Love and Power

{12} Allies

I woke in a bed. A warm, comfortable, soft bed. In a small, cozy bedroom in a house I had never been before. I felt my body's strength replenished by the slightest bit since I had gotten proper rest.

My hair felt soft and clean, it smelled of lavender and vanilla. My skin matched. Soft and clean. Void of any marks or scars. Like I hadn't been locked in a cell in a dungeon for god knows how long.

I managed to sit up in the bed and rub my forehead. My arm was sore, the one Voldemort stole blood from. Standing to my feet, I realized just how unstable I was upright. Regardless, I left the bedroom, gingerly taking steps as if the floor was thin ice. I felt as if I could collapse at any second.

Suddenly all of the thoughts came flooding through my head. Snape. Draco. My mother. My nymph blood. Dumbledor's patronus lesson. Pansy and Draco. Me sacrificing myself for him. The sight of him writhing in pain in the Manor. He was tortured in his own home.

"Anastasia?" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. It's Harry. Harry Potter. And he looked unsure about me. It wasn't until I realized I had made it into the hallway, and through the rush of emotion, I had started involuntarily whimpering as I stood.

Hermione and Ron were quick to follow behind Harry. They stopped when they saw me as well. "Ana? A-are you alright?"

"She's gonna fall," Ron said as I grew woozy due to my head spinning. He lunged forward and steadied me on my feet, one arm around my waist from behind, the other pressed against my shoulder. "Why are you up? Are you alright?"

"Get her back to the room," Hermione said, worried. The three of them followed Ron helping me to the bed in the room I was in before. I laid down and Ron tucked me in gently. I sighed with my eyes closed and Ron sat at the end of the bed near my feet. Hermione and Harry stood next to the bed.

"I-I n-," I tried speaking. I stuttered a bunch and was hard to understand, but I managed to get a few words out. "S-see him..."

"Who?" Ron asked. "Malfoy? He's disappeared with the rest of the Death Eaters. I don't think we could find him if we tried."

I shook my head subtly. "S-Snape..."

"Snape?" Harry looked dumbfounded. "Why Snape? Wh- I'm confused."

I then remembered that they didn't know Snape was my blood father. I could care less. I needed to see him.

"M-m," I sighed frustratedly. "Fa-father..."

"Well, I had wondered where you all had wandered off to," Mrs. Weasley entered the room. Harry and Hermione stepped aside as she placed a hand on my forehead and frowned. "My dear, do you think you could eat?"

"N-no," I furrowed my brows. "S-Snape..."

Mrs. Weasley frowned, but didn't linger on the subject long. "I'm sure we could arrange a time for you two to meet once you're well. For now, love, you should get something in your system. You're terribly thin. Hermione, dear, do you think you could bring her dinner?"

"Yes," Hermione stood with the rest of them as they all got up to leave. Harry lingered behind a bit.

"Why Snape?"

"Harry," Hermione grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the room. "She's not in her right mind. Not right now."

A few moments passed and Hermione entered the room. A bowl in her hands of steaming soup. She set it on the nightstand and helped me sit up, so she could prop my pillows up for me.

She got a small spoonful of the soup and asked if I could hold it or if she needed to help me. I was able to set the bowl in my lap and feed myself. Slowly, but I ate. She asked if I minded her company, I told her I didn't mind. So she stayed.

She went to speak, her mouth opened, but she shut it back and remained silent. It wasn't long before I finished the bowl and Hermione encouraged me to get more rest, but there wasn't any way I could sleep anyway.

Nonetheless, she left me in the room, and closed the door.

-3rd pov-

"Why is she asking for Snape?" Harry asked at the dining table. Remus, Tonks, Sirius Black, Hermione, and each of the Weasleys sat at the table as they ate their dinner.

Remus looked at the fellow adults in the room for approval, when they nodded he answered Harry's question. "Snape is her father. Her blood father."

Ron nearly choked on his drink. He coughed and cleared his throat. "Bloody hell... you're barking."

"No, Ron, he's telling the truth," Molly said. "Severus is her father."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "I-if I may ask."

"Severus fell in love with a nymph. Anastasia's mother. But- being a death eater, Severus couldn't hide her from the Dark Lord. As soon as he learned of the immortalizing blood that she possessed, he wanted her all to himself so he could live forever."

"But that would mean a lifetime of torture for her," Harry frowned. "I don't understand, where did Anastasia come out of all of this?"

"Anastasia was born before Severus made the decision to hand her off to Anthony Crow, the man who raised her. Severus then killed her mother for her own protection, and sent Anastasia into hiding so the Dark Lord wouldn't find her."

"But- Anthony Crow is a Death Eater."

"He wasn't at the time. She was given to him before he was recruited. When Severus found out, Anastasia was already legally his daughter and there wasn't anything he could do about it."

"A nymph," Ron was shocked. "I thought they only lived in the tales mummy used to tell me."

"No, they're very real. Rare. Very rare. Which is why the Dark Lord was holding Anastasia hostage," Remus explained. "Because she's half wizard, half nymph. She has the blood her mother had. Which is why the Dark Lord needed her."

The table was quiet for another long moment.

"So what do we do now? Won't he be looking for her when he finds out she's gone?"

"Oh, they're already looking for her. One of our spies notified us about the Death Eaters' heightened activity around the city and Hogwarts. News is they're using Draco Malfoy as a spy inside the school."

"Shouldn't Dumbledore expel him then?"

"He's not a threat. They're just looking for Ana. As long as she's away from Draco and any Death Eater, she's safe."

"But-," Hermione started.

"Her and young mister Malfoy are emotionally involved, I understand," Remus sadly sighed. "They're going to have to end their relationship. For both of them."

Another moment of silence. Because the trio knows how connected Anastasia is to Draco. They know how connected Draco is to Anastasia.

"Will they get a goodbye?"

"I'm sure we could arrange something," Molly looked amongst the group. "She is to meet with her father as well."

"Why are you keeping her from Hogwarts? Wouldn't it be the safest place for her?"

"No," Sirius said. "If the Dark Lord has spies in the school, it's unsafe. They're obligated to turn Ana in. she's safest here."

"She'll go for a short visit," Harry said. "She has to. She deserves a goodbye."

Agreement spread across the table. And it was decided that once Ana was well enough, that she would be escorted by Remus and Sirius to the school to meet with Snape and Draco.

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(this was mostly filler. sorry. but the next chapters are JUICY so keep reading)