Rachel and Millie arrived in the Great Hall a few minutes after breakfast started on Monday morning. They took a seat at the Slytherin table and Rachel reached for the plate of scrambled eggs.

"Why are people looking at you?" Millie asked, glancing around the room.

Rachel turned and looked. Sure enough there were people, mostly older students, turning to look at her. She craned her head and got a better look. Most of the people staring at her had newspapers. She got up and walked down the table to collect one of the school's copies of the Daily Prophet and brought it back to where Millie was sitting.

She didn't see anything out of the ordinary on the first side, but when she turned it over to see the rest of the first page she found what she was looking for.

Hero or Troll? What Happened to the Girl-Who-Lived?

By Rita Skeeter.

When the Girl-Who-Lived made her return to proper Wizarding Society it was unannounced and we only learned of it after she'd completed her trip to Diagon Alley for the milestone of shopping for her first year as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Esteemed patrons of Diagon Alley all recalled how shy the child saviour had been, how she'd hardly said even a word to anybody. But who could have blamed her, honestly, for she wasn't raised by us. Certainly not this witch.

Let me refresh your memories for a moment, to the days after the war ended. To how numerous trials and investigations overshadowed the actions of one evening for just long enough that a child any one of us would have given everything for the privilege to raise had been placed outside our society. It happened, and despite multiple attempts to affect a change, the Ministry upheld the placement of the Saviour of the Wizarding World by Albus Dumbledore.

Readers, I bring those days up because there is a troubling situation that has come to my attention. Sources inside Hogwarts have expanded on the observations of Diagon Alley and revealed that Rachel Snow is both a mute and a Squib. This witch wonders if Headmaster Dumbledore has known for the past ten years and used his influence to hide Rachel Snow from us. If so, how did he intend to continue this illusion?

More importantly, what does it mean for the Girl-Who-Lived now that she can't do magic? How does being a Squib affect her position at Hogwarts? See page 5 where I detail the hard facts answering these and other questions.

There was a picture accompanying the article, one of Rachel in the library with her head bent over a book. Every now and then she turned a page, though she didn't look up at the camera.

Rachel hadn't noticed anyone taking a picture of her.

"That's awful," Millie said, reading over Rachel's shoulder. "You're not a squib."

Rachel didn't even know what a squib was, but apparently it was a bad thing.

"I just saw the paper," Hermione said, coming up next to them. "What a horrid thing to write. Of course you can do magic. You wouldn't have been accepted at Hogwarts if you couldn't do magic. Obviously this Skeeter woman doesn't know what she's talking about."

"What are you doing here? This is the Slytherin table, in case you haven't noticed," Draco said, looking at Hermione with a slight sneer as he, Theo, and Blaise sat down across the table from Rachel and Millie.

"I'm here because I'm Rachel's friend and I'm supporting her," Hermione said stiffly.

That was strange, but nice. She'd only been at Hogwarts for a month and she already had two friends.

"What is going on? Why is everyone looking over here?" Theo asked, glancing around the Great Hall while Blaise reached across him for the platter of sausages.

"Look what they're saying about Rachel," Millie said, handing them the newspaper that Rachel had dropped on the table.

The boys leaned closer so they could all read it at the same time.

Draco whistled. "Well I wouldn't want to be on this woman's bad side. If this is what she writes when she doesn't even know you, imagine if you were her enemy."

"But Rachel isn't a squib, she wouldn't have gotten a Hogwarts letter if she was a squib," Blaise said, stuffing the remainder of a sausage in his mouth.

"That's what I said," Millie said.

"What exactly is a squib?" Hermione asked.

Draco's eyes narrowed as he considered Hermione, but he answered anyway. "A squib is a non-magical person born to magical parents. It's not very common. But as Blaise said, Rachel isn't a squib. If she was, she wouldn't be able to brew potions and she is one of the better students in our class."

