Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

Since she did not have a class with Alecto Carrow until Friday, the next few days passed with much ease for Apollonia. But, when Friday came, so did a problem; if Alecto chose to use the Cruciatus Curse on her, how could she hide what Draco did for her? The snake pendant that hung around her neck—and had since Christmas—shielded her from the effects of any harmful spell. And, while it did seem to help her, the difficult part about the whole thing was that she had to fool Alecto into believing that it still affected her. It was sure to be a challenge.

Apollonia went down to breakfast on Friday as a bundle of nerves. Muggle Studies was first thing in the morning and she was in danger. “This class is not going to go well,” Apollonia mumbled as she slid into her place at the Slytherin table, her place at Draco’s side.

“Too bad it’s compulsory,” Draco answered.

“That only works if Professor Burbage was still around; she taught the class in an unbiased manner.” All color drained from Draco’s face when this was mentioned. “Draco, you know that Alecto us going to try to force those biased views upon us. That might work on some people, but what about the muggleborns like the Creevey brothers and Justin Finch-Fletchley? There’s no way that they would be led to believe that all Muggles are bad. You may be prejudiced against Muggles and muggleborn witches and wizards, but I’m not. They’re the ones that will help secure the future of magic. Should Purebloods be the only ones to possess magic, inbreeding could cause magic to die out. Don’t you understand? If you continue to follow your master, magic could cease to exist as a result.”

“And, what of Squibs like Filch?” Draco asked.

“Huh?” she asked.

“If what you suspect is true and the only way to ensure that magic survives is by making Purebloods become extinct, how do we stop the Squibs from coming into existence?” Draco asked. “Magic might still cease to exist if what you say comes to past.”

“Not necessarily,” she warned.

Draco rolled his eyes. “I really don’t think so, Apolla. Your idea could create a society of Squibs. Magic could cease to exist if Muggles become involved in the magical world.”

“That’s your opinion, Draco,” Apollonia muttered. “But, I assure you that your master’s plan of Pureblood supremacy is what will kill off magic.” As much as all of the traditionalist Purebloods like the Malfoys thought that their supremacy was the answer, Apollonia knew that their logic was flawed. Pureblood families eventually died out due to inability to produce male heirs or inbreeding. And that was exactly what would happen if Voldemort succeeded in creating a society solely made up of Purebloods. Magic was going to die out because of a half-blood’s tyrannical rule. The worst part about the whole thing was that no one seemed to share Apollonia’s sentiments. No one understood just how much of a problem this was, especially Draco. Her Death Eater friend thought that the Pureblood supremacy was a good thing, which in and of itself was rather odd since he protected her, the girl that jokingly called herself the Quarter-Blood Princess in honor of her father.

Apollonia grimaced as breakfast came to an end. Here was where her issue lay; could she find a way to bamboozle Alecto into believing that she was injured? Unfortunately, there was no way for her to know if it was possible. Though, the fact that her free period came immediately after Muggle Studies could help her; she intended on going to the Hospital Wing at that point to help Madam Pomfrey in tending to injured students. “That might be the only thing that will work,” Apollonia realized. “It’s my only chance.”

“What?” Draco asked.

The younger Snape turned to Draco and looked at him with pleading eyes. “Look, I need your help, Draco. If I can fake an injury, I’ll need you to take me down to the Hospital Wing and stay there until lunch. Alecto will never discover that you helped me with this.”

“How long would that work?” Draco queried.

Apollonia shrugged as she gathered up her things and got ready for class. “I really don’t know. But, it’s my only chance. You’re the only one who knows that your spell over the serpent pendant protects me, meaning that you’re the only one who can help me with this trickery.” Her father also knew and Madam Pomfrey would soon learn of it, but that was beside the point. Out of everyone in the school, Draco was the one person who could get Apollonia to the Hospital Wing—thus giving her the chance to tend to the injured students that Madam Pomfrey needed help with—and not arouse suspicion amongst the Carrows.

“We don’t know for certain if it will work,” he stated.

“Would you rather be killed for your deceit?” she asked.

“No, but…”

“Then, you must do exactly as I ask,” Apollonia insisted. If Draco didn’t want the Carrows to find out that he was responsible for helping the Head Girl escape the pain inflicted upon her by the Cruciatus Curse, he had no choice but to help the young Snape enact her plan. It was the only way for the status quo to be maintained. And, there would come a time when Amycus and Alecto Carrow were forced out of the school…well, at least Amycus; a result of the curse placed upon the Dark Arts post. But, with Alecto, it was another issue entirely.

