"A Ravenclaw? After all of this, and she is a neither Gryffindor or a Slytherin. She takes after her father so much, I would have thought she'd be...well, maybe not. Children aren't exact copies of their parents, after all. But she really does remind me of him when we were children together." As Lily prattled on to Professor McGonagall about lineage and personality traits, Asphodel tried really hard to ignore the fact that she was being talked about within earshot. Surely her own mother knew she couldn't stand it. Was it because of her age? No, everyone who knew her was aware that she wasn't the average eleven-year-old girl. Still...maybe she could divert the conversation a bit. She coughed a bit from her seat at the table and kept her dark eyes on the two women until they looked up at her. A smile twitched at one corner of her mouth.
"Not to worry Professor. At least you have my twin in your House." The elderly woman brightened.
"Yes, dear, that is very true. Although I'm afraid he may turn out to a little more lively than I would like. It seems there is a certain kind of boy that gets trouble into his mind from the moment he is born." Then she turned to Lily.
"I've been meaning to ask you. How does Severus feel about neither of his children making it into his House?" There was a pause, and Lily smiled.
"Actually, he reacted quite well."
"Really? That's unusual."
"Hmm. Well, not if you think about it harder, Minerva. There is quite an influence on children when it comes to which House they are in. Considering the way things are right now…" Minerva and Lily drew their heads together cryptically, and Asphodel knew they were talking about "You-Know-Who" and the Death Eaters again. She felt a bit offended. If she had been chosen for Slytherin, that shouldn't mean that she would be heavily influenced by the children of the Death Eaters. Her father would have kept her on a straight line. In fact, she had been counting on it. She got up from the table, not wanting to hear anymore.
As she slipped out of the door of the cottage, she couldn't decide whether she should look for her father or her twin brother, Albus. Maybe it was best to be alone for now. Her thoughts were all in a muddle. Why had she wanted to in Slytherin? Yes, her father was the head of that House, and yes, she actually knew some of the children in it. But she knew plenty of Gryffindors too. She and her brother were like Hogwarts mascots. Really, it could be a trifle embarrassing at times. They were the only children who lived there all year around, even in the summer. Their cottage was just outside, on the grounds across from Hagrid's hut. They had been raised there, and knew nothing else. Muggles were actually more like a myth than real people. She and her twin were the children of Severus and Lily Snape, the professors. To curb confusion, Lily was called Professor Lily, which was very unorthodox, but because of Severus's reputation, she couldn't become another Professor Snape, and have anyone take it seriously, considering how sweet she was compared to him. Years ago, before she and her brother were born, she was actually Lily Potter. But a horrible incident, involving the infamous Voldemort, had shattered the family she used to have. The twins had a secret lost half-brother named Harry. Ever since the two had found out about it, they had created their own stories about him, developing him into an imaginary friend of sorts. That was something neither of their parents knew about. Albus liked the idea of another brother, "a ghost brother" he called him. However, he could never get used to the idea that their mother had been married to another man before their father. Asphodel found it intriguing, and had done secret research on James Potter. He seemed to be the exact opposite of Severus, something that interested her even more. Normally, a child would be a bit disturbed by these things, but she was different.
Another thing she and her brother were fascinated by was Voldemort. There were constant whispers that a certain prophecy hadn't been fulfilled when their half-brother Harry had been killed. He was still looking for the Chosen one. And some, if not most, thought that either Asphodel or Albus were his target. Of course, their mother denied it. She couldn't stand the idea that all children she had would be hunted down. Even it were true, they were safe in Hogwarts. They had Albus's namesake, the great wizard Dumbledore to keep them safe. Not to mention all of the other strong wizards and witches behind these walls, including their mother and father, both of which would lay down their lives for them.
Many did not see Severus as the protective or loving type, but Asphodel knew. She had seen proof of it.
Once when she and Albus and been around nine years old, they had strayed into the Forbidden Forest. They of course knew that it was full of dangers, but really, if you want to keep children out of a place, you should call it something less enticing. They had been hoping to see a unicorn or a centaur. She couldn't remember what had attacked them, or if anything even had, but burned in her memory was the reaction of her father. His eyes had been so fierce it had frightened her, but when she thought back on it later, it hadn't been entirely out of anger. He had been afraid for them. She could still feel the warmth of his dark robes covering her and her brother, and the strange tone his voice had taken. She remembered how fast his heart beat was when he had pushed them down the path, and how his hands had trembled on her small shoulders. Afterward, she and Albus had whispered about it, safe and warm in their beds. They had thought he may have over-reacted a bit. But later on that year, Hagrid had mentioned a rumor of a dragon couple that had used their forest for a nesting ground. He had thought in unusual, as most dragons laid eggs in caves, and pondered aloud about the magical properties of the forest attracting creatures of all kinds.
Asphodel wondered if her father had seen any proof of them being there. Could he have been that frightened over a rumor? But that wasn't the only time she had seen him lose his calm over them. Their mother once told them it was because they were precious to him and he couldn't stand the idea of losing them. Albus had blushed at the thought, but Asphodel had thoughtfully closed her eyes, and slept harder that night than any other in a long time.
