Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I making any money off of this; J.K. Rowling does.
In honor of today being Janie's (fictional) birthday, I 'put the pedal to the medal' (corny, I know), and finished the chapter.
---
"You would have killed Harry and Ron," she supplied for him. "Because we all know that you can't resist me."
Severus raised an eyebrow at her; Hermione smirked in return.
---
"Am I correct in guessing that it's time for my surprise?" Hermione asked hopefully, once they were walking down the row of shops again.
"It might be," Severus said. "Although, I don't believe that it's quite dark enough for it yet."
Hermione pouted. "Not dark enough yet? Are they fireworks?"
He shook his head. "We'll need to go back to Hogwarts to drop our belongings off," he paused for a moment. "And change."
"'Change'? Where are we going?"
A smile pulled at his lips. "It's a secret."
"Change into what?"
"Nicer clothes," he replied.
"Nicer? Like dress clothes?"
He just stared at her.
"Severus Snape, where are we going out for dinner that we have to dress that nicely?"
"Dinner? Who said anything about dinner?" He asked lightheartedly.
She stopped walking and crossed her arms. "I'm not that stupid. And real dress clothes?"
He nodded.
"But Severus," Hermione whined. "I haven't lost all of the baby fat yet!"
Severus blinked at her.
"You look fine, Hermione."
"You're supposed to say that," she retorted, and started to walk again.
"No I'm not. If I knew it would upset you that much, I wouldn't have made reservations."
Hermione instantly perked up. "Reservations?"
"It gets crowded at night. I made them this morning. You'll look fine in whatever you wear," he said, and pulled her into an alley.
"Severus, what are you-" she was cut off when he grabbed her hand and apparated her back to Hogwarts.
---
"I'm assuming that you have something to wear," Severus said, once they were outside of their quarters' door.
"Of course," Hermione replied, when he opened the door.
Eileen looked up. "Back so soon?"
"No," Severus began. "We came to drop a few things off."
"Well, don't mind me," she said, turning back to her book. "I'm just reading. Trenton is sleeping…I guess I really tired him out today."
Severus emptied out his pockets, as Hermione rushed off to check on Trenton.
Eileen laughed. "I remember the first time that I really left you alone with your grandmother," she stopped and then waved her hand. "That's for another time. Go and get ready."
---
"Are you ready?" Severus asked, once they were at the apparition part outside of Hogwarts.
"Yes," Hermione replied, and grabbed his hand.
A few seconds later, Hermione felt the familiar feeling of apparition and when it stopped, she opened her eyes and gasped.
"Is this where I think it is?" She exclaimed.
He nodded.
"I can't believe you brought me back to Rome!" She said, and hugged him.
"You did say that you wanted to come back one day."
Hermione's smile reached from ear to ear.
"Let's go. The reservation is in ten minutes. I figured you'd enjoy a walk past the fountain again."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Really?"
He nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Hermione asked, as she slipped her hand into his and they walked down the street.
---
"You have more in store?" Hermione asked, after they had left the resturant.
He smirked. "I might."
"Where are we going?"
He pointed down the street. "Down there."
"Where down there?"
Severus then pointed to a distant hill. "Then up there."
"Up there?"
"Yes," Severus replied. "I believe that with a warming spell, we should be fine."
"What's up on the hill?"
"You'll see," he said simply.
The two walked up the streets in Rome, while Hermione marveled at the beautiful lights.
"Warming spell working alright?" Severus asked.
Hermione nodded. "What's up on the hill?"
"Something that you're only going to see here," he replied.
"Another monument?"
He shook his head. "You can come and see a monument anytime. This is different," he said, as they made it to the top of the hill.
Hermione looked around. "Severus, there's nothing up here. It's a hill with a path and a few benches."
He smirked. "Look up."
Hermione looked up just in time to see something shooting across the sky. "Is that a..." She trailed off.
"A meteor?"
She nodded.
"Oh...I guess tonight is the same night as the Empyrean Meteor Shower," Severus said casually.
Hermione turned to look at him. "You-"
"Surprise," he said, smirking once again.
---
The rest of the school went out very smoothly, especially since the Slytherins had calmed down (only after Severus had threatened them all about Christmas). Before they knew it, break had finally started, and it was once again time to decorate the house. Severus and Hermione set out earlier than usual to pick the perfect Christmas tree, but that was only until Harry and Ron had un-expectantly shown up and bombarded them with snow balls. Severus was far from pleased.
Once they had finally ushered Harry and Ron back into the house, they were quite happy to stay with Janie and Trenton, than to try to start another snow ball fight. After they had finally finished setting up all of their Christmas decorations and Harry and Ron had left, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," Hermione called, and shifted Trenton around, so that she could answer the door.
Hermione opened the door to see a man that she had never seen before, but she couldn't help to notice that he oddly resembled Severus.
"Hello," Hermione greeted. "Can I help you?"
"Hello," the older man replied, his eyes searching the background, before settling on Trenton. "Is Severus there?" He asked slowly.
Hermione's eyes lingered on the man for a few seconds, before calling over her shoulder. "Severus, there's someone at the door for you."
"Who is it?" He called back.
"I don't know," she replied, a bit hesitantly.
Within seconds, Severus was heading towards the door, one hand securely around his wand - the other holding a glass ball. However, as soon as he saw who was standing at the door, he froze and dropped the ball, which shattered all over the floor. After he quickly regained his composure, he made his way behind Hermione and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't you go and wait for me in the kitchen," he said evenly.
Hermione looked at him and once she saw that he wouldn't take his eyes off of the man, she left without a question.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked dangerously.