As the Head Boy and Head Girl traipsed through the castle, Apollonia wondered who would be in the class. Since Muggle Studies was a mandatory class this year, it was not clear as to who might be in the class, whether it was to be just the Slytherins, or a class with another house. Though, the fact that she was the only non-Pureblood Slytherin might count for something. Apollonia sullenly entered the classroom that once belonged to Professor Charity Burbage and it became clear that this was not to be a normal class. All the seventh years who came back to school this year were standing around in this classroom; though with the exception of Slytherin, there were missing students from every house, most notably Gryffindor. All ten seventh-years of Slytherin were in the class, but that was only because Slytherin was always considered the darkest house at Hogwarts. It was a class of about twenty-five students—not the typical size of a class, since most classes were usually half that—and, from what she knew, at least five of them weren’t Purebloods.

“What the hell is Alecto playing at?” Draco muttered.

“Trying to teach us a lesson,” Apollonia answered. “She plans on making an example of anyone with muggle heritage. That would be Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Su Li, Hannah Abbott, and myself. So, she wants everyone here. And, for all those who sympathize with Muggles, the same fate may befall them.”

“Seems as if you have a problem,” Pansy sneered.

Apollonia grimaced. Of course Pansy was going to continue disrespecting her, even after learning that Apollonia was Severus Snape’s daughter. Pansy obviously didn’t care about anyone except herself. No, that wasn’t true; she cared about Draco, and was jealous of all the time Apollonia spent with him. It was obvious that Pansy would not quit harassing the Head Girl, even under threat of losing her prefect status. Nothing would help.

“Shut up, Pansy!” Draco yelled.

“Why do you defend her?” Pansy retorted.

“Why?” Draco asked, his eyes narrowing. “What kind of question is that? It’s like asking why the sky is blue or why magic exists. Apollonia is Professor Snape’s daughter. In harassing her as you have, you’ve invoked the wrath of the Headmaster, which will not easily be quelled.” He smirked in Apollonia’s direction for a moment before turning back and continuing to speak to Pansy. “Plus, if you knew something about Apollonia—a fact that is not public knowledge to the populace of the Wizarding World—you’d come to understand that this year’s Head Girl happens to be the most important person in the world.”

“Yeah, right,” Pansy scoffed.

“It’s the truth!” Apollonia exclaimed, thinking of Harry. For whatever reason, Pansy refused to accept the fact that Apollonia was not the nobody the pug-faced girl thought she was. “So, don’t you dare think about trying to put me down; it will only get you into trouble.”

“No, it won’t,” a scraggly-looking woman said, coming in. “Ms. Snape, you are a quarter-blood; you will respect all Purebloods, for they are above you. Five points from Slytherin.”

“Invisible,” Draco hissed in her ear.

“I know,” she snapped.

“Then do as you are supposed to,” Draco warned, pulling the Head Girl over to an empty pair of seats. “You are supposed to be invisible, supposed to keep out of sight the way your father wants you to. Maybe then, we won’t have to deal with what Alecto could do to you.”

Alecto grinned maliciously as she strode over to the front of the room. All students were seated—not making any noise—and Apollonia had a bad feeling as to what the Death Eater might do. The fact that all seventh-year students had gathered in the Muggle Studies classroom could mean only one thing, and it was nothing good. Did anyone other than herself and Draco know exactly what was to come now that Alecto Carrow was teaching the class? The other Slytherins seemed to have some knowledge of what was to come, but that was it; no one else knew that Alecto planned on teaching everyone what Voldemort touted as the truth, all the Pureblood propaganda that would eventually destroy magic. Apollonia needed to make them see that everything Voldemort stood for would lead to the destruction of everything magical. Most Purebloods—even Draco—didn’t seem to listen.

The Pureblood propaganda was spouted only moments later. “In the world, those who have generations of magical ability in their families are supreme. Purebloods will always be better. Muggle are nothing more than the mud that scuffs our shoes,” Alecto laughed.

“You’re insane!” Apollonia yelled.

“You disagree?” the Carrow woman asked.

