Square Peg, Round Hole
Severus hardly touched his dinner that evening, in spite of the fact that he enjoyed roast beef. Not even the desert could tempt him, though he was fond of lemon mousse. He did touch his goblet, but wished it was filled with wine, or better yet, brandy. He thought that he was going to make it out of the Great Hall in one piece until Albus stopped him when the meal was over.
"I was wondering, Severus, where Antigone is this evening? After that spirited match, I would have thought she'd be eager for supper."
It was irritating, having Albus make an inquiry of you when anyone who knew him well enough was perfectly aware that there was nothing he didn't know. With a disgusted snort, Severus confessed to having locked his daughter and Miss Granger inside an empty classroom earlier that afternoon and leaving them there. It was just his luck that Minerva overheard him. She gasped and then prepared to give him a scolding the likes of which he hadn't received since he had been a student. Albus stopped her, however, and suggested that they all three go to his office. They did not go and let the girls out first.
It was worse than any time he had been required to be in the Headmaster's office as a boy. For the first time in nearly two decades he found himself feeling as he had one of the numerous times he had gotten into a row with Black or Potter or Lupin. With Minerva standing close, by he was required to tell everything, including how he had deduced the identity of Antigone's future mother. Upon hearing that he would one day be bedding her favorite student on a regular basis, the Transfiguration teacher began to stutter and stammer in disbelief. Albus, damn his omniscient soul, simply leaned back in his chair and listened, eyes twinkling. After a time, he requested that both Severus and Minerva remain in his office and to refrain from killing one another until he returned.
They waited, not speaking to one another. He kept his features blank and expressionless; ignoring the suspicious glances she kept throwing his way. A house elf appeared with a covered silver tray, no doubt containing food for the girls. They had been comforting one another through lunch and locked up during dinner, so they were likely to be starving by now. A while later the door opened, allowing the girls to enter with Albus close behind. "Ah, I see your dinner is here. Take the chairs next to my desk and tuck in." Severus noted that his daughter was the first to reach the tray, taking the lid off while she was sitting down. It wasn't the first time he had noted she seemed to eat a great deal for someone so lean in build. Miss Granger joined her, apparently refusing to look his way. To his further amusement, Minerva took that moment to decide to sit down as well, selecting a seat that would place her between him and the Granger girl.
"Now, we were discussing the more recent developments regarding Miss Snape's stay here. Miss Granger, I'm sure this is all coming as quite a shock to you." Albus grinned at the girl, who quickly swallowed a bit of beef, dabbing her mouth with a linen napkin before daring to speak.
"Yes, Professor. I'm still not quite sure how it all is supposed to come about, but it's difficult to ignore the truth when it sits next to you in Potions every day."
"Hey, I'm not an 'it'." Tigga pouted, but quickly let go of her ire for another slice of beef. She liked hers with mushroom gravy, something she must get from her mother. Sure enough, Hermione poured a bit onto her own plate while he was watching them.
"I am certain that I don't need to tell you both how important it is that this goes no further. Not only would revealing the future relationship between the two of you be a violation of some rather serious laws, but it could endanger both the lives of Miss Granger and of Professor Snape." Both girls nodded in agreement and the Headmaster leaned back in his chair again. Severus saw his beard twitch as he smiled and the twinkle in his eyes grew brighter, a clear indication that he wasn't going to like what was about to be said. "Now, since there is a definite connection between the three of you, and seeing how Professor Snape is the only adult among the three at this time, I feel secure in trusting the care and guidance of you both to him."
Hermione choked on a bit of beef, Antigone merely kept eating. Severus was about to protest but Minerva beat him to it. "Really, Albus, I see no reason to go that far. Miss Granger is a Gryffindor and Miss Snape was originally sorted into Gryffindor before she was thrust back in time. I am more than capable of keeping an eye on them both."
"I quite agree, Headmaster." All eyes suddenly swerved towards him, but he refused to acknowledge this new interest. "Also, they are both girls. Surely another woman would be better suited to this task."
"Feeling daunted by the task, Severus?" Albus reached for a bowl of lemon drops on his desk. "Under normal circumstances I would agree, but this situation calls for subtlety and subterfuge, things that nether Miss Granger nor Miss Snape is very good at." Both girls looked up with offended expressions on their faces. "You are the best man for the job."
