My Guardian Angel

by FlakJacket

Severus Snape is assigned to help a young woman who is more than what even she knows about; and together the two of them may prove to be Voldemort's downfall... Reviews plz!

Author's Note: My first attempt at a Snape...well, it's kind of a romance story I guess. Anyway, reviews are welcome! (And none of these characters are mine as much as I wish they were. They belong to J.K. Rowling as does all related indicia.)

"My Guardian Angel"

She paced herself, and thus remained at a better heart rate than the rest of the class; a few people watched her begrudgingly as she ran around the gym. She was very content running at this pace, because it didn't challenge her too much nor make her feel like she was taking the lazy way out. She checked her stopwatch; 'Another five minutes left,' she thought as she continued to run. She had just finished lapping the gym again when she saw, amidst the crowd of runners, a man at the end of the gym, right by the large wooden double doors. She didn't think much of him; he was dressed in solid black robes, and had very pale, sallow skin. He also had shoulder-length jet-black hair that looked like it was greasy; she couldn't tell from this distance. She shrugged off his sudden appearance, thinking he was probably looking for Coach.

But as she continued to lap she noticed that he wasn't moving from his position where he was leaning against the wall; but he was staring at her. She tried to ignore his piercing, dark eyes that reminded her of tunnels and avoided his gaze, although her eyes kept wandering back to him. Coach mercifully blew the whistle and they stopped running, "Weight room!" she shouted, and the class immediately began meandering toward the weight room. She sat down on the gym floor for a minute, resting, when she looked up to see that the dark stranger was gone. She rubbed her eyes, "I've gone mad," she said, and got up to go to the weight room. She ran right into something and looked up to see him standing right there; he looked a lot taller from this viewpoint.

"Can I talk to you outside?" he said. "Er..." she said slowly. "Great thanks," he said, seizing her arm and pulling her out of the gym and down the stairs toward the outside of the school. "Hey! Where are you taking me?!" she said, trying to pull out of his strong grasp. "No time for questions now come on," he said, continuing to pull her along. She gave an extremely hard yank and shouted, "NO!" He whipped about to face her, "Look if you don't come with me you won't survive to see tonight's sunset," he said quickly. "What? Who the hell are you to be telling me crap like that?" she said irritably, "That's it. I'm outta here." She began walking away but he grabbed her by the shirt, "Don't. I'm warning you," she hissed. She thought he almost smirked at her, "And I'm warning you that if you don't come with me you'll die. I've been sent to get you out of here," he said. She rolled her eyes, "Yeah? And what's to say you're not just some weirdo who walked in here and decided to pick me to kidnap or something eh?"

The doors to the outside suddenly burst open. A man in deep green robes strode in, "Get away from her," he said. "You," said the stranger in black. The other man smiled, "Yeah. Me. Hand her over; she's coming with me." "No she isn't, she's going with me," he said, blocking her slightly from the man's view. "I'M NOT GOING WITH EITHER OF YOU!" she shouted suddenly from behind him, "Look I don't know who either of you are but you're both not cool and I don't like you. Now get away from me!" She made a run for it up the stairs but didn't get very far; she found her limbs slowing as if by magic, and suddenly she was at a complete stop. "Hey!" she shouted, feeling someone seize her from behind. It was the man in black, "You don't understand, you have to come with me and you will come with me. Stay away from that man down there at all costs," he said, pointing at the guy in green.

"Why?" she said; the man in green began climbing the stairs, "She's coming with me. She deserves to come with me; what I can do with her will make her the most famous sorceress of all time." "If you don't kill her first," he snapped back, "she'll be nothing more than a puppet. If she goes to Dumbledore she'll..." "Dumbledore? Dumbledore?!" said the other, "At Hogwarts? Oh yes, maybe if she becomes a Slytherin she'll be powerful but otherwise she'll learn nothing more than how to defend herself from the Dark Arts." "And from people like you," he hissed. "Like me?" he said, and now his face became dark, and she grew scared looking at him and noticed a red gleam in his eyes. "Ahh, Severus, you never did learn did you? There is no good and evil; only those who desire power and those too weak to seek it." "That's where you're wrong Voldemort," said Severus, "you shall soon see." He put an arm around her and lifted his wand, "APARECIUM!" he shouted, and the two of them were gone.

* * *

"LET GO OF ME!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs when they'd landed. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" They were in a very strange place indeed; they'd Apparated (Although she had no idea what Apparation was) to the outside of the gates of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. "I'll explain everything if you'll just come inside the school and listen," said Severus calmly. "Oh yeah? And why should I trust you?" she said. "I have no evidence of why you should trust me," he said honestly, "all I can offer is my honor." She thought about it for a minute; it appeared that he might really have saved her life back there, especially from the look in that man Voldemort's eyes. "Alright," she said finally, "but any more funny business and I'm out of here." He led her up to the large castle, through the large doors, and to a stone gargoyle. "Drooble's Best Blowing Gum!" he said, and the gargoyle sprang to life and stood aside; there was a door where it had stood. "Whoa," she said slowly, staring at the gargoyle. "Come on, up the stairs," said Severus, leading her up them.

A door opened at the top of the stairs and a kindly-looking old man stood there with a smile, "Ahh, Rebecca Sorenson, how nice to meet you; I'm Headmaster Dumbledore," he said, "do come in." Rebecca hesitated, but finally went inside, "I'm sorry, but I don't know either of you," she said. "I'm afraid there must have been some mistake." "Oh no, no mistake at all," said Dumbledore. "I trust you and Professor Snape have introduced each other?" "Ha!" she laughed, "Yeah, we're getting along really well." "There was some...trouble getting her here," said Severus. "What happened?" said Dumbledore concernedly. He told him about meeting the man Voldemort and what he'd said; "Ah, so he already knew where you were," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Then he'll know where you've gone."

"Speaking of which, where have I gone?" said Rebecca. "Because I don't know where I am, why I'm here, or several other things for that matter. I'd much rather get back to the orphanage right now thank you very much." Dumbledore smiled, "I do believe we owe her quite an explanation." Severus said nothing. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, "Do you believe in magic, Miss Sorenson?" She frowned, "No. Of course not. There's no such thing as magic." "Ahh, but what if I told you there was such a thing as magic?" he said. "I'd say you were nuts," she replied blatantly. "Of course, because you need proof." "Exactly." He smiled, "Very wise. Let me get through the story first, and then you will have your proof.

"Several years ago there was a Dark wizard named Voldemort. Now understand that not all wizards are good, and Voldemort crossed as far into the Dark Arts as was possible for anyone to do. He found several methods to make himself immortal, and it warped his body into a new shape and form. Voldemort continued to appear human, but he became a more stretched form, with red eyes and long, spidery hands. Truly, he had lost his humanity long ago, but some still say he's human." Rebecca shuddered, remembering her encounter with Voldemort at school. "Voldemort believed in killing those who weren't of what is called a pureblood descent; it's where you are born of two wizards. If you are born of a Muggle, or non-wizarding person and a wizard, you are called what is considered a filthy word; a Mudblood. There is a belief amongst several pureblood families that wizards of a half-and-half descent aren't as decent or good as the purebloods; it's also considered stupid by many other families.

"Voldemort was a 'Mudblood' in his veins; he was born of a witch mother and a Muggle father, but his father left his mother when he found out what she was. Voldemort has since had a fierce hatred for Muggles and Mudbloods. He's typically been very closed on the subject that he himself is a Mudblood, because he hates disclosing the fact that his father was a Muggle."

