Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

Blurred vision. That was the first thing that Apollonia saw when she woke up in the Hospital Wing. She tried sitting up, but could barely do so. Madam Pomfrey bustled over and pushed her down. Apollonia did so without complaint, but wondered what happened that she was now in the Hospital Wing. The last thing she remembered, Amycus Carrow asked her to help demonstrate something. Then, nothing. She didn’t have to wait much longer, for Madam Pomfrey gave her an explanation of what transpired to her earlier in the day. “Ms. Snape, please stay down. You’re still very weak; Mr. Carrow hit you with the Cruciatus Curse earlier this morning. It was a strong one, so strong that Mr. Malfoy had to carry you here for help. You’ve been unconscious for a few hours now,” she explained.

Apollonia smiled weakly. If Draco Malfoy was willing to defy a Death Eater in order to help her, then it seemed as if he was really serious about protecting her. There was a part of the Slytherin Head Girl that suspected he wasn’t being completely honest about that. But, at hearing Madam Pomfrey’s account of the events that transpired, her fear was allayed. “Draco brought me here?” she asked, pushing herself up to sit on the bed.

The healer nodded, coming over with two vials in hand. “Most unlike him if you ask me. I have never seen Mr. Malfoy care as much about someone other than himself as he does you. He came in several times since then to see if you woke up. Now here, Ms. Snape.” She handed Apollonia the vials filled with a bluish substance. “As you’ve been unconscious half the day, you’ll need to take these potions; they should help in your recovery.”

Though she would have liked to get out of here as soon as possible, Apollonia doubted that it would be permitted. Madam Pomfrey was a stickler when it came to recovering from any injury. As such, the Slytherin could be here awhile. “When can I leave, Madam Pomfrey?” she asked. “I really don’t to be here too long. It’s only the first day back.”

“You can leave after dinner,” the nurse said.

Apollonia nodded and lay back down. If she was going to be here awhile, she might as well get comfortable. Unfortunately, there was really not that much that the Head Girl could do whilst confined to a Hospital bed. As she lay there, Apollonia couldn’t help but wonder why Amycus Carrow wished for her to help demonstrate the spell. Didn’t her being the Headmaster’s daughter count for anything? To Death Eaters that wished to control the school, Apollonia supposed that it didn’t matter. Her blood-status and her allegiance seemed to overpower the fact that she was the daughter of a Death Eater, and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. “I hope this doesn’t continue,” Apollonia muttered quietly.

“Otherwise, I could be very busy this year,” Madam Pomfrey stated, bustling into the room with a few supplies. “It’s only been the first day and already I’ve had at least seven students in here getting treated for injuries sustained from the Carrows. Thanks to them, I may be exceedingly overworked this year.” She huffed indignantly. “I don’t see why those two are even here; this is a school, not some playground for those bloody Death Eaters; pardon my language. Students are here to learn magic, not get persecuted simply because of their beliefs.”

The Head Girl nodded. “It can’t go on for much longer. The Carrows will turn it into a prison if things continue as they are.” There was no way that Apollonia could handle Hogwarts turning into something like that; she loved being here. It was the one place that Apollonia could really see her father. Growing up, she was raised by a nanny, with her father coming home on weekends and during the summer. Then, after her first year, summers were spent at Malfoy Manor, with the exception of the last. If school became a torture-ground for the students, Apollonia might not be able to see her father that often.

As there was no way that Apollonia could stand the Carrows taking over the school, she had to do something to stop it. There was no way that Hogwarts was allowed to become the torture-ground that the Carrows seemed to be making it out to be. “Madam Pomfrey, if you’re going to be so overworked, why don’t I help you? It’s really the least I could do to help the school since my father doesn’t want me involved in the war at all.” Not like Apollonia chose to follow that order; she needed to offer her assistance in the war.

“I could use some help if things continue in this fashion,” the nurse mused. “However, Ms. Snape, you must remember that you yourself happen to be a target. Should you be gravely injured by the Carrows, you might not be capable of helping me care for the students.”

