Eleanor Snape- Book 3

A Victory that Ends with Defeat

"We haven't all day, Eleanor!" Uncle Severus scolded me through my bedroom door.

"I'm hurrying!" I yelled, pulling my pants on. He seemed more strict then usual today, but oddly, also more distracted. All summer he had been going to mysterious meetings, and it wasn't just stressing him, but myself. For some reason he found it necessary to drag me along with him.

"Eleanor!"

"I'm coming!" I quickly zipped my trousers up and sprinted out of the room to the sitting room. Uncle Severus was impatiently waiting for me.

"We should have left five minutes ago!"

"I don't want to go, anyway! It's weird! All I do is sit there while that Ginger and Mudblood stare at me! Can't I just stay here?" I questioned. He let out an annoyed sigh.

"Fine. I don't care at this point. I need to leave."

"Okay." I plopped down in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.

"I will be back in an hour or two." He stated before Disapparating. I slid down in the chair. I had the whole house to myself. It was just me... My eyes widened; It was just me!

I jumped up and ran straight into Uncle Severus's room. I had about an hour to find it. I looked on his personal bookshelf. It wasn't there.

 Duh.

 Of course it wasn't. Why would he hide a book on a bookshelf? Way too obvious. I had to think like Uncle Severus.

I searched under his bed; still nothing. Then I went through all of his drawers; no trace of it. It seemed like I searched his whole bedroom and still couldn't find it.

'Come on, Eleanor.' I thought, 'Where would he hide a book? Somewhere I would never look...'

"Ah-ha!" I exclaimed as i realized where it was. The ingredients cabinet! He knew I loathed potions and that I would never get in it unless he made me! That's why he wasn't making me do potions this summer!

Confident with my theory, I flung the doors to the cabinet open. Sure enough the book was sitting on the top shelf. The only problem was how was I going to get it? The last time I had tried I had ended up pulling a shelf out and breaking everything. Of course, I had grown since then...

I grabbed the stool beside it and stood up, finding that I could now reach it without any difficulty. Before snatching the book, I made sure everything was back where it had been before going into my room.

Flopping onto the bed, I flipped the book open and looked for Sectumsempra.  It only took a few minutes, but was less explanatory than I had expected. The only thing about it was written in black letters that read

Sectumsempra- For Enemies

Well, of course it was for enemies. It was obviously some kind of Dark Magic. That's not exactly something you go around using on your closest friends. But I didn't know what it did. How was I suppose to study it without anything to study? There was only one way to find out.

In life, there are sometimes where the law isn't as important as other things, and this was one of those times.

I grabbed my wand from my desk and pointed it at my pillow,

"Sectumsempra!" I yelled, and a flash of white light suddenly erupted from the tip of my wand. It violently lashed out and slashed my pillow, making a puff of feathers fly around the room. I dropped my wand, making it land to the floor with a clunk.

Wow. I could do that? I hadn't even practiced it! And that was only on a pillow. Imagine what it would do to a person! Who ever this Half-Blood Prince was, he really knew his Dark Magic. What else could be in that book?

I pushed away the now-useless pillow and sat down on my bed, putting the book on my lap. I wanted to learn more. Tonight, when I went to sleep, I was finally going to impress my father.

....................................................................................................

"Eleanor!" Uncle Severus screamed about an hour later. I immediately dropped the book and got to my feet. He sounded beyond furious. I knew better than to double cross him if he sounded like that.

I quickly kicked the Half-Blood Princes's potions book under my bed and ran into the sitting room just to run straight into my uncle.

"Er, hello, Uncle Severus!" I nervously stepped back. "Were you calling for me?"

"Tell me why this is in my sitting room!" He held out a thick piece of paper. I took it and read to myself.

Ms. Eleanor W. Snape,

It is a misfortune to inform you that from this point on you are here by suspended from attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the charge of underage misuse of magic of the Dark nature. You will be required to attend a court hearing with the Wizengameot. You're suspension may be lifted as a result. It will take place on the twenty first day of July.

Sincerely,

Dolores Jane Umbridge,

Chief Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic

I looked up at Uncle Severus.

"Well..." I trailed off. There was really no way to lie and say I didn't. The Ministry wouldn't send it if they hadn't detected anything.

"Why were you trying to do Dark Magic?"

"I was just curious!" I confessed. Technically, that wasn't a lie.

"That doesn't excuse you from following the law!" He practically spat. I took another step away.

"I"m sorry! I wasn't thinking!"

"You never are!"

"I know! I'm sorry!"

"I can't even trust you for an hour! I can't risk it again! Give me your wand!"

"What? No!"

"Eleanor!" He snapped and my world went silent. That was the kind of tone that sent chills down my spine; he sounded like my father. I swallowed and replied in a voice that was incredibly softer than the one I had used earlier,

"Yes, Uncle Severus." I went straight to my room and grabbed my wand. I silently handed it to him. He looked down at me in disappointed anger.

"You know you aren't suppose to use Magic outside of school. And Dark Magic at that! Do you know how dangerous that is? What spell were you trying to use?"

"I..." I looked down. What was I suppose to say? I couldn't tell him the truth. If I did, he would know I had the book and take it away from me.

"Yes?" He questioned instantly.

"Fiendfyre...

"What?!"

"I'm sorry. I like fire!  I just wanted to see if I could do it!"

"Dark Magic isn't something to mess around with!"

"Uncle Sever-"

"Go! I don't want to deal with you right now." His voice finally went back to it's normal volume, although it was still dripping with anger.

"Unc-"

"Go to your room!"

"Yes, Uncle." I mumbled and did as he asked. Once I was there, I laid out on my bed and closed my eyes; I needed to talk to my father.