Thanks to jamesBob, Leiko, and DaeRose for reviewing. Ya'll are awesome!
Just to let you know, in case you haven't figured it out, Snape has
absolutely no idea how to take care of a little girl. He's trying hard,
though, for the sake of his brother.
Snape woke with a start. He groggily rolled over and grabbed his alarm clock. It read 2:18. "Good." he muttered to himself. "Not time to get up yet." He rolled back over and was in the process of falling back asleep when he heard a strange sound.
Snape was immediately alert. He grabbed his wand from his bedside and crept slowly toward the mysterious sound, which was becoming more pronounced. It was coming from his empty spare bedroom. As he stealthily walked toward the room, suddenly he recalled the events of the day before. It wasn't Death Eaters, coming to take revenge out on him. It was merely Emmilen.
He peeked through the slightly opened crack leading to his newly- discovered niece's room, preparing to admonish her for staying up so late, but what he saw caught him by surprise. She was lying on her large bed, a stuffed creature clutched to her chest, crying.
Snape's eyes grew wide in panic. He could handle pain, torture, and disobedient children without a second thought, but he had no idea how to comfort a crying child. He'd rather be at a Death Eater meeting right now then face this. But Snape was loath to ask anyone for help, especially at this time of night. He'd have to handle it himself. He thought briefly of abandoning the weeping child and going back to his warm bedchamber, but his conscience wouldn't let him. This was Kolus' child, his little brother, who hadn't trusted his only sibling with the news that he had a child. Snape had to admit that that information was more disturbing to him then finding out that his whole family had been systematically murdered. Severus had always tried to protect Kolus when they were younger, but when it came down to it, he couldn't resist his parents anymore. He'd given in to the feelings of self-loathing, and in turn became much more susceptible to the Dark Arts, leading him on an easy path to the Dark Lord, and all he stood for. Snape hadn't been able to tell Kolus of his later conversion, under oath from Dumbledore for protection. It was one of his deepest regrets in life, that Kolus, always so pure, hadn't known of the brother he used to idolize's transformation. Kolus and his wife's unexpected deaths had shattered Severus to the very core of his being. Now, unexpectedly, Severus had the chance to reconcile himself to his brother by means of Kolus' daughter. He had no choice. He went in.
"Emmilen?" he asked cautiously.
His only answer was a sniffle. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, he sat down on Emmilen's horridly pink bed. "What's the matter, Emmilen?" he asked again, nervously.
Finally after a long pause, Emmilen raised her head. "I miss my gwandma." she sniffed. "I wanna go home."
'Crap.' thought Snape, feeling totally helpless. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with this. "You are home, Emmilen." he said, knowing before he said it how lame it sounded.
"But I miss my old room. And my gwandma."
"I know." said Snape, trying to sound as comforting as possible. He didn't want to botch this up, like he'd botched up his relationship with his brother. "Emmilen, what would it take for you to feel more comfortable here?"
Emmilen shrugged, wiping at her tears. Snape wracked his brains, trying to think what he would have liked when he was her age. "Would you like some ice cream?" he finally offered.
Emmilen looked up a bit hopefully. "Do you have chocolate?" she asked in a small voice.
Snape was impressed. He hadn't expected that to work at all. "Of course we have chocolate." he replied. "I'll be right back."
"Can I come with you?" asked Emmilen shyly.
"Well, okay." said Snape hesitantly. "I'm not going far."
He began walking out of the room. Emmilen hurriedly climbed off the bed and followed him. To Snape's utter surprise, she slid her small hand inside of his.
Snape pressed the small button on his wall that summoned a house elf to his chambers. One popped in right away. "Ooh!" said Emmilen, fascinated with the creature and his manor of arrival.
"Master Professor Snape called?" said the house elf eagerly. "What can Reiley do for Master Professor Snape?"
"I need two bowls of chocolate ice cream." said Snape firmly.
"Is that all Master Professor Snape be needing?"
"That's all." replied Snape firmly. The creatures could certainly get on his nerves, though he wouldn't deny that they had their uses.
The house elf popped off and a few seconds later, popped back in, carrying the ice cream.
Snape took one of the bowls and handed it to Emmilen, who had to remove her hand from his to hold it. For a faint moment, Snape felt slightly disappointed, quickly dismissed the feeling. It was the lack of sleep. He could feel it.
Once the house elf had left, they took their ice cream to Snape's small kitchen, which was almost never used, except occasionally for something to do with Potions. They sat there in silence, eating the ice cream. A bit later, both bowls were empty and Snape especially was feeling exhausted.
"Do you think you'll be able to fall asleep now, Emmilen?" asked Snape, hoping for an affirmative answer.
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus." she replied quietly, stifling a yawn.
"All right, then, good night."
Emmilen stared at him intently for a second, then made to go back to her room.
