Love and Potions - Severus Snape x OC

Chapter 37 - Mother Dearest

Severus had never been one to show his emotions, but love had changed him. Rowan had shown him kindness, and in turn, he had started to show kindness to those around him. With her gone, his hard had seemed to turn back to ice. No longer did he flash a pity smile at the students who passed him in the hall. He had given out more detention in one day than he had in all his years at Hogwarts.

This hadn't changed when the ministry arrived at Hogwarts; if anything it seemed to worsen his mood. Severus was currently sat across from Cornelius Fudge, answering needless questions that wouldn't help find Rowan any faster. If he was being honest, Severus wanted nothing to do with the ministry's investigation. He could do more by going and searching every home in the world than the ministry could get done by interrogating innocent people.

"Severus, I understand how hard this is for you. If we are going to make any progress, we need you to work with us," Cornelius probed, looking at Severus pitifully. Severus kept his eyes locked with the Minister, not daring to utter a single word. Rowan was missing, probably dead by now, and they were wasting time interrogating him. Cornelius sighed before turning his eyes down to the paper in his hand that held the needed questions for the investigation. "I'll ask again, did Professor Knight have any enemies or anyone who would want to harm her?"

"Just as I told you before, Minister, Rowan never spoke of anyone like that. My girlfriend is out there somewhere, and you're wasting precious time!" Severus scoffed. Cornelius wrote down a few words on his paper and looked back up at Severus. "Off the record, Miss Juniper Montgomery seems to believe that one of my best Aurors is to blame for this. Does the name Evanora Knight mean anything to you?" Cornelius inquired as he placed his quill inside a booklet, closing it tightly.

"No, and why would it? I don't know much about Rowan's acquaintances apart from her friends here at Hogwarts," Severus answered curtly, twirling Rowan's wand in his hand. Annoyance was building quickly within Severus, and it was keeping every piece of strength he had left not to explode.

Suddenly, the door to Severus' office flung open, and in walked a very proper-looking woman. Her brown hair had been brushed perfectly and there wasn't a sign of a wrinkle on her clothes. Severus could recognize her from anywhere, but not from his own mind. She was the woman in Rowan's memories; her mother.

"I would expect Rowan's boyfriend to know me. I'm Evanora Knight, Rowan's mother," The woman said, holding out a bony hand to Severus. Severus stared at her hand for a moment, debating whether he should play nice or not. Though, it seemed Evanora had already decided for him. "Oh, you weren't a...Slytherin...were you?" Her voice filled with disgust at the mention of the snake-associated house. Severus couldn't help but scoff at her words; what a childish thing to be disgusted over.

"I was, however, I don't see the importance of that," Severus said without emotion. Deep down, he knew that Rowan would want him to be kind to her mother. While they didn't get along, Rowan still cared for her. It was like Severus was with his own mother. "My daughter was wrongfully placed in Slytherin. I thought I raised her better than to lay with a snake," Evanora spat as she took a seat beside Cornelius, noticeably moving her chair away from Severus' desk.

Cornelius cleared his throat awkwardly, flashing a small smile at Evanora. "I was just finishing up my interview with Professor Snape. If you would like, we could step into another room to begin your interview?" He offered, standing up from his chair that sat across from Severus. Severus silently noted that he would need to clean these seats after the ministry left.

"Could we do that later? I have some things to discuss with the Professor," Evanora said hatefully, flashing an evil grin at Cornelius. Severus had never known Cornelius Fudge to be a man that would allow such disrespect to go on for much longer. However, much to Severus' surprise, Cornelius simply nodded and left the room. It was almost as if Evanora were the minster, though Severus knew better.