Secret Daughter (A Harry Potter FanFic)

Chapter 4

Elliana trailed several steps behind her father as he lead her down several staircases until they had reached the basement level of the castle. He rounded the corner and halted in front of a brightly colored painting of fruit. Snape reached up, and to Elliana's surprise, he stroked the pear in the middle of the picture. She stood back and watched at the pear giggled (yes, giggled!) and transformed before her eyes into a green doorknob. Snape grasped the knob and pulled the portrait open to reveal a bustling kitchen. He gestured for Elliana to enter, and as she stepped through the doorway, she let out a small yelp.

The small creatures that had been scuttling around the kitchen all stopped and looked up the sound. She had never seen anything like these creatures in her life. Staring silently and wide-eyed as one approached her, something like a small smile played at her father's lips.

"Master Snape, what can we do for you?" One of the creatures asked in an impossibly squeaky voice. 

"A sandwich and some juice will do." Snape stated simply to the creature, who rushed off to quickly begin assembling the food he requested. The rest of the creatures had returned to their tasks and were moving about the kitchen once more. Snape turned to Elliana who looked at him with wide questioning eyes. "These are house elves. They are magical creatures that many wizarding families employ to take care of their homes."

"Odd." Was all that Elliana could think to say as she watched the little creatures dart around the room, fascinated with her first encounter with magical creatures. The small elf that had first approached them returned, this time holding a tray containing several different sandwiches and a pitcher of juice. Elliana sat on a stool as the elf placed the tray on the table in front of her. She had forgotten to be hungry after the incredibly long day she had had.In fact, she had no sense of what time it even was. It felt like it had been days ago when she left her parent's home and came to Hogwarts, when in reality it had only been a matter of hours. Starved, she grabbed a sandwich and started eating rather quickly, while Snape sat and watched.

When she had finished three entire sandwiches, Elliana finally dared to look up at her father, who had been silent the entire time she ate. "Are you finished?" he asked, amused that such a small girl could have such an appetite.

"Yes sir" she answered shyly.

"Then let's go. We have much to do tomorrow." And with that, he stood and strode quickly back through the door they had entered with Elliana again trailing behind. They followed the corridor back the way they had come, but instead of going back up the stairs, they turned down a dimly lit corridor. 

There were several doors along the corridor, culminating in what seemed to be a dead end as the hall suddenly ended with a blank stone wall. They stopped at the first door and Snape muttered something under his breath which appeared to be a spell to open the door. The room that they entered was dark, with stone walls, an unlit fireplace, and shelves lining the wall covered in jars filled with unknown substances. The room had an dank smell to it, almost that of mildew. Snape lead his daughter quickly through the room, waving his hand dismissively and stating simply, "My office." 

In the far corner of the room there was a second door that Snape opened and quickly entered. Inside was what looked to be a small apartment. Immediately inside was a sparsely furnished living area space with only a loveseat couch and a large high-backed chair. Both the couch and the chair were a rich emerald green that contrasted starkly against their immediate surroundings that were almost all shades of grey. There were no signs of personality or homey-ness to the room. There were no photos, no decorations, no tchotchkes. 

Elliana looked around, taking in the space where it seemed her father lived. She couldn't help but notice the differences of this home to the one that she had grown up in. Her parents' home had been warm and inviting, with brightly colored wall hangings and lots of natural light. Severus Snape's home was cold, impersonal, and unattractive. He showed her to a room directly off of the living area. Inside this room were her trunk and bags that she had packed back when she left her parent's house earlier that day. 

"It isn't much, but you can have this room." He said softly to her. 

She stepped inside the room and looked around. The room featured the same stone walls as the other rooms, and the only furniture inside was a four-post bed and a dresser. The bed, Ellie actually found quite nice. It had emerald green linens, matching the color of the furniture in the living room, and it had sheer green curtains that hung around the bed. It reminded Ellie of the bed of a princess in a fairytale, which made her less uneasy about the mostly empty room.

"Do you need anything?" Snape asked as Elliana walked over to the bed and sat down.

"No sir." She said tentatively.

His faced softened the slightest bit. "You don't have to call me sir." It hurt him that his own daughter seemed afraid of him. "Get some rest, we have a lot to do before term starts next week." And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Elliana was alone for the first time since she found out who and what she was. She flopped back onto the bed as hot tears began to streak down her face. There had been so much adrenaline running through her body for the last few hours that she was finally feeling the weight of reality come down on her. She stayed there, allowing herself to feel and allowing herself to cry silently until the tears naturally stopped flowing. When they did, she got up and opened up her trunk. She dug through and found a pair of pajamas that she quickly changed into. In an effort to make the room seem less empty, less sterile, she placed some of her personal items around the room. She put her brush on the dresser, put some clothes into the drawers, and pushed her bags to the corner. When she moved her bags, her stuffed deer fell out of her bag and onto the floor. She grabbed it and brought it to bed where she tucked herself in. After the day she had, she fell quickly to sleep.

*           *            *

In the morning, she awoke to a soft knock on her door. 

"Yes?" She croaked groggily.

"Time to get up. We're going to Diagon Alley today."