"Can I come in? It's awfully cold outside," the man replied.
"How did you get here?" Severus asked, once the door was shut.
"Why aren't you at Spinner's End anymore?" The man asked curiously.
"I don't have a life there anymore," Severus replied calmly. "There was no reason to stay."
"You moved to your grandmother's. You don't remember coming here, do you?" The man asked.
Severus stared at the man.
"Of course not. You were far too young," he said softly.
"How did you get here?" Severus repeated for the third time.
"Dumbledore," the man stated.
"Where is he?"
"He said that he was going to go through the back and 'visit.' I asked him if he could take me to you," the man said.
"Why? What are you doing here?" Severus gritted. "What do you want?"
The man looked right at him. "Really now, Severus. That's no way to treat your father."
Severus' nostrils flared. "Father?" He hissed quietly. "Since when were you ever a father to me?"
"You were too young to know everything," he said. "That's why I'm here. I need to talk to you. Please, Severus."
Severus surveyed him critically, before walking down the hall. "We'll talk in here."
His father followed him to a sitting room that had a fire going.
"Give me your coat," Severus said. "I'll hang it up and I'll be right back. Don't leave the room," he said, and disappeared to leave his father to look around the room.
---
Hermione stopped in her tracks when she walked into the kitchen; sitting at the kitchen table were Dumbledore and Janie.
"Albus! What are you doing here?"
Dumbledore looked up and smiled at her. "Hello Hermione! It's certainly looking like the holidays around here!"
"Professor Dumbledore is helping me make the cookies," Janie replied happily. "But he said that they need lemon drops for eyes..."
Dumbledore stood up. "I brought Severus an old friend over."
Hermione looked at him, her unspoken question written all over her face. Dumbledore nodded in understanding, making Hermione's eyes widen.
"Janie, why don't you show Professor Dumbledore the library? I'm sure he would love it."
Dumbledore's eyes popped open. "You have a library?"
Hermione nodded.
"Oh! Who am I questioning? Of course you and Severus would have a library!"
"It's a huge library, Professor!" Janie exclaimed. "And I can show you what my dad did to my room on the way up!"
---
"Janie," Dumbledore said, stopping her from walking up the stairs. "Go ahead without me for a minute – I'll find you. As long as you're not too old for a little game of hide-and-seek?"
"As long as you don't ask anyone where I am," Janie replied.
"Promise," Dumbledore said.
"Good," Janie smiled and ran up the stairs.
It seemed like Janie wasn't even gone for a second, before Severus rounded the corner.
"Dumbledore!"
"Severus-"
"What is he doing here?" Severus demanded, pointing towards the direction he just appeared from.
Dumbledore held up a hand, "He came to me, looking for you. He was quite adamant about speaking with you. I meet with him yesterday and we had a nice little chat," he paused to look Severus straight in the eye. "Please talk to him, Severus. What he did while you were growing up was terrible, but I'm telling you to just talk. Please, give him and chance and just listen.
"Now, please excuse me. I must go and find your daughter now," Dumbledore finished, turned around, and started to walk up the staircase. "I'm coming, Janie!"
---
Tobias looked up when his son walked into the room.
"I didn't leave," his father said, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Who is Dumbledore visiting?"
Severus crossed his arms, "Why are you here?"
"To talk to you. To explain things," he replied.
"Why now? After all those years?"
"I was arrested several years ago, after getting into a bar fight. After looking at my record, they cut me a deal. See, by then I was friends with the police officer who responded to the fight. They told me that I could either go to jail or to a special center for rehabilitation. I really didn't want to go to jail, so you could only guess which one I chose.
"I was in and out of there for a long time. It wasn't until they sat me down with a bunch of people who were just like me, did I really stick to going. Listening to the people made me remember the look on your face that one Christmas…and the time I locked you outside. I realized how terrible I was to you.
"During my treatment, they told me to pick one person that I wanted to make amends with and to do it. Only one person came to my mind – you," he said, pointing at his son.
"My mother-"
His father sighed. "She knew what was going on. She even tried to stop me and fix everything. She tried so hard, Severus. And it took me nearly thirty years to realize it." He was quiet for several long moments.
"But nearing the end of my treatment, one of my friends at the place was reading a newspaper and read something with the name Snape in it. Imagine my surprise when I read a wedding announcement about a 'Severus Snape marrying a Hermione Granger.' After reading that, I knew that I had to speak with you."
"And you thought that speaking with me would fix everything?" Severus asked. "Do you know what you put me through?"
"It's more than what happened growing up, isn't it?"
"Want to know what you put me through? That was Hermione with our son at the door. Do you know how many sleepless nights I had, wondering…hoping that I wouldn't turn out like you? And before that with my daughter. Did you know how afraid I was that she would hate me, just because of who I am? It was terrible and I'm glad that I'm over it – I wouldn't wish it upon anybody."
His dad looked thoughtful, before looking back up at Severus. "I don't think that you would have turned out like me, Severus. You are nothing like I was. You had a mother who loved you more than anything and that friend – the one who you always used to hang around with.
"See, this is what I've come to explain to you. What happened when you were little. Things were well, until the company I worked for closed, and I had to work at the industry. There were many people working there at the time, and you had to be an excellent worker to pull any sort of hours, because the pay was terrible. Why don't you sit down?"
Severus eyed the man with short, white hair.
"Please, Severus. You're making me uneasy."
Raising an eyebrow, Severus sat on the couch across from him.
"As it turned out, I was one of the only workers at the industry who knew how to do what I did – imagine that. It was a hard job, and I quickly found that they needed me more than I thought. To relieve the pressure, me and a few other guys would go out drinking at night. Soon, that turned into a habit and before I knew it, it turned into the only way out of my problems.