"Look that's great and everything," Rebecca interrupted, "but what does that have to do with me? I'm clearly not involved with your whole little wizarding community here; or whatever it is." "Ahh, but you do have a large part to play yet," said Dumbledore. "Do you know who your parents were?" She shrugged, "I never knew them, but...I know their names." "What were their names?" "Tom Marvolo Riddle and Victoria Sorenson. Originally my last name was Riddle but I liked Sorenson better so I had it changed." "Do you know how your parents died?" said Dumbledore quietly. "Sort of. The people at the orphanage tell me my mom died giving birth to me and that my dad just wasted away after that because he was so sad." She suddenly perked up, "Why? Did you know them? Do you know something about them? Do you have pictures of them? I've never seen them before!" Dumbledore shut his eyes then looked at Severus; he returned his stare silently. Then Rebecca understood; "Voldemort is my father, isn't he?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes Rebecca; Tom Marvolo Riddle and Lord Voldemort are the same person." "I don't understand though," she said, becoming furious, "if he is, then why aren't I living with him eh? Why am I screwed over in an orphanage?! How come I never got to know him?!" "I doubt you would have wanted to know him," said Severus suddenly, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "No one wants to know him." "Well I do, and don't tell me what I want and don't want!" she snapped bitterly. "I just wanted a father." Dumbledore shook his head, "I know it's been so hard for you. But please listen; there's an explanation for everything.

"After young Tom passed from Riddle to Voldemort, he wasn't very human. But he was still human enough to feel emotions; it was love that he felt, even though we were all sure he could no longer feel things like that. One of his followers, or Death Eaters as they were called, was a woman named Victoria Sorenson. They'd dated when they were both here at Hogwarts, and surprisingly enough their relationship continued until they were actually married a few years later. Victoria became one of the most wanted women in the entire world because of how close she was to Voldemort, and finding her meant finding Voldemort.

"Victoria became pregnant and gave birth on..." "June 2nd, 1984," finished Rebecca, "that was me." "Yes Rebecca, that was you. When word of your birth got out, several Aurors, that is, Dark wizard catchers, were sent to find you. All of us knew that as long as you were amongst Victoria and Voldemort you were in danger of either being killed in a battle or becoming just as evil as they were. We had to get you out of there before it was too late. Victoria, in the meantime, was killed in a battle between herself and an Auror named Moody. We did not find you with her, so we knew you had to be with Voldemort somewhere. We searched everywhere, trying to find him, but they were dark times; many good wizards were killed because of Voldemort's cunning ways. But finally one night Voldemort left you with a circle of Death Eaters because he was unable to care for you." "Why? What was he doing?" she asked. "Alas," said Dumbledore sadly, "he left you so he could kill two young wizards; the Potters. However, upon his return, he discovered his circle of Death Eaters dead, and you gone. We had sent out seven Aurors, and four of them came back; and one baby," he added.

"Then...then...at the school..." she said softly. "He's been looking for you for over eighteen years," said Dumbledore, "and he had just found you; but luckily Severus got there first. If Voldemort had gotten hold of you, he would have warped your mind and body in many ways, changing your mind to fit his. You would have become a Death Eater, and the daughter of the most famous Dark wizard to walk the Earth in a century." "I still am," she said quietly, "but I'm not a Death Eater." "No, you're not, and that's why you must be kept safe at all costs," said Dumbledore. "If he cannot persuade you to join him he may kill you, and that is what we fear the most. For eighteen years we had several charms put on you, your school, and the orphanage, trying to hide all of it from the world and Voldemort. It worked for a long time, but now I'm afraid the best place for you to be at is right here at the school. It's one of the safest places on Earth."

She let out a deep sigh, "I can't believe what I'm hearing..." "It's a lot to take in at once," said Dumbledore, "and there is more to come, especially with you going to the school now." "Whoa, wait a minute, what sort of school is this anyway?" she said. "And am I in Britain? You both have really heavy accents and I'm from America so I'm sort of confused." "No, you're not from America, you're from Britain, but we put you there to further you from Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "But yes, you are here in Britain, and you will be attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." "Er, well, I hate to tell you this, but I'm not a witch," she said, "I mean, I can't do magic." "Yes you can," said Dumbledore, "you shall see. Once Severus has taken you to Diagon Alley, you shall see."

* * *

Rebecca didn't like Mr. Ollivander at all; "Mmm," he said softly, staring at the wand she held in her hand. "How...interesting," he said. "I can remember every wand I've ever sold, and it's amazing how you shot those sparks out the end of the wand. I can remember only one time where I saw something of that magnitude happen to someone of your age..." "What? Er, who?" she said, unsure of herself. "Ohh, but I may not say his name," he whispered, "but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a great wizard even by the time he'd become a first year at Hogwarts. He knew many, many spells of Dark magic; terrifying spells, but brilliant. Now, that'll be six galleons for the wand," he said. Severus scowled at Ollivander and paid him, quickly shoving Rebecca out of the store. "So basically that means that I cast spells like my dad did?" said Rebecca in a questioning tone. "Yes, now be quiet!" said Severus, escorting her quickly down to Flourish and Blotts. "We still need to buy the rest of your things," he said.

"Like that takes a lot of quiet and concentration," she muttered. "What was that?" he snapped. "Er, nothing, Professor," she sneered.

They were eating in Florean Fortescue's, which was an ice cream place in Diagon Alley, and even though Severus had very blatantly refused to eat there Rebecca had finally convinced him to do it. They'd been eating in silence when it Rebecca like a brick wall; here this guy was, sitting in front of her, eating and not saying a word, and he'd saved her life and not asked for a single thing in return. He had actually put himself in danger just to save someone like her. 'He's got guts,' she thought; and while the one half of her was thinking, 'Yeah, well, ask me if I care,' the other half was thinking, 'Thank you so much. Nobody has ever tried to be that kind to me. Ever.' It was true enough; she'd never gotten along very well with anyone else at the orphanage. They had all thought she was weird, and nobody had ever shared anything with her or done her any favors. To her, feeling loved or wanted was the best feeling in the world, mostly because she could never get enough of it. She could remember all the times she'd been filled with anger and hatred at everyone else who had parents; it had been, in her mind, so unfair to her.

'But he doesn't even know who I am,' she thought, 'but he's still concerned about me being safe. Nobody has ever...' "Come on, we've got to go, the afternoon's getting on," he said, standing up. "Oh, yeah," she said, picking up her packages and parcels, following him out of the café. "We'll Apparate back to Hogwarts once we're at the end of the Alley," he said as they walked, "then you can put your things in your dorm." When they'd reached the end of Diagon Alley he said, "All right, now give me your hand and hold onto all your packages so we don't Apparate without them." "Wait," she said, putting them down for a minute. "What now?" he said impatiently. She hugged him so tightly that for half a second it felt like the air had been crushed right out of his lungs.

She sincerely didn't want to let go; she'd never been hugged in her entire life and she had only seen other people do it. She hoped she was doing it hard enough; from the choking noise that had first come out of his mouth she'd probably overdone it a bit and she let up on her grip. "You have no idea what this has meant to me," she said, her voice muffled as her face was pressed against his chest. At first she was positive he'd frozen in her grasp, like he didn't know what to do now that she'd hugged him. Then again, she didn't really know what she was doing either. Slowly she began to let go, thinking he was probably just going to scold her when she did but then she realized that a pair of arms was returning the hug. "It's okay," he said finally, "I know."

* * *

"We have a new student this year," said Dumbledore, "meet Rebecca Sorenson!" The Great Hall echoed with the sounds of polite clapping. "And because she is new here, we will need to Sort her," said Dumbledore. The hat came down on her head and Rebecca almost jumped when she heard a little voice speaking in her ear. "Mmm, interesting, very interesting," it said, "you've definitely got the brains and the talent...ooh, how you want to prove yourself. What house do you want to be in?" 'Slytherin or Gryffindor,' she thought. "Slytherin or Gryffindor?" said the hat. She almost jumped again; 'I didn't know you could hear me think.' "Ahh, but I'm the Sorting hat! I hear everything! Now, back to your Sorting...mmm...Slytherin or Gryffindor... You know that the most powerful and cunning Dark wizards have come from Slytherin? But the bravest have come from Gryffindor."

