A/N: Sorry everyone! Various things have happened in my life, and I have been unable to update this. The good news is that I'm back now :D (I hope). For those of you reading my other stories, I apologize for not updating them as well, I am going to concentrate on this for a few chapters, then try to work on all of them equally. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 14:

"Why Sev, why?" Harry asked as soon as they entered Severus' rooms. Severus winced at the anguish he heard in Harry's voice.

"I am sorry, Harry," Severus knew that wouldn't help Harry with the pain of knowing that the man who had finally rescued him from the Dursley's had known where the best friend he had spent years searching for was. Severus looked into Harry's pain filled eyes, and felt his heart break at the pain there before continuing, "I know that it won't make up for it, but I'll explain what happened, if you wish?" Harry nodded in response, and Severus told him what had happened, from his point of view the day Voldemort was killed. As he listened, Harry sat on the couch, he still felt betrayed, but knowing that there was no maliciousness behind the actions was a huge relief. "What would you have done?" Severus asked when he had finished the story, "Would you have left her to fend on her own, or would you have helped her, and ensured that she was safe, even if it meant telling no one?"

"I know you're right," Harry said after awhile, then he looked at Severus with red-rimmed eyes, "but that doesn't make it all better. You are going to have to gain my trust again."

"Anything Harry," Severus' voice was hopeful, "I would do anything for you."

"So Hermione was the one who told you to become my guardian?" Harry asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Yes," Sev replied with a small half smile, "She was quite insistent."

"I'll have to thank her for that," Harry gave another tightlipped smile.

"Professor!" Madam Pomfrey's head suddenly appeared in the fireplace.

"What's wrong?" Severus demanded, getting on his knees to get better access to the fire, "Is it something with Addie? Hermione? If its Black's fault I swear I will kill him, no matter how much anyone disagrees." Harry was watching anxiously as well, he wanted to know the same things as Severus.

"Severus!" Pomfrey exclaimed, conveniently cutting Snape off mid rant, "I need you to brew a special Pepper Up Potion for Filius."

"Why?" now Harry chimed in, "What's wrong?"

SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG

1 Hour Earlier…

"You got everything?" Astraea asked when she met back up with Teddy and Nick.

"Yup," Teddy said as he held up his fully charged video camera.

"Here's the rest of the stuff," Nick dumped it out onto the table. All three surveyed the assorted bits and pieces that would be used in various parts of the prank they were planning on Professor Flitwick.

"Okay," Astraea told them, "Teddy, you lure the Professor through," Teddy nodded acceptance, "and me and Nick will set it up."

"When do you want me to come through?" Teddy asked.

"Forty-fivish minutes," Astraea looked to Nick for confirmation, and he nodded.

SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG

50 Minutes Later…

"Madam Pomfrey!" Teddy called as he ran into the Hospital Wing, "Madam Pomfrey!"

"Yes dear," she replied sedately as she entered from her office, "What is wrong?"

"It's Professor Flitwick," Teddy replied as Astraea entered, floating the Professor behind her on a stretcher.

"What happened?" Pomfrey demanded as she helped Astraea maneuver him onto a bed.

"Erm," Teddy said, "He may have gotten drenched, and then he passed out."

"Oh, dear," Madam Pomfrey said as she began doing diagnostic spells on Flitwick.

"What's wrong Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione asked as she walked over. She, Sirius and Walburga had still been talking with Addie when they had heard a commotion, and Hermione had come investigate.

"Fillius can't get wet with cold water for long periods of time because of his age and a special conditions he has," Madam Pomfrey informed her. When Hermione looked over at Teddy and Astraea, first she noticed that there was another boy with them, and he had the Weasley's red hair, the second thing she noticed was that all three of them were sporting guilty looks, reminiscent of those that Addie had when a prank had turned out for the worse.

"Sirius Orion Black!" Hermione called, not even turning away from the three eleven year olds.

"Yes, dear," Sirius replied with deadly sarcasm as he stuck his head around the curtain.

"Would you care to come here and see what happened to your colleague because of a prank that three of your students pulled?" Hermione was now standing with her arms crossed, and her right foot tapping.

"What happened, 'Mione?" Sirius asked with a sigh after he jogged over to stand next to her.

"Why don't you ask them while I help Madam Pomfrey stabilize Professor Flitwick," Hermione told him then turned and immediately began helping Madam Pomfrey.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked the three miscreants. They exchanged looks, but didn't say anything. Sirius sighed, and sat on a bed with his arms crossed, "Are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to tell your parents about all of your less than exemplary behavior?"

"We didn't mean to hurt Professor Flitwick," Nick burst out.

"I know you didn't," Sirius sighed, "but sometimes pranks don't turn out they way you expect them to, and someone gets hurts."

"We'll tell you," Astraea told him with a mischievous twinkle that Sirius recognized as his, "but we want to know about Addie." Sirius looked at all three of them, and found the two boys nodding in agreement, looking back at Astraea, Sirius saw that she was beyond determined.

"Okay," Sirius sighed again, then motion for them to sit on the bed before him, "You begin."

SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG

When Severus came through the Floo carrying Fillius' potion, the first thing he noticed was Black listening to three of his first years, then he noticed Hermione and Poppy fusing over Fillius. Sighing he went over and handed the potion to Poppy. Then he walked over towards the other four people in the room, and heard that the three were describing the prank that had obviously been played on Filius to Black. To Severus' surprise, Black was not laughing and congratulating them on a well played prank, but was instead listening seriously, even frowning at times.

"Well, well, well," Severus said when the explanation was over, "It seems that we have found our miscreants," much to Severus' delight, all three students jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, Snape," Black informed him with a frown, "We have."

