- 9 -
Sirius and Remus jumped up, wands out. They charged in, thinking Voldemort or some other wizard was in, trying to get Hermione. But the sight that met them was anything but that.
A 2-year-old sat on Severus' lap, baby teeth all grown in, smiling and giggling. Her clothes were stretched to maximum, the buttons on her shirt starting to pull off.
Severus was ghost white, sputtering and mumbling. "She started glowing, and grew!" he said, looking at them.
"Calm down, Sev!" Remus said. Sirius picking up the little girl. Hermione wiggled, the stitches finally letting go-the buttons popped, the cloth ripped, and soon shreds lay on the floor beneath.
Remus frowned, and ran out. "Come quick!"
Sirius and Severus walked out, confused. Remus pointed to Ron and Harry, both of which were in the same condition of Hermione. Sirius gave Hermione to Severus, before running to get Ron.
"They have all their baby teeth in!" he said, investigating Ron.
"Yeth, I have teef!" Ron replied.
"Hermione have teeth too!" Hermione giggled, looking at Severus. He let himself smile.
"Yes, you do," he said, patting her head, Hermione beaming. Severus set her down, and walked over to Harry. Hermione ran after him, without tripping.
"Remus, I have teeth too!" Harry squealed, excitedly, grinning at him. Remus picked him up, and looked at Severus.
"They must have aged up to two. It'll go on like this all summer!" Remus said. Severus looked at Hermione, who sucked on her thumb still.
"Remus, has Dumbledore ever told you what happened when we got out of school?" Severus asked. He shook his head. "It went like this..."
- Hogsmeade, 1979 -
"Sevvie darling, could you watch Gin?" Helene Snape asked her husband. Young Severus nodded, and took Ginger Snape's hand, as his wife walked into the china store.
"Daddy, I want to go to Zonko's!" Ginger whined, pulling his hand. Severus looked at her, and frowned.
"You know Mommy said you aren't allowed in there!" he scolded. Ginger cringed.
"But, Daddy..." she said.
"No, Mommy will have my head if I take you, and I'd like to keep it firmly attached to my neck, thank you very much..." Severus said, as Helene came out.
"I found the most darling-" Helene started. Severus clutched his left forearm, wincing at the burning sensation running through it. "Sevvie, what is it? Is it that dreadful Dark M-"
"Shut up!' he hissed, glancing around, "Do you want me caught?"
"Well, no, but..." she paused, "Go on, ahead, honey. I'll take Gin."
"Thanks, dear," Severus said. He walked into an alley. Right before he Apparated, Ginger ran over, and grabbed his hand. Helene grabbed hold of the toddler. They disappeared.
They appeared in a manor, in a large room, filled with people in black cloaks. Severus was also in black. He turned and looked at Ginger and Helene, horror etched across his face. "What...how did you get here?" he choked.
"I don't know, Sevvie," Helene shrugged. Ginger hugged him.
"Why, Severus, you have guest?" Lucius Malfoy asked. He looked down at Helene and Ginger. "Mudblood and half-Mudblood?"
"Shut it, Lucius. This is my wife and child you are talking about!" Severus snarled, glaring at Malfoy. Malfoy backed up, wincing.
"Stop it, both of you!" the voice of Lord Voldemort ordered. They saw the black-cloaked wizard walking toward them, Peter Pettigrew stumbling behind him. "What is this chaos about?"
"Severus brought two Mudbloods with him," Malfoy drawled. Voldemort looked at the two females, red eyes glowing.
"Excellent Severus, we can use them..." Voldemort laughed. Severus scowled.
"This is my wife and child we are talking about! Do I have to keep saying it?" Severus growled.
"You married and muggle-born MUDBLOOD? WHY!" Voldemort roared. Severus looked at them.
"I did not know she was muggle-born, My Lord, until just recently," he lied. Voldemort looked thoughtfully at them.
"One way to fix the situation then." He said, "Lucius! Would you do the honors?"
"Yes, My Lord!" Malfoy said, grinning evilly. He turned to Helene, and pointed his wand at her. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
In a flash of green light, Helene fell, dead before she hit the ground. Severus looked on in horror, a feeling of helplessness and grief falling over him. He grabbed Ginger, and shielded her from Malfoy.
"Severus, what are you doing?" the Death Eaters asked, "That's a Mudblood's spawn you have!"
"No, NO! She is MY child!" he sobbed, holding the crying 4-year-old. Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Give us the kid, Severus!" he snarled. Severus shook his head, fear in his eyes.
"You give me no choice, Severus. You must be punished." Voldemort said, "Crucio!"
Severus whimpered, and fell. Ginger rolled a few feet away, crying even harder. "Daddy!" she screamed, as Voldemort used Avada Kedavra.
"Ginger! NO!" Severus yelled, tears welling up in his black eyes, as his daughter died right in front of his eyes.
- Severus' chambers, normal time -
"Severus, I never knew..." Remus said. Severus looked at him, his face wet from tears.
"I never told anyone that story." Severus added, "Except Dumbledore. That was the time I turned spy."
"I am so sorry..." the other man replied, "That's why you are so attached to Hermione?"
"I'm afraid so, I guess," Severus said, as a weight got lifted off his shoulders. To talk to someone besides Dumbledore, who surprisingly he trusted, came as a relief. "Never tell anyone about it?"
"Never," Remus smiled. Hermione and Harry looked up at the two men, and frowned.
"Severus, I didn't die! I'm here!" Hermione said. He smiled.
"Of course you are!" he laughed. "How about we get ready to leave for summer vacation?"
"Good idea! Most intelligent thing I've heard today!" Remus replied, laughing.