"It was alright in the beginning...of working, but the pay was too lousy for what I was doing. As time went on, everything just seemed to get more complicated. Then I remembered that your grandmother had money and I became angered. Your mother had it easy – she came from money. But I knew that as long as I was around, your grandmother wouldn't lend us any money. She found out that I started to drink and refused to help. She was afraid that I would waste it all.
"When school rolled around for you, all of our money went towards that. In fact, I even believe Eileen home-schooled you for a while. Then you went to that boarding school and for your second year, your grandmother picked up the tuition. They only wanted the best for you. In the end, I believed that without me, you and Eileen would be better off. I guess by that time, you had already run off and joined that little group of yours."
"So what you're saying is that it took until recently to realize everything that happened when I was little," Severus said slowly.
"It has been on my mind now and then. I always tried to avoid it. I came to say that I was and still am…sorry. I'm sorry for everything I put you through now and then. I'm sorry for everything I did. Dumbledore also told me that you went through a war. And from what he said, I couldn't be prouder of you. I've waited for a while for this. I know that you may never forgive me – I don't blame you in the slightest. Hearing all those people made me face reality and showed me what I missed out on all my life. I treated my greatest treasure as my greatest quandary."
---
"And this, is the library," Janie said, opening the doors to their library.
"This is the library?"
Janie nodded eagerly.
"My word! Severus should have mentioned this! As a matter of fact, he never even mentioned that he had a library!"
"It's alright," Janie said. "He neglected to tell my mum about the ball room until summer-"
"Ball room?" Dumbledore asked, his eyebrows shooting up into his hat.
"Yeah," Janie said, as Dumbledore went off to examine the books.
"My word!" He exclaimed again, a few minutes later. "There are only three of these in the world! Severus…well, I should have known that he'd get his hands on one of these somehow."
Janie looked up and her eyes immediately widened. "There are only a few things that I'm not allowed to touch in the house and that is one of them."
Dumbledore chuckled. "I don't even want to touch it. I'm sure that Severus has several charms on it…and I wouldn't want to set them off," he said, as he took out his wand and started to wave it around.
"Professor…"
"There we go," he said, and carefully opened the book. "It's everything I expected and more…it's incredible."
Janie regarded her Professor with caution; he was suddenly acting very strange.
"Well, I better get this back," he said, more to himself than anybody. After he put the book back and restored the wards, Dumbledore turned to Janie, "Please don't tell your father."
Janie smiled. "My lips are sealed."
"Well, I guess I'd better get back downstairs. There are a few more things that I need to discuss with him."
---
Severus stared at Tobias for several long moments, before they heard Dumbledore.
"Severus! Ah! There you are!" He said, and walked into the room.
"Dumbledore," Severus greeted blandly.
Tobias looked at Severus. "Who did you say that Dumbledore was visiting again?"
"I didn't."
Seeing that they weren't finished, Dumbledore started to edge towards the exit of the room.
"You're already here, Albus," Severus said. "He was visiting my family," he stated, crossing his arms.
Tobias' eyebrows rose. "You said something about a son…and a daughter?"
"Janie and Trenton," he said.
"Oh! How old are they?"
"Janie is thirteen and Trenton is five weeks-"
"You just had a baby?" Tobias asked.
Severus stared at him. "Five weeks."
"Come now!" Dumbledore said, trying to alleviate the tension. "It's the holiday season! Let's be happy for what we have! I think it would be an excellent time to have some tea. Anybody else fancy a spot of tea?" He asked, but it remained silent. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then. And while we enjoy our tea, we can continue our discussion and perhaps...invite some people."
"Severus, do you have any place that we-"
"The main living area," he replied, and the led the way to another room.
"The kitchen-"
"I'll just summon the tea," Dumbledore said, and with a wave of his wand, a tea pot with four cups came zooming towards him. In a matter of seconds, he already had the tea ready.
---
"Back so soon?" Hermione asked when she walked back into the kitchen and found Janie.
"Yeah," Janie replied. "Do we have any lemon drops?"
"No," Hermione replied. "Where's Dumbledore?"
She shrugged. "He said that he had to talk to dad and then the tea pot just zoomed out of the room a minute ago. Who else is here? Four cups went with it."
"Four?" Hermione echoed. "I'll go find out."
---
"Ah yes," Dumbledore said, after he took a sip of his tea. "As I was saying...Hermione!"
Severus' head immediately snapped up, but didn't see her anywhere.
Hermione's head poked through a door, "Hello, Albus."
"Please come and join us, my dear! Have some tea, I have an extra cup."
Hermione glanced at Severus, before walking in the room and sitting down next to him.
"Here," Dumbledore said, and handed her a cup. "I'm glad that you can join us."
Hermione smiled at him, while Severus glared.
"Hermione, this is...my father," Severus began, saying the last words slowly, as if not sure he was picking the right ones. "And his is my wife, Hermione," he finished. Introducing people like this was near the top of his most-despised things list.
Hermione gave a small smile. "Nice to meet you-"
"Tobias."
"It's nice to meet you, Tobias."
He smiled back. "It's very nice to meet you, Hermione. I must say, I was quite shocked to hear of the wedding – my friend showed the announcement to me...it was in a newspaper."
"Oh...my parents are mu-they're not magical. You must live somewhere near them. They only sent the announcement in to the local paper. We really didn't want the wizarding reporters to pick it up so quickly. Luckily, they didn't."
"Oh yes...you're both war heroes, right?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed they are. They've both received the highest awards for their services too."
