Chapter Text
In the gloomy streets of Cokeworth, more specifically on Spinner’s End, Dumbledore's granddaughter, and the bearer of a curse, was enjoying breakfast with her father. It had become customary in the Snape household for them to meet every morning at breakfast to talk about their plans for the day. The habit had begun because Dion couldn't keep her mouth shut as soon as she saw Severus in the morning. Day after day, Dion told him everything she planned to do until it got to a point where Severus asked her if she wasn't the one starting the conversation.
“And tell me, Dion, anything special you want to do today?” asked Severus, after taking a sip from his cup of black coffee.
Multiple newspapers rested on the table, all having something in common. On its front pages were news of different murders throughout the United Kingdom. There were newspapers of both the Daily Prophet and Muggle copies. Over the summer, the waves of attacks had increased exponentially, each relating to Voldemort's representative dark mark.
It had been a couple of weeks since his return when he stole the Philosopher's Stone, but at no point did he let himself be seen personally. His loyal followers got to know about his comeback and began to perform on his behalf.
“Not really. I want to answer the letters I have pending and well, first I need to ask your permission for something,” she answered, keeping her eyes fixed on the newspapers.
Dion tried to act normal, but the fact that she couldn't keep his gaze said a lot.
“What do you want to ask of me?”
Severus turned in his chair to face her and, putting down his cup, rested his hands on top of each other on the table.
“I've talked to Luna, Hermione, and Avalon about seeing each other tomorrow in Diagon Alley,” Dion explained, still not looking at him, “but before you answer, I know there have been a lot of accidents these days, but we'll be very careful, I promise you. I'll wear the cape if I need to.”
“It's not the most correct thing to do right now, and you know it, Dion.”
“Yes, but I haven't seen them all summer and at this rate I won't see them until we start Hogwarts.”
“Dion, you've read the news, haven't you? There are attacks all over the place. It's not safe.”
Dion nodded but was not easily discouraged.
“I know, Dad, but everyone else is going. I don't want to miss out on the fun.”
“These are not normal times. We're in a delicate situation, and I don't want you to put yourself in danger. The Dark Lord can't know you're still alive,” Severus sighed.
Dion tilted her head, staring at her father.
“Nobody knows who I am, I don't know why I should hide from him. Leave me for this once, besides, tomorrow you have one of your meetings.”
Severus looked at her with a serious expression, his fingers drumming on the table.
“I understand that you want to spend time with your friends, but your safety comes first.”
Dion sighed, playing with her food on the plate.
“But can't you make an exception this time? I just want to be a normal girl and enjoy myself like everyone else.”
Severus looked at her, and for a moment, the stern expression on his face softened.
“Dion, I understand that you want to have a normal experience. Okay, you can go, but I want you to be careful. Keep your eyes open and don't stray far from Diagon Alley.”
Excitement lit up Dion's eyes, and she gave her father a quick hug.
“Thank you, Dad. I'll be careful, I promise.”
Severus kissed her on the forehead before he got up from the table.
“Let's pick up breakfast before I change my mind.”
And with Severus' words, they both began to clean the dining room table.
That room, as well as the rest of the Snape household, lacked vitality. They followed the same pattern of colours and decoration, all dark and gloomy. From the moment Dion and Viatrix arrived, the house became minimally animated, removing the shadow of solitude that covered every corner. In a way, the house seemed abandoned by the fact that Severus spent most of the year at Hogwarts as a professor. The place Dion spent the most time in was the main hall. It was covered with books all over the walls, adorning cosy little corners where you could read by candlelight. Before they went to bed, once a week, Severus would read one of his books aloud while Dion and Viatrix would snuggle up next to him on the couches.
The days, no doubt, had been spent peacefully inside the house. But everything had exceptions. From the beginning of the summer, Severus had meetings in his office, and from what Dion had seen, the people he met with were not very trustworthy. They always wore hoods to hide their faces and left a trail of dark magic wherever they went. Dion wanted to ask her father about it, but during the first meeting, Severus gave her a look that warned her to be patient on the subject. From that moment on, she would stay locked in her room waiting for them to leave during each meeting. For the first time in her life, Dion enjoyed her routine like any other child, not to mention her father's affairs.
Dion knew she was a witch for as long as she became conscious, but it wasn't her parents who taught her all about the wizarding world. Her parents, Meirlus and Victoria, had been snatched from her side when she was only a few months old and from that moment on, Dion grew up within the walls of Hogwarts. It was no coincidence that she grew up there, the red-haired girl was the granddaughter of the powerful wizard Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. That information was known only to a few people, of whom Dion was not among them.
Even with the fact that Dumbledore was her grandfather, he had not been present during her childhood as he had been with Victoria. The people who had taken care of her were Severus Snape, her now legal father, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid. It hadn't been easy to raise Dion, but they loved her like a daughter.
Dion was unlike the rest of the wizards and witches of her age, when Voldemort attacked her home, Dion absorbed a powerful curse of corruption cast by the Dark Lord himself. Since that accident, she had awakened in her an immense destructive power, too difficult to control at her young age. She had several incidents while being at Hogwarts and her power increased as she became more powerful, but thanks to training with Severus, she was able to detect when she would get out of control and be able to prepare.
The young witch would be moving on to her second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a few months and couldn't wait to see her friends again. Luckily, Severus had let her join them the next day. That would save her from having to spend hours in her room while Severus invited all those strangers into the house. She remembered her days at Hogwarts like a dream. She missed walking through the deserted corridors of the castle with Viatrix, keeping each other company. She also missed the calmness Luna gave her and how much she laughed with Avalon. And even though it was a recent friendship, she also thought about Hermione's presence and how she was able to connect with her so quickly when it had never crossed her mind. What she didn't miss, no doubt, was the presence of Draco Malfoy, Winifred Braun, Asherah Sommer, Calia Ludwig, and the rest of the Ravenclaw house. She'd been lucky not to think about them all summer. They were the only reason she wasn't 100 percent happy to go back, but she always reminded herself that she wouldn't let them ruin her experience at the witchcraft and wizardry school.
