"Snape, Olivia!" Olivia knew her name was going to be called, and yet Professor McGonagall's voice still made her jump. She glanced nervously at the head table where her father sat, but his face was schooled into a practiced blankness.

There were murmurs in the hall. Not as many as when "Potter, Harry" was called, to be sure, but her last name still called attention from the returning students.

Olivia tried to remember that she was a member of the Prince and Slughorn families, and fought to walk smoothly up to the front of the hall and sat on the stool. McGonagall carefully dropped the hat onto her head.

"Hmm," said a voice, whispering in her ear. "Deja vu, it seems. It seems like I just talked to you. Different circumstances, perhaps. Well then… courage, of course, that's a given in your lineage, I suppose. One of the better minds I've looked at today. Strong Slytherin connections, I see.

Olivia's mind swirled. She'd thought about her placement a lot over the years. When she was small, she had wanted nothing more than to be a Slytherin like her father. But as she got older she started to feel more and more uncomfortable with the Slytherins she met. There was something sinister that they seem to thrive on. Like Draco, who loved that people were a little afraid of him. Not that she was afraid of Severus, at least not usually, but when he was with Slytherins, acting like a Slytherin, she understood why others thought he was scary.

And now that he was the Head of Slytherin House, it seemed like an even worse idea. Maybe Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw would be okay. Severus appreciated intelligence.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Olivia's heart dropped into her stomach. She hadn't even finished thinking!

The Great Hall was silent. Complete, and utter silence for several beats. Then, suddenly the Gryffindor table started to clap, and she used their energy to propel herself off the stool and go toward the cheering students. She didn't look back at the head table. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to look at him again. Gryffindor. Of all the houses…

She found herself amongst Ron, Harry, and a group of boys that had to be Ron's siblings. One of them was offering potatoes around the table as Dumbledore finished his welcome speech.

"So—," Olivia looked up to see Nearly Headless Nick floating above them. "New Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year. Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable. And it's just going to get worse with Snape at the helm— bloody drill sergeant, that one."

Harry looked at Olivia sympathetically before taking another helping of roast chicken. He was thin, Olivia noticed. Not skeletal, but the way he looked at the food made her think that he hadn't always had quite enough.

The conversation had changed to blood-status. "I'm half and half," said Seamus, a boy toward the end of the table. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

Olivia laughed with the others until Nick settled next to her. "From what I hear, the Professors had real money on this year's sorting," the ghost said, looking longingly at the food. "Harry is hardly a surprise, but I think McGonnagall won big on Olivia here."

Olivia blushed and looked down at her plate as all the eyes at the table turned to her.

"I think it's brilliant," one of Ron's brothers said. "Snape can hardly have a grudge against Gryffindor this year, can he?"

Beside her, Harry looked up at the High Table before suddenly clasping his hand to his forehead and crying out.

"What?" Olivia looked at him, then at the High Table.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked, taking his hand off his head.

"That's my dad," Olivia said quietly. Severus wasn't so much talking to Quirrell as he was tolerating the man's rambling. Olivia could tell if the two men had been together in any other setting, Severus would already be out the door.

"Snape teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to. Everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape," Percy took a biscuit off the tray that had appeared in the middle of the table.

Ron clearly kicked Percy under the table. "What? It's true."

Dumbledore was speaking again, warning students to stay out of the third-flood corridor on the right side. Olivia tried to picture the castle to figure out what was in the section. Severus had never let her wander the castle at will, but she'd spent enough time at Hogwarts over the years to know the layout. The only thing she could think of in that area was a washroom, and maybe a storage closet or two.

She took a biscuit as well, and then tried to reach for a tart, but found her hand hit an invisible barrier. She looked around at the plates of other students, piled high with sugary treats. As an experiment, she put the biscuit back on the tray and tried to take a tart again. This time, her hand had no trouble taking a sweet. The plates had clearly been charmed to allow her to only have one dessert, a situation that had Severus written all over it.

She didn't have long to dwell on it though, because it was time for the singing of the school song, and then everyone was on their way to their Houses.

Olivia had never been in the Gryffindor common room before. As soon as she came through the portrait, she breathed a sigh of relief. The Gryffindor common room was everything that the Slytherin common room was not. It was cozy and warm with big fat armchairs. She followed the other girls up the stairs to their dormitory, where there were five four-poster beds, each with a trunk beside it.

Olivia found her trunk, and therefore, her bed, and opened the top to look for her pajamas. On the top of her folded clothing and other belongings was a piece of parchment with writing in green ink.

Olivia,

Come to the living room before breakfast tomorrow. Sleep well.

