Chapter 11

A few days had passed since Snape had explained everything to Catherine, and things hadn't changed. During their talk, she had forgave him, but truly, she hadn't. It would take a bit more talk before Cate would fully forgive the man who left her at age one.

At the moment, Severus sat in Albus Dumbledore's office. He had waited almost five months while pain built up inside of him, he needed to get it out.

"Severus, what has brought you to my office?" Dumbledore asked softly. "I presume it has to do with your daughter."

"Yes." Snape sighed heavily, "When Catherine first arrived, I thought I could immediately straighten things out with her and Elena. That plan however, didn't go so well. By November, I had hit her, but she deserved it."

"Severus, need I remind you that hitting students is very wrong?"

"No sir." He replied quietly, "But Cate got was she was asking for. The first few months at Hogwarts, she was very disrespectful, it was slightly sickening to see what she had grown up to be like."

"Miss Catherine went through a rather rough childhood. You left her when she was barely past the age of one. I'm not sure how she grew up, but I'm sure it wasn't good."

"I know." Snape sighed lightly, "Somewhere beneath her toughness is a little girl who grew up without a father. Cate didn't learn everything she should have about life."

"What do you mean by that?" Dumbledore was very helpful in getting people to confide in him.

"Well, take Christmas eve for example, I went to deliver some papers to Beckinsale, and found Catherine in his arms." He stopped, the pain of that day coming back to him, "It was horrible. To find the girl that was supposed to be sweet and innocent in the arms of a teacher. Beckinsale wasn't forcing her into it either, she accepted it fully." He paused, Christmas eve had been terrible. That scum of a teacher, holding his only daughter like that, it disgusted him. The worst part was finding out that while Catherine was hitting and fighting with her father, she had given her heart to Beckinsale. And then he had broken it, ripping it in two, right infront of Severus.

"I will take note of that." Albus looked at his staff member over his glasses. "Severus, you seem to have gone through many troubles this year, and I'm sure your family has too. I advise you to speak with Catherine again, she has not truly forgiven you quite yet. She has gone through a lot this year, if you share, things might work out better. Speaking to her about Elena may help."

"Thank-you Headmaster." Snape replied, standing up and leaving the office. He had almost forgotten about Elena's death.

Memories came flooding back to him as he entered his living chambers.

The day they met:

It was his first week at Hogwarts, young Elena, her sleek hair bouncing behind her as she walked toward him. She smiled, sticking out a hand.

"I'm Elena." The preteen greeted.

"Severus." He mumbled back, shaking her hand quickly. Eleven-year-old Elena frowned, disappointed that he wasn't more sociable.

"Well, see you around." She waved and smiled before bouncing off.

Their first kiss:

A seventeen-year-old Severus walked through the hallway back to the Slytherine tower, when a voice called out to him.

"Severus!" The voice came from a nearby classroom. Cautiously, the young man entered it. Elena was inside, her eyes were slightly red.

"Elena? What's wrong?" He questioned, closing the door.

"Lisa, my little sister," She whimpered, "was hit by a muggle car yesterday. She was killed." With that, the young woman flung her arms around Snape's neck, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, letting Elena stay there as long as she wanted. Soon enough, she looked up into his eyes, her face free of tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked, not knowing what else to say.

"I will be." She paused, smiling softly, "Thank-you Severus." The seventeen-year-old Elena then leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips.

The days went on wonderfully from then on in. For three years the two dated, sometimes, it was on and off, as they were having trouble seeing each other, and getting into minor fights, but, each time they forgave or saw each other, they were more in love than before. After those three years, Severus asked Elena to marry him. Of course, she immediately said yes, and five months later, in early June, the couple wed. A while later, after another two and a half years had passed, Elena gave birth to Catherine. Soon after this however, was when things started to go bad.

It was late into the night, past two in the morning. The house was filled with darkness, except for the dim light in the corner. For the sixth night im a row, Elena sat up waiting for her husband. Catherine lay asleep on the couch beside her mother.

Finally, the door to the house swung open, and Severus entered. His eyes went straight to the corner where his wife sat.

"Elena? What are you doing still up?"

"Where were you?" She completely ignored his comment.

"What?" The man stepped into the living room.

"Where were you?" Elena stood up, "Severus, you've been out extremely late for the past week, you're never here anymore!"

"Elena, I'm doing some extra work."

"For who?" The sudden raise of her voice caused one-year-old Cate to wake on her spot on the couch. "Sev, you're working for him, aren't you? You've been serving Voldemort all these late nights, haven't you?"

"Elena!" He said sharply, "Stop! Listen, it isn't safe for you and Catherine here anymore. There's going to be so much danger coming this way. You need to leave."

"Don't tell me you're leaving us for him!"

"Elena, I'm sorry." Snape turned, leaving the room. As he left, he heard Catherine calling for him in her infant way. He didn't pause to look back.

Snape collapsed down into an armchair at his last thought. The worst thing he had ever done, he had just fully remembered. Now he realized that he should have gone straight to Grimmauld Place and sorted things out with Elena, before working things out with Cate. Maybe she would have forgiven him, and they could have loved again.