Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowlings things. Peace out.

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Chapter 7 – The Perfect Surname

The weeks of August flew by uneventfully. Lupin was gone during the full moon, but he came back unharmed, and after resting a day seemed revitalized. Harry hadn't kissed Silver again, but that was mostly because they had never been alone since the night of his birthday. Snape hovered around her like an overly protective parent and glared at Harry whenever he had the nerve to so much as brush against her. There were moments, however, when Harry felt the inexplicable desire to pull her into his arms. Whenever he was particularly nice (or if she just felt like it), she would give him a special smile that she never gave anybody else. Once in a while Esperanza would come and snuggle up to him, and Harry was sure that he was doing it for Silver, although she never said anything. He had begun to miss Hogwarts terribly, however, and once in a while became exceptionally frustrated at the fact that Snape was virtually Silver's shadow. At least he won't be able to bother us in the Gryffindor common room, Harry thought, If she is a Gryffindor. If not, I'll just kiss her during class.

Needless to say, Harry was very happy on August 31st, while everyone was making preparations for the next day. He packed with vigor, and even cleaned Hedwig's cage just for the heck of it. Hedwig was very appreciative, and hovered around him as he packed.

"Looks like you've got your own Snape," Ron teased.

"Don't say that name," Harry grumbled.

Ron laughed. "A bit frustrated, mate?"

"He's always by her," Harry complained, "When does he go to the bathroom?"

Ron laughed even harder as they continued to pack.

"Oy! Come on, Harry, it's nearly seven!" Ron exclaimed.

"So what?" Harry replied as he continued to pack.

"Dumbledore wanted everybody to be at that meeting at seven o' clock, remember?"

"Oh," Harry said as he remembered Dumbledore giving the announcement at breakfast while he had been inching closer to Silver at the breakfast table, only to be stopped by Snape, who hovered over her chair and began to make a great deal of fuss over her toast, insisting it didn't have enough butter.

He and Ron ran down the stairs and arrived in time to see that they weren't the only ones who had forgotten about the meeting. Ron sat down next to Hermione, and Harry next to him. Then, amazingly, Silver walked through the door unescorted. Even Dumbledore looked surprised. She beamed at Harry and sat down next to him on the last remaining spot on the couch. Harry was absolutely elated.

"Hey," he greeted warmly as she sat down next to him.

She put her head on his shoulder in response.

He grinned uncontrollably. "Shook him off?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry, don't be terrible," she chided halfheartedly, "He's only doing what he thinks is right."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry grumbled, but he wasn't really angry, in fact, he was still grinning ear to ear.

He glanced down at her hand, which lay in her lap. It was practically screaming to be held. He inched his hand over and put it over hers. She beamed up at him and turned her hand over, interlacing her fingers with his. Ron was watching interestedly, and Hermione promptly smacked him on the shoulder and muttered something about minding his own business.

Soon everyone was present except for Snape. Dumbledore noted his absence and the room sat in complete silence. Suddenly Snape swept in. His eyes locked on Silver, and then traveled down her arm and up Harry's to his face. His hand flew to his robes as if he were going to curse Harry on the spot.

"Severus," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Please, have a seat."

Snape sat grudgingly on the only remaining chair, which was much too far away from Harry and Silver to his liking.

For once, it was Harry who smirked at Snape.

"Now, I am calling this meeting for a number of reasons," Dumbledore said, "The first, being safety for the students while at Hogwarts. Students!"

They all looked up at him to show that they were giving him their full attention. Dumbledore's eyes flickered over each of their faces and briefly on Harry and Silver's interlocked hands.

"Voldemort," many people in the room flinched, and Harry was pleased that Silver was not one of them (and also rather pleased that Snape was), "Is at large. Therefore, I am asking you students to confide only in the members of the Order at your school. These people are myself, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Hagrid, and I daresay your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But I won't spoil that surprise for you."

They all looked as if they rather wished he would, which caused him to smile, but he didn't say any more on the subject.

"Harry, you and I will be practicing Occlumency every Monday and Wednesday at six o' clock. The password to my office is Sugar Quill – at least for the present."

Harry nodded. He really didn't feel like Occlumency again, but he thought it would probably be better without Snape trying to invade his most private thoughts.

"Silver, we really must decide on a surname for you," Dumbledore continued.

All eyes turned to Silver, who straightened interestedly.

"Your mother's surname will certainly not do, therefore, we must make one up." Dumbledore sounded delighted at the thought.

"But couldn't you tell me my father's surname?" Silver asked pointedly.

"No, I'm afraid that will not do," Dumbledore replied calmly, as though he had been expecting the question.

Silver glared at him a bit moodily.

"So," Dumbledore said, "Any suggestions, anybody?"

