Snape rushed in the main hallway to see Holiday, his ex-wife's
closest friend, and a small cloaked figure standing behind him.
"Holiday," he said. "Is something wrong? Why did Maddie send you for me?"
"Severus," Holiday began. "I have a lot to tell you. Some very important things. Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"
"We'll go to my classroom. This way," he led Holiday toward the dungeons. Cat refused to move.
Holiday turned back to Cat, his patience wearing thin, despite all she had been through. "Girl, get over here. Don't make me put another spell on you. You told me you can walk, remember?"
Arms folded across her chest, she slowly made her way across the hall and followed none to closely behind them.
"Sit." Holiday gently pushed her into one of the desk. One slender hand emerged from the cloak and grasped Holiday's hand tightly.
Snape noticed her nails were painted blue with silver stars on them. He began to wonder if the girl was Maddie. That was very much something she would do to her fingernails.
"Severus, Maddie's dead."
"Maddie...? What? No!" He didn't know what to say. He went very pale, even for him and sat down hard. Barely able to breath, he asked, "How? I mean.., why didn't she...?" His words faded off. His Maddie had been the best divination expert he had ever seen.
"Why didn't she see it?"
Severus nodded.
"I don't know, son," Holiday replied. "I don't know that she didn't see it either. You can only see the future, not change it. You know that. Maddie had fell in with a bad wizard. Thought she loved him. Found out too late she didn't."
"That's for sure," Cat mumbled.
"Okay, Cat, okay," Holiday patted her shoulder. "It's okay now. Anyway, apparently, she had come into possesion of a scorcer's stone. I don't know how. When they tried to leave him, he came after them. When he searched the house, and couldn't find it, he kill Maddie and beat Cat."
"They? Cat?"
"Yes, that is the other thing I need to tell you," Holiday sighed. "Maddie should have told you long before now," he paused. "Maddie.., well.., when you two split up and Maddie came home, she was pregnant."
"What?!" Snape's head shot up.
"She was pregnant," Holiday repeated. "You have a daughter. Cat, to be exact."
"Why didn't she ever tell me that, if that's true?" He snapped.
"When she came back to America, she found out she was two months along and she was going to tell you, she said, when the time was right. When you had made up. But then after a few months, she got the divorce decree. She got mad. She refused to tell you, fearing you would take the baby from her."
Severus was speechless, trying to grasp what Holiday was telling him, but Cat wasn't.
She flew out of her seat. "You're lying, Holiday. Momma told me. She said he knew and he didn't want me. You knew," she said to Snape, "and you didn't want me, did you?"
"Child, if I had known about you, then we would have met along time ago," he replied.
"Cat, think about this," Holiday turned her to face him and pulled the hood of her cloak down. "Why would I lie to you?"
At the first sight of his daughter, Severus was shocked. She was the image of Madeliene except her hair. It was purple. She had bruises across her face and her lips were busted. His hands clenched in anger at whoever had done this to her.
"Why would momma?" She challenged Holiday.
"She didn't want you to leave her, and go looking for him," he answered. "Because the Lord knows, she didn't always give you the easiest life."
"Cat?" Severus began.
"Catherine to you," she shot back.
"Catherine, I assure you that I never knew about you," he replied, forcing himself to ignore her tone. "I had no ideal you existed until just now. And as for wanting to, your my child, of course I would want you. Maddie never told me."
Cat turned to face him. "I sincerely hope you mean that." She glared at him. One of her eyes was dark green, the other dark blue, like her mother's. "I don't suppose it ever crossed your mind to ask her, did it?"
"No," he answered, sarcasm leaking into his voice. "I don't suppose it did. Or you would have grown up here at Hogwarts."
"I doubt that."
"Look, Severus," Holiday interrupted. "I know all of this has been a shock to you, but I need a favor. I need you to keep her here until it is safe for her to return to the States. Not long. Just until I have this mess straight. The man that killed Maddie is still out there and as long as he believes Cat has the stone, she's not safe. He will come after and he won't stop until he has what he wants."
Severus continued to stare at Cat. Partly because of how badly she looked, and partly because he was still trying to process all of what Holiday was saying. He had a daughter that Maddie had kept secret for fifteen years. Maddie, his Maddie, was dead at the hands of one of Voldemorts cohorts. He wanted to kill David Rochelle. Not only for Maddie's death, but for the abuse she and Catherine had suffered at his hands. Last;y, he was furious at himself, knowing that this abuse wouldn't have occurred if had just swallowed his pride fifteen years before and gan after Maddie. Then, maybe Maddie would still be alive and Cat, his child, wouldn't glare at him as though she had spent her lifetime hating him.
