-DICLASIMER:: I OWN NOTHING. ALL FROM J.K. ROWLING
EXCEPT MELODY!-
A figure appeared with a faint pop in the center of the moonlit street. Its head turned to and fro, and then made its way forward into the night.
Sabrina Zabini only used her maiden name even though she loved her husband, Xavier Gaunt.
She made her way limping through the outskirts of London, finally locating the obscure house.
She knocked on its door, panting and occasionally wincing in pain. The door opened and a hook nosed, greasy haired man stood there.
"Severus." Sabrina gasped, grateful. "I'm sorry to come to you in this time of joy and sorrow-"
"Not to worry Sabrina," he interrupted. "What's wrong?"
"I'm in labour, Severus." she gasped. She cradled her large stomach with one hand and clutched the door frame with the other.
Snape caught her and ushered her into the house and up the stairs He laid her in the guest bedroom.
"Should I call Xavier?"
She winced and gasped out. "Yes, a-and Narcissa, please?"
He fumbled his robes left sleeve up and pressed his finger to the mark burned into the skin there.
It was only a minute of Sabrina's wails and moans Snape had to endure until there were pounds upon the front door. He ran out with a flick of his cloak and returned with a ghost-pale woman and a semi-handsome man who's description was his name; Gaunt.
Xavier ran to his wife's side and held her hand, Narcissa on the other hand was silent and still.
The next hours were a blur of pain and cries and tears. Eventually much blood.
After 3 hours of labour, almost 24 hours after James and Lily had passed; new cries hit the cool air.
It was quiet except for the child's quivering whimpers as they cleaned her off with their shaking wands.
Xavier's sea-green eyes flashed over his daughter, but he looked worried after several moments.
"Soul-shouldn't she show some sort of-of a talent now?"
"What?" asked Sabrina as she gazed at her child. "Oh-yes. I wouldn't drink my mother's milk and dove right into the fish tank where I swam for hours."
Snape and Narcissa shared a look of worry, but kept quiet.
"Yes, I recall being told I almost fell off the bed but bounced right up once I made contact with the floor." he beamed with pride then looked puzzling into his child's mirroring eyes.
She looked around dazed and unfocused.
"Ugh!" cried Sabrina, "DO something!" she demanded.
The child hiccupped and yawned.
"Fine," Xavier cried. "Severus!"
Snape's head snapped up.
"Take her." Xavier said.
"Why?" he asked shocked.
"She's obviously a SQUIB!" Xavier cried. "Take her or I kill her. She is no child of mine."
Snape gathered the child in his arms hastily.
Xavier squeezed his wife's hand and turned on the spot. Un-aware Bellatrix Lestrange was waiting on Voldemort's last orders. Sealing the Gaunt's fate and ensuring they'd never see their gifted child again.
The child wailed a beautiful cry and her hands grew hot on Snape's skin.
"Ouch!" he cried. He placed her on the empty bed and cooled his burns immediately with his wand.
"What was that about?" Narcissa cried, looking from the child to Snape.
"She burnt me!"
"What?" she said softly. She turned to the child with questions pouring into her head.
"She must have been scared." Snape reasoned, looking at the child too. He waved his wand about to return the upturned room to normal. "It must be her mother's quarter Vella powers in her there."
Narcissa sat down in the ghostly chair behind her, eyes wide as the previous events caught up to her. "Should we feed the child?" she breathed like the baby could hear.
"Yes." Snape said, getting up once more with caution. "Give me a second, Narcissa."
He left the room again, this time for longer.
The child just lay on the bed making melodic gurgling noises as Narcissa sat in quiet, temporary insanity.
Snape finally returned with a can of baby formula, and a baby bottle. He waved his wand and it filled with warm water.
Narcissa got up at once.
"Excuse me, Severus, but have my own child to tend to."
Snape nodded and she left.
He finished preparing the bottle for the child. Went to her, picked her up gently and sat down again with her in his arms.
He fed her the bottle and the child hummed a beautiful melody.
"What a very pretty song." crooned Snape. "Pretty song….pretty baby."
He hummed the melody back, and the child drifted to sleep.
"How would you like me to name you my pretty music maker?" he cooed. "Such pretty music…a melody."
He hummed as he thought. "A musical melody." He then smiled.
"Melody?" he said to the child.
The baby opened her eyes a little, and dreamily gazed at him. She gurgled happily and returned to suckling the bottle.
"Melody Snape." he thought aloud.
Melody half gurgled and fell to sleep. Un-aware she was special, un-aware her birth parents were dead already because they had been alive. Un-knowing she had powers and a purpose.
"Melody Sabrina Snape get down here this instant!"
"But dad-"
"Don't 'but dad' me. I'm your father and you're going to Hogwarts whether you like it or not!"
I sighed and kissed my small emerald green room, lined with posters of the Weird Sisters, goodbye.
I then gazed for one last time at my mirror across my room. I saw me; an 11 year old girl, with long dirty-blond ringlets, some (if any) freckles, and blue-green eyes like a sea.
I trudged down the stairs with my heavy, black trunk, wanting desperately to dissolve into the wall.
