Learning of Worlds-Private

[HopesWings]

Yeah. It just wasn't easy.

Ellie's dark eyes snapped up to meet Severus', shimmering with dark rage. Her fists tightened, and a firm frown plastered her face. She was a fighter; rather Snape chose to believe it or not, it came from the girl's mother. His blood. Her next words were cool, cold. Whatever connection she had begun to show to the dark man was gone. Vanished like so much in his life. "I said I would not show him the way. I never said I would not show you."Her words were bitter, spoken by a hurt child. Turning away from the men, she marched to the ajoining room. She did not spare them a glance.

Dumbledore remained as though stone for several seconds. Then he stirred, shaking himself out of his surprise. "I did not believe she could be so much like a woman she had never met. Even if it was her mother."It was hard to tell if he was bitter over what had happened. Few denied him what he wanted. This girl just had with no remorse for it. A child. He focused his attention on the man beside him rather than what had just occurred.

"I had been searching my memories last night. Sage said something which struck me funny the last time I saw her."He paused, as though gathering his thoughts. Though the money rarely needed to for any reason whatsoever. "The last time I spoke to Sage, she told me...she told me she had to place family above anything else. Above the war. Above her friends. Even above the Order. She said that included the family she had turned her back on."Dumbledore faced Snape, meeting his eyes. "I fully believe she meant to reconnect with you, Severus."

[Orion]

To his surprise, she lashed back. Like Dumbledore thought, he could hold himself to a certain part and held back his malicious tongue from snapping back. Severus masterfully had managed to hold his sly tongue throughout the years and wasn’t about to waste him time on a child with no guarantee of being his niece. Any aberration was not necessary. Instead a dark gaze watched as she stomped off, a slight sneer coming onto his pursed lips.

A sullen gaze whipped around, boiling into a furious glare. ”Liar,” Snape snarled. A lanky finger pointed down at Dumbledore’d chest, warning him against interjecting. ”My brooding sister had no intent to reconnect with what she called a miscreant puppet to Voldemort, despite her unknowingness to my true intents.” And after all these years he wasn’t bound to change his opinion based on these ‘hidden facts’ Dumbledore was suddenly discovering. Despite being loyal to Dumbledore, there were sometimes he had to put his foot down. ”While you’re brandishing the secrets of a thousand souls in your mind, it’d be ideal if you had an honest demeanor too.” Snape’s lashing out had been finally shifted to Dumbledore instead of Ellie. Obviously, she had ran off.

”Before you decide to introduce some novel information,” he continued, ”We should take the girl home.” No longer was Dumbledore taking sole responsibility for the girl. With that said, he moved out of the room with his robe swaying behind him and swished, darkened hair shining under the morning sun. Hopefully Ellie did not go far.

//mobile

[HopesWings]

//Still an awesome post.

Dumbledore watched Severus go, pity in his gaze. He knew Severus was hurt over what had happened between him and his sister. They had been close as children, even when they had been placed in different houses at Hogwarts. When they had chosen different sides, their tempers had flared. Things had been said which could not be unheard. It pained the old man to a degree; however, he would never show it. He could not afford to.

Ellie had not gone far. With only a few, quick paces, Snape found her. She was seated in a window seal sit, her legs hugged to her chest. She was gazing outside into the courtyard. A certain sadness lingered around the child. Without moving her gaze to him, she said, "I apologize for my tongue just then. It was uncalled for."It sounded forced, but was spoken nevertheless. The girl sighed.

Down the hall, the voices of children echoed to them. They sounded happy, clearly not worried about anything in the world. Ellie raised her head, gazing longing in the direction the voice was coming from. She longed to belong, but she was afraid. This was a world she did not know of.

//Rushed before class

[Orion]

// Ily, you’re too sweet. Same to you (as always lmaooo), we make a good pair.

His narrow gaze faded back into a satisfied, but still wary, glare and stared down at her. He craned his head downwards, black hair elegantly falling down into his face, as he listened to what she had to say before speaking himself. Disappointment was strung through her words, obviously. "Very well," Severus agreed. ”It’s better to hold your reigns back before you dig your own grave.” His lips pulled back into a smirk. Truly, he should be speaking for himself, but Severus was too high strung to admit his fault right now. ”Instead of lingering on our doubting bumbling, perhaps it’d be more gratifying to do something else.” Whisking away the girl towards another activity would prevail considered to this silliness. Dumbledore could possibly be more comforting... After all, he had her best interest in mind and not his.

