After the conversation, Severus had to go to class but Ophelia chose a different destination. She moved through the halls as if she was under a spell, her eyes were set in a glare and little sparks of magic struggled to come out of her fingers. She hurried straight to the girls' bathroom on the first floor and stopped in front of the mirror. She looked at herself, at her pale skin, green eyes, and realized that she had lost. The mirror cracked as she understood why she was so angry.
"Is this your hiding spot?"
Ophelia's head turned immediately to the door and glared at Regulus.
"I saw you walk as if you were in a trance and followed you." He explained without even being asked.
"Aren't you too curious for someone who chose not to get involved with me?" She asked with a snarl. "Aren't you busy going around, spreading the word of your precious Lord Voldemort?"
Regulus watched her with even more interest. Something tragic must have happened for her to be so pissed off.
"You know, you resemble your father a lot in these moments. Whenever something surprises you or doesn't go as expected, you look like you are about to wreak havoc."
"Why do you like Voldemort so much? You know nothing about how he truly is. All he wants is power, and it doesn't matter if he has to walk over dead bodies in order to get it. Just look at Severus," she gave herself away.
"Is that what happened? Snape is a good Death Eater, no matter how much you hate it. I told you, he's always been a target for people like my brother, Potter, or even Mulciber, so being one of the most loyal followers gives him a lot of power." Regulus explained, seeing how her whole demeanor darkened. She lowered her head a little, her chin was so stiff it looked like she was about to bite him. "You should have expected it. You can't control him."
"He should have come to me, then. I would have helped him properly, not transformed him into a murderer. That mark makes you into a slave." She said knowing that Regulus was also a big fan of Voldemort.
"That mark comes with a sense of safety, not just power. He gives us a purpose,"
Ophelia's eyes darkened and another mirror broke. She walked to him slowly and, because she was actually slightly taller than Regulus, she looked very intimidating.
"Purpose? What is this purpose? Killing all muggles and wizards who are not pure-blooded? Do you think that a perfect world is one created by intermingling a few families? Do you want to marry your cousin? Look at me, Regulus. I am the result of such an atrocious act. That hero of yours ordered Spinnard to kill a woman and kidnap the infant from the womb. Then he raised and manipulated her into the best wife, with whom he had a relationship that was strictly based on his needs. I came out of that wicked incestuous act. I should be happy that I don't have two heads, two arms, or two legs." She said and chuckled sadistically, "But do you know why I am alive? Because his desire to be immortal is more important than me. His soul weighs more than mine and I assure you, more than yours."
Regulus couldn't say a word but not out of fear, but because he was entranced. Although the person in front of him looked so much like the one his family adored, there was no sense of...submission. Ophelia's intention was not to scare him nor to manipulate him into accepting her proposition; she was simply expressing her point of view. Regulus did not feel small and insignificant, as he did to a majority of people. But he also understood why she felt so angry with Snape. The thought of having people she cared about choose Voldemort was excruciating.
"You're very dramatic," he finally said, watching her raise an eyebrow curiously as her anger dimmed. "Fine. I'll keep you updated on what goes on,"
"...just like that?"
"Yes. But I don't want your protection, whatever that is, now. I don't want anything for now. Let's say you will owe me a few favors in the future." Regulus added seeing how she relaxed.
"That if you'll still be alive," she said before she left.
From the bathroom, Ophelia went straight to the Great Lake. Her absence in classes was not ignored, but at that moment she had more important thoughts and she truly didn't want to see anyone. Her magic was unsafe when she was going through strong emotions and if any Slytherin would as much as glare at her, she knew she was going to make a mistake. So the lake was the best choice. She sat as far as possible from spots where she had seen students often pick, grabbed a few stones, and began throwing them at the water, watching as they bounced twice or three times before they returned to her. She did that for a few hours until someone found her.
"You missed Remus and Peter fighting over a cauldron," came the boyish voice of the person she least wanted to see. "Have you been here the whole time?"
"How did you find me?" Ophelia finally asked.
"I searched thoroughly," Sirius replied with a shrug. "What happened?"
"I'm failing. One by one, they all abandon me and go to my father." Ophelia said, not finding it necessary to lie to Sirius.
There were many words on the tip of his tongue that he wished he could have said, but he didn't. Despite his antipathy for Lestrange, Snape, and Malfoy, they were still very important to her and he wanted her love, not her hatred, so he decided to weave carefully in this situation.
"They are old enough to know what they get into. There's nothing to worry about, they will be responsible for their actions and choices." Sirius commented but Ophelia glanced at him and chuckled.
"We both know they will all regret this. All except Bellatrix, probably,"
Sirius laughed loudly and sat next to Ophelia, his black eyes watching her softly.
"I know how you feel. I live with the fear that Reg will make the same choice. I hoped that maybe meeting you will open his eyes but he's still terribly in love with your father."
"I can understand them, in a way. When I first met Tom, he had this mischievous blue eyes, he was charming and radiated with confidence. I wanted to catch his eye, impress and make him proud for a while but then...he showed his true colors. Do you know what's even worse? I'm very sure that when he will call me to him, I will go. I can't help it."
"He's your father, no matter how disturbing that is. You have the same blood flowing through your body," Sirius said and chuckled when he saw her shudder in disgust. "Will you return to the Potters this summer?" he suddenly asked.
