You're Not Sorry [EN]

O16 • You're not sorry...

The weekend had gone by quickly, and the same dream had kept coming back to me every night since. I was glad to have received a letter from Professor Dumbledore that Sunday evening, asking me to come and visit him for a little chat.

Perhaps I could ask him about these dreams then...

"Oh, I'm sorry professor," I quickly said once I'd entered the office and saw Professor Snape standing there, appearing to be discussing something with the headmaster. "I can come back later if you are busy."

"Not at all, Audrey," Dumbledore said with a smile on his wrinkled face, gesturing for me to come inside. A little uncertain, I stepped through the door, slowly closing it behind me. "Professor Snape and I were just about to finish."

I nodded, quietly making my way towards the funny-looking desk. Professor Snape was staring at me with a strange expression on his face.

"She looks like her mother, doesn't she?" Dumbledore suddenly asked, making me look up at the old wizard anxiously. What was he doing?!

"It's hard not to see the resemblance," Professor Snape muttered, still staring at me with that strange look in his eyes. "Perhaps — she looks a little too much like her mother."

Was it really that easy to tell?

I felt my throat tighten, a little panic washing over me. "D-did you know my mother?" My voice was shaking, not sure if this all were such a good idea. If he really knew my mother, how had he found out about it? Had Professor Dumbledore told him? Or had he simply guessed? How many others knew about this as well?

"Of course I knew your mother. She was the Prefect of Ravenclaw when I was attending Hogwarts. It's hard to forget someone like her," Snape said without twitching a single muscle in his face.

I quickly looked over at Professor Dumbledore with pleading eyes, not sure what to say next.

"Don't fret, Mccloud," Professor Snape sighed irritably when he noticed my panic. "Professor Dumbledore has made me promise not to say a word of this..."

"What about the other professors? Do they too know who my mother is?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Professor McGonagall was very shocked indeed when she came back from giving you that letter — and even though I tried convincing her otherwise — I'm afraid I did not succeed at that. I'm sure you can understand why. Professor McGonagall is very... let's say... she's the perfect example of a Gryffindor!" He chuckled at his own words.

"What about Professor Flitwick? Wouldn't he have figured it out by now?" If Professor McGonagall had, I'm sure the head of my mother's House would have too — he was a Ravenclaw after all.

Professor Dumbledore folded his hands behind his back, staring at me with that constant calmness in his pale blue eyes. "He has been guessing, I assume, but you're still considered to be a muggle-born. I'm sure he just thinks of you as someone who looks like one of his old students."

"The other professors might simply not remember her, or quietly wonder. But no one would really expect you to be her daughter. No one even knew she had a daughter — myself included," Professor Snape added, finally diverting his gaze to the wall behind me, seemingly starting to get bored with this conversation. "Now, if you'll excuse me, headmaster, I need to get back to my office before my potion starts having a life of its own."

"Of course, Severus. I'd be happy to hear when it's done!" Dumbledore said with a faint smile on his face. They walked towards the door, exchanging a few more hushed words on top of the stairwell, before Professor Dumbledore returned to his office, closing the doors behind him.