Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

When morning came, Apollonia emerged from her bedroom and really got her first real glimpse of the common room. Thanks to the argument with her father from the previous night, Apollonia stormed into her room and didn’t have the chance to examine the room. She crossed the room, taking in her surroundings as she headed over to the black leather couch. From what she could tell, the room was done in black, green, silver, gold, and white; black leather furniture, green carpeting, and white walls. Silver and gold accents were scattered about the room. On the wall opposite the fireplace was a wall of books. Upon further inspection, it was apparent that her father was taking every precaution to keep her safe; the shelves were full of books they might need for their studies. A table and two chairs were strategically placed in front of the shelves, leaving the Slytherin to only one conclusion. “Dad doesn’t even want me going to the library, does he?” she murmured softly.

Draco answered. “Well, did you not hear what your father said last night? Your protection is paramount. He doesn’t want anything to happen to you during this war,” he replied.

“I get that,” Apollonia mumbled. “But, I don’t necessarily have to be at your side at all times. My protection comes from not only you and my father, but the Order as well. Were you ever informed that your cousin is a part of the Order?” He nodded. “Precisely. I met Dora a long time ago, a little less than twelve years ago. Well, we crossed paths again—after eleven years of no contact—around the end of January; Dora knows I’m your friend and promised to help me. You’re not the only one protecting me, Draco; not by a long shot.”

“That may be true, Apolla, but can my cousin really step foot in Hogwarts without Death Eaters swarming? I KNOW the Order is protecting you; I’ve known for a long time. But, it’s not like any of them can slip into the castle unnoticed and come to your aid. Within the castle, the only people you can ever trust are people who have access to this room; it’s why your father chose those people. Though, if it were me, I’d trust McGonagall less.”

Yeah, but it’s not you, Apollonia thought. It was Draco’s opinion that Apollonia only trust the people whom her father gave access to the room. In other words, that was just McGonagall and Slughorn. But, in Apollonia’s eyes, there were more people she could trust; Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. They helped Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Ministry debacle; surely they could help Apollonia, if they trusted her, of course. And, unfortunately, she really didn’t know if they would help her. Only Ginny knew that she was a Snape; Luna and Neville didn’t. Then, there was always the fact that Neville was afraid of her father. It wouldn’t surprise Apollonia for Neville to be afraid of her as well.

Once both the Slytherins were ready, they emerged and headed down to the Great Hall. Apollonia cast a glance at the Gryffindor table, catching Ginny’s eye. She looked over there sadly, knowing that things wouldn’t be right at the school without her brother and his friends. Hermione was supposed to be Head Girl, not Apollonia. How could Hogwarts stand up against Voldemort’s uprising without them? Thanks to her father, Apollonia was the Head Girl; but, was that really the right decision for him to make? Would it help?

The Slytherin Head Girl slid into a seat beside Draco and waited for Professor Slughorn to hand out schedules. It was even weirder than last year for Apollonia to stand. Last year, Apollonia dealt with Professor Slughorn taking over as Potions Master; this year, he became Slytherin’s Head of House thanks to her father’s promotion to Headmaster. While she was pleased that her father was still a part of the school, Apollonia felt betrayed that her father would hand over teaching responsibilities to others. She loved learning from her father. However, Apollonia lost that chance the day her father killed Dumbledore; everything changed that day. It was why the Carrows were here at the school.

“Apolla!” Draco called.

The sound of Draco’s voice shook Apollonia from her thoughts and she looked over at him. “What is it, Draco?” she asked. There was something a tad annoying about the fact that her father ordered Draco to be at her side for the duration of the year; there was no way for her to do anything on her own. Apollonia was sure to suffocate thanks to her father’s and Draco’s over-protectiveness; she might not make it through the year like this.

“Pansy alert,” he whispered.

Since the pug-faced girl’s outburst last night, Apollonia wondered what the girl might try to do in retaliation. Pansy was immensely displeased by the fact that she unknowingly angered her former Head of House—now Headmaster—by harassing his daughter. And, it seemed as if some of the Slytherins were treating her as persona non grata for said persecution. The Head Girl took notice of the fact that that Pansy received the cold shoulder from many Slytherins; only Daphne Greengrass seemed to stand by her after what happened. “What do you think she’s planning after last night?” Apollonia asked Draco.

“I really don’t know,” Draco shrugged.

“Dad better put a stop to it,” she muttered.

“You know he will,” the blond beside her reminded the younger Snape. “He refuses to let anything to happen to you. Over the summer, your father told me part of the story, that he lost your mother in the First Wizarding War. After that, he swore not to lose you as well. Nothing is allowed to happen to you, not even attacks from fellow snakes. And Pansy’s the worst one; she’ll receive the most severe punishment for being such a thorn in your side.”

