Chapter 2: Introductions

Now that the headmaster was here there were immediate problems that needed to be
solved. Victoria couldn't remain here; the danger was too great especially now that
Voldemort was physically capable of seeking her out to prevent her from telling others
what she knew. Severus had called on Dumbledore to begin arranging plans
for a new place for her to stay. He had no idea what the headmaster had in mind. There
was no way to tell what dubious plans had been constructed deep within the mind of
Albus Dumbledore. He was full of surprises, and that is precisely what Severus loved
about him so much. It was the headmaster's greatest asset, and the one that had kept
Voldemort at bay for so long.

Severus turned back towards the window and allowed Sirius and Victoria to get on with
their re-acquaintance. She fussed over his appearance endlessly, and Snape couldn't
help but feel sorry for Black. After all, Severus had been the unlucky victim of her
constant hassling about his messy hair and his lack of desire to dress properly. He casually
listened to the conversation in the room.

"I was just looking at some things Severus saved. There is a scrapbook of Harry," she
said as she bent over to pick it up.

Black stared at it in awe as she leafed through some of the pictures.

"You saved all this?" he asked of Severus.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" Severus snapped as he gestured vaguely towards his sister.

It was apparent Black had underestimated him and his devotion to Victoria and in a very
strange way, Black's godson.

"So he's been staying with you?" Victoria asked Black.

"No, he's been staying with his aunt and uncle. On Lily's side."

"Petunia? That cold-hearted bitch?" she asked venomously.

The Headmaster's eyebrows raised and his head jolted backwards slightly at the cursing.

"Sorry Headmaster. I forgot you were there," Victoria said as she winced.

"Do not mind me. I believe Severus and I have some things to discuss. Outside if you
would?" Dumbledore said with a slight smile. He gestured towards the door.

Severus nodded and followed. He glanced once at his sworn enemy and Victoria as they stood side by side
looking at the picture book of Harry Potter.

"We need to move her," Severus said as he closed the door.

"Agreed. Has she talked at all about what she knows?"

"No. As I said before she's only been awake for a short period. I have not had to time
to do anything but watch her cry, let alone interrogate her."

"You will no doubt want her close, and I quite agree with you on the subject. We will
take her to Hogwarts for now. But I must warn you; I will let him stay with her. I will
not make him leave the castle if he wishes to be by her side."

Severus was livid and he felt the blood in his veins boil. The headmaster knew exactly
how he felt about the situation. He hated Black. He hated everything he had done in his
past, his filth, and his disgusting behavior. And he hated that he had affections for his
sister. But Severus was stuck. He couldn't disobey the Headmaster.

"I trust you will insist, at least, upon separate quarters."

"I will." The Headmaster nodded. "But separate quarters didn't stop them when they
were school children and I doubt it will now." There was an undeniable twinkle in the
old man's eyes. Severus felt sick.

"She is too weak to Apparate."

"I have prepared a Portkey for the two of you."

Dumbledore handed the younger wizard a rusty old key at which Snape nodded.

"Snuffles and I will travel back the way we came. I believe he needs to pick some things
up from Remus' and no doubt Remus will want to come with us back to Hogwarts. And tonight
is the full moon, by the way."

"Fine," Severus said as he turned back towards the room.

"And Severus. I am extremely proud of you. For all you've done."

Snape turned back towards the Headmaster and swore he saw the man's eyes welling up with tears.
The Headmaster leaned in slightly.

"These are tears of pride my boy."

Severus couldn't bear the look he was being given. The only person who had ever
been proud of him for anything was Victoria, and he knew it would be a long time before
she was ever able to feel that again. His head was beginning to hurt and his own eyes
threatened to tear. He rushed back into the room but the sight before him didn't help
his feelings at all. Victoria was crying again as Black cradled her in his arms. The book
of Harry's pictures was open before them. She pulled away slightly and wiped her
eyes when Severus stepped in the room.

"Victoria. It is time to go," he said.

"Go? I have no intention of going anywhere with you."

"With all of us. You're not safe here." The words she said stung him in his mentally
weak state. Regardless he tried to remain calm and impassive.

"Where?"

"To Hogwarts. We have made provisions for you there," Dumbledore replied. "You
will take a Portkey with Severus. Sirius and I must stop back at Remus's to pick up his
things."

"Remus? He's well?"

