Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Secretly Slytherin	By : Veresna Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12269 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 14
- 15
- 16
Chapter 15: Meet the Folks
Snape picked up his wand from where he had dropped it on the desk and held it in his hands as he strode towards the door. He pointed it at the knob, and was just about to murmur a spell to release the lock when he saw Helena look back at him, frown slightly and shake her head no.
He looked at her curiously, as she raised her hands to the front of his robe.
"Let’s make sure that you look as presentable as possible," she muttered, and he felt her hands move along the placket of his robe, making sure all the buttons were tightly fastened and that the fabric was pulled neatly and tightly across his chest. Then she raised her hands to his neck and frowned slightly as she readjusted his collar.
She glanced up to see his own dark eyes staring down at her and she paused for a moment, leaving her fingers lying still against the fabric of his neckband.
"You know," she began, "if this meeting lives up to our worst expectations, we may never see each other again?"
He nodded.
She brought her hands back down to lay lightly upon his chest and drew in a deep breath. "So, I guess I better ask you this now. Because I may not get another chance."
She hesitated and looked down for a moment.
He frowned and held his arms stiffly at this side, his wand tapping against his leg while he waited to hear her question.
*** I suppose you are going to ask what I really feel for you. Lust, obviously. Jealous possessiveness, clearly. And admiration, reluctantly but certainly. But, are you hoping that there’s anything deeper than that? You have never demanded that from me. In fact, you seemed rather surprised that evening when I told you I liked you. Do you expect me to soften the blow of this disgraceful humiliation by my telling you a stupid, simple lie now? ***
She looked up, with a trace of worry on her face. "Do you have more Contraceptive Potion to give me?"
He looked at her blankly for a moment. And then he shook his head and laughed.
She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "What’s so funny about the fact that we just had unprotected sex?" she demanded.
He rubbed his forehead and composed himself. "No, I’m laughing at me, not you."
She looked perplexed.
"Of course," he assured her, "I have another vial prepared already. And as long as you take it before midnight, it will be completely effective. However, I suggest that we not stop by my office right now. After all," he continued. "If Dumbledore is about to toss us both out of Hogwarts, I’m sure he will want to make sure the scandal is not intensified by the disgrace of a pregnancy. If you mention your concern, I’m sure he will be quite anxious to make sure you have a dose before you leave. If, on the other hand, we are being unduly alarmed by this whole situation and find ourselves free to continue our affair, I will bring a vial with me to the Forbidden Forest tonight."
"You’re still planning on meeting me tonight?" She looked very surprised.
"Of course. After all, we have only a short time to be together before you graduate. And I don’t intend to waste any of it. Just be sure you aren’t followed," he warned.
There was an unspoken tension and intensity underneath the light tone in which he spoke, but he was glad to see Helena’s face and eyes take on more relieved, confident expression. She nodded and patted her hands playfully against his chest before dropping them back down to her sides.
He pointed at the doorknob again with his wand, and then looked back at her.
"Any last words of wisdom before we enter the lion’s den?" he inquired.
She smiled. "Just remember that the best lies are the ones that stick the nearest to the truth as possible."
"Ah, yes."
She shrugged. "And if he asks you first, I’ll follow your lead. And vice versa."
He nodded, then turned back to the door and released the locking spell from it.
They didn’t say another word to each other as they trudged through the halls and up the staircases, winding their way through the passages until Snape suddenly stopped before the figure of a stone gargoyle. Lifting his eyebrows in disdain, he called out: "Toffee Toad Truffle!" The gargoyle suddenly came to life and stepped aside.
Helena’s own eyebrows were raised in a gesture of surprise and interest. "I’ll assume the password is changed frequently?" she asked.
He nodded and they passed through the opening that had appeared in the wall. The doorway closed behind them and she saw that a spiral staircase, with steps that moved upward like an escalator, was standing in front of them.
