ALWAYS (Harry Potter fanfiction) (Snape fanfiction)

Chapter 13

"So, what's up, kid?" Arabella asked awkwardly.

"Thank you, I didn't know you saved me until- until Elena told me. I was so mean to you and yet you jumped after me. I was such a bad friend. And I have felt horrible the last months, after I pushed you away and- and I don't know what it is but when I saw you in the bed, I felt as if the world was crumbling apart-" Harry was interrupted by Arabella.

"It's okay, Harry. All forgiven and forgotten. But- Harry. Harry, there's something I need to tell you-" Arabella trailed off.

Would it be good to tell him the truth? How would he react to this? How would he react to having a sister that is not only not his father's daughter but also daughter of a man who worked for the monster who killed his parents?

Arabella looked at Harry, his eyes mirrored the ones of their mother and she was aware that in appearance, she mirrored her mother. They were both combinations of their parents. Harry was the image of his father with his mother's eyes. Arabella was the image of her mother, with her father's eyes and hair colour. He looked so little in Arabella's eyes. He was her little brother, and he didn't have a clue.

"I've missed you, kid" Arabella said finally and hugged Harry. He hugged back tightly, "careful, my ribs" Arabella groaned.

"Sorry" he said and she smiled at him. She ruffled his hair and put an arm around his shoulders. They were almost the same height, Arabella was just a couple inches taller.

Winter break arrived in what seemed a blink of an eye. Arabella's hair had grown down to her shoulders and she had trimmed down the red ends. One week till everyone got to go home for the holidays.

Arabella and Elena wouldn't go home, since Severus had to stay because of Sirius Black. They didn't  mind staying at school, their friends would stay too.

Arabella had gradually become better and nothing was talked between her and her father about the now-fading scars. However, they did not notice Elena going back to being the introverted, invisible Snape. While Ella had gone back to her cheerful, friendly self, Elena was almost like a ghost, and no one noticed, not even Ella.

"Hey, sis!" Ella exclaimed cheerfully as she encountered Elena in the hallway.

"Hey" Elena said almost in a whisper.

"What's up with you?" Arabella asked her sister.

"Nothing- I'm just tired, had lots of homework yesterday" Elena lied swiftly.

"Oh. Do you need any help?"

"No, Thanks. I- I have to go to class, see you later" Elena told her and quickly left to the other direction.

"How odd" Ella said but shrugged and left to her own class.

Elena had arrived early to Defence Against the Dark Arts, she took her books out and waited patiently in her usual seat in the far off corner of the class, where no one else seated because Professor Lupin's class was far too interesting and everyone wanted to be in front... everyone but her. She couldn't care less about that class, or anything for that matter.

"Good morning, Elena" Professor Lupin called as he entered the room.

"Morning, Professor" Elena called in a low voice.

"Put your books back in your bag, we won't need them today, just your wand" Lupin said and the youngest Snape did what she was told.

After the rest of the class arrived, Lupin repeated the instruction he had given Elena and told them all to follow him. Lupin told them about a boggart in a wardrobe.

"Does anyone know what a boggart looks like?" Lupin asked and no hands were raised. Lupin was sure Elena would answer, but her eyes were fixed on nothing, emotionless and blank, "Elena?" Lupin called but Elena didn't listen. The teacher called her name two more times and only did she look up when a classmate hit her shoulder.

"What?"

"I asked, how does a boggart looks like?" Lupin asked. Elena knew the answer, no one knows because it takes the form of whatever you fear the most, but she didn't say that, she just shrugged, "Are you sure you don't know?" Lupin asked.

"Don't know, don't care" Elena blurted out without really noticing what she had just said. 

"That's a pity. Five points from Ravenclaw for not putting attention or interest to class" Lupin said, which caused all Ravenclaws in the class to glare at Elena, but she couldn't care less, she just shrugged.

They arrived to an empty classroom with just an old wardrobe in it, all the desks were pushed back to the far end of the room. Lupin told them to form a line and put Elena in the front. Then they practiced a spell to get rid of the boggart a couple times before he opened the wardrobe with a movement of his wand.

Elena was in te front of the line, meaning the boggart would take the form of what she feared the most. She was afraid of finding out what she feared the most.

From the door of the wardrobe, a figure emerged, that then separated into two figures, one was taller than the other. When they got into the light, the faces of Severus and Arabella Snape adorned the figures. They were different than the real ones, though. These boggart-Snape's had sharper factions, looking almost like snakes, and their eyes were cold, with slit pupils and wicked smiles.

"Life was better off without you" Boggart-Arabella said in a voice that sounded like hissing.

"Not even your mother wanted you, that's the only reason why you ended up with us" Boggart-Severus told her with a smirk.

"What? You thought we loved you? No, we tolerate you. You are just like a stray dog, wagging your tail at anyone for attention. You are pathetic, Elena" Arabella said, and then laughed.

"Shut up! That's not true! You're not real!" Elena yelled at them and then raised her wand to conjure Riddikulus.

"Perhaps, but you know each word is true" Boggart Arabella said.

"Riddikulus!" Elena yelled and both figures' shoes turned into roller skates and they started to slip and fall, making everyone laugh.

"Next!" Lupin called, looking at Elena with worry in his eyes.

Several other kids stood in front of the Boggart and each of them managed to turn their fear into something funny. They only stopped when Professor Lupin told them class was over and that for homework for the break, they would have to bring an 800 word essay on the worst cases of boggarts in history.

Elena was the first one to leave the room, she needed time for herself after what she just faced. Her fear didn't surprise her, she was kind of expecting something like that. It wasn't the fact that she had already thought all those things the boggart said to her, it was the fact that she had never imagined her sister and father saying them, and even though she knew they weren't real, the image of them saying those things affected her, made her believe they really thought that. Ever since her mother left her with her father, she thought that she wasn't loved by her own family and the fact that everyone liked Arabella more than her didn't help.

Was it bad that she just wanted everything to end? That she just wanted to shut out all the voices in her head?