"You can't be serious."
"Very, Hagrid saw her."
"Hagrid?"
"Flesh-eating slug repellent. You know that he goes to Knockturn Alley to get it."
"And he saw her with a child?"
"Pay attention, Poppy, will you? Snape has a daughter. A little girl. Apparently. Hagrid said not much but I saw it."
"Saw it, Minerva?"
"Legilimency. He didn't really want to tell me, only said he had a daughter and that we're supposed to leave him be."
"Hagrid said that?"
"Yes. You're not usually daft."
"I am not now. But Severus Snape with a daughter? It's just so..."
"Yes."
xx
"Have you heard?"
"Have I heard what?"
"About Severus Snape's daughter. He has one, Hagrid says. Oh, and Hermione Granger-Weasley and Ronald Weasley have split up."
"A daughter? Severus Snape? We speak of the same person, don't we?"
"Greasy-haired git Snape, yes."
"And Hermione and Ronald have broken up?"
"Yes. But Snape has a daughter."
"I heard. A daughter? Are you sure it's his?"
"Hagrid is. And the Headmistress is."
"Oh."
xx
"Have you heard that Snape has a daughter?"
"How did he get that?"
"I suppose – oh well, the birds and the bees and maybe he bought a surrogate. You know how those pureblood-obsessed wizards are. Always wanting heirs and securing their titles and whatnot."
"Snape is not a pureblood."
"Close enough."
"I thought he was a halfblood. And that he only pretended to..."
"Who knows?"
"So he really has a daughter?"
"Yes, apparently."
"Oh dear."
xx
"Hermione's run away from Ron."
"What?"
"Hermione's run away from Ron."
"Why?"
"Apparently she was seen in Knockturn Alley in Snape's apothecary the day after she did."
"Really? Do you think it's got something to do with the fact that he has his daughter living with him now?"
"Who knows? They were always quite similar in their ways."
"But you can't honestly believe that the kid living with him is her daughter?"
"No."
xx
"Have you heard that Granger left Weasley because of Snape?"
"What? No. I only heard that he had a daughter now."
"Yes. Apparently it's his and Granger's."
"That can't be!"
"Well, I heard it had lived with him and a nanny since she, of course, had those children with Weasley."
"That can't be. We would have heard."
"Whom do you know in Knockturn Alley?"
"Erm...well..."
"See?"
xx
"What do you mean she has a child with Snape?"
"She's moving in with him."
"But I thought she had two children with Weasley?"
"She had the one with Snape in between them. And he took her in and hid her until about two months ago. That's when Hagrid saw her for the first time and now, it was revealed that it's hers. And his."
"That can't be."
"It is."
xx
"Minerva, have you heard?"
"Have I heard what, Pomona?"
"Hermione Granger's moving in with Severus Snape."
"What? No. Why should she?"
"They've been in love for years, apparently. And that daughter you were talking about? Hers."
"No. That can't be. Pomona, don't be ridiculous."
"It's what I heard. And why shouldn't they be? Hermione Granger and Severus Snape are so similar, Minerva. They both read a lot, they're both interested in the same things and I bet they just found love with one another."
"Utter rubbish."
xx
"You might be moving to your sibling soon."
"What sibling?"
"Don't you know your sibling?"
"Nooo. What's a sibling?"
"Your sister."
"I have to move in with my sister?"
"Hasn't Mummy told you?"
"Uh-uh. But I already sleep in a room with Rosie."
"No, move in with your other sister."
"I don't have another sister."
"Yes, you do."
"Uh-uh. I don't."
xx
"Do I have another sister? Not just you?"
"Uh-uh. No. I only have you brother and don't have a sister."
"But Grandma Molly said that we move in with our other sister."
"What did Grandma Molly say?"
"That we might move in with our sister."
"But we don't have a sister."
"I know but that's what Grandma Molly said."
"Does she think we have a sister?"
"Duh!"
"We'll have to ask Mummy. I don't want to move. I like it with Grandma Jude and Grandpa John."
"Me too."
xx
"Mummy?"
"Yes, love?"
"Will we move?"
"Eventually, we will. We can't stay here forever."
"But we've only been here for a few weeks. We can stay for a little longer, can't we?"
"It's not been a few weeks, Rosie, it's been almost three months now."
"Yes, but we'll not move in with someone we don't know, do we?"
"What do you mean? Of course we won't move in with someone we don't know."
"Not another little girl? Or bigger girl?"
"Rosie, what's gotten into you? What are you talking about?"
"It's just that I, well, do I have a sister?"
"A sister? No. You have your brother Hugo."
"Don't feel my forehead, Mummy, I'm not sick."
"Then why are you talking about sisters? You don't have a sister."
"So we will not move in with my sister because I don't have one?"
"Of course not. You know that."
"Good."
"Who said you had a sister?"
"Nobody."
"Because you have ideas like this on your own?"
"Yes."
"No. Who said such a thing?"
"Erm..."
"Rose? I'm waiting."
"But..."
"Who?"
"Grandma Molly."
xx
"What are you talking about?"
"This, I'm talking about."
"It's the Prophet. You know I don't read the Prophet."
"Maybe you should have. It's in there why you left Ronald."
"What's in there?"
"Snape's in there."
"Snape?"
"Severus Snape."
"What's he got to do with anything?"
"That child of his."
"That child of his?"
"Yes, that child of his."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then read!"
"That's utterly ridiculous and you know it."
"Then why else should you leave Ron?"
"Because I don't love him any more!"
xx
"Daddy, we brew again?"
"Ophelia, it's will we brew again."
"Will we?"
"Yes."
"Can I peel flobberworms?"
"We don't need flobberworms for that potion."
"What potion?"
"The Sober Up for..."
"Squiffy Mary Kelly!"
"I don't know why you like her so much."
"She's funny and you never close apothecary when she comes here."
"No, you know why I on occasion close the apothecary."
"Yes! Because you don't want nosy dunderheaded Hogwarts people here."
"Exactly."
"I'm your girl, right?"
"Will you eat your porridge?"
"Yes, but am I your girl, daddy?"
"Eat."
"When you answer my question."
"Eat."
"Am I your girl, daddy?"
"Yes. On occasion."
"Good!"
"And stop that. You're strangling me. You do not know how much strength you got in those arms of yours."
"Only when I hug you."
"Yes. And you're doing it constantly."
"No."
"No."
"See?"
"You'll be the death of me."
"No. You said those nosy, dunderheaded Hogwarts people will be the death of you."
"Them too."
"Mhhh."
"Don't wipe your porridge-mouth on my cheek."
"I'm giving you a kiss."
"I can see that. But use your napkin."
"Next time."
"Get dressed and we'll go downstairs."
"Can I take a book with me?"
"You ask that every day, Ophelia. What's my answer every day?"
"Yes."
"Yes. Go."
"Thanks Daddy!"
"And don't wipe your porridge-mouth on my cheek."