The Professor's Assistant (Snape x OC)

Confrontation

I was sitting in Severus' personal potions stores, categorizing ingredients, like I had said I'd do, when the door opened. 

"Good morning, Madeleine." The silky, deep voice sent shivers down my spine and made my heart skip a beat. 

"Good morning. I'm nearly finished. There is a few things we need to buy, which I have written down here." I handed him the list. 

"Thank you. I will head to the apothecary right away. And, Madeleine? Wear your black cloak tonight. I'll be at your door at seven o'clock." 

And he left me sitting there without any explanation. 

Seven was approaching, and I was early, way too early, as always. I had been pacing up and down my chambers for fifteen minutes now. My wand was securely stored in my sleeve, and I had my notes in my hand. Visiting my parents was the only possible explanation for why we were going out tonight, and if that was the case, I needed my notes. I even contemplated bringing the book, but I had decided against it. It was heavy and hard to carry, so I'd rather leave it here. 

At exactly seven o'clock, Severus knocked at my door. He, too, was dressed in black from head to toe, but in his case, it made no difference to his usual appearance. 

"Are you ready?" 

I nodded, somehow, my ability to speak had vanished. 

"Good. Follow me, and whatever you do - stay close to me." 

We exited the castle and walked towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The shadows were dancing creepily, and I could have sworn, something had just moved next to me. Still, I was walking behind Severus, not looking back. Once we had left the bubble of protective spells surrounding Hogwarts, Severus held his arm out to me. As soon as I grabbed it, we disapparated and, with a bang, found ourselves on a huge field. I felt uncomfortable, out in the open like this, and I hurried to keep up with Severus. 

We soon entered a village. The lanterns weren't on, darkness surrounded us. I asked myself what could be hiding in these shadows, only to realize, that we were the ones hiding tonight. Anyone who happened to look out their window would only see two dark figures moving past. 

We stopped in front of a house. It was old and looked abandoned, but I could feel the tingle of magic surrounding it. This was just a facade. A security measure. With one last look around us, we entered. 

"Mr. and Mrs. King?" Severus called into the house. Just a second later, the light upstairs turned on, illuminating our faces. My mother was standing on the landing, and as I took off my hood, she came sprinting towards me. 

"My darling. Oh, Maddy, my darling. I have missed you so much." She embraced me in a hug, but I couldn't quite return it. Not with the information I had. 

My dad came down soon after, welcoming me warmly as well. What followed was simple small talk, but I didn't have time for that. I wanted to get to the point. 

"Mum, dad, I need to talk to you. Can we sit down somewhere?" They guided me towards the kitchen and offered us something to drink, which we declined. We all sat down, only Severus was still standing, keeping a respectful distance. 

I was fishing my pieces of parchment from my pockets, putting them on the table. The writing faced my way, and my parents could only read the heading. My mother got pale. 

"Any idea what I want to talk about?" 

"What is this?" my father asked, reaching for my notes, but I put my hand on them. 

"This is my research. And it brought up some questions I need answered." 

My father crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Alright. Ask away." My mother hadn't said a single word so far, and she was still keeping quiet. I decided to start asking away. 

"Okay, so, question number one. Who are you?" 

My father furrowed his brow. "I don't understand. What are you trying to say?" 

"Exactly that. Who are you?" 

"Your parents. Who else would we be?" 

I hit my hand on the table, startling my mother, who now looked at me. "Can you people stop lying? It's a simple question, really. Who are you? Because you definitely are not my parents. Except if you..." I pointed towards my mother "...had forgotten to tell me you were an Inferna all along." 

My father was still trying to keep his calm, trying to convince me. "But we are your parents, Maddy, we..." 

"Leave it, Patrick," my mother suddenly chimed in. "How did you find out?" 

Now it was my turn to cross my arms in front of my chest. "As I said. I did some research. Turns out, the Infernal genes are dominant genes, and they need to be passed on from generation to generation. There are no mutations that randomly make a child an Inferna. It's not the same as the magical genes that can pop up when two Muggles have a child. No. So either you have been hiding your Infernal magic all along, or you two are not my parents. Either way, you have been lying to me, and I want to know the truth." 

My "father" closed his eyes, while my "mother" let out a sigh. "You're right. You're completely right. We are not your parents." 

I should have been more shocked by this information, but I had seen it coming. "So, who are my parents?" 

"They are dead!" My "father" spat out. 

"That doesn't answer my question!" I replied, just as coldly. 

He wanted to say something, but my "mother" stopped him. "Norae was your mother. We adopted you when you were two. When your Infernal magic was showing. To keep you safe." 

I gritted my teeth. "What about Jamie? Was he not worth a safe place? And how was he even able to have Infernal magic? It is a gene that affects girls only." 

"Jamie, your sister, was an Inferna too, yes. We would have adopted her as well, to keep her safe, but she had been bitten by a werewolf back then, and since Melusina and Norae were skilled potioneers, she was better off to stay with them." 

I was trying to sort out my thoughts. None of this made sense. "But why did I think that Jamie was a boy all this time?" 

"Because we let you believe that. You were better off in a family of non-Infernal parents and Jamie was better off presenting as a boy. It took you both off the radar, it made you both seem non-Infernal." 

I jumped off my seat. "That worked out perfectly, didn't it? Taking Jamie off the radar?" Tears were now streaming down my face, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything any more. "Jamie died, just like her parents. And from all I know now, I should have died on that day as well. It would have saved me a shit ton of trauma." 

I stormed out of the kitchen. I was in desperate need for some fresh air, so I swung the front door open, running outside. I could hear Severus shouting behind me, but I ignored him. 

Finally, I broke down next to a tree. I was sobbing, shaking, unable to think straight. Suddenly, there were steps surrounding me, coming from all sides. 

"It's her!" 

"Get her!" 

"Stupefy!" 

A spell nearly hit me, making me jump to my feet, wand in my hand. But I was outnumbered. So I ran.