"You know, I must say that I never really would have pegged Severus to get involved with any type of war," Tobias commented.
"He had one of the most influential roles out there," Dumbledore supplied. "He is definitely one of the best. Hermione is as well."
Hermione glanced at Dumbledore, before looking at Severus; he looked like her was going to get up and murder the Headmaster.
"Mum, you haven't come back yet, so I thought I'd bring you some cookies..." Janie trailed off when she saw who was in the room and the look that her father was giving her. If she could have, she would have dropped the cookies and fled from the room, just from the look alone.
"I'll come back la-" Janie stopped.
"You can come in," Severus said slowly.
"I don't want to-"
"Nonsense," Dumbledore said, and motioned towards Janie with his hand. "Come in. I would love to have one of those cookies. Did you use any lemon drops?"
"No, I couldn't find any," Janie replied.
"You should have asked!" The older man said. "I have a whole bag in my pocket!"
"You should have told me earlier, Professor," Janie smiled. "Besides, my dad wouldn't eat a cookie, because he hates lemon drops."
Dumbledore glanced at Severus, who looked even more murderous than before.
Janie also kept her eyes on her father's face as she set the tray down and sat next to him. Afterwards, she let her eyes travel to the other person in the room, where they froze.
"Hello," the person said.
"Hi," Janie said slowly. "You look a lot like...Oh."
Severus had the distinct urge to slap himself in the forehead.
"Janie," Severus began through nearly clenched teeth.
Dumbledore sent him a look that said, 'You-better-knock-it-off.'
"Janie, this is your grandfather," he finally said.
Janie just looked between all of the adults in the room.
"Really?" She asked.
Two heads nodded.
Janie turned to Severus. "Then why do you say 'I don't know' or 'Don't ask me now' when I ask about him? I mean, I see my grandmother-"
"You've seen Eileen?" Tobias asked, his eyes widening.
Janie looked at him. "Yeah...not too long ago. She was at Hogwarts."
"How is she?" He asked slowly.
"She's fine," Severus replied evenly.
"Janie, why don't you tell him about school?" Hermione suggested.
Janie instantly brightened. "Alright! Well, everybody says that I'm at the top of my class, but I don't think about it too much. I'm in Gryffindor...everybody was shocked, because my dad's a Slytherin, but my mum's a Gryffindor, so it evens out. My favorite class is Potions..."
They listened to Janie talk about school for a little while longer, until she jumped up and ran out to retrieve a few picture albums.
"Here, look," she said, sitting down next to Tobias. "This one is from the wedding."
Tobias looked through the album with interest, until he came to a familiar picture.
"Is that your grandmother?" He asked.
Janie nodded. "Yes, that's her."
The older man remained quiet and when they finished looking through the album, Janie brought out another one from over the past year; it ranged from pictures from Harry's wedding to pictures over the past summer. After they were through with that one, Janie grabbed another one, which made Hermione's eyes widen.
As Tobias flipped through the book, his look went from interested to confused. Finally, he looked up at Severus, who was staring at the ground.
"Severus, why aren't you in any of these?" He asked, as he flipped through a few more pages.
Right when Severus looked up, he heard Hermione.
"It was a tough time," she began. "The war...Since Severus was a spy for our side, if the other side found out that he had a child, it would have been extremely dangerous."
"The war lasted that long?"
"No...but it was a while before all of Voldemort's supporters were caught. He was the one that the war was against. In fact, it wasn't...too...long ago that the last of his supporters were put away."
"Did those supporters come after Severus?"
Hermione paused.
"Yes," Severus replied.
Tobias looked taken back. "What'd in the world did they want?"
"Revenge," he said.
"Did they hurt you?"
"Nothing that couldn't be fixed."
Dumbledore and Hermione narrowed their eyes at him.
"Dad," Janie began. "I thought you were in a lot of trouble! He almost killed you!"
Tobias' eyes widened.
"I was so worried about the two of you!"
"She went through it too?" Tobias asked.
"They kidnapped me!" Janie exclaimed. "From school!"
"I thought you were supposed to be wizards or s-"
"It's all in the past now," Severus interrupted. "Luckily, everyone made it out alright. We're here now…that's all that matters."
"Lucius Malfoy didn't make it out alright," Janie said. "His wand backfired…it was in the papers."
Severus went to open his mouth again, when Hermione laid a hand on his knee. "How about dinner?"
Dumbledore clapped his hands together. "I think that's a wonderful idea...I'm famished."
Hermione smiled. "I'm afraid that dinner isn't cooked yet, but there's a nice restaurant in London that we know."
"That will be just fine," Dumbledore said. "I assume that we need to apparate?"
"Unless you want to walk for hours," Severus remarked dryly.
---
All in all, dinner went rather well, except for the fact that Hermione had stayed home with Trenton. Before they left the restaurant, it was agreed (after Dumbledore's meddling) that Dumbledore would bring Tobias back to spend New Years at the manor. The twinkling-eyed man had at first tried to get Christmas morning in the deal, but Tobias was rather reluctant when Janie said that Eileen would be coming over.
The next few days passed quickly and everyone woke to a snowy Christmas morning. Eileen came over bright and early, and brought with her a big bag of gifts for everyone. She left a few hours later though, because she didn't want to go to the Burrow.
---
"Happy Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, once she opened the door.
"Merry Christmas," Hermione replied, and went to hug her, but the older woman had stopped her.
"Is Trenton awake?"
"Oh...yes. We couldn't get him to fall back asleep," Hermione replied, while Mrs. Weasley was already reaching for the little bundle.
