Behind the Shadows [Book One]

Chapter Five:

Chapter Five:

Day One:

"Are you going to put anything on your plate, Miss Potter?" His drawling voice called out to me as I stared down at my clasped-in-my-lap hands. Slowly I raised brown-green eyes to connect with his onyx gaze, my brown hair falling into my eyes as I moved.

His black eyes glittered and I quickly turned my hazel orbs towards my empty plate before looking at the three plates in the middle of the dining table. Toast, eggs and bacon filled the three plates, and Professor Snape's plate had food on it, though untouched.

With his prompting I grabbed three toasts and some jam before practically inhaling it. I blushed as I realized that Professor Snape had been watching me the entire time, and even more so as he began to eat slowly, precisely and almost gracefully.

"Would you like.." Professor Snape began before stopping mid-sentence. I could see him inhale deeply before finally continuing. "..to go outside and play?"

I could feel my eyes widen in astonishment for they narrowed. Was he messing with me?

"No thank you," I muttered, glancing back at the eggs and bacon as my stomach rumbled, still hungry. The Professor stood up, taking his empty plate to the sink before turning around and leaving.

"Eat as much as you'd like," he said before exiting the dining room all together. I didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Day Two:

I sat in a dingy, well worn chair in the front room, an unused fireplace in front of me as I stared at nothing and drifted away into memory.

~~ Harry stood with his back to me, fiddling with something in his hand. His shoulders were hunched and every time I tried to look over them, he'd hide whatever it was he was playing with.

"Harry, stop being mean, I want to see what your playing with!" I pouted, my bottom lip protruding from my face like a horse's.

"I'm not playing with something, I'm fixing something and if you'd just let me finish then you can see it when I'm done!" His voice raised as he turned his head over his shoulder to stare at me and my chin began to wobble. My brother had never raised his voice to me before, he'd always been calm, loving and happy with me, never mean, never mad..

"Sorry.."

I sat on the corner of the bed we shared and felt the first tear trail down my face. Did my brother hate me too? At eight years old, the only person I'd ever been able to count upon was Harry. My uncle and aunt despised my tiny self and my cousin only liked me for his punching bag, but Harry.. Harry loved me. Did he still?

I felt a tear trail down my face and I wiped it away before turning from my brother. Immediately I had his hands around my waist as he hugged me from behind. "I'm sorry Lily."

I smiled, turning around and throwing my thin arms around him. "It's ok."

Now when I thought back to those days, I grimaced feeling nothing but abandoned by the brother I had once worshipped. I almost hated him, but like any little sister, I simply couldn't bare the thought of it.

* * *

Day Three:

I smiled, picking up Bambino and hooking the leash to his collar before taking him outside, squinting as the sunlight shone directly into my eyes. Normally, I stayed within a seeable range from the Professor's house but I thought that I'd go a bit further this time around..