Dumbledore and Severus watched with interest; Severus personally believed that someone like her would end up in Slytherin while Dumbledore secretly hoped she'd be in Gryffindor, his old house. For more than a minute she sat there, looking very nervous; then finally the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table whooped with shouts of happiness and they kindly received her; although Rebecca wasn't sure if this was the house for her, mostly because of the way the Slytherin group looked. Dumbledore made a few announcements, then the plates filled with food. Luckily Dumbledore and Professor Snape had showed her several things about magic and told her about what was going on in the wizarding world, so all of the things at Hogwarts weren't much of a surprise for what had once been her Muggle-mind. "So you've joined Slytherin," said a silver-blond haired boy across from Rebecca. She nodded, "Eh. What of it?" "Mmm, well, if you're going to be in Slytherin, might as well make the right friends from the start." "I'm Draco Malfoy," he put a hand out to shake hers, but she refused.

"Don't need friends, thanks," she said, continuing to eat. "Excuse me?" said Malfoy irritably, pulling his hand back. "Did I stutter?" said Rebecca, "Or are your ears simply filled with garbage?" He gave her a look of pure venom, "I don't know who you think you are, but you had better learn to pay some respect to people like me. The Malfoys are from a very old bloodline and..." "Did I ask for your family history?" interrupted Rebecca, "I want you to shut up before I make you shut up." His jaw dropped, "What?" "Oh that's it I'm outta here. The whole lot of you have one big hearing problem as far as I'm concerned," she said, picking up her plate and walking out of the Great Hall.

Harry, in the meantime, noticed that Malfoy was looking like a guppy; mouth opening and closing silently.

* * *

'Surely you can run faster than this, come on,' she thought as she lapped Hogwarts again. Now if only her stopwatch worked here; but unfortunately, Muggle items tended to go a little haywire in magical places such as Hogwarts. She'd stripped off her robes earlier after her little encounter with that idiot Malfoy and was now running in her shirt and jeans. It was getting dark, however, and soon she knew she'd have to go back inside. Running had always been her thing. She liked to pace herself at it, and think about what was going on while she ran. She'd just passed the lake, giant squid swimming lazily across it and she'd been admiring the beautiful sunset when she saw a very tall, dark figure leaning against a tree by the lake. She came to a halt, "Ah. Hello Professor." "Any reason in particular why you're out here running around in circles?" said Severus with a sneer, "Another one of those Muggle habits no doubt."

She shrugged, "It keeps me in shape so I don't look like a tall, skinny bag of bones with sallow skin and greasy hair." His eyes grew wide with not only anger but also surprise at such a bold comment, "I'm your head of house, and you had damn well better show me some respect you little snot." She shrugged again, "Hey whatever," and went back to running. Soon, however, she noticed that she was slowing considerably until she was stopped in mid-run; "Very funny!" she shouted, "Now let me go!" She remained frozen in midair for a moment then dropped suddenly, "You know that's really starting to get annoying," said Rebecca, turning to face Severus. "So is your little attitude," he snapped irritably. "Eh, well, I have my reasons for it," she said, turning back to run another lap. "Stop, wait," he said. "Ohh," she said, "being polite now are we? How interesting. No, I think I'd rather just keep on running thanks." "You keep running and I'll slip Veritaserum into your pumpkin juice at breakfast," he threatened. "You wouldn't," she said. "I would; care to test me?"

She sighed, "What? What do you want and make it quick." He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her gaze steadily, "Don't." "Don't do what?" she said slowly, now wondering what he was so concerned about. After all, they weren't exactly friends but they didn't really hate each other either; not the way he hated the other students at least. "Don't try to push people away from you like what you did with Malfoy," he said. "What? Malfoy? You heard that at dinner?" "No but I could tell what happened from the staff table. Please don't try to keep from making friends; even if they're in other houses, it doesn't matter, make friends with them and be happy." She wanted to say, "Yeah? Who's gonna make me?" but she didn't. Instead she paid more attention to his eyes; they always looked like black tunnels, darker than the night itself, and now she could see something of a smoldering fire behind them. 'He doesn't want me to screw my life up because he's done this before,' she realized. "You..." "Yes, I was the same way when I was a teenager. Trust me, you don't want the life it leads to," he said warningly. "All right Professor," she said, finally giving in, "all right."

* * *

She headed up the stairs to her dormitory; she was exhausted, but even more exhausted mentally. She'd always been a survivor; able to go it alone without any friends but with a path filled with enemies. She felt an internal bond between her and Severus now though; she'd never met anyone who could honestly tell her, "Don't worry, I know how you feel," because nobody had bothered up until now. This time though...this time she could see how hurt he was. It was the same hurt she felt every night before she went to bed; always trying to ignore it, always trying to be stronger. She slipped into bed and tried to sleep, but to no avail. Finally Rebecca got out of bed and sneaked down to the kitchens; food might make her sleep better.

Several house elves quickly brought several platters of food but she settled on an apple and a glass of water. After that, however, she still felt rather restless and finally decided that this was no good; she'd have to find something else to do because she sure as heck wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon. Rebecca roamed around the school for a little while; she was lucky because her natural instinct told her to always know alternate ways out of a situation, and thus forth she knew almost as many secret passages around the school as the Weasley twins. She wasn't about ready to let herself get caught by Filch that was for sure. Wandering past the huge double doors, she looked out upon the grounds; it really looked quite serene. The moon was full and its reflection shimmered on the water of the lake, where she could just barely see the tentacles of the giant squid swimming lazily back and forth.

Although she knew she was in serious jeopardy of getting several detentions she risked it and headed for the lake, even though it was very possible someone could be looking out one of the windows, watching her walk down. Sitting down against a tree by the lake, Rebecca craned her neck upward to gaze at the moon. She found a rock and skipped it across the lake, and the tentacles of the squid recoiled in start. "Eh," she said finally, thinking about how screwy her life had gone as of late. "What makes me so damn important? Why do I have to be the daughter of the evilest wizard ever? Why couldn't I have just been a Muggle or a regular wizard, or...or...something normal. But nooo, I just have to be the daughter of Voldemort that rat. If only he hadn't been a demented child. He was probably a psychopath, and that's what turned him nutters. And my mother...God how I hate saying that...my mother...I never had a mother or a father as far as I'm concerned. Just some weird connection with two freaks."

She thought more deeply about it, and then found her thoughts had returned to Severus. "What connects us? There's more to it than I can see," she said aloud, skipping another stone across the lake. "We're both a lot more alike than I'd care to admit. We both dress in black, we hate other people, we were similar as teenagers, we like to play the Devil's Advocate to everyone, we like to smart off...mmm, similarities in abundance indeed. Granted he can be a bit of an idiot at times, but I suppose he means well. Besides, he can be positively cute at times, so I'll let that slide. Ha, as if it mattered," she added, rolling her eyes. "But at least that makes up for...for...something."

"I'll take that as a complement," said a deep voice from behind her. Rebecca almost jumped out of her skin and she whirled around from her spot on the ground to see Professor Snape towering over her. "What're you doing here?!" she said, "You scared me." Moreover, however, she was very embarrassed that he'd heard what she said, and she was glad it was so dark; then at least he couldn't see how red she was. "I think I should be asking that question; what're you doing here?" he said. She let out a sigh of resignation, "I was thinking. I like to be alone when I need time to think so idiots do not distract me. Apparently, however, there is always someone around to bother you." "Mmm," he said slowly. "Er, not that you're an idiot or anything," she added hastily, backing away from him. "Really?" he said, and he seemed to loom even higher over her. "Er, no, of course not, you're the Potions Master, why would they make the Potions Master an idiot?" she said, trying to find a way out of her situation without getting a week's worth of detentions.