"Severus?"
"Holiday," he said. "Is something wrong? Why did Maddie send you for me?"
"Severus," Holiday began. "I have a lot to tell you. Some very important things. Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"
"We'll go to my classroom. This way," he led Holiday toward the dungeons. Cat refused to move.
Holiday turned back to Cat, his patience wearing thin, despite all she had been through. "Girl, get over here. Don't make me put another spell on you. You told me you can walk, remember?"
Arms folded across her chest, she slowly made her way across the hall and followed none to closely behind them.
"Sit." Holiday gently pushed her into one of the desk. One slender hand emerged from the cloak and grasped Holiday's hand tightly.
Snape noticed her nails were painted blue with silver stars on them. He began to wonder if the girl was Maddie. That was very much something she would do to her fingernails.
"Severus, Maddie's dead."
"Maddie...? What? No!" He didn't know what to say. He went very pale, even for him and sat down hard. Barely able to breath, he asked, "How? I mean.., why didn't she...?" His words faded off. His Maddie had been the best divination expert he had ever seen.
"Why didn't she see it?"
Severus nodded.
"I don't know, son," Holiday replied. "I don't know that she didn't see it either. You can only see the future, not change it. You know that. Maddie had fell in with a bad wizard. Thought she loved him. Found out too late she didn't."
"That's for sure," Cat mumbled.
"Okay, Cat, okay," Holiday patted her shoulder. "It's okay now. Anyway, apparently, she had come into possesion of a scorcer's stone. I don't know how. When they tried to leave him, he came after them. When he searched the house, and couldn't find it, he kill Maddie and beat Cat."
"They? Cat?"
"Yes, that is the other thing I need to tell you," Holiday sighed. "Maddie should have told you long before now," he paused. "Maddie.., well.., when you two split up and Maddie came home, she was pregnant."
"What?!" Snape's head shot up.
"She was pregnant," Holiday repeated. "You have a daughter. Cat, to be exact."
"Why didn't she ever tell me that, if that's true?" He snapped.
"When she came back to America, she found out she was two months along and she was going to tell you, she said, when the time was right. When you had made up. But then after a few months, she got the divorce decree. She got mad. She refused to tell you, fearing you would take the baby from her."
Severus was speechless, trying to grasp what Holiday was telling him, but Cat wasn't.
She flew out of her seat. "You're lying, Holiday. Momma told me. She said he knew and he didn't want me. You knew," she said to Snape, "and you didn't want me, did you?"
"Child, if I had known about you, then we would have met along time ago," he replied.
"Cat, think about this," Holiday turned her to face him and pulled the hood of her cloak down. "Why would I lie to you?"
At the first sight of his daughter, Severus was shocked. She was the image of Madeliene except her hair. It was purple. She had bruises across her face and her lips were busted. His hands clenched in anger at whoever had done this to her.
"Why would momma?" She challenged Holiday.
"She didn't want you to leave her, and go looking for him," he answered. "Because the Lord knows, she didn't always give you the easiest life."
"Cat?" Severus began.
"Catherine to you," she shot back.
"Catherine, I assure you that I never knew about you," he replied, forcing himself to ignore her tone. "I had no ideal you existed until just now. And as for wanting to, your my child, of course I would want you. Maddie never told me."
Cat turned to face him. "I sincerely hope you mean that." She glared at him. One of her eyes was dark green, the other dark blue, like her mother's. "I don't suppose it ever crossed your mind to ask her, did it?"
"No," he answered, sarcasm leaking into his voice. "I don't suppose it did. Or you would have grown up here at Hogwarts."
"I doubt that."
"Look, Severus," Holiday interrupted. "I know all of this has been a shock to you, but I need a favor. I need you to keep her here until it is safe for her to return to the States. Not long. Just until I have this mess straight. The man that killed Maddie is still out there and as long as he believes Cat has the stone, she's not safe. He will come after and he won't stop until he has what he wants."
Severus continued to stare at Cat. Partly because of how badly she looked, and partly because he was still trying to process all of what Holiday was saying. He had a daughter that Maddie had kept secret for fifteen years. Maddie, his Maddie, was dead at the hands of one of Voldemorts cohorts. He wanted to kill David Rochelle. Not only for Maddie's death, but for the abuse she and Catherine had suffered at his hands. Last;y, he was furious at himself, knowing that this abuse wouldn't have occurred if had just swallowed his pride fifteen years before and gan after Maddie. Then, maybe Maddie would still be alive and Cat, his child, wouldn't glare at him as though she had spent her lifetime hating him.
"Severus?"