Content Notes: Past child abuse and neglect (discussed), past sexual abuse (discussed), minor canon character death.
A special thanks to my beta reader EmeraldSnakes who has spent the past two months listening to me chatter about my fic and Harry Potter, and who graciously has edited this fic.
This fic updates on Saturdays and is cross-posted on AO3.
At Professor Snape's instruction Rachel had signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday, but her name was the only name on the sheet posted on the noticeboard in the Slytherin common room. On the Saturday morning at the start of the Christmas holiday, Rachel sat on her bed and watched as Millie, Daphne, and Pansy packed their bags to go home.
Rachel was going to miss Millie, and Hermione, and Neville. She'd gotten used to spending the hours between classes and dinner with them in the library, and she and Millie usually hung out together in their dorm or in the common room after they had their House study sessions. She'd also miss going flying with Draco, though she intended to go flying on her own despite the cold weather. There was a good foot of snow outside and she'd gotten used to having wet feet during and after Herbology class. She would have to put a drying charm on the list of things she wanted to look up in the library.
She wasn't sure what she was going to do during the two week break other than read and fly, though she was planning to go visit Hagrid if he was staying over the Christmas break. Maybe she'd take up residence on the couches in front of the fireplace since none of the older students would be there to claim them.
"Want to walk with me up to the carriage path?" Millie asked, shoving a book in her bag and then forcing it closed.
Rachel nodded.
They left the dorm room together - Pansy and Daphne were still packing - and slowly made their way out of the common room and through the dungeons.
"It's weird, leaving you here all alone," Millie said, her eyes fixed on Rachel as they walked. "Did Professor Snape say what you'd be doing during the holiday?"
Rachel shook her head. She didn't expect they'd be doing anything. Professor Snape would probably be busy doing whatever teachers did during the holidays.
Millie frowned. "Well, Gemma has stayed before, and she said the Christmas feast is quite good, so that's something to look forward to. And we'll be back on the fifth, which isn't so far away."
Rachel smiled, knowing that Millie was trying to cheer her up. Rachel didn't know how to explain that this was going to be her best Christmas ever just because she didn't have to see the Dursleys. She didn't have to scrub the house in case visitors came over, or help cook Christmas dinner and only get small bits of it, or sit and watch Dudley open a mound of presents on Christmas morning. Compared to being with the Dursleys, loafing around the castle with nothing to do was a luxury.
They reached the entrance hall where a steady stream of students were leaving through the front doors. Hagrid had cleared a path in the snow out to the path where the carriages waited.
"Rachel, Millie!" Hermione's voice carried from the top of the stairs.
They looked up and saw Hermione and Neville hurrying down the steps.
"I was hoping we'd find you, I wanted to say goodbye before the holiday," Hermione said, throwing her arms around Rachel.
Rachel froze, feeling oddly constricted, and managed to pat Hermione on her back before she let go.
Neville waved and Rachel was relieved that he wasn't going to try to hug her as well.
"We'll be back before you know it," Hermione said with a firm nod. "And you'll probably have the whole library to yourself."
Rachel nodded. She wasn't entirely sure why they were all assuming that staying at Hogwarts over the holiday was a bad thing.
"Let's go out to the carriages then," Hermione said, looking a little anxious. Rachel knew that Hermione liked to be early for everything.
"You're walking us out? You're not wearing a cloak," Neville asked.
Rachel nodded and shrugged. It was cold but she wouldn't be out there for long.
They walked out the front doors and Rachel stared at the creatures that were harnessed to the carriages. While they were vaguely horse-shaped they certainly weren't horses. No one else seemed perturbed by them, so she figured they must be common enough.
"Bye," Millie said when an empty carriage pulled up in front of them.
"Have a good holiday," Hermione said, climbing into the carriage.
Neville waved again and followed Hermione into the carriage.
For a moment Rachel thought Millie was going to hug her and she was slightly relieved when Millie didn't and followed the others into the carriage. Rachel waited for a moment while the carriage pulled away and then hurried back into the castle while shivering.
