Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

Everyone who stayed at the Burrow was getting their things packed away, ready for the move. Apollonia, however, just sat around, wondering how her brother and his friends were doing. She was concerned about how Harry was doing and why this might have happened. Right after I got back from talking to Dudley, she thought. It had to occur right after. The group was collected and about to touch a portkey to their intended location when someone apparated in. The figure, which she recognized as Bill, came over and whispered something to his father. “They’re with you then?” he asked. Bill nodded in affirmation. “Good then, thank you for telling us, Bill. Perhaps you should go back and help them.”

Bill was about to head back when Tonks stopped and began interrogating him, or at least a form of it. “Bill, what happened? What did you just tell Arthur that you couldn’t tell us?”

“Ron and the others are at Shell Cottage,” he mumbled.

Tonks’ eyes widened. “Apollonia!”

“What?” Bill asked.

“She goes with you to Shell Cottage,” she told him.

There was no need to explain why Apollonia should go to Shell Cottage with Bill rather than go into hiding with the Weasleys and the Order members that might need a little more protection. Wherever Harry was, Apollonia needed to be, perhaps to tell her brother who she really was. “I think that’s a good idea,” Apollonia suggested. “Going into hiding simply isn’t an option for me. You guys can do so,” she motioned to the other Weasleys and Tonks, the latter of which was going to her mother’s, “but I have my reasons for doing this.”

“And you would be staying until break is over?” Arthur asked.

“Yeah, and then go back to Hogwarts,” Apollonia informed the Weasley patriarch. “Just because you’re pulling Ginny out of Hogwarts thanks to what happened doesn’t mean that I should go into hiding as well. At least for me, going back to Hogwarts for the best.”

“Right then,” Arthur said. “Everyone else to the portkey.”

Before touching the portkey, Ginny spoke with Apollonia. “Help Neville, would you?” she asked. “Without me, he’ll be leading the Resistance on his own. Give him some help. Make sure he’s not doing it on his own. The Carrows will go after him with me or Luna there.”

That was part of the reason she was returning to Hogwarts, to help Neville with Resistance; she was the only one left who could help now that Luna was missing and Ginny needed to escape after the discovery of Ron not being sick at home. “I will,” she nodded. Upon saying that, Ginny went to join the group of people—mostly Weasleys—going into hiding. Five seconds later, Apollonia and Bill were the only ones left standing just outside the Burrow.

“Why?” Bill asked once they were alone.

Apollonia bit her lip, trying to come up with a way to explain this to the eldest Weasley without revealing that fact that she was Harry’s sister to him. She didn’t want to tell anyone about that, at least until Harry learned it first. How could she explain this to Bill without revealing her secret? “I have my reasons, Bill. In the same way that my father had his reasons for keeping my identity a secret from the students,” Apollonia told him.

“So, it’s a secret?” he asked.

“Precisely,” Apollonia replied. “Now, Shell Cottage.”

Bill nodded and grabbed Apollonia’s trunk in one hand. “We’re going to side-apparate. Even if you know the name of the place, I don’t want to take the chance that you won’t reach the place. Harry and Ron already took that risk and I wouldn’t want the same for you.”

The Slytherin grabbed hold of Bill and they apparated to Shell Cottage. As they arrived, Apollonia spotted a small patch of recently tilled soiled. “What happened over there?” she asked, pointing to the area.

“A house elf, Dobby, died while escaping,” he answered.

“Dobby?” she asked and Bill nodded. No! He died protecting Harry and his friends. Apollonia was reminded of the one summer in which she was around Dobby, the summer before Harry freed him. Dobby always seemed nice to her. Though, he was never treated right—not by Draco, Narcissa, and especially not Lucius—which led the elf to betray the Malfoys and help Harry. And now, it seemed as if he died doing what he loved: protecting Harry Potter; the boy-who-lived; the Chosen One. It was thanks to Dobby that Harry and the others were able to survive, something that Apollonia was appreciative of him for; it was something he was good at. Dobby did everything in his power to the one person that treated him like he mattered and he paid the price for that loyalty with his life, something Apollonia was very proud of him for. “I wish I could say thank you.”

“I think everyone does,” Bill answered.

“Right.” It wasn’t what Apollonia meant, but she decided not to correct him. The Weasleys were aware of fact that she was friends with Draco; it was something they never let her forget. Despite the fact that Ronald—the Weasley who seemed to lead that group—was recovering here, Apollonia would ignore him and focus on Hermione and, if she could, Harry. Though, she wasn’t exactly sure that the latter would appreciate it, not after her father killed his mentor. “And thanks for agreeing to mine and Tonks’ request. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “However, I would like you to tell me why it was so important that you come here, why even Dora wanted you come. It doesn’t seem to make any sense.”

“After the war,” Apollonia warned.