Sirius and Remus jumped up, wands out. They charged in, thinking Voldemort or some other wizard was in, trying to get Hermione. But the sight that met them was anything but that.
A 2-year-old sat on Severus' lap, baby teeth all grown in, smiling and giggling. Her clothes were stretched to maximum, the buttons on her shirt starting to pull off.
Severus was ghost white, sputtering and mumbling. "She started glowing, and grew!" he said, looking at them.
"Calm down, Sev!" Remus said. Sirius picking up the little girl. Hermione wiggled, the stitches finally letting go-the buttons popped, the cloth ripped, and soon shreds lay on the floor beneath.
Remus frowned, and ran out. "Come quick!"
Sirius and Severus walked out, confused. Remus pointed to Ron and Harry, both of which were in the same condition of Hermione. Sirius gave Hermione to Severus, before running to get Ron.
"They have all their baby teeth in!" he said, investigating Ron.
"Yeth, I have teef!" Ron replied.
"Hermione have teeth too!" Hermione giggled, looking at Severus. He let himself smile.
"Yes, you do," he said, patting her head, Hermione beaming. Severus set her down, and walked over to Harry. Hermione ran after him, without tripping.
"Remus, I have teeth too!" Harry squealed, excitedly, grinning at him. Remus picked him up, and looked at Severus.
"They must have aged up to two. It'll go on like this all summer!" Remus said. Severus looked at Hermione, who sucked on her thumb still.
"Remus, has Dumbledore ever told you what happened when we got out of school?" Severus asked. He shook his head. "It went like this..."
- Hogsmeade, 1979 -
"Sevvie darling, could you watch Gin?" Helene Snape asked her husband. Young Severus nodded, and took Ginger Snape's hand, as his wife walked into the china store.
"Daddy, I want to go to Zonko's!" Ginger whined, pulling his hand. Severus looked at her, and frowned.
"You know Mommy said you aren't allowed in there!" he scolded. Ginger cringed.
"But, Daddy..." she said.
"No, Mommy will have my head if I take you, and I'd like to keep it firmly attached to my neck, thank you very much..." Severus said, as Helene came out.
"I found the most darling-" Helene started. Severus clutched his left forearm, wincing at the burning sensation running through it. "Sevvie, what is it? Is it that dreadful Dark M-"
"Shut up!' he hissed, glancing around, "Do you want me caught?"
"Well, no, but..." she paused, "Go on, ahead, honey. I'll take Gin."
"Thanks, dear," Severus said. He walked into an alley. Right before he Apparated, Ginger ran over, and grabbed his hand. Helene grabbed hold of the toddler. They disappeared.
They appeared in a manor, in a large room, filled with people in black cloaks. Severus was also in black. He turned and looked at Ginger and Helene, horror etched across his face. "What...how did you get here?" he choked.
"I don't know, Sevvie," Helene shrugged. Ginger hugged him.
"Why, Severus, you have guest?" Lucius Malfoy asked. He looked down at Helene and Ginger. "Mudblood and half-Mudblood?"
"Shut it, Lucius. This is my wife and child you are talking about!" Severus snarled, glaring at Malfoy. Malfoy backed up, wincing.
"Stop it, both of you!" the voice of Lord Voldemort ordered. They saw the black-cloaked wizard walking toward them, Peter Pettigrew stumbling behind him. "What is this chaos about?"
"Severus brought two Mudbloods with him," Malfoy drawled. Voldemort looked at the two females, red eyes glowing.
"Excellent Severus, we can use them..." Voldemort laughed. Severus scowled.
"This is my wife and child we are talking about! Do I have to keep saying it?" Severus growled.
"You married and muggle-born MUDBLOOD? WHY!" Voldemort roared. Severus looked at them.
"I did not know she was muggle-born, My Lord, until just recently," he lied. Voldemort looked thoughtfully at them.
"One way to fix the situation then." He said, "Lucius! Would you do the honors?"
"Yes, My Lord!" Malfoy said, grinning evilly. He turned to Helene, and pointed his wand at her. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
In a flash of green light, Helene fell, dead before she hit the ground. Severus looked on in horror, a feeling of helplessness and grief falling over him. He grabbed Ginger, and shielded her from Malfoy.
"Severus, what are you doing?" the Death Eaters asked, "That's a Mudblood's spawn you have!"
"No, NO! She is MY child!" he sobbed, holding the crying 4-year-old. Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"Give us the kid, Severus!" he snarled. Severus shook his head, fear in his eyes.
"You give me no choice, Severus. You must be punished." Voldemort said, "Crucio!"
Severus whimpered, and fell. Ginger rolled a few feet away, crying even harder. "Daddy!" she screamed, as Voldemort used Avada Kedavra.
"Ginger! NO!" Severus yelled, tears welling up in his black eyes, as his daughter died right in front of his eyes.
- Severus' chambers, normal time -
"Severus, I never knew..." Remus said. Severus looked at him, his face wet from tears.
"I never told anyone that story." Severus added, "Except Dumbledore. That was the time I turned spy."
"I am so sorry..." the other man replied, "That's why you are so attached to Hermione?"
"I'm afraid so, I guess," Severus said, as a weight got lifted off his shoulders. To talk to someone besides Dumbledore, who surprisingly he trusted, came as a relief. "Never tell anyone about it?"
"Never," Remus smiled. Hermione and Harry looked up at the two men, and frowned.
"Severus, I didn't die! I'm here!" Hermione said. He smiled.
"Of course you are!" he laughed. "How about we get ready to leave for summer vacation?"
"Good idea! Most intelligent thing I've heard today!" Remus replied, laughing.