"No, of course they wouldn't make the Potions Master an idiot," he said with a sneer, "what sort of a moron would do that? Probably the same type of moron who would go out wandering the grounds in the middle of the night." He got closer and closer to her and she kept trying to back away from him, sure he was going to strangle her if he got any closer when her foot slipped. She fell into the lake with a loud splash. Her head bobbed to the surface, and she was treading water and cursing when she felt tentacles wrap around her and toss her back out onto the ground. "Ugh!" she shouted, landing hard on her backside. Severus, in the meantime, was howling with laughter; the dark expression from his eyes had been removed, and then Rebecca realized he'd been playing games with her. And she'd been stupid enough to fall for it. "Why...you...you..." she said, balling her fists in anger. "Oh, you look so angry and...wet," he said. "But come on now seriously; this had to have been one of those times where I was being positively cute?" he said with relish, crossing his arms over his chest with triumph.

Her face burned like the setting sun from embarrassment, "Shut up. Go away. I don't like you anymore." 'Come on, fall for this one and I'll be able to go to bed,' she thought, still sitting on her spot on the ground right next to the lake. "Really? I don't believe you," he said, putting out a hand to pull her up. She saw her opportunity and took it; Rebecca let him take most of her weight, then she did a three hundred and sixty-degree turn and spun into him, knocking him into the lake. "ARGH!" he shouted, once his head had returned to the surface. "Right that's a detention for the next three weeks!" he snapped. "Oh I see, you can dish it out but you can't take it," said Rebecca as the giant squid returned him to the ground, albeit rather forcefully. "No, I can take it, but it's my job as a teacher to prevent you from any further midnight wanderings," he said, running a hand through his sopping hair. "Hey that's fine by me," she said, "I need something to do during the evenings as it is. See you tomorrow night!" she said, and she skipped back to the castle. Ticking people off was one of her many specialties and she had a fairly strong feeling that one she'd just done had probably made him even madder.

* * *

Rebecca was eighteen years old, and by law she had technically finished school but Dumbledore had enrolled her as a seventh year at the school to keep her under his watchful eye. It was as protected as she would possibly ever be from Voldemort. Thus, however, because she really had no need for school anymore, she could roam where she pleased on weekends via Apparation. She had never told anyone in her year that she could do it though; they'd think she'd flunked a year if they found out how old she was. She was in her opinion, however, at a great advantage, because she was allowed to visit Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade as long as she was accompanied by one of the other teachers; in other words, Severus Snape had become her guardian. Although he never admitted it, he didn't mind it too much; at least it got him out of the dungeons, and he liked how he could have an intelligent conversation with Rebecca. Even if it included the occasional snotty reprisal for his shut personality.

"Outrageous," said Rebecca as they left Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes; "you can pay only two galleons for a Fanged Frisbee here, but at Zonko's you pay five. That settles it; no more visiting Zonko's." "Why don't you spend your money on something useful?" said Severus, "Instead of stupid little joke toys like this." "I'll have you know this is for a friend," she said, "it's his birthday." They both waved their wands and shouted "Aparecium!" but since Rebecca hadn't quite mastered Apparating yet, she ended up in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley. She was right outside of a nasty, dirty-looking shop; inside the front windows were some very gruesome looking items. 'I've never been down here before,' she thought, 'although it doesn't look like the best place in the world to visit.' It was nighttime now, and she was wondering where her friend had Apparated to when he came running down the Alley, "We need to go," he said, pulling her by the arm, "now." "What? Why? What's going on?" she said, running alongside him. "Er, ran into a spot of trouble, now quick go in there," he said, shoving her into Borgin and Burkes.

They dodged into the store and Severus opened a cabinet, "Get in there." "Okay now this is going way out of line," she said, but he simply shoved her into the closet and jumped inside with her. "Don't say anything," he said. They heard the door to the shop open, "Borgin!" shouted a voice. "Borgin get out here!" "Is there a problem Mr. Malfoy?" said a greasy-sounding voice. 'Malfoy,' thought Rebecca, 'figures.' "Yes Mr. Borgin, a big problem," he said, "did you see two people just come running into your store?" "No sir, no one at all. I did hear the door open and close, however," he replied. "So they're probably somewhere in here then," said Malfoy's voice. "Mr. Borgin, Severus Snape just came in here with a girl who is currently attending Hogwarts. It's very important that we find both of them, especially the girl." "And who is this mystery girl?" said Borgin. "Does the name Sorenson ring a bell with you Borgin?" A pause. "You couldn't possibly mean...not...Victoria's daughter? Victoria and..." "Yes Borgin, yes indeed. Then you know who is looking for her?" "Ahh, of course," said Borgin.

Rebecca's blood ran cold; for the first time in her life she felt thrills of fear coursing through her veins. She hadn't realized how loudly she was breathing when Severus suddenly snapped a hand over her mouth; it sounded like Malfoy and Borgin might have heard it. They heard footsteps and then Malfoy's voice was incredibly close to their hiding place; "I think we've found our culprits." Rebecca knew Severus' wand was already out and she pulled hers out too; he put a protective hand on her shoulder and waited. The doors burst open and there stood Lucius Malfoy with his wand; he tried to curse the both of them but Severus was too quick, "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, and Malfoy hit the roof, then plummeted to the floor and landed with a sickening crack. "YOU!" shouted Borgin, pulling out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" shouted Rebecca, and Borgin was frozen stiff.

They both ran out of the store and Severus grabbed her hand, "Aparecium!" and they were both gone.

* * *

"I don't believe it!" she gasped when they'd Apparated to the Hogwarts gates, "They tried to kill you...they tried to kill...me!" "I believe it," said Severus, "Malfoy is a slimeball, and he'd do anything for Voldemort. The real problem, however," he said, looking down at her, "is that my cover is now blown." She stared at him; it had never occurred to her that he was posing as a Death Eater and spying for Dumbledore. They hadn't told her anything of that; this was all her fault. "Oh no..." she said, putting her head in her hands, "this is all my fault...I'm so sorry..." "Please don't be sorry because there are stupid people like Malfoy around to get people like us into trouble," he said shortly. "Yeah, but I mean, if I had been killed a couple of months ago or something then you wouldn't have to worry about..." He seized her by the shoulders, "Never speak that way in front of me again. Ever." Without so much as another glance he passed the gates and strode up the grounds toward the school. 'I can't believe how weird people are around here,' thought Rebecca as she marched after him.

* * *

"...Basically, I cannot pretend that I'm a Death Eater any longer," finished Severus with his usual frown. Dumbledore nodded, "Of course not. We need to hide you somewhere, and I'm afraid the school may no longer be the safest place for you. That is, unless you keep yourself hidden in the dungeons and never leave the grounds. It would be rough, Severus, very rough indeed." "It's already going to be hard enough as it is, even if I were hidden someplace else," he replied. "I'm stuck hiding away from everyone either way," he said, sounding bitter about being kept out of the fight against Voldemort. "Er," said Rebecca, "I have an idea. That is, if you don't mind me interrupting," she added hastily. "Yes?" said Dumbledore kindly. "Well, erm, I dunno how well this will work in the wizarding world, but it works in the Muggle world all the time," she said. "See we have people that change their appearances all the time; they go under the knife and have themselves all cut up to look different, or they dye their hair, or...well, all sorts of things. So why don't you just make up a couple of spells to change how he looks so he can still go out? He can be Professor Snape here at the school then he can just say a few spells and boom! He looks different, and nobody knows it's him, you know?"