By the time she got back down through the dungeon corridor and into the Slytherin common room it was almost empty, with only a few stragglers hurrying to finish collecting their things.
Rachel went into her dorm room and collected the book she'd checked out from the library. It was called Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires. It was written by Eldred Worple, who had apparently lived with some vampires, and apparently vampires were also a real thing. Rachel was finding it harder and harder to come up with fantastical things that were actually made up.
She settled in on the couch in front of the fireplace and pulled off her shoes. It was kind of nice to have some peace and quiet. Hogwarts was not a very quiet or solitary place. She had just reached the fourth chapter when she heard footsteps. Thinking that whoever had come back had obviously missed the train, Rachel sat all the way up and found herself staring at Professor Snape, who was in relaxed clothes closer to what he wore when he took her to see Torey.
"I thought I'd find you either here or in the library. What are you reading?" he asked.
Rachel held up the book so he could see the title.
"Hardly edifying reading, but it is a holiday," Professor Snape said.
Rachel wasn't sure what that meant, but she got the feeling he didn't entirely approve.
"Since you are the only Slytherin student to remain over the holiday, I do not have my typical House duties to attend to. As such, I am inviting you to stay in my quarters. I have asked the castle to create a room for you," Professor Snape said.
Rachel felt her stomach drop a little. She should have expected this, though after he had told her to redress in his office she had thought he wasn't interested. Maybe he just hadn't wanted other students to be around.
"Would you like to come stay with me?" he asked.
Rachel nodded, because he clearly expected her to do so.
"Why don't you gather a few things, clothes and such, though you can always come back here if you need something. I'll wait here for you," Professor Snape said, sitting down on the couch opposite her.
She shoved her feet in her shoes and went back to her dorm room. There wasn't much to pack. The clothes Professor Snape had gotten her, her toiletries, and the books that she'd taken out of the library. She slung her bag over her shoulder and went back out into the common room.
Professor Snape led the way back to his office and held the door open for her. He motioned to the spot on the wall that led to his rooms and Rachel went inside, stepping out of the way so that he could follow.
"Your room is back here," he said, leading her into a small hallway. "The door on the left is my bedroom. I must ask that you don't enter. If I'm inside and you need something, you can knock on the door. The door at the end of the hallway is my private potions laboratory, it's locked as it has some volatile ingredients inside. Don't go inside without asking first. This room on the right is yours. There is a small attached bathroom."
Rachel looked inside and found a bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe, and a desk with a chair. On the opposite wall was a door that undoubtedly led into the bathroom he had mentioned.
"Is this adequate?" he asked.
Rachel nodded. It was far more than she'd ever gotten from the Dursleys.
"I'll let you unpack. Afterward, you're welcome to continue reading your book on the couch," he said, stepping away.
She hung up her clothes and put her bag and other books in the bottom of the wardrobe. She brought her toiletries into the bathroom and found that although the room was relatively small it had a full sized shower along with a sink and a toilet.
After she was finished unpacking, she picked up the book she'd been reading and went out into the main room. Professor Snape was sitting in his armchair and reading a magazine with a picture of a cauldron on the front. She sat down on the couch and opened her book, even though she found it much more difficult to concentrate here than in the Slytherin common room. She would just have to wait and see what happened. There was no use in doing anything else.
Rachel woke up on Christmas morning, feeling both relieved and confused, and looking forward to the midday Christmas feast. She decided to shower, because you were supposed to be clean on Christmas, and mulled over the situation while she washed her hair. So far Professor Snape had been acting exactly as he had during the dinners they'd had over the past few weeks. He asked her a few questions, but otherwise left her alone. He hadn't gone into her bedroom, not even once.
She didn't know what to make of the whole situation. She didn't know how to predict what Professor Snape wanted. With the Dursleys that had been somewhat easy. They wanted her to stay quiet, stay out of the way, and for her to do all the chores. Professor Snape regularly invited Rachel to his quarters and he hadn't asked her to do any chores. Rachel didn't know how things got cooked and cleaned at Hogwarts - food and clean laundry just appeared.