Theo had opened the paper to read the rest of the article. "They think that Professor Dumbledore let her in and is trying to hide the fact that she's a squib. It's suggested that she should be in a long term care ward in Saint Mungo's," he said, folding up the newspaper again.

Rachel looked down at her plate. Professor Snape had taken her to Saint Mungo's, maybe he thought the same thing?

"Should one of us write the paper and tell them that they're wrong? They could print a retraction," Hermione suggested.

"Well, they aren't entirely wrong," Draco said. "Rachel is mute and she can't do most types of magic."

"Being mute and being a squib are two very different things," Millie said. "I don't think we need to write a letter, Hermione. I think Professor Dumbledore will have to make a statement saying Rachel's not a squib. People will be demanding answers after reading this."

"If they already think Professor Dumbledore was hiding the fact that she's supposedly a squib, then wouldn't they assume he was lying if he gave a statement?" Theo asked, grabbing the last of the toast before Blaise could reach for it.

"Probably, but my guess is they'll have someone from the Ministry make the statement, once they can prove that Rachel isn't a squib," Draco said. "The Ministry wouldn't want to cause a panic."

Rachel frowned. Why would people panic if she was a squib? What was with all of this Girl-Who-Lived stuff? Was it just because her parents had died and she hadn't? She wished she could ask someone, but everyone seemed to assume that she already knew.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Gemma asked, hurrying over to them.

Rachel nodded. She was okay enough, even though she was really uncomfortable with having all these people watching her.

"I haven't found Professor Snape yet, but I'll tell him about this as soon as I see him," Gemma said, looking worried.

"What is Professor Snape going to do about it?" Hermione asked.

Gemma looked at Hermione, clearly confused why a Gryffindor was there. "He's our Head of House and one of his students was just slandered in the Daily Prophet. He'll know what to do."

"It's not slander if it's true," Draco said as he got to his feet. "I'm just saying it is partially true."

"It's slander to call someone a squib when they aren't," Gemma said, giving Draco a disapproving frown. "It's almost time for classes to start, finish your breakfasts and get going."

Rachel pushed her plate away and got to her feet. She didn't really feel like eating. Millie got up with her.

"What's your first class today? I'll walk with you," Hermione said, joining them as they left the Great Hall.

"Defense," Millie said, leading them around a group of older students who were clustered in the doorway.

"I have History of Magic, so that's close by," Hermione said. "Maybe your prefect is right and Professor Snape can do something about this."

"Maybe," Millie said, sounding doubtful.

Rachel didn't know if Professor Snape could do something about the newspaper article, but maybe he could tell the other students to stop staring at her.

Rachel was in the middle of weeding and tending a bed of dittany with Millie when a piece of parchment folded up like a bird flew through a nearby open window in the greenhouse. The bird went and hovered in front of Professor Sprout, who was showing two of the Ravenclaw boys how to replant some of the dittany they had accidentally pulled out while weeding.

Professor Sprout caught the note and unfolded it. "Miss Snow, you're wanted in the Headmaster's office," she called.

Rachel brushed the dirt off her hands and exchanged a glance with Millie. The Headmaster's office had not been on the list of places the Slytherin prefects had shown them.

"Go on then," Professor Sprout said. "Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you."

"Ma'am, I don't think any of us know where the Headmaster's office is," one of the Ravenclaw girls said.

"Second floor corridor, right hand side. Go all the way to the end and wait in front of the statue of the gargoyle," Professor Sprout said, nodding once at the girl who had spoken.

Rachel left the greenhouse and walked back to the school. The hallways were empty, which was a nice change after being stared at all day. It didn't take her long to find the gargoyle statue that Professor Sprout had spoken of, and Rachel stared at it. She supposed that the Headmaster had some magical way of knowing that someone was waiting for him.

She was assuming this was about the newspaper article and that the Headmaster would have to somehow prove to someone that he wasn't lying and she wasn't a squib.