Dumbledore thought about it for a minute, "I believe Miss Sorenson has come up with just the idea we've been looking for," he said with a smile. "Oh, um, thanks," she said with a shrug. "Ha! I think not; I won't change my hair for anyone." "That seems obvious enough," muttered Rebecca.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," she grumbled.

"Severus I would highly advise you take up with Rebecca's idea, that is, if you still wish to leave the grounds to obtain your potions supplies and other various items," said Dumbledore. "You can't possibly be serious," said Severus furiously. "Oh why don't you just do it and get it over with?!" said Rebecca suddenly, "Quit your bitchin'!" Her jaw dropped and she hastily covered her mouth, surprised at what she'd said. The same effect had taken place on Severus; "Although I would not quite phrase it that way," said Dumbledore, "I will, however, ask for you to please stop your complaining. And I will ask for Miss Sorenson to refrain from speaking in such a manner to her Potions Master, and for her to use a more lady-like language." "Er..." she said slowly, "...it just kind of came out. Sorry." "Apology accepted," said Dumbledore, "now I believe Severus has some work to do? And since Miss Sorenson is a bit more of an expert on Muggles than either you or I, she'll help you." "What?" said Severus and Rebecca. "You heard me, now please do get a move on and try to be discreet about what you're doing," said Dumbledore.

"You just had to open your mouth didn't you?" said Severus as they descended the stairs to his dungeons. "Well did you have any other bright ideas?" said Rebecca, "Besides, it'll do you good to change your appearance for once. I mean hey, when was the last time you looked in a mirror? 1985?" "Shut up!" snapped the professor as they entered the empty Potions room. He stopped in the center of the room, "Now what?" Rebecca rolled her eyes and pulled out a tiny pocket mirror, "Engorgio!" she said. The mirror grew and grew until it was at least six feet long; she propped it up against the wall, "Eh. Now you can look in the mirror and see what you think. Now tell me that appearance isn't recognizable? We have to do this. Everyone can tell who you are just by seeing the back of your greasy head." His face grew a blustery red, "You are this close to getting another three weeks' worth of detentions." "Yeah, well, tell me about it," she said, stepping back so she could look at her own reflection. "I wonder how well this would work for me," she said curiously, hefting out one of her spell books from her bag.

"I don't think they have any spells on how to change the color of your..." Her hair suddenly grew tingly and she looked up to see that her jet black hair had changed to blond. "Oh. Well. I make a horrible blond," she said with a shrug. "It's really quite easy if you know how to change the colors of objects," said Severus with a twirl of his wand. "Right then. Well, let's see what happens when I do this," she said, pointing her wand at him. "Oh. You make a horrible blond too," she said, confirming his suspicions. "This is stupid," he said, trying to leave, but she grabbed his arm; "Hey! You stay here until we've decided how you're gonna best blend in with the crowd!" "I don't want to blend in with the crowd," he said stubbornly. "Fine then. Get yourself killed. You seem to care only about yourself, and not how other people would feel if you died, so go ahead then. Do it! Walk outside of Hogwarts looking like that and you'll be dead in minutes! They've probably got Death Eaters staked out everywhere, but do you care? No. It's all about how you don't want to look stupid in front of anyone. Well you know what? It doesn't matter because no one will be able to tell that it's you!" she hissed.

"Alright! Fine! Just get it over with quick!" he roared angrily. "Thank you very, very much!" she shouted at him, "Glad to see someone has come to their egotistic senses!"

* * *

'Any minute now, any minute now...' thought Rebecca, staring at the large double doors that led into the Great Hall. As a test to verify that no one would be able to recognize him, Severus had to walk into the Great Hall looking like his new appearance, go all the way to the staff table and say something to Dumbledore, then he could leave and transform into his old self. The doors opened and in stepped Severus Snape as he would look whenever he left the Hogwarts grounds; he was clearly embarrassed, as his face was tinged with pink, and Rebecca tried not to laugh at him. "Hey, who is that?" said Pansy Parkinson, "He's kind of cute," she muttered beneath her breath, but Rebecca still heard her anyway. 'If only you knew who that was Pansy, you'd be vomiting in the bathroom,' thought Rebecca with a grin of satisfaction. His hair was cut short, (or rather shrunk short, using a Shrinking Charm,) and it was a soft, non-greasy brown color, slightly tinged with red. And for once, he wasn't dressed in black; now he was in a midnight-blue colored robe but underneath was clearly seen a white Muggle t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. 'And wearing sneakers too...oh this will be a story for the books,' thought Rebecca gleefully.

He proceeded to the staff table and said something to Dumbledore then left as quickly as he could; Dumbledore was clearly smiling and Rebecca shook with silent laughter. She did, however, notice that someone was staring at her; Hermione Granger of Gryffindor house to be precise. She was eyeing her and Severus with suspicion, wondering what the connection between the two was. Rebecca had liked Granger; she was a smart, intelligent young woman who knew what she was talking about, and Rebecca always had an appreciation for people who weren't stupid. The few times they'd talked she'd always been civil to her, despite the Gryffindor versus Slytherin venom that ran through their veins. 'Maybe she'll figure this one out,' she thought, 'it wouldn't surprise me if she did.'

Rebecca finished her meal quickly, then followed Severus path out of the hall, heading for the dungeons. She knocked on the door to the Potions room and a familiar voice said, "Come in." He was seated at his desk, now in his usual form. "Ah. Very well done. Nobody recognized you," she said. "Maybe so, but the staff kept...looking at me," he said with a frown. "They wouldn't stop staring at me like I was...I don't know..." "They can't tell it's you," said Rebecca, "but they probably think they've met you before. That's probably all; just a feeling of déjà vu. Although..." "Although what?" he said. "Although the staff members weren't the only ones staring at you," she said playfully.

"What are you talking about?"

"Eh. Well I think that if you looked like that all the time instead of just as a transformation stage you'd probably have a lot of girls trying to make eyes with you."

"That's disgusting."

"Tell me about it."

"I'm their Potions Master. I'm thirty-five years old."

"You think they care about how old you are? Just as long as you have a nice-looking..."

"SHUT UP!"

"I was just going to complement you on your..."

"I DON'T CARE NOW SHUT UP!"

* * *

They both got out of Hogwarts that way though. They usually just went to Hogsmeade in transformed appearances and did whatever needed to be done; picking up packages or buying supplies. They'd been having a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks on one of the Hogwarts Hogsmeade weekends when Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley came in and took the table next to them. Rebecca was tempted to say hi to Hermione but resisted; she would never be able to tell it was Becca anyway.

Hermione, on the other hand, thought the woman at the table next to them looked incredibly familiar; her and the man with her too. It wasn't their appearances or anything; just their...hmm...their eyes. She'd seen them before, only she couldn't quite place them. The man's looked like black tunnels, and the woman's looked like deep blue pools. Hermione tried to concentrate on talking to Ron and Harry but her mind kept wandering back to the two people sitting beside her; they both looked so incredibly familiar! Then her eyes met the woman's and she knew; "R-Rebecca?" she said softly. Her eyes grew wide with terror and she leapt out of her seat, paid Madam Rosmerta for her butterbeer and left. Her gaze fell upon the man's and their eyes locked for a frozen moment in time, and Hermione heard a voice echo through her head; "Ten points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all." Her jaw dropped, "P-Professor...Snape?"

He swept out of the Three Broomsticks as quickly as he could, following the woman. Hermione shook her head rapidly, "I've gone mad." "Eh? What's that Hermione?" said Ron. "Er, nothing, I was just a little distracted," said Hermione slowly. If there was a reason why the two of them had changed their appearances, then it was probably best for Hermione not to say anything to anyone else. She tried to keep her mind on the conversation at hand, but still, she found her thoughts wandering back to them; why would they be hiding?