"How about Potter?" Ron sniggered.

Harry blushed furiously and gave Ron a murderous glare. Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny dissolved into laughter. Hermione seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh. Tonks giggled, but stopped quickly when Harry glared at her. Lupin looked highly amused, as if he were holding in a fit of laughter that could prove dangerous.

"I think not," Snape said sulkily.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and his beard quivered dangerously, but he managed to keep control as he responded, "I must rather agree with Severus."

Soon suggestions were being yelled out all across the room.

"What about Snape?" Ron snickered quietly as he saw Snape's moody glare at them from across the room.

Harry threw a pillow at him. In his opinion, the idea was not funny in the slightest. Silver looked amused at his reaction, but said nothing.

The suggestions ranged from, "Lianyi" (Moody) to "Parks" (Mrs. Weasley), and every so often somebody would yell out, "Potter!" just to see Harry blush and glare.

Suddenly Tonks stood up. "I know!" she declared, a triumphant gleam in her eye.

Everybody quieted to look at her.

"Well, since Silver's so mysterious," she began, eyeing Silver with a bit of envy, "We should give her a mysterious last name, one that will make people wonder."

Silver leaned forward slightly, as did many others in the room.

"I also think it should make people wonder in kind of a bad way, so she's not mauled by boys in the halls," Tonks said, eyeing Silver with the same gleam in her eye, "I think it should be Riddle!"

"You want her to be Voldemort's daughter?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Some people jumped at the sound of his name, others were too shocked at the suggestion to react.

"Well, it's not like Tom Riddle was the only one in the world with that last name," Tonks argued, "and besides, it fits her perfectly – she'll be mysterious, like a riddle."

"People are going to think she's Voldemort's daughter," Harry repeated. Snape looked as if he agreed.

Tonks sighed. "Fine then, go with Potter instead," she snapped, "But if you don't give her a last name that's going to make people wonder, you'll be hexing every boy that passes by her in the halls so that they don't jump her!"

"Well the last name Riddle will attract every Slytherin in the school!" Harry replied.

At Snape's furious glare he added quickly, "Not that all Slytherins are bad, but the sons and daughters of Death Eaters, you know, you have to wonder."

For a moment everyone sat in thought.

"Maybe it is a good idea," Harry said suddenly, "Like Tonks said..." He looked at Dumbledore questioningly.

"I rather like the idea, myself," Dumbledore replied slowly. "I believe, however, that the decision is up to Silver."

"Silver Riddle" Silver said quietly, as though trying it out. "I like it."

"Riddle it is," Dumbledore said.

"Children," Mrs. Weasley announced, "I think you should go off to bed."

"Mum," Ron said, "It's eight thirty."

"I'm perfectly aware of the time, thank you," she snapped, "But you have a big day tomorrow, so I suggest you get upstairs."

They all walked up the stairs and into their own rooms, but barely five minutes had passed when there was a knock on the door.

"In you come," Ron called. Hermione and Ginny came in, looking happy.

They had just sat down when there was another, softer knock on the door. Harry knew exactly who it was. He jumped out of bed and swept the door open, grinning down at her. Apparently, it was rather a good smile, for she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. A bit dumbfounded, he ushered her in, hoping for another. She climbed on to his bed and they sat facing Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.

"Are you excited?" Ginny asked Silver.

Silver nodded. "Very," she assured her.

"I bet you'll be in Gryffindor," Ron said, looking her up and down in a way Harry was not too sure he liked.

Silver smiled. "I hope I am, but I don't know if I have all the qualities. I mean, you all show that you're daring and brave, but I don't."

"Sure you do," Hermione replied.

Silver glanced up in surprise.

"You sat next to me at breakfast today, remember?" Hermione asked, giving Silver the first smile Harry thought he'd ever seen her give in Silver's direction.

Silver smiled and the two girls regarded each other for a moment.

"I'm sorry for being so mean," Hermione said quietly.

Silver looked shocked.

"I'd like to be your friend," Hermione continued, "If you'll have me."

She glanced timidly up at Silver.

"Really?" Silver breathed, a smile lighting her features.

Hermione smiled. "Really."

Silver looked as if she were going to fly off the bed at any second and tackle Hermione in a hug, but she stayed on the edge of the bed.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

Hermione looked very happy immediately. Harry and Ron exchanged confused glances and then shrugged. Ginny giggled nervously, but happily at the same time.

The door opened and Harry half expected to see Snape, yelling a triumphant "Aha!", but it was Lupin.

"You guys had better get to bed," he instructed, "Molly's coming up to check on you, and Snape's coming to check on you." He motioned to Silver at the last part of his sentence. Then, he disappeared.

