Chapter One
Professor Longbottom hadn't felt so nervous in years. The headmistress was all in a huff. There were very few times he'd seen her so distressed. It had been almost twenty years since Lord Voldemort was defeated. Neville paused. What was it that McGonogall had said? Some odd name had popped up in the quill room. Longbottom opened the door to see the headmistress writing furiously.
"Ma'am?" Said Longbottom. He felt queasier, noticing the exhausted expression on her face. Her hair, which was usually tied up neatly in a tight bun, looked rather disheveled. McGonogall jumped slightly. She turned and looked as though she would throw something.
"Sit, Longbottom." She said tersely. He sat in a chair that was opposite McGonogall's. She sat at the desk, books piled high with papers strewn in a chaotic layout. Neville felt like a student again.
"I don't know what to make of it!" She said as she searched through the leather bound books, full of names. She stopped in one and dropped it in front of her former student.
"Read that!" He followed her gaze. It appeared to be a standard enrollment book, just like the ones magically being written in by enchanted quills in that very same room. He searched for the abnormality and had almost given up when his eyes settled on what the headmistress must have been so upset about. Toward the bottom of the page, read the name Skarave Snape. Neville was taken aback.
"Who-? How?! Oh, Merlin's pants!"
"Shh!" McGonogall urged.
"What is this?! He had a child?!"
"A brother, apparently. A squib. His brother married a witch and now there's this child!"
"What?! Why..." Neville was baffled. He was in shock, and silence stood in the air for a moment before he finally collected himself.
"What's the plan?" He said finally.
"Well, we can't just leave her uneducated! There's got to-"
"We should speak to the ministry! Maybe they'll-"
"No, Mister Longbottom. That will do no good. The ministry is already aware of her existence."
"Why haven't we heard of her?!"
"She hasn't been up to much, other than causing mayhem!"
"Like what?" This was all too much for Neville. Another Snape?! Neville shivered at the thought as his old fear of the sallow potions master began to surface.
"For starters," said McGonogall, interrupting his thoughts. "She set fire to a bush at age age seven after being frightened by a bird. Then there's the time she locked herself in her room for a week, and her father didn't notice. She broke half the windows in the house with her anger. Or just six months ago when she flipped a car upside- down and suspended it in mid-air. Some small child had wandered into the street."
"Blimey!" Said Neville.
"There's worse things in this file."
"Is that possible?!"
"Possible?!" Said McGonogall. "Possible for this child to have encountered death- eaters? Completely possible!"
"No."
"Oh, yes! What's left of He Who- I mean, Voldemort's followers aware searching for people who ruined their last attempt of seizing power."
"What happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I do know that aurors showed up after some dark wizards had a go or two on the girl with the cruciadous curse." Neville was gob smacked.
"Mister Weasley and his team did a wonderful job of salvaging the situation."
"Ron was there?!" Neville stood up, looking pale.
"Indeed."
"The girl was the only one in the house. They gave her some potion and obliviated her of the whole incident."
"So, she's just sitting around that house, not knowing what's wrong with her?"
"It would seem so."
There was a long pause.
"We have to help her."
"The real problem is, how do we go about it? I've been working on finding the solution but-"
"Talk to the minister!" Said Neville. "It worked for Draco's son! Maybe-"
"This is different. The Snape family has a record for opposing the ministry. Politically, I mean. Draco has stayed as far away from that as he could, since the war."
"There's got to be something!" Neville slammed his hand on the desk. He paced for a moment, expecting a suggestion. A magical child without training was a terrible burden to the world. There was a nagging in the back of his mind. He didn't like the part of the story where she was alone for a week. Her father didn't notice? Or did he even care?
"We could fake the roll call." Said McGonogall.
"What?"
"Give her a different last name and pretend she's muggle- born."
"Should that work?!" Said Neville, skeptically.
"It might, we would have to tell the girl that she can't reveal her true identity."
"When do we tell the staff?"
"As soon as possible."
"We should talk to Ron." Said Neville quickly. "He may be able to shed light on the subject."
"True."
"How do we make sure none of the others talk?"
