The Potions Master's Daughter (Book Six)

Chapter 26

"Okay, we will keep an ear out for you, and you do the same for us," hermione said, "i suppose we should go."

I nodded, "Stay safe guys."

With that I broke the connection and allowed the mirror to fall black again. I sighed and sat back in my bed. They were okay, but I wasn't sure where Ron was now. They didn't seem any closer to finding any more Horcruxes than they had been before.

The weeks continued to wear on. The Carrows were as miserable as ever, and I kept speaking out against them, or protecting younger students from them in the halls and it was starting to take its toll on my body. Every week it seemed, Neville Ginny or I were in the Hospital Wing for an injury that was too bad for the three of us to fix ourselves. Sometimes we would find kids like michael, or Hannah or Luna being hurt just as much as we were as they also stood up for younger students.Neville was starting to lose his nerve a bit, and I didn't blame him, I was too. If we saw someone in the hall getting harassed I tried to be the one to take the brunt of the punishment from the Carrows. I hadn't been taken back up to see my father again, which I was sure was because the Carrows knew he would tell them to stop hurting ,and it seems like they actually hated me, despite thinking I was on their side.

Winter slowly started to take a hold of Hogwarts but it was not merry. Students were as miserable as ever, and it seemed everyone had a few bruises to sport in the hallways. Severus had stopped coming to many meals as all he got was looks of disdain from the other professors.

As holiday break started to come we all decided we were going to go home. Seamus was going home to his parents. Ginny was going home to the Burrow. Neville was going to stay with his gran for a bit, then also go to the Burrow to hang out with everyone. Grimmauld Place still wasn't safe to stay at as we had learned from coded messages from home, so Sirius Lupin and Tonks had been staying with Tonk's mother. Her father was on the run from the Ministry seeing as though Ted was a Muggleborn. For this reason Neville had invited me to stay with him and his gran for a few days before we both went to the Burrow.

The night before we were to leave there was a dinner in which Severus actually showed up. Everyone was eating when he stepped up to the podium and instantly the room grew silent. The Carrows were jeering at students close to them, and the other Professors couldn't keep the distaste off their faces.

"As we leave for another school holiday I want to bring a few things up. Recently there has been a lot of uprising here at Hogwarts, and I want every student here to know that this is intolerable. I urge you all to stop this act you've been putting on over this break and come back ready to focus and work. If not, there will be consequences that I'm sure many of you have already had a piece of. THe Carrows have agreed to step up their work, and I will be playing a more active role in the discipline of students. ALl your professors have been instructed to bring forth any students misbehaving, and I'm sure none of you want that to be you. While these punishments are fair-"

Neville stood up beside me and I immediately grew worried, "Torturing your students isn't fair!"

"Sit down Longbottom. I would think you of all people would want to get out of here without anymore scrapes," Severus responded.

"You tortured your own daughter," Neville shot back, "You call that fair? I reckon your two cronies tell you what they've been doing to us and the three of you just sit around and laugh about how awfully you're treating your students."

"Everyone gets what they deserve," Severus replied stiffly glancing over at me as I stood up in an attempt to get Neville to stop.

"Why don't I take care of him," Amycus volunteered standing up and pointing his wand at Neville.

"Don't," I told him evenly.

"Sit down!" bellowed Severus, "I will not have this happening in the middle of dinner."

"You're too soft Snape," Amycus replied, "You're just going to let the two of them get away with this obvious disrespect now are you?"

"I will take care of this later, by myself."

"Why don't we put on a show? Let everyone know what will happen to them if this behavior continues after break. You can have the first go if you'd like," Alecto said standing up next to her brother.

The whole hall was looking bath and forth between me and Neville and Severus, Alecto and Amycus. The Professors seems even more nervous than ever, and I was sure McGonagall was about to draw her own wand.

"No," my father replied quickly, not wanting either of the Carrows to get a shot at either one of us.

He was backed into a corner though. There was no way he couldn't punish us without looking weak, though I was sure that was among the last things he wanted to be doing right now.

"Stupefy," my father said sending the two of us flying against the back wall.

I shot back a spell that sent him flying up then crashing to the ground, "Now we are talking," Amycus laughed.

"Crucio," Alecto said causing my body to tighten and Neville to fall to his knees.

I shot a spell first at Alecto then at my father again. Finally we were dueling, sending spell back and forth at each other. WE weren't fairly matched at all, and I probably would have won the fight within the first two seconds, but I wasn't going to hurt him.

"Have more fun than that Snape," Amycus taunted, "You had to put up with the girl for five or six years, I'm sure there were times you wanted nothing more than to torture her just a bit. Go on now."

I locked eyes with Severus and gave a slight nod of my head before he said, "Crucio."

The spell hit my body but I could feel how weak it was. It hurt, but nothing compared to the Carrows. While I was trying to block out the curse even more Alecto sent a spell at me that caused me to come flying to the front of the hall right in front of the three of them. She punched me in the face, and the Cruciatus Curse dropped off of me.

My father held out an arm to stop Amycus from throwing a punch and came very close to my face and hissed, "Perhaps this will make you think twice about speaking out ever again," before winding up and hitting me across my face.

Alecto punched Neville once more before McGonagall jumped up and disarmed her and yelled, "That is enough! Fair is fair severus, but this is beyond that."

"Get out of here," my father told the whole room, "Do not let behavior like this continue after break. Let this be a lesson to you all."

I pulled Neville off the ground and followed Ginny and Seamus out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital Wing. Neville and I needed something for our bodies, and I had long run out of potions in my personal stores.