Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

For once, helping Poppy tend to the injured students did not help Apollonia as much as it normally would. The fact that her father would refuse to help Harry—or protect the school from anything the Carrows might try—infuriated her beyond all reason. Why couldn’t he understand just how much trouble the Carrows were causing, simply by their presence here in the castle? According to Myrtle, whom Apollonia spoke to on occasion, the castle was permeated with a rather insidious stench; from that, the Head Girl was able to infer only one thing: Hogwarts was suffering at the Carrows’ hands and it was only a matter of time until it crumbled. Even with the Resistance defending its walls, there was no definite that Hogwarts would survive the war. And, if it did fall as Apollonia suspected it would, her father would be to blame—as Headmaster—for allowing such a fate to occur.

Seeing as her father decided to cancel Muggle Studies for the day—and Dark Arts, from what she could tell because Ginny entered the room of her own volition, no injuries to be healed—Draco was hanging around the Hospital Wing, most likely to watch over her by order of her protective father. Apollonia barely paid attention to him, instead making sure that those who were injured prior to her father’s order were tended to. The decree her father gave prevented Apollonia from helping the Resistance to the fullest extent of her capabilities; which, she supposed, was her father’s intent. Under no circumstances did Severus Snape ever want Apollonia to become a part of the war. So, it was clear to the young Head Girl that her father had taken every precaution to keep her safe.

When Draco left for his next class, Apollonia was able to relax; this was the start of her free period, the only time in which Draco simply wasn’t around to follow the order he was given. Peace was a moot point however, as Ginny was still in the Hospital Wing waiting to speak with her. Apollonia turned to the younger girl. “What are you here for?” she asked.

“I wanted to know about your friendship with Malfoy,” the red-head answered. “How can you continue to be friends with that jerk when he’s a known Death Eater? You’ve been helping the light fight back against the Carrows; so how can you still be friends with that ass?”

Apollonia grimaced; she was expecting this. Not so early on, but still. “Do you know where I am, Ginny?” she asked. “It’s only thanks to my father and Draco—both confirmed Death Eaters—that I’ve escaped the Carrows’ wrath. For me, it doesn’t even matter that Draco’s a Death Eater. My loyalty is to Harry, but I’ll always be friends with Draco; especially after all that he’s done for me.” She sighed heavily. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand anything about this; for the longest time, Draco was the only person that cared about me. And, it’s never going to change, not even the events of this year. “

“But, why him?” Ginny wondered.

“I’m a quarter-blood, if you’ll recall, Ginny. And, as such—despite who my father is—I’m targeted by the Carrows. Draco was always there to help me, something no one else cared to do. Harry might have before Dumbledore’s death, but not now. He’d never help me after what my father did,” Apollonia said in a quiet voice. She hated that fact that Harry refused to trust her; that he would destroy their friendship over something her father did, something she wasn’t even a part of. There had to be a way for Apollonia to speak to her brother about what he perceived to be the truth. It was like the situation with Fudge; although, instead of Fudge not believing that Voldemort returned, it was Harry not believing his sister that she had nothing to do with the Death Eaters, other than one being her father and another her friend. Apollonia shrugged. “Trusting Draco came easy; he’s been protecting me for a long time now. It’s not like that would change simply because of his master.”

“I still don’t trust him,” Ginny insisted.

“You don’t have to. Just trust me,” Apollonia told the younger girl. “Now, I really need to go have a talk with your twin brothers. Maybe there’s something I can do to help them.” Really, Apollonia just wanted to get away from Ginny; she needed to give herself some time to relax. Poppy had already given her a free pass in helping her tend to patients—Halloween was, after all, the anniversary of her mother’s death—so there was no need to worry about that. Maybe the Room of Requirement, Apollonia thought. Draco won’t think to look of me there. She desperately needed a place to be alone, to mourn her mother. If the Carrows discovered what she was doing, it was only a matter of time before another Crucio was administered.

The second Apollonia stepped foot into the Room of Requirement, she was met with a room similar to the common room. Sitting just above the fireplace was a picture of her mother while troves of books lined the walls. Apollonia slumped down onto a nearby couch and sat there thinking of what might have been, of what her life might have been like if there was no Voldemort to terrorize the Wizarding World. Maybe she would have grown up with her brother, not having to learn of her brother’s existence a month into her sixth year. “Why?” she wondered darkly. “Why was I cursed to spend the majority of my life not knowing I had a brother?”

