Chapter Two

Five years passed by quickly.

It was another chilly morning, this time in March. It was drizzling outside and Daniel Watson was standing on the porch, watching his almost-seven-year-old daughter skip stones across the lake in front of their home. Despite the spring month and the fact that it was noon, the sun was obscured by dark rain clouds. Winter was still hanging in the air. In the gloomy atmosphere, Daniel Watson, in his dark robes, boots, and gloves, didn't stand out much. He walked the length of the porch, stepped off of it and onto the narrow stone-paved road that separated their somewhat small home from the grass the surrounded the lake, opening his umbrella over his head as he did so.

"Breeana," he called, and she turned with a look on her face that was far too serious for a child of six. Her long, wavy dark hair was piled on top of her head and held in place with silver hairpins. The messy up-do was decorated with a dark green ribbon that was threaded through her curls. She was wearing a dark green dress that came to her knees and was laced tightly in the back. The top was tight and a lacy black petticoat peeked out about half and inch beneath the hem of the skirt. She had on a pair of black tights and black boots. She was pale, with a youthful, somewhat oval shaped face, that almost always had a few wisps of unruly curls framing it. She had big, observant smoky blue eyes framed by thick dark lashes, rose-bud lips that were nearly always pursed lightly together in indifference, and high cheekbones. She was holding a black umbrella that was identical to her father's, but smaller, over her own head.

Aggy was standing next to her, wrapped in a warm, over-sized sweater that Breeana's mother had knitted for her when she was still alive. Aggy was a free house elf and had been for quite some time, but she'd been working for the Watson family for decades, perhaps even hundreds of years. She was very attached to the family. She loved them and they loved her too. She'd practically raised Daniel and now she was practically raising his daughter as well.

Breeana smiled, ever so slightly, and dropped a handful of stones.

"Yes?" she asked him.

He held out one hand. "Come on," he said. "It's time to go."

Daniel was struck with just how grown up she was - or at least with just how grown up she seemed. He had always heard that life went by more quickly when you had children, but he was only just starting to realize how true that was. One of the funniest things about raising a child, he thought, was when people told him how much she looked like him or his late wife. He'd spent many years trying to see those same features. In the beginning, and in sorrow, he had seen nothing but his wife when he looked at Breeana. But as she grew, she was just Breeana to him. If anything, he could most clearly see the features she shared with her cousin, Severus Snape, who had become her best friend from the moment she met him.

It was difficult for Daniel to face his in-laws. He and Tobias had nothing in common and his sister-in-law, Eileen, although much darker and sterner than her younger sister, looked a lot like her. It took quite some time and persistent begging on the part of his daughter to finally the Snape's over. And it still wasn't until Breeana's fourth birthday party, May seventh, that Daniel finally invited Eileen and her son over to celebrate.

There was a wooden picnic table set out by the lake, under the shade of the trees. During the winter, Aggy kept some sort of protective spell on the table to keep the wood from warping or rotting. During the summer months, Breeana and Aggy ate most of their meals lakeside or else Aggy would use the table for her own lunch while Breeana swam in the cold shallows.

On Breeana's fourth birthday, Aggy had covered the table with a pretty cloth and topped it with a large plate piled high with little sandwiches, drinks, and a gooey chocolate cake decorated with pink and purple icing. Eileen, Daniel, and Tobias sat at the picnic table making small talk while the two children sat out on the grass near the edge of the lake. Severus had straight dark hair that fell just past his ears. He was constantly pushing it away form his face. Breeana, herself, had her curls pulled back into a ponytail. Both of them were eating sandwiches and dipping their toes in the water.

The two children spent the day wading in the water, climbing as high as they could (which wasn't actually very high at all), and chasing each other through the trees. When they started to get tired and worn out, Aggy called them over for cake. Both children stood up and walked over to the picnic table.

That was when Daniel had noticed the similarities.