After she dried off and got dressed, Rachel went out into the main room and was surprised to see a pile of presents next to the fireplace and a stocking hanging from the mantle. Professor Snape was sitting in his armchair with a cup of tea and a different potions magazine on his lap. He seemed to read a lot of those.
"Happy Christmas," he said, looking up from his reading.
Rachel nodded, hoping that her meaning of 'Happy Christmas to you too' got across.
"Do you want tea or cocoa while you open your stocking and gifts?" he asked.
Rachel's eyes darted back to the pile of presents. Those were for her? She'd expected to trade gifts with her friends in the study group, because they'd talked about gifts and what they hoped to get a few weeks ago. This was far too many presents to just be from Millie, Hermione, and Neville though.
"Are you hungry?" Professor Snape tried.
Rachel shook her head. She didn't think she could eat just then.
"Why don't you start with your stocking then. Do you need help getting it down from the mantle?" he asked.
Rachel shook her head again and went over to unhook the stocking from where it had been hanging on the mantle. She'd never had her own stocking before. For Christmas, the Dursleys had occasionally given her a couple of coins, though she rarely had the opportunity to spend them. She took the stocking to the couch and sat down, feeling a little overwhelmed.
From the top of her stocking poked out a giant rainbow candy cane. She removed that first and reached deeper inside. She pulled out an orange, a deck of magical playing cards, two pairs of thick wool socks in Slytherin colors, a set of self-inking quills with different colors of ink, and when she turned the stocking upside down a small pile of wrapped toffees and candies fell out.
The contents of the stocking were more gifts than she'd had in her entire life all put together.
"The quills shouldn't be used on any of your essays or class work, though you may find them useful for drawing or taking notes," Professor Snape said.
Rachel nodded, feeling odd to be surrounded by presents, with more yet to open. She'd never imagined that Professor Snape would do something like this for her. She really couldn't predict him at all.
"Do you want to open your presents?" he asked, when Rachel had been sitting still for a moment.
Rachel nodded again and slid down off the couch and onto the rug so that she could reach the stack of presents more easily. She didn't know where to start. She looked over the gifts and found that most of them were marked with names indicating who had sent them, but a few weren't. She guessed those ones were from Professor Snape. She picked up one of the unlabeled ones first and carefully peeled back the wrapping paper.
She stared in shock. It was a stuffed bunny, just like Millie's, though where Millie's was a light brown, this one was a soft tan color. She pet its ears and gently set it on her lap. Professor Snape must have been able to read minds if he knew that she'd wanted a stuffed animal and how much she had liked Millie's. She looked up at him and hoped that her expression conveyed her gratitude.
"You like it? It's the right one?" Professor Snape asked.
Rachel nodded eagerly.
The corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. "I'm glad you like it. Keep opening your presents."
Rachel cradled the bunny in her lap and reached for the next unmarked present. It was a pair of black boots. The next one was a pair of thick woolen gloves in Slytherin green. She smiled up at Professor Snape to show him that she liked the gifts. She had a feeling she was going to be much less cold in Herbology and when she went out to fly.
The next gift was wrapped in thick brown paper. She opened and found a wooden flute that Hagrid had probably whittled himself. She held it up so Professor Snape could see.
"From Hagrid, I presume?" he asked.
Rachel nodded and set the flute on the couch where she wouldn't accidentally put anything on top of it.
The next gift was a thick package done up in red and gold wrapping paper from Hermione. She opened it and found two books. One was The Chronicles of Narnia and the other was a hardback book with no name on the spine. There was a long letter with them and Rachel took the time to read it and found out the hardback book was a two-way communication book and that Hermione had its twin. Anything either of them wrote in the book would be visible to the other person.
Rachel felt that this went well with her own gift to Hermione. She had set up a small gift account at Flourish and Blotts that would allow Hermione to pick out a few books she wanted - because it was difficult to know what books she already had - and had sent her an catalogue and instructions on how to use Owl Orders in case she didn't already know.
