Leah Potter: Found at Last (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter 8: Answers

Chapter 8: Answers

Dumbledore and Snape watched as Leah’s breathing slowed to a calm, relaxed pace. Her body was empty of the tension and fear that had possessed it minutes before. Both looked down at the girl, pity and sadness filling their hearts. Snape’s eyes glimmered with tears he would never shed and he no longer tried to keep up his emotionless façade.

Madam Pomfery bustled out of her office. “Thank you gentlemen, but now I must ask you to leave. Both Miss Potter and I need proper rest.” Her voice was firm but soft. She looked down at the young girl and knew exactly how they felt. It was impossible to look at the sleeping girl and not see a younger Lily Evans. Her heart reached out to her the moment she had first beheld the girl in Snape’s arms, broken and terrified.

"Thank you Poppy." Professor Dumbledore said as he got to his feet. His ageless face seemed far more lined than when he had entered the Hospital Wing. Snape gave a curt nod and followed suit. They left Madam Pomfery pulling privacy curtains around Leah's bed. 

As the Hospital Wing doors closed behind them the two men picked up their pace, knowing where they were heading. Their feet carried them swiftly down the dark, empty corridors, an unspoken agreement to silence hanging between them. Both carried emotionless faces, but torrents of emotions flew through their minds.

"Acid Pops."

Professor Dumbledore's voice spoke suddenly into the darkness. A torch flared on the wall and the stone gargoyle leaped aside, revealing the ever-circling staircase. They stepped on and waited for it to carry them up to the oak door at the top of the stairs.

The door swung open before them, needing no command. A large, circular office was uncovered, numerous portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses set around the high stone walls. Shelves carrying books and other artifacts were set around the walls and various silver instruments with spindly legs sat around the room on little tables. 

Professor Dumbledore took a seat in a large winged armchair behind the mahogany desk. He waved his wand in a great sweeping motion and a small, thin chair appeared out of thin air facing the desk. Snape gave the seat a half-hearted scathing look, then sank into it, put his head in his hands and sighed, his breath rushing out of his mouth in a heavy stream.

There was silence for a few moments. "So..." The dark-haired professor breathed softly, still looking into his lap.

"So indeed." Dumbledore said, sighing as he looked out the window in the wall down to the still grounds.

"What will we do with her Headmaster?"

It was obvious that Snape was trying not to think about the chilling news they had heard. His voice was quaking slightly and he refused to meet the older man's eye. "Will she be moved to the student dormitories?"

"In time, Severus. Perhaps for now she will stay in a spare room, maybe mine or Minerva's."

"Not mine, Sir?" He lifted his head just enough to see the twinkle returning to the older man's blue eyes.

"That will be her choice Severus. When the time comes. She will need to be kept close and watched over, just in case and will need private lessons in order to catch up to the other students her age. Her ignorance of the Wizarding World should be a small hurdle to jump."

"But will she be integrated into student life at all?"

Dumbledore sighed, looking down at the man before him. "For the time being I think not. Either her 'guardian', for lack of a better word, will feed her or she will be brought meals by a house elf. It would also be unwise to let Dolores Umbridge discover her true identity, as it could easily prove disasterous. Whatever happens, the Ministry must not know of her."

"And why not?" Snape's voice rose angrily. "If the Ministry had known about her she could have been safe! Someone would have kept and eye on her! Someone from the Ministry would have found her before the Death Eaters!" He panted a bit from his yelling, but Dumbledore still looked serene, his fingers steepled in front of him as though he had not a care in the world.

The silver-haired man sighed a long sigh. "I do not know Severus. I know some things- most things. But I do not know everything. If I tell you the whole story will you cease your questions for the time being?"

"I cannot promise anything." He said coldly, glaring at the headmaster. There was silence before Dumbledore spoke again.

"You will get your answers."

Before Snape could argue, Dumbledore stood up and strode over to a hidden cabinet lined with mirrors where a shallow stone basin sat. He brought the bowl over to the desk, the silvery liquid inside swirling as if it were caught in the wind. He then raised his wand to his temple and drew it slowly away, more silvery wisps of memory caught on the wand tip.

With a swift flick of his wrist the older man dropped the memories into the Pensive and gestured for Snape to come forward.

He did so, almost reluctantly, though his eyes shone with a burning curiosity. The two colleagues stood, pausing for a moment, before reaching out a finger, touching the surface of the shining liquid and falling into Dumbledore's thoughts.

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So maybe the chapter is wrongly titled.... answers are actually coming in chapter 9! :D haha, fooled you! Thanks so much for your guys' support!!! It's really helped me to get this chapter out before the weekend!

For those watching LLP~BTtP or EML, those should both be updated sometime soon, I just need to finish typing the next chapters and try to come up with a sorting hat song... which is a lot harder than I thougt it would be... so I'll see about that... :P I might just scrap it all and figure out some way of getting around it.

Thanks again for reading and for the support!!! :D :D :D 

~Megan <3