Chapter 19: Making Headlines

"Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear."

― Paulo Coelho

June 18th, 2011

Severus Snape Spotted

Last evening the wizarding world was taken by surprise when Severus Snape reemerged to the public, with a surprise of his own.

The elusive war hero was spotted Thursday evening at a publishing event for Hermione Granger's recent work, A History of Muggles and Magic. Granger made many acknowledgments in her small speech at the event, one of which was the hand that Severus Snape played in assisting with her work.

In a shocking turn of events, Severus Snape's reemergence was not the most astounding revelation. A young girl, not of Hogwarts age according to ministry records, was also in attendance and fondly referred to the man we know as Severus Snape as her father. No official comment was made by any of the major war veterans in attendance at this event, including:

Harry Potter, Auror, OM, 1st class

Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, OM, 1st class

Ronald Weasley, Ex-Auror, OM, 1st class

Ginevra Weasley-Lovegood, Retired Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, OM, 2nd class

Luna Weasley-Lovegood, Editor of the Quibbler, OM, 2nd class

It was clear to those in attendance, including myself, that this was the first time Harry Potter has seen Severus Snape since the end of the war. It is still unclear why Snape's debut to the public was made at Hermione Granger's book release, but there have been rumours swirling since last evening.

Given the absence of any concrete facts surrounding this return to the public eye, only time will tell the complete story of Severus Snape.

Rasmus Andersen, Junior Correspondent to the Daily Prophet

Full Review of "A History of Muggles and Magic" on Page 5

Severus had thankfully helped her make her home unplottable following her eventful publishing party, which saved her from the owls she was likely receiving.

She had avoided the Daily Prophet in the past and relied on her friends to give her tidbits of anything that may be of importance, though a rare occurrence. Of course, Ginny had just shared two editions of the wretched paper regarding the excitement she had caused the press.

Reading through the small article that Andersen had written was bearable, though it was still nothing of substance that should have made the news, to begin with, much less as a small feature on the front page.

The book review was decent and did well to not mention anything off-topic regarding her personal life or Severus's. Perhaps Minerva had taught the young man something after all…

Ginny had handed her the Friday evening prophet first, perhaps to soften the blow of the article she now pushed at her, subsequently published on the cover of the Saturday morning edition.

Granger Strikes Again: Severus Snape, the Unfortunate Target

What a weekend for revolutionary scandals in the wizarding world! Hermione Granger, disgraced ex-ministry employee, was seen touting her newly published work in a now unfortunately unplottable location. No doubt Granger has been using her wiles once again to snaggle herself a way to sell the gargantuan texts that she calls books.

Upon interviewing countless attendees, I have dutifully uncovered the true details that our darling junior correspondent was unable to reveal. After some truly expert work on my own behalf, we have irrefutably uncovered the true nature of the former Death Eater, Potion's Master, and supposed double agent being among those who attended.

Severus Snape, one that I have completed an expert history on in one of my excellent books, take note, Ms. Granger, Severus Snape: Scoundrel or Saint? has finally revealed that he has a daughter. This was information that I, of course, already suspected based on my in-depth research on the poor, withdrawn man. It was my own compassion that led me to not reveal this information in my book, available at Flourish and Blotts, or for mail order, 8 Galleons.

The young girl in question is, of course, his ill-begotten daughter that he had with his former Death Eater wife, who is mentioned in detail in my book, Snape: Scoundrel or Saint? Despite reports of the child's kind demeanor, we must suspect that she is extremely dangerous and fear for the time she may enter the doors of Hogwarts or any other wizarding community.

No doubt that Severus Snape has recently been bewitched, otherwise he would not show his face to the public again. The publicity that Granger's book is receiving could not very well have been done without his own hand, as Granger was said to have gushed about his help with her latest work. It is likely that if this text is of any substance, his hand played more of a part in writing it.

Granger has clearly been manipulating the man's strange fondness for muggle-borns and using her supposed 'great skills' to enchant the unsuspecting mind of Severus Snape. I was initially hopeful that he would break free of this, as he was once a laudable wizard in his prime; however, I must report the most troubling news.

Due to some concerning mentions of Snape's familiarity with muggle history in the workings of Granger's book, it is possible that his nearly debilitating strike from Voldemort may have completely stripped him of his magic, resulting in a secluded life as a muggle. I must conclude that we should fear for the worse; if Hermione Granger has Severus Snape under her thumb, who is to say what she will do next?

