Chapter One: Tempus

Tempus took a deep breath and braced herself. She was going to confront her father and she was going to get what she wanted. She was newly sixteen years old and she wanted what everyone else her age had. Human interaction. Sometimes she felt as if she was the only one who was as secluded as her father had made her.

Tempus clenched her fist and burst into her father's office.

"Father, I want to talk to you," she said coolly, as her father jumped a few inches at her abrupt entrance. He raised an eyebrow in annoyance at her rude disturbance. He sat his quill down and organized his papers.

"Yes?" he asked, giving her a look that indicated that he was already mildly annoyed with her. Tempus paid no mind to this look, she tossed her pretty black hair over her should and sat down in the chair in front of her father's desk. She was a very pretty girl, resembling her father in many aspects, but received her beauty from her mother. She was pale with long black hair. Her dark, obsidian eyes were striking and she had beautiful blood red lips.

"I want to go to school," she said resolutely. Her father shot her a dangerous look.

"Absolutely not, Tempus. I can't believe you would even waste my time with such a question. You're not going," he said icily, as he picked his quill back up and dipped it into the ink.

Tempus clenched her jaw tightly and took in a deep breath.

"I beseech you to reconsider. I am sixteen years old, Father. I would adjust splendidly. I have O's in all of my private tutoring lessons- I'm fully capable of doing the work. And I long for some kind of human interaction-"

"It has nothing to do with your grades," he interrupted hotly, "I know damn well that you are intelligent-I actually think you are ahead of those in your year, but Temp that is not why I am not sending you to school."

Tempus sighed angrily. She didn't get him. If it had nothing to do with grades and achievement (and that was all her father seemed to care about when it came to her) then what was it about?

"Then why not?!" she nearly shouted.

When Tempus was younger whenever her father curled his lip she would become absolutely terrified. But now, Tempus was no longer afraid that her father was curling his lip.

"Because," he replied in a dangerously low voice, "there is no way the students there will accept you and I will not allow you to go through what I went through!"

Tempus screwed her face up in frustration and turned away at this. She bit back tears of anger and frustration and concentrated.

"Am I really so odd?" she began quietly, "Am I really so different that you think the other students wouldn't accept me?"

"It has nothing to do with you, Tempus. It's because I'm your father."

Tempus scoffed, "Oh yeah, Severus Snape the Great Git has a spawn! Let's treat her like shit and publicly humiliate her!"

"SILIENCE!" Snape shouted, standing up. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"AND HOW WOULD I?" she shouted back, nearly tipping her chair over as she stood up to face her father. "If I'm never around people, how can I know what they're like? The only other person my age I've ever had any contact with is Draco Malfoy, and you don't want him to influence me, so I never get to see him. I agree with you, Draco is a bad kid- his whole family is! But I need friends, father! You can't shelter me forever. I will be going to school when term starts."

The more Severus tried to shelter his daughter, the more she tried to rebel. She was fierce, but then again, it was probably genetics that made her so. While Severus had a feisty, fierce side, Tempus's mother had too.

Annaliese Snape had been fierce, energetic and extremely intelligent. She was the valedictorian of her and Severus's class. Now while she had been a Ravenclaw, she had many of the favorable traits of Slytherin and Gryffindor. Loyalty, honesty, bravery, diligence.

Tempus applied another layer of mascara, and another swipe of black eyeliner under her eyes. They made the darkness of her eyes pop out against the white of her eyes. She ran her fingers through her black-brown hair, tousling it. She observed herself in the mirror for several minutes before reaching for her lippy. She quickly y put it on and gave her mirror a smoldering look.

"What the devil are you doing?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow from standing in the door way. Tempus quickly composed herself and ran her fingers through her hair rapidly once more.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, "Besides, you should at least knock next time," she retorted, looking at him in the mirror determinedly.

"The door was wide open," he replied, giving her his most snarky smirk. Tempus sighed angrily and slammed the lippy back on the counter.

"That is beside the point," she growled. She spun around to face her father. She sat on one hip and crossed her arms.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly.

Snape rolled his eyes and walked in.