Millie had sent Rachel a beautiful planner for the next year and Rachel thought that was very useful. She had sent Millie a package of Sugar Quills, which were her favorite but her mother didn't like her to have, disguised in a hollowed book so that Millie would be able to keep them a secret.
Neville had sent Rachel a box of chocolate frogs, which Rachel looked forward to eating because she had really enjoyed the one she'd had on the train - which seemed like it had happened forever ago. Rachel had sent Neville a copy of The Master Book of Herbology since he had said that it was his favorite subject and he wished he knew more about what was in the other greenhouses.
She received an untangling comb - guaranteed to get through untidy hair smoothly, according to the package - and a set of hair clips from Daphne, and a big bar of Honeydukes Best Chocolate from Pansy. Rachel had given each of them a box of their favorite sweets.
The last gift was wrapped in plain paper and felt very light when she picked it up. She unwrapped it and found a silvery grey piece of fabric that was soft and light to the touch. She picked up the note and read that whatever it was had belonged to her father.
"He didn't," Professor Snape said quietly.
Rachel looked up and saw that whatever was in the package had caused him to look quite upset. Maybe he had wanted to receive whatever it was?
Professor Snape pressed his lips together and let out a slow breath through his nose. "That is an invisibility cloak. It belonged to your father. Given that it is very valuable, I suggest you keep it locked in your trunk and don't let anyone know that you have it."
Rachel nodded. Regardless of its monetary value, it was valuable to her just because it was the only thing that she had that belonged to her father. She hesitated. Did invisibility cloak mean what she thought it meant? She'd have to try it out in secret and find out.
She carefully set the cloak on the couch and got up. She hurried into her room and picked up the small wrapped present she'd been keeping in her wardrobe. It seemed inadequate now that Professor Snape had given her all of those presents, but it was the only thing she had prepared to give him.
She went back into the main room and nervously held it out to him.
"For me?" he asked, seeming as surprised as Rachel had been to be given gifts.
Rachel nodded.
He neatly opened the package and looked down at the book she had given him. It was a copy of A Wrinkle In Time with a letter she had written him thanking him for being her guardian. She had given some money to Hermione and asked her to purchase and send the book here while she was away for the Christmas holiday. It had arrived just in time.
Professor Snape nodded to himself as he read the letter. "I am glad to be your guardian. I take it you got the idea for the book from seeing my book collection?" he asked, nodding to the small collection of muggle novels on his bookshelf.
Rachel nodded again. She had seen the books and thought he must like at least some fiction and had decided to get him her favorite book. She had read it at the library last year and had fallen in love with it.
"Thank you, I look forward to reading it. Most of those books were ones that your mother gave me. She'd be glad to know that you like to read as well," he said.
Rachel decided that she was going to take a closer look when it wasn't so obvious that she wanted to know. She was going to try to read every book that she knew her mother had read.
"Do you want something to eat, or are you okay until the feast?" he asked.
Rachel shook her head.
"Alright. Do let me know if you need anything," he said, settling back in his chair.
Rachel gathered all of her gifts up and brought them to her room. She couldn't believe all of this was hers!
Curious, Rachel took the silvery cloak and stepped into the bathroom. She put it on and sure enough her body disappeared. When she pulled the hood up and looked into the mirror it was like she wasn't there at all. Her father had worn this, just like this.
She went back into her room and wrote a quick note in the two-way book to Hermione, thanking her for the gifts. When Hermione didn't write back right away, she collected the book, her new colored quills, and a stack of parchment and went back into the main room to begin writing thank you letters.
It had been an incredible day and it was only just after nine in the morning.
Severus sat in his armchair, sipping his second cup of tea for the day. He was looking through the book Albus had given him for Christmas. It was a handwritten journal from the Potions Mistress Wilmot Cheyne from her work in 1542. The book was easily worth two hundred Galleons. While the handwriting was worse than some of his first year students, Cheyne's experiments provided valuable insight into the creation of modern medical potions.
