The Girl Who Found Hope [2]

Year 4 - 5

William apparated straight into his study in the Reid Manor. He waved his wand and transfigured his couch into a small bed, which he laid Cassiopeia onto. He quickly removed her top and jeans, calling Poppy and Nigel in to help him.

"William? What happened?" Ara's voice asked from the door. He looked up to see Ara and Lyra at the door.

"I'll tell you later. Just focus on putting the kids to bed." William told his wife as he grabbed his cauldron. She nodded, and went to pull Lyra away, but she wouldn't move. "Lyra, I promise she's okay. It's just some burns. I'm healing her, just get some rest. You can see her all better in the morning."

"Okay." Lyra hesitantly in return, walking out with her mother. William sighed, and began rushing around his study for the correct ingredients. But then he remembered who he had as friends. He waved his wand and a Patronus came out of the end in the shape of a Vulture. He uttered the message and sent it on its way. William then summoned some clothing for Cassiopeia from her room and placed them on the other sofa. There was then a bright green light in the room as the fire in the fireplace turned green and grew in size. Out stepped Severus Snape. His clothes were rumpled, as if they had just been thrown on, and his eyes held panic as he looked at his goddaughter.

"Severus, can you help? I would have done it, but of course I'm not as trained in the art of potions as you." William said to his friend. The man nodded and got to work. He brought out a small box but enlarged it to show a box of various potion ingredients and other spells and enchantments.

"What happened?" Severus asked as he was adding certain things to the cauldron and stirring it precisely.

"She was at the Quidditch World Cup." William explained, and straight away Severus understood what had happened. After he finished brewing the potion, he brought it over to his goddaughter. He noticed that William had made no attempt to cover her scars, the only thing that was there was the clothes she had left on and then bandage around her upper arm. Severus started by dropping drops of his potion over her burns, which he was happy weren't too serious, and then moved to the harsher ones- however fortunately, with a bit of magic, they could be healed to leave small scars. He then pulled out his wand and waved it over them all, muttering incantations under his breath. William looked into the man's eyes and could see emotion that he hadn't seen in Severus Snape's eyes in many many years. "You care for her, don't you?"

"She's my goddaughter, I have to." He replied not looking up from his work.

"No, it's more than that. I can see it in your eyes." William insisted.

"And what is it that you think you see in my eyes?" Severus asked.

"Love." William replied.

"What is it that you want me to say to you?" Severus replied.

"Tell me that you'll help me." William said. "Tell me that you'll help me protect her from as many horrors as we can when the Dark Lord comes back." At this Severus looked up.

"That I can promise you. I will protect her as much as I can." Severus said.

"I know you will, I just wanted to hear it." William replied with a small smile that looked foreign on his face to the Professor. Severus then looked back to his goddaughter and whispered a last few spells.

"I've done as much as I can." Professor Snape said. William nodded his thanks.

"Will she be alright?" He asked.

"Yes, just make her drink this when she wakes up, it should help reduce the scarring." Severus explained, handing William a potion. William nodded and then waved his wand, the clothes that were on the side were now magically on Cassiopeia herself.

"Thank you for this, Severus." William thanked. Severus nodded.

"Of course." Severus replied, packing up his belongings. Severus and William bid their farewells and the potions professor left the room through the fireplace. William then lifted Cassiopeia and placed her gently into her bed. 

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Thanks for reading

-Zoe