Armilla II

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or storyline created by the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Armilla Snape is my own original character.

Chapter 15

There was the face that I hadn't seen in the flesh for nearly a year. Though it was transparent, I could see every detail on her face as if it was really her standing before me. It wasn't so much the face that irked me; hearing that voice, the only voice I had until the past year associated with home sent a strange sensation through me.

"Merle," I whispered, scarcely believing what was in front of me.

Merle frowned. "Why are you whispering, Armilla? I've been looking for you for a good twenty minutes. Have you fed the ducks yet? I'm sure Frank and Gladys would be feeling more than a little peckish by now."

"Pardon?" The ducks? We had owned ducks years ago. Merle had used my duck, Gladys, for our Easter dinner a few years before and I had never forgiven her for it.

Merle frowned, her ghostly form hovering up and down. "Honestly, Armilla, how often need I remind you? Those ducks won't feed themselves."

"How long have you been a ghost?" I asked, trying to ignore the thudding of my heart. In a bit of a twisted way, I was sort of excited to hear Merle's voice.

Merle looked indignant at my question. "A ghost?" she repeated. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about, child?"

"Merle, you're completely transparent," I said bluntly, frowning as I took in her slightly annoyed look. She seemed to think I was loony.

"Well, I've always been open with my feelings," she sniffed, "But I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm transparent."

"No, I meant literally," I said hastily. "I can see right through you."

"I must say I can't see right through you," she replied, looking even more annoyed. "You're making no sense at all."

I took a deep breath. This was very strange. My hand had instinctively reached into my robes for my wand. "I mean that you died last October and so I can't understand why you're here in front of me now. I can only guess that you're a ghost."

Merle looked taken aback. "Are you all right, Armilla?" she asked, concern on her face. "I'm wondering if you've been cursed or hit with some sort of memory charm..."

"I'm fine," I said, my hand fingering my wand. "But you died, Merle. You had a stroke. You died at St Mungo's last year. There was a funeral."

Merle pursed her lips. "This is a very silly game, young lady. I am shocked that you would make up such horrid tales."

"I haven't," I insisted. "Don't you remember being sick, Merle? I came to school a week late last year because I was helping to take care of you."

"And of course I'm grateful for it, dear," she replied, his face still stern, "but you must not spread such tales. I am very much here, as you can see."

She reached her hand out towards me as if to embrace me. A huge part of me wanted to take it, or at least pretend to seeing as she seemed to be a ghost. Or was she?

"No," I said quietly, taking a step back.

Merle gave me a hurt look. "What's the matter?" she asked softly, her hand held out to me. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head, taking another step back. "I have to go," I said, though my tone betrayed that I didn't really mean it. The twisted part of me was actually enjoying looking at her and hearing her voice.

"Go?" she repeated, moving, or rather, floating towards me. "But I've only just found you. You wouldn't leave me here, would you?"

Her words resulted with a deep pang in my chest. I dearly wanted to reach out to her, but instinct took over as I took yet another step back.

"I've got to go," I said in a rush, turning and running in the opposite direction. I didn't look back. I refused to look back. I ran and ran, ignoring the pounding in my chest.

"Where are we going?"

I let out a startled cry as I heard the voice in my ear. Merle was right next to me, floating along as I ran. The joy I had felt at seeing her had now turned to fright.

"Will you go away?" I said, slowing down. It seemed I wasn't about to outrun a ghost.

"Go away?" she huffed. "What a way to speak to me!"

"I can't talk to you right now," I said, determinedly not looking at her. I was feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"That's fine," she said merrily. "Just having your company is all I need, my dear; that and your love."

I bit my lip, using all my inner strength to not look at her. Her voice was full of the love that I had been missing. True, I had gotten over her death, but you always miss that love...

"You haven't answered my question, Armilla," Merle said conversationally, as I walked along the dungeon corridor. "Where are we going?"

"To see my brother," I answered. I needed to show Merle to Severus. I had strong doubts that Merle was a ghost. I was hoping that Severus would be able to solve the mystery for me. Underneath I really knew that I was also seeking my brother out because I was frightened.

"Your brother?" Merle repeated. "Don't be daft, Armilla, you know you don't have a brother."

"Do too," I said quietly.

"Don't be impertinent," Merle said. "I remember when you were five you said that you wanted a brother, remember? I told you that brothers and sisters are like hands and feet."