"How are you planning on disciplining them?" Severus asked immediately, sure that Black would refuse to do anything about their obviously harmful behavior.

"It is undecided as of yet—" Black was saying, but then he was interrupted.

"Uncle Sev!" Severus let out an 'oomph' as he fell onto the bed behind him with Addie hugging him around the waist.

"Yes, Addie?" he asked with a hint of humor in his voice as he attempted to disentangle himself.

"Guess what, Uncle Sev?" Addie was now practically jumping up and down, while sitting on his legs.

"I'm sure that you are about to tell me," Severus grunted.

"I have a dad!" she told him exuberantly.

"I know," Severus replied as he attempted to get Addie off him.

"Aren't you happy for me?" Addie asked as she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Extremely," Severus informed her, "Now will you please got off me?" he fixed her with one of his infamous glares, but she only smiled. Then, Sirius burst out laughing, it was just too funny to hold in after seeing his childhood enemy being tackled by his daughter, and held pinned by said daughter. Severus switched his glare to Sirius and asked, "Why are you laughing? You haven't had the dubious joy of being woken by Addie every morning for four years."

"Oh hush, Sev," Hermione bustled over and looked at Addie with her hands on her hips, "What have I told you about doing that to your Uncle Sev?"

"Always do it?" Sirius guessed hopefully, causing Teddy and Astraea to laugh at the look on his face.

"Not helping, Sirius," Hermione told him as she shot him a glare.

"The correct answer," Severus began as he finally made some progress, "Black," he spat the name, "Is that Addie is not supposed to tackle me, or anyone for that matter," then Severus smirked a slightly evil smirk, "Though I am sure that an exception can be made for her long lost father," Sirius paled a little at this statement.

"Sev," Hermione told him in a warning tone, "Don't scare him, he's only known for a few hours." Snape harrumphed, but didn't say anything else, "Now," Hermione looked at all those gathered, "What was going on here?" No one looked like they wanted to say anything, so all of them stood or sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Uncle Siri is your dad?" Teddy finally asked Addie, when she nodded, he asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" in a slightly hurt voice.

"Teddy," Addie began, "I didn't even know until earlier today."

"Why not?" piped up Astraea. Instead of answering, Addie looked at her mother for help.

"For various reasons," Hermione informed them with a sigh, "The foremost being that he," she pointed to Sirius, "was supposedly dead for years." Astraea and Teddy still looked a little confused, "Then, after learning that he was still alive by some miracle," Hermione continued, careful not to look at Sirius, "I was trying to figure out how best to tell him and Addie." Now Teddy and Astraea nodded, that made sense.

"Does this mean that you're my cousin now too?" Teddy asked curiously. Addie looked at her mother again, because she really didn't know the answer to that question.

"Teddy," Sirius told him, and everyone turned to look at Sirius, "It means that all three of you are cousins," he paused for a moment, "of a sort."

"What do you mean?" Addie asked him.

"Well," Sirius began, "Narcissa, Astraea's mother is my cousin," he informed them, "and Andromeda, Teddy's grandmother is also my cousin, and Narcissa's sister." The three eleven year olds all stared at Sirius in awe for a few moments, before jumping up and giving each other a group hug.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Hermione was back full strength with her arms crossed over her chest, her right foot tapping, and a look that had once been directed at Harry and Ron when they should have been doing homework trained on Addie.

"But, mum," Addie whined.

"Are you whining at me Adhara Siria Black?" Hermione questioned in a deadly voice.

"No, mum," Addie replied in a quiet, subdued voice.

"Wait a minute," Sirius said as he got up and walked over to Hermione, "Don't be so hard on—"

"Were you allowed out of bed the day of Quidditch injuries?" Hermione interrupted, when Sirius didn't reply, she told him, "I didn't think so. Bed, Addie," she told her daughter who had stopped halfway to the curtained off bed.

"Can you come and sit with me?" Addie asked, "Both of you?"

"Of course sweetie," Hermione replied with a softer look, "Sev?" she asked as she turned to look at him, "Will you take over where Sirius left off with these two?" she asked as she gestured to Teddy and Astraea. When she saw their frantic motions for her to stop, and the evilly content look on Severus' face, she added, "Don't even think about unjustly punishing them," she continued to glare at him until he nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Black," Hermione looked over her shoulder when Severus said this, and found that Sirius was laughing silently, "You've never had to deal with a hormonal Hermione," Severus added, "Which, let me tell you, is even scarier than a normal Hermione. And," he added, "protective Hermione is just as bad." Hermione shot him a glare as she literally dragged Sirius to Addie's bed.

SBHGSBHGSBHGSBHG

"Miss Granger?" Headmistress McGonagall asked as she peeked through the curtains, "May I talk to you for a moment?" Hermione nodded, place a kiss on Addie's sleeping forehead, and got up to talk to her.

"Yes, Headmistress?" she asked once they were away from Addie's bed.

"How are you, my dear?" McGonagall asked.

"I am well," Hermione responded, then shrewdly added, "but that is not what you asked me out here to say, is it?"

"Well," McGonagall chuckled, "I see that you are still as sharp as ever. You are correct, I asked you out here for another reason," she took a moment to study Hermione up and down, "Have you kept your charms work up to the standard that you did during your school years?" Hermione was slightly shocked by the question, but got over it almost immediately.

"You wish for me to become the Charms Professor," Hermione astutely stated.

"In a word?" McGonagall told her, "Yes."

"I would be honored," Hermione replied with a smile, "However," she warned her old Transfiguration Professor, "I have to ask Addie first."

"Of course," McGonagall nodded, "I wouldn't expect anything less. Inform me when you have reached a decision." Hermione nodded acceptance, and the Headmistress left her to return to her daughter's bedside.