could stand to be around Viola. She was one of the most unpleasant people she'd ever met. But she didn't know all that much about her. Was there even potential there?

When the bell rang for the next period, Senna hadn't gotten much done. She headed to Potions.

This time, Senna made an effort not to grimace as she took the seat next to Viola. Viola's shoulders were hunched over as she read the potion's textbook. When Viola heard the chair move, her hands clenched the sides of the textbook. She did not acknowledge Senna's presence. Yup, she was mad. As always.

Senna sat there for a moment, staring at the shining locks of beautiful red hair that Viola put between them. Viola did not trust Senna. She didn't even like her. Viola had too much pride to be the first one to trust. But Senna didn't have much pride to lose, because she didn't have much to lose, period.

She had done much more dangerous things in her life, than opening up to 17-year-old girl. It couldn't be that bad. Right?

"Remember how I had detention with Professor Moody on Monday?" Senna whispered to her. Viola's head moved a millimeter in her direction, but she didn't look at her. "He took me to the woods to look for Tigerbane roots."

Students continued to fill the classroom. No one dared to sit near them. Viola's presence alone was enough to scare people away, but both of them together... They could probably scare the first years into tears with just a glance. Professor Snape was still shuffling through the papers, preparing to hand them back to the students.

Senna paused to contemplate how she was going to explain this, but before she had a chance, Viola spoke. "That's suspicious, you can't harvest those in Great Britain."

Senna suddenly felt relief that she didn't have to explain. She had forgotten that Viola was just as academy invested as she was.

"Yup. And there's more." Senna whispered.

Viola finally shifted her attention away from the potion's book, though she doubted she was actually reading it this whole time. Her green eyes were curious. So she kept going, "He called me 'Princess' when he was talking to me. And the last time someone called me that was this creepy guy who tried to kidnap me in London."

"What?" Viola's eyes widened and she leaned in closer to Senna.

"Yeah. There is something really weird going on, and I can't figure it out." Senna thought for a moment. "So I figured it would be a bad idea to be alone with Professor Moody. You asked me why I ran earlier. So there." Senna said begrudgingly. Opening up was a difficult thing. She knew this could blow up in her face. Every fiber in her being cringed away from being open and vulnerable to Viola.

"Who tried to kidnap you in london?" Viola looked alarmed.

"This old guy named—"

"Silence!" Professor Snape called the class to order. The order was directed at them, as they were the last people still whispering to each other. But his facial expression was different from his normal mask of indifference. His eyes were a bit wide, he looked at them… tentatively. As if he were surprised about something, but Senna couldn't be sure. But she didn't blame him. Senna and Viola usually tried to stay very far from each other, or else they would be at each other's throats. She would imagine, that leaning towards each other would definitely cause some confusion.

Senna leaned back into her own space and opened up her notes. She would have to wait until after class to tell her the rest.

She tried to bring it up again when Professor Snape was observing the potions on the other side of the classroom, but he kept turning to glare at Senna. She knew there was something on his mind. She got the feeling that she might be in trouble. She wracked her brain, preparing herself. What was she in trouble for this time?

Finally, the bell rang for dinner. Senna packed up slowly, intending to be the last person with Professor Snape. Viola waited for her at the corner of the desk.

"Go on," Senna whispered, "I'll catch up with you in a bit." Viola's green eyes met hers. She thought about this for a moment. "Fine." She agreed. Then, she spun around and left.

Once the last person left the classroom, silence took over. Professor Snape stared at the parchment in his hand as if she did not exist. Without looking up, Professor Snape spoke.

"You agreed to lay low and not draw attention to yourself." He said in a cold voice, "Becoming a Triwizard Champion is the opposite of that."

Senna's ego rose to the accusation. "You said to stop picking fights with Viola and breaking rules." Sunna huffed, "You didn't say I couldn't participate in school activities."

Professor Snape shoved the parchment onto his desk.

"School activities?" he snapped, "You are underage, you shouldn't be participating."

Senna recoiled from his outburst. There goes any chance of buttering him up to tell her the truth. "Am I?" Senna paused briefly, "I don't exactly know when I was born. Thanks for that, by the way."

Snape paused. His face was still pale and angry. But he was contemplating something. When he spoke again, his voice was lower. "December 21st."

Senna lazily leaned back in her chair. "Wow, Sagittarius?" Senna mused, "I would've thought myself to be a Capricorn. Sheesh."

"Enough." His irritation returned. "I was told you tricked the age line by not knowing your exact birthday. Your Headmaster might believe that, but I don't."

"Okay. And?" Snape just stared at her.

"You are still breaking rules."

"And you are still hiding things from me." Senna mocked the tone of his voice. She couldn't help it.

"I told you, I don't know the whole story. I will tell you what you need to know. But now, you've caused a—"

"Don't know the whole story?" Senna interrupted Snape. "Why didn't you just start with telling me that I have a brother?" Senna knew she may regret this outburst. But she needed to watch his reaction, see if there was any truth to the creepy messages she'd been receiving.

A genuine look of surprise crossed his face, and then his stoic mask returned. "Where did you hear that?"

Senna thought for a moment, thinking of her answer carefully. She was not yet sure how to interpret his reaction.

"Does it matter?" She retorted.

Snape took a deep calming breath. "It matters, because not every source of information is trustworthy."

"I'm okay with that, it's not like you're a trustworthy source of information either."

