Being a portrait in the headmistress's office was interesting, to say the very least. Time alway seemed to pass very fast seemed to go very fast.
Before Severus Snape's Portrait knew it had been around seven years since he had died. But he still found himself very shocked when an elder looking Harry Potter rushed in looking estactic after the birth of another son, he looked older than the seventeen that he was fixed in Severus mind as being. Headmisstress McGonagall informed Severus at a later time that he was now in his twenties. Potter had come in with as simply huge smile on his face. Severus had watched as Minivera sat up fast and asked
"Has Ginny given birth?" Potter nodded still out of breath from running up all those stairs,but none the less he still had a huge grin on his face, Severus tried to remeber if he had even seen Potter that happy. No, he hadn't, mind you, Potter and himself had never really gotten along well. He still looked the same. Still had his fathers' messy hair, uncontrolable, through it was just below his ears shorter than the last time Severus had seen it. His eyes (Lilys' eyes) were the same, through there was a hint of laughter lines around them now. He would be 24, maybe 25 now. Surely it hadn't been that long.
"Yes, a little boy, I came to ask some things of you and some of your portraits," He explained and Minvera McGonagall smiled and indicated that he should sit down and offered him a ginger newt from her biscuit tin. Potter took the biscuit, but only sat for a moment before jumping up again, to face Albus Dumbledore's portrait.
"Professor, would you mind if we used your name?" Severus caught Minvera smiling, and watched as she quickly raised a hand to cover it. Severus snickered how typical of Potter to ask for permisson to use a dead mans name. Perfect Harry potter, who could do no wrong. To no ones suprise Dumbledore chuckled.
"Of course, Harry," But Severus scowled, and let out a loud grunt of irritation. Harry spun around to face him, and to Severus suprise he was smiling at him.
"And you, Professor Snape, may I use your name, as well?" Severus blinked, once, twice. Then he paused, at first wondering if should once more remind Potter to call him 'sir', then after a moment or two dismissed the idea. Instead he tried to get his emotions under he sat for awhile wondering why Harry just kept starring at him,sort of , thats right, he would want an answer Severus thought to himself.
"Fine, only you'd be stupid enough to ask for permisson anyway Potter. What would you do if I had said no? Never mind, don't even bother to answer that. " He snapped, "Now, may I go back to sleep?" He was trying very hard not to show how touched he was, maybe there was a bit of Lily Evans in James Potters' son after all.
"Thank you, Porfessor, I thought maybe you would, I mean..... you might like to see a photo too, just quickly." Potter held up a photo to his portrait. It showed a little baby, tiny, and bald, eyes closed, but waving a chubby fist at him. Then, the tiny smudge of a child opened his very green eyes. Severus gasped. Her eyes. he aburtly walked out of his portrait. Unforunately, he could still hear everything that was going on. He heard Potter say to Minvera.
"Albus Severus Potter, it has a ring to it doesn't it, Professor?"
"It does, Potter, it ceratainly does,"
"Ginny and I..er...we wanted to know if..?"
"Yes, Potter, what is it?"
"Would you be his Godmother?" Then Severus heard Minveras chocked reply. A yes, of course. She was probarly as touched as Severus felt right now. Yet, Somehow, he still couldn't bring myself to like James Potters son. He just looked too much like James. Still, those eyes would haunt him for all eternity....
Another example of how fast time went, is when Hermione weasley came in with a tiny little girl in hand.
"Ah Hermione, you brought Rose, I so hoped you would," Rose must be the child Severus thought, she looked very much like her father. Delicate red hair, down to her chin. Suprisingly straight, which was especially odd when you considered how frizzy Hermione's hair was. There must have been an early snow judging by the clothes the child was wearing, a knitted dark blue beanie, sitting on top of her hair. A blue traveling coat pulled over her shoulders, and a good pair of sturdy boots on her feet.
"Of course, Ron's hopeless with her, takes her flying. She's far too young to be flying," Said Hermione and she pulled her own dark blue gloves off her hands, the proceeded to remove Rose's gloves, and travelling coat. The little girl was well behaved and very quiet. Most children her age weren't, he had learnt this through his own limited exprience with supposed this was Hermiones influence.
"Where's little Hugo?" Was Minvera's next question.
"Oh, with Molly, she was all too happy to take him. So which class did you want me to cover today?"So Hermione Granger was doing releif work for Minvera. With brains like hers, it didn't suprise him.
"Oh, today you'll be doing Anicent Runes, here's your class list, and everything you'll need. Have a nice day I'll see you at lunch, Hermione,"
"Okay see you then, if you have any probelms with Rosie let me know," At this point Hermione knelt down to look her daughter in the eyes.
