Snape's Match

Lia seemed to have disappeared into thin air the minute she had run out of Dumbledore’s office. Snape was searching the third floor when his wand emitted several golden sparks, visible firefly-like under his cloak. Someone had broken his office ward-spells.



She was standing quite still at the foot of the stairs when he arrived, just as he’d expected. He had not expected that she wouldn’t turn around when he entered, though, and so wavering uncertainly, waited for her to speak.



Lia’s mind was numb, tears flowing unimpeded down her pale cheeks as she ran blindly to the only place she knew she would not be troubled. She could hear Dumbledore’s words over and over in her head, as if on a loop.


“You are the only child of Lord Voldemort, Lia.”


Part of her couldn’t believe it, rejected any kind of connection between her and the Dark Lord, and yet part of her had always known, somehow. The silent implacability of her guardian’s occasional letters, refusing to tell her anything about himself were powerful indications that he was not all that he seemed.


Lia heard Snape enter the office behind her - could almost taste the unvoiced sympathy and comfort he was sending her way on the air. She wanted nothing more than to have him hold her and tell her what Dumbledore had told her did not matter, did not change anything and would not affect her life…but she knew that he couldn’t. The dreams at least were proof of this. Voldemort was out there, regaining power, and he was obviously looking for her too. Lia shivered, remembering the whispered words in the dream she’d had on the Hogwarts Express…Voldemort had called her his heir, and told her she would carry on his ‘noble work’.



Snape waited in vain for Lia to say something as she struggled internally with her own feelings, and finally placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. To his dismay, Lia shrugged it off.


“You shouldn’t,” she whispered brokenly.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Snape asked, jerking her around to face him.


Lia lowered her eyes from his intense gaze, more tears tracing their way down her face.


“Answer me!” Snape said, eyebrows drawing together. “You never seemed to have a problem with it before, as I remember.”


“That was before,” Lia responded, fighting to get the words out. “Before I – we found out about what I am. Tainted. Polluted with the heritage of my father.”


Snape released her. “Don’t you ever say that.”


Lia looked up, almost frightened. He had never spoken to her like that, not even when they had been enemies in the first few weeks of her time at Hogwarts.


“You are the most perfect human being I have ever met,” he continued fiercely, turning away from her in order to disguise the force of his emotions.


“When I gave up the Dark Arts and Voldemort and everything to do with him, I gave up my life – as it had been up till then. I had no idea how to continue living without the purpose being a Death Eater inflicted upon you. I have been living a half-life here in this school for sixteen years, always hiding away, repulsing people…”


Lia listened mutely, gripped by the pain in Snape’s voice.
“Until you arrived, I was nothing more than shadow. The sole pleasure I could get out of my existence was by making others as miserable as I was. When first I saw you at the feast, it was as if I could suddenly breathe again, or see the world in colour.” Snape shook his head in exasperation. “Those are useless clichés. I can’t express how much you changed everything for me…”


Lia couldn’t think straight, confusing feelings fighting for supremacy in her overwrought brain. She didn’t know whether to kiss Snape, hit him or run out of the office.


All of them seemed equally appealing at that particular moment in the underground office. At last Lia’s resolve broke and she placed a hand tenderly on Snape’s shoulder. He made as though to shrug it off as she had lately done, eliciting a shaky giggle from Lia. He looked around, coal-black eyes slowly changing from cold pits of despair and self-loathing to warm relief. He pulled her into an embrace.


“I love you, Lia. Does that mean nothing? I would never let the Dark Lord harm you. And you know I care about you even though he is your father.”


Lia was on the point of kissing Snape’s ear, when her mind comprehended what he had said. What?! she thought, stunned and angry.


“How can you say that?” she cried, her previous feelings so lately chased away returning in full force. He looked at her first in confusion, then with dawning comprehension.


“Merlin, Lia, I didn’t mean it like that! It just came out that way –“ Snape had consternation written all over his face.


“Exactly,” said Lia, “that’s what makes it so bad. It’s what you really feel, isn’t it?”


Snape opened his mouth to say something else in his defence, but she’d had enough. Tears once more coursing down her cheeks, she ran out of the office, the last place she thought she would be protected from cold hard reality.


Where can I go now? she thought distractedly. Classes will start again soon, there’s nowhere for me to hide away.
Eventually Lia sought the shelter of one of the less-used Astronomy towers. She sat curled up in a ball of misery, trying not to think of what Snape had said, but every time she attempted to block it out the memory came back ten times stronger. She barely noticed the gathering darkness as twilight approached.


Emotionally exhausted and worn out from crying, Lia fell asleep with the setting sun.