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To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames, so get out of here, if you know what's good for you.
"Severus? Are you free right now?" Minerva asked as she poked her head through the door of Snape's dungeon during the summer holidays.
"Yeah." Snape said without looking up from Gryffindors' Potions essays.
"Great." Minerva said, walked into the dungeon and straight to Snape's desk. "Can you do me and Albus a favor?"
"Sure." Snape said, and still not looking up. "Longbottom has done terribly in this.."
"Look, Albus received a owl from the Ministry of Magic and both of us are required to go there for a important meeting immediately...." Minerva said.
"Both of you?" Snape asked. "I'm going to take away five points from Gryffindor as Potter for using Muggle paper and pen instead for parchment and quill." He said, staring at Harry's essay.
"Severus, are you listening?" Minerva asked.
"Um? Yeah."
"And as you know, children are not allow in the Ministry's building, so..."
Snape looked up slowly. "So?"
"Can you take care of Athena for us?" Minerva asked.
"WHAT?!" Snape stared at Minerva. "No way." He said finally.
"Give me a reason why." Minerva said, folding her arms.
"Look, there are other teachers who can take care of her, like Madam Hooch, you know, her godmother..." Snape stopped when he saw Minerva shaking her head. "What does that mean?"
"The other teachers are not available." Minerva said shortly.
"Like who?"
"Madam Hooch, she's off to Italy to watch an Italian Quidditch match."
"Madam Pomfrey?"
"Went to Africa for a medical training."
"Professor Sprouts?"
"Went to Asia to see Asian Muggle plants."
"Hagrid?"
"Went to Romania. I don't know why."
"Professor Trelawney?"
Minerva glared at him. "Are you nuts? I don't want my daughter to hear Professor Trelawney talking silly predictions."
"Err...why don't you ask Potter or Granger or Weasley?" Snape asked.
"Harry's relatives don't like magic and I can't find Miss Granger and Mrs. Weasley can't take care of Athena because she is busy enough with her own children."
"Nearly Headless Nick?" Snape suggested, thinking that Nearly Headless Nick would be available since he had nothing to do except for complaining about the Head Shooting, Heartless Hunt or whatever he calls it.
"I can't find him anywhere."
Snape narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Minerva has really gone for the trouble to find Nearly Headless Nick.
"The Malfoys?" Snape suggested.
"How dare you, Severus." Minerva growled.
"Okay okay, I'm just kidding....err....Filch?"
"Are you nuts?!" Minerva screamed.
"All right, forget that I have said that. But, Minerva! Look at me! I'm a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake!"
"An ex-Death Eater to be exact."
"I can be pretty nasty."
"I dare you."
"My potions can be pretty dangerous. She may..."
"I thought you have locked them up?"
"Peeves will laugh at me if he sees me taking care of a kid."
"Let him."
"She will be scared of me."
"She won't."
"I..err..." Snape can't think of any more excuses and threw up his hands. "Why me?"
"Because Albus trust you. And I trust his judgment." Minerva said quietly.
Snape raised an eyebrow at her and sighed. "Okay, all right, bring her in." He said finally.
"Thanks Severus." Minerva smiled and called to the door, "All right, you can come in now."
Dumbledore came in, holding a five-year-old girl's hand. She has auburn hair and blue eyes. "Hi Mommy." She said.
"Hi sweetheart," Minerva said, kneeling down so that she could talk to Athena face to face. "Look, Mommy and Daddy have to go to the Ministry of Magic so you'll be good and stay with Uncle Severus until we get back, all right?"
While Minerva is talking, Snape whispered to Dumbledore. "Is she very difficult to take care of?"
Dumbledore just smiled. "You'll see."
"But I have never babysat before." Snape said and Minerva stood up, staring at Snape. "Severus, if I notice anything wrong with Athena when we get back, I will get your blood." She said darkly.
"No, you won't, I promise." Snape said and took a glance at Athena, who stared at him with her big blue eyes.
"All right then, we will leave Athena to you." Minerva said and turned to Athena. "Be a good girl, all right?"
Athena nodded and kissed her mother. "Bye Mommy."
"When you two will be back?" Snape asked.
"By this evening or tonight." Dumbledore said and lifted Athena up. "Bye Athena."
"Bye Daddy." Athena said and kissed him. Dumbledore put her down and said to Snape. "I trust you to do a good job."
"I try." Snape said.
Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder and left with Minerva.