Snape wondered momentarily what that was about, then dismissed it and crawled back into his bed for a few more hours of peaceful rest.
Snape woke with a start. He groggily rolled over and grabbed his alarm clock. It read 2:18. "Good." he muttered to himself. "Not time to get up yet." He rolled back over and was in the process of falling back asleep when he heard a strange sound.
Snape was immediately alert. He grabbed his wand from his bedside and crept slowly toward the mysterious sound, which was becoming more pronounced. It was coming from his empty spare bedroom. As he stealthily walked toward the room, suddenly he recalled the events of the day before. It wasn't Death Eaters, coming to take revenge out on him. It was merely Emmilen.
He peeked through the slightly opened crack leading to his newly- discovered niece's room, preparing to admonish her for staying up so late, but what he saw caught him by surprise. She was lying on her large bed, a stuffed creature clutched to her chest, crying.
Snape's eyes grew wide in panic. He could handle pain, torture, and disobedient children without a second thought, but he had no idea how to comfort a crying child. He'd rather be at a Death Eater meeting right now then face this. But Snape was loath to ask anyone for help, especially at this time of night. He'd have to handle it himself. He thought briefly of abandoning the weeping child and going back to his warm bedchamber, but his conscience wouldn't let him. This was Kolus' child, his little brother, who hadn't trusted his only sibling with the news that he had a child. Snape had to admit that that information was more disturbing to him then finding out that his whole family had been systematically murdered. Severus had always tried to protect Kolus when they were younger, but when it came down to it, he couldn't resist his parents anymore. He'd given in to the feelings of self-loathing, and in turn became much more susceptible to the Dark Arts, leading him on an easy path to the Dark Lord, and all he stood for. Snape hadn't been able to tell Kolus of his later conversion, under oath from Dumbledore for protection. It was one of his deepest regrets in life, that Kolus, always so pure, hadn't known of the brother he used to idolize's transformation. Kolus and his wife's unexpected deaths had shattered Severus to the very core of his being. Now, unexpectedly, Severus had the chance to reconcile himself to his brother by means of Kolus' daughter. He had no choice. He went in.
"Emmilen?" he asked cautiously.
His only answer was a sniffle. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, he sat down on Emmilen's horridly pink bed. "What's the matter, Emmilen?" he asked again, nervously.
Finally after a long pause, Emmilen raised her head. "I miss my gwandma." she sniffed. "I wanna go home."
'Crap.' thought Snape, feeling totally helpless. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with this. "You are home, Emmilen." he said, knowing before he said it how lame it sounded.
"But I miss my old room. And my gwandma."
"I know." said Snape, trying to sound as comforting as possible. He didn't want to botch this up, like he'd botched up his relationship with his brother. "Emmilen, what would it take for you to feel more comfortable here?"
Emmilen shrugged, wiping at her tears. Snape wracked his brains, trying to think what he would have liked when he was her age. "Would you like some ice cream?" he finally offered.
Emmilen looked up a bit hopefully. "Do you have chocolate?" she asked in a small voice.
Snape was impressed. He hadn't expected that to work at all. "Of course we have chocolate." he replied. "I'll be right back."
"Can I come with you?" asked Emmilen shyly.
"Well, okay." said Snape hesitantly. "I'm not going far."
He began walking out of the room. Emmilen hurriedly climbed off the bed and followed him. To Snape's utter surprise, she slid her small hand inside of his.
Snape pressed the small button on his wall that summoned a house elf to his chambers. One popped in right away. "Ooh!" said Emmilen, fascinated with the creature and his manor of arrival.
"Master Professor Snape called?" said the house elf eagerly. "What can Reiley do for Master Professor Snape?"
"I need two bowls of chocolate ice cream." said Snape firmly.
"Is that all Master Professor Snape be needing?"
"That's all." replied Snape firmly. The creatures could certainly get on his nerves, though he wouldn't deny that they had their uses.
The house elf popped off and a few seconds later, popped back in, carrying the ice cream.
Snape took one of the bowls and handed it to Emmilen, who had to remove her hand from his to hold it. For a faint moment, Snape felt slightly disappointed, quickly dismissed the feeling. It was the lack of sleep. He could feel it.
Once the house elf had left, they took their ice cream to Snape's small kitchen, which was almost never used, except occasionally for something to do with Potions. They sat there in silence, eating the ice cream. A bit later, both bowls were empty and Snape especially was feeling exhausted.
"Do you think you'll be able to fall asleep now, Emmilen?" asked Snape, hoping for an affirmative answer.
"Yes, Uncle Sev'rus." she replied quietly, stifling a yawn.
"All right, then, good night."
Emmilen stared at him intently for a second, then made to go back to her room.
Snape wondered momentarily what that was about, then dismissed it and crawled back into his bed for a few more hours of peaceful rest.