Dementor

Severus Snape has never been too keen to spend time home and that won't change anytime soon. His parents have always either neglected him or applied what they thought was a good lesson; he'd flinch only at the memory. Hogwarts was the best change in his life, the opportunity for a better future where no one would ever dare to sneer in front of him.

"Aren't you going back home, Sev?" A young Slytherin asked his roommate.

Lucas Mulciber was far nicer to his fellow Slytherins yet that could be debatable as his personality was very dark altogether. His sense of humor was different from others, special as he would call it.

"No."

Severus' short answers were not unusual thus it wasn't strange to hear him give no other details about his life. Mulciber rolled his eyes and closed his trunk before a boyish grin appeared on his face as he remembered something.

"Careful with your mud-blood ginger, Sev." He obviously threatened before leaving while chuckling under his nose.

With the dormitory left empty, Severus couldn't help but crack a content smile. Having strange roommates like Mulciber, Nott and Avery was not what he had in mind when he entered the Slytherin common room and they seemed to have a particular dislike for mud bloods. He knew he had to be careful with Lily but Ophelia has already triggered Mulciber's attention.

It wasn't just a farce when he threw the joke-balls at her feet; he knew exactly that she will step over them and wake them to life; he did the curse after all. It just so happened that it escalated into something more during Transfiguration. Severus heard the rumors and he couldn't help but feel amused.

On another side, thinking about Ophelia he automatically remembered that incident in the Entrance Hall with Dumbledore and Professor Spinnard. It wasn't really what he would have wanted to witness that night but it happened and Dumbledore noticed him.

Actually, now that he started to think about it more, he could somehow use that information in his favor if he could actually understand. Severus only knew it had something to do with Ophelia's father but which one? Wasn't she adopted?

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"So, I guess we'll see each other after Christmas." Cissney mumbled, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Are you crying, Littlewood?" Sirius asked bemusedly.

"Shut up, Black. I'm going to miss having so many girls around. I have 2 older brothers at home." She snapped, showing that indeed she was weeping.

Ophelia chuckled and surprisingly, being in a good mood and everything, turned to Sirius.

"Aren't you happy to go home for a while too?" She asked.

Black's smile faltered in a blink and his eyes seemed to have emptied of any joy.

"No."

That answer was so cold and serious that it sent a chill down her spine. Seeing how she had no idea how to continue the conversation, she turned to Cissney.

"It's only a few weeks." She mumbled. "It should be nothing if we keep in touch."

Ophelia said that but it was obvious even for Black that she was not the type to send letters and presents. Well, he was right and she only said it to be polite but that didn't mean Cissney had to know that.

Once the time came to go to the train, Ophelia realized there was a very small detail that wouldn't complete her luggage: her owl. Willy has been gone from the first night she arrived in Hogwarts and even though he probably just got lost, she couldn't help but feel paranoid.

"Hey! Hey!"

Ophelia raised an eyebrow at the whispering, not understanding where it was coming from. One pale cold hand wrapped around her and a familiar voice whispered Petrificus Totalus. In that moment, her eyes widened as she froze, unable to move an inch.

Being dragged back into the castle was weird enough yet having no one notice it was even weirder. How could no one notice a small eleven years old drag another eleven years?

Once inside, he pulled her into the corridor towards the dungeons. She felt a tinge before she realized that he lifted the curse and she could move again.

"Are you out of your mind?!" She hissed.

"It's too late to go back now. You lost the train." Severus stated, a wide smile spreading on his face. He would have looked innocent if it wasn't for the glint in his eyes.

"Are you so desperate to retrieve that stone? What did Malfoy threaten you with?"

Severus answered without a flinch, "He is the prefect. I am a half blood. You make the connection."

Ophelia threw him a look of utter disbelief before she sighed and leaned against the wall.

"We only need a Patronus right?" She asked, Severus nodding eagerly. "Fine. But you'll have to make it up to me. I should write to my parents and-" She stopped when she remembered that her owl was missing. Another heavy sigh escaped her, this time for her own actions.

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"Try again."

Severus was nicer now than he has been for the whole few months they have spent together and it was suspicious.

Ophelia sighed and did it again and again until a small fox was running around her feet for approximately...

"10 minutes. That's good for a beginner." Severus mumbled, sitting next to her during dinner.