Rather than focusing on the latter portion of what Draco said—as she should have—Apollonia paid more attention to the fact that Draco had some idea of how her mother died. Technically, the whole world knew how her mother died; of course, that was beside the point. Draco had no idea that her father spoke of Lily Potter; the fact that Severus Snape and Lily Potter had an affair around the same time Harry was conceived was not common knowledge. Based on everyone who knew who she was, only her father, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Sprout, and Flitwick were aware of whom she was at the time. Count in those who died and it would be only three other people: Dumbledore, her mother, and her step-father, James. No one else had knowledge of the affair and, for the time being, that was how things were to remain. She couldn’t afford having anyone else find out. And, that went especially for the Carrows; Apollonia couldn’t let them find out about this.

Once Slughorn passed out the schedules, Apollonia and Draco compared their schedules. Since they were on two very different paths, Draco and Apollonia might not have the same schedules. And, as far as the young Snape could tell, there was only one class where they were separated; while Draco had Herbology with Professor Sprout, Apollonia took History of Magic. Then, while Draco had Care of Magical Creature with Hagrid—after the Buckbeak incident in third year the Head Girl was rather surprised to see that Draco continued with the class for his N.E.W.T.s; his answer was that he enjoyed the class, but despised the teacher—Apollonia had a free period. That’s my only chance, Apollonia realized. It might be only possible way for me to speak with anyone about what’s going on.

Despite the fact that it only gave Apollonia about an hour, the Slytherin would make absolutely certain that her time was put to good use. If Luna, Neville, or Ginny happened to have a free period at that point, then she could use that time to figure out a way to reclaim Hogwarts from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Apollonia peered up at her father as she was thinking; he seemed rather distracted. Dad, what are you doing? At the moment, her father seemed about as attentive to what was going as Dumbledore was last year. And, after what happened last year—what with her father killing Dumbledore when Draco couldn’t—Apollonia feared for her father’s life. By some miracle, her father came back to Hogwarts for this year. Of course, the curse on the Defense post still remained; those who taught the course since the late 1940s—all fifty-something—usually died off early on in their lives. Her father was still in danger, and Apollonia didn’t know how to stop it.

Transfiguration was the first class of the day, so the Slytherin Head Girl trooped over there. A part of her hoped that she might have the chance to speak with Professor McGonagall; perhaps she knew of a way to help without her protectors knowing. Unfortunately, Apollonia had no way of knowing if the Deputy Headmistress could help her with this. For years, the Slytherin was hidden away from the war, spared from the trauma that war always brought. But, what her father didn’t seem to realize was that Apollonia might still have to suffer through such trauma so long as her loved ones were a part of the war, which they always would be. Harry, Draco, and her father all fought in the war; Harry fighting for the Order, Draco and her father working as Death Eaters. There was always a chance for any one of them to die, thus bringing Apollonia to a state of depression for losing someone so close to her. Didn’t her father realize that such a thing could happen?

Due to her split focus, Apollonia barely paid attention in class; she was far too concerned about the war to care all that much about school. School was important, yes; however, the fact that Dark Arts with Amycus came immediately following her Transfiguration class could not allay her fears. Amycus and Alecto, according to Draco and her father, were among the more vicious of Voldemort’s followers; they seemed to be ranked right up there with Draco’s aunt, Bellatrix, and Fenrir Greyback. What was to come next period when Apollonia Lily Evans Snape—a supporter of Harry and the Order of the Phoenix—faced a Death Eater? Nothing good would come of it; she was sure of that. But, how could she make minimal contact with the Carrows when she was the Head Girl, someone who was meant to be a pillar of the school? She was supposedly protected thanks to her father, but she suspected that the Carrows would disregard said order in favor of one that came from Voldemort. And, that was why Apollonia was wary of that class; she knew that something bad could come of her next period, something that Draco might not be able to help her with.

“Ms. Snape!” Professor McGonagall called.

“Yes, Mam?” she queried.

“Stay after a moment,” the professor stated.

As Apollonia was just on her way out of the room—with Draco at her side—the Slytherin stayed back, insisting that Draco go on without her. Once Apollonia was the only remaining student in the classroom, she breathed a sigh of relief. “You wanted to see me, Professor?”

The older woman nodded. “I did, Ms. Snape. As this is your first class of the year—and I am a part of the Order—I feel it is my duty to warn you. Beware the Carrows. Your support of your brother puts you in a very precarious position. While yes you are a Slytherin and might get some leniency from the Carrows as such, your allegiance might negate that clemency. Stay under the radar and you might survive the year.”

“I understand Professor,” Apollonia replied.

“You may go Apollonia,” Professor McGonagall said.

