Hagrid
Snapdragon spent her week of detention scrubbing the floors of the library, the trophy room and the hospital wing without magic. The caretaker was less friendly than in the past and Snapdragon had a feeling that he had been instructed to make her punishment not too easy for her.
Cleaning the floors wasn´t the worst though as Harry, Ron and Hermione awaited her with some sweets in the Common Room every evening. Hermione also helped her with her homework or Snapdragon wouldn´t have been able to finish her assignments in time.
Worst of all was Draco Malfoy. The blond kept teasing Snapdragon and Harry knowing only too well that neither of them was going to do anything about it. He also called Snapdragon "the brawler" and the Slytherins copied him readily. The girl was hurt. All Slytherins but the first years had known her for at least a year as their head of house´s daughter and she had considered many of them friends.
The only bright spot were potions lessons. Despite the fact that it was a Gryffindor/Slytherin subject, it was a quiet one. Malfoy wasn´t stupid enough to do anything in front of Dad and the Gryffindor quartet enjoyed the atmosphere of concentration and learning.
Snapdragon had heard most of the first year lessons before and Hermione and Harry, who were hard working and eager to learn, were equally good at the subject. Ron had more trouble to follow, but with the help of his friends he soon developed decent skills.
It was somehow strange to call Dad "Professor Snape" especially as he smirked at her every time she stumbled over the words, but Snapdragon managed.
Malfoy glared at the Gryffindors angrily, but neither he nor his cronies dared to act during the lessons. He didn´t have any inhibitions after the lessons.
"Well, well, well," the blond drawled on his way upstairs to lunch, "that was really cute how our young couple bent over that cauldron together. How does it feel, Potter, to be so near and not be able to kiss her in front of her father?"
"How does it feel to be a stupid git and not be able to do anything about it?" Harry retaliated, imitating Malfoy´s tone.
"And how does it feel to have your nose broken?" Snapdragon asked sweetly.
"You really like it rough, Potter, don´t you?" Malfoy snickered.
Snapdragon lunged at the blond, but Hermione and Ron caught her. "He´s not worth it, Snapdragon!" Hermione whispered urgently.
"Quite the wildcat, aren´t we, Snape?" the Slytherin smirked and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, snickered.
"So courageous, protected by the teachers, Malfoy," Snapdragon teased back.
"I don´t need the teachers," drawled the blond. "I can handle your alikes anytime myself."
The redhead smirked. "It´s easy talking when you don´t need to prove it."
"I can prove it anytime and anywhere," grinned Malfoy, "what about at midnight in the trophy room? A wizards´ duel? I´ll teach you respect."
"Okay," Snapdragon replied coolly.
"Harry and I will be her seconds," said Ron in a firm voice.
"Mine will be Crabbe and Goyle," the Slytherin pointed at the two boys lazily. "Do you want to bring Miss Bushy-head? If yes, I´ll ask Pansy to come."
"I´ll be there," hissed Hermione.
"Wow, Hermione," said Harry five minutes later when they were tucking into lunch. "I never thought you´d agree to come."
"This scum wants to fight a girl!" Hermione pointed out. "I have to do something about him!"
"Snapdragon will give him a hiding," Harry replied confidently. "Malfoy is no match for her."
"But think of the trouble she will be in if we get caught!" Despite her planning to come along Hermione didn´t sound sure the whole thing was a good idea.
"If she´s caught, so will we and we´ll all be in trouble," Ron pointed out.
"Do you think they´d expel us?" the bushy haired girl asked fearfully.
"I don´t think so," said Snapdragon, "but we´d better be careful anyway. No need to lose points because of Malfoy."
-x-
The Gryffindor Four tiptoed out of the Common Room half an hour before midnight. They moved along the corridors stealthily. Snapdragon led the way as she knew the castle best, but even the redhead had to admit the whole thing was scary. She had never roamed the school by night before as her father had made sure she was tucked safely into her bed long before the students´ curfew.
The group reached the trophy room at ten to midnight. They checked the whole room diligently to prevent the Slytherins from surprising them from an ambush, but nobody was there yet. They waited in silence for half an hour until they admitted to themselves that Malfoy had had them on and wasn´t going to come.
"Stupid git," murmured Ron as they set out for the Gryffindor tower. "What was the point in this?"
Hermione raised her hand and motioned them to listen. The sound of footsteps echoed around the corner.
"Look out, my dear," they heard the caretaker whisper. "There are students out of bed. Help me catch them."
"Malfoy sold us to Filch!" whispered Harry. "Run!"
He didn´t have to tell them twice. The four raced back where they had come from, but turned around a corner before they reached the trophy room. They heard Filch shout behind them and tried to run even faster.
They were stopped by a locked door.
"That´s it," panted Ron. "We´re trapped."
"Oh, step aside," hissed Hermione and pointed her wand at the lock. "Alohomora!" There was a clicking sound and the door opened a crack.
The boys pulled the door open and the four slipped inside. For a brief moment Snapdragon enjoyed a feel of relief, but only until she saw what had been locked away in the room. A huge three-headed dog stared down at the four first years with six evilly glittering eyes.
"Out! Now!" gasped the redhead.
Her friends obeyed immediately. Filch was preferable over this monster any day. They ran back to Gryffindor tower without a stop or worrying about the caretaker.
"Why do they keep that monster in a school?" panted Harry when they had reached the safety of their Common Room.
"Why didn´t you warn us?" asked Ron.
"I had no idea!" said Snapdragon defensively.
"Didn´t you look properly?" asked Hermione with an air of superiority. "This dog was standing on a trap door. It is guarding something."
