Things happened very quickly after that.
By the next day Severus had turned in his list, as had the other Heads. Erin, of course, was absent from it. But Severus decided he had to make sure that she wouldn't be in danger.
"What's that?" he asked when he caught Potter and his daughter sitting in the Great Hall together, looking intently at something.
"Um - it's a- a," stammered Erin.
"What?"
"Baby snake I found on the grounds yesterday," she said in a rush. Potter nodded.
"Is that so? No animals except for familiars are allowed in the Great Hall. I will see you in detention, tomorrow night, Ms. Cooper," said Severus as he stalked away, trying desperately to ignore Erin's startled, heart-broken look.
It was a pity - he and Erin had been getting on much better lately. But he needed to make sure.
When the night came, Erin trudged slowly into the dungeons.
"I need you to skin these," Severus said, showing her a bucket of shrivelfigs. "I will be in the Great Hall, but I will be coming back to check on your progress, so don't laze about. Understood?"
Erin nodded and picked up a knife. Severus left quickly and hurried to the Great Hall. He, of course, knew that nothing would happen, but the Ministry had insisted on all the staff being present.
For the first time all year Severus felt completely relaxed. The Ministry would exhaust itself trying to find Voldemort's child, and when they did not succeed, all notion of such a person would be given up. Erin would be safe.
Because it wasn't just the Ministry who wanted to know. It was Voldemort. He would have heard the rumors by now, and realized that such a child was certainly possible. He, too, would be waiting for the results most anxiously.
Thanks to Dumbledore and himself, however, there wouldn't be any.
Back in the dungeon, Erin put down her knife after skinning twelve of the wretched fruits. Detention! Just for showing Harry a snake! All she'd wanted Harry to do was talk to it, but then Snape had to come along and give her detention. For no reason.
Well, she wasn't going to miss the testing. After all, if she was in school with Voldemort's child, she did deserve the right to know who it was. Erin pulled a quill and a piece of parchment out of her bag.
"Professor - I've just gone to the bathroom. I'll be right back," she wrote, putting it where it was easily visible. There. If Snape did come back, he would find this and assume she had only left for a few minutes, instead of all of her detention. Even if she was found out, what was Snape going to do; take points from his own House? Slytherin was in no danger of that!
Quickly, Erin sneaked down to the Great Hall.
The test was extremely simple. It had to be - there were over three hundred students to test.
The student simply stepped into a large golden pentagon that had a star inside of it. If the student were related to Voldemort, the star would light up bright green. If not, everything remained exactly the same. The Ministry had already tested a good fifty students.
"So, it's like Muggles' DNA testing," said Hermione as she, Ron, and Harry waited in line. There had been quite a few eyebrows raised at the sight of Harry Potter on McGonagall's 'to be tested' list, but she had remained firm. Every single student in her house was to be tested.
"DNA?" asked Ron.
Hermione began a very long explanation. Harry tuned her out as he stood on one foot and then the other. He wondered how Erin's detention was going.
Erin slipped into the Great Hall, on the opposite side of the staff table. Her note wouldn't do any good if Snape saw her in here. Luckily, he was looking in a different direction, which gave her the chance to squeeze in next to Harry.
"Hey!" she whispered. Harry whipped around, startled, and grinned.
"Erin! How'd you get out of detention?" whispered Ron, looking awed. Hermione tut-tutted behind them.
"I'm not in Slytherin for nothing," said Erin with a wink and grin. She looked around her. The long, winding line of students was gradually shortening. All around the hall, Aurors stood tense and waiting.
"What are they for?" asked Erin.
"Probably to capture Voldemort's son or daughter or whatever, if they're discovered," said Ron. "Blimey, I'm tired."
"Not me," said Erin.
"Well of course you're not," said Hermione, "you're not even going to be tested. You can leave whenever you like."
"Think I'll stick around," said Erin. "I mean, you never know, do you? What if it's somebody we know?"
"Oi, look!" shouted somebody. "It's Erin!"
Severus needed to go check on Erin. He rose slowly, trying not to attract the attention of the Aurors around him. An old habit, that one.
As he rose, he heard somebody shout out his daughter's name. He looked up just in time to see the catastrophe.
"Hey, Erin!" shouted George Weasley. "Come in for voluntary testing?"
"Behold Voldemort's daughter!" shouted Fred. Together, the twins pushed Erin into the pentagon.
She stumbled backward, giggling so hard she couldn't even talk. One foot landed squarely in the middle of the star.
The pentagon remained golden. The students around them were howling with laughter as Fred and George grinned.