As much as Apollonia wanted to help the students and make the Order see that she was nothing like her father—in the respect that she wasn’t about to betray them as he did—the Slytherin knew that Madam Pomfrey was right; the fact that she was a target herself put a damper on her plan to help the students. How was she supposed to help Hogwarts when she was in danger of getting harmed? Her father and Draco could only do so much to protect her. Plus, the fact that they could do very little to stop Amycus Carrow from torturing her like that was not comforting in the very least. Would they at all be capable of protecting her as they should? Or would Apollonia be forced to suffer through any more bouts of the Cruciatus Curse? “I’ll work something out,” Apollonia stated. “I’ll find a way. I really would hate to see students having to suffer. It just isn’t right for the Carrows to use the Cruciatus on students so they’ll listen to what their asshole master wants people to learn.”

Hogwarts, no matter what Voldemort thought, was a place of learning. He couldn’t simply swoop in and start trying to create a dictatorship. Voldemort wished for all wizards and witches to follow his way of thinking: that muggles and muggleborn were undeserving of life. But, not everyone felt that way; only Voldemort and most of the Purebloods felt as if this was the case. And now that Voldemort was in charge of the Wizarding World, he was trying to corrupt the future of the Wizarding World. Very few first-years even entered Hogwarts this year, but even so, their views were being corrupted thanks to the Carrows teaching at the school and trying to force Voldemort’s bigoted views on them.

For the remainder of her stay in the Hospital Wing, Apollonia contemplated her options in regards to the plan she had. How could she keep herself from becoming harmed at the hands of the Carrows? There was a full nine months left in the school year; she could only avoid it for so long. Amycus and Alecto Carrow sought her out because, not only was she not of the preferred blood-status, but they wanted her to be a Death Eater like her father. The fact that she supported her brother’s cause seemed to further infuriate the Carrows. Consequently, they would spend more time breaking her, trying to convince her to join the Death Eaters.

The Head Girl was glad to get out of the Hospital Wing later in the day; there wasn’t much to do on the first day back. She then headed back to the Head common room, not wishing to go anywhere near the Carrows. Draco was seated in front of the fire when she came in. His back was facing her, so he had no idea she was released. “I am going to kill the Carrows for what they’re trying to do,” she heard him mutter. “Can’t they see that harming Apolla will only infuriate Snape? He could be driven to betray the Dark Lord if Apollonia is targeted.”

The Slytherin grinned. “Glad to see you don’t condone what the Carrows are doing,” Apollonia stated. “I was afraid you were like ever other Death Eater. But, it seems as if you actually have some compassion in you; you’re not a killer. It’s why my father was the one to murder Dumbledore; you simply didn’t have the heart to kill anyone.”

As the Head Boy thought he was talking to himself, Draco turned his head only to find that Apollonia was standing behind him. To say that he was shocked by the fact that she was standing there would be quite an understatement. “How long where you standing there, Apolla?”

“Just the last few minutes,” she replied, coming over to sit down in the black leather chair in front of the fire. “Madam Pomfrey released me a few minutes ago. Though, I’m surprised that you weren’t there when I woke up; she said that you were there quite a lot throughout the day.” If he was in the Hospital Wing as much as Madam Pomfrey said he was, then it would stand to reason that Draco might be there when she regained consciousness. Since he was nowhere near the Hospital Wing during the time she was awake—which lasted at least four hours—Apollonia wondered what he was doing during the day.

“Remember what I told you, Apolla; your father gave me orders to protect you,” the Head Boy reminded her. “I had to make sure that you were okay. Your father would destroy me if I allowed anything to happen to you. What happened today in Dark Arts was a freak accident; I was only half paying attention when you were attacked by Amycus. And, I neglected to take the necessary precautions that would protect you from them.”

“What precaution?” she asked.

