Somebody You Loved

Chapter Six ~ Somebody's There

        They had climbed the stairs of Hogwarts for what seemed forever; step after step, hall after hall. That is until they reached the oak door of the highest tower in the castle. Snape and Vega had walked the way in silence, except when discussing it would be best to stay quiet on the journey, for the purpose of keeping all asleep. Vega stuck her hand out to the door, slowly pushing it open with a slight creak every few inches. The both of them silently swept through the doorway and shut the door behind them before taking a long, deep breath.

        That's when Vega looked out onto the night sky for the first time, in awe. She gazed upon the sprinkles of light as she slowly drifted toward the railing. For a moment, she got lost in the history and beauty of the pitch-black void known only as night. Vega began to name all the constellations she could remember, and even looked upon the very star she had been given the name of. For quite some time, she basked in the tranquility of the subtle light of the half-moon, and the occasional chirp of crickets. Vega had forgotten all about the other occupant in the tower; the man standing right beside her.

        "It is such a mysterious thing, space. I've always had an interest in it, always wondered what was behind it's infinite mask." Snape leaned his crossed arms against the railing.

        "It is quite fascinating. I've looked at the night before, and everytime, I would tell myself that if each unique star could find a solar system for itself, I would be capable of fitting in too." Vega looked up at Snape, "But, that seems impossible now. I'm a Slytherin with Lily Potter's wand, daughter of a werewolf and without a single galleon to spend. Not to mention, meeting two decent kids that had to, of course, be sorted into Gryffindor." On her last few words, Vega started to choke up a bit. But she was forced to forget her feelings when Snape did something unexpected. 

        He wrapped a single arm around Vega. 

        Snape gave it a few moments before speaking, "You can't change that which has happened. You must force yourself to think beyond your abilities to keep a half-decent life brewing. Life will cut you down and tell you you're not worth it, but you can't stop it. No matter how hard you try, you'll always fail. It's what you do when you get back up that matters."

        Vega leaned her head against Snape, which made him flinch. It was very clear that he wasn't used to any of it.

        For a while, they stood peacefully watching the moon rise higher and higher, until Vega just couldn't let go of one detail that had been bugging her for a while.

        "Why are you so nice to me?" Vega questioned.

       "I don't know what you mean," he stared back quizzically.

        "I mean out of all the chances you had to avoid me and all the times you could have got me in trouble, you chose and keep choosing to talk to me and be more kind to me than you're clearly used to. Why?" Snape seemed to be at a loss for words so she kept going, "I know you have a reputation of being terrible to students. The Slytherins were talking about how you're only decent to them because you share the same house. They also said you'd been after the Defense Against the Dark Arts post for a while. So I don't get why you talk to me so much; a random girl with no money and zero friends. Is it because of whatever you and Minerva are hiding from me?" She stared into his eyes searching for answers. 

           The last remark made his eyes gain size and his arm come off Vega’s shoulder. "How do you know we are hiding anything?" He asked, concern etched upon his face.

            "I heard Minerva yelling at you from behind her door. Something about getting too close to me. But, why does that matter, anyways?"

            "It matters because you're not supposed to know a thing," Snape retorted. 

            "What is so important that you have to keep from me? Why am I so important to you?" Vega was yelling now. 

           All she wanted was answers, and she was closer to knowing more than she had been all her life. She had gotten used to eating one meal a day and wearing the same clothes for a week, but she could never get used to the lies she was told and the secrets kept from her. As far she was concerned, that's all her life has been made with; secrets and lies. Vega was fed up with it.

            There was a moment's silence between the two. In that moment, Vega’s words seemed to float in the air, ringing back in her own head. She didn’t regret saying it, however, she wished Snape wouldn't take so long to reply. But, then she noticed a sparkle in his eyes, that which she had seen only once before in him. Snape had started to cry, and while he tried so desperately to hide it, there was no hiding the guilt he felt.

            "Vega, there will be moments like this where I am forced to keep things from you. I wish I didn't have to, but I swore I wouldn't say a thing. You must trust me when I say that I care about you more than the world itself." His voice cracked, "I desperately hope one day I will be able to tell you the truth, because I know you can't handle the unknown. You'll just have to live with the fact that I am kind to you for a while." He wiped away the single tear that tread down his face.

            Vega stared at him for a while trying to pick apart what Snape had said. But she still felt she had to add a thing more before she went back to her miserable school life, "Promise me that you won't abandon me."

             "I swear."

           Vega nodded. She looked up at him and gave a slight grin. Then, she hung her head low and walked out of the tower, back to her common room. She hated to go back, but she knew she would have to at some point. But, going back would mean starting over. She would have to meet new people, face new challenges, and try to uncover what was being hidden from her. 

            Vega knew not of the adventures she would have in her coming years, but she would soon face the daunting problems of her past with a group of three younger students, one of which was closer to her than she would realize.