As much as the Slytherin would have liked to stay, it would not make a good impression on Amycus if she showed up late. In fact, if would give the Carrow brother ample excuse to punish Apollonia. Professor McGonagall’s words rang true; just because she was the Headmaster’s daughter—and a Slytherin to boot—it didn’t mean that she was immune to the Carrows. For all she knew, it put her in even more danger. Yes, her father and Draco were just trying to protect her, but it also put her in about as much danger as the Gryffindors.
When Apollonia emerged from the Transfiguration classroom, she found that Draco was waiting for her. He stood in the corner, leaning up against the wall. “There you are.” Draco smirked and wrapped an arm around her. “Dark Arts starts in three minutes.”

Apollonia nodded and allowed Draco to lead her to the classroom that once belonged to her father. The fact that her father wasn’t teaching this year still bothered her. Plus, she was unsure as to whether or not she could handle being in the same room as one of the Carrows. If I’m unable to enter the same room as one of them and it’s only the first day, how the hell am I supposed to get through an entire year of this? I might not make it through.

***

Without even having to use the little Legilimency he knew, Draco could tell that Apollonia was tense; he could feel it radiating from her body. She was stressed already, and it wasn’t even the end of the day. Dark Arts or Muggle Studies had yet to occur. At the thought of Muggle Studies, Draco’s mind flickered to Charity Burbage being tortured over the summer. The poor woman didn’t deserve that. But, it was what the Dark Lord wanted; besides, there was really nothing that Draco could have done to stop it. His family was in disfavor with the Dark Lord and the only use the Malfoys had at the moment was allowing him to use Malfoy Manor as his base of operations. And, Draco gave up spending time with Apolla for that, with his only contact with her being the times he spied on her.

As they neared the Dark Arts classroom—about three minutes away—Draco’s silver gaze drifted over to Apollonia. If he was in disfavor with the Dark Lord, how could he protect Apollonia from the Carrows? There was only so much he could do to keep her out of harm’s way, and it would only last so long. Draco pulled Apollonia closer, kissing her temple. “Calm down,” he whispered. She visibly relaxed, but there was still a twinge of fear in her. “There’s no way I’ll let the Carrows get to you; your father forbids it from happening.”

“Or it might provoke them even further,” Apollonia said.

“I suppose that’s true,” Draco conceded. If so, he would have to bring that up with Snape. The Headmaster would have to know about his daughter’s suspicions and rein them in before anything irreversible occurred. “Your father and I won’t let the Carrows do that.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said softly.

There had to be some way for Draco to convince Apollonia that he wouldn’t let the Carrows come after her. If he didn’t know that the younger Snape supported Potter before, he certainly knew now. Her fear of the Death Eaters seemed almost insurmountable, and unreasonably so at that. As far as he could tell, there seemed to be absolutely no reason for this unfathomable trepidation in having to come in close contact with a Death Eater; she did it before with her father and him. Unless, she was hiding something from him, which he knew she was. I’ll have to use the Legilimency, and do so without her finding out. If there was anyway for Draco to find out without her learning about it, he’d try.

However, before Draco could make an attempt to delve inside Apollonia’s mind and look for answers, they reached Amycus’s classroom. He made certain that she was seated at his side, with someone he could trust on the other side: Blaise. While Amycus began speaking of the Dark Arts, Draco began contemplating how he should go about looking for answers. Though, even that seemed slightly impossible. “Ms. Snape, why don’t you come up and help us demonstrate one of these spells?” Amycus suggested with glee.

“Sir, no,” Draco objected.

“Quiet, Mr. Malfoy,” Amycus insisted. “This is not a request. Come up here, Ms. Snape. Come up here and help me show the students exactly what they will be learning this year.”

As Apollonia cautiously walked up to the front of the room, Blaise leaned over to speak with Draco. “Did you ever tell Apollonia about what you told me?” the dark boy queried.

“No,” Draco admitted quietly as he kept a close eye on the Head Girl to make sure that she was okay throughout this ordeal. “Never got around to it.” I was too worried about trying to get rid of Dumbledore to concern myself with telling Apolla about that. Though, I suppose I may have to. If Amycus and Alecto intend on targeting her after learning that she’s not a pureblood the way everyone thought, then it seems I really have no choice. In the midst of a war, Draco did not wish to concern himself about this. Though, it definitely seemed as if the decision to do so was getting taken out of his hands. He needed to tell her now, before it was too late. Otherwise, he would regret the choice he made.

“Crucio!”

Draco heard that spell getting cast on Apollonia and rushed up to the front of the room. She was collapsed in a heap. “How could you do that to the Headmaster’s daughter?” he questioned as he scooped her up in his arms. “Professor Snape is going to want to have a word with you when he learns what you did, Amycus; he won’t be too pleased.” With that, he headed to the Hospital Wing to make sure that Apollonia would be okay. Draco loved Apollonia Snape and he was not about to let anything happen to her.