"Be good for Aunt Min," Severus bit back a chuckle at this point, Aunt Min, now theres a joke if he had ever heard one. Rose nodded big eyes solmen.
"Bye Mummy," The little girl said in a high voice, kissing her girl, Rose, seemed to be very much like her mother, at least thats how it seemed to Severus. A polite little child, quiet, and smart too, he would guess.
"See you later Rosie, be good," said Hermione, as she left the room.
"Well, Rose, what would you like to do today?" Minvera said taking the small girls hand leading her out into the corridor. Rose smiled up at McGonagall.
"Can I see Hogwarts, Aunty? Since I won't be able to come here for such a longtime. " It seemed so strange to him that Hermione Granger was grown up, married and with children of her own. He felt like it would never happen, but of course time went on. Wether you were alive or not. Little Rose Weasley would learn that lesson, he knew that before long she too would be here.
But even Severus got a shock the day an eleven year old Draco Malfoy entered the headmistress' office. He blinked, trying to stop halluinciating. Then it clicked. This was Draco's son. With a black eye, he was closly followed by a girl he had seen many times over the years, Rose Weasley, and a boy whom Severus could only assume was Albus Potter. Albus had a black eye, and a bleeding lip. Rose was un-injured. Minvera McGonagall sighed, loudly.
"It is only the second day of the school year, and already you have been sent to me, for muggle dueling. What was the cause of this, Miss Weasley?" Minvera asked her voice stern. Which of course it had to be, despite that Minvera had a close bond with Albus Potter and a even closer one with little Rose weasley. Whom Severus noticed was wearing Ravenclaw robes, as was Draco's son. A malfoy in a house that wasn't Slytherin, and a weasley not in Gryffindor. That was a shock to his system.
Rose sighed, and Severus noted that in this way at least she looked and sounded incredibly like her mother, and he could of sworn he saw a very un-minvera like twinkle in Minvera's eyes.
"Well, Professor, you see, Scorpius and I we were in the library looking up information on the stunning spell. Al came to find me to show me something he had gotten from auntie Ginny, and when he saw Scorpius.. well... Dad mentioned a few times that he, mum and uncle Harry hadn't got along with Scorpius' dad very much, and, Al has auntie Ginny's temper, so fist's flew." Rose finished now looking at feet, her ears were glowing bright red (Severus thought she bore a striking resemblance to her father and her grandfather at this point). Minvera sighed, and breifly looked to the heavens as if asking for strengh.
"Well, Mr Malfoy, what do you have to say about all this?" Draco's son, Scorpius, paused obvisouly trying to collect his thoughts togehtor.
"It happened exactly as Rose said it did, Professor,I don't have much to add, other than the fact that Albus and I both tried to hit eachother at the same time," Severus raised his eyebrows and met Albus dumbledores eyes, some one (probarly his mother) had raised Scorpius Malfoy very different from every other malfoy Severus had ever McGonagall obvisouly thought so too, she looked spectical but said no more to Scorpius.
"Mr Potter.." How much she must have said that over the years, Severus thought, dozens upon dozens of times, not just with Harry Potter, but with James Potter senior and junior.
"What is your view of these events?" Albus Potter swallowed loudly, aparently nervous.
"I threw the first fist, Professor, Scorpius just retailated, " Minvera nodded.
"Well, you two boys seemed too have inheirted an old grudge, I imploy you both to let the war your parents waged against eachother here die. I know they all have." She regarded all three sternly and dismissed them with three nights worth of dententions. When they had left Minvera turned to face him.
"Severus, do you think I should tell Ron, Harry and Mr Malfoy Junior to keep their grudges to themselves, or should I just let their children war it out like they themselves did?" Severus smiled at Minvera.
"Well, thinking of the look Miss weasley threw Mister Malfoy, I daresay they'll sort it out themselves," He answered dryly.
Being the headmistress had changed Minvera alot, Severus reflected one day. Watching Minvera smile at a joke, Albus (Dumbledore) had told her. At that moment the door to Minvera's study flew open, a panting Neville Longbottom flew in, looking more harrassed than he had done since the days of Severus potions classes. Minvera instantly sat up and looked sternly at Neville. Severus had a feeling Minvera had never forgotten she had taught Longbottom, because the look she sent Neville was that of a schoolmisstress starring down a rather grubby pupil, despite the plans she had informed all of the portraits that she had for Neville.
"Yes, Longbottom, what is it?"