"Happy Christmas, Severus. Happy Christmas, Janie," Molly greeted, and once they had said their replies, she led them into the house. "Before I forget, are you coming over again for New Years?"
"No," Hermione replied. "Severus has...family coming over to our house in the morning."
"Eileen?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No," Severus said, ending the conversation.
---
"Alright, it's time to open gifts now!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, as all of the children went running towards the tree.
Hermione watched as everyone gathered around the tree, and started to ravage through the large piles. Suddenly, Harry and Ron stood up and walked over to the tree. Ron picked up the steady-growing pile of gifts on the floor, while Harry walked behind the tree and picked up a large wrapped box. Before she knew it, they had set everything down in front of Hermione and Severus.
"What is this?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"Trenton's Christmas presents," Ron replied.
Hermione looked shocked.
"But he was just born! The baby shower-"
"And this is Christmas!" Harry interrupted. "C'mon, the big one is from Ron and I. We have to see your faces when you open it."
Hermione looked at the two, "It better not be a broomstick."
Harry laughed. "That's another year."
She glared at him.
"Just open it," Ron said. "It has nothing to do with Quidditch."
"And Professor Snape has to help too," Harry added, making Severus roll his eyes.
"Alright," Hermione said laughing, from how antsy Harry and Ron were looking and started to open the gift.
Hermione's eyes grew twice their size when she saw what it was – "My First Potions Play Set." She looked up at the two – their smiles were wide enough to cover the whole room. When Hermione glanced back at the box, she burst out laughing; the two had taped a picture of Severus on the box, next to the picture of the set.
Ron smiled. "I'm glad you like it!"
"And Trenton can use it before he starts to walk!"
"See," Ron started, pointing at the box, "the tabletop pops off and you can set it on the floor. Not only that, but it's all plastic, so it's safe and easy to clean!"
"And everything is kid safe! The plastic cutting tools are all charmed to only 'cut' the objects in the kit. And when he can walk, you can put the top right back on top of the little work bench," Harry added.
Hermione looked between the two and smiled. "You do know that he's not even two months yet, right?"
They nodded.
"Oh yeah," Harry said. "We thought about that. It's better to get it now though, so he can enjoy it longer!"
"Besides," Ron continued. "Professor Snape might want to make sure it's safe enough for Trenton to use."
Hermione chuckled. "He'd probably somehow use all of the stuff before Trenton is old enough to hold a little beaker."
Severus rolled his eyes as she stood up.
"Thank you guys so much," Hermione said, and hugged them.
When Severus was about to stand up, Ginny ran over with another big package in her arms.
"Hey! You guys didn't wait for me!" She exclaimed, and set the package down in front of them. "Here, this is from me. Harry and Ron made a big stink about me getting in on their present. They wouldn't even tell me what it was."
"You really didn't have to, Ginny," Hermione said.
She smiled, "I know. But I wanted too. He's my godson, isn't he? Now open the present."
When Hermione turned around, Severus was already trying to peek into the package.
"You can open it, Severus," Hermione said, making him snap his head up.
"I was waiting for you," he replied innocently.
"Oh my God!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw what it was. "This is the biggest bear that I've ever seen! Thank you so much, Ginny," she said, and hugged her friend.
"And this is for you," she said, handing Hermione a red envelope.
"What in the world are you going to do with that?" Ron asked, pointing at the bear and Ginny elbowed him. "He's over a month, remember?"
"I'll take good care of it until he can have it, then," Hermione said.
"You're not going to sleep with it, are you?"
"I might," she replied.
"No you're not," Severus stated.
Hermione looked at him, "Why not?"
"There won't be room for me then," he said.
"There's room on the floor," Hermione said lightheartedly.
"Why don't I get a red card?" Ron asked, while Severus shot Hermione a look.
"Because these are special cards," Ginny said simply.
"And I'm not?"
"You're my brother."
"So I'm not special?" Ron asked.
Ginny smiled as she walked past him and waved another red envelope. "I have to give this to mum."
Ron glared at her. "I see how it is, Gin!"
He waited until his sister was safely gone, before turning back to Hermione. "What's in it?"
"It's my gift," Hermione said teasingly.
"So! Snape's gonna see it," Ron pointed out.
"C'mon Ron," Harry said. "I've got another gift for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah," he said, as he dragged Ron away. "It's a green envelope."
"That's not funny, Harry," Ron remarked dryly.
Hermione waited for them to leave, before opening the card. She quickly glanced up to make sure that Ron wasn't going to run over, when she saw Mrs. Weasley opening the card too. As soon as she read what was on the card, she jumped up and started looking for Ginny; not surprisingly, her mother did the same.
"Hey!" Ron exclaimed. "What's in those cards?"
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley called, looking everywhere for her.
"She's in the kitchen!" Hermione said, once she saw a glimpse of red hair turn the corner.
Harry, Ron, and Severus watched as Mrs. Weasley and Hermione raced each other towards the kitchen.
"Stop, Ginny!" They heard Hermione yell.
"Ginevra!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, and they heard footsteps stomping up the stairs.
Some of the members in the room stopped their conversations to see what was going on, but once they noticed that nothing was happening in the room, they returned to what they were doing. Severus, Ron, and Harry on the other hand, all ran to the doorway.
The next time Mrs. Weasley shrieked, everyone in the room went silent, "My baby is having a baby!"
All of the heads in the room turned towards Harry.
"Umm…Hi," he said, smiling.
In less than a second, everyone in the room had swarmed him, except Severus, who waited for Hermione to return. When he saw them appear from the staircase, Mrs. Weasley was guiding Ginny back to the room.
