Chapter 2

The trio were gathered in the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of Severus Snape. Sirius and Eve were at the table, she in his lap as they flicked through a book on animagus transformations while Sirius told her all about what it was like to transform and how hard it was the first few times. He had promised to help her become an animagus when she got older.

Harry was shifting around them, cooking dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs, it was about the only dish that he could really make to perfection, and that was mostly because the pasta came from a packet and the sauce came from a can.

Harry felt the wards being disturbed and knew Snape had arrived. He left the kitchen to get the door before Snape could knock. He would probably be accused of keeping him waiting otherwise. The man stood on the doorstep, in his usual frock coat and scowl.

"Professor," Harry greeted, giving him a polite nod.

"Potter."

Harry led him into the kitchen and they paused at the door as Snape looked upon his daughter in the flesh for the first time.

"Do you think I'll be a cat like my mum?" Eve asked. "Or a dog like you uncle."

"Hopefully a dog like me," he replied, grinning as he turned the page.

"Will you not like me if I'm a cat?"

Sirius chuckled at the warning in her tone. "I'll like you even if you're a bird love. But if you're a dog, we'll be able to play better games. Hopefully you're not something really useless like a snail."

"People don't turn into snails. Do they?"

Snape looked over at Potter questioningly.

"Sirius has promised to teach her to become an animagus when she's older," Harry explained.

At his voice, both Eve and Sirius looked up form their book. He was already mentally comparing her to the photo he had seen earlier that day. Her hair was much longer and up in pigtails, but aside from that, there was very little difference. Except for the sadness that seemed to linger in her eyes that had been absent in the photo, but he assumed that was to do with her mothers failing health. He was keenly aware of being sized up himself and it was unnerving.

"Eve, this is Severus Snape, your dad," Harry told her.

The little girl slid off Sirius' lap and came around the table to stand before him, her eyes never leaving his. She offered her hand to him.

"Nice to meet you sir."

"And you," he said, his larger hand engulfing hers. At least she was polite, and not sticky.

Harry continued to putter about the kitchen as he cooked, telling Severus to sit.

"Snape," Sirius greeted, and it was by far the most civil greeting he had ever received from the man. He assumed the lack of hostility was for the child's benefit.

"Black," Severus responded in kind.

This was a strange situation for him to be sure, dinner with the two people he had despised most and a daughter he had only met for the first time moments ago.

Evangeline poured him some tea from the set already on the kitchen table and slid the cup to him from her side.

"Thank you."

She nodded as she watched him and he found it unsettling to see his own eyes staring back at him so intently.

"So...Severus," Sirius began, trying to chase away the uneasy atmosphere. "How have you been?"

"Well thank you. Yourself?"

"Good. And hows Hogwarts?"

"Good, not as much damage or hospital admissions now that the infamous Gryffindor trio is no longer in attendance."

"Gryffindor trio?" Eve asked.

Sirius smiled at her. "Your mum, Uncle Harry and their friend Ron used to get into all sorts of trouble in their school days."

"It was thanks to your mum we didn't die most of the time," Harry chuckled. "Your dad too."

Eve looked over at Snape again. "You were mums teacher?"

He nodded, knowing how bad that sounded.

"You're still a teacher?"

Another nod.

"What do you teach?"

Why did he feel like he was being interrogated by an eight year old? Going by the grins on Potter and Black, they were thinking along the same lines.

"I teach Potions," he replied.

"Are you very good at it?"

"I am one of only six Potions Masters in Britain."

Harry placed their meals in front of them.

"Sorry," he said. "None of us really know how to cook so we tend to live on takeaways. Spaghetti is about the only dish I can make and Sirius' speciality is bangers and mash."

Severus had a few smart remarks to say to that but held his tongue. They were trying to be civil after all.

Eve only watched, not blind to the tension in the room. She could see that her dad was obviously not popular with her uncles and vice versa.

Conversation over dinner was stilted and they tended to stay with safe subjects, nothing to do with the war they were all apart of and rarely touching on the topic of the time they were all at Hogwarts together in any capacity. Eve stayed out of it entirely just observing them all. When they moved onto talk of Quidditch, Severus directed a question her way.

"Are you a fan of the sport?"

She just shook her head in reply.

"She's as bad as 'Mione when it comes to Quidditch," Harry told him.