He watched as Ellie's head raised and looked into the distance. The unfamiliarity of the situation seemed almost alien to her, but yet the surroundings was so orthodox to the half-blood. "Perhaps you'd like to take a walk?" he casually suggested. His words were a low grumble, almost forced and lousy. Despite that, reminiscing on the wonders of the world should be extraordinary for the child. It could surely sway her to go home quicker... or cause her to stay longer. Severus was betting on the first option and was hoping for a quick departure to her Nan's house.

[HopesWings]

///Thank you. And we do make a good pair, don't we?

Ellie looked up at the man with uncertainty. The invitation to explore this new place was tempting. The chance to meet other children her age, the chance to explore somewhere she had not seen before. It was a strong temptation, but also one she knew she could not accept. Biting her lip for the briefest second of indecision, she shook her head. "No,"she muttered softly, sadly, "I need to get back home. Nan must be worried sick about me, and I do miss it." She did miss her home. It was not nearly as nice as this place, not as warm or as welcoming, and it did not offer food, but it was home. Pushing away her disappointment, she stood up. Her tiny feet were still bare. Either shoes had not been found for her, or she had refused them.

At just that moment, as it happened to be Snape's luck so much of the time, Harry Potter and his two friends rounded the corner. They stopped, staring at the sight before them. Ron's mouth fell open, and Hermione looked shocked. Harry forced a nervous smile as he locked eyes with Ellie. "Hello Ellie,"the boy forced out nervously. He was trying his hardest to ignore Severus, which came of no surprise to anyone. "Good morning Harry,"Ellie replied politely, but there was an annoyance in her small voice. She was ready to move, and idle talk was not in her to-do. Seeming to get the message, Harry gave her a swift nod before he and his friends hurried past. None of them dared to glance Snape's way. Feet behind them, Ron began whispering loudly.

Ellie watched the three leave. "They're a funny lot,"she decided. She waited until they were out of sight before returning her dark orbs to Severus. If she was unnerved by meeting them, she showed no sign of it. She just appeared impatient. "Can we leave now?"

[Orion]

//Dynamic duo af, dude. B)

Excellent. Her choice was ideal and perserving Severus’ dignity. Not only would he have to drag an unfamiliar child around but he’d have to deal with her marveling. Thankfully, the final decision saved both of them from the existential dread. ”Then we mutually confer,” he said eloquently, as if he was satisfied with himself.

A sneer turned into a scowl as Potter and his friends turned the corner. Harry had dragged him into this mess by bringing her back to Hogwarts because (of course) the Chosen-One had to be oh-so noble. The thought made Severus want to scoff. Despite that, dark eyes narrowed down onto Potter and practically drilled into him. ”Move along, Potter,” he sneered. ”Ten points from Gryffindor for needless wandering.” The boy needed to learn about minding his own business before his curiosity got the best of him. All of his wandering throughout the corridors had managed to cause tension. As for the other two, they followed along like ducklings. The professor couldn’t expect more from a know-it-all and a ginger buffoon since the Gryffindors were prideful and had to stay together. Their downfall with Potter was a pity.

Whether or not his comment influenced the three, they happened to scurry along anyways. Thus his attention swayed back towards Ellie. ”They’re rather droll, but I digress,” he drawled. Severus adjusted himself, standing tall. ”Follow me before the hippgriffs within the forest decide to nip at your toes this time around.” With that said, he began to prowl forward throughout the hallways with his dark robes sashaying behind him in the wind and dark hair flustering about.


//Feel free to time skip to wherever you please if it’s ideal! It’s your plot anyways aha.

[HopesWings]

//The best around!

//I'm going to skip to them getting to the house. No need to drag that part out.

Ellie had remained silent throughout their journey through the forest. Within minutes of entering the trees, she had taken the led. She had kept within Severus's sight, but she had not even glanced back once. She was adjusted to the forest, moving through it as though a creature who called it home. In a sad, almost comically way, she was. It had been her home since before she had memories.

