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Severus opens the dungeons door, he tilted his head inside the room signing her to get in. The brunette walks in as she hold the discarded leather jacket in one hand. With a flick of the dungeon master's wand, the wooden door swooshed. Aaliyah turns back to confront him , but she's taken by surprise as he pulls her into a hug.
After overcoming from the initial shock, she buries her head in his chest, smiling contently. She felt her throat suppressing a sob, as she finally felt safe, she felt safe in her father's arm. The past few days had been hard, regret ate her sanity as all she could imagine was Sirius menacingly screaming in the poster whilst she did nothing, nothing to prove his innocence. She wished that she was a child again, a child who made Severus bake cookies with her. A child who'd play and dance with a Binky whenever she had the chance to. A child who didn't have to worry about Harry. But she was grown up now, grown up and waiting for the inevitable battle which would happen in just a few years.
Severus tightened the embrace as he laid his cheek on her head.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly having had heard the sob, and knowing about the dementors attack in the train. The well that had formed in her throat finally broke as she started to sob clutching his robe on the back.
Noticing the haggardly jerking shoulders of his daughter, his eyebrows furrowed as he caressed the back of her head "What happened?"he tried.
"Nothing" her muffled voice spoke, detaching herself from the hug, she looks down at her feet as she answers.
"Look at me" he ordered softly. She nodded sideways as she kept looking down ,"Look at me" he tried again as he lifted her chin with his index finger. His heart broke when he saw the tear-stained cheeks and how hard she tried to not to make eye contact. "What happened?" he tried again, his voice much more softer this time.
"Do you love me?" the brunette tried to speak as she finally looked at her father's obsidian eyes.
"What?" Severus asked taken aback as he retracted his hands.
"Do you love me?"she tried again as her bottom lips quivered.
Severus didn't move as he kept his stoic expression,"more than anything"
"Then why weren't you there" Aaliyah spoke in a painful whisper. " Why weren't you there when I needed you to congragulate me be proud of me when I won the first Quidditch match . Why weren't you there all those holidays we could've had together, instead of your constant working . Why weren't you there when I needed you to hold me just because you love me."
Severus swiftly pulled her back into his arm as he mumbled "I'm sorry", there were so many things that he wanted to say, but he just couldn't,not yet. He wasn't perfect, far from it. He wouldn't admit it, but he had changed after this little girl had entered his life, he was less unjust and rude to his students, but no he wasn't perfect. Maybe it was due to his abusive childhood that made him so deprived of love, maybe because the two people he loved were dead. But it didn't matter to Aaliyah, as he'd always be the one who took her in when no one did.
"I heard an interesting story from Miss. Walters earlier, care to explain."
Aaliyah groaned finally having understood what her fellow housemate had been planning in that twisted brain of hers.
that snitch! ✿—✿—✿
"You know she is going to kill you right, when she finds out" Xena plops down on the red-cushioned Gryffindor settee.
"She was the one who trailed a dementor!" Amelia protested childishly, folding her arms on her chest.
The door flies open, and a very irked Aaliyah stood on the other side as her tormenting eyes search the room for her target. "You!" she drawled dramatically as her eyes finally laid on the blonde.
"Me?" Amelia asked, as she placed her pale arms on her chest , feigning a shock in mild amusement
"You told on me!", the former took a dangerous step towards the unbothered blonde "to my dad!"
"What makes you say that?" Amelia lazily turned a page of the book that she had just picked up, as she plopped herself next to the Ravenclaw.
"Gee I don't know, maybe because he told me! And now," the brunette digs in her boots as she picks up her wand.
"Uh" Amelia trudged slowly backwards, having had got to her feet," let's just talk it out"
"Five"
"Wha-what is she doing?" Amelia stutters confusedly as she looks at Xena for an answer.The curly- haired girl, just shrugs with an amused smile, not knowing where this was going.
"Four" Aaliyah tightens the grip on her wand handle.
"Four what? Four minutes?"Amelia asked incredulously, backing up ever so slightly.
"Three"
"Two"
"One" she whispered
✿—✿—✿
After having chased Amelia around half of the Gryffindor dorm, the duo panting exhaustedly, sat down on the red settee.
"Bertie Botts?" Xena offered her almost passed out friends.
They answered with a soft 'thanks' as the room engulfed in a comfortable silence. Soon they were interrupted by the snooty head boy, Percy.
"What are you girls doing up?" the red head asked.
"Uh, eating" Aaliyah stated the obvious.
"I happened to be the school headboy, and a Gryffindor at that. And I don't want you three getting our points decked, for being late to class tomorrow , that too with a Professor like Hewwit."
"Who?" Amelia scrunched her face in disgust as she spit out the vomit flavored candy.
"Didn't you listen to the speech?"Xena spoke up.
"I was eating, and that old ha-" she stops when she receives a glare from the brunette,"and the old man talks a lot."
Aaliyah offered Percy a boogey flavored Bertie Botts, which he accepts as he didn't know the flavor. His face turns green as he puts a hand on his mouth, immediately gagging as he runs to the nearest washroom, as the trio tried to suppress their laugh.
"Who's Hewwit anyways?" Amelia asked again.
Aaliyah started explaining whatever her father had explained about the new charms teacher who was teaching the 6th and 7th yearers. Lesley Hewwit . He was a retired professor from Ivermorny and his work there impressed Dumbledore . Severus was a bit taken back, when the young witch told him that he wasn't there in any books and he definitely wasn't a professor in Hogwarts in any of them. Both decided to keep an eye on him.
Amelia bursted out laughing, hearing the name.
"Hewwit?" Aaliyah guessed
"No"Amelia rubbed the tears from her eyes, clutching her stomach"Lesley"