"Might I point out, Headmaster, that thanks to my daughter's errant tongue, the entire school already knows her relationship to me?"
"True, they do. However, they do not know about her relationship to Miss Granger or of Miss Granger's future association with you. This is what we must keep secret." He popped a lemon drop into his mouth, still smiling. Severus wondered, not for the first time, if the aged wizard actually enjoyed tormenting him.
"Am I to house them both in my quarters now?" he inquired dryly.
"Ab-so-lutely not!" Minerva glared at him from behind her spectacles and took on a posture that was strongly reminiscent of a fully grown dragon.
"Oh, that's good." Honestly, if the old coot was going to put him through this torment, he could at least get a little amusement out of it by tweaking Minerva's nose. "I haven't space for another bedroom and Miss Granger looks like the kind of girl who would insist on putting her cold feet on me."
"Father!" Antigone dropped her fork and grabbed her mother by the shoulders to keep her from fainting face first into her plate. Minerva gasped and glared at him with unspoken promises of gelding if not out right disembowelment. Albus continued to suck on his lemon drop, watching all unfold before him.
~***~
It was hours later when Hermione finally got into her own bed. She had returned to the common room after being given a stern talking to by Professor Snape, warning her not to tell anyone about what she had learned. Then she had selfishly allowed Professor McGonagall to comfort and coo over her, telling her that everything was going to be all right. Antigone had wanted to stay with her a little longer, but her father had ordered her to return to their quarters with him. When she finally got back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry and Ron cornered her and demanded to know all she knew about Antigone being Snape's daughter. They had used the map to see where the girls had gone and it had never occurred to them to come after them once they knew where they were. Their questions couldn't be answered even half-truthfully, since the other Gryffindors were eager to know as well. She made some excuses about supposedly not knowing and escaped as quickly as possible.
Now, clad in her night dress, she crawled between the sheets of her bed and attempted to sleep. The events of the day were whirling in her mind like a cyclone. She was going to come back one day to teach. She was going to marry Snape. Snape! That greasy hair, hooked nosed, Gryffindor-hating git! The thought of it made her shudder, and not in any way that could have been considered good. What's more, not only does she marry him, she actually sleeps with him! At least once, or else there wouldn't be an Antigone.
Antigone Marie Snape. It was odd, seeing a girl your age, someone you finally can call a friend, then learning that you're going to give birth to her in about ten years. Now that she was aware of the connection she was able to see the similarities between her and the Grangers. The nose and hair color were the most obvious points. A closer inspection would reveal that the eyes were shaped like Hermione's, though they were the same color as Snape's. She also had picked up Hermione's own bad habit of chewing her bottom lip to pieces when she was nervous. She was also clever and funny. Doubtless she was top of her class in her own time, I she supposed she would have Harry to thank for the Quidditch obsession. Of course, if her daughter thought she would remain on the team if her grades started to drop, she had another think coming!
Her daughter. Hermione bit down on her bottom lip, worrying it with her teeth. She was going to have a daughter. At least she would have a bit of experience with what to teach her, being a girl herself. She couldn't imagine trying to raise a son. What did she know about boys except that few of them ever thought beyond sex or Quidditch? As she pondered how effective of a parent she would be, it never occurred to her that it took two to make a baby and that Antigone's father was destined to be very much a part of her life. She eventually fell asleep and dreamt of watching a raven haired toddler walk clumsily across a bedroom floor into her outstretched arms. The woman she was in her dreams lifted the tiny Antigone up into the air, then showered plump cheeks with kisses.
~***~
"Explain yourself."
"I didn't mean for it to happen. I just slipped out." Antigone stood before her father, face lowered and hands clasped behind her back. She was having the Devil's own time trying to stand still and her feet kept shifting about.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? Malfoy has no doubt already sent an owl to his father reporting today's events. Just how in the Hell am I supposed to explain you?" Snape's black eyes flashed at his daughter. "AND STOP FIDGETING!" Tigga immediately became as still as a statue. He took a deep, calming breath, and then walked away from her towards the hearth. "I'll think of something. Voldemort will most likely call me soon; he'll want to question me about you. Doubtless he'll see this as a sign of betrayal. A loyal Death Eater should be willing to divulge all offspring as potential followers."
"I'm sorry, Father."