Always candid and always a pleasure, my faithful readers.

Rita Skeeter, Head Correspondent to the Daily Prophet

"That dreadful little—," her voice became what could be best described as incoherent growling, causing Ginny to snatch the paper from her hands and set it aflame in solidarity.

"Agreed. I just thought you should know in case you plan to go out in public again any time soon, Professor Snape as well, for that matter."

She laid her head back to stare at the ceiling. Luna had painted a mural that did not make much sense but it was intriguing in design. She let herself get lost in the details as a poor attempt to ignore the winding cogs of her brain at the news of her name being trashed once again, and Severus's for that matter.

Not that she was unused to the Prophet dragging her. The moment she entered the ministry she was adamant about many policy changes that were controversial to the wizarding world as a whole. Some won, with the much-needed support of Harry, and some were lost causes with the amount of backlash she had received the moment she even mentioned them.

House elf reform had been a non-starter, and though she had managed to staff a tiny hotline service for elves to set forth complaints of abuse, it was unused the entire time she was employed with the ministry and likely continued that way to the present-day. The only thing reasonable she had managed to get the public on board with was the removal of dementors from Azkaban, and that was only after she and Harry detailed their misuse by Voldemort and how easy it had been to get them to change sides.

"Hermione, it's all going to be alright. Your name will be replaced by the next big news as soon as a professional Quidditch player gets caught having another affair or a high ranking ministry official is accused of stealing from Goblins… You know how it goes," she smiled up at Ginny who had walked to stand over her face and flicked her nose.

Hermione nearly agreed with her but she had now arrived at the opportune time to reveal the reason she had come over to start with.

Pulling herself up to a sitting position once more, she turned to face her friend, "I accepted a job offer from Minerva."

Ginny's eyes widened, "What? At Hogwarts? You're joking!"

She laughed at the excitement her friend held for her, "Yes, in the kitchens."

A loud snort came following that, "That would be unfortunate for many. But I can't believe it! You're going to be brilliant. What are you teaching? Not that it matters, you'd be brilliant at anything, I know."

That she wasn't so sure about, "Arithmancy, I'm becoming a master as I should have a long time ago."

"Excellent! So are you moving to the castle or living nearby like Neville? I'd hate to see you sell the house you just got."

"We're keeping the house, we'll still live there throughout the holidays. I plan on moving us into the castle residence while I teach." Ginny sat next to her as she continued, she was thrilled to have someone respond positively to the news.

"There's something else too, which won't help the new gossip much…"

Ginny raised her brows in interest, "Well, come now, what is it? Don't hold out on me, Hermione."

She chuckled, "Severus accepted a job at Hogwarts too."

Her ears were not prepared for the yell that came from her friend's mouth.

"WHAT?" She nearly fell over when Ginny grabbed her by the arms, shaking her slightly. It was a wonder her entire family didn't come running, but she knew just as they did that this was just how Ginny was.

"Hermione! That's insane! First, he comes out of his seclusion to attend your publishing party, now he's going to Hogwarts for you. You do realize what that means?" Her expression turned to confusion at this comment, what did it mean to her?

"Er, he isn't going to Hogwarts for me, Gin." Ginny rolled her eyes at her now, she couldn't be implying…

"Of course he is! Who accepted the job first? Don't lie to me!"

"I did." She sighed resignedly, this would not help Ginny's present conspiracy.

"See! He accepted it because you did, he doesn't want to be far from you, obviously."

"Gin, where is this coming from?"

Her friend grinned mischievously, she had clearly been keeping this fabrication from her for some time.

"I had an inkling of you two being well-suited for one another from the beginning… well, not me exactly, Luna sort of implied it one night while… Nevermind, you get the point. Anyway! We saw how easily he watched the kids for us, and there is no way he would have done that had we not been close to you. He came to your party Hermione, and there is no way you missed the looks he was giving you the entire time you were in the room." Ginny snickered at her clear shock, but there was nothing to be said here because Severus hadn't looked at her any different than usual, had he?

"Then we saw the two of you leave your study when you came to see Harry surf down your stairs on the muggle broomstick, and the kids were giggling when they left. Giggling! You two must have been up to something…"

Well, this was just absurd. She and Severus were friends. That was all, nothing more.

"Ginny, I really think you're imagining all of this. Everything Severus has done has been for his daughter. I'm positive he only came to the party because Katherine asked him to and I've seen him with her, it's impossible for him to tell her no," she laughed in fondness before collecting herself.

