DEVOTED
Chapter 10
"Tangible"
After exiting the pensive, the small group sat silently gathering their thoughts. Ron was holding Fleur's hand tightly within his own.
Severus, who was sitting on the plush purple ottoman at Dumbledore's feet, tiredly rubbed at the stubble on his face. "I think you should know, I was afraid of something like this happening. Hermione never thought that you would ever take any interest in Jillian, but I needed to make sure Jillian was as much my daughter as hers. And Hermione knew how much I love Jillian, and how it would kill me to lose her."
He stood, and walked to the fireplace, turning to look at the Weasleys. "I had wondered if you would even read the papers we sent you." He said looking thoughtfully at Ron. "Do you remember we sent papers, by Goblin Express? Did you read them, or did you just sign them?" He asked in a deceptively quiet voice, one that Ron remembered all too well from school. The one that said a pop quiz was coming, a quiz that he was more than likely to fail.
Ron scratched his head, wrinkling his brow in concentration. Yes, he remembered them, but only because of the fact that they had been delivered by a serious little Goblin, who had refused to leave until the papers had been signed and returned to him. The way his small eyes had intently watched him, had made him extremely uncomfortable, and he was more than happy to sign the papers just to get rid of the Goblin.
"Yes, I remember. I was getting ready to take Fleur on vacation; we were in quite a hurry. I "skimmed" them." He said sheepishly. "They were so you could get Jillian Medical care if needed in the Muggle world if Hermione wasn't with you, if I remember correctly. I thought it was funny, because I know my name wasn't on her birth records…here in our world…but I wasn't quiet sure if Jillian had a Muggle birth certificate…so I just signed them." He answered sounding slightly bewildered.
Severus smiled at him with a predatory expression." Well yes that was part of it. I had hoped that you would be quite happy to sign them, or that you would be stupid enough to sign them without reading them first…one would have thought that you would be smart enough to at least read a legal document before putting your signature on it. They were in fact legal Muggle Adoption forms; they stated that fact quiet clearly on the second page. You, Mr. Weasley, signed away your rights as Jillian's parent many years ago. And while, I doubt that on any normal day, that Muggle adoption papers would be legal here in the wizarding world. I believe they will hold, not only because Hermione was raised in the Muggle world, at that time still held a Muggle Drivers License, and had many dealing with the Muggles. Your parental rights have been terminated and my adoption of Jillian is legal…in the Muggle world…and I believe if pressed they will be upheld here in the Wizarding world too."
"So you see Jillian Snape is my daughter in every way that counts, and if you try and take her, I have no problem bringing in the Muggle authorities." He paused, " And I'm sure that you agree that the Ministry would be less than pleased to have the Muggles involved in a wizarding dispute."
Fleur put a hand on Ron's arm to restrain him. "Professor Snape, I understand that you loved Hermione, and its clear watching her memories that she was very much in love with you too. But the fact remains that Jillian is Ron's Daughter."
She looked from Ron's intense face to the equally hard face of Severus Snape. "My husband has had a hard time getting over the war, just like everyone else…just like you did." She said softly. "After all these years he is finally healing, and only after the birth of our own daughter, can he feel how deeply the pain he must have caused, both to Jillian and to Hermione. He is now able to give Jillian his love, and receive her love in return. Yes, he has made a lot of mistakes, but he should be allowed to give his daughter the love she needs. We both want her to be with us, to give us the chance to know her and for her to know us. Watching the pensive, I can see that you are a remarkable father, and that you have been everything to her that we should have been. And the fact that we have never acknowledged that it wrong…"
Ron interrupted his wife. "I guess my biggest concern is this…yes, you and Hermione loved each other. But I know you despised me when I went to school here, probably even more so now. How can I be sure that you won't take it out on Jillian for her being a Weasley?" He asked in cautious tones.
Severus stood silently leaning against the mantle, and then slowly he pulled a photograph out of his breast pocket, looked at it for a moment, caressing it with his fingers, then gently as not to bend it he held in front of Ron.