After nearly an hour, she paused. Ellie stood still, listening. She suddenly gulped, growing nervous. "Nan must be home. The dog is not barking,"she said warily. Without waiting for his response, she slipped through a cluster of vines, vanishing from sight. When Snape followed after her, it would be as though he had stepped into a fairy tale.

The two had entered a small clearing surrounded by a wall of tall hedges. The grass was short, barely more specks of dull green and brown. In the center of the clearing was a small, once white house. It was small, a shot-gun house. The paint was peeling, and it had the appearance of a home not well taken care of. The steps leading up to the porch were moments way from collapse. The entire house was. To the side was a small, thin-wooded dog house. Laying within the shadows were the glowing eyes of a dog. On the porch to the house were two chairs barely together. In one sat a woman.

She wore all black. Her skin was whiter than snow, and only her face and hands could be seen. The rest of her body was clothed in black. Her hair, thin, fell around her face like a black veil. Her eyes, bright green and hollow, were fixed on the opening in the hedge wall. As skinny as Ellie was, this woman was a skeleton next to her. Her hard face was pressed into a mask of anger. Those eyes were shifted to Severus, and he knew the woman. It was Elizabeth Grey, barely recognizable as the once proud woman.

"Nan, I-"Ellie started but she fell silent as Grey raised her hand. She stood up, the rags for cloths making her appear larger than she was. She walked down the steps to them, and stopped once she had reached Ellie. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, but she was looking at Snape. "Severus Snape, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right hand man. What are you doing here?"In her free hand, she held a slender black wand, posed to attack.

[Orion]

// Agreed. + mobile and rushed  ending before class

With wand alight, he wandered silently through the jungle’s underbrush and navigated through all of the territory’s complications with the girl as his lead. Detention in the forest had served him too well. The familiarity with his surroundings was unsettling, but as they went further, the world he knew was starting to fade. As they went deeper into the forest, new things began to catch his gaze. To think that Ellie lived this far in the depths of the forest was astounding.

Soon enough, they arrived. While the clearing was a wonder of its own, to see that someone was inhabiting such an area was much more interesting to him. In the moment he knew the thought couldn’t lure on the fact. Severus’s eyes met the glowing eyes of the dog first, momentarily observing it before moving on. Next his dark eyes caught a silhouette of a stranger. As the world faded into view, an old friend came before him. Her skin lacked pigment and her face was sullen with vexation, something Snape did not expect from a previously lively friend of his sister’s. Things, though, have changed... for better or for worse.

As she stood up, his grip slid down onto his wand and leered over it’s metaphorical trigger. Lanky fingers held on tight to its base. It’s light faded out of view and left the three in the darkness of the forest. As it did so, a sneer slowly grew on his lips. Furrowed brows pressed together and narrowed eyes stared bullets into Elizabeth Grey’s own gaze. ”Grey,” he echoed back. Looming eyes caught their attention on her wand. ’Expelliarmus.’ If successful, the wand would drop down into the grass. ”Whoops,” he drawled as his dark gaze followed the wand. His eyes would move back to Elizabeth’s own gaze, his lips twisting into a smirk. ”It’s rude to point your wand at an old friend.”

Severus lowered his own wand. His grip remained tight though, as who knew what the woman was truly capable of. ”You know very well that it’s not a genius idea to point a wand at me, especially in an area where no one would be able to find your rotting corpse after I’ve done the deed.” His words were cold and calloused. The threat was mostly empty though, as it was a result of his frustrated catharsis. ”Now may I explain myself?”

[HopesWings]

///Still awesome

Grey had managed to catch the wand before it fell, her gaze hardening impossibly more. She narrowed her eyes at his words, not trusting him. At her side, Ellie began to shake, uneasy. Grey knew the child would not utter a cry, but she still do not like her to be witness to whatever was to happen. She released her shoulder. "Ellie, go inside, now,"she ordered crisply, her eyes never leaving Snape. Ellie glanced once at Snape before dashing to the house. She took the steps two at a time before vanishing into the darkness of the house. Grey straightened, her back stiff.

"You and I both know you would not kill me Severus. You want answers, answers only I can give you. The question is, will I give you what you want?"The woman began circling him, like a cat stalking a mouse. Only in this situation, Snape was a snake who could deliver a killing bite. "I've heard about what you did.About what you have done.Now you show up with Ellie in toe? Why should I trust a word out of your lying mouth?"She stopped in front of him, a change in her eyes. Sadness.