"Well, as you know, I will be leaving for the school today at noon. The students will be arriving there at around seven o'clock. Just in time for dinner. You said you were going, so I figured you'd be ready."

Tempus's heart raced and she nearly smiled.

"Really? You'll take me?"

Severus nodded, "I thought about letting you ride the Hogwarts Express, but you'd probably just get stuck with a bunch of idiot first years... besides, I think it is best you got there a bit early so that we can talk to Dumbledore."

Tempus grinned and completely forgetting herself, ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you!" she said. Now you must understand, that Severus and Tempus hadn't hugged for probably a good seven months...not since Christmas. Severus had given her her mother's old necklace. It was a gold heart locket with two beautiful pictures of Annaliese in it.

Snape awkwardly patted her back. He stood there and looked almost uncomfortable. When Tempus finally pulled back, he straightened his robes.

"Go pack your things, and quickly too. We leave in a half-hour."

Tempus smirked at her father as she walked around her bed. She reached under and pulled out a trunk.

"I packed last night."

At exactly 11:00, Severus and his daughter left Spinner's End. Severus had shrunk her trunk so that they could carry it around more easily. As they walked down the street, the September air, cool and crisp, Tempus couldn't help but to gloat. She had succeeded. She had gotten what she wanted.

"Where are we going exactly?" Tempus asked, walking stride by stride with her father.

"Hogwarts," he replied curtly, still looking forward.

Tempus rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, I know that, but how? Hogwarts, A History says you can't Apparate into the building, so how do we get there?"

Snape peered down at his daughter as they walked.

"Well, at the moment we are going to go to Diagon Alley and purchase a few supplies for this year. We should split up so that we have enough time. At precisely noon, I want you meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid is supposed to be there and hopefully he has set up a Floo Network to the Castle."

Tempus nodded as she thought about this. She looked down at her wristwatch and winced.

"Diagon Alley should be packed with last minute shoppers...how are we going to have time?" she asked.

Snape gave Tempus his trademark smirk.

"By Apparation of course."

Tempus's eyes bulged, "Really?" She smiled as her father pulled her into an empty alley.

"Grab my arm," he instructed. Tempus did so obediently and held on for dear life as they went swirling about. When they landed just outside Diagon Alley, Tempus was gasping for breath.

"Whoa," she whispered, tucking as long strand behind her ear. She shivered once and then turned to her father, waiting for him to turn someway.

He nodded towards a worn down looking pub called, "The Leaky Cauldron". Tempus raised an eyebrow. This doesn't look like the sort of place a Snape would want to be seen in... she thought with a hint of the old Snape pride invested in her.

Tempus looked around her questioningly as they walked in. It was drab and poorly lit. A few worn out looking wizards were sitting lazily at a table, drinking what looked to be strong coffee and reading the Dailey Prophet.

There was a large, burly man, sitting near the fire, having a chat with the waiter. From what Tempus had heard from her father, this must have been Hagrid. Severus gave his daughter the one-minute sign and walked over to Hagrid. While Hagrid greeted her father enthusiastically, Tempus continued to observe the dim pub. She saw a few certificates on the wall nearest her. She took a few steps closer to examine them- but was stopped by a man only few inches taller than her. He had gray eyes and tousled brown hair. He was in desperate need of a shave, his scruff made him look terribly disheveled.

"'Ey there, pretty, what choo doin' here?" he asked her, sizing her up. Tempus sneered at this man, as she sized him up. Pathetic.

"Now while this isn't the nicest place I've ever seen, I don't see anything particularly shady about it. I'm here with my father and I have every right to be here, you imbecile, so if you wouldn't mind, please step aside."

The dirty man grinned, revealing crooked, plaque invested teeth. It made Tempus grimace at the sight of it. How absolutely revolting...

"Ooh, Come on luv, you know you want a piece of this..." he said, gesturing to himself.

Tempus gaped at this man's idiocy.

"Oh really, sir, I do think it's in your best interest to leave me the hell alone," she retorted hotly.

The man did not take her hints. He stepped closer, trapping her between, him, the wall and a table to her right. The left was open, but only a few feet before she would hit another table.

