The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 24- Two Sides

Sabrina hated being cruel to Lily, who was her oldest friend. But she knew that she had no choice.
Lily was a good person, who Sabrina had a hunch would leave school and join the Order of the Phoenix, which was a secret organisation that fought against Voldemort, and was rumoured to be lead by Dumbledore.
Sabrina on the other hand was now a death eater, so she had to stop being friends with Lily, to keep them both safe.
It was hard seeing Lily around school after that, but Sabrina hoped that over time it would get easier.

Severus seemed to notice that Lily and Sabrina seemed unusually cold toward each other. So one evening, when the common room was rather empty, he sat down at his sisters table.
Since Regulus had Quidditch practice, Sabrina was sitting alone, working on her homework.
"What's wrong with you and Lily?" Questioned Severus.
Sabrina sighed and put down her quill, "We aren't friends any more. Not that it is any of your business".
"Why not? What went wrong?" Asked Severus.
"Nothing went wrong. I just told her that we couldn't be friends any more"
"Why don't you want to be friends with Lily any more?".

"I shouldn't have to explain that answer to you. Lily is a Gryffindor with a very different future ahead of her, than what is in store for us. Continuing our friendship in secret was just getting too risky" admitted Sabrina.
"I would give anything to have Lily back as a friend, and you've thrown your friendship with her away, as if it meant nothing to you" replied Severus.
"I know you would. But things are different for us. You embrace being a half-blood, whereas outside of this school I pretend to be a pure-blood. If the people I associate with, found out I was friends with a Muggle-born, they would treat me differently. And I can't afford for that to happen, I have to fit in, to survive".

"I don't enjoy being a half-blood" informed Severus.
"Don't lie to me. I know what you call yourself, half-blood prince" replied Sabrina.
"Where did you hear that name?" Questioned Severus.
"It's written in your potions book, and I saw it at home ages ago. You embrace being a half-blood, but you don't see me calling myself the half-blood princess, that's what makes us different"
"Speaking of home, I was surprised when I returned there during the holidays and found that you had run off"
"I didn't exactly run off, I just left"
"But you're only 16"
"So?"
"So you're not allowed to decide where you live"
"Well, mother isn't likely to tell the Ministry that I've moved out, and my new parents aren't either".

"What happens if you break up with Regulus? Where will you go then?" Quizzed Severus.
"That will never happen. Me and Regulus have been together for years, and nothing will ever change how we feel about each other" insisted Sabrina.
"Don't tell me that you are naive enough to believe that love lasts forever" scoffed Severus.
"Well, I think that it can sometimes. It depends on the situation. For example, I think that you will always love Lily, even though she hates you"
"You know nothing of my feelings for Lily"
"You might hide them well. But I know you big brother, and I know how much she means to you. Which is why I am sorry that you will never get to be together"
"Lily might change her mind about be, in the future".

"Now who is being naive... Look, Lily is good, so she will never want to associate herself with death eaters like us" admitted Sabrina.
"We aren't death eaters yet. And if Lily said that she loved me, I would turn my back on dark magic forever" revealed Severus.
"I don't think you could really do that, because I know how much you love the dark arts. You are more passionate about them than anything else, so I don't think you could give up dark magic that easily. Besides, most people already think that Slytherins are death eaters, so there is no going back now"
"Well, you're not. You don't even believe in the dark lords ideology".

Sabrina's eyes flicked to her left forearm, and she decided it was time to tell her brother the truth, while she had the chance.
"I might not fully believe in everything he preaches. But I'm closer to him than you are right now" she said quietly.
Severus frowned, not understanding what she meant.
"What is that supposed to mean?" He questioned.
"I'm not really allowed to say... But after Lucius and Narcissa's wedding, your good friend Bellatrix, took me and Regulus to meet someone" revealed Sabrina.

"You're lying. Why would he want to meet two underage students?" Asked Severus.
"Why would I lie, since it's not exactly something I'm proud of, or wanted to happen? I still don't know why he wanted us to join him so young. But we did, since he didn't give us another choice. So we are both servants of the dark lord now. That was why I had to stop being friends with Lily, I didn't want her to get caught up in my death eater life. I had to keep her safe" admitted Sabrina.
"If what you say is true, then you can introduce me to him"
"No, I can't. I'm not trusted enough to bring friends along to meetings. Besides, no one outside of school knows that we are siblings, and I don't want them to learn the truth about me. If you want to join him, then you will have to ask Bellatrix to introduce you, because I won't do it".

"Bellatrix says she will once I've left Hogwarts, but I was thinking that if you are already one of them, you could get me in early" said Severus.
"Wouldn't you rather he want you because of your accomplishments, and not because your sister introduced you to him?" Asked Sabrina.
"But I want to join him as soon as possible"
"If Bellatrix has promised to take you to him, then she will, you just have to be patient. Besides, you won't be of use to him while you're in school, so you might as well just wait until you have finished your education".

"What is he like?" Questioned Severus.
"I don't want to talk about him. Remembering the night I met him makes me nervous and gives me extreme anxiety. I didn't spend much time with him, but from what I observed, he seemed just as powerful and terrifying as people say he is" answered Sabrina.
"I can't wait to meet him"
"I really wish that you would stay out of all this"
"I can't. Like you said earlier, we are both in too deep now to turn back"
"Yes, I suppose we are".