"You are not seriously suggesting that Snape, Severus Snape, is the best father for this child?" Professor McGonagall shrieked. Her loud tone awoke the poor child form its slumber, and Madam Pomfrey shot her an annoyed look. They were now sat in the humble staff lounge, discussing the future of the child. Albus nodded gravely.
"Oh but I am, Minerva. If anyone could do with some love right now in this world it would be him, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to earn it."
"Surely, there's someone, anyone, else who could take her in.." She trailed off at Albus' apprehending gaze.
"I would trust Severus with my life, as should you, and as will this child."
"Fine." Minerva sulked, "but I am in no way being held responsible for how this child grows up." She stood up and walked over to where Madam Pomfrey was sat gently rocking the child, feeding her some milk. "Nor am I being the one to tell him." She added quickly.
She looked down into the black eyes of the child. Black as coal, it was hard to distinguish the pupil from the iris. Suddenly, it began to bulge. The black of the iris was lightening, slowly turning into a sickening brown and then finally into a vibrant, sparkling green. Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall looked at each other speechless, before Madam Pomfrey managed to slowly utter some words.
"A-Albus.." She stuttered,
"Yes Poppy?" Minerva answered Albus' reply instead.
"Her eyes! They were black, black as coal, and now they're green!" Minerva McGonagall shrieked. Albus wandered over and peered down at the child, seeing for himself what the hysteria was about. As he did so, the child smiled, and her lips, once pale pink in colour, glowed postbox red as if dipped in paint.
"Well look at that, it appears Voldemort (Minerva winced at the casual use of his name, causing Albus to roll his eyes at her) has sired a metamorphmagus. How extraordinary!" He smiled gleefully and picked up the child, who let out a high pitched giggle. "Minerva, Poppy, why don't you retire to bed? I can watch over her tonight, and I shall alert Professor Snape to his new duties tomorrow morning." The two women nodded and left the room, each going their seperate ways to bed.
Dumbledore awoke the next morning to cries coming from the cot he had conjured up the night before. Gladly, both he and child had slept peacefully all night. The same couldn't be said for Minerva; though. She spent most of the night pacing up and down, either worrying about the child, or Albus, or trying to believe that this was all some crazy dream. Gettin out of bed, Dumbledore raised his wand and said "Wingaurdiam Leviosa" in a barely audible voice. The cot containing the child rose up off of the ground and followed Dumbledore out of his chambers and down to the hospital wing, where he ended the spell and left the child in the care of Madam Pomfrey, heading towards Professor Snape's quarters in the dungeons.
Reaching the door to Severus Snape's office, Dumbledore knocked on the door. There was a clanging of cauldrons before Snape's monotone voice spoke. "Enter." Albus opened the door and greeted Snape.
"Good morning, Severus." He offered a polite smile, which was not exactly returned.
"Headmaster. What brings you down to these parts of the castle so early?" Albus acted as if his intentions of visiting Professor Snape were completely innocent.
"Just checking up on everyone, since the term is so close to starting again!" Albus claimed cheerfully. Unfortunately, Severus was not a man to be easily fooled, and so, Dumbledore found himself explaining the whole situation within mere minutes of being the room with him.
"Absolutely not!" Severus Snape declared, outraged. "I will not, Albus, look after something as fowl of a creation as that." Albus tutted;
"I expected more from you Severus. Was it not you, who returned to me after realising your trust in Riddle was mistaken, begging to do whatever it is I shall ask of you for atonement? Was it not you who sworn your loyalty to me, because of your undivine love?"
"Yes, it was I." Snape spoke through pursed lips, furious that Dumbledore had the nerve to bring the previous conversation up.
"Well then, I believe you shall make an excellent father. And a father you will be, you will not mistreat this child in any form. You will give her all the cherishment and love she deserves, just as I'm sure she will return it." Snape groaned inwardly, but looking after the child was the least of his worries.
"But Professor, what if - what if, he found out, the Dark Lord, that I-" Dumbledore tried to interrupt him, but Serverus continued. "That I had his child. He would question my loyalties, and I fear I may be exposed as the double agent that I am." Snape's lip was quivering and he was wringing his hands nervously, anxious to hear Dumbledore's response.
"Well I can tell you only one thing; Severus. Lord Voldemort must never know that you have his daughter. Just like she must never know who is in actual fact, her real father. You must raise her as your own, or she may become so consumed with the idea that her father is a terrible man and believe that she, too, is destined for a life of barbaric actions against her own kind. If she asks of her mother, however, feel free to tell her what you wish. I would suggest something simple, like perhaps that she was a muggle and died during childbirth." Snape nodded, not at all happy about his new status as a parent. "Of course, Minerva and I, along with the rest of the staff, shall be here to offer you a helping hand whenever we can, I shall arrange for her to have furniture moved into the room next to yours. Try to retain her in the dungeons as much as possible, during the school year, though. I'm not exactly sure whether or not she will be fit to join other students, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how her personality developes." Albus noted the obvious look of disdain on Severus' face, and his voice grew stern. "Severus, you know I would not give you this task if I didn't think you could handle it. Personally, I think you are the best candidate out of all the staff to do this job. Cheer up! You should be happy about this. Let's go meet her, shall we?" Dumbledore left the room, grudgingly followed by Snape.
They talked all the way up to the hospital wing about term arrangements, avoiding the subject of the child. They paused outside of the hospital wing and Dumbledore pulled out his wand, silently casting the Muffliato charm. No one around them could hear their conversation anymore, it felt as if they were inside a bubble that nothing but exceptionally powerful magic could penetrate. It was now that Albus Dumbledore dropped what felt like a bomb on the heart of Severus Snape.
"I should warn you forehand that she has her eyes. Lily's eyes, precisely Lily's eyes..." Albus said, a hint of pity in his voice.
"DON'T!" Severus roared. It was a good job the Muffliato spell was working, because Snape's tone alone would have awoken the whole of the castle. Severus gulped, opened the door to the hospital wing and walked over to the child, trying not to look into her eyes. He failed; the temptation to see those eyes once more was too much. Severus Snape felt like his heart was breaking. Like it had been wrenched from his body and was now filling the room with its thumping. Staggering, he caught himself on the cot, breathless. The baby was staring at him with curious green eyes, not knowing what to make of the funny looking man with black hair above her. He sighed and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.
"What will you name her?" Dumbledore asked in a polite manner. Completely caught off gaurd by this question, it took Snape a moment. I'm supposed to name her, too? He thought incrediously. And then he knew exactly what he was going to name her.
"Lily..." He whispered softly, before clearing his throat. "Eizabeth Lillian... Snape." A faint smile spread across the lips of Albus Dumbledore, as if he had known all along what the child's name would be. He turned to leave, but Severus Snape had one last question for him.
"You are tying, aren't you? Still? To keep her and her family safe, I mean..." He trailed off, his voice mingled with hope, regret and fear. Albus nodded solemnly and left Severus with his new child, undoing the Muffliato charm.
The last scene Elizabeth Lillian Snape saw before closing her eyes for a nap was that of her newly devoted father, Severus Snape, looking deep into her eyes with a loving manner.