Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Three

Happy reading! Have a lovely-jovely day! :)

Despite her miserable mood, Silvanna couldn't help but be pleased by Gryffindor Tower. The common room itself was filled with squashy armchairs, and cushions, and a crackling fire, and the stone walls were littered with arched windows with tables underneath, so they could see the extensive grounds. At least, in the day they could.

Her dormitory had four, four poster beds, each with thick duvets and plump pillows and a scarlet throw that matched the curtains. Marlene had thrown herself excitedly onto the bed next to Silvanna's, which threw her back up and cushioned her landing, and Mary had started peering into the wardrobe. Lily had gone to look out the window, pressing her nose to the glass to try and see something.

Silvanna didn't waste time. She hauled her trunk from her bed and quickly began to unpack her things. She had a small wardrobe next to her bed and a bookshelf all to herself. She placed all her textbooks on it neatly, before pulling out her personal books. She didn't have many. She and Severus had split the ones they shared when Silvanna had moved from the room they shared to the attic, so now she had three and he had two. Because she was the eldest. And then she had one or two from birthdays and Christmases. None of them new, of course.

Her clothes came next, but that didn't take long. Three sets of school wear, two cardigans, a pair of trousers, four blouses and two skirts, two sets of pyjamas, along with a handful of underwear and a cloak. She stowed her cauldron under her bed with her trunk and her school bag, and the telescope earned a place on the near-empty bookshelf next to her hairbrush.

Silvanna turned to Marlene, who was busy trying to shove all her clothes into her wardrobe without first folding them. "Do you know what the bathing limit is?"

"She speaks!" exclaimed Mary with a wide grin, plonking her untouched textbooks in a pile on a shelf. "I'm Mary."

"I know," said Silvanna, turning back to Marlene.

"Dunno what you mean," said Marlene with a shrug, pulling a large poster of the Holyhead Harpies from her trunk. "I didn't think there was a limit."

"What about the water bills?" scoffed Silvanna, rolling her eyes and turning to Lily. She knew she had a whole book about Hogwarts, it must say something in there.

"I don't think we worry about that," Mary chimed in helpfully. Silvanna turned around and narrowed her eyes, but the brown-haired girl's kind smile didn't budge.

"No bathing limit?" she asked slowly. At home she was only allowed to use the bath three times a week, and that was down to two if her dad spent too long in the pub.

"Nope," said Mary cheerily, going back to her unpacking. Silvanna shot a glance to Lily, but she had her nose buried in her trunk.

Cautiously, Silvanna made her way into the bathroom. There was a pile of fluffy red towels - of course, everything here was bloody red - along with a shelf stacked full of plain, labelled bottles with different kinds of soap. This one was like apples, and this one was anti-dandruff, whatever that meant. And this one was quite florally, and smelled a little like the one her mum sometimes used. Electing for that scent, as shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, she quickly turned on the shower and slipped out her robes. She tested the water with her toe and cooled it down a bit until it was lukewarm. Silvanna couldn't have it too hot, because the cuts in her back would sting too much. This temperature was the perfect one to soothe them, and she let it drip down her back until there was a pounding on the door.

"Chop, chop, Snape!" called Marlene's voice. "We're all waiting!"

Silvanna was out the shower quick as a flash, drying her hair and wrapping a towel round her. "Sorry," she muttered to Marlene as she darted past, but the girl only flashed her a grin before heading in herself.

Silvanna busied herself with getting dressed into one of her cardigans and her trousers, noticing Lily had now finished unpacking and was staring into a book, her eyes not reading the words. "Um, Silvanna?" offered Mary's timid voice.

"Mm?" she asked, not really paying attention as she picked out a book to read.

"You should probably have the matron look at those marks." Silvanna whipped her head round to glare at her, and Lily looked up from her book, eyes narrowed.

"They're from an accident," Lily said quickly, giving Silvanna an urgent look. Silvanna frowned. What was wrong with her scars? "Over the summer. Silvanna fell out a tree a scratched herself all over." This was a plain lie, because Silvanna didn't climb trees, and she wouldn't fall if she did. She glared at Lily.

"Oh," said Mary. "I was just saying...OK. Do you two know each other then?"

"We're friends," said Lily.

"We live near each other," said Silvanna simultaneously. She scowled at Lily again before settling down with a book. Mary took that as her cue to busy herself with something else. Unfortunately, this meant Lily took her own cue. She scurried the short distance between her bed and Silvanna's, sitting in the end of it. Silvanna felt the mattress sink.

"Do you think Sev will be alright?" Lily asked urgently. "On his own?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Silvanna replied tonelessly.

"Really? I don't know that much about Slytherin-" Lily began.

"They're all evil," Marlene interrupted as she left the bathroom. Silvanna got a whiff of something that smelled earthly and homely.

"They're not," she protested, outraged. "They're not," she added, more gently, to Lily.

"If you're worrying about you brother or cousin or whoever he was, I'm sure he'll be fine," said Mary, taking a seat on the end of Marlene's bed and making it a four way conversation. Silvanna buried her head in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

"Maybe we should go and check on him?" suggested Lily, nudging Silvanna with her foot.

"Merlin's beard, Lily, you're not his mum, he'll be fine!" Silvanna exclaimed. She saw in her peripherals as Lily shrank back and Marlene and Mary exchanged a surprised look, before staring at her. She could feel their eyes boring into her forehead.

She slammed her book shut, making them jump, before standing up and storming to the door. "Are you going to talk to him?" Lily asked hopefully.

"No," Silvanna snapped, before slamming the door shut behind her.