Okay, before my followers burn me alive and scatter my ashes on a dump site, please listen. Yes, I have created a new story without working on my last 2 stories in nearly a year...Shame on me, I know. But understand that this is the FIRST of ANYTHING I have written in nearly a year; I believed I had lost it. Last year, I had the battle of my entire life. My son was internationally parentally abducted to a foreign country, and all of my energy went into bureaucratic diplomatic policies in order to have my child rightfully returned. He has been home for a few months (miracles happen!), but I am so beat down in every way imaginable. Adrenal fatigue, depression, call it what you will. So, the fact that I am writing anything at all after so long of nothing...it means I'm coming back. I need to write in order to create more juice. I need more juice to be motivated on my previous stories. I DO plan on continuing them. I will persevere!
I have been reading my son Harry Potter, and of course it has motivated me. This little story idea kept popping into my mind, so I knew I had to sit down and write it out. This is my attempt to give Snape a happy story, because I HATED when he died. The only thing that is my own making is the OC, Isobel. This is a romance story, because I don't know how to write anything else.
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Hogwarts: 3rdYear
In a magical school in an unknown location somewhere in Scotland, two wizards argued in a large, circular room filled with fascinating objects and funny little noises.
A few nights prior, Sirius Black, a wanted fugitive on the run from the Dementors of Azkaban, had made his escape despite being in custody. He had been on the cusp of execution, and Severus Snape, the potions professor of Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry, simply knew to the marrow of his bone that Harry Potter had had something to do with it. Yet, Dumbledore insisted on posturing to the boy.
Snape made a vow to himself that he would let Potter know his full wrath the rest of the year for his dratted interference! His fists clenched the rail under the alcove looking over Dumbledore's desk as he closed his eyes and breathed heavily. As always, Dumbledore's calm presence was a balm to soothe his tortured soul.
Gently, Albus Dumbledore looked upon his potions professor all too knowingly and said, "Severus, you need to let go of this anger."
Unclenching his fists, he straightened and responded in his signature emotionless drawl, "You know I can't." He began to walk away from Dumbledore when the conversation turned in the direction of his personal angst. This was an age-old battle of wills they were both comfortably familiar with.
Just as Snape was sweeping down the steps, a brass frog paperweight on the desk flared white and the Head of Gryffindor's voice echoed eerily off the cavernous room, "Albus? Are you in your office?"
Snape remained rooted to the spot as Dumbledore flowed down the other side of the stairs, answering as he moved, "Yes, Minerva. I'm here with Severus."
There was a short pause. Then the voice continued, "Maybe it's for the best. I'm just leaving my office now. Filch had portraits notify me of an urgent situation at the front entrance that requires our attention. Severus, you should come as well. Yes, I think it's for the best."
Snape's black eyes landed on Dumbledore as the frog returned to its lackluster appearance. Dumbledore explained airily at Snape's expression, "Protean Charm." Snape's eyebrows nearly extended to his hairline.
He then wordlessly followed the Headmaster to see what had irritated Filch for the umpteenth time.
With their speed, the two wizards caught up to Professor Minerva McGonagall in the entrance hall where she was quietly speaking to Argus Filch, Hogwarts caretaker. He was standing awkwardly by the front doors, which was quite unlike his usual abrasive mannerism.
Snape's lip curled as he pointedly ignored Filch, an impossible Squib.
McGonagall, exasperated at last, threw her hands in the air and glanced over her shoulder upon hearing footsteps. Relief flashed in her eyes and she urgently pressed the Headmaster, "Albus, come now, there's a child on the doorsteps." Snape stumbled at these unexpected words as Dumbledore's face contorted into one of obvious dismay. "Filch couldn't be bothered to invite the poor child inside."
And with a whip of her robes, she opened the doors and waltzed outside, with the two wizards close on her determined heels. Snape brought up the rear and watched as Minerva's hand flew to her mouth in shocked sorrow at the pitiful form of a small girl tense and hunched in on herself as if to escape her surroundings. There was a shabby, tiny suitcase on the steps beside her.
Snape remained back and aloof. These situations were not his area. Let the two with the bleeding hearts take over.
McGonagall looked at the girl who was so lost in her own misery that she had not even noticed the wizards and witch that surrounded her. She was so overwhelmed with emotion that she couldn't speak. It was obvious that the girl had been dropped off.
Dumbledore was the one who stepped into the young girl's peripheral vision. With as much kindness as Dumbledore could inflect into his normally kind voice, he addressed the abandoned child, "Excuse me, young lady, may I have a word?"
Sniffling suddenly, shocked and embarrassed at the audience, the young girl could only stare up at the old and wizened man. When she said nothing, Dumbledore nodded his head, "May I sit beside you?"
The girl didn't say anything, but she also didn't object.
Dumbledore smiled, and his eyes twinkled, then he sat slowly beside her, as if she were a mouse about to scurry at the slightest noise. "Do you know where you are?"
The girl was staring intensely at Dumbledore. She was extremely pale with straight black hair that contrasted severely with her skin tone. Her eyes were large bottomless pits of black surrounded by thick dark lashes almost too pretty to be real. There was a solemnity surrounding her that sent a twinge of painful familiarly through Dumbledore's mind.