There were differences, of course. Breeana had Daniel's dark, blue-grey eyes and wavy hair. But when he looked at his daughter standing beside her cousin, he thought they could pass for twins fairly easily. Both children had the same slender build. They both had pale skin, high cheekbones, and slightly oval shaped faces. Their hair was dark. Their mouths were held in the same indifferent way almost constantly and their mouths were shaped very similar. They both watched everyone closely and carefully. They were very observant. They both had eyes so dark that they were nearly black. Although, where Breeana's eyes were blue, Severus's were a very dark brown. Sitting beside each other at the picnic table, eating cake with more smiles and laughter than either of their parents had seen in a very long time, the differences were barely noticeable.

Breeana looked up at her father and smiled, chocolate icing coating her lips. She licked the icing off and said, "Sev is my very best friend, Daddy."

Since then, the two of them had been very close. Whenever Daniel had to work, he took Breeana to stay at her cousin's house instead of leaving her home alone with Aggy. They lived in a Muggle town, a place called Spinner's End that was near a river and also close to Tobias's work. Breeana was overjoyed to spend time with Severus, but she didn't really like her aunt or uncle much.

But on this particular drizzly March afternoon, her umbrella held loosely in her hand and a wistful smile on her face, Daniel smiled at how like her cousin she looked. Also, at how grown up his little girl seemed. She just didn't look like a child to him. She looked like a small adult.

Breeana walked forward and took her father's hand. A stray curl fell down in front of her left ear. She closed her eyes and then looked up at her father. She brushed the curl away with her free hand. Right before he apparated with Breeana, he heard her say, "There are moments when I truly dislike you, Father."

After the uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed through a space much too small passed, a feeling Daniel had never gotten used to, the two of them appeared in a dark alleyway between two homes. Breeana kept hold of her father's hand and the two of them walked out onto the nearly abandoned street.

"It's a good thing you chose the alley this time," Breeana remarked. She was teasing him, but her tone came across almost like a lecture. "The people in this town think that we're weird vampires or monsters of some sort. You've scared some of them half to death, thinking it's okay to appear in the middle of the street or right next to the river or the playground."

"Watch your mouth, or I'll destroy that pretty hairdo that Aggy spent so much time on," Daniel said, playfully.

Breeana laughed.

"So," said Daniel. "Why is it that you sometimes dislike me, my dear?"

"Because I don't want to stay at Sev's house," Breeana answered.

"You love Sev," her father countered. "Since when do you not want to spend time with him?"

"It's not Sev, it's Aunt Eileen and Uncle Tobias. I don't care for them," said Breeana. "She's dreary and he's mean."

"They can be a bit strange, eh? Just ignore them. That's what I do when one of them start to bother me," Daniel suggested.

"Ignoring your problems doesn't make them go away," Breeana pointed out.

"Smart girl. You must have an excellent father," he teased.

Breeana rolled her eyes. "An excellent house elf as a nanny, actually," she shot back. "Uncle Tobias yells at Aunt Eileen a lot," she continued. "I don't like yelling. We don't yell at our home."

"I guess they don't get along too well," said Daniel.

"You're barely paying attention to what I'm saying," Breeana mumbled.

They reached the front porch and Daniel got down on one knee to look Breeana in the eye. "You promise to be good, don't you?" he asked her.

Breeana batted her eyes. "Aren't I always?" she asked.

He grinned. "That's the spirit," he said. "I'll be back soon and before you know it, we'll be out at the lake catching fish for dinner or something."

"Promise?" asked Breeana. "You were gone four months last time. Aggy even had to bring me more clothes."

"I promise," said Daniel. He tapped his cheek. "Now, give your beloved daddy a kiss, won't you?"

Breeana smiled. She kissed his cheek and he stood up. "Be safe, Father," she said.

"Aren't I always?" he asked, grinning down at her. He knocked on the door and, with a loud crack, he was gone.

Breeana turned seven just two months later, on May seventh, and celebrated another lakeside birthday party with Severus, Aunt Eileen, Uncle Tobias, her father, and Aggy the house elf. But ever since he'd returned from his latest work related venture, Daniel had been extremely irritable. By July, he was gone again - this time for a month. When he returned to pick her up from Spinner's End, a very grouchy Breeana insisted that he make her a promise - no more trips that year. But despite his promise, she spent Halloween at Sev's house. November passed by and December first arrived. Breeana began to wonder if she would spend Christmas with her cousin as well, when her father showed up.