They stepped unto the slowly moving steps, and Helena allowed her eyes to drift upward. Snape saw her start in surprise, and he also looked up. Professor Flitwick was on one of the uppermost steps, just hopping off unto the landing. She gulped, and for the first time since composing herself before leaving the Potions classroom, he saw the anxious look return to her face.
Of course, the head of your house also has to be informed when you’re about to be suspended or expelled, doesn’t he, she thought despairingly.
She felt Snape press a reassuring hand against her shoulder for a brief moment.
"It never pays to look guiltier than they already think you are," he whispered.
***Rule number three: As difficult as they are to mange, sometimes having a full-blooded Slytherin as your lover comes in handy. ***
She laughed nervously and took in a deep breath. And, as they stepped off the stairs in front of the large oak door that led into Dumbledore’s office, the only expression readable on her face was a vague look of curiosity and anticipation.
Snape reached over her with his left hand to rap loudly upon the door using the large brass doorknocker that hung upon it.
"Come in!" It was Dumbledore’s voice, sounding as bright and cheery as ever.
Taking in one last, deep breath, she grasped the doorknob and turned, pushing it open. As the door swung open, she immediately saw that Dumbledore was standing by his desk and that in front of it were three chairs, all of them occupied. By Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Harrison, and the estimable Mrs. Constance Smythe- Forbush Ettington, to be exact. The next thing she knew, a loud shout arose in the room.
"SURPRISE!"
She blinked. Flitwick was not the only other teacher in the room. In fact, it looked like almost the entire faculty was present, and the next minute she saw Madam Pomfrey rushing towards her, with Professors Vector and Flitwick right behind her. She looked dumbly around the room, and finally became aware that, written in the air above their heads were the words, "Congratulations, Helena" and "Mediwitch School, Here She Comes!"
The next thing she knew, the entire room had erupted into applause. She looked around again, turning herself in a circle. She took in the pleased expression on Dumbledore’s face as he bounced lightly up and down on the heels of his feet, the look of absolute pride on Madam Pomfrey’s face as she hooted and hollered with excitement, and the slightly blank, but relieved look on Severus’ face as he joined in the applause.
Their eyes met for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough for them to telegraph to each other their absolute shock and relief as they realized that their worst fears had been completely ungrounded in reality.
Then she found herself being surrounded by the crowd of well wishers. After Madam Pomfrey released her from an affectionate embrace, she found her hand being eagerly shook and more than a few teachers giving her an enthusiastic pat on her shoulders or back as she was swept into the center of the room. Her mother appeared in front of her and wrapped her arms around her in an excited hug.
"Oh, Helena, isn’t it grand?" she enthused.
Snape allowed himself a brief glance at the large, bluff man who was now standing next to Dumbledore. He looked very similar to the yearbook picture that Snape had managed to find of him, except that he now wore a large, walrus-like mustache. And his body had the general beefiness about it that you usually found when a former athlete had reached the age where his appetite had just started to exceed his level of exercise. He also looked extremely proud, smug and self-satisfied. Severus looked at him critically. He appeared to have no doubt that congratulations were due to him also. Apparently, the man believed wholeheartedly that the woman receiving these honors was indeed his offspring.
The woman standing on the other side of the headmaster also appeared to be rather pleased, but it had not completely swept aside her usual expression of slight condemnation and disapproval. The frosty, gray stare of her eyes was matched by cold, silver color of the hair that was wound into tightly coiled, carefully coifed curls that were stuck stiffly into place beneath her large witch’s hat. She possessed an austere, haughty beauty. But other than an extremely intelligent glint in her eyes, Snape failed to fine a trace of similarity between her face and Helena’s features. There was more than a hint of pride in own smile. And Snape was sure that she was far more justified than Harrison was in believing that she had contributed to Helena’s current triumph.
On the other hand, Helena’s mother seemed content to merely bask in the reflected glory of her amazingly distinguished offspring. Snape moved slightly to the back of the crowd to hug the wall as he compared the faces of the mother and daughter.