Olivia reread the note for subtext. There was no doubt whom it was from, of course. Severus had clearly tucked it into her trunk before sending it to the Gryffindor dormitory. Possibilities swirled in Olivia's mind concerning what her father wanted to talk about. What kind of Slytherin-raised child ends up in Gryffindor? Sleep well because you'll never sleep well again?

The room was buzzing with activity, but all Olivia heard was a roaring in her ears as she opened the drawers under her bed and started to unpack her clothes.

"Olivia?" The frizzy-haired girl from the train had clearly been calling her name more than once. "My mum sent chocolate biscuits. Do you want one?" The other girl was holding out a red tin of biscuits.

Olivia blinked. "Right. Yes. Thank you." She glanced around at the other girls, who were all munching on the treats. Carefully selecting one, she sat on her bed. Severus clearly hadn't managed to charm every source of sugar in the castle.

"All set, girls?" Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, ma'am," the girls chorused.

"Good. Welcome to Gryffindor. If you need anything, your Prefect is Victoria Hooper." The professor smiled warmly. "Goodnight, girls. Sleep well." She turned and went back into the hall.

Maybe it was that last line. But Olivia decided in that moment that she couldn't possibly sleep without knowing exactly how disappointed her father was. She jumped up and followed the older witch to the top of the stairs. "Professor?"

McGonagall turned and smiled. "Olivia Snape. Shocked the wizarding world tonight, didn't we?"

Olivia blushed a bit. She had known most of the professors at Hogwarts her entire life, but McGonagall had always been a puzzle. She seemed, aside from Dumbledore, to be the only one who wasn't intimidated by her dour father in the least. "Yes, ma'am. Um…" Olivia shifted from foot to foot a bit. "My father…"

McGonagall snorted. "Is that what you are looking so nervous about? Anyone who truly knows you wasn't among the shocked this evening, my dear. And your father knows you. If there was ever a lion in snake's clothing, it is Olivia Snape." She looked at the First Year and sighed. "Severus Snape, the great communicator," she said, her voice tinged with laughter. "Come along, then." She swept down the stairs, and Olivia followed her to a door that, when opened, revealed a living space that clearly belonged to the Head of Gryffindor House.

McGonagall went to the floo and stuck her head in. "Severus? I'm sending Olivia through."

Severus must have responded, because the witch stepped back and held the pot of Floo powder out to the First Year. "You know what to do," she said knowingly.

Olivia tossed the powder into the fireplace and stepped into the flames. "Hogwarts, Snape's Residence."

Severus was standing in the middle of the living room in his shirtsleeves. "The Prodigal Daughter returns," he smirked, taking two steps to stand in front of her. "What's wrong?" He searched her face.

Olivia bit her lip, looking at her shoes. "Are you mad?"

Severus raised his eyes skyward. "Olivia Eileen Snape. You'll have ulcers by the time you come of age, at the rate you create stress." He folded his arms around her and sighed. "You, my girl, have been a Gryffindor since the day you were born. Any illusions I may have had otherwise we will chalk up to my fear of how to raise a child with no natural cunning or self-preservation instinct." He smoothed her hair, and set her away from him. "It doesn't matter what House you're sorted in. You are still the girl I raised."

Olivia crossed her arms over her stomach, a habit when she was uncomfortable. "I didn't want to disappoint you," she whispered.

"Olivia," her name came out in a rush of exasperated air. "You listen to me," he said, his voice dropping into the range he reserved for when he wanted her undivided attention. "I have never, in your entire life, been disappointed in you. I may have been disappointed in your choices, like that time you trapped a dozen garden gnomes in a box and set them up to live in our pantry." He frowned at the memory. "But I will never be disappointed in who you are." Severus pulled her back to his chest. "So you go be a damned lion," he said gruffly. "Just remember I raised you to use your head. And behave yourself." Severus squeezed her tighter.

Olivia tried to wipe her eyes on his shirt without him noticing. "Can we still have lunch tomorrow?"

Severus cleared his throat. "Every day if you want, Livvy." Severus rocked her a little in his arms. He had to force himself to let her go. "Go on," he prodded her back toward the floo. "Go to sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

Olivia went to the floo, but turned back. "Hermione's mum sent biscuits," she said. "You didn't think about that when you did your little magic trick on the dessert plates." She smirked and went through the floo before he could respond.

Severus rolled his eyes. That child and her sweet tooth. He thought about Lily when they were young, piling whipped cream onto her pie. "You created another lion, Lily, despite my best efforts," he said aloud to himself. Two lions, a nagging voice in the back of his head said.

Harry Potter. Severus was not looking forward to dealing with that particular problem. Not when there were so many other problems, including the fact that the new Defense teacher was a stammering mess of a man. What went through Dumbledore's head, Snape would never know.