I woke the next morning to find him asleep across from me. I slowly wandered around the room and explored a little bit. I found some parchment and a quill. I dipped the quill in ink and started to write some of the questions I had down on the parchment. When I had finished writing them down I grabbed some clothes from my bag and headed to the bathroom. I got into the warm shower and I let the water run over my cold body. When I got out and had changed, brushed my teeth, dried my hair and put my hair into braided pigtails, I walked back out of the bathroom and found Snape sitting there with my parchment of questions.
"Come here Miss Moore. I can answer most of these."
"Yes sir." I walked over and sat down across from him.
"No… here." He said pointed to the spot next to him. I moved and sat down next to him. He wrapped an arm around me as he looked at the first question.
He waited a few moments before speaking,
"You were in Voldemort's hideout because the chamber you were in is actually a few miles from his house. He was there to set up a meeting and he heard you coming. He pretended to be asleep and then he surprised you. He thought you would be a good addition to the group so he brought you back to his hideout house. That is where I come in. He set his most trusted death eaters into guarding you… I took over for McNair that night and it was my first time guarding you. If you hadn't woken by the morning when I had to leave, I would've brought you with me… because once morning light hit I would've recognized you… I wouldn't have let you stay there anyway. Now, do you have any other questions at this moment Miss Moore?"
"No sir," I whispered finally understanding how I had gotten to Voldemort's hideout. We sat there for a while longer, I was content in my professor's arms and he didn't move either. I rested my head on his shoulder and drifted into a slight sleep. About 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door and I had been dreaming about being at Voldemort's but Snape hadn't saved me and when I heard the knock on the door I woke up screaming. Snape yelled a quick 'Enter' at the door as Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall entered the room. I looked at them and then at Snape. I think Snape realized that he was still holding me at the same time I did. We both jumped away from each other at the same time and somehow I landed on my bed.
We were at breakfast a while later. Dumbledore and McGonagall had needed to talk to Snape alone so they escorted him from the room and reminded me that breakfast was in 10 minutes. I slowly walked up to breakfast about eight minutes later and sat down at the long table… The rest of the staff was there except for Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore. I was starting to get worried and then the food showed up. The rest of the staff dug in but I sat there and acted as though I wasn't hungry.
MEANWHILE IN DUMBLEDORE'S OFFICE
Snape stood in front of Dumbledore and McGonagall.
"Severus, don't do this," Dumbledore pleaded. McGonagall looked as though she was about to faint.
"Albus, I have decided to do this and I would like for you not to stop me. She is almost a woman… she is turning 17 today. Even though I am her legal guardian I believe I should do this… she needs someone to take care of her. She needs someone to love her, someone that she can love…" (A/N: are you all thinking that he is going to ask for her hand in marriage?! Hehe… I was going to do that but then I decided against it…)
"Severus, you can't. How will you take care of her? How will you support her?" Mcgonagall asked accusingly.
"ME!? Minirva, I am quite capable of taking care of myself and I have taken care of many Slytherins who have been more hard headed as Kaylie."
"Severus, we are not talking about taking care of just a member of your house. Severus if you do this we would be talking about your daughter!"
"Yes Minirva, she would be my daughter. Do you have a problem with that? Like I said, she needs to know someone will take care of her… and she has no friends at the school so she can't really talk to anyone else, I feel that she needs someone to love as she needs someone to love her."
"Severus, do what you wish. But don't come looking for help from me when she gives you the ride of your life on that roller coaster we call a parent/child relationship."
"Fine Minirva… I wouldn't ask for your help on the parenting subject in a million years. I would go to Sprout."
"Very well Severus, do as you wish. If you are sure you wish to adopt, go ahead… it will only make things more difficult in the classroom, not only with her but with the other students as well. They will never look at you the same way." Albus said finally with his approval of the decision ringing in his voice.
"Thank you sir," Snape said softly before leaving the room. He made it down the stairs and then he started to run as fast as he could down to the great hall. He had already filled out the papers and he knew his owl would be on the back of his chair waiting for him at the breakfast table. He ran into the great hall quickly not stopping until he got to the table. He covered Kaylie's eyes and smiled to the rest of the staff. (At this point the rest of the staff assumed Albus had given permission for him to ask the student for her hand in marriage…) He took out a stack of papers and gently set them down on her still clean and empty plate. He uncovered her eyes after whispering softly into her ear, just loud enough so she could hear and the rest of the staff could hear, "I have a surprise for you and I think you're going to like it!"
