Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Beauty
That's what the brunette thought when she looked outside the huge bay window.
The newly clothed trees rose as white fairytale beings in that wintry landscape before her eyes, and the dim clouds showered bounty of snow on the first yearers who were squealing happily, trying to catch a few snowflakes in their covered palms.
She pulled her knees to her chest as she continued to read her book. A black silhouette caught the corner of her eyes, Snuffles. The canine was looking at the falling snow, and if you observed carefully it looked like he was trying to catch it with its paws. She made a mental note to bring some food to the dog later on.
She rubbed her fingers, missing the touch of the coffin nail in her hands. It was like an instinct, each time she thought about Sirius her hand searched for a cigarette as the regret had deeply plagued her brain.
The mental turmoil, to whether smoke or not had lessened every time she was with him, every time she was with Remus. His plump lips were the nicotine that she oh so craved.
It had been almost a week since their first kiss, but due to the constant classes and quidditch practices they didn't have the time to even converse.
"What's wrong?"
She snaps out of her day dreaming as she looked up at her father's towering figure, concern creasing his pale face.
"Nothing, why do you ask?"
"You have that look in your eyes" he states as he continues to read her face, to read her eyes. He furrows his eyebrows, finally understanding the look.
Regret
"Tell me" he persuades "What's wrong?"
Before she could answer,
"Professor?" Draco interrupted as he stood by the door.
"What is it Malfoy?" Severus questioned, swiftly turning to his godson's direction. Both of them slightly alarmed by the Slytherin's mucky clothes.
"May I speak with you?" Draco retorted impatiently.
"We're not done" Severus warned Aaliyah as he walked towards Draco. Aaliyah waved at the younger boy, who waved back smiling, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. Severus closed the door from behind, not wanting to disturb the brunette.
After what felt like a year , the door flew open and Severus walked in with Harry trailing behind.
"Sit," said Severus commanded Harry not minding that Aaliyah was there too.
Aaliyah skimmed Harry with her eyes, searching for any sort of injury knowing very well the boy's a magnet for trouble. He seemed to hastily rub something inside his pockets without her dad's notice.
Mud, the elder Gryffindor guessed.
Feeling eyes on him Harry looked at Aaliyah, who just gave him a comforting smile to relax his nervous demeanor.
Harry returned an awkward smile before he sat on a nearby chair. Severus, however, remained, standing.
"I can leave if you want me to" Aaliyah asked Severus knowing very well that he'd not let her go, he enjoyed her company though he won't admit it.
"No" Severus mumbled lowly "Stay" he continued avoiding eye contact, avoiding that smug look on her face.Which he had guessed right because the witch curled back to her original seat grinning ear to ear triumphantly. His menacing gaze underlying with utter annoyance glared at the younger student.
It shocked Harry, how soft his potions master sounded. It seemed eerie, very eerie.
"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter," said Severus
Harry didn't say anything, just noticing the change of his tone it was back to being monotoned.
"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley -- apparently alone."
Still, Harry didn't speak.
"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"
Harry tried to look mildly surprised.
"I don't know, Professor."
Severus' eyes were boring into Harry's as Aaliyah shifted on her seat, not wanting to miss what was about to go down.
"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"
"No," said Harry, now trying to sound innocently curious.
"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair."
There was a long silence
"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey," said Harry. "If he's seeing things like --"
"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?" said Severus softly.
Aaliyah giggled at this, Severus sent her a look before he continued.
"Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade."
"I know that," said Harry, striving to keep his face free of guilt or fear. "It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin --"
"Malfoy is not having hallucinations," snarled Severus, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. "If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you."
"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower," said Harry. "Like you told --"
"Can anyone confirm that?"
"I can" Aaliyah shrugged as she folded her legs, now facing the other two.
Severus sighed as he looked at her again, "You've been here since morning Aaliyah"
"What I meant to say was-," she got up from her seat "I can confirm that Harry was in the Gryffindor Tower as I know someone who was with him"
"And who might that be" Severus faced his body towards his daughter, folding his arms.
"Amelia Walters"
"Miss Walters is in detention with your Charms teacher" Severus smirked back triumphantly
"Oh"
Harry facepalmed, "I did not know that" the brunette awkwardly mumbled as she sat back down
"So," he said, looking back at Harry. "Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences."
Harry stayed silent. She knew that Severus was trying to provoke him into telling the truth. He wasn't going to do it. Snape had no proof -- yet.
"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter," Severus said suddenly, his eyes glinting. "He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers...The resemblance between you is uncanny."
"My dad didn't strut," said Harry said unaware of the brunette lip synching with his words, "And neither do I."
"Your father didn't set much store by rules either," Severus went on, pressing his advantage.
"Dad"Aaliyah warned as she looked at her fathers face full of malice.
"Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen --"