I stopped and stared at her, mentally berating myself for allowing myself to look at her. If I looked at her, I would want to keep looking at her. It was strangely addictive.

"Yes," I said quietly, "I remember."

We walked along in silence until I reached the portrait that concealed the door to our quarters.

"What a dreary place," Merle commented. "Who lives here again?"

"Professor Snape," I said, knowing Merle would recognise the name. She clearly wasn't about to accept the fact that I had a brother if she clearly didn't know that she was dead.

"Severus Snape?" Merle said, frowning. "Yes, I know. That serious fellow in the Order with little sense of humour, I believe. A strict teacher by your reports."

"He has a sense of humour," I said quietly. "A very good one."

"If you say so," she said airily. "Become a little softer in class, has he?"

I ignored her as I activated the portrait and opened the door. When I got inside, I found the sitting room empty.

"Severus?" I called, willing my thumping heart to slow down.

I turned around to close the door and realised that Merle was no longer there. Frowning, I stood in the doorway and looked up and down the corridor. It was completely deserted.

"Merle?" I whispered, not sure if I would be relieved if she actually answered. I looked back into the room, wondering if Merle had somehow entered in front of me. I was clearly the only occupant in the sitting room. I looked out into the corridor again, feeling a little foolish for coming to my brother with a ghost that had now vanished.

"Armilla? What's the matter?"

I looked around to see Severus striding into the sitting room, a frown on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I looked into the corridor again, now hoping that Merle would appear. I would look like a complete idiot claiming to have seen a dead person in ghostly form if I had no evidence to show.

I jumped as I felt Severus' hands close loosely on my upper arms as he peered over my head into the corridor. I felt something hard against my arm; Severus had his wand in his right hand.

"What are we looking at?" he whispered.

I shook my head. "Nothing now," I said softly, releasing myself from him. I closed the door and then turned around to meet his gaze.

He was regarding me with an anxious expression. "Something has happened, Armilla," he said seriously. "Care to enlighten me?"

"There's a weird ghost form of Merle out there somewhere," I said quietly. "She wouldn't go away."

Severus' eyes flashed at my information, leaving me feeling more than a little startled.

"What do you mean by weird ghost form?" he said. "Be explicit."

"I met her in the dungeons just now," I said shakily, feeling more upset than I probably should. "She was completely transparent, like a ghost and moved like one, but she didn't seem to understand that she was a ghost. She thought I was playing a joke on her."

"She recognised you then?" Severus' face was becoming stonier by the second.

I nodded. "She said my name as soon as she saw me. She would only talk of things that had happened in the past. She didn't seem to have any understanding of time because she was jumping from one thing to another. She thought she was alive and I still lived with her."

Severus continued to stare at me, lost in thought. He was clearly more than a little perturbed about this. "Did you tell her of events after her death?"

I shook my head. "I only mentioned that I had a brother and she thought I was making it up. She started talking about an old memory instead."

He nodded. "Did you tell her to go away?"

I nodded. "She was very offended." I looked away. "She was trying to make me feel bad for not staying."

"You tried to leave then?"

I nodded again. "I ran. I was running here to get away from her and then suddenly she was at my side." I looked over at the door. "She was right here when I opened the door." Where had she gone? I felt so silly.

Wand in his hand, Severus moved towards the door. "Stay here," he commanded.

"What are you doing?"

He turned around as he opened the door, his expression menacing. "Going hunting," he said silkily. He turned and was gone is a whirl of black robes.

I stared at the closed door, feeling odd. Too say that I was a little unnerved by all this was an understatement. Meeting a strange ghost-like creature at any time would be no cup of tea, but the fact that this creature had been Merle made it worse.

I wasn't sure what to feel. True, it had been nice to hear her voice and look into her beautiful, albeit transparent, eyes, but I was not feeling as emotionally attached as I thought I should. The truth was, if anything, I was feeling empty. That's why I was feeling so odd. It was like nothing was inside me.

A few minutes must have gone by before I realised that I had been standing there seemingly transfixed by the door.

I walked into my bedroom to find Morag, sporting a shade of sky blue today, sitting on top of the armoire, her favourite lookout spot. She hooted in greeting when she saw me and fluttered her wings.

"Hi, Morag," I said sitting down on my bed.

"Ahoy there, matey!"

I rolled my eyes as I turned my attention to Sir Rodrigo, the small pewter knight that Lisa had brought back from New Zealand. He was marching about on my desk, waving his sword at my music box.

