Éveil

003

On a beautiful, sun-kissed November day at Hogwarts, the weather was absolutely perfect, Despite most students choosing to stay indoors for lunch, Amerie and I decided to love the outdoors

"Oh, Amerie, did I mention I have my first broom lesson today? I'm actually pretty excited about it. My father thinks they're ridiculous contraptions, but I beg to differ," Soph exclaimed, dividing her sandwich into two halves, one for her and one for Amerie.

"My father was a Seeker, you know. He expects me to follow in his footsteps, but honestly, I'd rather focus on my studies. But don't worry, if you become famous, I'll be your number one fan," Amerie replied, resting her head on Soph's lap.

"Soph?" Amerie queried.

"Yes, Amerie?"

"I was thinking... could you call me Marie? I feel like I should have a cool nickname like you," she said with a grin.

"Of course, but just remember, if you ever get me angry, 'Marie' might not stick for long," Soph said playfully, winking at her.

As Soph took a bite of her sandwich, Marie observed her playing with the locket around her neck, her gaze fixed on the tranquil lake ahead. "Hey, Soph," Marie asked again, this time with a softer tone.

"Yes, Marie?" Soph replied "What's that... around your neck?"

Soph's smile faltered, and she closed her eyes, memories flooding her mind. She remembered her mother, the warmth of her hold, the joy of their laughter echoing through the fields as they played together.

But as Soph reopened her eyes, the reality of her loss hit her once more. "It was my mother's. ..." she whispered, holding back pain. "I'm sorry if I brought up a painful memory," Marie began, but Soph interrupted her.

"It's fine. She passed away when I was younger. The locket has a picture of her inside. It's a reminder that she's with me every day," Soph said, a bittersweet smile gracing her lips as she gently opened the locket.

Inside, there was a magical portrait, capturing one last precious moment with her mother. It was a photo taken by her father on Christmas, a snapshot frozen in time.

.・゜゜・・●・・゜゜・

As the girls parted ways, Soph made her way to her broom lessons, strolling through the castle and exchanging cheerful greetings with every painting she passed. When she finally reached the open fields, she found herself surrounded by Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, but to her surprise she spotted Neville among them.

With a mischievous grin, Soph snuck up behind him and gave his shoulder a playful poke, causing him to jump in surprise before recognizing her.

"Soph! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Neville exclaimed, his cheeks flushing slightly

"I didn't know you were taking broom lessons?" Soph asked, surprised to see Neville among the students.

"I wasn't planning on it, but Harry talked me into it," Neville replied, gesturing towards a boy with glasses who peeked out from behind him. "Oh, right, Harry. This is... Sophorina     Snape," Neville introduced, and Harry's eyebrows shot up in recognition.

"I've heard about you from this blabbermouth here enough... I'm glad to meet you in person," Harry said, extending his hand for a shake. "I do not!" Neville protested, playfully hitting Harry's shoulder.

Soph chuckled at their banter as Harry continued speaking, "So, you're Professor Snape's..." the boy began, his words trailing off as if he'd been smacked in the head.

"It's called 'daughter'?" Sophorina responded, a hint of confusion in her tone as she looked at the boy. "Right! Sorry... wait, so you're like blood related?" Harry questioned, prompting a swift kick to his shin from Neville. "It's just, he's quite mean, and you are..."

"Nice? ...A human?" Sophorina interrupted his assumption, her arms crossing defensively over her chest as she raised an eyebrow at him. "For the record, he is not mean. Maybe it's not him that's the problem; maybe it's someone else?" she hinted, her gaze steady

Harry stumbled over his words, and Neville's face flushed crimson "Unless you're scared..." Sophorina's voice trailed off as she looked at him again, the wind tousling her hair.

"Scared of what?" Harry retorted, meeting her gaze. "Scared I'd beat you in a race, Potter," Sophorina replied, ensuring that his name stung as it left her lips. "Scared  me? Not a chance, Snape," Harry spat back.

"Alright then..." Sophorina called her broom to her hand and took off before Potter could respond, a sly smirk playing on her lips. "Come on, Slow Poke!" she taunted as she zipped past him on her broom.

Potter stumbled as he got his broom up, eventually catching up to Sophorina until she zoomed past him, taking another lap around the field.

Harry huffed and yelled at his broom to go faster, but Sophorina passed him again, landing gracefully on the ground as Ravenclaw cheered and Neville clapped for her.

Sophorina turned around slowly, her heart sinking as she saw Professor McGonagall standing there, her expression stern and disapproving.

.・゜゜・・●・・゜゜・

Each of them sat in Headmaster Dumbledore's office as he offered them a piece of candy.

"Sir—" Harry began, but Dumbledore's hand waved him off before he could finish.

"You are not in trouble, for I have seen—" Dumbledore's words were cut off by Professor Snape barging in and rushing to his daughter's side. He checked her face for scratches, his expression turning from concern to fury as he noticed Potter sitting nearby.

"What did you do to her—" Snape started, his tone sharp with anger.

"Nothing, sir! I swear it was her idea!" Harry interjected quickly, coming to his own defense.

"Potter?" Snape turned around, his fury directed squarely at the boy.

Dumbledore interjected calmly, "It seems that the two were racing on broomsticks around the fields..."

"There has to be some sort of punishment for Potter!" Snape demanded, glaring at the boy.

"I started it, Dad..." Sophorina spoke quietly from her seat, avoiding eye contact with him. Severus sighed heavily, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"Let's go," he said to her tersely, then strode out of the room, his anger simmering beneath the surface.

.・゜゜・・●・・゜゜・

Severus took Sophorina     to his quarters, where he couldn't help but express his anger about the situation.

"What were you thinking? That could have been dangerous, Sophorina! You know how I feel about those dumb devices!" he exclaimed; his frustration evident as he paced the room.

The silence that followed was heavy, stretching on for what felt like an eternity.

"I wanted to be like her, Dad..." Sophorina    's voice trembled with emotion. "I miss her... Mom," she confessed, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Severus paused, his anger dissipating as he sat beside his daughter and gently wiped away her tear.

"Honey, I know you miss her. So do I... Not a minute goes by when I don't think of her," he murmured softly, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

The room fell into silence once more until Sophorina     spoke up timidly, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Is... that the reason... you hate brooms so much? Because of the memories you have of her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You remind me of her in so many different ways... And when I see you on the brooms, it breaks my heart to know she's gone," Severus confessed, tenderly brushing a strand of hair behind his daughter's ear.

Sophorina     sighed and hugged her dad tightly. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course," he replied, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head