"Dumbledore will get suspicious if we stay together." She mumbled, still angry that her owl was missing and she lost the train home.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked, getting up.

"No." She answered right away, holding his hand.

Severus chuckled and sat back down, a sudden wave of achievement engulfing his body. It was nice to have someone get so attached to him.

On the night before Christmas, alone and shuddering from every corner of their bodies were a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, sneaking out a few minutes after midnight.

"Come on!" Severus whispered, reaching out for her to grab his arm.

"I can't see anything." She whispered back.

They were a few feet from Hagrid's Hut, a place Ophelia has only caught glimpses of because she had literally no time for anything.

Being there, in the dark during winter was not particularly nice but it felt calming. She looked up at the sky and smiled, seeing so many stars even if it was December.

"Come on."

Severus' hand was cold on hers and rough once he pulled her after him. Two children were about to enter the Forbidden Forest on their own and for some reason, they were both eager not scared.

Once they passed Hagrid's Hut and entered the forest, Severus let go of her hand and drew his wand. It was enlightening only a bit so they could watch where they were going but it was also affecting their minds. Shadows could turn into monsters in a blink.

Sensing that something was stranger than before Ophelia kept close to Severus. It wasn't safe for him either since he was just a kid but he seemed to be more confident than she was.

"Are we close?" She asked, feeling the need to glance over her shoulder more often than before.

Severus had no idea how to respond until he looked at the snow and saw it was starting to melt yet it was getting colder.

"We're here." He said as he stopped. "Draw your wand out and look for the tree. It should be thick and look a bit different." He said before he went to check the trees on the left.

That left her alone in the dark. Ophelia sighed and whispered Lumos, enlightening more than Severus. With slow and steady steps, she turned towards the first tree and stared at it hard. It looked normal and so did the rest.

"I can't find it. Damn tree." She mumbled, kicking the trunk of a random tree. Surprisingly, it shifted and made what sounded like a groan. "Damn luck." She mumbled groggily, hitting the trunk again.

The second time, she kicked it higher and felt it echo which was strange indeed. Since she wasn't sure exactly where the stone was, Ophelia started to touch the trunk for anything that would open it yet there was nothing. Then, she remembered that maybe Malfoy knew that and especially told Severus about it because he was good in potions.

"Which means we came here for nothing." She whispered, glaring at the trunk. "Useless." She added, kicking it for the third time.

As she was standing there, focusing on the task at hand, with how cold was outside she didn't feel the sudden change. Something was lurking in the shadows and it was coming closer. She sighed and turned around, taking one step before she looked up.

Swallowing nervously, her eyes widened as she remembered where she had met what was flying in front of her. It was back in Aviemore and that monstrous thing approached her without a sound.

Grasping her wand, she took a step back and pointed it at the creature. She could barely remember the spell before she found herself feeling the same dizziness come over her.

"Expecto-" She couldn't say it all because she suddenly remained without air in her lungs.

"Ophelia, did you find it?" She heard Severus ask and her eyes widened even more.

The Dementor looked towards the direction the voice came from before turning to Ophelia. Having regained some of her breath, she screamed.

"Expecto Patronum!"

She could only think about Severus and their lessons for the past year. It wasn't anything amazing but it made her happy. The fox squirmed out of her wand before it landed in front of her. The Dementor didn't seem affected by the Patronus and only swayed from side to side. The fox looked scared and ran past the Dementor, into the dark.

Remaining all alone in front of the Dementor, she had no idea what to do. She watched him crawl closer; showing her what was hidden behind the cloak. A hole enlarged as it flied closer and leaned in, forcing every dark corner of her mind to open up.

Memories of her childhood surfaced, memories of her mother and the way she would let Ophelia do anything she wanted, especially magic. Lillian was a wise woman and very pretty too, also very tall. She had a friend that stayed with her when she needed, a ginger with a Scottish accent but Ophelia couldn't see his face. And then, there was him. He came suddenly and killed Lillian without a second blink. She was very young back then and could hardly register what happened to her mother but she never forgot those words.

"Rest assured, Ophelia. Your place by my side is irreplaceable."

That cold voice was so familiar. She felt a chill crawl up her skin before she heard a faint Ophelia! and everything went dark.

However, before she fainted, she felt someone tug on her arm, placing something in her hand. She wasn't sure if it was Severus or someone else but she knew they have underappreciated Malfoy and his schemes.