“You were not supposed to,” an unfamiliar voice said.

Apollonia looked up, only to see her mother smiling down at her. She nearly forgot that there were magical portraits. “Mum, do you have any idea as to what I’ve been going through?”

“I’m only a portrait,” she answered.

“And that’s exactly my point,” her daughter growled. “My whole life, though I never knew it, shot to hell when that maniac went after Harry; I lost the chance to get to know you because of Trelawney and that damn prophecy. The only connection I have to you is your nephew, Dudley; Harry refuses to even speak to me because of Dad’s part in the war.”

“Harry is as stubborn as he is impulsive,” her mother noted.

“Something he probably picked up from James,” Apollonia muttered. “I doubt it came from you; otherwise I might have inherited that trait as well.” A lot of what Apollonia heard about her stepfather was through her father’s stories of his schooling, of which were very little. From those few stories, Apollonia was able to deduce that while James was a good person, he did make some bad choices in life. One of those was bullying her father.

“Yes, it was rare that James was not so impulsive,” her mother nodded, “especially when he was younger. It was a wonder I ever married that man. But, after what happened with your father, James seemed to mellow out a bit, as if his only reason for antagonizing your father was to end his friendship with me; he was free to pursue me until his heart’s content.”

Apollonia nodded. “I know the story, Mum.”

“So you do,” the portrait stated. “And, you must help your brother, Apollonia, for he needs your help. Harry may have his friends to help guide him, but he needs the love of family in order to finish things. My blood binds you both; not even this war can destroy that. I know what my sister did; I know what Harry suffered through during his childhood. Harry knows little of familial love, something only you can give. Through the love of both family and friends, Harry can defeat the monster that killed myself and James.”

“What you really mean is the Evans blood,” Apollonia stated in a quiet voice. “The love you have for Harry—even me—is the only thing that that can even begin to help win the war.”

“Make Harry see that,” the portrait of Lily Potter insisted. “If Harry can understand that you are nothing like your father; that you fight for the light, maybe then he’ll accept you as his sister, the sister that tried so hard to help him with the war. You are the only true family that Harry has left and you must stick together, no matter what houses you’re in. Remember, Apollonia, that I was a Gryffindor and Severus was a Slytherin.”

“Of course, Mum,” she nodded.

“Now, there is just one more thing I must tell you, something that your father should have told you a long time ago,” the red-headed woman said. “There is a vault at Gringotts, placed under the Evans name. Inside that vault are items I want you to have, items that were supposed to be given to you on your eleventh birthday. When James, Severus, and I discovered that I was pregnant by both of them, it begat a period of time in which they would fight constantly; their rivalry grew even more because of it. Only my ultimatum that they learn to get along or risk seeing you or Harry forced them to act civil around one another. The vault was created at that point, for you and Harry; only one of you can open that vault.”

“A vault? Why was I never informed of this?” the Head Girl wondered. “Why would Dad kept something like that from me?” She already knew the answer to her query though.

“Your father was haunted by my memory. Seeing that vault might open old wounds, remind him of what was done. Not telling you that I was your mother; that Harry is your brother might have been the best way for Severus to deal with his loss,” her mother explained.

“It still doesn’t give him the right to do this!” she yelled.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” her mother said. “But, still; look at it from your father’s perspective. He lost what he cared about most in the world thanks to this war. Take that into account the next time you run into your father; he is hurting as much as you are.”

Apollonia nodded and soon left the room, not wanting to hear her mother lecture her about how she was treating her father. He deserved it for not paying attention to the school—especially her—until it was too late. The Carrows were destroying the school and, even though her father stepped in to defend her, it might only make things worse. Halloween afternoon was spent in class before returning to the common room where a faint green glow could be seen coming from her bedroom. “Hermione,” she whispered softly.

The Head Girl hurried off to her bedroom to uncover the reason the box was glowing. As expected, there was a note signed by Hermione waiting for her. Apollonia, something terrible just happened. Ron left us. Said he didn’t want to continue helping us. He even offered to let me come with, but I couldn’t do that; not with what I know about you. I promised you that I would watch over Harry where you couldn’t; and I’m keeping that promise. In any case, Harry and I are in trouble; I cannot be sure if we’ll last out here. We’re not finished our mission. –Hermione. Apollonia crumpled the note in her hand, eventually dropping it to the floor and burning the note with a well-timed Incendio.