"We're not on a ship," I told him, getting up to retrieve him. As I went to pick him up, he knocked on the box. "Are you there, Tarah?"

I rolled my eyes again. He had an obsession with doing that. I opened the music box and let the tune play. It was the music box that I had received from Merle, which she had organised to send me for my sixteenth birthday, many months after her death.

Sir Rodrigo paused at the sound of the music. "That's a pretty tune," he commented, tapping his helmet thoughtfully. He suddenly broke into a strange form of ballroom dancing.

Morag cocked her head and surveyed him through narrowed eyes, as if sizing him up for dinner.

"Stop standing on my foot!" Rodrigo bellowed. "You've got two left feet! He started doing a jig instead, completely out of time with the music.

My eyes fell upon the farewell letter from Merle sitting inside the box. I sighed and closed the lid of the box and Rodrigo fell to his knees, puffing loudly. Suddenly he jumped up again, clutching his helmet. "Nobody move! I've dropped my brain!"

"You never had one," came a dry voice. Severus was standing in the doorway, his wand still in his hand.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, feeling highly doubtful about the answer.

He shook his head. "I searched for traces of all types of magic that had been used recently in the vicinity. Nothing remotely suspicious came up."

I nodded, feeling annoyed. That would be right. Just my luck...in a twisted sort of way.

"That's not to say that it didn't happen," Severus went on, frowning at me.

I looked up at him. "Undetectable magic," I said quietly.

He nodded, looking grim. "Exactly."

We stood in silence for a moment. I had been hoping that this would be something that Severus would be able to solve quickly, especially seeing as his expertise was largely in the dark magic area.

Dark magic? My mind seemed to have come to the conclusion that it was definitely dark magic. Well, what else could it be?

"Do you think you'd be able to see it in my mind?" I asked, suddenly feeling enthusiastic that once I let my brother into my mind, he would see the whole thing.

He nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He raised his wand. "Legilimens!"

I focused on the very recent memory, concentrating hard on the image of the transparent Merle in front of me, looking offended that I didn't want to talk to her. I could feel Severus in my mind, but something didn't feel quite right.

Severus cancelled the spell, looking irritated. "You mind doesn't seem to be letting me in, Armilla," he said.

I frowned. "But I was focusing on the memory. Having you in my mind didn't feel right."

He opened his mouth, no doubt to say something sarcastic, but I quickly interrupted. "- I meant that it felt like something else was there to stop you and I couldn't control it."

Severus' face became stony at my words. He calmly raised his wand. "Let's try again," he said quietly. "Legilimens!"

Again I felt his presence in my mind and I focused hard on the memory. I felt the other strange feeling again and this time I identified it as more of a push.

"I can't get in," Severus said harshly, looking furious. I wondered if it was his disguise for distress. I was starting to feel that way.

"I'm not the one blocking you," I said desperately. "I can't help it."

He sighed. He stared at me for a moment, clearly rethinking tactics. "You can see the whole memory in your mind?" he asked.

I nodded. "All of it."

"Don't focus on it this time," he said raising his wand. "Let me look for it. Are you ready?"

I nodded, trying to focus on Sir Rodrigo instead.

"Legilimens!"

The image of my knight only dominated my mind briefly as I felt Severus' presence in my mind. A few insignificant memories flashed by before I saw the ghostly Merle again. At once I felt a strange push in my mind and I knew Severus had not gained access to the memory.

As he cancelled the spell he scowled with frustration. "That's some advanced magic," he muttered.

"What do you see when you're being blocked?" I asked.

"Darkness," he answered. "Just darkness. I feel a push of sorts."

I sighed. "I hope it's not a lingering curse."

He nodded grimly. "That's my fear."

My heart plummeted as the seriousness of the situation hit me. "Why would someone use a curse with Merle?" I asked quietly, sitting on my bed once more.

My room wasn't really big enough to pace in, but Severus managed it all the same. "Because it's someone who is exploring all avenues possible to directly affect you," he said without hesitation. "Clearly the person believes using a deceased former guardian will unnerve you."

I suppressed my shudder. "But what's the purpose of the curse?"

Severus paused in his pacing and looked directly at me. "It's difficult to tell with undetectable magic," he said quietly. "What's more difficult is the fact that I wasn't able to trace the source." He raised his wand again. "I want to make sure your advanced magic is still intact. Use your mental shield to block me. Legilimens!"

