Love and Potions - Severus Snape x OC

Chapter 41 - The Real Truth

"Rowan, how nice it is to see you!"  Rowan's father smiled down at her, taking her into a large bear hug. His voice was oddly comforting as Rowan leaned into the embrace. Her father leaned back and held onto her shoulders, seeming to look her over. "You look so grown up!" He exclaimed with a bright smile. Rowan chuckled as she could feel her face begin to heat up. 

"Dad, where are we?" Rowan asked as she looked around at the bright white room. It was a place that seemed familiar but strange. Almost as if she had been here before but hadn't remembered it. "Take a seat," Her father said, completely ignoring her question. He gestured to a seat at a small table that appeared to be a children's toy with a set of teacups spread around. Rowan, still confused, simply did as she was told and sat across from her father. 

"Dad, I'm twenty years old! Why are we having a tea party?" Rowan asked as she slightly rolled her eyes. Her dad only chuckled in response before nodding at an empty pink bowl. "Pass the sugar, my princess," He asked, his eyes gleaming with pride as he looked upon his only daughter. Rowan shook her head, trying not to let her smile falter. Something was wrong and she needed to know exactly what it was. 

Standing up from the table, Rowan looked around once more. This room was too tidy; too clean. There was something terribly offputting about the way the room was arranged; as if it had been made for her to stay in forever. The children's toys were adult-sized, along with most of the furniture. Seeming to get a bit frustrated, her father reached over the table and snatched up the bowl. "Dad, what is this place?" She tried once more, causing her father to sigh and place down the toy. 

He stood up as well, leaving the children's play set unnaturally still. "The real question you should be asking is why am I here?" Her father said as he grabbed her hand and led her to a bed where they both took a seat. Rowan chuckled uncomfortably, shrugging her shoulders. "Dad, I already told you I have no idea where this is," She tried to explain. 

Suddenly, Rowan caught a glimpse of her wrist. There was not a scratch, or a gash, or anything on them. They were clean and unharmed as if nothing had happened to them before. "Keep thinking, dear," Her father encouraged with a small smile. Memories flooded back and Rowan finally understood why she had been so uncomfortable in this room. "We're back in the house that we lived in. The one in America," Rowan whispered to herself as her eyes widened. 

Jumping away from her father, Rowan remembered flashes of the last time she had seen him. His head hitting the table, killed by her own magic. "Y-you're dead. I-I killed you," She stood up and backed away from him, but he didn't seem phased by the news. He just kept sitting there, a smile plastered on his face. "This is all true. So, why are you here Rowan?" He asked.

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

"Come on, my love. Come back to me," 

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

A loud voice rang throughout the room, causing the lights to flash and the walls to shake. Rowan held onto everything she could to stay on her own feet until the shaking had stopped. "What was that?" Rowan cried out, her hands wandering up to her own head. "Focus, daughter. Why are you here?" 

Rowan thought and thought but she couldn't figure it out. Her father was dead and she was in Scotland, being held in her evil mother's basement with Gilderoy Lockhart. None of this made sense- unless-

"Am I dead?" Rowan cried out, her voice full of fear. Expecting an answer, Rowan turned to her father who had stayed silent. He simply chuckled and shook his head. "No. At least, not yet. It appears you have a choice to make," His vagueness made no sense, but neither did any of this. "Okay, I'm dying," Rowan gulped, nodding her head in disbelief.