Eve smiled at that and for a moment thought she caught a hint of amusement in Severus' dark eyes.

"I like to fly though, Uncle Harry takes me out most weekends."

"Professor Snape can fly without a broom you know."

Her eyes widened with excitement and Severus was very much reminded of her mother. When she opened her mouth to speak, he was quite sure about what was to come, but instead, she closed it and regained her composure.

"Can you go faster than a broom?"

"Yes."

"That must be very useful."

"Apparition is more convenient, but yes, flying has proven itself useful."

She so very much wanted to ask him to teach her but decided against it. It was too soon and just because he was here tonight didn't mean he intended to stick around. Best not to get too attached to him.

After they finished dinner Sirius got up to dish the ice cream and Eve helped by opening the can of peaches. Severus watched her as she added them to the ice cream, counting them out to make sure everyone's was equal. He didn't have much of a sweet tooth but ate the ice cream anyway. He wasn't sure how to interact with the girl so for the most part, they just stared at each other. He wondered what judgement she had reached about him.

For his part, he was pleased to see how polite she was, and impressed with her impeccable table manners. She wasn't a Quidditch maniac considering she had been living with Potter and Black and she didn't constantly natter on about nothing. But then, he couldn't be sure how much of her quietness was due to his presence and how much was just naturally her.

By the time they had finished dessert, the hour had grown quite late.

"Go and get ready for bed Evey," Sirius told her.

Eve nodded and slid off her seat, giving Harry a hug and shaking Severus' hand.

"Goodnight sir."

She headed off pausing at the door to look at Sirius. "We only have two more chapters of 'When you reach me' can we finish them both tonight?"

"Course love," he smiled. "I'll be up in a few minutes. Make sure you brush your teeth."

She rolled her eyes but nodded, making her way upstairs. With her gone, both residents of Grimmauld Place turned their gazes on Severus.

"What?" He snapped.

"You'll take her?" Harry asked.

"I believe I already agreed to do so."

"Yeah but you might have changed your mind."

"I have not. However..." In a flash of movement he had his wand drawn and both Potter and Black were covered in itchy, puss filled, painful boils.

"Mature Snape," Sirius barked out, trying to refrain from scratching at his face.

They would not wear off for a good twelve hours.

"The only reason I don't kill you or put you in hospital for keeping my child a secret from me is because she seems to like you and thus far appears well cared for," he told them, his voice low and seething with fury.

"Of course she's well cared for," Harry snapped back. "She may not be blood but we love that girl as if she were our own. And I was respecting Hermione's wishes, she didn't want you to know, she didn't think you would care."

"Need I remind you, I only found out you were her father today?" Sirius ground out.

Severus stared at him, disdain evident in his gaze. "I've just plain never liked you."

"I should be killing you for shagging Hermione," he growled out, keeping his voice low so as not to alert the girl upstairs. "She was half your age and a student."

"She was over eighteen Black, legal in both the wizarding and muggle worlds and she had practically graduated."

"Is this really how it's going to be?" Harry asked. "As soon as Eve is out of the room we're going to hex the shit out of each other?"

"Don't be so melodramatic. And no. This was retaliation for the wrong done against me, I so wish I could do worse, but I won't. Henceforth we will drop the issue and return to civility, for Evangeline's sake. But make no mistake, I still dislike you immensely."

He rose to his feet, replacing his wand back up his sleeve.

"Thank you for dinner," he said. "I will see you tomorrow when you drop Evangeline off. Good evening."

With that, he swept from the room, no less intimidating without his teaching robes.

xXx

Evangeline watched her uncle squirm and fidget as he sat beside her on the bed, his attention wasn't on the book they were reading.

"Are you ok uncle?" She asked.

"Fine love, why do you ask?" He said, flashing her a smile.

Eve just frowned at him like he was a little on the mental side and Sirius cursed Snape in his head. The boils were bloody itchy and painful. The glamours at least hid them, but it didn't alleviate the effects.

"Just a bit itchy is all," Sirius told her, using his thumb to wipe away the furrow between her brows.

She grinned then. "Fleas?"

"Ha ha," he replied, poking her in the side and causing her to squirm away from him. "I'll have you know, Harry de-fleaed me a while ago."