I put the shield in place with ease, as I was used to doing.

Severus cancelled the spell, nodding. "Well, at least it hasn't affected your magic. He turned and swept out the door. "Come," he called.

I got up and followed him to the fireplace in the sitting room. He threw some floo powder into the fire and then stuck his head in, calling for Professor Dumbledore's office. He spoke briefly for a few seconds before he straightened up again and turned to me.

"Follow me to the Headmaster's office," he said. Before waiting for an answer, he stepped in a disappeared in the flames.

Feeling confused and more than a little nervous, I followed. When I stepped out of the fireplace a few moments later, I found myself in Dumbledore's large office, with company I had not expected to keep that night. It was strange to think that not long ago I was simply making my way up to Ravenclaw Tower for the night. Now I was in the Headmaster's office with my brother, Dumbledore, and surprisingly, Harry Potter.

Dumbledore was standing behind his desk and Harry was standing near the door. Harry watched, a small frown on his face, as I moved to stand next to my brother. Severus, as he often did in Harry's company, was looking completely indifferent.

"Good evening, Armilla," Dumbledore greeted, nodding at me. He turned to Harry. "Thank you for your company this evening, Harry. Remember the things I've told you to think about before we meet again."

Taking this as his dismissal, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir," he answered. He looked once more at Severus and I before he opened the door and left.

Severus immediately took out his wand and cast a sound proofing charm.

"I take it something serious has occurred, Severus," Dumbledore said, looking gravely over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

Severus nodded. "I came up with Armilla in the hope to borrow your pensieve, Headmaster." He then proceeded to tell Dumbledore all that I had told him, as well as what had happened when he had tried to view the memory. As the story went on, Dumbledore's face grew more and more solemn. I knew when the Headmaster looked solemn that I had cause to worry. I was feeling rather jittery.

"Rather advanced magic, I must say," Dumbledore commented when Severus had finished. He walked over to a black cabinet and retrieved the pensieve.

"Indeed," Severus said quietly.

Dumbledore looked up at me after he had placed the pensieve down on his desk. "Are you feeling no different to normal, Armilla?"

"I feel fine," I answered. Aside from feeling increasingly nervous...

"I doubt using a pensieve will make any difference," Severus said, "but if Armilla felt a push of sorts against me when I was trying to access the memory, I'd like to observe the result of placing the memory in the pensieve."

"I am rather curious myself, I confess," Dumbledore said, nodding. "Would you object to sharing the memory, Armilla?"

I shook my head. "I don't think you'll be able to see it though."

"We must try all the same," said Severus, gesturing for me to follow him to Dumbledore's desk. He showed me how to withdraw the memory from my mind with my wand.

"Is it meant to be that colour?" I asked nervously as I watched the blackened thread fall into the pensieve. The substance in the pensieve was neither gas nor liquid. It was a strange misty substance that was swirling in shades of grey. Severus and Dumbledore exchanged a serious look.

"It is supposed to be more of a silvery colour," Dumbledore explained, his eyes fixed on the substance. He looked at Severus. "Would you like to try it first Severus or see if Armilla can view the memory?"

Severus glanced at me and then looked back at the pensieve. "I'll take a look first," he said quietly. "Just to make sure there's no danger."

Dumbledore nodded and Severus bent forward to stick his head in. I half expected him to be thrown back, seeing as there had been a push in my mind before. He stayed that way for a few moments before pulling his head out again.

He looked rather annoyed. "Nothing," he said angrily, "just blackness again."

Dumbledore now had a go himself. When his head emerged a few moments later, he'd had the same result as Severus. "Very interesting," he said quietly. He looked at me. "Have a go Armilla. You may be able to see it."

Nodding, and feeling a little nervous because I had never done this before, I leaned forward and stuck my head in.

It was like someone had extinguished all the lights. There was no sound either. I was just surrounded by darkness. It seemed that, though it wasn't really possible, I was in a place that didn't really exist. I didn't stay long; I focused instead on pulling myself away and a moment later I had pulled my head out of the pensieve.

"Well?" Severus pressed.

I shook my head. "Nothing. I only saw darkness."

Severus started pacing again, a scowl on his face.

"It would seem the memory objects to being taken from Armilla's mind," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, watching Severus pace. "It seems she has exclusive access to it only when it's in her mind."

"Wonderful," Severus said dryly.