"He's very well. Thanks to Severus in fact," the Headmaster replied.

"What?"

"That can wait. We need to leave," Severus snapped. He held out the key and pushed it
towards Victoria. Moments later they were spinning in another dimension and then
the next thing he knew, he was looking down at his sister sprawled on the familiar
stone floor.

He reached down and helped her to her feet. She looked around tentatively at the books
and jars of disgusting dead creatures.

"Where are we?"

"My office."

"Your office? At Hogwarts?" she said skeptically. It angered him.

"Yes, my office. Don't make me repeat everything I say," Severus snapped, instantly
wanting to take back the biting words.

"You're a Professor? I don't believe it. Let me guess. Defense Against the Dark
Arts," she said mocking him. It was the response he had expected. It was the most
logical conclusion for people to make if they knew him well. He was adept at the Dark
Arts and probably knew more about them than any of his peers.

"No. I am the Potions Master," he replied softly.

She looked at him with big eyes and her mouth dropped open.

"You're surprised I am capable of teaching?"

"I am surprised Dumbledore lets you anywhere near the students."

"I said it once, and I no doubt will find myself repeating it..." he began, rolling his eyes
at her, "things have changed. I have changed."

He made for the door, looked outside to see that no one was there and guided her up the
stairways to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey led them to a hidden room just off the main hallway to the dungeons. It was
lushly decorated in velvet and dark wood. The room smelled of roses and had a lovely view
of the Quidditch pitch. Severus knew the headmaster had chosen this room to cheer her up.
She had always loved Quidditch and had played as a Keeper in their last year at Hogwarts.
If she stayed here long enough she would get to see the student games.

"What about my things?" she asked as she sat on the bed.

"I will make sure they're brought for you."

Victoria looked at him, with those penetrating eyes - so unforgiving in their questions. His
mother had tortured him numerous times with a simple stare. He cowered under it the way his
students did his.

"I can never forget, Severus."

He didn't respond immediately but he knew what she was talking about. The night
when she had found out he was a Death Eater. It was her first week as an official Auror
with the Ministry and she had stumbled in on him as he was torturing a Muggle family.
She surprised and disarmed him, ripped the mask off his face and nearly passed out when
she saw the familiar features of her twin. It had taken all of her strength not to turn him
in that night and luckily she was alone. She had instead dragged him off to a secret
location and spent two days interrogating him about everything he knew. He couldn't
deny her information. Victoria had brought him to tears over those few days with the
realization of what he had done. There were few memories that affected him viscerally,
and that was one of them. But in the end she had let him go without telling anyone,
hopeful that the fear she injected into him would make him repent. He stayed with
Voldemort, but without her knowledge he had gone to Dumbledore that very night and
offered his assistance. To this day she still thought he had been loyal to Voldemort from
that point on and that her sacrifice for him had been for nothing.

"I have tried to forget for the past twenty years and have failed. I would neither ask nor
expect you to endeavor on such a pointless crusade as forgetting what a horrible person I
was then."

"As always... an eloquent and carefully constructed response. But of course you've
had fourteen years to prepare this little speech for me," she spat knowingly. She was right.
He had thought of these words many times.

Snape stared out the window for a few more moments and then decided he should leave her
alone. It would be the first time in fourteen years that she truly had peace.

"I trust you remember your way around? I will be in my office attending to some
pressing matters if you need anything. You can summon the house-elves using Floo
powder. It's on the mantle."

"Yes I remember my way around. I only wish I had James' Invisibility Cloak so I
could explore discreetly," she muttered, not entirely intending to begin a conversation.

"Harry has it. I'm sure if you ask nicely he'd let you borrow it sometime," Severus
responded icily.

"Oh really? And how do you know about that?"

"Let's just say he has the same tendencies as his father."

She laughed. It was an honest laugh and not one meant to mock him.

"Too bad he doesn't know about the map," she said out loud not entirely intending
him to hear.

The MarauderÕs Map. How was it possible she had known about that all these years?

"I wasn't aware you knew about the map. But he has it as well, or at least he did
until last year." There was slightly more venom in his voice.

There was more laughter.

"Like father, like son."

"Indeed."

He turned to go and stopped just once more to look at her as she gazed out the window.
Emotions welled up in him again and he slipped out of the invisible door to see to the
Wolfsbane Potion he needed to make in a hurry for Lupin.