"I'm not sure. I already bothered them enough, I was thinking maybe I will be able to go to Spinnard's Cottage. What about you?"
"I love the Potters, they were more like my parents than my real parents but yeah, I want to move to my own place. Maybe find a flat somewhere,"
"Didn't you run away from home? Do you have any money?" Ophelia asked, turning to face him.
"Of course, I don't. I'll have to find a job too." He added, looking at the lake with a sigh.
"I'll lend you some if you need it," came the surprise statement from a person he has just argued with and purposefully ignored for days.
"Do you even have any money?" he asked right back.
"I have the Molleys who left me a good inheritance, including the house. Same thing with Spinnard."
"Isn't it funny? While alive, Spinnard hated you with passion and yet he left you everything he had. I wonder if he felt guilty,"
"No, it wasn't guilt. He was loyal to Peverell until his last day and this was his final move. He probably didn't hate me as much as he wanted, he just hated what I remind him of." Ophelia said and sighed heavily. "Your brother will be fine, Sirius. I promise you that."
Sirius didn't say anything, he just looked at her and smiled, having the urge to hug her and kiss her. His heart was beating so loudly that he was sure she would have heard it if not for being bothered by other subjects.
But Ophelia could hear his thoughts and he was an open book. Just because she didn't mention his crush on her, did not mean she wasn't aware of it.
It was a few days later, on Valentine's, that Ophelia woke up with a lot of energy. The girls were surprised that she was going out and they were all whispering to each other with a knowing smirk. To their disappointment, Ophelia met Snape in the Entry Hall and they walked together to Hogsmeade.
"I know the best place where we can have a chat," Ophelia said with confidence.
That was how they ended up in front of Madam Pudifoot's. Severus was ready to turn and leave but she stopped him and dragged him inside.
"Oh, hello dears," Madam Pudifoot smiled at them.
"Hello, I was wondering if we can have the table in the back? I heard from some Hufflepuffs that there is a shadowy corner for couples who are...shy. And two hot chocolates, please," Ophelia started, creeping poor Snape off. He stared at her with wide and terrified eyes, but he was amazed she prepared so thoroughly.
Madam Pudifoot's eyes became smaller as the smile on her face grew wider. Her eyes were tinkling with a sort of girly excitement.
"Oh, I know what you mean," she said and showed them to a two-person table, somewhat semi-hidden behind a wall. It had no chairs, just a sort of couch without armrests, crammed in on one side so you couldn't see who was sitting there or what they were doing. She brought their beverages rather quickly too, together with one piece of cake and two spoons.
"I'm not letting you make the preparations ever again. This is weird, uncomfortable and I feel like there's no air," Snape said as he sat down. He turned to her and realized just how little space there was between them. "I can feel your breath on my face," he whispered, pushing her face back.
"Nobody will see, hear, or even know we're here. It's better than going down to the Hog's Head and having Death Eaters listen in." Ophelia explained, tasting the cake.
"There are no Death Eaters in Hogsmeade," he said without thinking. But then he realized, he was a Death Eater now so maybe she wasn't completely incorrect. "Anyway, what are we going to discuss that's so secret?"
"You tell me. You said that walls have ears at Hogwarts."
"That's because you never know when someone comes and eavesdrops. Especially Hufflepuffs who have nothing to do," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Who asked you to enter my mind on Halloween? And don't say Rabastan, because he was invited. He knew exactly where the party was."
"Everyone knew, that's not the point. It wasn't Rabastan and it wasn't Rosier either." Snape said, knowing her well enough by now. "It's...complicated."
"Was it a Death Eater?" she asked but Severus shook his head. "A Slytherin? Nott? Mulciber? Zabini? Who?" she asked growing annoyed with his silence. And then it hit her. "Was it Dumbledore?"
"Why don't you just look into my mind and get this over with?" he asked, already regretting having accepted this meeting.
"Why would Dumbledore ask you to use legilimency to enter my mind instead of asking me directly?"
"I don't think he was testing you, but he wanted to see how well I do." Snape mumbled, "I knew I won't be able to fully roam around your mind, but I could find what he wanted. It was a very early memory, from when you were very young. I had to dig deep, that's why it hurt so bad. You were pushing me with so much force that I could barely see it."
"And what was it?" she asked, leaning back in her seat.
"A forest. You were lost in a forest in Scotland and were attacked by a Dementor."
"I remember that. Apparently, this nice gentleman helped me and another orphan get out of there. We both know who that was." Ophelia explained, remembering vaguely some of the details.
"It wasn't about how you were rescued, but about how you got lost. He wanted me to be careful of everything around me. But I couldn't see much, I was pushed out and fell on my back. But while being there, it felt like something was guiding me to the source." Snape said, taking a sip from his cup of hot chocolate.
"Peverell helped me push you out, so maybe it was him. He showed me the same scene before, but Tom covered my eyes so I couldn't see it. What did Dumbledore say exactly? Why didn't he use legilimency if he was so interested?"
"I don't know. But he allowed me to come two weeks later from the break so I did it. The only thing he said was to be careful of the surroundings, how it made me feel in contrast to how you felt."
"So? How did you feel?"
Severus took a breath and looked down at his hands, at his mark, before he looked at her.
"I don't think you were in a forest. I think whatever happened during those hours is not what you remember,"