Draco removed the snake pendant from his pocket, reminding the young Snape of its existence. “The protection spell in your necklace. It was deactivated for summer when your father assured by that you could not be harmed.” He clenched his fist around the pendant, rage taking over his emotions. “My mistake was not reactivating the spell when I should have, the day of the ambush a month ago. And, that mistake may have cost you your life.”

“Has it been activated?” Apollonia questioned.

“Yes,” Draco informed her.

Then I’m safe, the Head Girl realized. So long as the spell is active, I could help Madam Pomfrey with the injured students and see to it that they are safe. Apollonia tapped the necklace and smiled. I thought for sure that this thing would be nothing more than a nuisance. Turns out it’s what’s been protecting me. Draco’s Christmas gift saved my life. I can only hope that the Carrows don’t notice what Draco has been doing to protect me. She smirked—one worthy of the boy sitting in front of her—and looked at the Death Eater in front of her. “Well, Draco; seems I need to thank you for what you did for me. I thought for sure that this gift of yours was completely pointless. If you didn’t give me this nine months ago, my father—and my mysterious brother you want to know so much about—would be in mourning.”

“Glad I could help,” Draco mumbled.

Apollonia’s emerald gaze focused intently on the young Malfoy. When she mentioned Harry, Apollonia thought for sure that he would question her about it. But, he didn’t. And, that in and of itself was strange. For what reason did Draco choose not to ask her about Harry. She scoffed and looked to Draco. “Okay, what’s the deal?” Apollonia asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You didn’t ask about my brother,” she stated.

“Oh, didn’t I?” Draco asked. “My mind was elsewhere.”

The Head Girl could only wonder what it was that Draco could be doing that he wasn’t questioning her about Harry. He was a Death Eater, so she supposed that it had to do with Voldemort. What could Voldemort have asked Draco to do this time? Draco was like this last year; his focus was split thanks to the order to kill Dumbledore. For reasons she could not yet comprehend, Draco seemed so stressed—far too stressed than any seventh-year student ever should have been—and, after her state of unconsciousness, he seemed distant; it was far different from how he acted only a few hours ago. “How elsewhere?” she questioned. “What could you be so worried about after just a few hours?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Draco asked. “The Carrows are going to try torturing you again; I know they will. And, if they discover what I did, that I was trying to protect you, they’ll come after me. It wouldn’t matter if I was a Death Eater or not; they would still come after me.”

“You’re worried about that?” she asked.

“Of course I am!” Draco exclaimed angrily. “The fact that I would defy the Dark Lord’s orders in order to protect you—someone in support of Potter’s campaign to defeat the Heir of Slytherin—puts me in danger as well. So yeah, I’d have to say that I’m definitely worried about what the Carrow siblings might do if my deceit is discovered; I’ll be destroyed then.”

Apollonia bit her lip. There had to be some way to resolve this issue. Under no circumstance was Apollonia ever going to let her father, Harry, or Draco become harmed in any way; she swore to protect them. Like her mother did with Harry the night she died, so would Apollonia Lily Evans Snape do whatever she could to save them. For years, the young Slytherin was compared to her mother; well, Apollonia would prove them right. She would see to it that the three most important people in her life made it through the war. “Is there anyway to speak with my father?” she asked. “Couldn’t he help you with this?”

“There may not be much he can do to help us,” Draco stated with a grunt as he stood up and began pacing the room. “Despite the fact that your father happens to be one of Voldemort’s most favored Death Eaters at the moment thanks to killing the old coot, Dumbledore, I don’t know if he can help us with this. Your father gave me the order to protect you; told me that he would have a busy year, so I had to be the one to make sure that you were safe. There’s no way that I can simply go ask your father for help any time something happens; I’m perfectly capable of protecting you. My only issue is the bloody Carrows.”

The young Snape rolled her eyes and stood up. Her conversation with Draco seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. “Homework?” she asked. “Did you get it for me?”

“On the table,” Draco answered.

