Fighting for love - Severus Snape fanfiction (BOOK TWO of A Magical Muggle)

Chapter 16

Crackling flames dancing over wood was the only noise disrupting the dead of the night.

Hogsmeade had forgotten the disturbances and the odd weather that occurred a few nights ago. Ana wasn't aware she could do such a thing - meddle with the weather. How was it even possible? Clearly, there were more things she had to discover about herself and her powers.

For a moment, Ana wanted to rush to Severus and tell him all about her new discovered skills, but then she remembered the reality of what she was living at the moment.

Aberforth had taken Ana under his wing, took care of her drained energy, nursed her back to health. Life experience had taught him to keep secrets. He never told anyone Ana was there, even though they had come to him for help. Help to find the missing girl he was taking care of in his cozy home behind the Hog's Head Inn. He kept his mouth shut for days, even though Ana was barely awake for three days, recovering from her outburst.

As he returned to his living room and saw the girl playing with the fire, staring with vacant eyes at it, something inside of him broke.

She's his only family.

"Hot chocolate?" He offered her one of the two mugs he held in his hands.

She looked up at him and nodded her head, reached to grab the mug. She didn't speak, nor smiled as she used to do. Not even a forced smile.

"Good, the other is Whiskey. I prefer the Whiskey," he said in a playful tone.

The deadpan silence made him clear his throat. She didn't even react. Took a sip of the mug and stared again at the fire.

He sighed. It was time.

Sitting at the sofa next to the fireplace, facing his niece, he gazed down at her.

"Ana. Everyone is looking for you. What happened?"

She didn't reply. It was as if he wasn't even there talking to her.

It was if her soul wasn't even there.

"Severus is lost, Ana. He is desperate," he said. "He came here a few nights ago, asking if I had seen you."

She looked up at him, a tear strolling down her cheek.

"I didn't tell him, of course. But I need to know, why am I lying to the poor man?"

She looked down again.

"I -- " She cleared her throat as the words died. "I can't say."

He sighed in despair, but he didn't give up.

"You came here. Of all places, you came here. It might seem silly, but you have come looking for me, did you not?" She looked at him and nodded. "Tell me what you need."

"Run."

Aberforth closed his lips in a thin line. Somehow, her short answer had warned him it was more serious than he had anticipated.

"Where to?"

Ana shrugged, but something crossed her mind.

"Could you find me some people for me?"

"Of course," he said, putting the mug down.

"They won't be easy to find. I wasn't able to do it... They were probably hidden due to Dark Arts," she said, finding hard to believe that her gut would send her to the people that had abandoned her. By now she had learned to trust her instinct, but the truth is that she had no strength to fight against herself at the moment. So, she just decided to allow her mind to do exactly what it feels it's right and best.

Aberforth opened his mouth to speak but closed it immediately. He knew who she wanted to track down. The question was why?

He simply nodded his head and walked away, wishing her good night.

For a few more days, they barely spoke about it. The grey-haired man kept looking for what his niece asked, but they didn't talk about it. In fact, they barely exchanged any words.

The day had come when Abertforth arrived late with a piece of parchment in his hands. He showed it to Ana, gave her Floo Powder, and rushed her to the fireplace.

"Here, I found what you were looking for," he said, watching as she widened her eyes. She believed he wouldn't be able to do it. "I don't know what on Merlin's beard you got yourself into, and you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But you're the only person I have left that I can call family. Of all crazy things my brother had made, calling you his daughter was, by far, the best. I can see why he wanted you part of the family. So, I beg you to be careful and come to me whenever you need anything. You're my niece. And I will always welcome you with open arms, Ana."

The woman that had shut off her emotions for the last months showed the first sign of humanity. She didn't allow him to say anything else. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head against his chest. Thanking him, and apologizing between sobs.

He shushed her, embracing her and caressing her hair, planting kisses on top of her head, just like Dumbledore used to do. In fact, he talked, acted, and smelled much like his brother. She wondered if he knew how similar they actually were.

"Take care," Aberforth said.

"I will," she replied, a very faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Are you sure you want to meet them?" He asked as he was not sure she was acting the right way. He feared for her safety as he heard rumors about how her family treated her and abandoned her.

Ana simply nodded her head at him. She was lying though, she didn't know if she wanted to meet them. She didn't know anything by now.

Noticing the uncertainty behind her eyes, Aberforth gave her a small bag. "There's enough Floo in there to come back, in case you need it."

"Thank you, Abe," Ana said, making him smile at the nickname. "Thank you for everything."

"Don't thank me now. Whatever is happening, please, let me know if I can help."

"I will, I promise," she said, walking to the fireplace with her small suitcase in her hand. "See ya."

Aberforth smiled weakly as he watched her disappear in front of his eyes. He stood there for a minute or two, watching the fire slowly weakening, lost in his thoughts. A tear escaped his left eye and he wiped it away.

Before going to his bedroom to sleep, he looked at the picture of his sister Ariana on the wall. She was smiling sadly at him. And he smiled back with the same expression.