"Come on, it could be fun." he stuck his hand out and grabbed a lock of her hair. Completely outraged, Tempus quickly reached her right hand into the pocket of her robes and grabbed her wand. She whipped her wand out and pointed it at the man dangerously. In shock and fear the man stumbled and knocked over a chair, sending it clattering to the floor.

"Keep your filthy hands off me," she growled viciously, black eyes glinting in fierce rage. The ruckus caught her father's attention, who immediate glided across the pub, wand at the ready to help his daughter if she needed it.

He knew what happened by what he had heard his daughter say, and by the look of complete and utter outrage on her face.

"Tempus, stand back," he ordered, his wand pointed directly at the creepy little man.

Tempus kept a cold, hard glare on this man, her wand arm barely quivering. She shook her head decidedly.

"No."

The little man squirmed, his eyes darting from father to daughter. He didn't know who he should be more afraid of.

Severus sighed at his daughter's stubborn reply.

"Fine," he growled under his breath. He turned his attention to the grubby man who had been trying to pick his daughter up.

"If you even so much as look at my daughter again, I will hex your entire family into oblivion, do you I make myself clear?"

The man gulped, "As crystal, Severus, sir! Honest, I didn't know she was yer daughter! Honest!"

Severus glared and gave the man a nasty sneer that made the poor man shiver in fright.

"Just get out!" he said in a dangerous, ferocious whisper. The man nodded hysterically, stumbling to his feet. He quickly ran out of the shop.

Tempus turned to her father, eyes filled with question.

"He knew you..."

Severus shook it off, "Come on, we've lost enough time as it is." He took a hold of his daughter's arm. He began to maneuver her closer to Diagon Alley, but she stopped abruptly.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers," she told him saucily. Severus sighed heavily.

"Tempus, you wanted to go to school and we have less than an hour to get your supplies before we have to leave for the Castle." Tempus shook her head, black hair flinging about her face.

"I don't care. You bring me to this shabby pub that seems safe enough, but this disgusting old man starts hitting on me! He called you by first name! You obviously know that man!!"

"I am by no means on first name basis with that foolish man- he is just too stupid to know that he calling me Severus is a seriously disrespectful thing for him to be doing. I know who he is that is all. Now please, let's make haste and we can talk about this later."

Tempus gave her father a distrusting look, but consented. She really did want to go to Hogwarts and this could easily be brought up later. She would be seeing a lot more of him. Normally, he would go to Hogwarts alone, and she'd stay at home with private tutors. He would visit her three times a week in the afternoon and instruct her in DADA and Potions. During the Holidays, he would send for her and she would stay in his private quarters during this time. She had never been allowed, under any circumstances, to leave his rooms. She was so excited that for once she would get to roam the halls. Get to eat in the Great Hall and get to socialize.

Severus reluctantly let the three of them separate so that the shopping would go by faster. He hated letting Tempus go out alone, especially after the incident in the pub. She was a very beautiful girl- all her looks from her mother and Severus knew that many a Dark Wizard would love to get their hands on her.

Tempus needed to get her school books, dress robes, an Owl and ingredients for Potions. Her father had gone to purchase the ingredients, Hagrid had gone for the books and it was up to Tempus to get her dress robes and an Owl if she wanted.

She stood in front of the dress shop staring in the window. A man's dress robe was in the window on her right, and a girl's beautiful gown was in the other. She grinned as she walked in. Her grin quickly vanished when she saw who was standing in line.

A snobby looking blonde boy was standing with his father at the check out. The father looked vastly impatient and the boy was smirking, as if he enjoyed how nervous his father was making the dressmaker. She didn't look like she was even twenty years old yet.

"You could certainly stand to quicken your pace," the father advised the dressmaker. Tempus cringed.

The Malfoys!

"Yes , sir, I'm very sorry, sir," the young dressmaker mumbled, as she folded the dress robes into a white box. She quickly shut the box and handed it to Lucius without ever looking at him.

Lucius paid the woman, and handing the box to his sun, he turned around. When he saw Tempus, his eyes narrowed as he took her in.

"Miss Snape, what on Earth are you doing here?" he asked, a light eyebrow raised. Draco smirked delightfully at his father's side. He looked Tempus up and down like she was on display.

