She Healed Me | Severus Snape

Chapter 17

Alright, I've been getting a lot of comments lately about continuing my stories. I'm not going to just stop writing them, I swear. It just takes me a while to update. I don't want to give you guys half-a**ed chapters, you know?

With that out of the way, let's get on with the story!

✌🏻

Listen: dreamcatcher by Alexandre Desplat

17| questioning

Severus was processing everything he learned while he waited for Lucia. She had decided to make them tea so they could relax before diving back into what was seen. He, to this day, failed to understand why she made it herself rather than calling for house elves. She claimed she's always preferred to do it herself. The sounds made by her were dull in the background as he lost himself in his thoughts.

There were multiple questions floating in his mind that he needed answers to. Forgetting those for the time being, he focused on some of the more enlightening memories he experienced. Primarily, his thoughts drifted to the relationship between Lucia and her mother. She mentioned that her mother wasn't the loving type and they didn't get along. But,  he didn't realize the extent of their issues.

He couldn't understand how Lucia's placement in Slytherin strained her relationship with her mother to the point it did. She was clearly an excellent student, but her success was tarnished by her mother's disapproval. Her mother took house proud very seriously it would seem. That, however, didn't justify the ruined relationship with her only daughter.

The arranged marriage that her mother orchestrated didn't help either. She completely ignored Lucia's feelings on the matter and was more than eager to be tied to the Abbott family. That would also explain the strained relationship between Lucia and her husband. They didn't start on a good basis and that was the precursor to where they were now.

He could feel Lucia's eyes on him as she placed the tray on the coffee table. He met her eyes briefly before dropping his gaze to the table. She was preparing a cup for herself as she waited for him to compose himself. Silently he made his own cup, but didn't drink from it yet.

"When you're ready, feel free to ask me anything." She sighed at his nod. Obviously he wasn't sure where to begin.

A few more minutes went by before Severus posed his first question. "Your mother was disapproving of your house sorting to the point of diminishing your academic excellence?"

"She was, yes."

"Why? That seems unmotherly for her to do. Surely, being sorted into Slytherin was not that bad."

"Oh, but it was." Lucia smiled sadly at him, "house pride is a very serious matter to her." She hummed to herself thinking back to what she's already told him. "Remember, most people on both my parents' sides of the family were in Ravenclaw, other than the few Gryffindors."

"And your mother's side?"

"Mostly Ravenclaw, but I'm not sure on any exceptions to that. She doesn't speak of it and I've never asked. However," she paused as she readjusted her cup to sit on her lap, "I do know of one. The only other person to be sorted in Slytherin specifically, was my aunt Ravena."

"Ah, so that is what you meant when you said you were more like your aunt."

She nodded, "right. My mother didn't like it; she said it would be a mistake to take after my aunt and I wouldn't be accepted by our family."