Snape's family (Severus x OC)

2 The secret

If a pin had fallen to the ground, it would have made a terrible crash.

Astrid broke the tension of the moment, stepping forward and shaking the boys' hands.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled, as if nothing strange was happening. They stammered something similar, trying to sound polite. Snape, however, was looking her up and down.

"Where do you come from?"

"I was running," she answered, naturally.

"Didn't you have shift today?"

"In the end I got Mike to change it for me, so I could be here, but I will have to replace him the day he wants," her carefree and happy attitude contrasted with Snape's seriousness, although he seemed more relaxed with her in front of him. "By the way," she added, "I noticed something very strange when I was running: the air suddenly began to cool down, and everything froze around me."

"Did you hear voices?" Snape asked, suddenly worried. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Yes, and I also felt... cold, sadness..." Astrid was not able to find the right words. "I escaped from there as quickly as I could, and that's how I saw you arrive."

"Dementors in this area? We're too far from London," Snape frowned. "Are you sure you saw them?"

"I'm sure I felt them," Astrid smiled a strange smile. "You know I can't see them."

This caught Harry's attention, and he suddenly forgot about his dazed, hungover state.

"Why not?" he asked, unable to contain himself. Snape glared at him, but Astrid smiled and shrugged.

"Because I'm a muggle," she answered naturally, ignoring the wizard's discomfort. "Us muggles can't see dementors, but we can feel them," she explained.

The face Draco made at that moment was a poem, and it perfectly reflected everything he was thinking. How was it possible that a death eater had fallen so low as to marry a muggle?

Snape seemed to guess what he was thinking and shoot him a sinister look.

"Something wrong?" he asked, as if daring him to say out loud what he was thinking.

"Nothing," Draco muttered, looking away, although he seemed to be offended.

"I think it's better if I show you where you're going to sleep," Astrid intervened, in a conciliatory tone, to break the sudden tension.

Before things could get worse, she led the boys up the stairs to their rooms, quite far apart from each other.

"I suppose you already know that you should not discuss anything that happens in this house with anyone," she reminded them, still smiling. However, it seemed to Harry that she was sizing them up with her gaze.

"Don't worry, muggle, your secret will be preserved," Draco snapped petulantly. Astrid stopped dead and looked at him seriously.

"Do you have something against my condition?" she looked into his face without blinking.

"No, I'm only against those who approach people like you," he responded, defiantly.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry interrupted angrily.

"Leave it, Harry, it's not worth it," Astrid turned around with dignity, and gently pushing Harry on the back, she walked away without looking back, leaving Draco with the word in his mouth.

Draco slammed the door furious and indignant. He couldn't believe it, that muggle had dared to embarrass him in front of Potter! No one else had dared to do something like that without suffering the consequences!