* * *

"I knew this wasn't going to work!" shouted Severus angrily as he slammed the door to his Potions classroom shut. "Now wait just a minute," said Rebecca, "it's very possible that Hermione won't tell anyone. She's very bright so she'll probably know that it's not wise to go spreading this around." Suddenly they heard rapid footsteps in the corridor and Rebecca poked her head out the door, "Get in here quick," she said. Hermione came running in, "Er...hi." Severus gave her a look of utmost loathing, "You." "Oh for Christ's sake quit acting like an idiot," snapped Rebecca, "it's not her fault she's brighter than most of the morons we're trying to fool." "It was just your eyes, trust me, I couldn't see anything else from your appearances," said Hermione, still clutching at the stitch in her side from running. "Eyes? What?" said Rebecca, "That's a bit of a leap, don't you think?" "Well no, not if I've been under the tutelage of the same teacher for seven years," said Hermione, glancing at Severus, "I mean it's not like his eyes look...erm..." "Normal?" said Rebecca, "I know, they look like black tunnels. That's one of his trademarks." "It is not," said Severus. "Right, and neither was your hair or how you dressed in black all the time," said Rebecca sarcastically.

"That's beside the point right now," said Severus, "the question is; what do we do now?" "The same thing you've been doing," said Hermione. "It's a great idea, changing your appearances; I couldn't tell who you were up until I made direct eye contact with both of you. It's not like either of you don't have a very protruding stare; both of you scare people when you look right at them." "Scaring the little firsties," said Rebecca, "it's so much fun. Just stare at them for a few minutes and they freak out and run away; best way to keep people away from you." "How many times have I told you not to do that to younger students?" said Severus. "You actually purposely do that?" said Hermione flatly. "Yeah. It's fun," said Rebecca, "but apparently he doesn't want any competition," she said, sticking a thumb at Severus. "Shut up," he snapped irritably. "Right, back to the subject at hand," said Hermione. "I don't think either of you will have any problems being recognized when you look like that, but I have just one question; why?"

Rebecca snorted with joyless laughter, "Because Voldemort wants me alive and he wants the Professor here dead." "What?" said Hermione. "Bit of a broken record aren't we?" said Rebecca, "But I'll elaborate. I think we can trust you, right?" she added, looking up at Severus. "I'd rather not say anything to her," he said. "Why not?" "Because if Voldemort catches her he can torture the information out of her," he replied. "He won't because he won't know that I know what's going on!" blustered Hermione. "That's true," said Rebecca. "All right; here's the whole story, okay?

"I'm Voldemort's daughter, but I didn't know it until a few months ago when I first came to this school. Professor Snape came and got me from my Muggle school just in time before Voldemort had found me; if he had got hold of me I'd probably be torturing other Muggles right now even as we speak. So Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape are really hiding me here at the school; however, a few days ago in Knockturn Alley Lucius Malfoy saw the two of us and he now knows that the Professor is not a Death Eater but a spy. If it hadn't been for my idea of disguising him as someone else Professor Snape would have been locked up inside his dungeons for a long time. Because as we all know, Voldemort would have killed him on sight if he tried to come back and claim he was a Death Eater. Thus forth, everyone is currently in the belief that Professor Snape remains only in his dungeons because that's the only time the students see him; they do not, however, know he is also going to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley under a different name and disguise. I am doing the same not only to keep him company but also to remain out of Voldemort's watchful eyes. Do you understand how vital it is that no one knows about this?"

Hermione was dazed at what she'd just heard; "Of course. I won't tell anyone." "Not even Potter or Weasley?" sneered Severus. "No not even them," snapped Hermione, "I just...I can't believe...you...you're Voldemort's daughter." "Don't remind me," said Rebecca foully, "it disgusts me just knowing it." Just then the door burst open; Dumbledore, Harry, and Ron were standing there looking breathless. At first Rebecca and Severus were sure they were there to say, "Both of you have to go, he knows what's going on," but then they both realized; they were staring at Hermione.

* * *

Hermione wept and wept and wept; Rebecca's heart stung each time she heard her gasping sobs there in Dumbledore's office. Her parents were dead; Voldemort had killed them. Rebecca finally had to excuse herself and Severus followed her, both of them knowing that Voldemort must have heard something in the Three Broomsticks through a contact. They waited in the corridor, and Severus paced past the stone gargoyle irritably. Rebecca, however, was leaning against the wall, deeply distressed; "I can't believe I came from something as inhumane as...as...him." "You are nothing like him," said Severus, "never say you came from him. You share his blood; that is all." He left, and Rebecca assumed he'd headed down to the dungeons and she did not follow. The stone gargoyle suddenly leapt aside and Hermione came down the stairs, her eyes rimmed with red and her nose running. "Hermione..." said Rebecca, wanting to hug her friend. Instead she was punched violently in the face; "You! Your father did this to my parents!" Rebecca stumbled backward and clutched her broken nose; she was bleeding badly.

However, even though she knew Hermione's actions were not truly her responsibility as her grief must have been overwhelming, Rebecca let her punch her and kick her. If she wouldn't let her help by trying to soothe her with her words, then let her beat the hell out of Rebecca. She didn't care; right now she didn't feel like living anyway. "You unholy...unholy Gorgon!" screamed Hermione finally, sprinting down the hall away from her. Rebecca collapsed in a heap against the wall and spat blood out; her lip was busted. Her ribs felt cracked from that hideously hard kick she'd received, and she was positive her nose was broken from how swollen and bloody it was. 'I never knew she had it in her,' thought Rebecca, craning her neck against the wall. The gargoyle came to life again and Harry and Ron stepped through; they both looked at Rebecca and Harry's eyes grew wide, "What happened?" Rebecca smiled weakly, "Hermione beat the hell out of me because I'm the daughter of the thing that killed her parents." Ron's expression went icy cold, "You deserved it." He walked away without so much as another glance.

Rebecca shifted uncomfortably, "And what is to come from the Boy Who Lived? You want to beat me too? Well go ahead; I don't deserve to be in your sight anyway." She shut her eyes, waiting for a punch, a kick, even a slap, anything, but instead she felt an arm underneath hers, pulling her to her feet. "I coped a while ago," he said with a shrug, "Hermione though...it's gonna be a long, long time," he said knowingly. "Besides, it's not like you can help being his daughter, right?" Rebecca spat out some more blood, "That's true enough." Severus suddenly came down the corridor, "What happened to you?!" he exclaimed, seeing her bloodied form. She pulled herself to her full height and suddenly appeared not battered but just a little shaken, "I believe I shall be needing to visit the infirmary," and promptly collapsed.

* * *

She awoke to feeling her very sore ribs, arms, and mouth; "Eh," she said slowly. Her right arm had a splint on it, and her ribs were wrapped up. She tried to sit up, but to no avail, and simply groaned with pain; 'This is my payment for being an unholy Gorgon,' she thought, echoing Hermione's words. What was a Gorgon again? Oh yeah, Medusa was one of the Gorgon sisters; 'She was right. My stare does turn people to stone.' The door opened and Severus came in, "Oh good. You're awake." "More like half-awake," she said, pulling herself upright very, very slowly. "So," he said, sitting down. "So," repeated Rebecca.

"Granger beat you up."

"Yes, yes she did."

"And you didn't do anything to defend yourself."

"That is correct."

"Why? You're healthy enough to put up a good fight against me and I tower over you."

"Because she was more than just angry, Professor. She'd just lost her parents to the evilest wizard ever; I can't say that anything she did was unjustified. She was angry, and she didn't know how to handle it; she knew I was his daughter and therefore that was her only option to pay him back for what he did. Beat the hell out of his daughter and hope it hurts her more than anything she's ever experienced."

"And has it hurt you more than anything you've ever experienced?"

