Counting Stars || Poppy Snape

CHAPTER 12

IMPORTANT: I changed the name and the cover of the story! This used to be called A path to kindness it is now called Counting stars

***

"Good, you're not late" I heard Father say as I stepped into the now desserted potions classroom.

I greeted him briefly and sat down on the opposite side of his desk.

He looked at me for a moment, before letting out a furstruated sigh. "Poppy... how have you been?"

I looked at him and tensed up slightly "that's not why I'm here"

"Yes, you are correct." He said and I rolled my eyes at him, "However, I just hate that we never talk. I want us to have a good relationship."

I rolled my eyes again and repeated my statement. "That's not why I'm here"

He let out another sigh and looked slightly annoyed, "Very well then. I guess we should start"

I nodded and soon he was standing infront of me with his wand at the ready. He explained what I was supposed to do, and after a couple of tries I started getting better at looking inside his thoughts.

By the end of the hour I was really close to breaking his Occlumency barriers. That's when the Gryffindor in me decided to shine. I realised then that I knew nothing about my father, we had barely talked during the one week we spent together in the summer. And clearly things at Hogwarts weren't much better.

So as he walked back towards his desk, talking to me about Christmas or something, I used the skills he had just taught me to look inside his mind. And shockingly, he was completely caught off guard, and it worked. But I don't know if I wanted it to.

The images that flashed before my eyes were intense, to say the least. A little boy, with greasy black hair, crying in the corner while two adults argued. The same boy talking to a red haired girl, smiling, seeming truly happy. The sorting hat's booming voice yelling Slytherin, while the red haired girl was sent to Gryffindor. The boy being hung up by the ankles in midair, everyone around him laughing, some of them seeming strangely familiar to me. And the last thing I saw before Father regained his senses, was a man. A man whose face I would never forget.

Before I could think of anything else I felt my legs going weak and I opened my eyes to see Father's eyes filled with anger. But as I started falling to the ground, they changed to concern.

***

I woke up with a piercing pain in my head. It kind of reminded me of that time me and my French friend had gotten drunk at home while dad was away. As I thought of those memories I couldn't help but let a smile creep on my face.

"I see you're finally awake."

I turned and saw Father sitting by me in a chair. I know I should ask him other questions first but the first thing that came to mind was "Aren't visiting times over?"

He let out a chuckle and I noticed that he had heavy eye bags under his eyes. "Well Poppy couldn't exacty kick me out, I'm a teacher."

I furrowed my brows for a second then I realised that he meant Poppy as in Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh," I said. I saw Father open his mouth but I cut him off, wanting to get the answer to the question I was really curious about "Who was that man?"

He looked at me and his face became the tiniest bit paler. "What man?"

"The... the one- in your memories. He was bald, and his skin was almost green, and his nose-"

"Poppy." He interrupted me, leaning forward on his chair. "You cannot tell anyone what you saw."

"Bu-"

"No." He looked at my black eyes, that were just like his. At that moment, I knew that I was never going to get answers about that man with glowing red eyes. At least not from father anyway. Just because I wasn't allowed to talk to him about it, didn't mean I couldn't go to the library. Aha, take that Father.

He looked at me and let out a sigh, probably knowing that I was going to find out about that man in my own way.

"So," he said, interrupting my thoughts, "have you given any thoughts to where you want to spend your Christmas?"

I nodded. I had given it thought. I had even sent a letter to my dad, who was back home, in the South of England. His reply said that he was okay by himself and didn't want to stop my fun at my new school. He also wrote that I should get closer to my friends here since I would be spending the next three years with them. I couldn't really argue with that logic.

But part of me was kind of hoping he would say he wanted me to go back to him. I really really missed him, and I knew he did too. So I decided that if he told me not to go this holiday, he would have a good reason for it.

Of course, he said that I should still be expecting a present from him either way. I couldn't help but grin at that.

"So?" said Father, waiting for me to tell him where I would be going.

"I'm staying here."

Father leant back in his chair, glowing with happiness.

***

A/N: hey guys, so to clarify any confusion; when Poppy says Father, she's referring to Snape. However when she says Dad, she's referring to her adoptive Dad who she grew up with.