After a few minutes, the gargoyle stepped aside, revealing a staircase. As soon as she stepped up, the stairs began to move upward, somewhat like a spiral escalator. A short time later it deposited her at what seemed like the top of a tower, with a wooden doorway directly across from the stairs.

Rachel raised her hand to knock on the door, but it opened by itself before she could actually knock.

"Miss Snow, please come in," Professor Dumbledore called.

She stepped inside, taking a quick look around. There were three men in the room: Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and a portly man she didn't recognize. The room itself was filled with various cabinets, many with magical instruments of some sort on display. There was a fireplace at the back of the room, and a desk with a large chair behind it.

"Miss Snow, this is the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge," Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing to the third man.

Rachel bowed her head respectfully.

The Minister regarded her with caution and then looked back to Professor Dumbledore. "She doesn't speak?"

"We have already told you this much is true, Minister," Professor Snape said. "We are working on the situation and are hopeful that Miss Snow will be able to speak soon."

"And how are you working on the situation?" the Minister asked. "She can't speak and she can't do magic. How is Hogwarts an appropriate environment for her?"

"I have received reports from all of my professors here at Hogwarts and they indicate that Rachel is a good student," Professor Dumbledore says.

"She is not a squib, Minister. As you know, the Hogwarts rolls do not list squibs, and the Headmaster showed you her name written there. She performs well in all of her classes with the exception of Charms and Transfiguration," Professor Snape said. "We have consulted with multiple Healers and she will be evaluated by a Mind Healer."

A Mind Healer? Did that mean Professor Snape was going to be taking her to another doctor? Sooner or later they were going to have to accept that she couldn't speak. Surely the Healers would tell them that?

"And what of this adoption request?" the Minister asked, seeming to ignore their answers to his previous questions. "First you placed her with muggles and now you want Severus Snape to adopt the Girl-Who-Lived?"

"Unfortunately I was not able to determine that her muggle relatives would provide an unsuitable environment for her when I first placed her there, and my good friend, Mrs Arabella Figg, checked in on her from time to time but did not realize the extent of the situation," Professor Dumbledore explained.

Wait - Mrs Figg was a witch too? Rachel guessed that explained all of the cats.

"When Professor Snape realized that Miss Snow's placement was unacceptable, he let me know and volunteered to adopt her. Given both his close relationship with Miss Snow's mother and his ability to protect Miss Snow, I believe it is an ideal placement," Professor Dumbledore continued.

"Even considering his past?" the Minister asked.

"My past makes me the best qualified wizard for the job," Professor Snape said smoothly. "I have insider knowledge and am well suited to providing protection to Miss Snow. Additionally, should the issue of her adoption become public before the adoption is complete, it would allow others with connections to make claims that they should be allowed to adopt Miss Snow. I assure you we do not want that to happen."

The Minister nodded. "Is there no one else, Albus?"

"Minister, there is no one that I trust more than Severus Snape. I would trust him with my life, and with Miss Snow's," the Headmaster said, his gaze unwavering.

"And you, Miss Snow. Do you want Professor Snape to adopt you?" the Minister asked.

Rachel nodded, grateful that Professor Snape had prepared her for this. While she wasn't sure she wanted to be adopted by Professor Snape, she was willing to accept it if it meant she didn't have to go back to the Dursleys.

"Very well then, I will use my influence to discreetly expedite the adoption. I expect updates, Albus, on when she can speak and use magic," the Minister said.

"You will have them, Minister. And please feel free to quote me when you speak with the Daily Prophet, assuring them that Rachel is not a squib," Professor Dumbledore said. "Miss Snow, you are free to leave, though as you only have a few minutes of class left, do not worry about going back out to the greenhouses."

Rachel nodded, recognizing a dismissal when she heard one.

She left, glad that this gave her a little time to get to the library before people got out of class and started staring at her again.

Severus frowned over his copy of the Daily Prophet as he waited for Lucius Malfoy to call on him through the floo. Lucius was already late, which was typical for him. Lucius liked to keep people waiting as a way of proving his superiority - he wouldn't wait for anyone, but virtually everyone but the Minister waited on him.

