Thanks to redrosey, Leiko, RandiWeasley, and Padfootfan for reviewing last
chapter. This one, again, is a short one and I'm very sorry about that. I
was having a hard time writing. Ran out of things to say. This story, unlike Koraleigh, doesn't have a set outline. I'm just writing whatever, so hopefully ya'll will bear with me. I'll try to have a new chapter of Koraleigh out either tomorrow or the next day. Probably tomorrow, but not
promising anything. All right. You can read now, and tell me if this chapter is as bad as I think it is. Once again, sorry! You can point out, in fact I encourage pointing out what you think I need to fix, or if you have any ideas about what should happen next, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for actually taking the time to read my stuff. You guys are awesome. And
now, since I've made the A/N's long enough to make up for the short
chapter, you can read now. (
CHAPTER FOUR
'Well, today could have been a lot worse.' thought Snape to himself. He was grading the essays he'd put off yesterday...was it only yesterday that he'd found out he had a niece? It seemed a year ago. Emmilen sat on the floor near Snape's desk, playing with a doll. Surprisingly, he had received very few comments about him caring for his niece, and none had been downright derogatory. He wondered if the Headmaster had anything to do with that.
"Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen, doll momentarily forgotten.
"Yes?" asked Snape, glancing up from the papers. He hadn't been doing a great job of concentrating anyway.
"Why are you so mean to the people?"
"The people?" asked Snape, confused.
"The people, the ones in your classes." replied Emmilen, trying to clarify. "Why are you so mean?"
Snape opened his mouth to remark about how incompetent they were, but then closed it again. The majority of them were not really incompetent, just learning. Why was he so mean? He hadn't thought about it much before. Sure, there were the obvious reasons, like he needed to be an ally to the Slytherins. By favoring them, he could them gain their confidence, which in turn, meant that they would take his advice to not join the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. But there wasn't any reason, really, to belittle the other houses that much. It had been so ingrained in him, such a part of who he was, that he didn't think about it at all. Strangely ironic, how a little girl could make him think so much. Maybe it was because she was the first person that he didn't suspect of ulterior motives.
"I really don't know, Emmilen." he replied.
"Well, my gwandma always said you should be nice to people, no matter what!" Emmilen looked a little annoyed that Snape didn't have a better answer. Frankly, so was Snape.
"Your grandmother must be a smart woman." replied Snape.
"Can I have some more ice cream?" asked Emmilen, totally changing the subject.
Snape shook his head. "Too much ice cream is not good for you." Snape was determined to raise this little girl right, if only to make his brother proud, from the grave.
"Oh." pouted Emmilen. "Please!" she gave Snape a disarming smile.
"No. I think it's your bedtime anyway."
"Ohhh! I don't wanna go to bed!"
"Well, it's bedtime." stated Snape firmly. He had gotten a list of things to do and not to do anonymously left on his desk, but he strongly suspected Albus. Bedtime was one of them/
"It's your bedtime, Emmilen. I let you stay up late last night."
"Ohh!" cried Emmilen, stamping her foot in annoyance. Then her voice quieted. "Will you tuck me in, Uncle Sev'rus?"
Snape sighed. 'Imagine if my students could see me now.' he thought grimly to himself. But his brother and his daughter was more important to him. "All right." he relented, though he really wasn't sure how to go about it.
"Yay!" cried Emmilen, racing to her bed. She jumped in eagerly.
Snape frowned at the girl, bouncing up and down. "I've never tucked someone in before. How do you do it?"
"Silly." proclaimed Emmilen. "First you gotta read me a story!"
Snape groaned mentally. He thought about suggesting his still ungraded essays. He bet that would put her to sleep. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Would you like to pick out a book?"
"Okay." she jumped off her bed and ran over to her bookshelf. She stood, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Snape had to fight the urge to smile at that.
"How about this one?" said Emmilen finally, pulling out a rather large bright orange book entitled "Mr. Scardey and the Dragon."
