A/N: Summer! Yay! Finally, it's here and I will be able to update more often. Please leave me your wonderful reviews, because you've no idea how much they spur me on. Seriously. Anyways, here's chapter six, and I hope you enjoy it after I left you in suspense after that cliffhanger!

Disclaimer: What I've dead for the past five chapters still stands.

At first, there was a stunned silence. Then, slowly, a red-headed boy stood up and began to clap. That seemed to shake everybody out of their stupor and the sound was defeaning. Everybody at the Gryffindor table were up, as was the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff tables. Even a few brave Slytherins were up, though most remained down. Dalilah could feel her cheeks turn a bright crimson. They accepted her, and it left a warm feeling in her stomach. She'd never been liked. Everybody hated her-they either thought she was weird or Dudley and his gang of idiots deterred anyone who even remotely liked her. But these people understood her, liked her even. Dalilah felt tears creep up like before, but these ones were of joy-not sadness.

After the cheers finally died down, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why she's here. Many of the Hogwarts staff felt that she'd be much safer here, because she what's been living with muggles."

Many people gasped and some even cried in outrage. The savior of their world, living with mugggles? However, Dumbledore held up a hand and the Hall quieted.

"Dalilah is here now, and is under the protection of Severus Snape."

The same reaction as before erupted. Dumbledore merely smiled and said, "Witag that intrigue weighing on your minds, it's time to turn in: of you trot!"

With that, he sent them off to bed with the shocking news on the brain. They trooped out, all following their house prefects. Dalilah was wiping stray tears away as Professor Snape came over to her, holding out his hand. She looked up and shyly took it. She hopped down from her chair and walked to his quarters.

"Professor Snape?" Dalilah asked hesitantly.

He looked down at her and he softened slightly. She was nibbling on her bottom lip, a habit Lily had and could never quite break. She wasn't the arrogant, spoiled girl he'd initially thought she'd be. No, she very much the opposite, and Severus realized he wears starting to see her as such. No longer 'James daughter' it even 'Lily's daughter'. She was Dalilah, something completely new, and he intended to treat her that way. Only one summer and she'd wormed and wriggled her way into his heart.

"Yes, Dalilah?"

"How come the Slytherins didn't stand up?" Severus grimaced. That was a hard question. What should he tell her? He decided to just be honest.

"Some of the children in Slytherin had parents, and other family members, who were followers of the Dark Lord. Many of these followers were apprehended and taken to Azkaban." He explained, hoping she'd understand so they could get off the subject of Death Eaters. It was still a too little touchy for him to be comfortable Dalilah nodded, then furrowed her brow as they arrived at the entrance to his rooms.

"What's Azkaban?" He forgot that, although he'd taught her much during the last summer, she was still seven and new to magic.

"It's the foulest-and the only-prison in the Wizarding World," he said. Dalilah paled considerably.

"I'm the reason that-that they're orphans?!" She shrieked. They were now standing in the middle of his living room. He got on one knee, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eye.

"They got what they deserved," he said slowly, making sure she understood what he was saying. He continued when she still looked uneasy, "Those people knew what they were doing when they decided to follow him. They knew exactly what they were getting into. If you hadn't killed Voldemort, then much more innocent lives would be ruined."

Dalilah sniffled but nodded. Then, doing something that was so un-Snapelike that even he wasn't sure if it actually occurred, Severus hugged the little girl. She was speechless but wasn't going to take this rare show of affection for granted. She wrapped her arms around him-though she didn't quite make it all the way. When he let go she could still feel his warmth and positively glowed as he shooed her off to bed. Severus opened a cabinet and took a long swig of fire whiskey-straight from the bottle.

Merlin, what was this girl doing to him?

Dalilah bounced in her seat, waiting for the last class of the day to arrive: The Slytherins. Dalilah had the other houses wrapped firmly around her finger. Not only was she as cute as can be, but it seemed with her there Professor Snape didn't yell. Not once did he tell a student that their potion resembled the inside of an ingested goblin, or that their skulls were thicker than the doors of a Gringotts vault. Granted, he still insulted them, but it would be awkward if he was actually kind.

As the 4th year Slytherins trickled in, they shot curious glances at the little girl. Some glared, some smiled slightly, but most didn't seem to care. Dalilah was disappointed, but she supposed indifference was better than hatred.

The class progressed more or less like the rest. That is, until a boy at the front left too much heat on for too long, as he was busy talking to the girl behind him. He jumped when his potion started to hiss and bubble angrily. As it started to leap out of the pot, he gave it a great shove, the only concern on his mind being for himself. It fell forward, splashing all over one Dalilah Potter.

The little girl cried out in pain, as her skin turned to the colour of her hair. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Professor Snape yelling profanities and running towards her falling body.

A/N: Another cliffhanger-I'm sorry, readers! I hope this was enough action so that you don't get bored! I'm not sure where I'm going with this story. Please tell me what you think! I've gotten ahead of myself and I'm thinking of love interests. What'd you think of a Remus/Mate thing, eh? Oh, don't worry about that yet. R, R, & R!