The Daily Prophet had printed a follow-up article to the one they had printed on Monday, this time with the Minister assuring people he had looked into the situation and that the Girl-Who-Lived was not a squib, but the damage had already been done. He had heard numerous students discussing the possibility that Rachel couldn't actually do magic at all, conversations that were undoubtedly echoed in the wider wizarding world.

Severus wanted to know who was responsible for leaking the information to the press, hence his letter to Lucius, asking if they could meet and discuss Draco's progress thus far. If anyone would know, other than the reporter at the Daily Prophet, it would be Lucius.

"Severus?" Lucius' voice called.

"Yes, Lucius. Please come through," Severus called, leaving the Daily Prophet out on his desk so that he had a segue to the conversation if Lucius didn't provide it.

Lucius smoothly stepped through into Severus' office, looking as smug and confident as ever. "Severus," he said, inclining his head very slightly.

"Lucius, it's good to see you. Please have a seat," Severus said, motioning to the chair he had transfigured for the occasion. Lucius was obviously too good to sit in a simple student chair. "Would you like something to drink?"

"The scotch you've decanted will be fine," Lucius said, nodding at the shelf where Severus had prepared drinks for the occasion.

Severus served himself and Lucius a glass of scotch before sitting back down, across from Lucius instead of behind his desk.

"I trust Draco is behaving himself?" Lucius asked.

In Severus' opinion, Draco was a bit of a spoiled brat, but he hadn't been caught doing anything just yet and Severus favored him in class as he was expected to. "He is. High marks in his classes and the potions he brews are very good. I expect he'll have a bright future," Severus said. This was true, if he could save Draco from following his father's path.

"Good," Lucius said, swirling his drink and then taking a sip. "He's playing nicely with his classmates?"

Severus nodded. "I often see him with Crabbe and Goyle's boys as well as with Parkinson's daughter."

"That is acceptable, though I hope that he is making an effort to seek connections with students in other years in the House," Lucius said.

"He's been making connections with the prefects and the other upper year students who are leading the study sessions. I'm sure as the year goes by he will have the opportunity to interact with more of the House," Severus said, resisting the urge to remind Lucius that Draco had only been at school for a month.

"Do you think he's likely to be a prefect?" Lucius asked.

Severus did not roll his eyes, but it was a close thing. "Assuming he keeps his marks up and continues to be social within the House, I think he will likely be a prefect."

"Very good. It's important for such things to remain in the families who are worthy," Lucius said with a satisfied nod. "I heard that the Minister paid you a visit recently."

That was the segue Severus had been waiting for. "Yes, he stopped by to ask Albus and myself about that article in the Daily Prophet. I assume you saw it?"

"I did indeed, it was quite the scandal in some circles. The Minister seemed to believe your and Dumbledore's assurances that the Girl-Who-Lived is not a squib," Lucius said, subtly digging for more information.

Severus knew how this game was played - if he wanted something from Lucius, he had to give more than he got. "She is not a squib. She is adequate at brewing potions. If she were a squib, the ingredients in the potions she brewed would not have reacted."

"And yet she doesn't speak or cast magic?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Severus admitted. "Albus is searching for a Mind Healer that can deal with the problem."

The edge of Lucius' mouth tipped up in a slight smirk. "Back in our day, if a student refused to speak or cast spells they would have simply caned them until they started speaking."

Severus nodded with a neutral expression. Thank Merlin they weren't back before Albus became Headmaster. While Severus had never been caned, he had been beaten by his father on multiple occasions. He suspected that Lucius was raised with the same stern philosophy that children should be physically punished, and that Lucius raised Draco in much the same manner. While Severus could rescue Rachel from her muggle relatives, there wasn't much he could do for Draco unless Draco made a complaint. Lucius would have magically healed any of Draco's wounds and there would be no evidence of most injuries for a medical history spell to pick up.