Ginny was simply staring at her, mouth agape.

"Oh, Hermione."

She bit her lip, this certainly wasn't the direction she thought her conversation was going to head in.

"So… how is Harvey adjusting?" Ginny squinted at her but went along with her change of topic.

Katherine had been thrilled to visit Scorpius for the first time in a couple of weeks, Severus had avoided it in fear of reminding Katherine of her mother but she seemed undisturbed upon entering the home.

After pleasantries, she followed her aunt to play with her cousin Scorpius. He considered the possibility of him having the child in the future if he chose to remain at Hogwarts for the next decade.

It wasn't this that troubled him, rather it was the idea of continuing to teach after Katherine completed school.

And the next question that taunted his subconscious, much to his frustration: Would Hermione remain to teach after Henry had finished school?

Neither question mattered at present, perhaps he would return for the next year or two to take Nabirye on as an apprentice and leave after that. The school held a mixture of memories for him, but he had never been one to denigrate a building due to personal feelings. He loved Hogwarts for getting him away from Spinner's End, and he loved his childhood home for similar reasons; it got him away from Hogwarts.

The brief respite he had over the holidays to spend time with Lily without the heckling of other students was necessary. They were not entirely pleasant, in that time he was also forced to deal with his father's displeasure and his mother's ignorance to his father's actions. By the end of the holidays, he was always prepared to reenter the Great Hall, with newfound hope that each year would be better than the last.

But it never was. Each year was plaintively worse than the last, between the bullying from his peers and the holiday bullying from his father, he never saw peace. His complicated history with both places he called home made it difficult for one to understand how he could return to either.

His simple answer to Draco when he asked that very question years ago when he moved back into Spinner's End was that he wanted to build new, positive memories with Katherine in the home. He wanted to be the parent his parents never were and create a place a child would be proud to call home.

And so far, it had been.

Hogwarts was next on his list, it seemed. A place of wonder that he had held dear to him, he honed his skills and became a well-known wizard, despite the opinions of multitudes, he was renowned. His daughter deserved to experience a positive time in the castle, and she may have some unpleasant experiences as anyone does, but he hoped that the world had changed just enough for her to have a satisfying and fulfilling educational experience without the side effects of an ongoing war.

"You haven't spoken much, are you alright?"

He jerked from his reverie, having nearly forgotten where he was to begin.

"I apologize, my mind has been focused on a multitude of things."

Draco kept a straight face and pulled a paper from beside his chair, tossing it at him.

"I'm sure you do."

He read through the article quickly and scoffed at the poor attempt to create a story out of what little the young man had seen. Glancing up at Draco, he noted that he was receiving an apprehensive stare.

"What?"

"That's not all, have a look at this one now." Another edition of the Prophet landed in his lap, the cover spread contained an old picture of him during his tenure at Hogwarts and an article titled, "Granger Strikes Again: Snape, the Unfortunate Target".

"I am not going to give Skeeter the benefit of reading her awful writing."

Draco leaned forward to grab the paper from him and sat comfortably back down, "Fine, I'll just give you the highlights," he squinted down at the article.

"First, your daughter is being labeled as the creation of you and a presumed Death Eater wife you once had," he rolled his eyes at this, he had heard the Death Eater wife rumours before. Ministry records could easily dismiss this.

A vein of stress did come at the implication of his daughter being labeled as the daughter of a Death Eater, but then again, he was a Death Eater.

"Second, Granger has bewitched you."

"Excuse me?"

"Bewitched you. You know," he glanced down at the text again, "Used her wiles, ah, enchanted you." He was reading directly from the text it seemed, so he could not doubt his words. Draco met his eyes but he had no visual reaction to this, ah, twist.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. Apparently, you have been stripped of your magic; something to do with how you nearly died."

"Intriguing," he was dismissive of the trash, though he knew much of the public likely still took the cow's words seriously, there was nothing in attempting to dissuade their beliefs. Granger knew this, they had been attacking her since she was a mere teenager. She was not the type to let it get to her, in his present understanding of her at least. He hoped that was not a lesson his daughter would need to learn as well. Perhaps he could convince Granger to have a discussion with Katherine regarding hearsay, she did owe him a favor.

Draco waved the paper, catching his attention.

"What about Katherine, I thought you were trying to keep her out of the press until she started school?"