“Of course I disagree you madwoman!” Apollonia screamed. “Muggles are the future; they are the ones who will help secure the future of the Wizarding World. Pureblood supremacy will bring about the end of magic as we know it.” She turned to everyone in the class. “Those who agree with me, please stand up.” Several students did as Apollonia asked, including Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown, Terry Boot, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones. “See!” Apollonia glowered. “Not everyone happens to be like you and your master. And, there’s absolutely no way that you can force us to follow that blasphemy.”

Alecto began grinning wickedly and Apollonia knew she was in trouble. Her mouth put her in danger, as Alecto seemed ready to Crucio her. Emerald eyes drifted to Draco for a brief second before the Unforgiveable was cast. “Crucio!” Since the pendant she wore protected the young Snape from harm, Apollonia faked a collapse and began writhing in fake pain. “See!” Alecto cackled. “This is what happens to those who sympathize with Muggles.” Apollonia had to continue writhing for a few minutes until Alecto pulled her wand away. She saw that Draco was about to come to her aid when he was stopped. “No, Mr. Malfoy. She will stay where she is. Let it be a lesson for her that what she believes is wrong.”

Draco’s and Apollonia’s eyes met for a brief second. He quickly mouthed a short apology to the Head Girl before returning to his seat. “Yes, Mam.” The Head Boy’s eyes remained on Apollonia for the remainder of the class while she was to stay in a heap on the floor. When the class came to an end, Apollonia was pulled up and her arm slung over Draco’s shoulder. “I’m getting you to the Hospital Wing,” he hissed. “Stay there until this afternoon so as to not arouse suspicions. Alecto might realize what happened if you don’t.”

“No kidding,” Apollonia muttered. For once in her life, Apollonia was not about to disobey an order that Draco gave her. The Head Girl knew all too well that allowing either one of the Carrows to discover that she was faking would mean certain death for both her and Draco, maybe even her father as well. Under no circumstances would she allow for something like that to happen. By the time she and Draco made it to the Hospital Wing, Apollonia found that Madam Pomfrey was bustling about the room. The Slytherin soon saw that she was not the only person to get cursed with the Cruciatus; in addition to herself—despite the fact that she wasn’t really injured—several muggleborn students and a few light supporting Purebloods were scattered about the room. “You can let go, Draco.”

The Malfoy heir nodded left go, but stayed at her side. “Just make sure that the Carrows don’t figure out what I did,” he reminded her. “You, your father, and I will be in major trouble should the Carrows ever discover that we’re protecting you, keeping you on Potter’s side of the war.” Apollonia nodded, catching a glimmer of despair in her friend’s silver eyes. “Stay here until lunch and I’m sure that you’ll be okay; the Carrows will never find out then.”

“I planned on staying here anyway,” Apollonia told him.

“Good,” the Head Boy replied.

As Draco left the Hospital Wing, Apollonia turned her attention to the red-headed girl lying on a nearby bed. Seeing her there made the young Snape realize that she had a chance to speak with someone about what was going on. Honestly, Apollonia had a suspicion that she might not be trusted because of her parentage, at least the paternal half. “Ginevra Weasley,” Apollonia said in a quiet voice, “is it really necessary for you to provoke the Carrows? There’s enough to worry about without the only daughter of a prominent light supporter getting hurt.”

“But, the Carrows are…” she started.

Apollonia held up a hand. “I know what they’re doing, Ginny. I just came from my compulsory Muggle Studies course; the Carrow witch decided to Crucio me.” Ginny’s brown eyes widened at that statement. “I know; it’s surprising to see the daughter of the Headmaster—the man who killed Dumbledore—getting attacked by Death Eaters. Well, it’s true. Despite your brother, Ron’s, opinion of me, I’m a supporter of the light; I always have.”

“And, what of the prejudice?” the younger girl asked.

The Head Girl eyed her brother’s love interest carefully. “Was it not mentioned over the holiday? My father may be Severus Snape—which is how I’m a Slytherin—my mother was a muggleborn, and a Gryffindor at that. My being a Slytherin gives me no leniency, no matter how much Ronald Weasley believes it to be so. Gryffindor traits that my mother passed down to me shine through. Oh yes, I can be as cunning as the next Slytherin, but my Gryffindor traits shine bright; Dad thought I would follow Mum to Gryffindor. Not once did the irritable Dungeon Bat ever expect me to become a snake like him.”

“Is that why you saved Bill last summer?” she asked.

