985 St. Valentine’s

In the depths of Hogwarts within the Slytherin quarters, Rowan woke to the sound of loud screams and weeping in her ears. Gasping she sat up unable to hear anything over her pounding heart. The pounding of her heart and breathing slowed allowing her to hear the soft wheezes, snores, and slumbering breaths of Bethanie, Sylvia, and Tiffany from their own beds.

"It was just a nightmare," Rowan whispered as she rubbed her cold, clammy hands together. Glancing at the time, she saw that it was far too early to be awake. Feeling the cold sweat on her forehead and body, she got out of bed to clean up herself. Despite taking a long hot shower, she felt uneasy as if on edge.

The content and details of Rowan's nightmare had faded away the moment she awoke. But she still could hear the sound of screams and sorrowful cries even now. The despair and horror felt in the voices haunted her. It had been so very real that she wondered if had even been a dream?

Knowing she would not be able to go back to sleep, Rowan dressed and headed down the dorm stairs towards the Slytherin common room. The common room is dyed a light orange by the light of the fireplace. The common room is dark with flickering shadows as the thick, heavy velvet curtains have been pulled shut keeping the cold and green light of the lake at bay.

Rowan's gaze strays toward the elaborately carved mantelpiece where snake skulls sit on top of the mantelpiece. The skulls seemed to gaze back at Rowan causing her to glance away first. She sits down in a luxury leather chair and does not make any move to study or work on homework. She simply sits still hearing the haunting voices from her nightmare.

The creak of a stair causes Rowan to startle and grip her wand. She immediately relaxes at spotting Severus descending from the boys' dorms. She is not surprised by her twin's appearance but rather waits for him to sit down across from her. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked.

"A nightmare of sorts," Severus confessed rubbing his gritty feeling eyes, before glancing up at Rowan. His onyx eyes lingered on the eyeshadows under his twin's face. He knew that Rowan suffered from nightmares, but he knew better than to ask for details.

Severus rubs his eyes again, before glancing at Rowan. "Grandfather wrote to me in private after the incident," he grimaced recalling his stay in the infirmary on their birthday. "Grandfather said that the males of the Prince family carry unique traits. Among them is the ability to see the magic of others."

Rowan stiffened momentarily before trying to cover her movement. Tilting her head towards Severus, she says, "But your abilities have been sealed have they not?"

"Mostly," Severus replied carefully studying every single movement of his twin. "I am slowly growing into my magic, but at times the seal will sporadically loosen."

"Speak clearly, Severus, I am tired, and I have no patience to be talking in circles," Rowan curtly said.

"I've seen your magic, Rowan," Severus flatly responded. "It is a leafy green with icy blue streaks like a river flowing through a forest. Yet that earthly image is destroyed by violent streaks of darkness that seemingly have forcibly torn through your magic. Exactly, what did you do, Rowan! And don't you dare and lie to my face! I know what I saw!"

A heavy silence falls upon the common room only broken by the crackling of the fireplace. Leaning back into her seat, Rowan calmly studies Severus taking every single inch of him memorizing the image before her. "We are Prince's, Severus. It is in our blood."

Severus's face stiffens and disbelief begins to fill his onyx-colored eyes. "No, you couldn't have, Rowan. Tell me you didn't!"

"I do not regret my choices, Severus," Rowan candidly replied. "They have all been my own choices and no one else's."

Severus's fist clenches into a fist as confusion, horror, and anger flash across his face. "How could you delve so deeply into the Dark Arts, Rowan! There is no reason for you to do so!" His gaze pleaded with Rowan to give him a single excuse and all would be forgiven.

Rowan suppressed her innermost desire to tell Severus the whole truth. But the truth is often overrated. And knowing Severus he would push everyone away especially Lily out of guilt. Severus would feel guilt for having stolen his friend's wife. Because that was exactly what James Potter and Severus were in this life.

"Do my motives truly matter in the end?" Rowan callously retorted. "We are Prince's. It is in our blood more than anyone else and neither can you deny that you have not felt the same pull towards the Dark Arts. It comes far too easily to us, does it not?"

"Grandfather will not be lenient on you, Rowan," Severus angrily hissed covering his shaken state. Rowan's words had shaken to the core. He could not deny that even now he felt a pull toward the Dark Arts. It was that same fascination that had caused him to create spells.

Tilting her head to the side, Rowan matter-of-factly responds, "Grandfather already knows." She was not foolish enough to believe that grandfather had not once used his ability to see her magic after her confession of the existence of Hydra. Her grandfather had not tactfully mentioned it and her grandfather was far from a saint. No, Reginald Prince was anything but that.

Shock and disbelief flash across Severus's face before hardening. "You simply can't get away with delving into the Dark Arts, Rowan!" He shouted in anger and exasperation.

"I already have," Rowan plainly declared. She had done far worse including the death of one Professor Adric. Curse or no curse, it had been her wand that had committed the horrifying deed.

Severus's dark eyes wildly flicker in panic. "What exactly did you do, Rowan?"

"Come now, Severus," Rowan nonchalantly responded, "surely you can guess."

Severus furrows his brow in thought, before freezing at the one name that came to mind. "No, we were only second years," he shakily said. "You couldn't have."

"And yet I did."

Severus appears to be visibly shaken unable to believe that Rowan could have committed such a foul act. "It had to be a mistake, Rowan. Please tell me that it was an accident," he begged.

"I will tell no lies, Severus," Rowan answered keeping her voice steady. "I did it. It was no accident."

Revulsion and hurt flash across Severus's face, before jumping to his feet. "I-, I don't know who you are, Rowan."

"No, you never have," Rowan regretfully murmured. Indeed, Severus would never know.

"How can you sit there so innocently and still live with yourself!" Severus spat out in disbelieving rage. "Well, answer me, Rowan!"

"Will any reason I give ever truly suffice, Severus?"

Severus clenched his fists so tightly that they dug raw red crescents into his palms. "Do not come anywhere near me, Rowan. You sicken me."

Rowan does not let any emotion flash across her face despite the heart-wrenching feeling inside her chest. "Very well is that all?"

Severus opens and closes his mouth before his face hardens resembling that of a much older Severus Snape. Severus's lips curl with a disgusted sneer, before storming back to the boy's bedroom. His figure swiftly vanishes up the stairs leaving Rowan alone in the common room.

"Well that well," Rowan said her voice quivered sounding pained and hurt to her own ears. She closes her eyes and allows her face to drop into the palms of her hand. Just what was she supposed to say? Just how was she supposed to lie?

Rowan had run this very same scenario hundreds of times in her head, but no matter what she said the words always sounded false and insincere in her mind. What excuse could she possibly give to Severus that could convince him? They were twins. Since the womb, they had been together. Even now, they could always tell when the other lied. There was no lie that she could tell without revealing the actual truth. All she could do was respond with a carefully worded truth that revealed nothing else.

Time ticked slowly away in the common room as Rowan sat there with her face cradled in her hands. Slowly her limbs began to move, and she removed her hands from her face. It would be breakfast soon and there were plenty of things to keep her busy.

There would be a feast later in the evening representing Lupercalia, (a day of love or even lust), an ancient Roman pagan festival. A scry table for students to see symbols representing their future lover. And more importantly a carefully supervised dueling tournament for 5th years and older to duel other students of their same year. In the end, there would a total of 3 champions representing each year, a 5th, 6th, and 7th-year champion.

There was also the matter of giving James his gift. It was customary for betrothed couples to give each other gifts on Valentine's Day. Everything would be fine. She would be fine. Everything would be just fine.