When he had first managed to find a picture of Helena’s mother in the yearbook, he had been amazed to realize that she had graduated only two years ahead of him. Although, to be sure, he hadn’t paid much attention to many of the students in the other houses, other than some of his Gryffindor foes. So the fact that he had not been familiar with a slightly older Ravenclaw with such a desultory scholastic history as Elizabeth Ettington shouldn't have surprised him too much.
The second shock had been that Helena was practically her double. Other than the fact that the woman in his yearbook had slightly darker hair (a deep shade of ebony unlike Helena’s own dark brunette), and brown rather than hazel eyes, it could have been a picture of Helena. Oh, and perhaps Elizabeth’s face had been slightly fuller, and the lips a tad thinner. But other than that, they could have passed as twins rather than mother and daughter.
Some changes had occurred during the years, however. Elizabeth now had her hair drawn back into a tight, elegant French twist. And the color had been lightened to an extraordinary level, so that the strands were a light, almost platinum blond. Snape noted critically that he did not think it was as complimentary to her complexion as her natural color, particularly since the treatment had rendered the hair as dry and brittle as straw. She had also managed, somehow, to charm her eyes into a deep shade of blue. But, rather than adding a piquant beauty to her gaze, the shade was so startling that even those who had not known her before would have concluded that it was an artificial contrivance. Her face was also less full than it had been. She apparently had starved herself into what she considered fashionable thinness. Her cheekbones were jutting prominently, and not particularly prettily, underneath her eyes, the skin seemingly stretched tight across them.
His eyes traveled down her body and he raised his eyebrows as he took in the elaborate, unmistakably expensive set of dress robes that she was wearing. She obviously thought she was being quite stylish, but to Snape’s taste the clothing seemed merely to scream, "Look at how much I spent on this!" On top of this, her wrists, neck and earlobes sparkled with such an assortment of jewels that he wondered if he dared to approach her without shading his eyes.
He glanced between this woman and her own overpowering mother and wondered vaguely who Elizabeth’s father had been. A distinguished but ineffectual Ravenclaw, no doubt, who had left his wife a quite comfortable widow when he died.
Dumbledore had raised his hands and was calling for quiet now. Within a few moments, the crowd had hushed itself and turned its attention towards him.
"Thank you all for coming, and in particular, thanks for managing to keep this little celebration such a big surprise for our guest of honor," he began.
"Oh, and forgive me, Severus, for not informing you either," he continued. "But, I knew I’d never get you willingly into my office for a party."
There was a murmur of laughter at this comment.
Helena was smiling happily and she turned to give her mother an affectionate squeeze on the arm.
"As if it is not already evident, my dear," continued the kindly headmaster, "I am very pleased to inform you that the University had reserved a place for you in next fall’s Mediwitch School."
The crowd clapped again, and Dumbledore waited for the sound to die away before continuing. "Poppy, why don’t you take it from here?"
The school Mediwitch happily strode over to Helena’s side and cleared her throat. "At the Staff Meeting last Monday, it was decided that the entire faculty would sign a commendation recommending that you be considered for immediate admission to the Mediwitch curriculum next year. The Headmaster was able to get all our signatures gathered by Thursday and he personally delivered the document to the Mediwitch Education Council." She lifted up a document in her hand. "And here is a copy of that document, for you, dear."
Helena smiled and took it.
"They were quite impressed, and by the next day, Professor Dumbledore had received a letter indicating their approval." She handed the girl another sheet of official-looking parchment.
Her grin widened, and she couldn’t keep a small ripple of laughter from bursting out as she looked at it.
"Of course," added Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling brightly, and his hands clutching another sheaf of papers. "It certainly didn’t hurt that not less than five of your instructors also sent personal letters of recommendation." He handed over the stack to Helena. She managed to work all of the papers into one arm and extend her other hand to shake the hand of her headmaster.
Again, there was a smattering of applause.
"But, you of course know that you are still expected to pass your NEWTS with flying colors," admonished Professor Flitwick from the crowd, in an excited, squeaky voice.