"All right." answered Snape, taking the book gingerly from Emmilen as though it might bite. He opened the book and began. Amazingly, when he completed the terribly, well, stupid story, he looked up to find Emmilen fast asleep. He quietly replaced the book and crept out of the room.
was having a hard time writing. Ran out of things to say. This story, unlike Koraleigh, doesn't have a set outline. I'm just writing whatever, so hopefully ya'll will bear with me. I'll try to have a new chapter of Koraleigh out either tomorrow or the next day. Probably tomorrow, but not
promising anything. All right. You can read now, and tell me if this chapter is as bad as I think it is. Once again, sorry! You can point out, in fact I encourage pointing out what you think I need to fix, or if you have any ideas about what should happen next, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for actually taking the time to read my stuff. You guys are awesome. And
now, since I've made the A/N's long enough to make up for the short
chapter, you can read now. (
CHAPTER FOUR
'Well, today could have been a lot worse.' thought Snape to himself. He was grading the essays he'd put off yesterday...was it only yesterday that he'd found out he had a niece? It seemed a year ago. Emmilen sat on the floor near Snape's desk, playing with a doll. Surprisingly, he had received very few comments about him caring for his niece, and none had been downright derogatory. He wondered if the Headmaster had anything to do with that.
"Uncle Sev'rus?" asked Emmilen, doll momentarily forgotten.
"Yes?" asked Snape, glancing up from the papers. He hadn't been doing a great job of concentrating anyway.
"Why are you so mean to the people?"
"The people?" asked Snape, confused.
"The people, the ones in your classes." replied Emmilen, trying to clarify. "Why are you so mean?"
Snape opened his mouth to remark about how incompetent they were, but then closed it again. The majority of them were not really incompetent, just learning. Why was he so mean? He hadn't thought about it much before. Sure, there were the obvious reasons, like he needed to be an ally to the Slytherins. By favoring them, he could them gain their confidence, which in turn, meant that they would take his advice to not join the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. But there wasn't any reason, really, to belittle the other houses that much. It had been so ingrained in him, such a part of who he was, that he didn't think about it at all. Strangely ironic, how a little girl could make him think so much. Maybe it was because she was the first person that he didn't suspect of ulterior motives.
"I really don't know, Emmilen." he replied.
"Well, my gwandma always said you should be nice to people, no matter what!" Emmilen looked a little annoyed that Snape didn't have a better answer. Frankly, so was Snape.
"Your grandmother must be a smart woman." replied Snape.
"Can I have some more ice cream?" asked Emmilen, totally changing the subject.
Snape shook his head. "Too much ice cream is not good for you." Snape was determined to raise this little girl right, if only to make his brother proud, from the grave.
"Oh." pouted Emmilen. "Please!" she gave Snape a disarming smile.
"No. I think it's your bedtime anyway."
"Ohhh! I don't wanna go to bed!"
"Well, it's bedtime." stated Snape firmly. He had gotten a list of things to do and not to do anonymously left on his desk, but he strongly suspected Albus. Bedtime was one of them/
"It's your bedtime, Emmilen. I let you stay up late last night."
"Ohh!" cried Emmilen, stamping her foot in annoyance. Then her voice quieted. "Will you tuck me in, Uncle Sev'rus?"
Snape sighed. 'Imagine if my students could see me now.' he thought grimly to himself. But his brother and his daughter was more important to him. "All right." he relented, though he really wasn't sure how to go about it.
"Yay!" cried Emmilen, racing to her bed. She jumped in eagerly.
Snape frowned at the girl, bouncing up and down. "I've never tucked someone in before. How do you do it?"
"Silly." proclaimed Emmilen. "First you gotta read me a story!"
Snape groaned mentally. He thought about suggesting his still ungraded essays. He bet that would put her to sleep. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, "Would you like to pick out a book?"
"Okay." she jumped off her bed and ran over to her bookshelf. She stood, tapping her finger against her chin thoughtfully. Snape had to fight the urge to smile at that.
"How about this one?" said Emmilen finally, pulling out a rather large bright orange book entitled "Mr. Scardey and the Dragon."
"All right." answered Snape, taking the book gingerly from Emmilen as though it might bite. He opened the book and began. Amazingly, when he completed the terribly, well, stupid story, he looked up to find Emmilen fast asleep. He quietly replaced the book and crept out of the room.