"I wouldn't worry about that, Mister Longbottom." Said McGonogall. "We have honest teachers here who would want to help."
"I wish Professor Sprout was here to help." Said Neville, sadly.
"She would've wanted to help, too." Said McGonogall. "She was a good woman." Neville blinked back a tear.
" I know."
"We'll have the meeting tomorrow."
"Excellent." Said Neville. A thought struck him. "Do you think we should tell-"
"Absolutely not!" Said McGonogall.
It was cold and stormy when the Headmistress gathered the professors into her office the next night. The students were not yet at the school, but there were only two days until they'd arrive. As the professors took their seats, professor Flitwick spoke up.
"Headmistress, this is about Scorpious Malfoy, isn't it? I assure you ma'am, he's quite a kind boy!"
"Mister Flitwick, I am well at rest with our situation with the Malfoy family. This is about Skarave Snape." The room fell silent and remained so for what felt like ages. Expressions of utter shock and confusion writ plainly on their faces.
"W- what?!" Said Flitwick.
"I beg yer pardin, ma'am?" Said Hagrid.
"Professor Longbottom, please let in our guest." Said McGonogall. Longbottom crossed the room, reading the questions looks on the other faces. He opened the door with trembling hands. He shook hands with Ron Weasley, as he ducked through the doorway.
"Hey." He said shortly.
"Good evening, Mister Weasley. Do sit down." Said McGonogall.
"Thanks." He replied.
"So, Severus has a daughter?" Said Trilawny.
"Who's the mother?" Said Binns.
"He can't really have reproduced, could he?! I don-"
"No!" Said Ron in disgust. "He has a brother!"
"She's his niece." Said Longbottom. "His brother's child is a witch."
"What does the Ministry think of this?" Said Slughorn.
"We aren't informing them, Horace." Said McGonogall.
"Bloody good thing too!" Said Trilawny. "The Ministry wouldn't want her here. I can see that." She gave a careful glance around the table.
"Right..." Said Flitwick. "What's the plan to get her here?"
"You read minds better then she does!" Said Ron, pointing at Trilawny.
"The plan," said McGonogall. "Is to have her attend under a different name. She assumes the identity of a muggle- born student."
"Her last name could be Ronoldson!" Said Ron, enthusiastically.
"Eh, no." Said Neville. "Livit. Uncommon enough to remember when first introduced and fogey able enough not to remember within a few minutes." There was a long pause as everyone stared. "Also, we'll have to fix her hair, she looks just like Snape with it, only... Pretty."
"How would you know? There aren't pictures of her, are there?" Said Ron.
"I visited them last night. Her and her father." The room burst with questions.
"Hey!" Neville shouted. "I did the right thing. They didn't know I was there. Anyways, it was a pitiful sight. She sat in her room, playing for hours..."
"Playing?" Said Binns.
"Piano, and other things too."
"Well, then! Bring her in!" Said Flitwick in his cheeriest voice.
"If we're all in agreement, I would advise everyone not to tell professor Windsweap, due to his history with death eaters. I'll have Professor Longbottom escort her to Diagon Alley tomorrow." Said McGonogall.
"Me?!"
"You're already familiar with her, and you're the youngest professor."
Longbottom did not combat this, he knew it was useless.
"Great." He said with hallow enthusiasm.
"Take my advice on the girl, Neville." Said Ron. "She's really moody. Mind that."
"Right."
"Above all else, avoid the father."
"A nasty piece of work, isn't he?" Said Trilawny. "Almost as crafty as our guest at the door."
"Our what?!" Said McGonogall.
"Sh." Said Trilawny. "Weasley, if you wouldn't mind helping mister Longbottom with the door." Ron and Neville opened the door and wrestled Teddy Lupin into the office.
"Blimey!" Said Longbottom, regaining his breath. "All I asked was for you to stay out of trouble, and you can't even do that!"
"I'm not in trouble... Am I?" Said Teddy.
"Depends, why are you here?" Said Binns.
"Came to get my Wolfsbane from Slughorn. Heard some interesting talk, who's the girl?"
"That's not your concern, Theodore."