"Rose Weasley...Scorpius Malfoy..." He panted, Severus watched as Professor McGonagall sat up a little straighter. Waiting for Longbottom to catch his breath, the rest of the room seemed to be waiting with baited breathe. Severus exchanged a look with Minvera perhaps this was what they had been waiting for..?
"Yes, Neville?"
"Scorpius and Rose, I caught them snogging up against my private greenhouse," He gasped out. Minvera smiled, meeting Severus eyes. They both nodded, them had been expecting this.
"well, could you please find Rose and get her to come see me please, Neville?" Severus chuckled as a blank look took over Longbottoms face, as he nodded and left the room.
"Its a year earlier than I thought, drat," Severus muttered to himself as they waited for Rose Weasley to go see her 'Aunt' McGonagall. When Rose entered, Severus could see she was looking visibly apprehensive. Her waist lenght red hair was messed up quite a change from its normal state of perfection, there was even some twigs in it, the buckle of her cloak was undone, allowing Severus to note that her blouse had obvisiously been buttoned up wrong. He smirked, the head girl got caught out. Now, Rose had progessed to chewing on her bottom lip, a habit Severus knew she had inheirted from her mother. Minvera sighed, but Severus caught her wink at all of the portraits.
"Rosie, sit down," Rose oblidged, still looking nervous, despite the use of her childhood nickname.
"What I'm about to say to you is not to leave these walls, because I'm about to say to you as a niece, or a grandaughter, not a student." At this point Rose nodded, she was no longer nervous but Severus could see the confusion in her eyes. Minvera, Severus noted was now starting to look quite nervous.
"Rosie, I have known you all your life, I taught your parents, your uncles and your aunts. I was only a few years older that your grandparents, I know all of their prejudices. What I say now, I say as a warning. Be careful how you tell your family about Scorpius, there are a lot of old prejudices still floating around. You are like a grandaughter to me, and I would hate to see you crumble to your family's wants, rather than your own," Minvera was blushing now and Severus sat amased he had been taught by McGonagall, had sevred next to her as a teacher for many a year, and now guided her along with her duties as a heasdmistress. He had never seen Minvera McGonagall blush.
"Furthermore," she went on to say ignoring Rose who had been about to say something. "I must say Rose, I hope I can trust you, I know that you and Scorpius have your own qaurters as head students, but to be painfully honest I know that you will be using this to, well..erm... procreate... But I'm not going to ask for the truth. Because quite frankly I think that old women of seventy five quite often forget what it is like to be young women of seventeen. Also, I don't want to know, I will have to look your parents in the eyes sometime, Rose." There was a long uncomfortable pause, in which Severus watched as Minvera spun around and he was quite sure wiped her eyes. Rose was looking at her feet.
"Auntie?" Minvera spun around slightly red around the eyes. Severus could almost laugh as she watch Rose Weasley struggle to find her courage to say what she was about to say.
"Auntie," She continued,"you can trust us. But, um...how do I tell Daddy?" This time Severus did laugh, only to be shot down by glares from both Rose and Minvera.
It was only a few days into the summer holidays when an irate Hermione Granger burst into Minvera's study. Through her hair and clothes were perfect. She was not happy, Minvera had been mid way through reading her paper, looked up. Severus chuckled, and Hermione shot a glare at him. Evidently she had been informed about Rose and Scorpius. Breifly he wondered who was more upset in that Rose or her parents?
"I see that Rose has told you?" Minvera said looking up from her newspaper. Severus hid another chuckle behind his hands. Hermione sat down apparently lost for words. That was a first thing Severus noticed. But the silence didn't last.
"Scorpius Malfoy?! I knew they were friends. Infact, Rose, Hugo and I used to refer to him as Sally infront of Ron! But to date a malfoy, even if he is different from his dad, which there is no doubt that he is. Ron is fit to be tied." Minvera sighed.
"How did she tell you?" Severus saw Hermione grimace. This was obvisiously going to be bad, he could just see it coming, by the look on Hermione Weasleys' face.
"Ron asked her who she was going to see every day. Rose said that she was going to see her boyfriend. Ron went red and asked who," At this point, Hermione, Severus, and Minvera all winced, remebering what Ron had been like when Ginny had started dating, let alone what it would be like with his own daughter.
"And Rose said Scorpius Malfoy, and Ron broke the plate he was holding. He had a screaming fit, wanting to know how long. Then Rosie said that they had been banging like windchimes in a hurricane for about two years now. Ron at this point passed out, and I lost my temper, yelled at her and came here. What on earth am I going to do?,"
Severus lost himself to full blown laughter at this point (Banging like windchimes in a hurricane). Despite very frightening glares from Minvera and Hermione, I mean, what exactly could they do to him, he was already dead and by the looks of this conversation Rose Weasley wasn't long from it. The color of both Hermiones' and Minveras' face resembled beetroot.