"Hmmm," said Harry. "Maybe that parcel Hagrid brought back from Gringott´s in August. He was very secretive about it."
"What can it be?" everybody looked at Snapdragon expectantly.
The girl shook her head and sent her long locks dangling. "No idea. It seems Albus has some secrets." She smiled apologetically, knowing that she herself was probably one of the headmaster´s biggest secrets to start with.
-x-
"Hagrid invited me for tea," said Harry at Friday´s lunch. They had only one lesson left (History of Magic, how boring!) before the weekend. "He said I can bring friends. Do you guys want to come?"
Hermione and Ron nodded enthusiastically.
Snapdragon gave it a thought. "I´m supposed to visit Dad on the weekend, but I guess it´s alright, if I tell him before I go. I´ll do it now, so you don´t have to wait for me after the lesson. I´ll meet you in class."
She slipped out of her seat and hurried down to the dungeons, where she knew her father to prepare his afternoon lessons. She knocked at the classroom door and was asked in after a short pause.
"Sir, I was wondering whether I could talk to you for a moment," she asked politely.
"Of course, Miss Snape," Dad replied with a mischieveous grin. "Come in and close the door."
The girl obeyed and the moment the door closed on her Dad spread his arms to catch her. Snapdragon rushed up to the teacher´s table where he stood waiting and launched herself into a tight embrace.
"What´s bothering you my girl?" Dad whispered into the soft red locks. "Your weekend starts in two hours. What´s so important that it can´t wait until then?"
Snapdragon disentangled herself from her father´s arms to look into his eyes. "I came to tell you that Hagrid invited a group of Gryffindors for tea. I won´t go if you don´t want me to."
The potions master laughed. "Go and visit Hagrid, my dear. I don´t expect you to abandon your friends for all weekend in favour of your old father. You can visit for as long as you like, but you don´t have to spend all weekend with me."
"Thank you, Dad," the girl beamed. "Is it okay if I come tomorrow?"
"Of course, and then you can tell me everything about your first school week." Dad smiled. "Now run along or you´ll be late for your afternoon lesson."
"Bye, Dad," Snapdragon beamed and pecked the potions master on the cheek before she hurried upstairs to another boring afternoon with professor Binns.
-x-
History of Magic couldn´t pass fast enough for the redhead and her friends. They rushed out of the classroom ahead of their fellow students, downstairs and out of the main doors of Hogwarts. Snapdragon lead the way down to Hagrid´s hut.
Harry knocked and they were asked inside. Snapdragon and Harry sat on one of Hagrid´s huge armchairs and Ron and Hermione shared the other. Hagrid bustled about the hut making tea and handing out plates. He placed a platter of fruit cake on the table before he poured tea.
"I´m quite glad you found so many friends in your first week," smiled the half-giant as he sat down on his bed, which he also used for a sofa.
"Uhm, did I bring too many?" Harry asked in a small voice.
"Not at all," boomed the gameskeeper. "So, whom have we here. Ah, another Weasley. I knew your brother Charlie, he was great with animals. Great. How´s he doing?"
"He works as a dragon keeper in Romania," Ron answered proudly.
"And a good choice of carreer! I´m sure he´s wonderful at it. Ah, dragons!" Hagrid smiled fondly. "And this is?"
"Hermione Granger, Sir." The brown-haired girl introduced herself nervously.
"Don´t call me Sir, it´s Hagrid." Beamed the man. "I´m pleased to meet you. Ah, and finally, Miss Snape. I heard that you´ve grown quite fond of her, Harry. And you have every reason to be. Quite a beauty she is." Hagrid winked at Harry and the boy blushed. Snapdragon glared at the gameskeeper angrily.
"Oh, aren´t the rumours true?" the half-giant asked innocently.
"No, they´re not," Harry muttered defiantly.
"Malfoy started them after we exchanged wands in Charms and they worked." Snapdragon explained.
"Well, that´s really rare," said Hagrid. "It could mean that you´re meant for each other. It´s amazing, Harry. Not many are so lucky to meet their other half so early in their life."
Snapdragon could feel that she was now blushing as much as her half-brother.
Hagrid noticed the awkwardness of the moment and changed topic. "So, how about your lessons, Harry? Anything you like particularly?"
"I like Charms," said Harry. "And Potions is very interesting. And Defence Lessons could be really cool once we move to more complex subjects." So far professor Quirrel had only lectured them about which forms of Dark Magic there were (spells, potions, creatures). They hadn´t really seen or done anything.
"A wise choice, Harry," cried Hagrid. "Charms and Potions are the basic of magic and Defence can come in handy. And you?" He looked at the others curiously.
Everybody agreed that Potions was an interesting subject and Snapdragon confirmed it being her favourite. Hermione prefered Transfiguration over Charms.
"Hagrid," Harry said after a little while, "do you know about a three-headed dog up in the school?"
"What do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked suspiciously.
"Fluffy?" Snapdragon asked in disbelief.
"Who´d call that monster Fluffy?" Ron joined in.
"Well, he needs a name and he is my dog. Fluffy fits him quite well," the gameskeeper grumbled.
"Your dog, Hagrid? Why didn´t I see it before?" Snapdragon asked curiously.
"You don´t expect me to show a young lady a three-headed dog, do you?" Hagrid growled goodnaturedly. "And besides, your father´d have my hide if I did."
Snapdragon huffed, but couldn´t deny that Hagrid was right. Dad wouldn´t want her to face a three-headed dog, no matter how old she was.
Shortly later they left in a good mood. And as they didn´t run into Malfoy on their way to dinner, it stayed that way.