"Not another word! You will be silent!" Though he couldn't see her with his back turned, he figured she must have flinched at that one. A stab of guilt shot through him. He told himself to ignore it, to stand firm. She was the one who had acted foolishly. He had every right to be angry.
But, this was not a mere student for him to hold sway over. This was his daughter, though she was not yet born. He truly wasn't enjoying this new part of himself, the paternal part that forced him to act… human. With a sigh, he turned back around to see that his daughter was still standing perfectly motionless. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't place all the blame upon you. I keep forgetting you have a Gryffindor's temper and none of the Slytherin tact." It wasn't a perfect apology, but apologies were not something he was used to.
She still remained silent and motionless, still stared at the floor. The carpeting allowed him to move more silently than ever as he crossed the room to stand before her. He gripped her chin in one hand and lifted her face upwards. "Never appeared cowed or subservient. You are a Snape, remember that."
"Yes, Father." At least she wasn't crying. He didn't think he could bear tears.
"Now we have an added problem. Whereas you can certainly feel comfortable with the idea that I am your father and Miss Granger is your mother, and I have come to accept both of these facts, Miss Granger is still just a girl. What's more, I am not her favorite teacher."
"Oh, but you're wrong!" Tigga blinked, seemingly surprised that he would say this. "She always told me that she respected you more than any of the others except for Aunt Minerva."
"Respect is one thing. Affection is another. From her reaction to today's revelation, I doubt she is looking forward to her wedding day. Oh, stop that!" She had begun to chew on her bottom lip again, and the habit was starting to become quite annoying.
"Sorry, it's just that… can you blame her? Really, Father, you're rather intimidating. I've gotten used to the way you are now, but believe me, Mum's good for you."
Snape arched an ebony brow. "Well, the contrite little urchin didn't last very long." She had the good grace to blush, and she almost looked down at the floor again but seemed to remember that she wasn't supposed to. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you would remain so." Was that a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth? Honestly! The girl was impossible! First thing he was going to do the day after his marriage to Hermione was to demand that Harry Potter was removed from her life, because he was doubtless the reason for his child's wild and irreverent tendencies. As far as he was concerned, total isolation from the Famous Harry Potter would be the best thing for the girl.
"I'll worry about what is to be done about your blunders today. Got to bed." And with that, she was dismissed. He turned away from her and shut himself behind his bedchamber door. She stared at it for a long moment, and then sighed before turning towards her own bedchamber.
Minerva had really done it up well. Perhaps just to tweak her father's nose, she had adorned it in Gryffindor colors with a bedspread emblazoned with the Gryffindor coat of arms. The mattress was thick and soft, and there was a mountain of pillows upon which she could rest her head. She changed out of her Quidditch robes, tossing them into a hamper for a house elf to claim later before making her way into the small bathroom. It only had a shower, toilet and sink, but it was comfortable enough to wash away the grime from the game before pulling on her nightdress and slipping into bed.
So Mum knew now. The question was; how was she going to react? Would she still want to talk to her? Would she still even like her? Tigga wasn't foolish, she knew she shouldn't expect hugs and kisses upon their next meeting, but she did hop that Hermione would still want to at least be her friend. She knew this was going to be difficult for her.
It would help if I had a way to show her what the future is going to be like. What Dad's going to be like. Right now he's horrible enough, but she had to fall in love with him for some reason, didn't she? At this point in time, she couldn't imagine two people more poorly suited for one another. Placing her mother and father together as a couple was like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Too bad she couldn't magically age her mother about eight years, give her all the wisdom and experience she gained in that time, and then re-introduce her to her father. He had once told Tigga that he had known he was going to marry her mother the very day she returned to Hogwarts as a teacher.
Suddenly she sat up in bed and smacked herself on the forehead. "Of course he did, you idiot! You came back in time and blabbed the entire thing!" With a sigh she fell back onto her pillows. So many things started clicking into place. The way the other teachers always seemed to know just what she was capable of. The expectant twinkle in the Headmaster's eye when he pinned her prefect badge onto her jumper. The way her father had grudgingly asked Uncle Harry to teach her how to play Quidditch, muttering something about how it would be 'useful at one time', even after the Underwear Incident. The entire faculty had known she would end up here, which was why they didn't even bat an eye when her mother 'reminded' them that she would need a Time Turner this year.
If I ever get back home, I'm going to kill each and every one of them. There was little heat in her silent threat. Still, a little warning would have been nice.