"Something tells me they didn't want him to come and give warning," Ron said.

"Bye!" everyone whispered as the girls filed out of the room.

Ron and Harry lay quietly, and they heard Mrs. Weasley opening the door to the girl's room and saying sweetly, "Good night, girls."

"Goodnight," they sung out in unison.

Snape threw their door open and they pretended to be surprised. He glanced at the corners of the room suspiciously, as if he expected them to have stuffed Silver into one of them, and then backed away disappointedly.

"Severus, you're upsetting them!" Mrs. Weasley reprimanded as she came running towards the door, "They need to be relaxed before they go to sleep or they'll have bad dreams!"

Ron and Harry smiled sweetly at Snape, who sneered at them in reply.

"Shoo!" Mrs. Weasley told him firmly, making shooing motions with her hands as she said so.

Looking defeated, Snape turned and walked towards Silver's bedroom.

"Good night, boys," Mrs. Weasley said in a sugary-sweet voice.

"Night," they called out.

She shut the door and they burst into a fit of laughter.

"My mum can be cool sometimes," Ron admitted.

"She acted like Snape was a stray cat!" Harry exclaimed gleefully.

"It's disgusting the way he treats us compared to Silver," Ron said, "I bet he wishes her sweet dreams and everything."

"If we're quiet we can find out," Harry said mischievously.

He and Ron got out of bed and poked their heads out. They nearly jumped back, because Snape was somehow just entering Silver's room.

"What was he doing, tying his shoelace?" Ron whispered as he recovered from their near heart attack.

They crept closer to the room and then stood still, craning for any noise to tell them if they were about to be found out.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Snape demanded gently, "You need to get some sleep for tomorrow."

"I know, it's just hard to go to sleep thinking about it," Silver replied.

They heard the bed creak as Snape sat down.

"Get off of his bed, you slimeball," Harry muttered under his breath. Ron elbowed him in the stomach to be quiet.

"Are you nervous?" Snape asked.

"A little," Silver replied honestly, "About the Sorting, mostly."

"Any house they put you in will be the one you belong in, so there's no need to worry," Snape replied.

"But what if I don't get Sorted at all? What if I just sit there for ages with the hat on my head and nothing happens?" she asked.

Harry remembered thinking the exact same thing before he was sorted.

Snape chuckled. "That won't happen," he assured her.

"What if everyone hates me?" she asked.

"Everyone won't hate you," Snape replied, "Potter and the Weasleys, for one, love you, so you know you'll at least have them. Miss Granger, on the other hand..."

Snape's voice became dangerously bitter as he said Hermione's name.

"Oh no," Silver said quickly, "We made up."

"When?" Snape asked.

"Well...tonight," she admitted, "We just wanted to all say goodnight to each other in Harry and Ron's room for a bit, and we made up then."

"You were out of bed?" Snape asked. Harry could almost see him raising his eyebrows.

"Well, yes, but it's a good thing we were or Hermione and I wouldn't have made friends, right?" Silver insisted.

"I suppose," Snape said. To Harry, it didn't sound as if he supposed anything at all, but even Snape couldn't say no to those beautiful, deep eyes.

"So," Snape said, "Silver Riddle, is it?"

"I think it sounds mysterious," Silver ventured.

"Indeed," Snape replied.

Then, to Harry's shock, he continued, "If anybody gives you any problems, I want you to tell Potter straight away."

"You trust him?" Silver asked.

"Not in the least," Snape replied distastefully, "But he can hex the students, whereas I would get fired for doing so. And he'd better hex them well; or he'll be getting a detention."

Harry was dumbfounded. Snape actually wanted him to attack the students.

"I hope Malfoy gives her lots of trouble," Ron whispered gleefully beside him.

Harry couldn't help but agree.

"That's terrible," Silver informed him, although Harry could tell she was smiling.

"Yes, well..." Snape replied, not sounding the least bit repentant, "Goodnight."

"Night," Silver replied with her usual sweetness.

It took Ron and Harry a moment to realize that Snape would be exiting at any moment. They sprinted back down the hall, shut the door quietly, and leaped under their covers. There's no way he didn't hear those footsteps, Harry thought ruefully. The door banged open and they quickly pretended to be asleep. Harry had frozen in a very uncomfortable position, and hoped that Snape would go away quickly. Amazingly enough, Snape apparently decided he had merely imagined the footsteps, and closed the door immediately.

"Ouch," Ron complained from beside him.

"I'll say," Harry agreed, rubbing the arm that had been trapped under his body.

For a few minutes, all was silent as they stared up into the darkness. Just as Harry was getting drowsy, Ron spoke.

"I bet you anything he knew what we were doing and was just standing there to cause us pain."

Harry agreed.