Silence fell and Eve returned to her book, continually casting side ways glances at him every time he shifted. Sirius was going to kill Snape. Bloody bastard.

"Professor Snape didn't look very...interested," she suddenly said.

"That's just Snape, he doesn't really seem very interested in anything," Sirius told her. "But don't worry, he won't hurt you or anything."

"I don't...I don't think he will, it's just...I don't know," he shoulders slumped a little.

"Worried he doesn't want you?"

Her big dark eyes stared straight into his and her vulnerability was clear as day.

"If he didn't, he wouldn't have agreed to take you," Sirius told her. "Very few people can make him do something he doesn't want to. Surely you could tell that already."

Not really, he had reminded her of a robot, his expression hardly changed, his tone was mostly the same. An image of him doing the robot came to mind and she bit back a grin.

"Don't worry so much love, you'll be fine, he'll like you. How could he not?"

Sirius just hoped Severus didn't make him a liar.

xXx

Severus was sitting in his living room the next day, trying to concentrate on the book in front of him. He didn't know when they would be getting to Spinner's End. He still didn't know what to make of the child, though he had thought of little else through the night. He had spent a good three hours in her company and she hadn't said much. Would she be all right staying with him? He was well aware he was not the easiest man to live with, and things might be so much more awkward without Potter and Black as a buffer.

Whether or not he wanted an actual relationship with the girl, he hadn't decided. There was a sense of responsibility to her, but little else. Some interest, but there was no over whelming emotion or unconditional love. He would have preferred to visit her should he feel like it, and get to know her slowly, rather than have her encroaching on his personal space. She was tolerable last night at least.

He set his book aside, having read the same sentence repeatedly and retaining nothing of it. With a glance around the room, he realised his house wasn't exactly child friendly. At the very least he should remove his dark arts books, perhaps lock them in the cellar in one of the cabinets. He quickly set to it, deeming it an appropriate idea.

Shortly after he had everything dangerous under lock and ward, he heard a knock on his door. Another lock and more wards were applied to the cellar door and he made his way upstairs. Potter, Black and Evangeline stood on his doorstep, her suitcase sitting beside her. With a flick of his wand he sent her suitcase upstairs.

"Good afternoon."

"Hello," Evangeline replied.

Severus debated whether or not he should invite them all in, but his thoughts were interrupted as Potter spoke up.

"Thanks for taking her, we shouldn't be more than two or three weeks."

Severus frowned when he handed him a piece of paper. "What is this?"

"A list of other people you can contact should you need to. I know Bill gets back in two weeks and Fred is always around if you get desperate."

The older man realised Potter was trying to not-so-subtely let him know that if he decided to give up on her, there were emergency people she could go to.

"We will be fine Potter."

One of his talents was appearing calm and confident when he was anything but. Harry nodded and crouched down, engulfing Eve in a crushing hug. She hugged him just as tightly.

"Bye Uncle Harry, be safe."

He let her go, giving her a smile and nod. Sirius moved to do the same.

"Be safe too," she told him.

"Always am love," he assured her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Eve," Harry said. "Go inside, I need to speak to your dad for a second."

She nodded.

"Bye Evey, be good."

She gave him a wave as she disappeared inside.

"We've already been to see her mum today so you don't have to worry about that." Severus nodded as Harry tried to think of anything else that he would need to know. "I've also told everyone else about you as well."

He quirked his brow at the younger man, curious as to how that might have gone down with the others.

"Well, they'll want to know why Eve is staying with you. And I only told family. So I guess that's it really. Eve is pretty independent mostly. She can amuse herself and she isn't a big talker either."

Severus nodded again, a little relieved to hear that actually. "What of her friends? Should I be expecting anything on that front?"

"Eve doesn't have any friends except Victoire and Teddy," Sirius explained. "She goes to a muggle school and the kids there kind of pick on her, so she's a bit of an outcast."

"I see." That was a sting he could identify with.

"All right," Harry said. "I guess we'll see you in a few weeks. Oh! Dance class, she has them every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Eve has all the details."

Severus gave another nod before Harry thanked him again and disapparated.

"She better be in one piece when we get back," Sirius warned.

Severus only quirked a brow in response, as if questioning his audacity. The girl was his daughter, his flesh and blood. Not the mongrel Blacks. Severus closed the door, not wasting any more time with him.

