Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Nineteen

TW!

Aside from that, :)

Silvanna jumped as the front door slammed shut, effectively smudging her star chart that she was filling in. "You two, get down here, now!" her dad shouted up the stairs. Silvanna sighed, knowing very well that there was no 'two'. Just her.

She padded down the stairs, her mind jumping around to all the aches and pains she would have to endure. Her dad was stood there, arms crossed and still wearing his cleaner uniform. Her mum was there too, hovering behind him in the hallway.

"Where's your brother?" he spat, scowling at her.

"He wouldn't come," she replied truthfully. She hadn't pestered him like she had last time, or called him a coward or anything, but Silvanna knew it was no use. It was him that would pay for it in summer.

"Didn't you read my letter?" he snapped.

"I did," she said. "But it's not my fault he didn't come."

"Well I fucking think it is!" he said, raising his voice. "You're the eldest, you should be responsible! Set a good example-!"

"Well, I'm here aren't I?" Silvanna cut across.

"What did you just say to me?"

Silvanna shuddered, plucking courage from unknown locations deep down. "You said I should set a good example, and I am," she explained. "I came home."

He walked over to her, boots thudding on the hard-wood floor. "You," he said, spit flying as he jabbed his finger hard into her chest, "need to learn some respect." He turned up the volume. "How dare you speak to me like that in my own house? YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE FREAK!" He slapped her across her face, and tears pricked at her eyes as it stung. He stepped back, taking off his belt. "Take your blouse off."

"Dad-" Silvanna began to protest.

"Do it!" She looked desperately to her mum, who was looking emptily at the floor, not trying to intervene. Shaking, she pulled her top over her head, shivering as she stood there in her vest. "Turn round." Silvanna braced herself, obliging and flinching.

He didn't wait to strike. She yelped out as the belt hit her, and the fourth time she tried to dodge it, only for it to come down harder. Tears fell freely down her face and he kicked at her legs. Silvanna tumbled to the floor, cowering against the wall to make herself smaller as the belt came down and down again.

"Tobias, that's enough," said the voice of her mum. She too yelped as she was pushed away. Her dad hit Silvanna once more, and she whimpered, before he finally stopped, breathing heavily.

"Go to your room," he said, and she nodded, trembling as she grabbed her blouse and climbed to her feet. "And don't let me see you down here until I say so."

*****

"Everyone have a good holidays?" asked Potter brightly as he sat down. There were mumbled of 'yes' and Silvanna shifted uncomfortably, the wounds in her back stinging. She'd rather cleverly evaded her dad for the rest of the holidays by spending the whole day in a nearby field reading her books whenever he was off work.

She hadn't managed to brew anymore potions before she'd left, not now McGonagall knew it had been them stealing ingredients. She looked over at Sirius, but it's didn't seem so bad. Maybe he was just better at hiding it. "How was your mum?" Potter asked him, eyeing Silvanna carefully.

"I already know about that," she said quietly, folding her book shut.

"We know," said Pettigrew, turning back to Sirius.

"She's evil as always, the old bat," said Sirius. He shrugged. "They gave me some healing pastes before I came back. Scared of another fiasco like the last time, I think." That explained why he wasn't twitching like she was. "How about you?" To her horror, he looked over at her.

Silvanna buried her nose deep in her book. "I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled.

"If you need to talk-" Potter began.

"Piss off," she snapped. There was a bit of shuffling, and she could feel pointed looks being thrown at each other.

Eventually, it was Pettigrew that broke the silence. "I had a very nice easter egg-"

*****

Silvanna bit her lip, looking around the hospital wing for any signs of life. Maybe Madame Pomfrey wasn't here...maybe she was having her tea. That was where Silvanna had just been.

But thankfully, the matron seemed to never leave the hospital wing, and she came out of her office carrying a tray of bottles that varied in sizes. She looked surprised to see Silvanna there.

"Oh," she said, smiling warmly. "How can I help you, Miss Snape?"

"Um..." Silvanna began, biting the inside of her cheek and picking at her nails. "I had some more accidents," she said quietly. "Falling out that tree. I was wondering if you could help?"

Pomfrey looked at her sympathetically, placing the tray down on a nearby cabinet and ushering her behind a railing. "Of course," she said, "Let's have a look."

Slightly less hesitantly than last time, she removed her blouse and lifted up her vest, exposing her back to the chilly air. "Been climbing the Whomping Willow, have we?" Pomfrey said, and Silvanna could feel her peering at them. "No matter, we'll have them cleaned up in no time."

She left Silvanna alone for a moment, returning with two tins, a bucket of water with a washcloth, and a roll of bandages. She got to work straight away, dabbing at the gashes with her cloth. "It's very brave of you, coming to me for help with these," said Pomfrey as Silvanna winced. The water was cold and kept running down in drips. She didn't bother asking what she meant - Silvanna thought she was being rather weak, having to ask for help.

Next Pomfrey applied a purple paste that fizzled and burned and Silvanna squirmed where she was sat. "That's it, keep still," said Madame Pomfrey soothingly. She left it a little while longer, before wiping it away with the washcloth that Silvanna noticed was now pink. She vaguely wondered why her wounds hadn't sealed up naturally over the two weeks she'd been away - it normally didn't take that long. But she supposed it would be worse if she'd been hit in the same spot repeatedly.

Finally, Madame Pomfrey applied the orange paste that Silvanna recognised as wound-sealant. It was a more vivid orange than hers had been, and it stung more, but not by a lot. Pomfrey placed bandages over the top, sealing it in and letting it work.

"I want to keep you in overnight-" Pomfrey began.

"But-" Silvanna made to protest, but was cut off.

"No," said Pomfrey sharply. "That needs time to work without being bothered."

"Can I still go to lessons tomorrow?" asked Silvanna.

"You're worse than Mr Lupin, you know that?" she said, pulling the covers of the bed back and smiling faintly. "We'll see how it is, but I don't think it'll be a problem."