"This is why, Mr. Weasley…" He said gesturing at the image in his hand. "A father puts his child first…does things that he never even conceived of doing before, just to make his child happy. So make no mistake about it, I love my daughter, more than I ever thought I could love anyone. And I will do anything in my power to keep her safe, to keep her happy, to keep her with me."
Ron pulled the photo out of his hand to get a better look at it. A confused look crossed his faces before laughing out loud. "Now I know I've seen everything." Still laughing he handed it to his wife.
Fleur took the photo out of his hand, a tender smile coming to both her lips and eyes. She turned it over and read the writing on the back; the read again, this time aloud to Ron's parents.
Severus,
When I first viewed this photo a quote floated through my mind…
"They gave each other a smile with a future in it." With both
our blessings for a happy life together…take care of "our girls".
John and Helen Granger
Fleur looked at Severus, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Professor, I think it would be a good time for you to go and tuck-in Jillian, Ron and I need to talk alone. Take your time, we'll be here when you're done." With that she turned her back on him, starting to speak in low tones to her husband.
Dismissed, Severus took her advice, and went to read a bedtime story with his child.
By the time Severus had gotten Jillian into her own bed and asleep it was nearly 11 pm. She was reluctant to sleep, and needed to talk of her fears, and he tried his best to reassure her. They took turns reading passages quietly from a book, before she had given in to sleep. He wondered briefly if he should maybe just head to bed himself, but decided he should see if anyone was still up in the Headmasters office. Leaving Dobby in charge he headed out.
When he walked in it was a somber group of people that awaited him. Dumbledore greeted him with only a gesture for him to take a seat.
"Severus, Ron and Fleur have spent a great deal of time trying to come to a final decision. I think you should hear them out, before you make any final decisions." He said putting a lemon drop in his mouth and propping his chin on his knuckles.
Ron, who had been standing, began to pace tiredly in front of the fireplace. Several moments of silence stretched out, before he turned to face Severus.
"You were right. I said things to Hermione that are unforgivable. The fact that I had just watched several good friends die, while a good excuse, is still just an excuse. But, that doesn't change the fact that Jillian is my child. A child, who had to deal with the fact that her father didn't want her, didn't love her. I want…no, I need that to change. She deserves to know that given a second chance, that I would fight for her…that I would love her."
Severus opened his mouth to reply, but Ron's made a slicing gesture to cut him off. "No, let me finish first."
Severus closed his mouth, and gave Ron a nod to continue.
"After speaking about it with my family, we have come to some decisions." He came back around and sat in his empty chair.
"Jillian has grown up to be a wonderful, intelligent little girl, a daughter to be proud of. And it's plain to all of us that you adore her, as much as she adores you. But frankly I'm just not willing to cut my losses, to just give this relationship up for lost. And I'm wondering," He inclined his head to the side and looked earnestly at Severus. "I'm wondering if you would allow my wife and I to be a part of you and your daughters lives?"
Severus looked between Ron and Fleur, then at Dumbledore in confusion. "Exactly how?" He asked forcing a mild tone.
"We want the chance to be with Jillian as much as we are allowed. Since you seem to love Muggle laws so much, maybe we can have a split custody, you know six months with you and six with us…something like that…" Ron stumbled over his words.
"No." Severus said automatically sitting straighter in his chair. "Not six months, that's too long for me to be without her, and it would be much to hard on her." He said with finality.
"OK" Said Ron moving on quickly "…then how about Jillian lives with you during the year, we get her two holidays a year and half the summer…"
Severus relaxed a bit, looking at Ron's stubborn chin jutting out…so like Jillian's, when she was readying herself for an argument. His daughters' beloved features, looking back at him out of Ron's manly face made his heart twist in his chest.
"We would need to work on the agreement…but I think that something along those lines could be arranged." Severus said suddenly looking years younger.