It was the day before Christmas Eve.

Breeana fumed quietly and refused to speak to her father until the next day. When she tried to be sullen at breakfast, Aggy picked up a wooden spoon and rapped Breeana in the back of the head. Breeana let out a cry of surprise and covered the back of her head, glaring at the little house elf. Aggy ordered her firmly to find the Christmas spirit and stop being grumpy. The rest of the day was nearly perfect.

Daniel brought in a Christmas tree from the woods lining the lake. Breeana helped him decorate it and then threaded a string through popped popcorn to make a long garland that her father draped around the tree. They hung lights on the outside of the house and in the windows while Aggy made dinner and baked gingerbread cookies. She had just made a snowman with her father, when Aggy called them in for dinner. It was a beautiful, delicious looking little feast of roast pheasant, homemade rolls, potatoes, and puddings. They drank pumpkin juice and warm butterbeer and ate while Christmas music played. After dinner, Breeana decorated gingerbread houses with Aggy while her father disappeared into his study.

After they were done with gingerbread houses, Breeana wrapped her warm cloak tightly around her shoulders and went outside to put out the light in the little lantern that was mounted on the arched stone entryway to their home. When she was done, she raced back inside and away from the cold. Breeana kicked off her snow boots, found a quilt, and wrapped it around herself. She sat on the couch, snuggling down into the cushions and her blankets. She opened the present that her father had given her that night. It was a brand new, beautifully illustrated copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard". Breeana began to read to the sound of Aggy washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen in the background and then, eventually, silence. Aggy had gone to sleep in the little room behind the kitchen and her father was still in the study "finishing business."

The tree was sparkling with white lights and enchanted snowflakes and the fire was crackling in the fireplace. Breeana had dozed off, only to be woken up moment later by a loud crash. She sat up, groggy and confused, to see that the front door had been kicked in. People that she didn't know and had never seen raced into the house and down the hallway, their wands drawn. The little girl on the couch was barely spared a glance.

Minutes later, Breeana was approached by two other men who quickly introduced themselves as Ministry of Magic employees. They began to shout questions at her in loud, harsh, and uncaring voices. Breeana, terrified, felt like crying. But she didn't. Because she was a Watson and Watson's were too proud to cry.

"Where is your father, girl?" they demanded.

"In his study," she said. Her voice was calm but her eyes were wild and afraid.

"Where has he been hiding?" one of them shouted.

"Do you understand what your father has done, young lady?" the other demanded.

"No! No!" Breeana had insisted, trying to pull away from the Ministry Officials. She wanted to scream, wildly, or throw a tantrum, but it had occurred to her that Watson's were too proud for that sort of thing. "He hasn't done anything! My father is a good person! He's a good person," she said, loudly, panic in her voice. It wasn't until later that she noticed their hands had left bruises on her arms.

They shook her and continued to yell. Breeana herself had continued to shout back at them, loudly protesting her father's innocence. The Aurors' came back to the front room, dragging her father between them. Their wands were pointed threateningly at him, but he was still yelling, struggling, and cursing loudly. Bruises and cuts were already starting to appear on his face and arms. When he saw the Ministry Officials shouting at Breeana and shaking her, he let out a roar like a wild person and hit one of them in the face.

He raced forward and hit the man who was holding Breeana as well.

"Don't you ever touch my daughter again!" he roared, before pulling Breeana into a tight hug. He smoothed back her hair and his lower lip trembled in the exact way that Breeana's did when she was holding back tears. Daniel kissed his daughter's forehead, gently. "I'll find a way out, baby girl. I didn't do anything wrong."

"They're saying you're a bad person," said Breeana. "What's going on? Don't leave me," she begged him.

"I don't have a choice," he said. "Just remember, I'm coming back for you, sweet girl. I'm coming back. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Remember, what I did was the right thing. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. Don't let anyone convince you that I'm a bad person, sweetheart. Remember everything that I have taught you and..."

That was when the stunning spell hit him in the back. Breeana screamed as he fell forward and his weight knocked her to the ground.