"They're all going to hoard me, Mum," Ginny complained. "That's why I gave you and Hermione the cards!"
Hermione smiled when she walked back into the room and handed Severus the card.
"Ginny, help me!" Harry exclaimed, making everyone turn around and run at Ginny.
"Hey! Why didn't I get a card?" Ron whined again. "Why did mum and Hermione get one?"
Ginny smiled, "Because Hermione's the godmother-"
"Hey!" Fred and George said at the same time. "And we're chopped liver?"
"Don't 'hey' me!" Ginny exclaimed. "Out of all of you, I'm no one's godmother! Hermione made me a godmother! She's not even family!"
"You can be my kid's godmother!" Ron exclaimed.
"You're not even dating! And you're Janie's godfather!"
"Yeah, but she has two."
"Now that's just being selfish," Hermione remarked.
Ron's cheeks turned pink when he realized that Hermione had heard. "Sorry, Hermione," he mumbled.
"I didn't even tell him that we're having twins yet," Ginny said.
"Twins?" Ron repeated.
"Yes!" Fred and George exclaimed, and high-fived each other.
"So that's only one godparent!"
"I never said we picked them all! I just knew that I wanted Hermione to be one," Ginny replied.
"Once you decide on one," Charlie said. "You end up picking them all."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I picked two and Harry picked two people. But I'm not announcing the other three, until I ask them."
Ron pouted for a second, before he turned to Severus. "You're a legilimens, right? Read her mind!"
Severus crossed his arms. "I don't think so."
He turned to Hermione. "You're married to him – I bet you can read minds too."
Hermione glared at him, "You're getting greedy."
"You can read my mind, Professor," Harry said.
"I'd rather not," Severus replied.
"Please," Harry asked.
"Why?"
"Just-"
"No," he reinforced.
"Hermione, read my mind."
"Harry-"
"Please?" Harry pleaded.
"Alright…" she trailed off.
"See?" Harry asked, after Hermione was done.
"Read his mind, Severus," Hermione said.
"Hermione-"
"Read it," she commanded.
He sighed. "Alright."
After Severus was done prodding through Harry's mind, he just stared at him.
Harry smiled and stuck his hand out for Severus to shake. "How about it, Professor?"
Severus surveyed the man and knew he wasn't lying. "Alright," he said and shook Harry's hand. "I'd be hon-" Severus was cut off when Harry pulled him forwards and gave him a friendly hug.
When Ron saw this, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Hermione and Snape?"
Harry turned to Ron. "Then I guess you don't want to know that you're the only other person I picked."
Ron's face turned to pure glee and jumped on Harry. "I LOVE YOU, HARRY!"
Harry laughed, "How could I not pick my best friend?"
"I must say Harry, you had me scared!"
Harry smirked. "Besides Ginny, you're the only other Weasley that I'm really close to!"
"What about your cousin?"
Harry laughed again. "I actually saw him a few months ago in London. He saw me and practically ran the other way."
"What'd you think they do if you showed up on their doorstep?"
"Probably die," Harry replied.
---
A few days after the New Year, Janie invited Ardeal over; luckily, it was also the day that Dumbledore needed Severus' help with updating the castle's spells. Lyss and Matt were over at their grandmother's for a past due visit and Hermione had no problem with Ardeal coming over.
"Hey Ardeal," Janie greeted, when he walked into her movie room. "I thought you were coming by floo."
He rolled his eyes. "Until my mum wanted to meet yours."
"Your mum's here?"
He nodded. "She was really anxious to meet one of my friends' parents. It's the first time that she can really do this...it's the first time I'm at school and she already knew everybody I grew up with. And your mum being my professor makes everything even better."
Janie laughed. "You're lucky my dad's not here."
He gave a small smile. "Yeah," he said and then paused. "Oh great," he muttered, "my mum's talking about embarrassing things."
"You want to go outside?" Janie asked. "You can see the yard and stuff...it looks really nice in the snow. My mum jokes about it being her 'winter wonderland.'"
He glanced at the door. "Alright."
"Where'd you put your stuff?"
"Oh! I'll be right back," Ardeal said, and then suddenly disappeared in a blur of colors. When he returned, he was already bundled up to go outside.
Janie blinked at him. "I hate it when you do that."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Janie said, as she left the room. "It's no fair."
"You can be a huge asset to the Quidditch team," Janie said, once she returned.
"Would that really be fair?"
"If you were in Slytherin, I bet they'd do anything to get you on the team," she said, as she led him to the back door. "Your mum won't be mad if you suddenly disappear?"
Ardeal shoved his hands into his pockets. "I don't think so."
---
After showing him around the basic part of the outside grounds, Janie brought him to the forest, where they started to talk about their families. Since Janie opted to tell him about hers, especially what her father was like, Ardeal felt complied to do the same.
"My dad's a vampire," Ardeal said. "He wasn't always one though...he was bitten on a trip after He-Voldemort had returned. We live in Transylvania...he worked for keeping wizards safe from the creatures that live around us.
"When they had me, they hoped that I wouldn't become a vampire...my mum's a witch. They beat themselves up pretty badly when they found out that I was one. My younger brother isn't one though."
"Is it hard?"
Ardeal looked thoughtful for a moment. "Which ever way the genes rumble. It can't be controlled. It's not really hard anymore. It was in the beginning, but I've gotten quite used to it now. Taniel is actually jealous of me. He thinks that I'm some sort of super hero and wants to be just like me."
"How old is he?" Janie asked.
"Eight. He thinks that it's cool to be able to move really fast and jump really high. I used to hide from him in the trees when we were younger."