* * *

Severus didn't see his sister again until dinner. Dumbledore had arranged for the five of them to
eat in privacy in a smaller dining room of the castle. There were tears and hugs as Remus
and Sirius arrived. She seemed so happy to see her old friends again, so much happier
than she had been to see him. Remus greeted him warmly with a handshake and a pat on
the shoulder much to Victoria's surprise and he couldn't help notice her suspicious
stares.

"Severus, would it be too much to ask for you to make the potion for me tonight?"
Remus asked after dinner as they were sitting around discussing old times.

"Not at all. I anticipated. There is some in my office."

Remus raised his eyebrows in delight.

"What potion?" Victoria asked.

"The Wolfsbane Potion. It prevents me from fully transforming."

"Oh. I had no idea such a potion existed! Too bad you didn't take it while we were in
school."

"It didn't exist while we were in school. It is a recent discovery. Luckily for me your
brother is one of the few wizards in the world capable of making it," Remus said as he
held up a glass and toasted in Severus's direction.

This drew a cautious glare from his sister. He couldn't tell what she was thinking.
Was she reevaluating what she knew about him, or was she just finding new ways to
convince herself he was out to harm her friends?

He nodded in acknowledgement of Lupin's praise.

"I've been wondering, headmaster, when I might get to see my Godson?" Victoria
directed at Dumbledore. There was no question to anyone in the room just who she
meant. Sirius put a hand over hers as it rested on the table. Severus wondered if he was
going to try to actually restrain her.

The Headmaster simply gave her sad look.

"I'm afraid that would be difficult," he said finally.

"Surely he'd want to see me. I can't imagine what he thinks about having a godmother
who has never even met him."

"Victoria, he doesn't know he has a Godmother," Sirius said gently to her.

"What? You never told him?" she said incredulously.

"We never told him anything and Petunia never did either."

"So... he has no idea... that there are people... family... that want him? He's been
living with those Muggles all this time?" Her breath was staggered; she was upset.

Sirius nodded.

"Well that is going to change. I understand why he couldn't live with Sirius or Remus
but there is no good reason he cannot live with me."

Severus always admired the strength his sister had. It was one of the reasons he always
wondered why she was sorted into Slytherin and not into Gryffindor. She had the
courage of a hundred wizards twice her age; she was fearless and ferocious. She knew
the Headmaster wouldn't be able to deny her anything.

"Victoria. Think logically for a moment. Voldemort wants the both of you dead. Where
exactly did you intend to live?" Severus interjected in a slow and reasonable manner.

"Headmaster, surely you wouldn't mind him staying here?" she replied.

"I wouldn't, if it was agreeable with him. I do not want him cooped up in this castle
for the rest of his teenage life however. So I send him home during the summer."

"I can guarantee he is being cooped up in some Muggle house somewhere. Knowing
HER she probably has him scrubbing floors and washing windows," she snapped, her
eyes flashing.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Sirius and I will go tomorrow then."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose.

"Don't look at me like that old man. He is my Godson and I will go get him." One of
her long spindly fingers was pointed at the well-respected wizard as if to threaten him.

Dumbledore was speechless.

Remus smiled and dipped his head trying not to break out into a laugh. Severus saw him
glance up at Sirius who was doing the same.

"Victoria, that would be suicide. Black is a wanted man in both the wizarding world and
the Muggle world. You have been in a coma for fourteen years and are hardly in any
condition to defend yourself properly," Severus said on the Headmaster's behalf. He
earned a look of gratitude from Dumbledore.

"Fine. Then you're going with us."

It was Severus' turn to become speechless. His brow furrowed. Surely she must be
kidding. He, Severus Snape, Dark wizard and Potions Master travel to a Muggle
house to fetch Harry Potter?

"Yes, you. You are so intent on proving to me that you've changed. Here is your
chance. We leave tomorrow unless, Remus, you'd like Sirius to stay."

"No. I believe I can manage without him." He replied nearly laughing. Severus knew
what he was he found so funny. Sirius Black and Severus Snape going together to fetch
Harry Potter. It was enough entertainment to make the front page of the iDaily Prophet/i.
Severus merely scowled and excused himself from the table.


------------
Updated: 11/16/02

Read/Review

http://ezziem.livejournal.com