A Potion For Everything (Severus Snape x Oc)

Trip

He was so very close to her in this position. Not necessarily meaning in the sense of how her head rested on his slightly as she looked up into the enchanted canopy. But, mentally. She had taken down her wards, he noticed. And tried so hard to stay out of her mind as she told her story. But she was so very loud in there without the charms to protect her. Was it always this loud in a woman's mind?

The images that played were retellings of her life. Of long nights in the private library with Grindeldwald's portrait. Of learning to harness her gift of seeing. Of going through book after book trying to find a lineage spell that would work. And each time failing. Of the little girl turning into a woman. Of her saying goodbye to the portrait of her grandfather in tears. Knowing that Library had no use to her anymore. As she had drank dry the well of knowledge.

"The only other library that could complete with Dermstrang's was Hogwarts. And so. I transferred. I used my grandfather's last name to do so. Karkaroff was incredibly against it. Voldemort was moving fast in those days. Snatching up anyone that belonged to the sacred 28. But my name, his name, belongs to the sacred 13 of Germany." She laughed. "The only one who actually, truly, understood the gravity of the name was Dumbledore. Who of course..."

"Stormed out of the room. There were tears in his eyes. Angry tears." Severus cut in. Remembering, truly remembering that night. "He locked himself in his tower for a month. He never looked at you, not directly." He smiled slightly. Getting the old bastard riled up always brought a spark of joy. He deserved to feel a bit of the same misery he dished out towards others.

"Yeah.. it definitely didn't give me any first day brownie points." She sighed. Visions now of relentless bullying. Teasing from students. And the cold shoulder from teachers. "I wanted so desperately to go home." She said. Her hand falling from the stars she was playing with.

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell. As she warded back up, so Severus could not hear or see her thoughts. He worried he had said to much. He worried he had upset her. And if feeling this worry. The hand that was touching star light came to fall on his cheek for just a moment. "Did you find.. did you find what you were looking for? In the Hogwarts library?" He asked softly. His voice catching when she removed her hand. It was incredibly soft. And he found himself wanting to feel it again.

Viola sighed. And he felt her shake her head. "Yes." Again she paused. "Well, that's not entirely true. I found a spell. It told me what I needed. I am a direct descendant of Gellert Grindeldwald. My bloodline matches his. And one others. Rosier." Severus's heart sank. He knew that name. And he remembered how Rosier looked when she performed her vision.

"The spell would have worked further. But it requires..." She felt her eyes grow hot. It always effected her like this. She hated it. Why did she feel so deeply for people who were never in her life? Yes she.. wished more than anything that she could have grown up like normal children. Loved. And not burdened by visions or mind reading or lineage. But she told herself that she should be happy. She was gifted. And leave it at that.

"Living family members." Severus replied slowly. Only to be met with a slow nod. He knew the spell. It was complicated. And dangerous. And long. And required life. Life that, apparently wasn't there. "And you couldn't ask the portrait.." his question was met with another slow head nod. This nod though, felt wet once it stopped. He realized she was crying a bit.

"No.." she whimpered. "He only knew so much. Secrets the living Grindeldwald wanted to keep, the portrait did not know." There was pain in her voice. She didn't understand where it was coming from. She never really let her emotions of a would be family get to her. But now, seeing herself so close to a bit of tangible freedom. Everything she didn't have, made her feel so much more meloncoly than before.