He found Evangeline in the living room, sitting in the chair he had conjured for Potter only yesterday, straight backed and little legs swinging back and forth. She really was quite small, was that the average size of a girl her age? Her eyes met his as he entered the room, another bout of staring ensued as they studied one another. Her hair had been left out, cascading down her back and almost pooling on the chair, she wore muggle clothing, a black t-shirt with blue butterflies on it, three quarter denim pants and shoes. Hermione had probably sent her to a muggle school to keep the influence strong in her, she had always been proud of her heritage.

He crossed his arms over his chest and she tilted her head to the side. The thought of entering her mind crossed his own, just to see what she was thinking about, but his conscience chose that moment to kick in. That just wasn't the way to start what ever kind of relationship he wanted to have with her. What now?

"Come," he finally said. "I will show you the house."

She slid off the chair and followed him through to the kitchen, where he told her to help herself to anything if she was hungry. The cellar which doubled as his lab, which she was not to enter. If she needed him, she had to knock and wait until he was finished with whatever he was working on. They headed up the stairs where he pointed out the bathroom. His bedroom which was at the end of the short hall, again she was not to enter it unless it was an emergency. She nodded and he showed her where she would be staying for the duration of her time here. Her room wasn't very large, and mostly bare, a single bed, a small bedside table, a dressing table and a door in the corner where the closet was. It was dark and dour like the rest of the house, but very clean.

"Do with it as you will," he told her.

"Thank you sir."

He frowned down at her a moment. "You may call me Severus."

She nodded.

"Dinner is at seven. Do you have any food allergies I should be aware of?"

A shake of her head was her response.

"Very well, I will leave you to it."

He turned from the room and left her alone. She quietly closed the door behind him before climbing onto her bed and drawing her knees up. Severus didn't really seem like a kind man, but decent at least from the stories she'd heard. She just didn't know how to act around him. She missed her mum, wished that she could be there. What would she tell her to do in regard to this man who was supposed to be her father? Her mother had always told her to be kind, never judge, to treat others the way she would want to be treated. It was sound advice, seemed common sense really. But she liked hugs, she liked the affection her uncles and aunts showered on her. It didn't take a genius to see Severus Snape was not the affectionate type. The best she could probably hope for would be his acceptance, a respectful agreement to co-exist. She would not break any of his rules and just try to keep out from underfoot. There were plenty of books in his living room, each wall had been covered in them and there had been stacks all over the floor, so that was something to keep her occupied. She brought her dictionary too, she took it every where in case she found a word she didn't know. Her mother had made it for her, it would even pronounce the word she was looking for so she knew how to say it right.

With a sigh she headed to the lone window, gazing out of it. She knew about babies, where they came from, and she had the gist of how they were made sort of, it took a man and a woman who cared about each other very much. Severus and her mum just seemed like such a mismatched couple. Severus was so dark and intimidating. Her mum was light and warmth. Maybe that was what had attracted him to her. But what happened that he wasn't a part of their lives while she grew up? She wanted to ask, but certainly wasn't stupid enough to actually do it.

Absently running her finger down the window it came off with a layer of grime. She wasn't too good with wandless magic, but she could do a few things. Since she had started displaying signs of magic, her mother had tried to teach her control. So, with a ridiculous amount of concentration, she was able to get the window clean, inside and out.

Once it was clean, she opened it up and sat on the sill, letting her legs dangle outside as she soaked up the sun and fresh air. If she closed her eyes she could almost pretend she was back home, her mother sitting behind her reading a story out loud.

Eve wasn't fond of the idea to dump her with a stranger, even if he was her father by blood. But she supposed he wasn't exactly a stranger to Uncle Harry and Uncle Sirius, one had been his student for seven years, the other a classmate for just as long. And both had fought alongside him in the war. Uncle Harry had told her he wasn't too keen on Snape, but respected him greatly and owed him for saving their lives on more than one occasion. Uncle Sirius however, flat out didn't like him. He tried to hide the fact and wouldn't speak ill of him, but Eve wasn't stupid and she was very quiet as she moved about the house. Because of that she was able to over hear a lot of conversations she shouldn't.

Not wanting to get sun burned, she went about unpacking her things. The room, while clean, was rather run down. She didn't think it was used very often, if at all. And she had been living at Grimmauld with two men who hated cleaning, so she had seen and lived in worse.

