Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

After spending the weekend with her godson, it was difficult for Apollonia to go back to the castle; she had no wish to go back to a place where she was persecuted for her beliefs, where she was tortured endlessly, despite the fact that the pendant Draco gave her kept Apollonia from feeling the effects of the Carrows’ torture. Even so, Apollonia flooed to her father’s office early Monday morning and, before heading down to the Great Hall, made a quick stop by her common room. When she walked in, Apollonia was met with a rather confused glance from Neville at the Gryffindor table, leading the Head Girl to assume only one thing: he’s the only one that even cared to notice that I was gone. Now what does that tell you?

If Draco or her father didn’t even care to notice that Apollonia wasn’t within the school throughout the weekend, what did that say about their powers of observation; that the two people who supposedly cared the most about her didn’t notice that she wasn’t around, whilst Neville—who was scared of her father—noticed it? There was obviously a problem if the only person that cared to notice that she was gone was someone from a rival house. What the hell is Dad thinking? Draco too. Their indifference towards what was happening, to her especially, would only cost them dearly. What would happen when the war ended?

For as long as Apollonia could remember, at least one of them had always cared about how she was. Now; nothing. It was as if she didn’t exist, as if she was invisible again. Well, invisible to Draco anyway. Neville knew she existed, a fact she was thankful for, or else she might have been invisible to everyone. Apollonia sat in the Great Hall in silence, keeping to herself. Just before Apollonia went to Transfiguration, Neville pulled her aside. “What happened to you over the weekend? I was on my own in dealing with the Resistance.”

“I went to see my godson,” Apollonia informed him.

“You have a godson?” Neville asked.

The Slytherin nodded. “The Lupins’ boy.”

“And, you had to be gone all weekend?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I just needed to get away from the castle. My godson’s birth is the only reason that I was even able to get away from those monsters my father hired as teachers.”

“You might have said something,” Neville pointed out.

“It was a rushed decision,” Apollonia told him. “But, yes; I suppose I could have.” She hadn’t even thought to inform Neville of her plan. Escaping the castle—and the dastardly insane Carrows—was the only thing on her mind at the time. Informing Neville slipped her mind, even though it was usually on Saturdays that she and Neville met about the Resistance. “I’m very sorry about that one, Neville. I just needed some time to myself. Spending the first few days of my godson’s life seemed appropriate enough.”

Apollonia left out the part that she needed to watch out for Remus and Dora; the war could end at any time, and anyone could die. After seeing what happened to the other orphans in the Wizarding World: Voldemort and her brother, she didn’t want to see something like that happen to Teddy. To leave another orphan without knowledge of the emotion of love, as Voldemort and Harry were…well, it just couldn’t happen. There was really no telling as to the repercussions of either Remus or Dora dying. But, she hoped that there would be no need for her or Harry to raise him; that he would be raised by his parents.

The Head Girl soon parted ways with Neville, heading off to her first class of the day: Transfiguration. Although, it was extremely difficult for her to pay attention during class; in fact, it was quite a challenge for her to sit through any of her classes these days. School served as a way for Apollonia to stay near her father; that was all it did. And, it was about to get ripped away from her, at any moment. She approached McGonagall shortly after class ended and spoke to the stern-looking woman. “My father. Have you figured something out?”

“I’m afraid that he must still go,” she warned.

“There’s isn’t another way?” Apollonia asked.

McGonagall shook her head. “It is the only way.”

Apollonia wished more than anything that the Gryffindor matriarch would have said something else. For Hogwarts to lose her father as a staff member…well, she simply couldn’t bear it. The memory of when she and Harry discussed Hogwarts and the teachers they didn’t want the school without came to mind. It was the only thing that came to mind, the only thing she could think of. She didn’t want to lose her father to this, to the war. Everything she loved, everything she cared about was here at this school. If she were to lose any of it, there was no telling as to what might happen. Watching such an event was forbidden, at least in her eyes. Not as if anyone would listen to what she had to say about this; they all had their own opinions about how to deal with the Snape situation.

Dark Arts was the next class of the day, the class she was truly dreading. Since returning from her Eater vacation, the Carrows did everything in their power to convince Apollonia that it would be in her best interest to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. However, Apollonia refused each time. This would be much of the same thing. Just another day in my seventh year, Apollonia murmured as she faked the effects of the Cruciatus.