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames, so get out of here, if you know what's good for you.
"Severus? Are you free right now?" Minerva asked as she poked her head through the door of Snape's dungeon during the summer holidays.
"Yeah." Snape said without looking up from Gryffindors' Potions essays.
"Great." Minerva said, walked into the dungeon and straight to Snape's desk. "Can you do me and Albus a favor?"
"Sure." Snape said, and still not looking up. "Longbottom has done terribly in this.."
"Look, Albus received a owl from the Ministry of Magic and both of us are required to go there for a important meeting immediately...." Minerva said.
"Both of you?" Snape asked. "I'm going to take away five points from Gryffindor as Potter for using Muggle paper and pen instead for parchment and quill." He said, staring at Harry's essay.
"Severus, are you listening?" Minerva asked.
"Um? Yeah."
"And as you know, children are not allow in the Ministry's building, so..."
Snape looked up slowly. "So?"
"Can you take care of Athena for us?" Minerva asked.
"WHAT?!" Snape stared at Minerva. "No way." He said finally.
"Give me a reason why." Minerva said, folding her arms.
"Look, there are other teachers who can take care of her, like Madam Hooch, you know, her godmother..." Snape stopped when he saw Minerva shaking her head. "What does that mean?"
"The other teachers are not available." Minerva said shortly.
"Like who?"
"Madam Hooch, she's off to Italy to watch an Italian Quidditch match."
"Madam Pomfrey?"
"Went to Africa for a medical training."
"Professor Sprouts?"
"Went to Asia to see Asian Muggle plants."
"Hagrid?"
"Went to Romania. I don't know why."
"Professor Trelawney?"
Minerva glared at him. "Are you nuts? I don't want my daughter to hear Professor Trelawney talking silly predictions."
"Err...why don't you ask Potter or Granger or Weasley?" Snape asked.
"Harry's relatives don't like magic and I can't find Miss Granger and Mrs. Weasley can't take care of Athena because she is busy enough with her own children."
"Nearly Headless Nick?" Snape suggested, thinking that Nearly Headless Nick would be available since he had nothing to do except for complaining about the Head Shooting, Heartless Hunt or whatever he calls it.
"I can't find him anywhere."
Snape narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Minerva has really gone for the trouble to find Nearly Headless Nick.
"The Malfoys?" Snape suggested.
"How dare you, Severus." Minerva growled.
"Okay okay, I'm just kidding....err....Filch?"
"Are you nuts?!" Minerva screamed.
"All right, forget that I have said that. But, Minerva! Look at me! I'm a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake!"
"An ex-Death Eater to be exact."
"I can be pretty nasty."
"I dare you."
"My potions can be pretty dangerous. She may..."
"I thought you have locked them up?"
"Peeves will laugh at me if he sees me taking care of a kid."
"Let him."
"She will be scared of me."
"She won't."
"I..err..." Snape can't think of any more excuses and threw up his hands. "Why me?"
"Because Albus trust you. And I trust his judgment." Minerva said quietly.
Snape raised an eyebrow at her and sighed. "Okay, all right, bring her in." He said finally.
"Thanks Severus." Minerva smiled and called to the door, "All right, you can come in now."
Dumbledore came in, holding a five-year-old girl's hand. She has auburn hair and blue eyes. "Hi Mommy." She said.
"Hi sweetheart," Minerva said, kneeling down so that she could talk to Athena face to face. "Look, Mommy and Daddy have to go to the Ministry of Magic so you'll be good and stay with Uncle Severus until we get back, all right?"
While Minerva is talking, Snape whispered to Dumbledore. "Is she very difficult to take care of?"
Dumbledore just smiled. "You'll see."
"But I have never babysat before." Snape said and Minerva stood up, staring at Snape. "Severus, if I notice anything wrong with Athena when we get back, I will get your blood." She said darkly.
"No, you won't, I promise." Snape said and took a glance at Athena, who stared at him with her big blue eyes.
"All right then, we will leave Athena to you." Minerva said and turned to Athena. "Be a good girl, all right?"
Athena nodded and kissed her mother. "Bye Mommy."
"When you two will be back?" Snape asked.
"By this evening or tonight." Dumbledore said and lifted Athena up. "Bye Athena."
"Bye Daddy." Athena said and kissed him. Dumbledore put her down and said to Snape. "I trust you to do a good job."
"I try." Snape said.
Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder and left with Minerva.