Then the star lit up green.
By the next day Severus had turned in his list, as had the other Heads. Erin, of course, was absent from it. But Severus decided he had to make sure that she wouldn't be in danger.
"What's that?" he asked when he caught Potter and his daughter sitting in the Great Hall together, looking intently at something.
"Um - it's a- a," stammered Erin.
"What?"
"Baby snake I found on the grounds yesterday," she said in a rush. Potter nodded.
"Is that so? No animals except for familiars are allowed in the Great Hall. I will see you in detention, tomorrow night, Ms. Cooper," said Severus as he stalked away, trying desperately to ignore Erin's startled, heart-broken look.
It was a pity - he and Erin had been getting on much better lately. But he needed to make sure.
When the night came, Erin trudged slowly into the dungeons.
"I need you to skin these," Severus said, showing her a bucket of shrivelfigs. "I will be in the Great Hall, but I will be coming back to check on your progress, so don't laze about. Understood?"
Erin nodded and picked up a knife. Severus left quickly and hurried to the Great Hall. He, of course, knew that nothing would happen, but the Ministry had insisted on all the staff being present.
For the first time all year Severus felt completely relaxed. The Ministry would exhaust itself trying to find Voldemort's child, and when they did not succeed, all notion of such a person would be given up. Erin would be safe.
Because it wasn't just the Ministry who wanted to know. It was Voldemort. He would have heard the rumors by now, and realized that such a child was certainly possible. He, too, would be waiting for the results most anxiously.
Thanks to Dumbledore and himself, however, there wouldn't be any.
Back in the dungeon, Erin put down her knife after skinning twelve of the wretched fruits. Detention! Just for showing Harry a snake! All she'd wanted Harry to do was talk to it, but then Snape had to come along and give her detention. For no reason.
Well, she wasn't going to miss the testing. After all, if she was in school with Voldemort's child, she did deserve the right to know who it was. Erin pulled a quill and a piece of parchment out of her bag.
"Professor - I've just gone to the bathroom. I'll be right back," she wrote, putting it where it was easily visible. There. If Snape did come back, he would find this and assume she had only left for a few minutes, instead of all of her detention. Even if she was found out, what was Snape going to do; take points from his own House? Slytherin was in no danger of that!
Quickly, Erin sneaked down to the Great Hall.
The test was extremely simple. It had to be - there were over three hundred students to test.
The student simply stepped into a large golden pentagon that had a star inside of it. If the student were related to Voldemort, the star would light up bright green. If not, everything remained exactly the same. The Ministry had already tested a good fifty students.
"So, it's like Muggles' DNA testing," said Hermione as she, Ron, and Harry waited in line. There had been quite a few eyebrows raised at the sight of Harry Potter on McGonagall's 'to be tested' list, but she had remained firm. Every single student in her house was to be tested.
"DNA?" asked Ron.
Hermione began a very long explanation. Harry tuned her out as he stood on one foot and then the other. He wondered how Erin's detention was going.
Erin slipped into the Great Hall, on the opposite side of the staff table. Her note wouldn't do any good if Snape saw her in here. Luckily, he was looking in a different direction, which gave her the chance to squeeze in next to Harry.
"Hey!" she whispered. Harry whipped around, startled, and grinned.
"Erin! How'd you get out of detention?" whispered Ron, looking awed. Hermione tut-tutted behind them.
"I'm not in Slytherin for nothing," said Erin with a wink and grin. She looked around her. The long, winding line of students was gradually shortening. All around the hall, Aurors stood tense and waiting.
"What are they for?" asked Erin.
"Probably to capture Voldemort's son or daughter or whatever, if they're discovered," said Ron. "Blimey, I'm tired."
"Not me," said Erin.
"Well of course you're not," said Hermione, "you're not even going to be tested. You can leave whenever you like."
"Think I'll stick around," said Erin. "I mean, you never know, do you? What if it's somebody we know?"
"Oi, look!" shouted somebody. "It's Erin!"
Severus needed to go check on Erin. He rose slowly, trying not to attract the attention of the Aurors around him. An old habit, that one.
As he rose, he heard somebody shout out his daughter's name. He looked up just in time to see the catastrophe.
"Hey, Erin!" shouted George Weasley. "Come in for voluntary testing?"
"Behold Voldemort's daughter!" shouted Fred. Together, the twins pushed Erin into the pentagon.
She stumbled backward, giggling so hard she couldn't even talk. One foot landed squarely in the middle of the star.
The pentagon remained golden. The students around them were howling with laughter as Fred and George grinned.
Then the star lit up green.