"I see, I suppose she could of done it more tactfully. But it was going to go dreadfully wrong either way. Ronald was never gonna like the idea of his little girl dating anyone, especailly not a Malfoy," Minvera pointed out. Hermione to her credit did acknowledge this.
"Yes, but she couldn't have chosen anyone less apropriate unless it was Severus Snape himself!" Hermione blurted out, Severus went red, obvisiously the mistreatment of Gryffindors in Potions had not gone unnoticed to the point that even after all these years it appeared Hermione still held a grudge. Severus cleared his thoart. Hermione ignored him blantly.
"Rose told Ron to his face that Draco didn't have a probelm with it, and well, I found that hard to believe. You remeber what we all like at school, Malfoy the amazing boucing ferret!" At that memory Hermione breifly smiled. While both Severus and Minvera winced.
"So why would his only son to date the daughter of the flithy mudblood" Everyone but Phineas winced, ".. Granger!"
"Well," Severus began speaking to Hermione for the first time since they she was his student.
"Quite simply, the war gave Draco the biggest lifestyle change he'd ever exprienced. From what I've heard ever since then he has done everything in his power to disassociate himself with the dark arts, he even sold Malfoy Manor. Which had been in the family since the sixteenth century," Severus heard the door open but didn't want to break eye contact with Hermione. This was the one chance to get the message through to her.
"When Draco's father died. Too many bad memories. Personally I think his secretly thrilled at the thought of his son doing the one thing he would have never dreamed of at that age. To Draco, it's the finally step to step away from pureblood mania, and Lord Voldemort," There was a incredibly long slience after he stopped speaking. Minvera sighed, gesturing for a seemingly calm Hermione to sit down. Hermione then proceeded to put her head in her hands, and Sverus finally saw who had crept in the room during his speech. It was Draco Malfoy himself. He was very red.
"Professor Snape is right," He said quietly, no sign of his usaul arrogrance. Both Hermione and Minvera jumped a mile high, neither had been watching the door.
"This is sort of like my payment for your husband and Potter saving my life all those years ago. Obvisiously unintennional since I can't control who my son falls for. But, I tried my hardest to raise him a good boy, I never taught him to call muggle-borns flithly names. I wanted the plague of malfoy pureblood manaics to be over. My father tried to interfere so Scorpius never visted him. My mother saw my side, as did my wife. When he went to Hogwarts,he never picked on a single muggle born infact he even had a few over in the summer holidays. I still didn't even consider this would happen until about third year, when I spotted a letter Scorp had written to his mother in secret. He had a crush on his best friend and wanted advice. I caught the name, a weasley. But I only caught the last name and that she and Scorp were in the same house. I already knew through my work in the minstry that their was only one Weasley not in Gryffindor. Hermione Grangers- sorry, I forget- Hermione Weasleys' daughter Rose. I carefully watched her at the platform that year and every year afterwards, the glances she would sneak to my son, and him to her. It was only a matter of time. Then, three days ago Scorpius told me, he wondered why I wasn't surpirsed. I said that this was finally the way to make it right, I did a lot of things that I regret now. This is my way of retecifying my past mistakes., letting your daughter be with my son with out my families prejudice and those of my past get in my way." Draco was blushing and Severus was sure he saw Draco leak a tear or two. He and the women in the office pretended not to notice. Severus could see that Hermione was still trying to get her head around all of that. After a long pause, Severus saw Hermione meet Dracos' eyes and they both stood up and began towards the door.
"Well," She said very quietly and they went through
"I think, if you have room at your house Rosie should perhaps, if it is alright with you, stay there till Ron calms down-"
"My pleasure..." There voices disapeared down the into the corridor and Severus chuckled.
"Banging like windchimes in a hurricane. What a laugh!"
Several years later Minvera joined their ranks, and the new headmaster, Neville Longbottom told them with a gleeful smile that Rose Malfoy had just had a little girl named Minvera, or, as she was later nicknamed,Minnie. Al Potter was the godfather. How typical, Severus thought to himself. Semtimental types all those Potters, and now it seemed they had roped the malfoys into it as well. No telling what these times would bring. But at least he knew he would have plently of time to comtemplate them. He laughed, and surely their would be many more malfoys to see. After all Rose and Scorpius Malfoy were obvisiously banging like windchimes in a hurricane.
THE END.
13th of March 2009