Dumbledore turned to me. "Armilla, this ghostly, for want of a better word, form of Merle may return. If she does, you are to inform either your brother or myself immediately."

I nodded. "Yes, sir." I was silently praying that I wouldn't see Merle again, even though I had liked hearing her voice. Severus continued to pace as Dumbledore showed me how to collect my memory once more.

"I know you're capable, Severus," said Dumbledore, turning back to my pacing brother. "But I think you should take Armilla to the hospital wing to Madam Pomfrey can check her over. She can check her general health and I'll leave it to you to monitor any signs of having been affected by dark magic.

Severus stopped his pacing. For a moment he looked like he was going to argue, seeing as I never went to Madam Pomfrey for anything, but he gave in. "Very well," he said. "Goodnight, Headmaster." He nodded at me. "Come, Armilla."

"Let me know of any developments, Severus," Dumbledore said as we made our way to the door.

"Of course," Severus replied, looking thoroughly ill-tempered.

He didn't speak all the way to the hospital wing. I wasn't impressed either with the idea of having to be checked over by Madam Pomfrey. She was a kindly witch, but far too fussy and bossy for me. I had always avoided going to see her where possible. Severus was never fussy when I felt ill; he just treated the problem and got on with it.

Severus' silence and irritated expression left me in no doubt that he was worried. Having him look so anxious made me feel worse. It meant he didn't know how to solve it.

We entered the hospital wing and found Madam Pomfrey treating a small, sleeping first year Hufflepuff girl who seemed to be suffering from some sort of pox. "You poor dear," Madam Pomfrey said over and over.

The nurse looked up at the sound of our footsteps and fixed us with a curious expression. "Well, Miss Snape," she said a little stiffly, "I never thought I see you in here again. Your brother thinks himself perfectly capable."

"I'm saving you time with one less student," Severus said irritably. "For which I can see you are very grateful."

"Don't get impertinent, Severus," Madam Pomfrey snapped. "Don't forget how many times I treated you in here when you were a child."

Severus snorted. "I need you check Armilla's general health," he said indifferently. "Headmaster's orders."

Thr nurse raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Severus raised an eyebrow himself, his lip curling. "As I said, it is the Headmaster's wish."

Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "You weren't spanked enough as a child, Severus."

Severus merely narrowed his eyes in response.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and gestured for me to follow her. "Come then, Armilla. Let us pray that very little of your brother's temperament has rubbed off onto you."

"Tetchy," Severus muttered, as Madam Pomfrey directed me to a bed and closed the curtain around us. When she turned back to face me, she gave me a look that plainly told me that she pitied me for being related to such a person.

I merely looked indifferently back at her. She sighed. "Your brother wears that expression."

I heard an amused sound come from outside the curtain.

o o o o o o o o o o

Twenty minutes later I was back in our quarters with Severus, having been checked over thoroughly by Madam Pomfrey's wide range of spells and declared perfectly healthy.

Severus was now carrying out his own spells, checking for traces of foreign or dark magic in my system. After a good ten minutes of trying out different things, he put his wand down and sighed. "I can't find a single trace of anything being wrong," he said.

"You sound disappointed," I said dryly, pushing myself further into the sofa.

"I'm cynical," he said simply. "I refuse to believe that this whole incident was innocent. There must be repercussions of sorts."

"Maybe it's just meant to be the effect of seeing Merle," I offered.

Severus met my gaze. "Perhaps," he said finally. "You're alright, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I suppose so...I just hope I don't see her again, that's all."

He inclined his head. "As do I." He sighed. "There's no point in returning to Ravenclaw Tower tonight, so you may as well stay down here."

I nodded. "I was planning on it." We were silent for a moment and the image of Merle suddenly came back into my head. I could nearly hear her voice in my head. There you are, Armilla...Don't be daft, Armilla, you know you don't have a brother.

I slowly scooted over and pushed my way into my brother's arms. Severus kissed the top of my head. "You like to lead an exciting life, don't you?" he said dryly.

"I'd prefer an incredibly dull one," I said honestly. My only problem would be fending off Anthony Goldstein.

We were silent, listening to the sound of Morag's quiet hooting. "Do you think Father's involved in this?" I asked quietly.

There was a pause before Severus answered. "Without a doubt. It's the sort of advanced magic that is Father's style. Cowardly. The question is how."

It was just as I thought. I knew Father would want revenge.