Albus had very cheerily opened the gift Severus had given him in return, seeming pleased with the crushed velvet purple robes. Severus had flipped through the Gladrags Wizardwear catalogue one evening and had picked the most garish looking robes he could find, knowing full well that Albus would enjoy them much better than a book or a new piece of magical equipment.
Severus and Minerva had exchanged bottles of alcohol, as usual. He had given her a bottle of red currant rum, and she had given him a pure malt whiskey. Later in the week they would have a drink together, as was their tradition.
Rachel was sitting on the couch, busy with her new quills and a stack of parchment. From what Severus could tell, she was writing thank you letters to her friends.
It had been painfully obvious that Rachel was not used to receiving gifts. She had gawked at the pile of presents, looking back to him several times as if expecting him to tell her that she couldn't have them. Then she had sat quietly while she opened them, her awed expression the only thing that told him that she was enjoying herself.
He was grateful that Millicent Bulstrode had shown him her stuffed bunny as Rachel had held onto hers the entire time she was opening gifts. Clearly the girl had been right in suggesting that it was something Rachel had wanted very badly. She didn't even seem disappointed that her other gifts from him were practical gifts of clothing.
Rachel had seemed pleased by the books she had been given and had smiled at the numerous gifts of sweets. Severus hoped she was sensible enough not to make herself sick by eating too many at once. He suspected she was, as she hadn't immediately started eating them and seemed to be saving her appetite for the Christmas feast.
He couldn't believe that Albus had seen fit to give a mute eleven year old an invisibility cloak. If she used it and got hurt, they would never be able to find her. No eleven year old needed an invisibility cloak, and Severus didn't feel that way just because James had used it to plan pranks and torment him. In Severus' opinion, invisibility cloaks should be banned at the school.
He hadn't had the heart to take the cloak from her - how could he take a Christmas present from a child who obviously hadn't had Christmas presents before? That wouldn't stop him from doing so if he found out she was misusing it though. Strangely, he didn't think that she would. Rachel hadn't shown any penchant for mischief or rule breaking. In general when she wasn't in classes, she could either be found in the library, the common room, or her dorm room.
Severus had been a little surprised that Rachel had gotten him a gift at all, and the letter she had written had been sad. She had thanked him for becoming her guardian and again for buying her clothes and taking her to the optometrist. Just one more piece of evidence that she'd had been given very little in her life. He had resolved to read the book she had given him soon. He was curious about what she'd thought he might like, and to be entirely honest, it reminded him of the first book Lily had given him back when they were still children.
Once he was feeling up to it, he planned to explain that Lily had given him The Phantom Tollbooth when they were both 10 years old, and ask if Rachel might like to read the copy Lily had given him.
Setting aside a letter, Rachel opened the hardcover book she'd received and started writing inside of it.
Severus blinked back a twinge of pain. He and Lily had kept a two-way book for a while, allowing them to talk privately even though they were in different Houses. He wondered who Rachel was writing to, but was mostly glad that she had friends she was close enough with to warrant the purchase of a two-way book.
It would be strange watching Lily's child grow up.
They went up to the Great Hall for the Christmas Feast at midday.
Rachel had seen the Great Hall multiple times over the holiday but every time she stepped through the doors she was taken aback again. There were a dozen towering Christmas trees around the room, some with glittering icicles, some with flickering candles, and others done in golden and silver baubles. Garlands of holly and mistletoe hung on all the walls. Taken together with the snow falling from the sky, which disappeared once it fell past the illusion of the ceiling, it was very festive indeed.
Since there were so few of them staying for the holiday, most of the tables had been removed, leaving one big one in the center of the room. It was done up with red and green table linens and the feast had already been set out. Rachel's mouth watered as she looked at the roast turkeys, the piled potatoes, and the boats of gravy and cranberry sauce.
Professor Snape took a seat next to Professor Flitwick and Rachel sat down on the other side of Professor Snape.
Professor Dumbledore, all of the Heads of Houses, Hagrid, Filch, and the Weasley brothers were in attendance. Rachel recognized the twins as the two who were often serving detention with Professor Snape, and the youngest boy who was in her year and who had been making fun of Hermione. Rachel hadn't forgiven him yet. From what Hermione said, her only friend in Gryffindor was Neville.