Thinking back on it now, she wondered where she could find him. It was dark out, and the stars gleamed brightly. They had been Sorted a mere three hours ago, and should really be in bed. The feast was over, and Albus had gone to the Gryffindor common room with the others. Asphodel was supposed to be with the other Ravenclaws, but for some reason, she had found herself walking back home. Her mother had greeted her, finding nothing wrong with the fact that she wasn't where she supposed to be, and they had talked for awhile about her House before Professor McGonagall had come in. She couldn't have approved that the girl wasn't in the castle with the others, but she hadn't said anything in front of Lily. Really, Asphodel had been waiting for her father to come home. She wanted to know how he truly felt about her being placed in a House that wasn't in the family. She still wondered why the hat had chosen it. He had taken a record five minutes before deciding, and she remembered looking out from under the brim at her parents while she was waiting. They had looked a bit quizzical. When the hat had finally shouted "RAVENCLAW!" her thoughts had been ambivalent. Somewhere, in her secret heart, she'd wanted Slytherin. But only because her father was one, and the head of that House. She knew that she wouldn't have gotten special attention, since Severus was very professional about mixing his personal life with his scholastic one. But he still favored Slytherin's above others. He didn't care a snit about Ravenclaws. She knew she was being silly, but she was still a child after all, and could not help some of these thoughts. Hadn't she seen proof of his love for her? If so, then why did she still seek his approval above all else? She felt fulfilled with her mother, but it was easy to be "cup half full" with her. Severus Snape was a different matter entirely. According to light-hearted whispers from the staff, he had changed since marrying Lily and having children. Apparently, he had been much more difficult before then. Asphodel shuddered to think of it. She did know a side of him that others didn't, but he was still very severe and fixated on control most of the time. Lily had softened him up a little, but it was the difference between solid stone and hard clay. One was only a bit more flexible than the other, and even then, you had to have the right tools to work with.
Asphodel had climbed up the hill to Hogwarts, a bit exhilarated that she had not been caught by now. Perhaps it was because it was uncharacteristic of her to sneak away. Even the Forbidden Forest incident had been mostly her brother's idea.
Now she had reached a side door into the castle. This led to the lower levels, including the dungeons. She knew it well. The door was locked for the night, but she took out her wand and whispered "Alohomora." It opened easily. Then she used Lumos to light her way through the halls that weren't lit at night. When she had reached a set of stairs that went down to the potions classroom, she felt a bony hand grab her roughly. For an instant, she thought it was her father, but then realized the grip was too painful. She struggled out of instinct.
"Well, a child of Snape lurking in the dungeons. How interesting... Trying to get to the Slytherin common room? You know they won't let you in, Ravenclaw." Mr. Filch was trying to lead her back the way she had come, but she was putting up a fight.
"Let me go, Flitch! I just wanted to see...my father." Her last words were quiet. She had almost shouted them, when she realized how passionate she had sounded about it. She blushed behind her long black hair.
"Ah, Daddy's girl, eh? You think the mean 'ol Potions master will let you in? Aren't you his special little one?" Asphodel felt a slow rage building up, and tried her hardest to swallow it. But she was still too young to have that amount of control. She waved her wand in his face, muttering a few words, and he pulled back.
"What have you done, you horrible child? What hex is this?" Argus Filch was a squib, and even though he worked at Hogwarts, he had never really learned any of the spells very well. He brought his hand to his nose, and it started to run with long strings of uncontrollable snot. She had used "Mucus Ad Nauseam" the Curse of the Bogies. It was a childish spell, and really quite revolting in action, but Filch had a difficult time reprimanding her when his nose was gushing mucus. She hid her mouth behind her hand with a laugh that sounded more like a cough. Down the hallway, a small door opened. She had been close to her father's storage cupboard. He must have been working on stocking potion ingredients. It was a constant job, and if he didn't do it at least every couple of days, he would be there for hours. She heard him whisper "Lumos", and his wand burst into light. It shone straight into Filch's eyes, which made his current condition look even more gruesome.
"Ah, Argus. You can let her pass. She has business with me." The old caretaker sniffed mightily, and threw himself forward in a mock bow at Severus. The action canceled out the sniffing and his nose leaked a puddle on the floor. When he straightened up and turned on his heel, he slipped a little, and almost fell down. Asphodel really did laugh this time, and she was pleased to see a smirk on her father's face. He turned back down the hall, his hand lightly on her back, leading her through the darkness. They reached the potion cupboard, its warm light flickering on the stone walls. She sat down on a tiny stool, used for the shelves in the middle. Severus made his way back up the ladder and resumed his inventory work. She saw that he didn't really have to stock anything, since the school year had not begun yet. He was merely checking his long list. She wondered why had to do it now, of all times? Why wasn't he home? Then a horrible thought entered her mind. What if he really was upset that neither of his children had made it into Slytherin? What if he didn't want to talk to her? She was quiet as he scanned the shelves for small bottles of eel's eyes, and checked it off on the his long list.