After cleaning her window and unpacking, she really had nothing left to occupy her and her fingers were kind of itching to get a look at his book collection. Her mother had prided herself on hers and Eve had grown up on the written word. So, she wandered downstairs as silently as she could, it would take time to learn which floor boards to avoid and which stairs to hop over to ensure she made no sound.

Severus was reading in his chair when she came down and he looked up at her to see what she wanted.

"May I look at your books?" She asked softly.

"You know how to treat them appropriately?"

She nodded.

"Go ahead."

He returned his gaze to his own book but discretely watched her over the top of it. She crouched to get a look at the low titles and tip toed for the higher ones, for the ones on the top most shelves she obviously had difficulty making them out. He had a pretty even mix of both magical and muggle texts but had to wonder at her reading capabilities. He didn't think he had anything someone of her age would understand.

Something on the top shelf caught her gaze and she reached her hand up for it. After a few seconds Severus was surprised to see the book slide off the shelf and drop into her waiting hand. Interesting.

"When did your magic manifest?" He asked.

She seemed to think about it as she took a seat in the chair opposite him.

"Mum said she first saw it when I was three," she replied. "She's been trying to teach me control and simple spells ever since."

"In what way did it show itself?"

"Broke every window and piece of glass in the house. It was my first wasp sting. I cried, and everything just broke, cups, plates, ornaments."

Severus nodded, but said no more on the subject, returning to his book instead. It didn't surprise him Hermione would be trying to teach her daughter such things. And truth be told, Severus wouldn't be averse to continuing that instruction. But perhaps it would be best to wait until they were a little more comfortable before broaching the subject with her, if at all. Three weeks wasn't a long time after all.

They continued reading in silence for the rest of the afternoon. The only time she got up was when she went upstairs to retrieve a dictionary. Rather than ask him what a word was, she looked it up for herself.

When it was time to make dinner, Severus realised just how bare his cupboards and fridge were. He would have to go shopping tomorrow. He loathed that task. Since there wasn't much to choose from, he went with mince, throwing in a few veges and soup mix and that was dinner. He could cook, if he so chose, and if he had the right ingredients, but for the most part, he preferred brewing potions to cooking meals.

He called Evangeline in and she took a seat at the small table opposite him. He noticed her picking her peas and carrots out of the meal and stacking them to the side of her plate. She noticed him watching.

"I don't really like vegetables," she explained.

He tried to form the appropriate parental response without flat out ordering her.

"They're good for you."

"I take Gummy-vites," she replied. He frowned in response. "Vitamin gummy bears, since I don't eat a lot of healthy food."

"Why?"

"Uncle Harry and Uncle Sirius mostly live on meat. I don't think they like vegetables very much either."

"I don't care what Potter and Black like, you will start eating your vegetables. Eat."

Her brow furrowed and he could see her irritation. "I'm eating my potatoes and mushrooms. They're vegetables."

"Mushrooms are a fungus and potatoes are tubers, neither are real vegetables."

"I don't like peas and carrots." She was practically glaring now.

"Mix them in with your mince and potatoes and you will hardly notice them."

She was wearing on his patience already, and the afternoon had gone so well. The girl was spoiling it.

"I prefer carrots raw."

He narrowed his eyes at her, then with a wave of his wand, a carrot removed itself from the fridge and chopped itself into sticks before settling on her plate. She picked one up and ate it, glaring at him defiantly.

When their meal was finished he set the dishes to wash with magic while the pair of them returned to their books.

It wasn't until he heard a loud thump that he looked up from his book and realised the late hour. Evangeline was in her chair, fast asleep, the book having slid from her hands. He had forgotten she was there. He stood and went over to her, saying her name softly in an attempt to wake her. When that didn't work, he shook her shoulder gently.

"Evangeline." Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. "Go to bed."

She rubbed at her eyes and stood up, reaching down for the book. Severus took it before she could.

"Goodnight Severus."

"Goodnight."

He replaced the book and when he turned, she had already vanished up to her room. He returned to his seat and sighed. Day one hadn't gone too terribly. For a second he had caught a glimpse of her mothers temper, but she reeled it in at least. He was pleased with himself for his own restraint as well. All in all, it could have been much worse.