...
Severus and Dion finished cleaning the dishes right away, side by side in comfortable silence. The sound of the faucet closing signalled the end of the task and Dion was able to return to her room. Passing the dining room table, she picked up all her letters from the table and with Viatrix at her heels, they climbed the stairs to the room. The panther and Dion shared a room; it wasn't very extensive, but there was room for both. Like the rest of the house, the room also had its shelves with old books and the dark colour palette. Dion was not as tidy as her father, having numerous books on the floor accompanied by cushions and open letters.
Dion dropped the pile of envelopes she was carrying to the floor, and Viatrix settled to one side, lying down on the antique rug. Before Dion sat down next to the panther, she grabbed her quill from the desk and a pair of blank scrolls to write down her answers. Between the four of them, they had not stopped sending letters to each other, telling each other about their summers, what they were doing and how the situation was where they lived. Hermione, who lived with Muggles, and everyone else had heard about the attacks and how security had increased everywhere. It was hard to go out on the streets in peace, no matter where you were in the UK, and everyone had struggled to convince their parents to see each other.
Among the pile of letters received over the summer, the one Dion feared most never appeared. She hadn't heard about Tom since he finished the course at Hogwarts, but she didn't know if that was good or bad. Every time Arik brought her mail, her nerves would soar, and her body would instantly tense up, but nothing ever came. Dion sometimes thought that she had imagined the whole Unbreakable Vow thing, but the little symbol that appeared in her right hand served as proof that it was real. The symbol was not very noticeable due to its size; it was a blood-red color like her hair and took the shape of a snake on her ring finger. Many days, when Dion didn't want to remember the pact, she would wrap her finger in a small bandage until her paranoia returned and she had to check that the symbol was really still there.
With one last signature, Dion finished writing the three letters of reply and placed each one in an envelope for Arik to deliver as soon as possible. Having finished that, Dion lay down on the ground, hiding her face in Viatrix's jet-black fur. Her mind began to imagine everything they would do the next day, and she was sure that everything would work out. It would have to be very coincidental that on the very day she went to London, there was an attack.
Having nothing to do to pass the time, Dion came up with the idea of dancing to make the day run faster. The idea came to her mind when she saw the gramophone that Severus had given her last Christmas.
Since finishing the course, Dion had practised more frequently as she had more free time and thus did not forget, keeping her hobby alive. It was the same with her studies. Severus had figured out that at least once every two weeks, they would do an intensive review so that she wouldn't forget anything; both from Hogwarts subjects and supplementary topics that Severus wanted Dion to know. They were not subjects far removed from her studies, but immensely useful in her future. They ranged from the most relevant languages around the world to dark magics, forbidden by the ministry.
Dion spent about an hour practising spins and jumps until she heard a noise down the stairs. At first she showed no interest, but as soon as the front door opened and deep voices appeared, Dion turned off the gramophone and listened.
“Dad?” asked Dion, raising her voice so he could hear her.
Viatrix had risen to her feet, placing herself between the door of the room and Dion's body. There was no response from Severus and Dion began to get nervous, avoiding breathing to hear as many voices as possible. The voices had disappeared and in their place footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. For a moment, Dion thought it was her father, but seeing that Viatrix wouldn't calm down, her body tensed, and she prepared her wand in case it was an attacker.
Severus rushed into the room, slamming the door slightly. His face showed a lot of annoyance. Before Dion could react, she noticed the two men behind her father. They wore official Ministry robes, and none of them were very happy to be there.
“Dion, I need you to stay here and not move, understood?” Severus said in a firm tone.
“Dad? What's going on?”
Dion didn't lower her wand because of the presence of the other two men and with her other hand, she stroked Viatrix's fur so that she wouldn't react yet.
“Don't worry. These are just routine questions from the Ministry. They don't implicate you,” he softened his tone.
The men of the Ministry entered the room and didn't hesitate to take out their wands as soon as they saw Viatrix, intending to perform some kind of magical scanning.
“Mr. Snape, we need to make sure there is no potential threat in this house. We can't afford to ignore any possibility that the Dark Lord is hiding here,” one of the men said.
“My daughter and her companion pose no threat to you or anyone else. I ask you to leave and not disturb the tranquillity of my home anymore if you are done with the inspection. You won't find anything here, as I told you at the door.”
Dion watched intently as her father confronted the Ministry workers without losing her defensive posture. Viatrix, in front of her, emitted a low growl, as if ready to protect her owner if the situation required it.
“Mr. Snape, we cannot ignore the signs. We must investigate thoroughly,” he insisted.
“I assure you that if you insist on disturbing my daughter's peace and contradicting my word, I will not hesitate to take drastic measures,” Severus threatened with a hint of danger in his voice.
The Ministry men exchanged nervous glances before finally nodding and backing away, leaving the room under the watchful eye of Severus. At the same time, Viatrix and Dion approached Severus as soon as the Ministry men passed through the door.
“Thank you... but is everything alright?” asked Dion, relaxing her arm.
“I'll tell you as soon as they're completely gone. You know I'll always protect what's mine, Dion. Now continue what you were doing, I'll take care of the rest.”
Severus laid his hand on Dion's head tenderly and followed the Ministry men to the entrance. The interruption of the Ministry in the home of a wizard as powerful as Severus meant that they were running out of ideas about Voldemort's whereabouts and were getting no results.