For a brief moment, Grey risked letting her guard down. Despite who Severus was, he was still the brother of her best friend. The uncle of the child she loved as her own. "You know who Ellie is, don't you?"she whispered. Her grip tightened on her wand as she struggled to reign in her emotion. "That girl is so much like her mother. It nearly kills me sometimes. She says stuff she would have said. She gives me looks like she had."Grey shakes her head. "What are you doing here Severus? How did you find us?"

[Orion]

His gaze did not follow Ellie as she walked inside but instead remained intertwined with Elizabeth's own gaze. He could feel Grey's despair and exasperation that pent up all throughout the years coming down onto him all at once. While understandable, Severus still believed he had the high ground. Once loyal to the Dark Lord himself, he was no more within that allegiance and was instead playing the role of Dumbledore's double agent due to the death of one of his greatest pleasures: Lily Potter. She was someone who did what was good for the world and acknowledged Severus, despite the Marauder's opinions about Severus. Lily had never put him down or thrown him aside, just like his own father had. Through it all, the girl was there as a reminder that he could do better. He held her on a pedestal. She was the light the world needed. So he kept fighting.

Despite having hope, Lucius Malfoy had coaxed him into what he thought was his purpose. Cruel and conciseness was his pleasure. He desired revenge on those who wronged him and hadn’t learned the art of forgiveness. With the Malfoy dragging him into the Dark Lord's haven, Severus followed willingly. The semblance of their friendship and justification had taken him in. Then Voldemort snuffed out Lily’s bright flame. Dumbledore, seeing an opportunity, had taken an abuse boy in and tried to use him for the purpose of winning the war. The headmaster still was taking control of him successfully, leading him with false intent. Guilt-ridden and too busy with his own agenda, Severus was oblivious to Dumbledore's overlooming plan nevertheless.

Her words were true. Severus could not deny that. He was no killer by nature, only someone hidden in the shadows that gathered information for both sides of the story. The half-blood just remained silent, watching with a narrowed gaze. As she began to pace around him, he could almost imagine the tip of her wand dragging around his throat and pressuring him to speak of all of his dastardly deeds. "You see me as some mangy rat within the sewers as per usual," came Snape's exasperated drawl. "Even the worst of them can redeem themselves sometimes." Minus Peter Pettigrew.

As she continued encircling him, his gaze held forward. Dark eyes anchored down onto the house. Severus only held Elizabeth's own stare when she rounded to his front. "The Chosen One-" His tone was mocking. "-found her at the edge of the dark forest within the Hogwart's domain." It was the time for the truth if he was going to sway her perspective. "Troubled and unsettled, she came into Hogwarts under the watch of Dumbledore." Severus, though primarily the one who watched over her, was not going to take primary credit for the task as he was unwilling. Without Dumbledore's information, the professor would of given her up a long time ago. "I assisted-" He paused momentarily to emphasize his point. "-with her recovery." Minus Pompfrey's help. He doubted Elizabeth remembered the old hag. ”You cannot blame me for being tempted by the face of my dearest sister.” They were too similar in every way. It had caused a soft spot within Severus that he grossly did not want to take acclaim to. ”Dumbledore knew of all of you, revealing of my sister’s secrets and some of your own.” His voice grew cold and harsh. ”Things that I should of known.” It was almost as if he was growling by this point in time. While he did not regret any of his actions, he knew that they chose not to contact him because of them.  ”When it came time to take her home, she denied the help of the headmaster and instead, regrettably, relied on me solely.” An inquisitive eyebrow rose in her direction. ”Would of thought that her Nan told her about stranger danger...” It was for the better that she didn’t.

Explainations and taunts (for now) provided, Severus remained still. His broad shoulders and skinny frame remained loose, yet underneath he knew that he was tense. "All I want to know is what I have been desiring for so many years." He had no sick intent in mind whatsoever. "Where is my dearest sister?" Hopefully, Elizabeth would confide in the uncle to her presumed god daughter.

//I don’t deserve you! You’re too sweet ahhh... I make sure to note it just in case sometimes when it comes to longer posts. Who knows when auto correct will strike! mobile for a part of it