Loved By You. (A Severus Snape Love Story)

Chapter Twenty-Eight : Dumbledore's Enquiry

It had been 3 weeks since I last saw Snape and so far he had listened to my warning and stayed away, I had managed to skip potions class everyday since and no one had noticed, or at least bothered to point it out. Snape certainly wasn't going to report me to my grandfather, or else he'd be risking me spilling his dirty little secret.

I had assumed that since I had successfully managed to avoid my own potions class that it would be as equally easy to not attend the classes Snape had requested that I help out with. It was obvious to both of us that I would no longer be continuing my apprenticeship and I although Snape would not be expecting me to show up, the pupils were a little more concerned. Word had started to spread around the school of my absence in their classes and it wasn't long before it came to my grandfathers attention that I was not fufilling my duties as an apprentice and he began to investigate into my other classes, only to find that I hadn't attended potions for some time now.

On Sunday night, when I was catching up on my homework from the previous week I recieved a letter from Dumbledore saying I was to make my way to his office immediately.

I was sure my grandfather had heard about my absenses and set off straight away to go and attempt to explain myself.

I should have expected Snape to be there, but the thought had never even crossed my mind and as soon as I saw him i felt my heart drop to my stomach. I had assumed that finding out the truth about him would make my feelings for Snape disappear but apparently they had only became dormant by avoiding him and seeing him now made them all return. I was confused, I knew I should hate him, I told myself I had to, but I didn't, and I couldn't help it.

As soon as my eyes fell upon him I instantly made sure not to look him his direction again, unless it was absolutely neccesary.

"Aria, please take a seat." My grandfather ordered almost as soon as I entered the room. I nodded and gingerly sat down in front of his desk, realizing very quickly that Snape was standing dangerously close to me. "I have brought you head today to discuss your apprenticeship. I have heard, on more than one occasion, that you have failed to show up and carry out your duties as a potions apprentice. This seems to have gone on for a grand total of three weeks." Dumbledore mused, pausing in thought. I opened my mouth to make up my excuse but was quickly cut off as my grandfather began to speak again. "Now, I completely understand if you wish to discontinue your apprenticeship, Aria. However the worrying thing is that you have also been avoiding your own potion lessons, and that cannot go on. The worrying thing is that I did not hear this from Professor Snape, but from rumours circling the school, which, at first, I admit, made me question if there was any truth to such rumours and so, of course, I had to investigate. I found these rumours to be true. Do either of you have an explanation for me?"
"I...umm... well, I..." I stuttered, trying, and failing, to come up with some excuse. I knew the right thing to do was to tell my grandfather the truth but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to protect Snape by keeping his secret or I was simply scared of what he could do to me. I thought maybe the safer option would be to tell him that we had slept together and that way I could not be held responsible for spilling Snape's sercets, either way the out come would be the same. Snape in Azkaban. I chose to keep my mouth shut about everything and just as I was about to come up with some thinly veiled excuse Snape cut me off.
"She knows." He blurtred out, stepping forward to appear like he was part of the conversation, instead of hiding in the shadows.
"I beg your pardon, Severus." Dumbledore enquired.
"She knows I am one of them." The professor stated, glancing down momentarily at his left forearm. "She saw it. There was nothing I could do. I tried to convice her otherwise but she wouldn't listen, understandably so."
"Are you telling me my granddaughter knows about your little secret." Dumbledore finally catching on.
"I am afraid so, headmaster." He hung his head in shame.
"How could you be so foolish, Severus." My grandfather hissed. Standing up from his chair and flying around the desk to face the Death Eater. "After all these years successfully concealing it, shutting yourself off, and now you choose to be so careless. Do you not understand how much danger everyone is already in, without you letting your guard down?" He finished. I had never imagined my grandfather could get this angry, he had always seemed such a calm man but now I actually felt more terrified of what he could do opposed to Snape.
"Wait." I asked, jumping back into the conversation as soon as there was a lull. "He already knows?" I asked, turning to Snape in confusion.