"Would you like to pull a Christmas cracker?" Professor Snape asked her as she finished putting peas, potatoes, and a dinner roll on her plate.
Rachel nodded and was startled by the incredibly loud noise it made. It must have been a special magic cracker because there was a wizard chess set inside, which was bigger than the cracker itself. Across the table, the Weasley twins pulled a cracker and a handful of white mice popped out onto the table, along with a military hat. She slowly got used to the noise, but still found herself flinching every time.
After the turkey came out flaming Christmas puddings. Rachel picked at hers, already overly full from the dinner. The oldest Weasley boy yelped partway through his and then spit out a Sickle. Rachel put her own fork down after that, deciding she wasn't hungry for dessert.
Professor Snape was deeply in conversation with Professor Flitwick and Rachel looked around the room and saw Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, sitting a few feet away. Rachel had seen Mrs. Norris a few times in the hallways, but things had been too busy and crowded for her to get close.
Rachel slipped down onto the floor and held her hand out toward where Mrs. Norris was sitting. She held still and waited, staring into the cat's yellow eyes. After a few minutes, Mrs Norris slunk toward her and sniffed Rachel's fingers. Then she ducked her head down and pushed the top of her head against Rachel's hand. Welcoming the invitation to pet Mrs. Norris, Rachel gently stroked her head and behind her ears. Before long Mrs. Norris was in Rachel's lap, purring loudly as Rachel pet her and scratched the sides of her chin.
"Well Argus, it seems that Mrs. Norris has made a friend out of Miss Snow," Albus said, his voice carrying over several other conversations.
Rachel blushed as several people leaned down to look at her.
"Mrs. Norris doesn't like many students," Filch said, looking at her appraisingly. "You must be one of the special ones."
Rachel blushed even harder and focused her gaze on Mrs. Norris so that she wasn't looking at the people who were looking at her.
"Of course she's special, she's the Girl-Who-Lived," the youngest Weasley said.
"I don't think Mrs. Norris cares much about that," said one of the twins.
"Is Mrs. Norris part kneazle?" Hagrid asked.
"No, but she's just as smart as one," Filch said, pride in his voice.
Rachel refocused her attention on petting Mrs. Norris. It didn't matter whether or not she was just a cat instead of a kneazle. Being magic wasn't the best thing in the world.
On Boxing Day Rachel dressed in her cloak as she had decided she'd had enough of being cooped up in the castle and wanted to go flying on the Quidditch pitch while she had the opportunity.
"Where are you going?" Professor Snape asked, looking up from the book he'd been focused on.
Rachel looked around and then went back into her room to get a piece of parchment. She wrote out 'I'm going flying on one of the school brooms' in blue ink and then went back out into the main room to give it to Professor Snape.
He read her note and nodded. "I'll join you. I believe it's quite windy out there. Go put on your boots and get your gloves so you don't get too cold."
Rachel did as he said, though she was more than a little surprised. For some reason she had a hard time imagining Professor Snape going flying. He seemed very orderly, and he was strict in his classroom, and flying just didn't fit with her straight-laced mental picture of him.
Professor Snape was waiting for her when she came back out with her boots on and her gloves in her cloak pocket. He was wearing all black, including a cloak, gloves, and knee-high boots.
They trekked out of the castle and went to the broom shed, which Rachel opened and then went searching for her favorite school broom. It leapt into her hand from a few inches away while she was reaching for it, and while she grinned she wondered if that meant the broom recognized her somehow or if she had just done non-verbal magic.
Professor Snape selected a broom and picked up a Quaffle. "We're going on the pitch, I imagine?"
Rachel nodded. The snow was deep out here and after she sunk down up to her knees Professor Snape stopped and made a complicated wand movement. He pointed his wand in her direction and the snow began to melt. It took a moment but the snow was soon only a few inches deep. He made a path for them like this all the way out to the Quidditch pitch.
