Always Be You

Chapter 13

Disclaimer. I do not own Harry Potter or any of its elements, its ownership remains with JK Rowling.

Severus Snape and Heather Potter walked silently through the dimly lit halls of Hogwarts. The only sound between them was the echo of their footsteps on the stone floors. Severus led the way, his black robes billowing around him, a dark cloud that seemed to swallow the light, while beside him Heather kept pace, her expression alight with contentment as she followed his lead to the Headmaster’s office.

Severus eyes discreetly flicked downward, glancing at Heather with his brows furrowing in thought. He wasn’t sure what to think of the woman beside him. When he first heard of Heather Potter, he had decided to treat her with cold polite detachment, at that time this was all that he could afford the witch. After all, she was a Potter, and his disdain for the family was deeply ingrained. The teasing comments from the Headmaster about his lack of control when it comes to Potters had been the drive he had needed to strive for cordiality, just for the chance to prove the doddering old man wrong.

To his mind Severus believes that his aversion to Potters  in general is justified. After all, the name alone was enough to stir a simmering hatred within him—hatred that had festered ever since his first train ride to Hogwarts, where he met James Potter.

James, with his arrogant grin and effortless charm, had made Severus's life miserable. And it only grew worse when Lily, the one person who had ever truly mattered to him, ended up marrying James. The thought of Lily being blinded by James's personality, unable to see his true nature, had left Severus feeling broken. The fact that Lily had married James, one of his childhood bullies, was a betrayal Severus had never truly overcome. The birth of their son, Harry Potter, only deepened his bitterness. Severus had convinced himself that Harry was a carbon copy of his father, inheriting all of James's worst traits. He was certain that as Harry grows up that he would be a mirror image of his father—arrogant, reckless, and infuriating.

His mission to protect the boy as a means of fulfilling his promise to Lily did not help matters as he had to save the child from several life threatening experiences that could have been avoided if not for the child acting brashly. It had made Severus more determined to curb what he thought was Harry's unfortunately inherited personality.

And now, another Potter had appeared, one Severus knew little about. Heather Potter, James’s sister.

His first impression of Heather was that she seemed incredibly Muggle, an observation that made him almost dismiss her. He recalled that she had only recently learned to control her magic, and in his mind, this made her weak. Yet, when he first laid eyes on her, the first thing he did upon meeting her was attempt to penetrate her mind, expecting little resistance.

What he encountered was entirely unexpected.

Heather’s mind was fortified with impenetrable Occlumency shields, far stronger than anything he had anticipated. The moment he made contact, a flood of overwhelming emotions surged through him, emotions so intense and foreign that Severus had to retreat immediately, shaken and wary. It wasn’t just the strength of her defenses that startled him—it was the way those emotions had affected him, forcing him to feel things he had long since forgotten and closed off. It was a curious and effective defense, one that made him extremely cautious about trying it again.

What surprised him even more was Heather’s reaction—or rather, her lack of one to the intrusion. Despite Severus being certain that she had sensed that he had tried to breach her mind, she remained cordial, even respectful, in her interactions with him. It was an oddity that unsettled Severus, leaving him uncertain of how to proceed.

It was behavior he hadn’t expected from a Potter not to mention from anyone, especially for one who had just had their privacy invaded. Most people, upon realizing they were the target of Legilimency, would react with anger or suspicion, but not this woman. She seemed unfazed, and it unsettled him.