Due to the early morning, no students had arrived at the castle. The Strega's carried Aliah to the hospital wing. Giordano laid the girl on the furthest cot while his wife moved the curtains around to shield her from the public eye.
The matron rushed over the crowded group to see who they had brought into her sanctuary. She took one look at the girl before turning to Silvia, "Is that who I think it is?"
Silvia chuckled lightly, "it is good to see you too Poppy," she hugged her friend and answered her question as to the identity of the only person currently taking residence in the wing.
The two friends didn't notice that a tabby cat that had strolled into the room. The tabby cat had eyes of an old soul and had square markings around them. It jumped onto the bed and gently pawed at the unconscious girl. When it was content, it curled its body on Aliah's stomach.
Silvia turned her head and could have sworn a tear had been caught by the cat's whisker.
"We are not staying Headmaster," Giordano said to the old wizard. "This is not our world anymore"
Silvia wrapped herself around her husband's arm, "however, I will stay until Aliah awake. The poor girl has been through enough for the past twenty-four hours. It will be good for her to have a familiar face,"
"I agree," Dumbledore nodded and motioned to the girl, "when she is awake, she will be told the truth. It cannot be hidden no more, the protection placed on her is withdrawing from her body,"
He paused. "I've never seen anything like this,"
The doors of the hospital wing opened with a loud boom. The sound bounced off the walls, the vibrations were felt under their feet. Severus Snape took long - but angry - strides towards the group. A frown was planted on the face. Silvia sighed, he never did know true happiness.
"She is not to learn a single thing about who she is. She must not know her true identity,"
"Severus, listen-"Dumbledore was cut off
"The truth - if it were to be told - would prevent her from living a happy and safe lifestyle. If she was to learn that I am her Father and the only reason why I gave her up was for her safety, she would do anything to convince me otherwise, putting herself in more danger. I cannot do that to her," Severus took a deep breath to compose himself.
"I agree that while her protection is no longer, she will need to learn how to control her powers. She is fourteen so I propose that she is put into class as well as private lessons. She is smart and strong, she will be able to cope with it all,"
"Tomorrow marks the first day of term," Dumbledore thought aloud, "I will speak to the other professors and ask them to do so,"
"I do not want my daughter to know the truth nor fall behind in her studies. You know as well as I, the power of what her mother beheld and because of that power-" Severus choked on his words. "Because of that power, she is no longer here. I only want the best for her,"
"You are a coward," Silvia growled. Snape snapped his head at her and raised an eyebrow.
'Excuse me?" If anyone were to hear the tone of voice Severus used, it would send chills. Silvia stepped towards him and narrowed her eyes.
"You heard me. You finally have your baby girl back and you want to push her away!"
"You don't understand,"
"I understand the loss of a child more than anyone in the room! You have your daughter back!"
"Silvia-" Her husband reached out to her.
"Stop being a selfish bastard and take the time to know your daughter not as a student but your own flesh and blood. The other half of the woman you loved,"
"I know my daughter!" Severus snarled
"Really? Tell me then. Tell me her hobbies, her friends tell me about how she got through her dark times. Standing in the shadows when you were free does not count as knowing your daughter. You know war is brewing and it is getting worse minute after minute and standing there pretending that you are protecting her is a load of rubbish. You are only protecting yourself from what, I don't know,"
"Why don't you go back to the hole where you came from,"
"I'm staying here for Aliah,"
"Your old quarters have not been touched," Dumbledore spoke, trying to ease the tension.
"Unlike you Severus," Silvia spat the name, "I care about Aliah,"
"Don't you dare question my interests for her. She is my daughter Siliva, not yours. You may know her better than I do, but at the end of the day I am her Father and what I say goes!" He shouted and turned on the spot. He stormed out of the hospital room, his cape flowing behind him.
"You are a coward!" Silvia screamed before we were out of sight. She turned around and curled herself to her husband. "Let's go," she nodded to those who remained in the room, "goodnight."
"When will she wake up?" Professor Dumbledore asked the matron when the Stregas left the room.
"I do not know headmaster. I'm hoping early tomorrow morning as between Silvia's magic and the protection spell would have merged. Her body isn't used to magic and now everything happened at once for her,"
"I will come by tomorrow then," Dumbledore nodded his head and also left, the matron following behind to return to her own office. The tabby cat remained on the girl's stomach, watching over her for the night, like what she used to do for the girl's mother.
------------------
He couldn't breathe. Every breath was a struggle for him. As he made his way to his own quarters, his mind kept going back to that night. To the night where all of this began.
He could feel the coldness of his wife's hand. He could see how still her body laid on the bed, the white sheets stained in blood. He could hear the screams of his baby girl when she was out of her mother's womb and when she was taken away from his arms.
Now that his baby girl has returned to him once more, he could not grow attached. He knew what dangers lurched around every corner and what was to come. He knew that there was a day waiting in the near future where he would no longer feel the breeze of the fresh air.
How dare that witch called him a coward! How could she when his daughter was at his fingertips but had to keep her at an arm's length. He was to watch her grow into a woman that her mother hoped her to be from the side. From the shadows was he allowed to watch her learn how to fulfil her protentional of her powers.
He could not tell her how much he loved her with all his heart. How proud he was for her to be this strong without him. Severus stumbled and grabbed onto his desk, knuckles turning white.
He pushed himself off the table and walked into his room. His knees gave and he fell onto the carpeted floor. He reached for the picture beside his bed.
A young woman stared at him with happiness in her eyes. She had brown hair and eyes that were hidden underneath her long lashes. She smiled showing her teeth and her hands covered the little bump of her stomach.
Severus felt a tear slide down his cheek.
"She is here," He whispered. "Our little girl home."
YOU ARE READING
Blood is Thicker Than Water (REWRITTEN)
Fanfiction#1 in Aliah Snape Series Before the war of Hogwarts, Severus Snape was married and had a daughter. To protect his daughter, he had to send her away, no matter how cold and distant it made him. Aliah now lives in a world where magic is just a fantasy...