"I'll play Quidditch with you, but you're the one who has to fly down to pick up the Quaffle when we drop it. Agreed?" he asked.
Rachel nodded eagerly, mounted her broom, and took off into the air. She did a quick lap around the pitch and then zig-zagged through the goal hoops. The air was freezing against her face but apart from the way her eyes teared up a little she barely even noticed. Flying was fun!
After she finished flying through the goal hoops she swooped around and flew back over to where Professor Snape was hovering in the center of the pitch. She held one of her arms open and he obligingly tossed the Quaffle to her.
She took off again, flying as fast as the broom would let her and threw the Quaffle through one of the goals before flying through it herself. She then flew down to the ground in spirals and scooped up the ball where it had fallen in the snow and flew back up to Professor Snape, tossing him the Quaffle when he held out his hands.
He caught it neatly. "You do realize it's a foul for a Chaser to fly through the goal hoops?" he asked.
Rachel hadn't known that, but she didn't really care right now. She liked flying through the hoops.
Professor Snape flew away, going slower than Rachel had, and she flew up beside him so he could pass her the Quaffle.
He tossed it to her and Rachel flew a few circles around him until they came up to the goals. She tossed it back and then positioned herself to block his shot.
He moved forward, going toward the left goal, and Rachel flew over to block it, but at the last moment he swerved to the right and threw the Quaffle through the center hoop. Professor Snape had just faked her out!
Rachel grinned and flew down to go fetch the Quaffle. She came back up and pointed at the hoops on the other side of the field.
Professor Snape nodded. "We'll pass the Quaffle as we go across the field and this time you take a shot on the goal."
Rachel nodded and threw the Quaffle at him before taking off. He caught up to her about fifteen second later and threw the Quaffle back. Rachel darted around, dodging imaginary Bludgers before flying back to Professor Snape and sending the Quaffle back to him.
He tossed it back once more when they reached the goals and took up position in front of the center hoop.
She looped away, giving herself some more room for the approach. Then she flew directly at the left hoop, but leaning toward the center as if she was going to try to fake him out. He leaned left ever so slightly, but not enough to block her as she threw the Quaffle through the far side of the left hoop.
"Very nice," he said, smiling at her. "You'd make a good Chaser or Seeker. I don't think you quite have the arm span to be a Keeper. I'm a little afraid to see what you'd do with a Beater's bat though."
Rachel smiled and flew down to get the Quaffle. In some ways, flying with Professor Snape was even more fun than flying with Draco.
As they walked up the path that led to the entrance to the castle, Severus noticed that Rachel was shivering. He pulled out his wand and cast a warming charm on her cloak.
"Any better?" he asked.
Rachel nodded vigorously.
Her face was bright red from flying through the cold air and Severus realized that he should have bought her a hat. He decided to order one from Gladrags at his earliest convenience since Rachel would undoubtedly want to go back out to fly again, despite the cold weather.
Just outside the main doors, Severus cast a drying spell to make the snow drop off their shoes, and then cast two more at where the snow had gotten the bottom of their cloaks and trousers wet. Rachel smiled at him as she pulled open the door and slipped inside.
Severus followed her inside, intent on having a cup of warm tea by his fireplace. These thoughts were immediately interrupted by Albus appearing at the top of the staircase.
"Severus. Rachel. Out having a snowball fight, perhaps?" Albus called to them.
"Quidditch," Severus called back, coming to a reluctant stop.
"Ah, of course," Albus said as he made his way down the steps. "Rachel, are you planning to try out for the Slytherin House team next year?"
Rachel nodded.
"James was an excellent Chaser in his day. I'm sure you'll do well when you try out for the team," Albus said, smiling benevolently.
"Rachel, why don't you go have a shower and put on some warm clothes," Severus said, wanting to cut short the reminiscing about James Snow's school days before Albus started telling Rachel what a good person James had been.
Rachel nodded again and walked away toward the dungeons.
"How is she coming along, Severus?" Albus asked, his smile slipping away.