“You’re protecting him?” Bill asked.

“More like protecting myself,” Apollonia muttered. “I don’t plan on telling anyone my secret until the megalomaniac trying to kill Harry is destroyed. The only reason that Tonks knows is that someone in the Order needed to have knowledge of it and I chose to tell someone I had had a prior relationship with. Actually, that probably would have been you if Dora was unavailable.”

“Not Charlie?” Bill asked.

“Don’t think so,” Apollonia said. “Charlie’s still sore about what happened when I was five. He’s still holding a grudge about what happened. I doubt he would have accepted what I had to tell him. Besides, it was Dumbledore who asked Dora to do it; I’m not exactly on good terms with the Weasley around my own age, which might have been a factor in deciding who my Order contact would be.” Apollonia couldn’t say for sure what was going through Dumbledore’s head when he decided who she would meet with, but her guess seemed logical.

“Well, Ron is here, so you might want to avoid him,” Bill suggested with a laugh. “How well do you get along with Harry, Hermione, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Ollivander, or Griphook?”

A pair of emerald eyes lit up when Bill mentioned that Luna was here. She must have escaped with the others. Maybe I can talk to her about what I can do regarding the Resistance, what I can do to help Neville. Apollonia looked at the eldest Weasley. “Well, Hermione and Luna I can along with; quite well, in fact. Now, I don’t know about Dean, Ollivander, or Griphook, but Harry and I used to get along, at least until Dad killed Dumbledore last year,” Apollonia answered. “Which, I suppose is kind of ironic since I need to talk to Harry.”

“And, after you were the one to save me from Greyback, Fleur is pretty grateful to you. If not for you getting me to the Hospital Wing so quick, I might have died. So, I just need to keep you away from Ron, maybe Harry as well, and you should be fine. Come on. Let’s get you settled then.”

The pair approached the cottage, lugging Apollonia’s trunk behind there, and found Fleur. Apollonia was glad that it was Bill’s wife rather than Harry or Ron. Really, anyone was better than one of them, at least at the moment. She would run into them eventually, she was quite sure of that, but preferred that it not be right now. “Zere you are, Bill. Did you tell your family zat ‘Arry and his friends are ‘ere?” Bill nodded rather than answering. “And who iz zis?”

“Fleur, you remember Apollonia Snape,” Bill said.

“Ah yes, ze Professor’s daughter, ze one who saved your life.” She smiled at the younger girl. “I did not say eet before, but zank you for saving him last year. Should you have any problems, let me know.”

Having Fleur for support was probably a good thing; it would help when dealing with Ron. Apollonia, sadly, never got to know Fleur all that much during her fourth year. Now, she wished she did. It seemed as if Fleur was one of the few people that did not mind that Apollonia was the professor’s daughter; that it was her father who killed Dumbledore. Why didn’t I become closer to her three years ago? She was invisible at the time, so it was kind of difficult. And, if Apollonia recalled correctly, the Beauxbatons students sat with Ravenclaw students and were closer to them as a result. In fact, each of the four tables had a champion to support; Gryffindor had Harry Potter; Hufflepuff had Cedric Diggory; Ravenclaw had Fleur Delacour; and Slytherin had Viktor Krum. It divided the houses even more, despite the fact that the tournament was supposed to unite the houses and schools. “Thank you, Fleur. I appreciate the offer,” Apollonia replied softly.

“We need to get her settled,” Bill informed his wife. “Apollonia is staying the Easter break while my family goes into hiding. A word of caution though; keep her away from my brother.”

When they entered the house, Apollonia spotted her brother and Ron talking in the other room. She winced slightly at the sight of them, just as Ron noticed her. “What are you doing here?” he snarled. “Shouldn’t you be at Malfoy Manor, serving your master?”

“Ron!” Bill admonished.

“No!” Ron bellowed. “After what we’ve just been through, there is no way that I am about to come within five feet of any Slytherin. Slytherins are bad news and she’s got to be the worst; SNAPE’S DAUGHTER, and Malfoy’s friend to boot! No, don’t let her in this house.”

“Sorry to disappoint, Ron, but she stays,” Bill insisted.

“Why?” he screamed.

“Because I trust her,” Bill answered. “Because she hasn’t done anything that would cause me to distrust her. Now, what about you? What did Apollonia do to you to make you hate her so?” There was no answer. “You have no reason, do you? Then, why do you hate her?”

“She’s a Slytherin!” Ron yelled. “They’re ALL Death Eaters!”