"I find it curious that the matter only now made it to the press," Severus said, leading Lucius in the direction he wanted to go. "I would have expected it to be public the first week of school."

"I expect it took some time for students to remember they were supposed to write home while they are at school," Lucius said. "And while news about the Girl-Who-Lived is clearly of interest to any adults who follow current events, sometimes young people are forgetful."

In other words, Draco hadn't told Lucius about Rachel, and Lucius had been surprised by the article in the Daily Prophet. "Typically the other students do not pay Miss Snow much attention, as she will not converse with them," Severus explained.

"I did hear something interesting about Miss Snow," Lucius said, his gaze giving away how invested he was in the conversation.

"Oh?" Severus asked.

"It appears Dumbledore has petitioned to remove her from her muggle relatives and has suggested you as her new guardian," Lucius said, pausing for another sip of his drink. "I wasn't aware that Dumbledore supported removing magical children from their muggle relation's care."

"In general he doesn't, but special circumstances required that Miss Snow continued to reside here instead of returning to her relatives," Severus said, hoping that the Ministry would move fast enough to block any other petitions to adopt Rachel. "Since I am her Head of House, Albus requested that I provide guardianship for her. It seemed like a prudent suggestion."

Lucius nodded, apparently catching all of the subtext that Severus was trying to include in his words. "I see. I would guess that Maxilium Turner will speak to the Daily Prophet once that news becomes public."

Severus nodded. "It seems likely." The message had been sent and received; Lucius had gotten the information he wanted, so he had given Severus what he wanted in return. Jacob Turner, a third year, must have been the one to write to his father with information about Rachel, and Maxilium Turner had then gone to the Daily Prophet. Likely he'd bargained for a tidy sum for his information.

"I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Severus," Lucius said. "Fatherhood is a challenging job under ordinary conditions. Given the girl's upbringing, you will have your hands full."

Severus decided to play stupid. "I'm sure it won't be any more difficult than being her Head of House."

Lucius smirked again. "You'll see, it is nothing alike."

As Madam Hooch led the poor Gryffindor boy who'd fallen off his broom away, Rachel saw something shiny on the ground where he had fallen. Curious, she picked it up and looked at it. It was about the size of a large marble and was filled with white smoke.

"Oh, that's Neville's Remembrall. I'm glad you found it," Hermione said, joining where Rachel and Millie were standing.

Rachel handed it over to Hermione, trusting that she would give it back to the Gryffindor boy. The smoke in the ball turned red once Hermione was holding it.

"What did you forget?" Millie asked.

"I don't know, I don't usually forget things," Hermione said, frowning as she stared at the ball. "This thing is useless. How does it help to know you've forgotten something if it doesn't tell you what you've forgotten? All it does is make you worry."

"So, who wants to race down to the Whomping Willow and back?" Draco called, attracting everyone's attention. "How about you, Weasel?"

A red-headed Gryffindor boy flushed and stepped forward clutching a broom. "You're on, Malfoy!"

"Ron, don't! You'll get expelled," Hermione said, looking alarmed.

"Let's go, before Madam Hooch gets back," Draco said, pushing himself up into the air.

Ron mounted his broom and joined Draco in the air. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

Draco took off as Ron was saying three and they both flew away toward a large tree across the grounds.

"Idiots," Hermione said, folding her arms. "I hope Neville is okay."

"Madam Pomfrey will fix him right up. Mending broken bones is easy," Millie said. "I fell out of a tree when I was six, and my mom pulled my arm straight and with a tap of her wand it was better."

When Rachel had broken her arm when she was six, she had been in a cast for two months. She'd broken the same again three years later. Both times had been Dudley's fault.

"There are definitely advantages to magic," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Do most witches and wizards know that kind of magic?"

"No, my mom is a Healer," Millie said. "Lots of things can go wrong with healing magic, so apart from basic first aid spells, it's really better to let a professional Healer handle things if you can."