If Apollonia didn’t already hate Ron, she hated him now. Why would he abandon his friends in their time of need? Hermione, no matter what, seemed to stick by Harry. She was a true friend, someone that Harry could always rely on; it was why Apollonia chose Hermione to tell her secret to. To Hermione, it really wouldn’t matter that Apollonia was a Slytherin—and a Snape—just that she was willing to stand by Harry’s side and help him fight this war in anyway that she could. She was his sister, the one person that Harry was supposed to trust implicitly. Hermione was the one person who did, rather than Harry.

Upon grabbing the nearest piece of parchment, Apollonia penned a note to Hermione, revealing what she knew. Hermione, has there ever been an adventure in which Ron was not a part of. I’m sure there was. If you and Harry were able to accomplish that without Ron’s aid, I don’t doubt that you and Harry can find the horcruxes. Apollonia was hesitant to write that last part, but felt that she needed to; she understood what the horcruxes were and why they needed to be destroyed. So, why not inform Hermione that she knew what they were doing? If Ron doesn’t want to be a part of that, it’s his loss. Here’s my warning: don’t sulk over what could have been. Simply move forward. –Apollonia.

As she was sending the note to Hermione, Apollonia knew that this might get her in trouble. The fact that Slughorn was willing to tell her the secret to Voldemort’s success was mere happenstance; it was not Apollonia’s intent. “Transportus Hermione Granger,” she whispered, tapping her wand to the box. Once the message was gone, Apollonia sank to her bed. Halloween was coming to a close, along with another anniversary of the Potters’ deaths. It was yet another year in which Apollonia was unable to get to know her family. Even when it came to her father, there was a disconnect, like he couldn’t bear to look into her eyes.

For years, it was mentioned that Harry looked like his father with his mother’s eyes. At the same time, Apollonia was compared to her mother; in more ways than just the eye coloring. But, it was the brilliant emerald hue of their eyes that truly kept Lily Potter alive, at least in spirit. Somehow, despite the fact that neither Harry nor Apollonia go to know their mother, there was a part of the woman that lived on. A few minutes passed before Apollonia saw the bright green glow of the cedar message box. “Figures,” Apollonia muttered before going to collect the note, which was as expected. “Knew she’d pick up on that.” Apollonia, I suppose that would work. Now, how do you know of the horcruxes? No one is supposed to know what we’re doing, what they are. Even if you are Snape’s daughter, you still shouldn’t know of this. And yet, you do. How? How do you know? –Hermione.

After burning this note—to make certain that no one discovered that she was conversing with Hermione while she was on the run—Apollonia penned yet another note to Hermione, assuring the bushy-haired muggleborn that nothing would happen. Hermione, I was told about the horcruxes by the same person that Harry was. And, I can assure you that no one else will ever know. It’s locked behind my Occulemency shields, ensuring that no one can access to that knowledge since my shields are near impenetrable. Oh, but you might want to learn how to be a little quieter; I first overheard the mention of it at Dumbledore’s funeral. If I can do that, so can anyone else. –Apollonia.

With the method Apollonia used to ascertain such knowledge, it was only a matter of time before a Death Eater learned of the horcruxes and made sure to protect them from the destruction they would surely face if Harry and Hermione got to them first. Though, she supposed that her status as the Invisible Slytherin also played a role in that. Since first year, Apollonia could always hide in plain sight; well, mostly. Only Draco ever saw her. But, for all others, such an ability allowed for the young Snape to overheard things she shouldn’t. Once again, Apollonia tapped her wand to the message box and sent the note. “Transportus Hermione Granger.”

The second this message disappeared, the Head Girl disappeared from her bedroom. Halloween was turning into a rather weird day this year, especially with the presence of the Carrows; they were the only reason that Apollonia was unable to have any peace to mourn her mother and stepfather. “Maybe I’ll go up to the Owlery,” she decided. “Perhaps going up there will give me some time to relax, without having to worry about anything that the people I care about—Harry, Draco, Dad, and Hermione—might be going through.”