The crowd laughed as Helena playfully pulled a face and snapped her fingers in a show of exaggerated disappointment.
"Oh, and the board did make one more stipulation, I’m afraid," added Dumbledore.
Helena turned to regard him curiously.
"They are so impressed with you they are unwilling to wait until next fall!" shouted Madam Pomfrey, unable to help yourself.
Helena looked mystified.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, my dear, they would like you to start at the university at the beginning of the spring semester. This will allow you to take some transitional course, while you continue studying for your NEWTS, of course. That way, you can plunge head-first into Mediwitch program in the fall."
Snape found himself staring out above Dumbledore’s head into the gray, darkening sky of the clouds that could be glimpsed through the window located high on the wall behind him. That meant she would be leaving shortly after classes recommenced after the winter break.
"But, if I’m not here for the spring semester, how will I graduate from Hogwarts?" Helena asked, her tone hesitant and puzzled.
"Never fear, my dear, never fear. You will be back in June to accept your diploma with the rest of your classmates," assured Dumbledore. "You will just get your first taste of University life a little sooner than most."
She nodded, still looking very surprised. A moment later she had recovered, and had reached over to hug Madam Pomfrey again. Applause rang throughout the room again.
She glanced for a moment at Snape, but he was still looking determinedly out the window, and refused to meet her look.
"And now," pronounced Dumbledore, clapping his hands, "let us feast."
Immediately, tables filled with food and drink appeared throughout the room.
***************
Helena was seated now, carefully looking over all of her copies of the documents as she continued to receive the praise and congratulations of the partygoers. She had excitedly turned the pages to see who had sent the private letters of recommendations.
Flitwick, Vector and Pomfrey, no surprise there of course. And…..she smiled. One from Severus Snape, Potion’s Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Oh, dreadfully formal of course. One might even say cold. But, she had no doubt, the few letters of recommendation he had signed in the past had undoubtedly been exclusively for Slytherins. It was still quite a coup for her. But, who had her other supporter been?
She looked down at the last page and caught her breath. She glanced up at the crowd, searching for someone. She carefully placed the pile of papers down on the table and crossed the floor to where Professors McGonagall and Sinistra were chatting away.
"Professor McGonagall?"
"Yes, Miss Harrison?"
She paused and extended her hand. "I just want to say that I am rather surprised but very honored that you took the time to write a personal letter of recommendation."
The older woman turned to give the younger one a piercing look as she accepted her hand. "I’ll admit that I was not very enthusiastic about the idea when Poppy first approached me. You and I have had our differences over the years. And you have made some choices that I have not approved of. But, I know that you have great potential. And I only hope that you will use the opportunities you have been given wisely, and well."
"I shall try to live up to your expectations," she replied.
McGonagall nodded, and gave Helena a short, quick smile.
Helena turned to return to her seat, but before she had taken a step, she heard a voice calling out to her.
"Isn’t it about time that you at least acknowledged my presence, Helena?"
She suppressed the desire to roll her eyes and plastered a smile unto her face as she turned to face her grandmother.
"Grandmother," she cooed, raising up on her tiptoe to give that cool, dry cheek a quick kiss. "How nice of you to come."
"Well, it’s about time that a Ravenclaw was acknowledged," she muttered. "Some people would think from reading the papers that Harry Potter was the only student attending this school," she complained, loudly.
"Hmm," Helena agreed, her tone as noncommittal as possible.
"But, don’t think I don’t still want an explanation from you!" she warned.
"An explanation?" Helena replied, blankly.
Her grandmother snorted. "Oh, don’t play coy with me, Helena. You can hardly expect me to come to Hogwarts without demanding a look at the Ravenclaw records. Eighty-five points and two detentions! Really, the nerve!"
The next thing she knew, her grandmother had grabbed her hand, and was pulling her along behind her as she made a beeline towards the tall, dark, thin and unsuspecting head of Slytherin House. He had been leaning back against the wall of the room, indulging in neither food nor drink as he surveyed the partygoers, and to Helena’s delight she detected a brief flicker of fear in his eyes as he realized that they were headed straight for him.