Something in his calm acceptance must have broke through the fragile guard the girl had erected around herself. Her voice, so small that Snape had to strain to hear, whispered across the air surrounding the group. "No. I just know that I was there, and now I'm here."
"Where was there?" Dumbledore was following along with the child. He was exceedingly patient when the need arose. Minerva knew Dumbledore was the perfect person for this situation, so she let him take the lead. She stood there, hands clasped in front of her, looking less severe than she usually did.
Slowly, the girl said, "I was home." Her brows drew together in confusion.
"Where is your home?" Taking a guess based on her accent, Dumbledore added another question. "What country?"
"America…".
Professor McGonagall created a gasp when she inhaled sharply. Dumbledore threw a meaningful glance at the witch. They all realized that American Magical Schools sent out letters of acceptance as well, however, they did not make attendance mandatory, and they rarely, if ever, checked on children sent letters that did not attend school. Far too liberal on "rights of choice" without taking into consideration that untrained magical children were a danger to society. It was entirely probable that this girl had no idea she was a witch.
"How old are you Ms…?" Dumbledore allowed his question to hang in the air, hoping for a name in return. They all held their breath in anticipation to see if she would be trusting enough to give them more personal information about herself. They were also curious to know if she were even old enough to attend Hogwarts yet. She hardly appeared older than nine or ten.
Luckily, the young girl was just as determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. "My name is Isobel. Just Isobel. And I'm 13." Eyes hopping from face to face, she queried slowly, "Do I have to be a certain age to be here?"
Quickly, to ease potential worries, Minerva interjected, "You're fine, dear. We were just wondering."
Solemn dark eyes rested blankly on the older witch's face. The girl really was rather serious, Dumbledore thought to himself, another face quickly lapsing into his memory. He internally shook the thought away and smiled down at her.
"Did you know you were a witch?" Showing the most emotion within their exchange, Isobel looked sharply at Dumbledore, with a very suspicious glint in her eyes.
"Albus!" the older witch admonished softly, but sharply.
Isobel stared down at her shoes peeking out from the skirts of her black dress before answering. "I didn't know it was called being a witch. I knew that I was different, but that was all." She opened her mouth to say more but decided against it.
Professor McGonagall exclaimed over the awkward silence by pointing toward the suitcase, "There's a letter attached to the suitcase Dumbledore. Now if you all don't mind, I think we can all take this inside and get this poor girl a warm cup of tea." Even standing above him, the stern witch managed to stare pointedly at him over the rim of her spectacles.
Standing up, the wizard reached down and grabbed the letter which was addressed simply "Headmaster". Seeing as how the letter was addressed to his position, Dumbledore pulled out the letter and quickly read through the contents. His facial expression changed not one iota, revealing nothing.
Minerva gently ushered the girl up and grabbed the suitcase, which she promptly handed over to Severus, who reluctantly accepted. They both listened to the hushed words disappear inside as they talked animatedly to the reserved girl.
Snape turned as if to disappear himself inside the castle when Dumbledore's voice halted him, "Severus, come with me. We need to talk." He stared after the Headmaster with a knot in his stomach, unsure why he dreaded following the much older wizard back to his office.
But rather than take him to his office beyond the gargoyle, Dumbledore headed into the dungeons to his own office. It was a shadowy and miserable office lined with all kinds of unmentionable items in jars.
If Severus Snape was aware of the dreaded atmosphere of his office, he didn't reveal it. He kept his hands behind his back and waited for Dumbledore to speak. The wizard chose to walk around slowly as if searching for something, what specifically, Snape could not say.
Several moments later, after Dumbledore had stopped in front of the fire that had roared to life the moment they walked into the office, he spoke with a quiet intensity, "Isobel is quite a unique child who has been through a lot in her young life." Snape simply arched his brow, the only change to his features. Dumbledore sighed as if the events he was about to reveal were difficult to speak of. "Her mother appears to hate the child because of her magical abilities, and she has been in the care of her grandmother for the last two years. Unfortunately, the grandmother has passed on. Which is why she sent her here, to protect the girl from her own mother."
Snape attempted to rear in his initial response to a problem that he failed to see was any of his concern, but for appearances sake, he drawled uninterestedly, "And how, pray tell, did the child manage to appear on the doorstep of Hogwarts?"
"Yes, a pertinent question. I suspect it was a portkey; the grandmother alluded to as much without knowing the name of the item she held. I'll have Minerva ask the girl once she is settled."
"Why do you feel the need to have this conversation with me, Headmaster?" Severus bit out coldly.
"Ah, yes. I'm getting there Severus, please be patient." His eyes twinkled briefly at the obviously frustrated wizard. "In order to understand this situation, we must go back in time for a moment, as difficult as this will be for you Severus, this is very important. I wouldn't ask this otherwise." Dumbledore faced Snape with a look of far too much understanding. "We need to go back to the months immediately after Lily and James Potter's wedding."
Snape's jaw clenched sharply, then he twirled around as if to storm out of the room. Just before he reached the door, Dumbledore's next words stopped him in his tracks, his cold heart plummeting to his stomach.
"Severus, I highly suspect she is your daughter."