He did not seem angry, more surprised than anything. He hadn't taken into consideration Draco and Astoria when he thought of the implications of attending the public event. Astoria did not seem ill with him when she greeted him earlier, either.

"I felt it appropriate to rip the bandage off early," he gave a brief pause before adding, "I have a familiar position I will be returning to in September, as such, she would have been noticed eventually."

Draco studied him for a moment, then his eyes widened, "You can't be serious?"

He sighed, he did not like explaining his decisions but if he owed one to anyone, it was likely this family that was tied inextricably to his own. Astoria returned at this point with Katherine at her heels.

"Scorpius is asleep, finally." She threw herself into a chair, exhausted it seemed. He recalled a similar feeling when Katherine was young but she had become adept at sleeping normal hours rather quickly.

She read her husband's expression easily as she looked from him to Severus and said nervously, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was just telling Draco that I accepted a new job."

Astoria appeared excited at this piece of news and sat up straighter, "Oh, but that's wonderful, Severus!"

Katherine processed the exchange quickly, as she began jumping in excitement, something he had not seen her do often.

"At Hogwarts? Are we moving to Hogwarts, daddy!?"

He smirked at the excitement it had brought her, knowing at least he had made the right decision, in her valued opinion.

"What on earth for, Severus?" Draco interjected his daughter's enthusiasm.

"We're going to be living there while Henry's there, too, aren't we, aren't we!?" He attempted to assuage her excitement and pulled her into his arms from the short distance she was standing from him.

"Yes, dear, that's right. Why don't you go to Scorpius's playroom for a few minutes and I'll come to get you when it's time to go." A fleeting look of disappointment crossed her face but she nodded obediently and scurried out of the room.

Astoria let out a laugh she had clearly been holding in, her husband looked at her, affronted.

"What, what's so funny?"

He too found himself confused at what she found comical, watching her gather herself with interest.

"Sorry, sorry. She's just so very excited, and oh Draco, you should hear the way she gushes about Henry and what great friends you and Hermione are, Severus."

Draco's eyes turned to him again, "I'm not following, so do you want to teach again?"

"I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, not Potions. I was unable to complete an entire year of the job in the past," he saw Draco flinch at this, "So it seems as good a time as any to try again. I will be taking the Potion's Professor on as an apprentice as well, so he may become a master in time."

Astoria piped in, "You were always a great Professor, but I do admit I did enjoy your class much more the year you taught defense."

An elf popped in at that moment, looking at his master respectfully, "Master, sir, you have an emergency owl from St. Mungo's in the foyer." He nodded and the elf popped away.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment."

He left them both to continue the conversation alone, she was still giving him a strange smile and eventually spoke.

"So Katherine mentioned her friend Henry was also going, I assume that means she was also given a job."

He nodded, "Yes, Arithmancy."

"Ah, I took that briefly for my third year but found it unbelievably difficult. Impressive of her."

He did not respond, though he knew Hermione's talents were indeed impressive.

"The way Katherine talks, it seems you two spend an awful lot of time together. I'm glad you've found someone you can trust and let into your life, truly. She seemed so at ease with you back in January, I can only imagine how close you are now after willingly attending her publishing event."

There was a veiled meaning there, and he was quite sure he understood her tone, unfortunately.

"Granger and I are… friends," he found his mind flicker briefly to the good lighting that had brought out the amber of her eyes and blinked once eradicate the vision from memory.

She hummed at him, "Yes well, there's nothing wrong with that of course. It will be good you are both going and the kids will have each other to keep company."

He started to formulate a response but the house elf that had been in a moment prior popped back in, "Misses, Master says there was an emergency he had to see to in his department, he is sorry," the elf turned to him now, "Master wishes you and young miss a good evening."

"Thank you, Baisy," Astoria smiled at her elf who disappeared with another pop.

Immediately after leaving the room, Katherine pulled out her journal to write Henry the good news. She still was in shock and could not believe that they were still all going to be together, even if it wasn't in Spinner's End.

Henry! Did your mum tell you about my dad?

No, what happened? Is everything okay?

Yes, it's wonderful. He accepted the job at Hogwarts, we're all going together now!

Excellent! Operation Pemberly is still a go.

Will you owl Rory, Fred, and Roxy? I'm still at my uncle and aunts or I would! Maybe Rory will have other bright ideas.

Maybe so!

I'll see you Monday!

See you Monday!