Tempus crossed her arms and gave Draco a cold stare, being careful not to give off too vibrant beams of hatred.

"Father is letting me enroll this year," she replied shortly. Lucius nodded as he considered this. As far as he was concerned, Tempus had only been held back so that Severus could privately instruct her. Lucius couldn't know that she had been held out for her safety. Severus hadn't wanted his daughter to get mixed in with the wrong crowd like he had when he was in school.

The silence seemed to be Draco's cue, he stepped closer slyly, "Well, Tempus, you could finish your shopping with us. I'd love to help you pick out a dress," he said, flicking his pale eyebrows up perversely. Tempus forced an un-amused smile.

"I'm afraid not, Draco, but thank you for that...tempting offer," she replied, sarcasm dripping from the word 'tempting'. "But I'm in a frightful hurry."

However, Draco was not discouraged, he smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Lucius watched on with sheer interest. The way his mind worked, the two of them were getting along fabulously.

"Maybe later then," he said velvety as he walked out of dress shop. Tempus sighed in frustration as she turned around.

The petite dressmaker gave Tempus a semi frightened look. She was hoping that Tempus wouldn't be anything like them- but since she seemed to be acquainted with them, who knows?

"Hello, madam, My school list says I'll be in need of a dress," Tempus said politely, trying to show the woman that she was nothing like the Malfoys. The little woman smiled brightly.

"Oh yes! I hear Hogwarts will be having TWO balls this year! Great for business, you know. Most girls want two different dresses, but guys, they don't really care...How may I assist you?"

Tempus smiled inwardly at the dressmaker's enthusiasm that had been forced into hiding my Lucius's cold, abrupt attitude. Tempus told her that she was looking for two dresses, one for each occasion. The first dance was a Halloween dance and the other was a Yule Ball. Even though the Triwizard Tournament was not being held, the first one had been a tremendous success. Tempus thought it was odd that the school was throwing two dances, but she figured it was to take the student's mind off of the war.

After spending about fifteen minutes looking at designs, they decided on a beautiful black chiffon and silk gothic style dress that had a v-line collar and long black lace sleeves. The skirt swished around her when she walked. The second dress was a vibrant red gown with one strap, a fitted bodice and a free falling skirt. Happy with her decisions, Tempus let the lady make the proper adjustments, which she did very quickly. She magically shrunk the dress so it could be laid in a box without getting wrinkled. The dressmaker told Tempus the right spell that would enlarge it to the proper size. Tempus thanked her, paid her and gave her a generous tip for being so helpful.

As she was walking out, she was trying to properly hold the packages so she wouldn't drop them, but she wasn't watching were she was going. She bumped into someone- not hard enough to knock them over, but to knock them out of balance.

"Watch it!" hissed a tall girl, with raven black hair, ice blue eyes and high cheek bones. Tempus looked up. This girl looked awfully familiar but she didn't know why.

"Sorry," Tempus muttered, standing up straighter. The girl eyed Tempus, scrutinizing her.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked disdainfully. Tempus gave the girl a nasty sneer.

Who the hell does this girl think she is?

"I'm Tempus, Who the hell are you?" she replied heatedly.

The girl tossed her hair over her shoulder arrogantly and jutted her chin in the air.

"I am Adrienne Smith, my father is Klaus Smith, perhaps you've heard of him."

The name clicked with Tempus and she immediately knew how she knew this girl. Her father knew Klaus Smith. Klaus was a bastard of a man- wildly attractive, but insanely repulsive. She had seen this girl at school once, her and her father had been in Snape's office. She had watched, but didn't catch the conversation. All she knew was that when Klaus left, dragging his daughter behind him-Severus had been so angry he didn't say a word to her that night.

Tempus pretended she did not know the name.

"No, actually, I haven't," she replied airily, squealing inwardly with delight as Adrienne's face fell in disappointment. She placed a thin arm on her hip, lips pursed.

"Who the hell did you say you were again?" she snapped.

Tempus already knew this girl was a Slytherin, so she grinned, showing all her beautiful teeth.

"Tempus Snape."