Snape's Criminal Daughter

Chapter 11

How could he have been so stupid? He had physically threatened her. He probably reminded her of her father. He had grabbed her like she was a doll. He groaned, why did he have to do that? It was though he had no brain at all. He had to restrain himself from running away from her. The fear in her eyes had only appeared after he touched her. Before, she was spunky, fighting back, like Lilly would. Placing his head in his hands, he wondered if she would look at him ever again. Would he ever be able to tell, if he kept this up he wouldn't. 

She would be asleep be now he thought, perhaps I should make sure she's alright. He mentally slapped himself, of course, she wasn't alright! What was he thinking? Rising from his chair, he made his way to the Slytherin common room. Whispering, he muttered that password, and the wall moved, revealing a heavy door. Entering the common room brought back memories, almost none of them good. She wasn't near the fire, where he had always liked to curl up with a book. She must be in her dormitory. Climbing the stairs to another door which read "5th-year girls." 

Pushing the door open hesitantly he looked across the beds. All of them were empty, the sheets folded neatly by the house elves. Freezing, then coming to his senses, he ran out of the common room and to the headmaster's office to find Dumbledore. 

Gasping for breath, he paused outside the door, waiting until he caught his breath. When it had steadied, he walked in, cool and composed or at least he thought that's who he looked, for when the headmaster's eye found his own, they filled with concern. 

"My dear Severus, what could you possibly need at this hour?" His voice was curious, but there was a concern around it as well. 

"She's gone," He panted, "She's not in the common room." Seaming to let out a breath he had been holding, the headmaster smiled.

"I'm fully aware she's not in the common room, I believe she's found a bed somewhere else." The twinkle in his eyes had returned. 

"Then where?" 

"Ah, Severus, I only wish I knew the exact location, she's in what is called, the room of requirement. It appears she left after, ah, the little incident outside the common room." Severus stops and looks Dumbledore in the eyes. 

"I suggest Severus, you be more careful around her, she's had a rough upbringing. You and I both know what that's like." Giving him a knowing look, the twinkle Severus notices, has reappeared in his eyes. Sighing, he walks out of the office, returning to his own. He would find her in the morning and make sure that she was alright. 

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She had woken up in a chair, one that was quite comfortable. Jumping at first, then remembering all that had happened in the past day, she calmed down. Realizing just how hungry she is, she walks around the room, looking for some sort of food. In this big of a castle, there must a be a kitchen. A cabinet against the wall catches her eye, she opens it and is met with a bounty of food, and it's still hot. It must have been placed here by magic. She smiles and dives into the plate of eggs she finds sitting on one of the shelves. Sitting in the chair again, she eats her breakfast. 

Debating whether or not to leave the room, the memories of yesterday come running back to her. No, she will not, she will stay in here. Or will she? The windows catch her eyes. Maybe it was time to get comfortable with the castle. Smirking she walks over to a window and opens it. A slight breeze rustles through her hair, making it flow behind her. She had always kept her hair short, long hair came with so much more hassle, and she hated hassle. She rips off her boots, she could climb better without them. Grabbing a small bag that she always kept close, she placed her foot on the window ledge. 

The window sill was perfect for this, as though it had been made for her. It was wide, just wide enough where she could stand on it, and grip the wall beside her. The stone walls were perfect for this, her fingers could find handholds easily, as could her feet. Removing her foot from the ledge, she began to climb. This kind of thing calmed her nerves, she wasn't sure why, but it did. She's seven minutes into her climb and the roof is sixteen meters away from her left hand when a searing pain radiates through her side, causing her to cry out. Clutching her side with her right arm, she stopped. The knife wound had opened again. She wasn't going to be able to do anything from this position, her only option was either to cry for help or keep climbing.

She chose the later.

Gripping the stone with her left hand, she swung her legs up, she had done this before, but not with this tall of a wall. If she fell, it would be the last thing she did. Her fingers were bleeding, but she kept going, stopping wasn't going to help her now. She felt herself moving into a pattern, cling with left hand, swing legs up, grip with legs, move left hand up. Over and over again, until she felt her hand hit the edge of the roof. Grasping the ledge, she hauled herself, rolling away from the edge, gasping for breath. 

Her right hand was now completely covered in blood, trying in vain to stop the blood flow. Breath she told herself, you have the bag, you'll be fine. Groaning, she unclasped the bag from her shoulder and unzipped it. The strip of cloth was still lying there, as she had left it. The small eyedrop bottle was also sitting in the bottom, surrounded by cloth to prevent it from breaking, as it was made of glass. It was alcohol. It had cost her a fortune in the market, but she found herself in these situations often, and she was quite used to them. With a shaking hand, she removed the cloth from the bag and unrolled it. Ripping a piece off, she placed in between her teeth. The alcohol stung, she knew that from experience, enough pain to make a grown man scream. Taking a larger piece, she laid it out in front of her, preparing to wrap it around her torso, as it was the only way that she could place it. 

Taking great, deep breaths, she uncapped the minuscule glass bottle. Her hand was shaking, and she had to hold it with both hands to stop it. Turning it upside down, and watching the small bead of liquid form, she held her breath. It almost looked like glass, that was until it released itself from the tap and landed on her wound. The pain didn't start immediately, she knew that. Two more drops, she told herself, two more. Another drop landed on her wound, and another. Tilting the bottle upright and placing the cap back on the top, she placed it in the bag. And then the pain came. 

It was like a fire on her side. Screaming through her teeth, trying to contain the noise, but to no avail. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, she couldn't think through the pain. The tears were coming in bucket fulls, and sobs wracked her body. Black dots danced along the edges of her eyes. The pain got worse, an inferno raged in her side, causing whatever sobs or tears that she had been holding back to come flowing out. Barely able to hold the strip of cloth, she wrapped around her body twice, tying as tight as she could through the pain. She laid down again, this time she didn't get up, she couldn't. So she let the darkness take her, down, down down, she fell, until the world around her fell away.