Severus thought back to her nervousness on Christmas morning and the curious looks he occasionally found her giving him. "As well as can be expected, I think. She's not speaking to anyone yet, but she has begun to write things down for me, and for her friends as well."
"Walk with me, up to my office?" Albus suggested. They began to climb the staircase. "What about this Healer you've been taking her to see? Are they able to help?"
Severus felt his upper lip twitch as he fought back a scowl. "We cannot fix ten years of damage overnight, Albus. This is going to take time. The other professors are satisfied with her work. The only thing she isn't able to do is cast spells."
"One of the most important things we teach at this school," Albus said steadily. "And it's not just about being able to cast spells, as important as that is, it's about her making friends and connections."
"She has friends. She received a number of gifts from them on Christmas morning," Severus said.
"You think they don't simply pity her, or want to curry favor with the Girl-Who-Lived?" Albus asked as the stone gargoyle guarding his office stepped aside for them.
"At the very least Millicent Bulstrode doesn't pity her or want her favor. She's quite protective of Rachel. From the names on the gifts she received, it seems Granger and Longbottom are also friends of hers. After having them in my class, I don't believe their friendship is out of pity or an attempt to gain favor," Severus said, standing a few steps below Albus as they rode the winding staircase.
"Longbottom? She's made friends with Frank and Alice's boy?" Albus asked.
"That seems to be the case, yes," Severus replied.
They reached the end of the staircase and the door to Albus' office opened for him automatically.
"That's good, that's very good," Albus said as he went to sit at his desk. "Tea?"
"Yes, please," Severus said as he sat. He could still feel the chill from being outside.
Albus rang a small gold bell and a House Elf appeared next to the desk.
"Tea, for myself and Severus, please," Albus directed.
"On its way sirs," the House Elf squeaked and then disappeared. A few moments later a tea tray appeared on Albus' desk. They took a moment to serve themselves.
"So this Mind Healer cannot help her speak?" Albus said after he had taken a sip of his tea.
"It will take time. Based on records from Rachel's muggle school, she hasn't spoken in almost three and a half years," Severus repeated. "We cannot expect her to simply start speaking again, especially not without specialized help."
Albus nodded slowly. "I paid a visit to Petunia, to get her to sign the forms relinquishing custody of Rachel. She was quite eager to sign."
"I imagine she was. After it was made clear to her that she had no place in the magical world, Petunia scorned anything magic, especially Lily. She undoubtedly did the same to Rachel," Severus said.
"Yes, it seems so," Albus agreed. "I looked into her mind while I was there and discovered a number of troubling things. They were keeping Rachel locked in a cupboard. That's where she lived while she was there."
Severus set down his cup of tea as he realized what Albus meant.
"Have you tried using legilimency on Rachel? Perhaps she could communicate with you in her thoughts?" Albus asked.
"I have already tried," Severus said stiffly. "She is apparently a natural occlumens. Her defenses seem quite sturdy, though I did not attempt to break them out of fear of potentially damaging her mind."
Albus' eyebrows raised. "Why did you not tell me this before?"
"Why did you not tell me that you had visited her relatives and had discovered that she was being kept in a cupboard?" Severus shot back, at the end of his patience.
"And what would you have done with that information?" Albus asked, unfazed.
"Used it to guide my actions with her. Told her Mind Healer so she could help her. It certainly would have changed how I invited her to live in my quarters for the holiday. No wonder she looked worried, she probably thought I was going to lock her up somewhere," Severus said, scowling deeply.
"I see," Albus said. "I think for the time being we should continue with our current approach. Hopefully the Mind Healer will help her speak."
Severus sighed. Albus didn't realize that Rachel not speaking wasn't the end of the damage that had been done. "Thank you for the tea. I'm going to go check on Rachel," he said stiffly as he stood.
"Of course, Severus. Keep me updated," Albus said, watching Severus with sad and knowing eyes as Severus turned to leave.
Albus Dumbledore knew a lot of things, but when it came to Severus - and Rachel - Severus felt he could be remarkably short sighted.