"Both physically and mentally, surprisingly no. When I was ten I was ganged up on by a few kids at the orphanage and I had to be taken to the Emergency Room; I had three broken ribs, a broken arm, and I had stitches in my head. Mentally, I know what she's going through; the absolute agony of losing your parents. When I first met you and Dumbledore I thought maybe my parents were still alive; instead my martyred version of them was obliviated, and I realized that I had demons for parents. I lost them all over again. No, she was justified more than I can say. I've taken my share of beatings on both terms of life, and I know how much it can hurt to lose your parents. Your rage just pours out through the nearest outlet; and at the time, that was me."

"Well you seem to be looking at this quite differently than the rest of the staff. Despite her excellent records, several of the staff members want her expelled for giving you such a brutal beating."

"Oh. Well, see to it that she's not expelled; mention my opinion if it will help at all. I want to make as small of a matter out of this as possible; if Voldemort finds out what she did to me he might kill her. Well, he might kill her anyway," she added quietly. "I can't believe you would take this so lightly," said Severus with soft amazement. She leaned forward and gave him a curt smile, "Do you know why I was beaten up by a gang when I was ten?" He shook his head, "No." "Because of my smart mouth," she said, finally leaning back, "it's my mouth. My mouth always gets me in trouble because I like to voice my thoughts; and many times I say things people don't want to hear. It is also my basic sense of reality that surprises people. They don't like it at all, and do you know why? Because I take everything lightly," she finished.

"Hmm," said Severus thoughtfully, "you certainly are...different for someone your age." She smiled, "I'll take that as a complement." "Good, because that's what it was meant as."

She let out a mock gasp, "The Potions Master?! Complement me?!"

"Just don't let it go to your head."

"Oh it's too late for that."

"Mmm. That's what I was afraid of."

* * *

Hermione spent the rest of the week in her dormitory, crying. She never came down, but her homework always did; Parvati Patil usually took it down to her classes for her. Rebecca, who had gotten out of the hospital wing a day later after her bones had been mended by Madam Pomfrey, typically watched with interest. The Slytherins stayed away from her, however, disgusted that she had been beaten half to death by a Gryffindor. One Saturday Rebecca had been walking down an empty corridor, mind wandering aimlessly, when she ran into someone. It was none other than Hermione, clutching several library books in her hands; "Out of my way," she grumbled, trying to walk past her. "Hermione stop," said Rebecca, grabbing her by the arm; "Don't you dare touch me you dirty little Death Eater!" she snapped. Her blood ran cold, "What did you call me?" "A Death Eater," she snarled, "you stay away from me."

Rebecca slapped her so hard that Hermione's lip busted open and she fell backward, her books flying from her hands. Rebecca slammed her up against the wall; Hermione almost trembled with fear. She'd never known how strong she was, and she thought Rebecca was weak from the way she'd been beaten the other day. 'She let me beat her up,' she realized, 'she felt sorry for me and let me beat her up.' "Listen Hermione," said Rebecca, "I know what it's like to lose your parents. But even though I miss them I also know what they were; they were Death Eaters, and I refuse to tell people that I'm related to them. All I admit to is the biological relationship I share with them; nothing more, nothing less. I will never, ever join the Dark with my disgusting father, but I will fight for what is right with Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape. But if you ever, ever call me a Death Eater again, I don't care which side you're on; I swear I'll kill you."

She let off of Hermione and swept down the hall, black robes billowing around her and looking more like Snape himself than anyone else. Hermione stared after her, trembling with shame and anger; what had she done? She had no right to accuse her of being a Death Eater, and she had no right to beat her up. 'I've been very foolish,' she thought, wiping her bloody lip on her sleeve, 'very, very foolish.'

* * *

Severus stepped into the Slytherin common room and strode over to Rebecca, who was sitting in a corner, reading a book. "I saw what happened in the corridor," he said softly. She didn't even look up, "Good for you." He sat down next to her, "You've got real guts, you know that?" She slammed her book shut, "I feel faint," she said, mocking a swoon out of her chair. He caught her, "What's wrong?!" "You gave me two complements in less than a week!" she moaned. He dropped her hastily, "You can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that?" "Yeah, I know," she said, getting up off the floor, wearing a big grin on her face. "Anyway, besides that little stunt," he grumbled, sitting back down. (Secretly, he felt rather embarrassed that he'd actually fallen for something so childishly stupid, 'Get her back for that later,' he thought.) "That was something very courageous to do," he said, "I was rather surprised at you." "Eh. Well, I surprise a lot of people," she said, "besides, who the heck is she to be calling me a..." "Shhh!" he snapped. She looked around the Slytherin common room, "Right, sorry."

"But I believe I might have gotten my point across well enough," she added. "Probably go cry about it for a little while in her dorm then come find me and apologize." "Somebody thinks highly of their actions," he snorted. "'Somebody thinks highly of themselves'" she mocked, "you're the snootiest professor in the entire school. Who are you to be telling me that I'm an egotist?" "I never said egotist," he snapped. "Ah, but it is what is insinuated that is important." "Yeah, well, you're no Morgana," he grumbled. "Yeah, well, you're no Alan Rickman," she retorted in another mocking voice.

"Oh shut up," he snapped.

* * *

Rebecca leaned back in her chair; she'd been in the library all afternoon, and she listened to the uninterrupted sound of the rain splashing against the windows. It sounded very relaxing, and before she knew it she was drifting off to sleep.

"If only I could just get to her, signal her somehow...yes, but no one is out of my reach. It has been years since it's been activated, but perhaps...yes, perhaps it might work once again all these years later. That fool Dumbledore couldn't possibly have undone it permanently; it can never be removed. All I need to do is persuade her to touch it and she'll Apparate to me, and we'll be a family once again. Mmm, everything will work perfectly. Ahh, to see her again...how she's grown since the last time I saw her. So tall and pretty, and very dangerous too; oh how I'd love to teach her everything I know, to have it pass through my blood into hers. She'll become a Death Eater, mark my words Wormtail. In no time at all, she'll be calling me not just father, but also master..."

Rebecca started with horror, sweat dripping down her face. Her left forearm was burning as if it were on fire; she pulled up the sleeve of her robe to see a skull eating a snake burning black on her skin. Her eyes widened in surprise and horror; it was the Dark Mark.

"PROFESSOR!" she screamed, hurtling through the Potions classroom door. He came running out of his office, "What's going on?" She thrust her forearm out, "What the hell is that doing on my arm?!" His jaw dropped in surprise and he pulled back his left sleeve; they both matched. "The Dark Mark..." he said slowly, "how did it get burned into your arm?" She explained her nightmare and he sat back with a despaired look on his face. "You must have had it burned into your arm when you were first born. Dumbledore...he must have eliminated it somehow, but Voldemort found a way to bring it back." Rebecca looked down at her arm, "So this is only a tattoo?" "Yes, it is a tattoo that Voldemort put upon all his followers," said Severus. She extended her index finger and touched it just as Severus screamed at her not to do it.

* * *

The world was a whirl of color and Rebecca landed with a groan; she was in a creaky, old house. 'A portkey,' she realized slowly, 'the tattoo is a portkey. But to where?' She felt a hand on her shoulder and her blood ran cold; she suddenly knew what the tattoo did. It brought you straight to Voldemort. She whipped about and ran back against the wall; sure enough, there he stood. "Oh, Rebecca..." he said softly, "you've grown so much..." "Stay away from me," she warned, pulling out her wand. "Now Rebecca don't be rash," he said firmly. "Rash? Rash?! You don't want me to be RASH?! I should kill you where you stand and do the wizarding world a favor!!" she shouted, her voice full of hatred. "Rebecca, that really hurts," he said, "honestly, that does." "I hope it hurts you horrible man," she snarled, "no, not a man, a...a...thing. You aren't human, you're not my father either." "Don't you say I'm not your father because I am," he said.

