Eleanor Snape- Book 4

Meeting Professor Slughorn

"Eleanor, wake up." Uncle Severus nudged me awake. I opened my eyes to be greeted by bright rays of light hitting my bed from the window. That was very odd. Plus, my father and I had still been training.

"What?" I covered my eyes, protecting them from the sunlight. 

"If you are planning on coming to Hogwarts with me, then you are going to have to get up before noon." Uncle Severus said.

"It's not that late."

"It's eleven."

"Eleven?"

"Yes. Were you still training?"

"Yeah." I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Well, I hope he forgives me for interrupting. Get up and get ready. I trust your trunk is already packed?" He gestured to the brown, leather trunk that the Ministry had bought me before they sent me to Uncle Severus.

"Packed last night." I got up and adjusted my shirt before pushing my black, greasy hair out of my face.

"Good. I had breakfast laid out for you, but we will have to leave as soon as you are ready. We will eat lunch there. Now, hurry." Uncle Severus instructed before leaving the room.

I quickly followed him out, but instead of going down the hall with him, I turned into my washroom. After showering and getting dressed, I drug my trunk into the sitting room and sat down on it. Unlike last year, I didn't find it very exerting. Uncle Severus put down his copy of the Profit and lifted Orion off of his lap.

"Micheal is coming to get Orion later, so we don't have to drop his off." He stood up and waved his wand, making the trunk disappear out from under me. I hit the ground with a bang.

"What about Petigrew?" I questioned, picking myself up off the floor.

"Unfortunately, the Dark Lord wants him here."

"But he'll touch all our things and sleep in our beds."

"I sealed our rooms, so he can't."

"Okay, fine." I brushed myself off. "Can we just go?" 

"Of course." He stepped forward and I grabbed his arm. A pop! later we were standing in front of Hogwarts' giant gates. Strangely, they were closed. "Why are-"

"Safety precaution." He waved his wand in a strange, jerky pattern that I hadn't ever seen before, or anything like it for that matter. the gates slowly swung open. "Only the teachers know how to open it. Come along." My Uncle led me through the grounds and into the front hall. He kept going until we came to the Great Hall. Instead of the four usual tables, there was one longish one. every seat was taken, except two right next to each other. It reminded me so much of a Death Eater meeting that I had to double take when I saw Dumbledore at the head of the table and not the Dark Lord. 

"Good evening!" He greeted with a smile as my Uncle and I sat down. I looked at my lap instead of responding. After a summer of officially being a Death Eater, it felt kind of wrong, maybe even hypocritical, to go back to Hogwarts.

"Hello." Uncle Severus stated before taking a drink from the goblet that was in front of him.

"Severus, my boy!" A man exclaimed from across the table. Strangely, I had never seen him before, and I knew all of the teachers. He was an older man, probably sixty or seventy years old. Despite the age, he was plump. On top of his balding head sat tufts of gray-white hair. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain." Uncle Severus stated, his voice sounding bored.

"Ah, I see you finally took my advice and had yourself a child. Who's the mother?" Uncle Severus almost choked on his wine. Before he could reply, Dumbledore stepped in.