"I told you what I knew about your mother."

"But forgot to mention I was not her only child." Senna pressed the subject, as if she knew what she was talking about. She was making the assumption that her and her so-called 'brother' shared the same mother. After all, the guy called him 'Uncle Severus'.

Snape stared at her. He was very still. He wore a stoic mask, but his eyes seemed to burn from the inside. Senna waited. She knew there was more to the story. There was more he was hiding from her.

Then, he turned away from her. He walked towards his desk, his faded teacher's robe slowly dragging the dust on the floor.

Senna waited for a long, awkward moment. She wondered if she was going to get the information she wanted—no—the information she needed.

"I was afraid you'd seek him out." Snape said quietly. "If you knew about your brother." Senna froze. She was appalled that her tactic actually worked. She nodded silently. "We don't know what he wants from you. He could be interested in killing you, or just using you."

Senna's eyes widened. "Really? What if he's just lonely?"

Snape's fists came down on his desk. The noise started her. "You cannot trust anything he tells you. He is a master manipulator. Whatever he's told you, just know, you cannot believe him."

"And how do you know that?" Senna asked.

"Because I've known him since he was born." Snape said angrily. His fist was still digging into the desk.

"Okay." Senna accepted. "So he's a master manipulator who wants to either use me or kill me, is that right?"

Snape didn't say anything. He nodded. His face was even paler than usual.

"So then, what's your part in this?" Senna bored into his black eyes. "Are you trying to protect me from him? Or him from me?"

"What?" He stood up straight, flicking his robe back in an indignant fashion.

"We're both equally your niece and nephew. Are you helping me? Or are you helping him?"

"Prince Stuan's goal is to end the world as we know it, and rebuild with purebloods on top. I would be mad to help him with that."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I see." She paused. "So when you said there were people who wanted to kill me, did you mean him? Prince Struan?"

Snape nodded.

"Tell me," Senna continued, "If your sister is Struan's mother, then she was fucking him—the one you guys call Voldemort."

Snape flinched. "Language!"

Senna ignored the order. "Then who was she with when she had me?" Senna asked. She tried to hide the desperation from her voice. She wanted to seem disinterested. But she had been wondering about it for years… the identity of her 'sperm donor'.

Snape did not answer right away. He stared at her with his dark eyes.

"The same one." He told her. "You and Struan are twins."

The air suddenly became thicker.

She was Voldemort's daughter too?

Senna was suddenly hyper aware of her surroundings. Time seemed to slow down. She was weirdly conscious of the cold texture of the desk beneath her fingertips, her black hair tickling her neck, and the rough stone floor beneath her feet. Her white blazer, that was part of her Brownwell uniform, suddenly felt too thin, making her feel very exposed. The top and dress pants she wore suddenly felt too tight and constricting. She took deeper breaths, the oxygen in the air wasn't enough.

But after a few moments, the wave passed. Her clothes were no longer trying to suffocate her.

She noticed that she felt… the same.

That was disappointing. She had always thought that the moment she found out who she was, it would feel different. She expected weight to leave her shoulders, maybe a sudden sense of significance, or peace. She expected that everything would come together and the world would suddenly make sense.

But none of that happened.

She was Voldemort's daughter.

Snape stood motionless, his eyes were watching her.

"Well, those rumors make a lot more sense now," Senna tried to laugh, but it sounded shaky, "Though I feel like I am the last person to know this."

Snape contemplated her reaction for a moment. "This is why I warned you, that you may not like the truth."

"It doesn't matter if I like it." Senna told him, "It is what it is."

Senna stood up then. For the first time since she arrived at Hogwarts, she had finally had enough of the truth for one day. She felt drained—and empty.

Snape watched her go without a word.

As she expected, Viola was waiting for her one corridor down from the classroom. Senna did not have the energy to tell her to bug off.

"What was that about?" Viola asked her.

Senna was mildly surprised by her tone. Her voice was low and soft. It wasn't demanding or unpleasantly nosy. She sounded genuinely curious. And not in a snotty way.

"Life is stupid. And complicated." Senna moaned.

"How so?" Again, Viola's voice was soft. Senna glanced at Viola to make sure she was actually speaking to the same human as earlier today. Viola, without her rage, was a complete stranger.

"Are you really Viola?" Senna asked, suspicious.

"Of course I am." A tiny bit of red entered her pale, freckled cheeks. Irritation crossed her face. Ah, there it was, the Viola she was most familiar with.

"Just checking." Senna almost smiled, "You're usually a lot angrier."

Viola chucked. This sound was very unfamiliar to Senna. Viola rarely laughed, and when she did, it was usually a sadistic laugh as she took entertainment from the suffering of others. "Merlin's beard, I'm too exhausted to be angry. I'm tired, and everything hurts." Viola's words were followed by a sad groan.

Senna chuckled too. "Yeah, working out will do that to you, especially if you're not used to it." They continued down the corridor. "We'll keep on doing the easy routines until your body is strong enough to do more."

Viola looked at her with horror. "That was one of the easy routines? Please tell me you're kidding."

Her energy started to return. "Afraid not." Senna laughed again. "But I'll tell you what… After dinner, could you sneak me into the Slytherin dorms?"

Viola looked at her with a suspicious expression. "Um—Why?"

"I know the best remedy for muscle fatigue and soreness." Senna winked.