"So," he said softly. (Though it still startled her.) "Practicing your hexes on Filch, are you? He won't remain silent about that, you know."
"But it's only Filch. And who is he going to tell? Professor Dumbledore?" Her tone was arrogant, and she clamped her mouth shut. She almost never talked to her father like this. What was wrong with her? He paused, his hand stopping on a bottle. Her stomach flipped over as he slowly turned around to look at her. To her surprise, his eyes held more amusement than anger.
"I suppose you are right. It is...only Filch. But why the hex?"
"He grabbed me, father. And he was trying to lead me back outside when I was looking for you. I just used the first hex I could think of."
"Well…" he said slowly. "Just as long as you are not using them too lightly. Even in small amounts, magic should not be wasted."
"Yes, Father." She said quietly. She wasn't aware that one could "waste" magic. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was just didn't know how to scold her this time. It was silent for a moment or two. Then he asked her how many bags of snake fangs he had. They were just behind her, and she counted them.
"About...40...That seems like enough."
"It's more than enough. It's ridiculous. I didn't think I had quite that many." He shrugged and made a mark on the parchment.
"Where do all the snakes come from?" She asked childishly. When he answered, she could hear amusement in his voice.
"They are a common enough snake, though their venom is still powerful. I don't poach them myself, if that's what you are asking." She laughed quietly.
"No, I wasn't asking that." After another moment of silence, he asked:
"I wonder, why are you not in your common room with the other Ravenclaws?" Asphodel was struck into silence. She had no idea how to answer him.
"I...I just…" she faltered. Severus turned back to his shelves, giving her a chance to gather her thoughts. But it didn't really help. After minutes passed by, she could still only answer with a weak,
"I don't know."
"I see." He paused, marking the parchment with a scribble that seemed too loud for the tiny room.
"It doesn't seem wise, daughter."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you are going to be spending seven years with them. On your first night, you have already singled yourself out. Some of them...may think are quite full of yourself."
She hadn't thought of that.
"I don't...I'm not... "
"I'm only warning you. Given your circumstances, many of them will think you are getting special treatment. Being the child of two professors… And they are Ravenclaws. They think and dwell on things like that."
Asphodel squirmed on the stool. He was making her feel much worse than she had since she's been Sorted. She almost told him that she didn't feel like a Ravenclaw, but that seemed like it would be silly to say out loud.
"What should I do, Father?"
He shrugged, looking for all the world like he didn't care either way.
"It's your choice. I myself was rather aloof from the other children in my years here. Except your mother, of course." He said this last part with a fond tone. "I didn't really care about making a lot of friends back then. It's only now that… Well, you can choose what you want to do about it." He was quiet after that, and she had a long time to think. She didn't want the other students to dislike her, but she wondered how many friends she really could make. She had a lot of her father's characteristics, which were not very likable. Her brother would make friends much easier. His smile and laughter came much more often and didn't need to be coaxed out like hers did. She still had a sense of humor, but it was bit more dry. However, she had been influenced by her mother, whom she loved dearly. Lily was everyone's ray of sunshine, and no one, even her father, could be gloomy for long around her. She wasn't perfect of course, but she found the goodness in every person and situation, and she smiled often. Her eyes were full of love for her friends and family. It was true that years ago, after she had lost Harry and James, she had been in state of depression, but it hadn't lasted long. She knew that they wouldn't want her to give up on life. Their father, as dark as his humor was, was able to help her though it. Not many people knew how, except for Lily. When Asphodel asked her about it soon after finding out, she had simply said: "He was just...there." It made sense that after you lose someone, you depend on someone else to be living, breathing. Still, Asphodel wasn't sure how her mother had not just stayed depressed. It was true that her father had a smile reserved just for Lily, (she'd seen it more than once) but was that all she had needed?
Asphodel nodded off on the little stool, her mind a jumble of things much too complex for a child. Sometimes she wished she could just think about candy and jokes like Albus did. She slipped into a light sleep, lulled by the soft sounds of clinking glass and rustling parchment.
After what felt like hours, she felt a warm weight on her head. She was startled into wakefulness, and looked up into her father's black eyes. They were soft and amused.
"I'm going home." He stepped off the last rung of the ladder and took his hand from her head.
"Would you care to come with me? Or would you rather sleep in the cupboard all night?" He gave her a rare smile. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
"Do you think...I should go be with the other Ravenclaws?"
"If you are up to climbing up to the tower. I wouldn't recommend it, daughter. Everything is locked up by now, anyway."
"All right." She got up from the stool and followed him out of the little room. While he locked the door, he suggested that she slip into the dining hall in the morning before anyone else.
"Why?"
"It will give them something to think about." She just smiled at him, and when they made their way down the dark hall, illuminated by his wand, she slipped her small hand into his. The smile stayed on her lips when she realized that he wasn't letting go.