"Don't call me that, McGonogall. That name's reserved for my mum and seeing how she's dead and all..." Teddy spat into a near by pot covered in several different paints. McGonogall shot him a displeased glare.
"Oh, what?" Said Teddy, crossing his arms, and leaning against the door. "There's stuff in there, it's meant for that, isn't?"
"A gift from Dumbledore." She said shortly. Teddy's attitude changed immediately.
"Merlins beard! I- sorry, I'll- I'll clean that right away. Sorry about earlier, don't take that to heart. Take the apology to heart, not the other stuff." Teddy looked down, embarrassed.
"I've had a thought, mister Lupin."
"Yes ma'am."
"You may accompany Professor Longbottom to escort Miss Snape to Diagon Alley."
"Miss Snape?!"
"I'll explain later." Said Longbottom.
"Hang on, he had a sibling? Severus, I mean."
"A brother." Said Ron.
"I assumed that, given her last name. I'll have to tell him next time we chat."
"Tell whom?" Said Slughorn.
"Severus."
"What?!" Said Longbottom.
"You will not!" Said McGonogall.
"How could you do that?" Said Flitwick.
"The headmaster's portrait from the old office." Said Teddy. "I chat with him sometimes."
"There's a portrait of Snape in the school?! I want to give that Pratt a piece of my mind!"
"Absolutely not! Now you're all excused! Mister Lupin, see me in the morning."
"Ye- yes ma'am." Said Teddy. The professors filed out of the room, and Teddy was immediately led by the ear into a broom cupboard.
"What were you thinking?! You can't talk to McGonogall like that! You're lucky she didn't kick you off the grounds! She probably will if you don't watch your tongue."
"I'm not trying to get into trouble! However, trouble sank its claws into me when I was born a werewolf."
"Being born a werewolf does not explain or excuse you eavesdropping on a private meeting!"
"No but, I can blame it on being a loyal friend to Severus! If something's happened to his family, I should tell him!"
"Regardless, we're trying to help you and you aren't making it easier by behaving like this!"
Teddy stared at the floor. "I'm sorry." He said shortly.
"We're trying to help you. All of us. Harry, the Ron and Hermione, Luna, even Bill."
"I know, I just- don't like charity. I'm tired of being weak."
"It isn't weak to need help. It means your human." Said Neville.
"Well, sort of human." Neville looked confused. "Werewolf, remember?"
"Very funny, Teddy. Now, go drink your potion."
"Fine."
"We leave at dawn."
"Lovely." Teddy growled.
"Mister Lupin, how long have you been contacting Severus Snape?"
The early sun light flooded the office, and Teddy was ready for severe punishment.
"That's not what I thought you'd want to say to me." Teddy shifted, trying to think of how to say everything. "Six years. Before you ask, I don't know much about him, we just talked about potions."
"I see. Have you told anyone of your encounters with him?"
"Is that a priority?"
"Answer the question, Lupin." Said McGonogall impatiently.
"Well, during school times, I would say I was visiting with a Professor. Which is half true. So, why would this be a problem?"
"It would not do well to have the ministry knowing about a painting of a death eater in the school where he could be contacted by a student."
"Former death eater!"
"Former, yes." Said McGonogall. "Former and in a position to contact students."
"Why even keep the portrait, then?" Said Teddy.
"That will have to wait until you return." Said McGonogall, staring at the clock. "You and mister Longbottom have a long way to go."
"How long exactly is long?"
"She lives in America, mister Lupin. Quite a way to go."
"Wonderful!" He said sarcastically. "Some yank coming to a British school, she'll fit right in!"
"You may go, mister Lupin." Teddy exited before he could say something else to get in trouble and met Neville at the end of the hall.
"Ready to go now? How was your chat with McGonogall?"
"Fine." Said Teddy. "Wish someone had mentioned that we're going across the pond, though."
"Not to worry." Said Longbottom. "We're going by apperating."
"I hate this trip."
"Then we're traveling back by broom."
"I hate this trip."
"Then we you board at the Leaky Cauldron with Skarave."
"I hate this trip!"
