Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter Seven
"Miss Smith, you will stay after class," commanded Snape.
Anne smiled brightly before she remembered who she was, where she was and what she was actually supposed to be doing as the daughter of an evil madman. She scowled ferociously.
"I hate you!" she yelled, before breaking down and grinning at him like the dickens.
The rest of the class paused as they were filing out the door and stared at her in shock. Snape twitched dangerously, but merely closed his eyes before ordering the remainder of the class to leave if they valued their lives.
"Oh, I love it when you do that, sir," simpered Anne.
"Do what?" snapped Snape.
"Threaten the students! It reminds me of my father," said Anne.
"Speaking of your father," said Snape whilst drawing together some papers on his desk, "who is he?"
"Pardon?" asked Anne whose face had paled dramatically.
"Who are your parents, little girl?" he drawled menacingly, eyes narrowed.
"But don't you know?" asked Anne. "Father speaks of you quite often."
Snape paused, taken aback. His close acquaintances were few and far between—and he couldn't imagine who the deuce would bother talking about him to their daughter. He had to narrow down the possibilities.
"Ah. I suppose I see him often when I drop off potions at St. Mungo's, then," he said.
"Oh no, silly," grinned Anne. "Daddy doesn't work at St. Mungo's. He's self-employed and in the papers quite a bit."
"In the papers?" mused Snape, stroking his chin. "Andy Dalian?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Anne. "Why, it's Tom Riddle. Didn't you know?" Suddenly Anne clapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes grew wide. "Oops!" she exclaimed. She giggled nervously. "I'm always forgetting that I mustn't tell the truth."
Shashwat poked his head out of his mistress' bag and hissed.
"Well, I know that," said Anne in exasperation.
Snape looked from Anne to her snake and began to look decidedly green. He suddenly let out a bark of laughter.
"Hah! Tom Riddle! Hah!" He began to sway where he stood. "He—procreated." His face went from green to yellow. "Hah! Uh—I think I'm going to be sick." Then Snape threw up all over his desk.
"Well, he is human," stated Anne in defense of her father.
"That's debatable," wheezed Snape under his breath before pointing his wand at his desk and cleaning it up. "Who else knows who your father is?"
"Well, I accidentally told some Slytherins that my father was Tom Riddle, but they didn't know who he was. They only know him as the Dark Lord, of course. Then there are the Lestranges, they raised me. And Draco's father pays for my upbringing, though I've never met him and he's been sworn to secrecy."
"I see. At least we have that to be thankful for."
"Oh, I know," said Anne. "If anyone found out, I'd probably be toast, quite literally."
"You're toast already," growled Snape. "What has the Dark Lord said about your relationship with Harry Potter?"
"Harry Potter?" said Anne brightly. "Oh, I haven't met him yet."
Snape raised an incredulous eyebrow. "What do you mean, you haven't met him? I've seen you speak with him regularly. He's even been seen talking to your snake."
"You mean my friend, Harry?" said Anne. "Goodness, it's not as if Harry's an uncommon name, is it? I'm sure he can't be the only Harry in school. No, the Harry I know isn't Harry Potter. He would have told me."
Snape could only stare at her before beginning to bang his head against the nearby blackboard repeatedly. Finally he stopped and sighed.
"Miss Smith," he began, turning toward her, "get to class. You're late and I have students to teach." He gestured to the waiting crowd milling outside the door.
Anne turned to leave.
"And Miss Smith?" said Snape.
Anne paused and turned to look at the professor with a large smile on her face.
"One thousand points from Hufflepuff for calling me silly."
That evening, Professors Snape and Dumbledore met in the headmaster's office.
"We have a problem," began Snape.
"Oh?"
"Miss Anne Smith's father just so happens to be one Mr. Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"I see."
"That's it? How can you take this so calmly?"
Dumbledore rolled his eyes. "She's a student, Severus and will be treated as such. I will send Mr. Riddle the appropriate letter inviting him to discuss his daughter's behavior and hygiene."
"You're insane," said Snape with a shake of his head. "You're going to invite him to Hogwarts, just like that?"
"Of course," said Dumbledore popping a lemon drop in his mouth.
"Harry, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," said Anne urgently, speaking in a near whisper as they happened to be studying in the library.
"Yes?" he replied absently, turning a page.
"I love your glasses... they're really round... like marbles."
Harry put down his book slowly and stared at Anne with a confused furrow between his brows.
"I'm sorry, that was so random," giggled Anne, "but I've been wanting to say it for ever so long and I've been so pleased that Shashwat has taken to you; if only you were in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor."
"As a matter of fact," said Harry clearing his throat, "the sorting hat did tell me that I could be great in Slytherin."
"Oh!" sighed Anne in delight. She cradled her chin in her hand and stared at him dreamily. "If only it were true," she murmured. "Then you would be my dream prince."
"Yeah," said Harry scratching his head. "Well I'm not, so you know—" He trailed off, not knowing what to say. He turned back to his book.
"Pothead," said Draco Malfoy as he spotted the pair. "What are you doing in the library? I didn't know you could read."
Harry sneered, but before he could speak, Anne interrupted.
"Oh, Harry," she breathed. "You sneered!"
"So?" spat Draco. "I can sneer, too."
Anne ignored Draco, who couldn't stand not being the center of attention, so he left.
"Thank goodness he's gone," growled Harry. "What a git!"
"But Harry," Anne pouted, "Draco's my friend. Surely you two can be friends?"
"I doubt it," said Harry darkly.
"Oh, to have the love of my life be at odds with my friends!" exclaimed Anne dramatically, throwing a hand over her forehead. "It is not to be born! I shall be weeping and cursing my fate in the Astronomy tower if you need me!"
"I'll see you later," called Harry after Anne's retreating form.
