The Silver Doe

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

~ The Dungeons, Detention with Snape ~

Lillian had just walked by a few sniggering Slytherin's whom were eyeing her up suspiciously from beneath their robes.

One shouted a comment which she did not particularly like.

"Bleugh, there's that Gryffindor girl who fainted on the train..."

"Oi! You! Look behind you. Dementor, Dementor!"

Lillian, trying to the best of her ability not to look around completely, checked at the corner of her eyes. There were no Dementors, just a few immature second years with their hoods up.

Grunting, Lillian made her way through an arch that led into a low-ceilinged room, which gave the impression of a dungeon.

Everything was darker, grander yet darker. Spooky too!  It wasn't occupied, the common room that is.

In fact, it looked completely uninhabited.

She was thankful because she knew that Gryffindor's were not allowed to trespass through here.

Her heart began to skip unsystematically with each step she took.

She came at a halt near a dark emerald armchair that reminded her of the one back home in Severus's house.

"What're you doin' here?" a high pitched voice hissed. Lillian turned around, so slow that she looked as if she were set to perform in slow motion or something.

"I-."

"She has a detention with Snape. I got sent to come and find her cos' he knew she'd get lost... and he was right." A voice interrupted. Lillian saw Arostia step forward. Her face looked paler, sadder actually, and her hair was pulled back into a tight pony-tail, which, from what Lillian had previously seen, wasn't like her.

"Yeah, I have a detention." Lillian agreed.

"Doesn'y explain why you're in our common room?"

"Look Pansy, will you just shove off!" Arostia took Lillian's arm and led her down a corridor, in silence.

The pictures, noticed Lillian, were different. Not like the one in the Gryffindor corridor. These ones were mostly occupied by old men, some sleeping, some just staring; making the occasional arrogant remark towards the passing girls.

"Thanks Arostia..." Lillian said outside of Severus's office.

"Don't thank me Lilly. Look, we need to talk sometime. I could really, um, well - I could really use some advice right now and I feel that you're the only girl I can trust these days." Her face flushed and she looked over Lillian's shoulder, glowering at the pointing Slytherin's.

"I know. We'll talk soon ok? In fact, we've got DADA tomorrow, save me a seat." Lillian, with a smile on her face, knocked and entered Severus's office.

She was thankful Arostia had remembered her about her detention...

"So good of you to finally drop by," Snape said with his predicted cool sarcasm.

Once Lillian had entered, he flicked his wand and closed the door behind her with a quiet click.

"You're late, again. When will you ever learn?" he turned around and continued to levitate jars of ingredients on to the empty shelves.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I kinda got lost y'know."

"Sit down, Miss Snape." He muttered. Both he and Lillian found it weird, hearing Severus direct her as Snape. But he was his daughter after all.

Lillian occupied a seat, and not to her surprise, she was sat under that same rotating amber eye again. It stared at her through narrowed slits.

"You know, just because of our unwanted association, I'm not going to treat you any differently from the other pupils. Being late it not tolerated at Hogwarts, especially not from me therefore you will be punished... Come up here, Lillian." Severus turned around, his black robes and hair billowing. "You will clean each of these jars out; I do not want to see any of this surplus decay anymore. Throw the decomposed ingredients away into the bin that's by my desk..... Because it was your first time being late, I've decided to give you a light and uncomplicated punishment. Well then, get to it."

And Lillian did get to it.

Touching those horrible things, Lillian managed to 'decompose' all of the rotted stuff. Once she was finished, she was dismissed with a simple warning yet not a farewell.

Lillian did not like this side of Severus, the Professor side of him...

She was beginning to prefer the 'mysterious neighbour' side of him she encountered back home.

Back when she was a muggle.

But then she remembered... she wasn't a muggle. She was a witch and her 'father' was a wizard whom was a professor at Hogwarts...

Funny how life can change just like that, isn't it?