"And your eyes turn red," Janie added.
"That too, but he's more scared of that. My parents don't want to explain too much to him yet. They're afraid that he'll purposely try to get me to bite him. He doesn't fully understand how I get in the sunlight though. I have to watch myself around him."
"How do you get...exactly? You still go to classes outside."
"Sometimes. As long as it's concealed...like the greenhouses or in the forest. You've probably noticed that I get really tan and my hair turns orange in the sun?"
"I've noticed."
"I can't stand it when it's really sunny and hot out. Like the middle of the day, until when it starts to get cooler out. When I was younger, I wanted to see what happened, so I stayed out all day. After a little while, my skin really started to burn...like it was on fire. Before I could run into the house, I passed out. When I woke, my room was turned into some giant cooler-type thing and when I looked in the mirror, my hair was snow white. My dad teased me about it for weeks after that. I think my mum even took pictures."
Janie laughed. "I'd like to see some of those."
"Ha-ha. Like I'd ever show anyone."
Silence enveloped the pair for a few moments.
"Ardeal...back in the forest, you said that you've bitten somebody before."
Ardeal looked ahead, and after several long moments, he sighed.
"Shortly after Taniel was born, I bit my mum. I was five at the time...and I had just gotten into a lot of trouble and my mum wouldn't let me go. I was always told that I could never bite anyone...I figured that if I bit her, then she'd leave me alone."
"Is she a vampire too?"
Ardeal finally looked at Janie. "They won't talk to me about how's she's changed, because they don't want me to be 'acting out.' I was told that 'I didn't know that that would happen' and it was merely an 'accident.' If I could take anything back, it would be that.
"I still don't know the full extent, even through observing. See, it's really strange. My dad's a full vampire, because he was bitten. I'm a half...my parents mentioned luck with that. I don't know what happens when a half vampire bites a human. There haven't been enough of us to really find out. I bet that they were really happy when I went off to school..." he trailed off.
"You know, I never think that you said exactly where you're from before," Janie commented. "Just where you live now."
Ardeal looked at her. "You promise you won't laugh?"
Janie nodded. "Why would I?"
He shrugged. "I live in Transylvania. People think it's funny, because I'm a vampire. Most people, when they think of Transylvania, they think of vampires..."
"That's really cool though," Janie said. "Do you have an accent? I mean, you can kind of tell that you do."
"I mask it," he replied. "It's easier to fit in that way."
"Did it take you a long time?"
"My mum taught me...and I watched a lot of movies before I went to Hogwarts. We actually have a smaller school out there."
"Really? But you have to show me your accent before you say anything else."
Ardeal rolled his eyes. "Is this enough for you?"
Janie smiled. "That is so cool! You should go back to school and talk to the teachers like that! I'd love to see the looks on their faces."
"Ha. Can I continue?"
"Yeah...sorry."
"Even though we have a school nearby, my parents wanted me to go to Hogwarts, especially with Dumbledore there. They told me that it'd be like starting out new. People we already know really well know that my dad's a vampire, so all of their kids now too. I'd never be able to normal there, everyone would stare and bother me. I'm sure it's better at Hogwarts...all of my professors know and they don't give me any extra special treatment. I don't need or want any."
"You're lucky," Janie said. "At first, everyone thought that I'd get special treatment, because both of my parents are professors. They expected me to get them all of the answers for their tests...one boy even tried to pay me for the answers to his potions final."
Ardeal chuckled.
"And it seems at times, well, outside of class, really, that I actually do get special treatment. The only class that I'm not really liked in is Astrology, and I have no idea why. I think my dad got in a fight with her before. At least, that's what my mum said."
"Is it really weird having professors as parents?"
"Sometimes, it can be. I can't call them 'mum' and 'dad' during class. And I don't raise my hand, so they won't call on me. I accidentally almost slipped once. My dad asked me a question and I caught myself right before I said it...he noticed."
"Did you get into trouble?"
Janie smiled. "Nope. He gave me a look though...I can't really explain it. He has a few looks that words can't describe. My mum and I refer to them as 'the look.' It doesn't matter which one we're talking about, we both get the jist. It's a joke between us, really. And he has no idea."
Ardeal laughed.
---
The end of break came much too quickly for everyone, and soon, school had started up again. Many of the students dreaded the return of school, but something else made its presence at the school, which they dreaded even more...It was absolutely freezing out. It seemed as if a blanket of arctic air had settled on the grounds of Hogwarts, and it didn't come as a surprise to anybody when a number of students started to ditch any outside classes.
It was nearing the end of January when Janie thought she'd make a visit to Hagrid, since she was the only one done with her homework.
"Oi, Janie," Ardeal called.
Janie stopped and turned around. "Hey Ardeal."
Ardeal shoved his hands farther into his robes. "Do we seriously have to go to the greenhouses out here? It's freezing."
Janie nodded. "At least the greenhouses are charmed to be warm."
"She can just move her bloody plants inside. I'm sure she can find a way to use one of the classrooms. Weather like this makes me actually miss the sun."
"I think we all miss the sun," Janie laughed.
"What are you doing outside anyways?"
Janie looked at him. "Visiting Hagrid. Lyss and Matt had homework to finish. You know, you could always perform a warming spell."
"I get too hot," he replied. "It's much easier just doing this for short walks."
Janie nodded and silence enveloped the pair for several moments.
"Ehr...Janie, could I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replied.
"You already know that not that many people...like me here very much. I really don't want to be picked on even more for not doing things in school. I want to go to the Valentine's Party...but I wouldn't really know anybody there. Janie, would you mind going with me?" Ardeal asked.
