TRIGGER WARNING
Blurry images of little girls in blue uniforms filled her vision, they laughed each time they swung higher suddenly they were no girls or swings but a beautiful garden with orange maple leaves put in a heap. A boy hardly three or four years old jumped into it , his evergreen laughter filling every corner of her mind.
" You're not trying " Snape tried to make his daughter understand. The tables were pushed back to create more space and in the middle stood Diana with her wand drawn at her father.
" I am ! I am trying my best " Occlumency was no joke. Even though she was somewhat a natural she still needed a bit of practice every now and then. And that was exactly what they were doing on a school evening. A headache was forming and just the thought of the amount of homework left to do made her even more tired.
" I know you are trying but you have to try harder "
Diana to some level knew that her father believed in the return of the dark lord and he was worried. Every time they practiced he spoke about some kind of future junction where she'll have to use occlumency to protect herself. It was all very vague to her.
" I think this is enough for today "
Severus sat in his office and stared at the new quill stand Diana got him . He always made sure to use it while he was working. The snippets of his daughter's childhood he had seen in her mind plagued him. If he had known about his kids earlier on , could he still have provided a better childhood ?.
Had they been raised in Spinners End, the sweet monotony of childhood would surely vanish from their lives but Severus would try everything in him to stop anything like that fateful night in may.
Elowyn Williams was a law student in America . He had met her during one of his death eater visits back in '79. Regulas Black was missing and the dark lord was furious. Elowyn or Winnie as everyone called her was a gentle soul. He went back several times back to her. His last visit was in '81 and the promise he made to Dumbledore for Lily kept him back.
He had asked if there was any consequence but Elowyn never mentioned anything about Diana and he failed to go back after Godric's Hollow.
Had she mentioned about the kids maybe in another strange world they would be together.
Dumbledore had taken him to America as soon as he learned about it from the Ministry of America .
The walls were covered in blood and the wallpapers were ripped off. Elowyn lay dead with cloths torn in her own pool of blood. Sometimes he wondered if his kids had the same nightmare as his. The lamp was broken and the bed sheets were covered in cigarettes and broken glasses.
He wished several times for it to be a bad dream. He wished so many times that he cried. He cried for Elowyn who never deserved this, he cried for the kids who he was a stranger to , he even wished death upon him.
" Father ? "
Diana stood near the door with a worried glance.
" Where you here the whole time ? " Severus nearly swore at the tentative nod she gave. He stood up and immediately went to her.
" Did you read my mind ? "
Diana hesitated but she continued, " I couldn't help it - I.. I'm sorry- "
He hugged her so tightly as if he was afraid she would disappear into thin air
" I love you "
It came out so easily that one might think it was a daily occurrence , but he had to say this , he had to make sure she heard it.
Just when he was beginning to think it was a mistake he heard her,
" I love you too dad "
The word ' dad ' sounded funny and misplaced but they will have many more years to work on that and make more happier memories of it.