I looked down at my dad, Severus Snape. He gave me a warm smile.
"Oh come off it." he said. "You'll love Hogwarts; you'll meet loads of friends."
"I don't want any friends I just want to stay with the Watson's down the street, like I always do!" I cried. "Besides I'm only ten, I can't go until I'm eleven."
I plopped down on the half-way step, determined to stay immobile.
"Come on?" he pleaded. "It doesn't matter if your ten or not anyway….your too smart to stay behind any longer."
I shook my head stubbornly.
"I'll give you a cauldron cake when we get there."
I shook my head again.
"Two cauldron cakes…."
I thought.
"And I want a Honeyduke's chocolate bar."
"Honey-nut?" he agreed.
"Fine," I mused.
He smiled and I marched, reluctantly, down the steps and towards the fireplace in our den. My dad took out some Floo Powder and threw it into the fireplace.
I grabbed onto him tightly as we strolled forward. He cried "Headmaster Dumbledore's Study".
I could never get used to the warm, blurs and colours that came with traveling by Floo Powder, but my dad always said that I wouldn't like apperating any better.
We finally stopped spinning and came out into a large circular room; it looked like a wise-man's study. It had plenty of books and magical objects covering the lower part of the walls which brought me home, but the rest of the room consisted of tables with odd objects-like a museum-a large desk, a set of stairs on either side of the desk leading to a balcony or observational room and a room behind the desk I couldn't see properly because of the old bearded man obstructing my view.
"Umm…hello, Professor." my dad said to the man.
I looked at the rest of the room. The parts of the walls not covered by bookcases consisted of portraits of elders. There was an oddly large perch behind the Professor where a Phoenix was unmistakably sleeping. And upon the man's desk was a ratted old hat.
I was then aware that I was being addressed because the man just said "Hello…Miss. Snape?" which no one called me.
"Yes, sir?"
"Would you like o be sorted now?" he inquired with a smile upon his face which made a twinkle appear in his eyes
I nodded eagerly, and sat down in the seat facing the weird hat.
"That's the sorting Hat isn't it, sir?' I pointed out.
"Yes, Melody, it is. And I hope you know what it does?"
I smiled and rehearsed, "When the sorting hat is placed upon your head it searches your brain to figure out what sort of person you are and through your talents and personality decides where you belong at Hogwarts. But you can choose yourself, can't you? Help the Hat out?"
I looked at my dad who had his face full of pride, then at the man.
"Excellent and yes, you can help choose."
The man got up and gently placed the hat on my heads and all I saw was it's misshapen insides.
"SL-oh." said a voice in my ears. "A descendant of the four with all of their talents? Hmmm….difficult. You have such loyalty like a Hufflepuff, and a thirst for knowledge and wit like a Ravenclaw. But you also have the bravery of a Gryffindor…..hmmm….so many places and thoughts, so little time. Ooo…what's this? You not only posses the blood of a Slytherin, but the qualities. Yes, a parslemouth, cunning, a leader, very eager, and strong minded. Oh, yes. Such a Slytherin. Ah and a Vella, a mer-Hmmm….okay.
GRYFFINDOR!"
The hat came off my head to my father's confused face.
"'Gryffindor?' But I thought…"he looked puzzled. "…the purity and leading…she's sooo cunning and manipulative too…"
The man on the other hand beamed. "I'm sorry; you probably didn't hear me introduce myself earlier. I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore, I'm the Headmaster."
He waved his wand and got up along with my trunk that levitated toward the door.
"The Gryffindor's password right now is 'Caput Draconis.' I'll show you where it is you'll be sleeping, and then you can investigate the school."
We went off with my trunk ahead, as Dumbledore and my dad gave me a worded map of the school. Eventually we arrived at a portrait of a very fat lady in a rose dress who was sound asleep.
"My Lady." Dumbledore said, when she didn't budge he then turned to the picture to the picture to her side of a half-dazed Professor. "Sir, could you lease wake the Lady?"
He lolled his head to the side. "OI! Miss. Lady, yeh got yerself some company!"
She jolted up and looked about, then to us.
"Oh, hello, Professor Dumbledore. I daresay you're waking me rather early."
"A very early recruit to Gryffindor house." He gestured to me. "Miss Melody Snape."
Her eyes widened, and then she jerked her head to remove whatever thought that came to her head out.
"Umm…yes…of course…uh…Password?"
"Caput Draconis" I said aloud.
She nodded and the portrait swung out to reveal a hole, which my trunk went through and I scrambled through trying to follow.
The room was small, spacious too but warm and ever so welcoming.
I smiled "It's like home minus the books." I announced.
I ran up the girls stairs to where my trunk had landed; the dorm was large and spacious too.
"Wow!"
I jumped on the farthest one and started pinning up posters of the Weird Sisters and my favourite Chocolate Frogs Cards, including the one of Dumbledore.
I then unpacked my books into the side-desk and some of my hair potions too.
I then pushed my trunk under my four-poster and ran back down the stairs to hug my dad.
"It's not was big as home, but I love it!" my dad smiled.
"Hey." I said "You still owe me a chocolate bar and two cauldron cakes."