Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters and settings in it is not mine.
A/n: This is AU. Set Harry's first year.
From The Fire To The Flame
Chapter 1
When she had been a young girl Annabelle Jane Snape had always been ecstatic when she had been told it had been time to go to her fathers. Her biological father was her very best of friend for the most part. They got on wonderfully well.
However, it was a rare occasion they did see one another, far too little for her liking.
The year after Annabelle had been born her mother and her father had begun to argue a lot. The marriage simply wasn't working so they split.
There had been a nasty custody battle for custody of her but in the end, Jane, her beloved mother had won due to her fathers questionable reputation.
But now everything that Annabelle had ever known about her mother was gone and she had to get over her.
It had always been just the two of them mainly except holidays when her father had visited or she had gone to him which had always been a cause for excitement for her.
But not this time, even though she was on her way to him the fact there was going to be no return journey had put a downer on things.
Her mother was dead.
There had been a house fire.
Jane had told Annabelle to run while she could and she did it with out thinking her mother might not be following her on but she hadn't been and she hadn't gotten out.
Anna had been such a coward the eleven year old cursed her self for not going back for her.
She was consumed by her grief and she wanted to be comforted but did she deserve it/. She didn't know. She should have gone back.
Sitting in a carriage on the Hogwarts express she was dressed in a black dress with a white shirt under it and robes on. She had never been educated in a main stream school before. This was all going to be new to her.
She was of course her daddy's little witch but she had been educated privately at the wish of her mother before today, though she didn't know why. Her Mother had been educated at Hogwarts.
Steering in to the black of the out side not she felt as the train slowed down. She was there.
Jumping up the pale faced child got what small belongings she still had left and waiting for the train to stop completely. She just wanted to be with her father now.
Running off as soon as she could Annabelle found her father quickly.
When Severus saw the state of his child he was shocked. Once so happy sand full she now looked small, timid and ill. The color she had had in her cheeks that summer when he had seen her last was gone.
Kneeling down to her he saw the sadness in her eyes.
Few other people were around as it was late at night.
Lifting her up he did what he should have been able tot do days ago and comfort her. She shook hard in his arms; she sobbed on his shoulder and held on to him for life.
"Oh puss," he whispered her child hood name in her ears. She had had a small black cat when she had been young and she called it puss, so he had told her she was his Puss. It had just stuck.
"I was so scared dad why weren't you there," she sobbed to him.
"I'm here now," he said cursing him self all the while. It was just one more regret to put with all the others.
Taking her small bag on his shoulder, Severus carried the weak child to the carriage.
When she showed no sigh of seeing the invisible horse he was glad. She hadn't seen her mother die then, that was some comfort.
Getting to Hogwarts, a felt strong enough toil walk again, she had her father that was enough.
Snow fell around them; the date was the nineteenth of December 1990. Not long till Christmas.
They had never been together before on the twenty fifth so that was going to be special for them to share.
Seeing there was a commotion ion the great hall for a meal time he lead her past.
"You don't have to face the school yet Annabelle, come on lets head for my quarters!" he told her softly, not wanting to startle her for any reason.
Nodding they walked on down to the dungeons.
Going in to her fathers familiar quarters she smiled as his scent filled the robe and the warmth consumed her.
But then she saw it. The fire was a light.
Panicking Anna looked to her father.
"Its ok," he said to her
"Can we put it out?" she asked him.
Severus nodded; a heating charm could be cast.
Putting it out he nodded to her and wrapped an arm round her.
"It's going to be ok, I've got you now, your safe Anna," he told her.
Nodding she gave him a ghost of a smile.
"You know where your room is don't you darling?" he asked and she nodded.
She loved her room here.
Then again she loved her room at the cottage with him.
She just loved him. And their relationship.
Going in to her room she smiled. He always kept it fresh for her when she was gone. The blue color skim was very her and she noticed the stuffed toys he kept on her bed.
They all had a tale behind them.
Noticing her child hood truck she grinned. She had always kept her precious things there. Reminders of what they had done together, old dance shoes, a pair that even still fitted her and all her old diaries. She had loved her mum but she felt happier knowing her diaries were here with her dad. She didn't even mind if he read them. But she wouldn't have wanted her mum too.
"Annabelle?" Severus called. "Are you hungry darling?"
"No," she said to him, "I want to go to bed, but first can I have some hot chocolate?" she asked.
"I should have known," hemuttered and went to make her some.
Changing in to her pajamas she went to the bathroom to do her teeth, glad to finally be here.
She had been with her mothers parents for a while and they been reluctant to let her leave there home, they had wanted her to stay with them, almost hadn't let her go.
She didn't think she was going to get here.
Settling in to her bed under her duvet her father sat on her bed next to her and tucked her in as she drank.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I'm just glad to get home at last, I am staying with you for good now aren't I dad?" she asked.
"As if I am going to let you go now I have you," he said seriously.
"Will you stay with me till I go to sleep dad," she asked and she watched as the corners of his lips twitched.
"Of course I will," he said and changed his position so that she could lay her head in his lap.
After a few minutes they were in silence, she spoke.
"Dad it was scary," she said sniffing. "I didn't think I was going to get back to you, I thought I was going to -"
"But you did and that is what is important," he said and held her tighter. "Your home Annabelle, you're safe."
He soothed her as she cried.
He had feared the same thing. But she had and that is what he kept telling himself.
He stayed with her long after she fell in to her dreams just looking at his daughter.
She was very similar to him. When she was awake she had his eyes and the poor child even had greasy hair. She was thin and at the moment very pale though that was probably because she hadn't been eating very well since the fire. Her grandmother had sent him an owl, Annabelle wasn't coping well at all.
"Night Puss," he whispered in her ear and noticed she still had her puss, she had got it out.
He didn't know why but it lifted his heart a little to see the cuddly toy she wasn't so attached too. It gave him hope.
An: I hope you liked it! Please review.
Rocks-my-socks