Severus Snape: The Half Blood Prince

(99) After All This Time?

Sophie was ready to face the next year. Especially if it meant getting rid of the soul fragment of Tom and making sure Voldemort is obliterated.

Sophie had spent the next 2 weeks helping plan things with the members of the Order still at the Burrow. Sirius had gone back to Grimmauld, but Sophie stayed with Arthur, Molly, Remus, and Tonks. Sophie didn't want to have an awkward situation with Sirius, even though she knew it was unlikely.

"Alright, Molly," Sophie paused while swinging a bag onto her shoulder, "I think it's about time I head out. I won't know when Severus can talk so I should head back home for the time being. Please send an owl if any news pops up," she said as she hugged Molly and then Arthur. 

"I'm going to miss you," Tonks said as she hugged Sophie from the side.

"Oh, c'mon now, it will only be until I get more information. Plus You-Know-Who will want to... see me most likely," Sophie said as she let go of Tonks.

"Well, either way, we are still going to miss you," Remus said as he came forward with one hand in his front pocket and the other arm reached out. Sophie smiled and then hugged him as well. She had known Remus just as long as Severus so they were still very close.

"Thank you all," Sophie said while leaving through the front door. She walked a few feet away from the entrance of the house then apparated away. She wasn't necessarily thinking of any place in particular but appeared in front of the trunk of a tree. She was staring dead at it and was confused by it until she realized it was where she met Severus.

The tree was just outside of the Hogwarts boundary line so she was able to apparate there. The tree had grown old. It was nearly 26 years since she had last seen it, but its condition was still pretty fair. Its branches were 4x the length of her body now and the leaves swayed in the wind; some of the leaves were beginning to turn a brownish orange, which meant fall was coming fast.

Sophie looked behind the tree and realized Hogwarts was pretty empty. Only a few professors would be there in the summer, either protecting it or getting ready for the next semester... or even some there to grieve their dead headmaster.

Sophie even slapped herself in the face. Everyone knew she was the one to kill him. Maybe not all of the students, but most of the faculty knew. She sighed but knew she had to at least enter Hogwarts to see if Severus were there.

She made her way over to the area behind Hagrid's Hut were... she escaped the night she killed Dumbledore. Making her way past it, she realized it hadn't been fixed at all. She waved her wand and the dangled pieces became whole and the burnt edges became new. She felt worse by fixing something she technically caused, but at least it wasn't an eyesore anymore.

She then walked up the countless steps towards the courtyard and took in deep breaths when she reached the top. Her pain tolerance may have gone up thanks to the marauders, but her lung capacity and stamina did not.

"Maybe I shouldn't run upstairs when I'm not in a hurry," Sophie said as she walked around the courtyard to enter the side entrance. No one was in the halls at that time. She could hear a few distinct voices, but they were faint echoes.

Sophie came face to face with the golden griffin statue. Since Dumbledore died, there hasn't been a password needed to enter. She walked between the wings and the staircase beneath her began to move upward.

The floor beneath her shook as it came to a quick stop in front of the door to the headmaster's office. She quickly got off, not wanting another incident of her twisting or breaking her ankle. Opening the thick wooden door gave Sophie chills. Gazing around the cold empty room made her very uncomfortable.