Bill. Suppose I should have expected it to come up; I’ve never actually explained everything to Ginny. Apollonia sighed and looked to the Weasley daughter. “Rescuing Bill from Greyback had nothing to do with that. Not really anyway. No, I knew Bill and Charlie from a detention they served with my father; well, not exactly my father. It was more along the lines of them baby-sitting me. I’m sure you saw what I did to Fred and George.” Ginny nodded. “Yeah, well; I pulled the same stunt on Charlie, mostly because he was insulting me. And, doing that caused me to get to know the oldest two Weasleys; I saved Bill because I didn’t want to see anything happen to him, not as a result of the war. If it wasn’t for me, Bill might not have survived the battle, a fact that Ronald Weasley has yet to understand.”

“So, you really are on our side?” the girl asked.

“Of course,” Apollonia stated, thinking of her brother. “Despite my father’s actions, I’m always going to side with the light. To side with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—ugh, I hate saying that—would be suicide for me. You may not understand my reasoning for it, but it will all make sense the day that Harry ends the war.” Apollonia gave the young Weasley as much information as she possibly could, without revealing her true identity to the girl. It was imperative that Ginny trust the Slytherin, both as the daughter of the man who killed Dumbledore and as the twin sister of the boy-who-lived, the Chosen One.

“Would you help with a Resistance effort?” Ginny asked.

Emerald eyes glimmered when Ginny mentioned this. She was hoping that the youngest Weasley might mention this. “So glad you asked,” Apollonia smirked. “That’s actually part of the reason I’m here. Dad doesn’t want me to participate in any of the war efforts. As you can see, I’m not exactly following that order; for personal reasons, I simply can’t sit around and watch as the Carrows destroy what’s left of the school. I can see that my father isn’t going to do anything to stop it; neither will Draco as Head Boy. So, it’s up to me as Head Girl to do what I can to protect the school. I won’t be doing it in the traditional sense, however; I’m going to be working here in the Hospital Wing to help Pomfrey heal everyone.”

“But, wouldn’t it be best if you were fighting?” Ginny complained. “Snape was actually a semi-decent Defense teacher, if you disregard the attitude. You would have picked up on that.”

Apollonia shook her head. “I’m only fighting if I have to. To a certain degree, I still plan on following my father’s order. I’m only skirting along the boundaries he set to accomplish what I need to out of this.” Mainly that was protecting the three most important men in her life: her father, Draco, and Harry. It was her only motive in taking part in any fight: protection detail; she was the protector, charged with keeping the people she cared about safe from harm. There was no issue when it came to Harry and Draco—Harry was already marked for death and could easily protect himself; Draco was safe as a Death Eater, so long as no one ever discovered that he was protecting Apollonia through the use of the snake pendant that hung from her neck—protection detail for them was easy; it was her father that was the difficulty. As Ginny brought up, her father was the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher last year; the curse on the post still existed. And, all those who served as teacher since the post was cursed, what awaited them ALL was an early grave. How the hell was she supposed to protect her father from that; it was inevitable that her father would perish. All Apollonia could do was hope that she was able to hold that off for as long as she possible could; and, even then, she wasn’t sure if it would work.

“But, you are willing to help?” Ginny reaffirmed.

“To help Harry; always!” she said.

“Right,” Ginny said. “I think a meeting with Neville and Luna is in order.” Apollonia gave the younger girl a questioning look. “They’re the ones helping me start the Resistance.”

“It won’t be the same without Harry,” Apollonia said in a soft voice. “He’s the Chosen One; only he can bring the Wizarding World into a state of peace.” Though Ginny knew nothing of Apollonia knowledge of what was going on—and for good reason—the Slytherin still felt the need to mention it. Ginny and everyone else that might care about her—especially Harry and Draco—would learn the truth once Voldemort was destroyed.

“Yeah, but we’ll have to make do with what we have,” Ginny stated.

Apollonia nodded, realizing that what Ginny was saying could force only one thing to happen. “Then, I think I have to be involved; no matter what my father says, I need to do this.” She was connected to Harry in a way that no other person ever was; she was his twin sister. And, in the same way that Harry was involved in Dumbledore’s Army, so would Apollonia play her part in the Resistance. “The first chance you get to meet up with the both of them, let me know; I’m really the only one that can help hide the Resistance.”

Ginny nodded. “Right.”

Apollonia then turned her attention to some of Madam Pomfrey’s other patients, doing whatever she could over the next few hours to help them. Under no circumstances was she about to let any of the students fall victim to the Carrows’ cruelty. The school would survive this year, no matter what.