Dark Magic

Dumbledore's Office

"Professor Dumbledore?" I questioned, as I stepped into his office. He seemed confused by my presence, but welcomed me into his room, nonetheless. "Miss Potter? How can I be of assistance?"

He motioned to the empty chair opposite his desk, allowing me to take a seat. I waved my hands in refusal, however, "I won't be long. I-just have a question, that's all."

He nodded, leaning back in his seat casually. "Very well."

I took a deep breath, "Do you think that the sorting hat might have made a mistake? About sorting me into Slytherin?"

The Professor let out a small chuckle, amused by my question. "Hm! Your brother came to my office only the other day asking the same question. Are you unhappy in Slytherin, my dear?"

I felt a little astounded by his comment. Why would Harry ever doubt being in Gryffindor? I sighed, shrugging as my gaze averted to the floor, "I'm not really sure, Sir. Members of my house have said I should not be associating myself with outsiders; my brother included."

The wise man sighed, a little disappointed by my statement. "Unfortunately, some Slytherins are not always the most accepting. I would take their threats with a pinch of salt." He spoke soothingly, making me feel somewhat at ease. We sat in silence for a few moments, before Dumbledore spoke again, "There is something else bothering you, Miss Potter."

I nodded at his statement, "Indeed, Professor. I noticed that I am a little younger than the other first years...Why is that?" My eyes met his azure blue ones, filled to the brim with knowledge I knew I would never hold.

He smirked, linking his hands together in his lap as a low hum escaped his lips, "Hm...I suppose, it would not be wise to keep the truth from you, my dear. As I am sure you are aware, you are excelling compared to the other first years in your classes. You see, each child that is born, whether they be Muggleborn, half-magical and half-mortal or Pureblood; they have a mark. This is detected by the Ministry of Magic. We knew of your whereabouts since you was born and, after finding that you had moved around an awful lot as a child, we began investigating..." The Professor paused, allowing me a moment to take everything in.

"Each of your foster families had reported strange occurrences, that only grew over the years to the point where we decided, it would not be wise to keep your heritage from you. Not to mention, a certain Professor was eager to get you out of that Godforsaken orphanage." He sighed, exasperated. I could guess the teacher that had brought my situation to Dumbledore's attention. And that thought brought a small smile to my lips.

"That makes sense, I suppose." I sighed, leaning against one of the pillar's made from stone. "Thank you, Professor." 

The Headmaster nodded, "Of course, my dear. And if you ever have any questions in the future..." He trailed away, which I returned with a curt nod, myself.

"Thank you, Sir. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Miss Potter."

The hallways were completely empty, as most of the students had retired to the common room for bed. Even the ghosts were sleeping. Yet it could not have been later than 10pm. I wandered through the corridors aimlessly, hoping to find my path cut short by the Slytherin common room. Only that never happened. Instead, I found myself standing outside a certain Professor's classroom, knocking thrice on the door. 

"Enter." The muffled instruction emitted from beyond the door and as I stepped inside, I found the Potions Master sifting through different vials in the classroom. He turned to face me as I stepped into the room. "Miss Potter." He said my name almost as though he had expected me, and nobody else to be in his room so late at night.

I nodded, "Good evening, Professor Snape."

He huffed, folding his arms across one another, "I thought we agreed no more detours?"

I nodded, biting my lip. "I know, but I was on my way back from Professor Dumbledore's office and I thought-"

"-What were you doing in the Headmaster's office?" He cut my sentence short.

I sighed, shrugging, "I had some questions, that's all." I stated as a matter-of-factly. He tilted his head to one side, intrigued, "Questions - about what?"

"Why I started a year earlier than I should have....And why I was sorted into Slytherin.." I trailed away, a little embarrassed that I was informing my head of house about my concerns. He scoffed, collecting some books from each table where the students would sit. He was aggressive-angered by my remark. I could hardly blame him.

"So Slytherin house is not good enough for you, Potter. By all means, feel free to leave whenever you wish." He spat venomously.

I found myself a little taken aback by his tone, trying to subdue my shock for a moment. "No, it's not that, Sir I-...I've only ever known loneliness my whole life." The Professor came to a halt in his tracks. 

"I've never had any friends or family...I s-suppose it was foolish of me to believe Hogwarts to be any different." I felt my eyes beginning to sting with tears, and I took some deep breaths in attempt to make them disappear.

I turned back towards the doorway, not really knowing why I had came to the Potions classroom in the first place. Perhaps, I just enjoyed Professor Snape's company. He was the only person that had not treated me as though I was different to everyone else. He gave me the same treatment as any other student with his snide comments and irritable personality. He made me feel almost...normal.

"Do you know what you do...When the world makes you feel different?" I sighed at his comment as my hand brushed against the door handle, turning slowly to face the teacher as a single tear cascaded down my cheek. His charcoal eyes met mine, as he took a black handkerchief from his cloak pocket and handed it to me, allowing me to dry my tears.

I shook my head, watching as his eyes narrowed with determination.

"You show no weakness."

"You show no tears."

"And you make yourself...frightening."