"Really? What sort of a father brands their child with the Dark Mark? Or wants them to kill people for them? Or, or kills her friend's parents? Huh?! I refuse to accept that you're my father!" she screamed. "You may be my biological father but that's it! I will never, ever join your cause! I will never love you! But I can promise that I will always hate you!" Suddenly Severus appeared in the room; he'd used his Dark Mark to Apparate to them. He pulled out his wand but instead Voldemort shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and caught it. Severus cursed angrily and balled his fists, "And here is our faithful Death Eater," said Voldemort with what was clearly triumph. "Severus Snape has finally been caught. Well, what to do with him now? Perhaps a little torture? Or maybe just go straight to the death penalty?" he sneered.

"If you so much as touch a hair on his head the wrong way I'll kill you," said Rebecca with fury. "Be quiet Rebecca," said Severus. But Rebecca felt scared; not for her but for him. Since they'd met she'd began to look at the bitter professor as an older brother. The older brother she never had but the one she'd always dreamt of; she liked to bicker with him, and she liked to play jokes on him. But if he were killed...he was basically the last thing keeping her alive. "Oh you get along well with him?" said Voldemort; "Do you like having him around? I'll make you a deal, dearest daughter; you come with me and I won't kill him." Severus' eyes grew wide and he looked at her with an expression that clearly said, 'Don't bother, my life's not worth it.' Rebecca shut her eyes, "You promise not to kill him or harm him and simply let him go?" Voldemort grinned with satisfaction, "I swear it upon my soul." "You don't have a soul," said Rebecca, "but I'll take it." "NO!" shouted Severus, "HE'LL KILL YOU WHEN HE'S FINISHED WITH YOU!"

"Then it's a chance I'll have to take," she said, stepping to Voldemort's side, "because I'm not worth dying for." Severus clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white, "This isn't where it ends." Voldemort laughed a high, cold laugh, "Oh no. It is only the beginning." He grabbed Rebecca's hand, Apparated, and they were both gone. Severus squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to imagine what could happen to her. For the second time in his life, tears dripped down his cheeks, and he hastily wiped them away then Apparated to Dumbledore.

There was no more time to lose.

* * *

"So I won't join your side so now you're going to kill me; hmm, where have I heard that before?" said Rebecca angrily. "If only you would just see past the illusions of their side," said Voldemort softly, "because you see, there is no good and evil; only those who want for power and those too weak to seek it." "Then I am neither, because I do not want for power and neither am I too weak to seek it," she sneered, "because I'm a normal, healthy human being. Not a maniac like you." His eyes gleamed dangerously, "You have your mother's animosity, that is for certain." "Don't you speak to me of my mother," she snapped, "I have no mother!" "Crucio!" he shouted. Rebecca fell to the ground, her body feeling like white hot knives were stabbing her in pain everywhere. "Perhaps this will teach you to obey your father," he snarled. "What sort...of a father..." she moaned between stabbing pains, "...does this...to...their...daughter...?"

He released her from the curse, "You are far more stubborn than could have been expected; but we'll soon undo that." She lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, "Not with any curse could you undo the hatred I feel for you..." His eyes gleamed again, and he wanted to kill her in that moment, but refrained. "Yes, it shall take much to undo what Dumbledore and his morons have done, but it is not impossible. You do not understand; I am your father, and I am Lord Voldemort, the Heir of Slytherin and the greatest wizard ever." "No you're not," she growled. "Oh? And who is? Dumbledore? That old fool..." he muttered. "No, not Dumbledore," she rasped. He was surprised; everyone always said Dumbledore was the best. "Then who?" he said curiously. "Severus Snape," she said proudly, "is better a man, a wizard, and everything else than you will ever be." Voldemort gripped his wand tighter, "That conniving little traitor? Oh yes, the greatest wizard ever, obviously."

"Yes obviously!" she said, slowly propping herself up on one elbow. Her crude remarks annoyed him and he found himself using the Cruciatus Curse again; watching her writhe on the floor was almost pleasant, as he found all victims of the Cruciatus Curse a pleasant experience to watch. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms clamp on him from behind, "Surprise!" said a familiar voice from behind. Severus Snape had gotten hold of him and snapped his wand in half before he could do anything; what ensued was a very large, long fistfight. Dumbledore ran over and helped Rebecca up; "Where the hell did you come from?" said Rebecca weakly. "Er, now is not the time to ask," said Dumbledore, rushing over to put a full Body-Bind curse on Voldemort. "I think someone is going to enjoy a nice cell in Azkaban," said Rebecca softly.

* * *

Dumbledore filled Rebecca in on what had happened later on that night. "Severus came rushing up to my office and told me about what had happened at the Riddle house..." "Riddle house?" said Rebecca, "Oh. That rickety old house. That was Voldemort's?" "When he was a young man, yes," said Dumbledore. "And I took hold of his hand while he touched his Dark Mark; we both Apparated to Voldemort, he sneaked up behind Voldemort, grabbed his wand and snapped it deeming it useless, then proceeded to...well..." "Beat the hell out of him?" said Rebecca cheerfully. "Yes, I believe he's been wanting to do that for quite sometime now," said Dumbledore, "he never likes to fight with a wand when his opponent doesn't have one. I think he believes it too one-sided, although in this case I think he should have made an exception but I suppose his overwhelming sense of pride was a bit too much for him this time."

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone fight like that before," said Rebecca with a hint of admiration in her voice. "Either way, Voldemort should be safely in a cell in Azkaban by now, thanks to Severus' excellent plan of having a load of Aurors there. He should have gotten the Kiss of Death by now if things went as planned." "Good," said Rebecca. "You think it's all right for him to have his soul sucked out?" said Dumbledore. "Yes; he's destroyed enough souls in his lifetime that I think he needs to pay it back. I hope I never have to hear his name ever again," she said quietly. Dumbledore said nothing for a moment, then, "I think you and Severus should have a very long talk when he gets back." She let out a deep sigh, "I think you're right."

* * *

Two hours later Severus walked into his Potions classroom, feeling utterly exhausted. He'd just had a rather extensive talk with Dumbledore, and after all he'd been through, he simply wanted to sleep. He found, however, that someone was waiting in the room for him; "Hi," said Rebecca quietly. "Ah. Hello Rebecca," he said tiredly, "I'm very glad to see you're all right." She rushed up and hugged him around the waist, "I'm so lucky to know you." At first he froze with shock; no one had ever, ever said anything so complementing to him before. "Look, it's...it's not that big of a deal," he said. "Liar," she sobbed into his chest. For once, he admitted that she was right; it had been a big deal to him too. He'd been scared to death that Voldemort had killed her, but apparently the psychopath had been in one of his less violent moods. "This is the best birthday present ever," she said quietly. "What? Having your father's soul sucked out by a dementor?" he said. "No, knowing I've got someone like you to look out for me," she said.

"I never knew today was your birthday," he said, trying not to think too much about what she'd just said.

"Yeah, I'm twenty today."

"Twenty? Not nineteen? You said you were eighteen."

"Er...well, I kind of lied."

"Why would you lie about something like that?"

"Because if I had told Dumbledore I was nineteen he wouldn't have let me come here because he'd think me too old."

"Schemer."

"You think I'm clever, I know you do."

"I never said I didn't."

He paused for a minute, not sure if he should say it or not. Finally he decided that now was as good a time as any, even though he had no experience in this field. "Rebecca..."

"Yes?"

"Would you do me the honor of going out on a date with me?"

She giggled into his chest, "After the things we've been through, why don't we skip the dating and go straight to marriage?"

He grinned silently to himself.

He'd been thinking the exact same thing.

~Fin~