Severus sat looking at the Weasley's, Arthur and Molly they loved Jillian, and could be trusted to do what was right for her. Ron and Fleur, both so young and in love…they would give his daughter all their love and siblings, cousins, Aunts and Uncles…in the end it wouldn't be so bad, would it? Jillian would get be with both her fathers, to know love from both of them. Maybe working together they could give Jillian all the love and security she could ever need.
(A few weeks later)
Jillian, pulled away from Ron's hand, ran to give Severus another "last kiss" before going to Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's for a family reunion, from there she would be going to see where Ron and Fleur lived and worked. She ran back to Ron and Fleur and took her little sisters hand in hers. As Ron walked away with her he looked over his shoulder to Severus.
"I promise, she will be back none the worse for it...but, if you get too lonely for her you can always drop by for dinner before we leave." He said in a friendly voice doing his best to put both Severus and Jillian at ease.
"Bye Daddy! I'll be home in three weeks…I'll send you an owl every day!" She said excitedly.
"Bye Severus!" Yelled Alexandria, Ron and Fleur's fairy like daughter.
She would be with Papa Ron, as that was what Alexandria, her younger sister called Ron…Papa. Jillian had asked Severus last night. "You know you're my Daddy, but calling him Ron or Mr. Weasley sounds so formal…so I think it would be ok if I called him Papa Ron…but what do you think?" She asked nervously, and smiled happily when she had received his approval.
He walked to his quiet rooms. Three weeks…three incredibly long weeks stretched in front of him. He might just break down at the end of the week and invite himself to dinner before they headed off to Beauxbatons. Who would ever in their wildest dreams have thought that he would be co-parenting a child with Ronald Weasley of all people? Or that he might be considered an "Uncle" to the next generation of Weasley's…scratch that, not him, he would burn in Hell first.
He pick up his good luck photograph, and sat down. Albus had insisted on framing it, saying that it would be a crime to hide it away in the albums. So he had giving it a place of honor sitting on the fireplace mantle. Running his fingers lightly over it, he could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. In it Hermione sat her arm around Jillian, looking over the little girl into his eyes. Jillian was happily playing with the new game her Grandma and Pop Pop Granger had given her. Pretty Princess it had been called, and she had begged him to play with her. Apparently he had lost as Jillian had most of the jewelry on herself. But he sat next to her a glittering tiara shinning atop his dark head, the tiara was what might have caught the attention of most people at first, but it was the smiles of pure happiness on their faces that made the photo so special. You could feel the love…it was tangible.
He sighed, and put the photo back in its place. Let Jillian be surrounded by the prolific Weasley's, lost in the swell of her redheaded cousins, five or six around the same age as herself. He almost winced in horror of what a few years would bring to Hogwarts. Beginning next month, the first of the next generation of Weasleys would be attending his classes; it was bound to be an exciting time in all their lives. Yes, he thought…this much love; it could never spoil Hermione's daughter…his daughter.
***Authors Note***
All hail Mea, the only Beta that seems to want to untangle my unholy mess. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
When I first began this story I had only planed on a short fic, showing a softer (yet still snarky) side of Severus Snape as a stepfather (and I hope that I have done this) and it went from five chapters to about thirty in a blink of an eye. You can imagine my surprise when out of the blue Hermione ended up dead! This is soooo not what I had written in my first outline. I have about thirty chapters outlined to tell the "whole" story. But as this is my first fanfic, I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it (or worse, if anyone would care!) and because I wanted to make sure that it didn't stay a WIP, I found myself a nice little resting place in the middle of the storyline to end it.
But I've found myself too attached to Jillian and Severus to let go just yet, and would like to take them to the "end" of their plotline. I'm planning on posting the start of part two around the end of September. I hope that you are interested in seeing where I plan on taking this.
Thank you to everyone that has reviewed…I LOVE GETTING THEM, and I hope to hear from all of you when they continue their adventure.
Lorie aka
Little Miss Cant Be Wrong
