"And what is wizarding royalty doing at Hogwarts?" -SS
"Come now Severus... Princesses love castles" -AD
Severus Snape was like an abandoned castle; cold and secluded. That was the way he liked it. He'd long since accepted the fact that he would be...
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Caledonia sipped her tea softly, sat opposite Albus Dumbledore in his office. The pair had just returned from the Merlin funeral and of course, it was overly extravagant. In the silence of the night, Dumbledore assessed the girl who, only a few months ago had fumed at him about sleeping in the dungeons. Hogwarts had been both good and bad to her in many ways. Caledonia grew up here, in just a few months. Her childish charm and argumentation were abolished and she was just a sombre woman in the light of her parent's death. It was strangely sad to see, how different one person could become in such a short amount of time. As irritating as she had been to Albus, he almost wished that light was back in her doe eyes.
"I see you have been getting closer to Severus" the man questioned in more of an observational tone, eyes unreadable and she thought about his words for the longest time. She had, in fact, grow closer to Severus, their teasing and bickering had simmered down for a time, in her grief and now he spent long evenings marking workbooks in her classroom. She assumed it was just to give her company. Their interactions were often silent but it was what she needed, the company.
"He is very reserved Albus, I do not think that it is possible to get closer to him. He's like an island," she stated calmly, voice like a void and he watched her intently, sipping his tea. The gulping irked her but she did her best to ignore the irritation.
"You are closer to that man than anyone I have ever seen before, Caledonia... At least, not in a long time. You're the first person in a long while he hasn't truly hated."
"Why is he this way?"
"From what I remember, Severus has not had the best time in life." Albus hummed. "He is exceptionally skilled in wizardry. A half-blood, he did not have the greatest childhood and when he came here, he had only one notable friend."
"And who was that?" she questioned and Albus smiled at her gently as he sipped his tea.
"Lily Evans... Or, you may have heard of her by a different name... Lily Potter. They were neighbours you see, destined to be great friends here, even if she was a muggle-born. Alas, they were sorted into different houses and she caught the attention of a very troublesome group of boys. They called themselves the marauders, extremely rebellious. Four of them. And their leader, James Potter struck a liking for Lily, and naturally, a disliking for her best male friend. Severus."
"What did they do to him?"
"Boys will be boys, Caledonia and they bullied him, I cannot excuse that. They gave him an incredibly harsh time and the only one he ever trusted here was Lily Evans. Eventually, he found himself in the wrong crowd, maybe from desperation, needing a friend. When she died, he was devastated. I believe he truly loved her." Albus nodded and Caledonia frowned.
"And that is the reason why he is the way that he is?"
"I believe so. He misses her every day. She chose James Potter in the end, but that never stopped him from loving her. And you, Caledonia, are the closest I have ever seen somebody get to Severus Snape."
---
"Why is she like this, headmaster? She's so... childish for someone who is almost thirty years old. And yet, I can see the sadness in her." Snape frowned as he walked side-by-side with the headteacher through the corridors of Hogwarts school. Christmas was in full swing now and Dumbledore had an absentminded, small smile at the decorations.
"She did not have a very good time, Severus. From birth, she was groomed to be a perfect little princess. And almost thirty is a bit of a stretch, she is only twenty-seven. But just because she has been shaped to behave a certain way, doesn't mean that she hasn't had her fair share of troubles. As much as I appreciated Angus Merlin and who he was on the exterior, I knew that deep down he was callous, abusive to his only daughter. She was rebellious and that needed correcting. She would not be the first pureblood child to experience such things." he shrugged.
"What happened with Magnus Avery, do you know?"
"Of course I know, Severus" Albus chimed. "Caledonia was set up with Magnus Avery when they were ten and met for the very first time when they were fifteen, he took advantage of her innocence on that very first day. Perhaps it is right to blame the parents, for being so careless in leaving them alone but nobody expected such things from the respectable, gentleman that was young Avery. Nobody believed her, of course, when she told them what happened. They believed it was her excuse for getting out of the marriage. And they decided, if it was true, then she was tainted regardless, she'd have to marry Avery. That's when the sweet little angel they raised turned into what we know her to be now. It's not because she is used to getting her own way, Severus. Caledonia is difficult because she's trying to stop herself from getting hurt. She's never known love but always dreamt of it, she doesn't want to fall in love with the wrong person and regret it. So, she keeps everyone at arm's length. It's quite sad actually." he mused.
"And that is the reason why she is the way that she is?"
"I believe so. She wants love and closeness, but she's too afraid to find it. You, Severus, are the first person in her life that showed her something deeper. Men usually fell at her feet and that was the opposite of what she wanted, she wanted someone to love her, not lust for her. You were the first man her age that wasn't charmed and it fascinated her. You highlighted yourself as someone different from the others."
