Chapter 11

"Ms. Prince." Snape hissed, not yelling, but in a voice so intimidatingly strained that it was far worse than that.

He grabbed his daughter's hand right in front of the common room and pulled her down to his office in the dungeons, not caring if she struggled. Lily saw Malfoy smirk as their head of house grabbed her. Obviously he knew she'd be in trouble because of the D.A. Once they were in Snape's office, and he had locked the door, Snape cried, "Explain to me what you were thinking joining such a risky exploit, especially run by that Potter, and don't you dare lie to me."

Lily swallowed uncomfortably, but gave her father that death look she had grown so good at making.

"It won't work, Lily, that look is originally mine." Snape snapped, looking at his daughter the same way.

It was like a stare-off, the father and the daughter glaring at the other in an attempt to win. But Lily found she couldn't keep up the eye contact much longer, and stamped her foot angrily as she broke away.

"Dammit, I will never beat you." Lily snapped, turning away from her dad.

"I want answers, Lily." Snape repeated.

Lily looked exasperatingly at her father, then sucked in her breath and relayed how she had heard Harry would be teaching defense against the dark arts secretly, and how she had gone.

"That was a very dangerous thing to do." Snape argued. "Going about like that, you could be expelled! Merlin, something could have gone seriously wrong, someone could have been hurt! Of course, I'm not surprised Potter was in charge of all this, if I had my way-"

"Why do you hate that boy so much?" Lily cried out without thinking, for her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Snape growled threateningly. "Mr. Potter has nothing to do with your foolish actions."

"I just wish for once in your life you'd be honest with me!" Lily about screamed. "You never have time for me, sometimes, I even wonder if you regret I'm here!"

Lily hadn't meant to say all of this, but they were words she had buried deep within her heart, and she just couldn't help but spill them. Snape had something of a pained expression on his face, caught between what he should do and what he wanted to do. She couldn't know yet just how dangerous Voldemort would be if he suspected her exsistence, or what he'd do to them both should their secret slip.

"I don't regret you're here, Lily." Snape replied in a much quieter tone. "My job isn't as easy as you might think."

"I know that, but does that really mean you have to continue to keep pushing me out of your life? Why won't you tell me who my mother was, and why didn't you want to tell me why you named me Lily when I asked? Sometimes I think you're trying to hide some big secret from me!"

"You're mother was a pureblood." Snape replied tentatively.

"I thought you said the difference between purebloods and halfbloods doesn't matter."

"It doesn't!" Snape responded quickly. "Your mother died a few weeks after you were born. You take after me, though, Lily."

"And my name?"

Snape thought hard for a moment. Nobody could ever break into his high security wall, but there was something about his daughter that both irritated him and made him feel. He blamed the irritated part on his lack of patience with young people.

But how could he bring up Lily Potter? Not now of all times, and certainly not now that his daughter had been sneaking off with a group led by his lost love's son.

"I am sure Professor Umbridge will be keeping a close eye on you." Snape replied monotonously. "For now, don't go anywhere without company."

Lily's mouth was wide open, and at that moment she was so frustrated she could have cast a spell on her father right then and there. But she didn't, just kept watching her father through squinted eyes.

Severus couldn't think on what to say next, on how much to say. He never talked about his past, being a very private man. It was in his early twenties when he had found out he was a father. How he had ever managed to raise a child all these years was strictly beyond him. But there was so much more to tell than just her being dropped off at his doorstep. What had happened to the mother? Dead was most likely.

Lily's hand came into view, and Severus growled as he saw a bloody scar visible on top.

"Let me see your hand, Lily." He replied sharply, but not as angrily.

Lily hesitated, but then lifted up her hand. Naughty children will be punished. The bloody words inscribed there rose his temper so dramatically that he felt Lily flinch. Growling to himself, Snape retreated, grabbed a healing salve, and rubbed some of the contents onto his daughter's hand. He didn't even have to ask to know who had done it.

"I will personally turn her into a toad myself for this." Snape snapped.

Lily whispered her thanks as the pain in her hand began to stop.