"Professor Snape!" she called.
He uncrossed her arms, and stood stiffly erect as his head dipped in a formal bow. "Yes, Mrs. Ettington?"
"What’s all this rubbish about Helena needing two detentions?"
He raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, but the woman showed no sign of allowing him time to make a reply.
"And don’t think that your little letter of recommendation makes up for it!" she huffed.
"Of course not, Madam. And that was not the reason why I wrote it. I assure you, I would have written that letter in any case," was his mild reply. "For, I must admit, your granddaughter has performed beyond my wildest expectations."
"But-"
"Oh, please, calm yourself, Mrs. Ettington. Unfortunately, it was a very serious incident, and I would have been remiss not to inflict some penalty upon her for her lack of judgment," he explained smoothly. "But, I assure you I was very careful to make sure that my punishment was a perfect fit for her."
Her grandmother stared at him angrily.
"And, I’m sure that Helena herself would tell you that the experience was not quite as distasteful as you fear it was." His smile was bland, but his eyes were mocking as he glanced at Helena.
"Yes, really, Grandmother, it really could have been a lot worse than it was. The detentions actually seemed to fly by. In fact, we were in and out in no time," she replied, giving a smile back to him.
"Be that as it may, it had better not happen again," she declared.
"I sincerely doubt that it will, Mrs. Ettington. Helena has been a most enthusiastic pupil of late, eager to learn everything I can possibly teach her. I swear, the more I pump into her lately, the more she wants."
"Well-"
"Oh, come now, Constance, you mustn’t monopolize all of the good Professor’s time!"
It was Dumbledore to the rescue. "Now, you had some other issues you wished to discuss with me?"
The irate witch reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled away. "Well, to begin with Albus-"
Helena allowed herself one quick, wicked grin at Snape before turning away.
To her horror, Herbert Harrison was now approaching them. "I know you!" he declared.
"I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting," was Snape’s bland reply, as he offered him his hand.
"No, but I’ve seen you refereeing Quidditch matches," the older man replied. "Always make a point of attending at least a few of them during the year, you know? From the looks of you, you must have been a player yourself?"
"Ah, yes," replied Snape. "I managed a spot as a Chaser during my last two years at school."
"Must have been after my time?"
"I believe it was," he agreed. "As a matter of fact-"
His black eyes flickered on Helena’s face for a moment. "Your name came up during the Staff Meeting last week and Professor Sprout mentioned that you were an excellent Keeper."
Harrison threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Ah, yes, ah, yes, can’t deny that," he admitted.
"Yes, and I happened to be going by the trophy case later that night and saw your name was on no less than three of the Quidditch trophies."
The older man laughed again and tried, unsuccessfully, to look modest.
"My, my. Three years of glory in a row for Hufflepuff," added Snape, again glancing at Helena as he shook his head in admiration.
She nodded her head, a look of grudging respect and sudden understanding in her eyes.
"Yes, we’ve never had a streak like that before or since!" said an excited voice.
The trio turned to find Professor Sprout elbowing her way through the crowd to join them. "Come, Bertie, you haven’t even said hello to me!" she complained.
"Ah, Sproutie, how are you?" he asked enthusiastically. He planted an arm around the Professors rather ample waist, and to her horror Helena saw that a moment later it had dropped down to a lower spot. And that her teacher appeared to be quite happy to have it remain there.
Blushing furiously, Helena turned and moved away from them.
"Leaving so soon, Professor Snape?"
It was Flitwick’s voice. Helena turned to see Severus standing with his hand on the door.
"Yes, Professor. I have to pick up something from my office. And I do have plans for the rest of the evening. In fact," he paused considered the matter thoughtfully, " I’m beginning to think that I may be up for most of the night."
- 14
- 15
- 16
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Secretly Slytherin