Apollonia’s eyes narrowed, focusing on Ron as she yanked her sleeve up. “There’s no mark on my arm, is there, Ron?” she hissed. “I may be a Slytherin, but that doesn’t make me a Death Eater. My father is a Death Eater, yes; but that does not automatically make me evil. I support the light; I support Harry. Get that through your thick skull, Weasley, since I’ll be staying here until my break is over. Honestly, I wish I could stay here the whole time since the Carrows are trying to pressure me to join their side.” She glared at the youngest—the most bigoted—Weasley son. “Now, does that sound like something a Death Eater would do to a fellow Death Eater? I don’t think so. Think Weasley, before the words come out of your mouth. Otherwise, your mouth could put you in a spot of trouble with someone you least suspect.” Apollonia was getting sick and tired of Ron’s attitude, especially with the effect it had on Harry. If she was going to have a relationship with her brother, then it was necessary to break him of the attitude he had.

“You could be hiding the mark,” Ron argued.

“The mark can’t be concealed by magic!” Apollonia hissed. “If it could, my father wouldn’t be wearing those long black robes all the time. Do you ever see him wearing anything other than long sleeves? Of course not! It would show the Dark Mark. And, as I said before, the Carrows are pressuring me to take the mark. They wouldn’t be doing that if I already had it.”

“She has a point, Ron,” Harry noted.

“At least someone gets it,” the girl huffed.

“I’m not saying I believe you,” the boy-who-lived pointed out. “I’m just not arguing with Ron because he seems to be overlooking certain factors. I still think you’re supporting the darkness, just not as a Death Eater.”

So much for that, the Slytherin thought. But, at least Hermione and Luna will trust me. She ignored her brother and Ron for the moment, taking her trunk to what Bill informed her was the room she would share along with the two girls. Hermione was lying on the bed unconscious, but Luna was nowhere to be found. A survey of the other rooms soon allowed Apollonia to find the Lovegood girl talking to Ollivander. “Nice to see you again, Luna.”

The young Ravenclaw spun around, looking up from the discussion she was holding with the famous wand maker. “Nice to see you too, Apollonia. But, what are you doing here? I did not see you while we were being held by the Malfoys. When did you come?”

“Malfoy Manor?” she asked. “Is that where you were?”

Luna nodded. “Down in the cellar.”

“Why didn’t Draco tell me?” Apollonia said softly.

“Maybe he could not,” Luna suggested. “While he was there, he was not treated very nicely. You-Know-Who wanted Draco to do something that he has refused to do; he wanted Draco to convince you to become a Death Eater. I can see that has not happened. You have this glow about you that Death Eaters lack; there is no way that you have the mark.”

“Perhaps you should tell Ron and Harry that,” Apollonia muttered. “They don’t exactly believe that I’m not supporting that monster trying to kill Harry. You and Hermione do though.”

“How could they not?” Luna asked.

“You see things differently then them,” Apollonia answered. “You always have. It’s why I knew I could trust you. Harry used to trust me, but Dad’s actions from last year destroyed that. Hermione, you, Ginny, and Neville are the only light supporters of Hogwarts age to trust me implicitly; that I won’t betray you. No one else is as accepting of me.”

“I understand me, Ginny, and Neville. But, why Hermione?”

A lot of people seemed to be asking Apollonia about why she was so close to Harry and Hermione. It made the young Snape want to tell everyone who her mother was. But, she couldn’t do that, not yet. That couldn’t happen until Harry destroyed Voldemort, which she was sure he would. “I can’t exactly give that information away. Not until after the maniac trying to destroy our livelihoods is eliminated. The second that happens, I’ll tell everyone in the world what I’ve hidden from them. Just not before though.”

“I see,” Luna said.

It was then that Ollivander noticed Apollonia standing in the room. “Ms. Snape, holly and unicorn hair; how has that been treating you?” the wizened old man asked weakly.

“Fairly well,” she told him.

“Yes, I thought that particular wand would help you,” Ollivander mused. “I believe I’ve only matched one other wand so perfectly, which came immediately after yours in fact.”

“Whose was that?” she asked.

“Harry Potter’s,” the man said proudly.

Emerald eyes widened when she heard that. Harry’s wand was chosen directly after her? The Slytherin thought back to that day, the day she was so excited about taking that first step into adulthood. She remembered obtaining her wand and then bumping into a large man accompanied by a scrawny-looking boy. Looking back on it now, she realized that it was Hagrid and Harry. “I saw him that day,” Apollonia whispered. “Just as I was leaving.”

“You did?” a voice asked from behind.

Apollonia turned around and saw Harry standing there. “That’s right, Harry. We met that day in Ollivander’s, though you probably don’t remember. You might have remembered, if not for the fact that it was the first time you were around magic. And, may I also reminder you that, whether you remember it or not, you might be one of only a handful of people that ever saw my father’s soft side, a side he doesn’t show in the classroom.”

“Like it would change anything,” Harry scoffed.

“See what I mean?” Apollonia nudged Luna.

“I’m sure we can convince him,” Luna insisted.

“I hope so,” Apollonia muttered.