Apollonia collected her work and took it to her room. Though she was unconscious for half the day, Apollonia was not about to get behind in her work. She had a lot of responsibility as Head Girl and she was not about to let the title down. If Hermione remained at the school as Apollonia hoped she would—rather than accompanying Harry and Ron in search of the horcruxes, whatever they were—the Gryffindor would have the Head Girl title that she craved so much. And, Hermione would have worked hard to prove herself worthy of the title. So, Apollonia had to live up to Hermione’s standards.

Speaking of Hermione, Apollonia needed to inform the Gryffindor of what happened. No doubt Hermione wondered who took the title she wanted so much. And, Apollonia was going to tell her. Hopefully, Hermione took the box with her, so the pair could contact each other. Upon entering her room, Apollonia dropped her homework on the nightstand and began rummaging around in her trunk for the cedar box Harry sent for Christmas. That box was the only thing that kept Apollonia in contact with them; she could easily learn of their progress and when her brother might have the opportunity to defeat Voldemort. Apollonia found the cedar wood box and grabbed a spare bit of parchment, writing a message to Hermione. I hope that you three are succeeding in your journey. Hogwarts is simply not the same without you guys. The Carrows are not fit to be teachers here. Please, Hermione; make sure that this ends soon. And, it may interest you that I am Head Girl in your absence. I was the one to take the title you worked so hard for. Again Hermione, please make sure that my brother’s quest does not take too long. And protect Harry as I asked you to so long ago. I refuse to lose him because of this.

As soon as the message was written, the Slytherin placed it in the cherry box and removed her wand, tapping the box as she said the spell. “Transportus Hermione Granger.” It would not take long before the Gryffindor brainiac answered her message. Or so she hoped. It was late at night, after Apollonia completed her homework, that she saw the box glow. “Perfect,” she stated. The message was removed from the box and carefully read over. We don’t know how long this quest will take us. But, I will watch over Harry for you. I promised you that I would. Head Girl Apollonia Snape. Good for you. Your mother would be proud; she was Head Girl herself. Though I’m upset that I could not get the title I worked so hard for, I’m glad that it’s you rather than anyone else within the school.

It did not surprise the seventh-year Slytherin that Hermione would be upset over the fact that she opted to accompany Harry and Ron in their quest for the horcruxes—she really did need to find out what they were—rather than returning to school and becoming the Head Girl she was meant to turn into. Hermione was always meant to be the Head Girl; Apollonia knew perfectly well that it was Hermione Granger who worked as hard as she could in order to gain the title. Hermione did all she could to get the title she coveted so much, only to give up the thing she wanted so much in order to help a friend. The Gryffindor sacrificed what she wanted the most in order to help a friend; Apollonia’s brother.

Yes, it seemed as if Apollonia needed to live up to the expectations set by Hermione over the past six years; she was able to help Harry to such an immense degree, all while maintaining such an outstanding school record. So, the fact that the Carrows were here at Hogwarts, torturing students might help Apollonia prove that she was capable of living up to the stand Hermione set. Being Head Girl, Apollonia had an obligation to do well in her studies; keep the students safe and unharmed by helping Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing; withstand any torture the Carrows thrust upon her; and protect the people she cared the most about, which included Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon—no matter how much the latter two despised the young witch. It was a lot for her to handle after years of simply focusing on her studies, but Apollonia really had no choice in the matter. This was a time of war; people had to do a lot during such times.

It was going to be a long nine months with the Carrows. But, Apollonia would see to it that that she—and everyone else attending Hogwarts this year—made it through what was sure to be a torturous year. If any student died at the hands of the Carrows…well, it meant that there was one less person who would oppose Voldemort’s reign. And, the younger Snape couldn’t let that happen; she refused to sit around and do nothing as her father wished of her. She was Harry James Potter’s sister, thus putting Apollonia right in the thick of things. And while Harry was destined to defeat Tom Marvolo Riddle, or Voldemort, after fifty years of the Wizarding World suffering through an immense amount of pain and torture, Apollonia had to protect the populace of the Wizarding World, more specifically Hogwarts. And, she would do so to the best of her ability, or suffer for it.