Sincerely yours I Severus Snape - A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Letters

Rain poured down softly, making the driveway slimy and slippery. Mary kicked a small rock and watched as it flew across the garden right into the corpse of a rose bush. She remembered how her mother used to take precise care of the garden, but now it looked like nothing beautiful and fresh could ever grow there. She smirked lightly and turned around to look at the old and crumbled stone house behind her. Home, she thought. And yet this time tomorrow, she would be far away, never to return. Mary closed her moss-green eyes and let a single tear fall on her cheek. "Mother", she whispered, "will you come with me?" As if the clouds had heard her, the first flash of lightning tore through the sky.

"Mary!" A solemn voice broke the lyric atmosphere. "Get inside. Now!" the man said and slammed the door shut. Mary sighed, took a very last look at the lifeless garden, and started climbing up the steep stairs. She carefully opened the red door and took a step inside. "Uncle?" Mary's voice, soft and mellow, echoed in the dark, cold hallway. No response. Mary started to approach the dim source of light coming from the room on her right. As she peeked through the corner, she saw a middle-aged, plump man sharpening a knife.

Mary gulped. "Um, excuse me?" she squeaked. The man working in front of her didn't show a slim sign of hearing. Mary straightened her back and took a deep breath. "Excuse me?", she now spoke in a loud, clear voice. The man stopped sharpening the knife and turned around. As his eyes met with Mary's, a wide smile spread across his face. "Ah, Miss Montgomery!" the man greeted her happily. "How may I assist you?" he asked. "I was just wondering if you know where my uncle is", Mary asked, trying to force a smile on her face. The man furrowed his bushy eyebrows and tapped his fingertip onto his chin. "Mr. Montgomery? I think he is in his office", the man said, his strong French accent vibrating in the air. "I see, thank you Mathéo", Mary said and turned around to leave. "Ah, but Miss Montgomery!" Mathéo called. Mary turned around, a questioning expression on her face. "Ought you to be leaving soon?" Mathéo asked. A tense laughter escaped Mary's lips. "Yes, Mathéo, I am leaving quite soon. I just need to find my uncle first", she explained and left before Mathéo could further continue the conversation.

Mary walked across the hallway, past the shadowy staircase, and turned around the corner, only to almost run into her uncle. "Sorry!" Mary mumbled. Her uncle stood still and looked at Mary with an uninterpretable expression written on his face. "We are to leave in fifteen minutes", Mary's uncle said. His voice was stern and raspy, eyes fixed somewhere far away. Mary nodded in acknowledgement.

Mary's uncle, Theodore Montgomery, was a tall and slender man, with dark brown eyes and golden hair. He had the kind of moustache that would curl up at the ends, making him look as if he was almost smiling. That was the closest thing to smiling Mary's uncle had been able to ever since Mary's mother had passed away. Mary's mother was quite the opposite of Mary's uncle; she was kind and loving and always smiling. According to Mathéo, Mary was a perfect replica of her mother. They both had dark brown hair, green eyes, fair skin, and a pointy nose. Mary and her mother, Kathleen, were both keen on all sorts of herbs, flowers, and plants, which is why the fading garden was such a bereavement to Mary. After Kathleen's death her father, Matthew, had fallen ill. Being busy taking care of her father, Mary hadn't had any time to take care of the garden. She had a small greenhouse, but it was big enough to only grow the herbs necessary to ease Matthew's ails. Although Mary had spent most of her waking hours trying to mend her father's disease, the life had slowly slipped away of the once strong and powerful wizard. On June 7th, a month after Mary's 19th birthday, her father finally lost the prolonged battle of life and death and he had passed away. 

Due to her father's illness, Mary had to delay her return to school. Now, after five years, Mary was finally able to restart her fourth year of school. Mary and her uncle had sent dozens of letters, trying to find a school that would take Mary in, even if she was already 19 years old. After a long and intense letter exchange one, only one, school had accepted Mary. It was the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.