"May I borrow this?" she asked softly. Others would need it. Harry would need it.

Snape nodded.

"See you in class." she replied coldly, meaning she was still angry. Snape signed as she flung herself out of his office.

Harry flipped helplessly through his Transfiguration textbooks, using a torch and his invisability cloak. He really wanted to study, but after realizing he had been reading the same page over for the fourth time, settled down and engulfed the peace and quiet. It was nice to be without the crowd, the admirers, the haters, the teachers.. And even once in awhile he needed space from his friends. But after a moment he found being alone meant visiting his thoughts, and those were hardly pleasant. Frustrated, he tried once again to concentrated on learning something.

Just then, he heard small sniffles coming from somewhere behind him. Curious, as it was after curfew, he flipped off the torch and slipped into the darkness, his cloak draped over him.

Over at another table, hidden in a corner, sat Selina. Harry was stunned at first; never had he seen a Slytherin crying before, though he knew that surprise should be stupid. It's not as if Slytherins were inhumanly emotionless, just self-preseved, no matter what others might think.

Once the shock ended, Harry pulled the cloak off himself and crept up to where the girl sat, huddled there with her knees draw to her chest. There were no more tears, but black makeup ran down her cheek.

"Hey, Selina?" Harry whispered softly.

Lily started, angrily brushed away her tears, and put on a neutral expression. Embarrassed, she stood and tried to calm her voice. "Hey, Harry." She murmured, though her voice cracked slightly.

"You alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lily snapped. "I just.. Needed some air."

Harry watched as she brushed her cheeks again, smearing the black streaks on her face. "You can tell me, yaknow." He sighed gently. "I won't laugh."

Selina stared with no expression, debating the pros and cons, then finally shrugged and sat down in a chair. "Just having a problem with my father, is all. It's like he never trusts me anymore."

Harry nodded. "I'm sure he does inside; perhaps he's been stressed recently. I'm sorry it's frustrating."

Somehow, Harry found trying to comfort Selina was much different than comforting Cho. They were alone; there was nobody staring. And somehow it just felt natural. He wanted to help.

"You're sweet." Lily smiled, looking up at him. "I guess you're right. He has seemed stressed. Still, I wish I could show him I can handle the truth, even when it's bad."

"You and me both." Harry replied. "It seems everyone knows how I'm in danger except me."

"It's frustrating, isn't it? I mean, we aren't going to go running off to fight like some Gryf- um, I mean.."

Despite that fact he was a Gryffindor himself, Harry began to laugh. "You almost sounded like Snape." He chuckled.

Lily paled slightly, but covered it by brushing her hair in her face and smiling timidly.

"The hat wasn't sure where to put me." She admitted. "I think it finally chose Slytherin though because I have ambition. At least I hope. I can see why you'd hate the house with the Dark Lord though.."

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin." Harry replied. Lily glanced at him in shock. "All I knew was Voldemort"- Lily flinched- "was from that house, and Malfoy wanted to be in it, so I asked it not to."

"Well, I don't blame you for not wanting to be near that ferret." Lily chuckled.

"Malfoy's a prat, but I realize now how wrong I was about Slytherin being evil."

"I'm at least glad you think so." Lily smiled.

Lily found herself leaning closer to Harry, and Harry subconsciously doing the same. They were gazing in each other's eyes. Harry leaned even closer.

"Blasted students! I'll catch ya! You'll be in trouble for this!"

"Dangit." Lily muttered under her breath. "Stupid Filch."

"I think he found my torch. Get under this."

Harry threw his invisability cloak over the two of them and led her silently toward the exit. Filch, talking to himself, grabbed Harry's torch and began to investigate. They threaded through the shelves and slipped out into the corridor.

"That was close." Lily breathed. "Thanks."

"No problem. Can you get to the Slytherin common room? You can take the cloak if you need."

"I'll manage. Goodnight."

Lily gave Harry a quick hug, tentative but true, then fled before he could say anything or react. Harry sneaked under the cloak, but found himself smiling.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and your reviews! :)