Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Thirteen

TW: Domestic abuse coming up.

On a more positive note, Helen Mcrory in Peaky Blinders is amazing :)

Silvanna heard the crinkle of the piece of parchment saying she wasn't allowed to do magic, as she flicked a page in one of the library books she'd borrowed for the holidays. The train rattled and the rain pounded against the windows. The sound soothed her a little, and she was temporarily distracted from the never-ending dread that filled her mind.

Silvanna had tried to get a compartment to herself, but as soon as the boys had seen her (they'd been among the last on the train) they jumped inside uninvited, eager to share a compartment with her instead of some random students they didn't know.

As the sky darkened around four, and they nibbled away at the food from the trolley (or in Silvanna's case, the bread roll and apple she'd taken at breakfast), they discussed what they would be doing over Christmas. The conversation didn't last very long. Silvanna and Black's answers were both very vague, and Lupin was just spending it with his parents, which left a two way conversation between Potter and Pettigrew. She turned to her book instead, seeing Lupin had done the same, and Black was asking all sorts of questions about gingerbread men, and tobogganing in the snow.

When the sky was black with inky clouds, the train rolled into platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station and there was a great scramble to get off. Silvanna was tempted to take her time, but she didn't want to get into trouble, so she rushed out, following the boys.

On the platform, Potter was immediately greeted by a witch and a wizard who he looked just like, right down to the warm grin radiating off his face. Black spotted his family right away, and bid a quiet goodbye to them all before stepping over. His dad put a hand on his shoulder by way of greeting. His mum looked terrifying, like a combination of Professor McGonagall in a bad mood and Silvanna's dad. She noticed he also had a brother, who looked just like him.

Pettigrew rushed off to greet his parents, who were clearly a witch and wizard, leaving Silvanna and Lupin peering round. "Oh, there's my mum and dad," he said, and two people waved at the pair of them. Silvanna thought he looked rather like his mum, but he was just as lanky as his dad. A short way away she spotted her own mum, who hadn't seen her yet. "See you in two weeks, then," said Lupin, and to her surprise, he enveloped her in a gentle hug. She stiffened a little at the contact, patting him quickly on the back and he let go, smiling. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas," she called, before going to say hello to her mum.

*****

"Do I look like I give two shits?" Silvanna heard her dad roar from downstairs. She rolled her tongue over her teeth, frowning as she concentrated more on the properties of ashwinder tails and their uses in potions. She tried to concentrate on the rain beating the windows, and the drip of a leak in her ceiling into a bucket. One of the many cons of living in the attic, alongside the spiders and the draughts. But she didn't much mind. It was better than sharing with Severus, or having his tiny room. Hers was much bigger, although half of it was filled with storage boxes, and also the cage her mum's owl slept in, so it was out the way.

"I just think you should be here at Christmas," came her mum's voice, sounding torn between hysterics and staying calm.

"And what the fuck's that got to do with you?" Silvanna jumped as she heard the sound of her dad's hand colliding with her mum, accidentally knocking one of her textbooks off her bed with a loud thud.

Silvanna froze. The arguing stopped. Her ears pricked up as she heard the sound of footsteps thundering up the two flights of stairs. "Oh, please leave her, Tobias! She's not hurt-"

"I will not have her disrespecting my house!" her dad roared, growing nearer and nearer. She flinched again as her mum let out a yelp and there was a series of thuds as though she'd fallen down the stairs.

Her door burst open, crashing against the boxes with a bang. Something inside them jingled. She jumped again, clutching her hands together where she sat to stop them from shaking. But she'd already eyed the belt in his hand. "Get up."

Silvanna felt tears begin to prick at her eyes, and she tried to push them back in, knowing it would make it worse if she cried. "Do I have to repeat myself?"

She shook her head and scampered off her bed, which creaked loudly. She stood before the towering man, trying not to shake, as she forced herself to look him in the eye. "Did you throw your book on the floor?"

"No, Sir," she replied, her voice trembling, but she told the truth.

"Don't lie to me!" The owl hooted indignantly at being woken, but was ignored.

"I'm not!" Her mum appeared in the doorway, sporting a pink handprint on her cheek. She'd already healed any injury from her fall.

Tobias Snape raised his belt high in the air, bringing it down to Silvanna's behind with a great crack. She cowered away from it, flinching as it hit her. It stung rather a lot, and one or two of her tears fell as she cried out. "What do you say?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, looking up at his terrifying face.

"Turn around," he said. Silvanna didn't understand - she'd just said she was sorry! Slowly, before he had to tell her again, she turned around. He brought his belt down again, this time nicking her upper arm. She yelped again. "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry for throwing my book and lying about it," she said, looking at the wall in front of her and bracing herself again. But her dad was satisfied with her apology, and Silvanna watched him usher his wife violently down the stairs and out of sight.

When she was certain they were downstairs, she closed her door with a soft click. She scurried back to her bed, pulling her worn trunk from underneath it and rifling through for her two healing pastes. The bruising paste ought to do it, as there wasn't any blood this time. It worked almost straight away as she applied it, and she let out a relieved breath before climbing back onto her creaking bed to finish her homework.