Janie smiled at him. "Sure, Ardeal. I'd love to."
He smiled back. "Great. Well, I have to get to Herbology now. Time to get my fingers bitten off by something."
Janie laughed.
---
"So," Lyss began, a week after Ardeal asked Janie to the Party. "We're all going to the Valentine's Day Party, right?"
Three people nodded in return.
"Did Dumbledore say it'd be the same as last year?" Lyss asked.
Janie shrugged. "He's not letting on to anything yet."
"How many seats were at the table last year?"
Matt shrugged. "There were only three of us...four now, with Scott."
"And Ardeal," Janie said.
"He's going?" Scott asked.
"Yeah...he sort of...asked me," Janie informed them.
Scott and Matt stared at her.
"Really?" Lyss asked.
Janie nodded. "He actually wanted to go."
"And you said 'yes?'" Matt asked slowly.
"Yes."
"But he's a vampire," Scott said.
"He's still Ardeal," Janie said.
Scott breathed heavily through his nose, making Janie glare at him.
"But Janie, there's just something that's...not right about him," Scott said.
"What do you mean, 'not right?'"
"For one, he's a third year," Matt started.
Janie rolled her eyes. "He's only a year older than me...I'm older than all of you."
"But that's not the point," Scott said.
Janie sighed. "I don't know what the big deal is. Ardeal wants to go to the party, so he asked if I could go with him. He's trying to show everybody that he's normal, like us."
Matt stared at Janie sourly, while Scott crossed his arms.
---
Severus knew what he was doing was sly, but he knew he couldn't ask Janie about it, and he wanted answers. He was pretty sure that Hermione didn't know anything, since she hardly attended meals in the Great Hall anymore. Janie was hanging around someone he didn't like often lately, and he wanted to find out why.
"Mr. Narls," Severus drawled, walking up behind the boy in the Slytherin common room.
"Sir?" Scott asked, turning around in his seat.
"May I have a word with you?"
Scott looked around. "Sure...Professor," he said, getting up and following Severus to a corner of the room. "Is there anything wrong? Am I in trouble?"
"No," Severus said, and let his eyes scan the room, before answering the boy. "I was wondering if you knew if anything is going on about Janie."
"Sir?"
"You are her friend, are you not?"
"Yes, sir," Scott replied.
"I haven't been able to speak with her lately, and it seems like something might be bothering her. Do you know what that is?"
"No, sir, I don't think so."
"Anything at all? Is she fighting with anyone?"
Scott thought for a moment. "Well, there is this one thing, Professor. Janie is going with Ardeal to the Valentine's Party...Matt and I don't like him very much."
"Thank you, Mr. Narls. You may go back to what you were doing," Severus said, and immediately left.
---
"Hey Dad," Janie greeted, once he opened the door.
"Janie," Severus replied, letting her in to their quarters. "What brings you here?"
She shrugged. "Just thought that I'd stop by to say 'hi.' Is mum here?"
Severus shook his head. "McGonagall invited her over for tea, because she wanted to see Trenton."
"Anything new?" He asked casually.
Janie looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I don't think so."
"Nothing going on in your classes?"
"I scored over a hundred on the last quiz in Charms."
"Good. Quidditch?"
"Same as always," Janie replied.
"Friends?" He pried.
"Nothing new?"
"Going to the Valentine's Party?"
"Yep. Do you have to supervise it again?"
"Yes. Who are you going with?" He asked, and suddenly, Janie's face fell.
Crap! He knows! He skipped 'are you' and went straight to who, Janie thought.
"A friend," Janie replied simply.
"Mr. Narls?"
"Nope."
"Mr. Carter?"
"No..."
Here it comes...
"Please don't tell me who I think it is..." Severus said.
"Depends on who you're thinking of," Janie countered.
"It's not Mr. Levock, is it?"
"Which one?" Janie asked, nonchalantly.
"Which one? You know which one-"
"No I don't...there's Taniel and Ardeal-"
"Taniel? Who is Taniel?"
"Ardeal's younger brother."
"There's more?" Severus asked.
"Yes, but Taniel's not a vampire-"
"Which one?"
"Ardeal asked me a while ago-"
"Ardeal...I thought that I already made it quite clear that I don't like him," Severus stated.
"You said you didn't like him," Janie replied. "You never said I couldn't go to a party with him. Besides, he's my friend and he has explained everything to me."
"That doesn't excuse his behavior," he said.
Janie was fuming now. "That was only because he didn't take his potion."
"What if he forgets to take it again?"
"He won't-"
"How are you so sure?"
"Because I'm hiding the potion for him."
Severus stared dumfounded at Janie for a minute.
"You're what?"
"I'm hiding his potion for him, so his roommates don't make fun of him and he doesn't have to go back into the forest."
Severus continued to stare at Janie, when the door opened up and Hermione stepped in with Trenton.
"Hello-Janie! How are - What's going on?" She asked, looking between the two.
"Hi Mum," Janie greeted, getting up. "I was actually just leaving," she said, making her way to the door. "Bye," she bid, as she opened the door and left.
Hermione turned around to face Severus. "Alright...what did you do?"
A/N: Thanks again to all of those who have read and even reviewed; it's really appreciated! The part with Severus and his father was written with his background that was slightly mentioned throughout the story, incase anyone was confused by it at all. Next up: Janie finds out what Scott did and what in the world happens at the next Quidditch match that makes everyone angry?
I'm going to start wrapping everything up…if there's anything you'd like to see happen that hasn't yet, anything that you think I left out, or any loose ends, feel free to drop a line!