Draco and Ron had made it down to the tree and were on the way back. Draco had a good lead, which made sense because Draco had been telling them last night about how he'd had professional flying lessons.

Rachel looked back at the castle, wondering if they were going to make it back before Madam Hooch came back from the hospital wing.

Hermione noticed her looking. "They really shouldn't be racing. It's reckless."

"They're boys," Millie said, as though that was a complete answer.

Draco touched down and dismounted his broom. "And that is how you win a broom race."

Crabbe and Goyle laughed and Crabbe slapped Draco on the shoulder.

Ron landed about thirty seconds later. He ignored Draco and went to go stand with the other Gryffindor boys.

Shortly after Madam Hooch came back and got them all lined up again.

"Now, let's try that again. Remember to gently kick off the ground. You only want to go a few feet up in the air and then come straight back down," Madam Hooch said. "On my whistle."

She blew her whistle and Rachel pushed up with her feet and held on tightly to her broom. It was definitely a strange feeling, hovering in the air with only a broom between her and the ground. Strange, but amazing.

"Come back down now," Madam Hooch called.

Reluctantly Rachel leaned forward and brought the broom back down. Next to her, Millie gave a relieved sigh.

"Very good, let's do it again. Straight up, and straight back down," Madam Hooch said and then blew her whistle.

They went up and down a few times more times before Madam Hooch allowed them to start flying about.

Rachel went up a little higher and started feeling out how to turn and how to go faster. She noticed that Millie and Hermione were both only a few feet off the ground and were very slowly moving along.

"Rachel, want to go down to the Whomping Willow and back?" Draco called, flying up beside her.

She glanced over their class - they were more spread out now and Madam Hooch was occupied with two of the Gryffindor girls. She looked at Draco and nodded. She didn't really want to race, but she wanted to go faster.

"Okay, on three. One, two, three," Draco said.

They both went flying straight toward the Whomping Willow, Draco scooting away to give her a little more space.

This was amazing. The wind was on her face and going through her hair and she was soaring. This was the first time magic had felt easy. This was the first time magic had felt right.

She fell a little behind as they turned at the Whomping Willow but was able to get a little more speed out of her broom on the way back and pull almost even with Draco.

"I said no racing!" Madam Hooch called at them once they were back by the rest of the class.

"We weren't racing, we were just flying in pairs like you told us to," Draco said innocently. "We went further away so we didn't hit anyone."

Fortunately Madam Hooch was immediately distracted by Crabbe coming down for a hard landing.

Draco grinned at Rachel, and unable to stop herself, Rachel grinned back.

Severus sat down in the waiting room for Dr. Torey Halls, dressed in muggle apparel. He had apparated to an alleyway on the outskirts of Western London and walked the short distance to her office. The inquiry he had sent by owl earlier in the week had been answered with a suggestion for an appointment to discuss the matter in more detail. Dr. Halls had indicated that she preferred to first meet with the child's parents to discuss whether she was a good fit for the child's situation and to put together treatment goals.

The clock in the room indicated it was a minute past five o'clock when an interior door opened and a woman dressed in a t-shirt and jeans stepped out. "Professor Snape?" she asked.

Severus stood up. "Dr. Halls, I presume?"

"You can just call me Torey," she said, offering her hand for him to shake. Her accent sounded distinctly American.

"Severus," he said in return.

"Come on in," Torey said, walking back through the door.

Severus followed her into her office and was somewhat surprised to find that the walls had children's artwork posted on them and there were multiple shelves of games and children's books.

"Take a seat," Torey said, settling into a chair near her desk.

He sat down on the couch, avoiding a purple stain, and looked back to where Torey was gathering a clipboard and pen from her desk.

"In your letter, you indicated you are seeking treatment for one of your students," Torey said, turning to face Severus. "Have her parents or guardians requested that you seek treatment for her in their stead?"

"The situation is a little bit complicated," Severus said. "I am in the process of adopting Rachel."

"She is currently being fostered with you?" Torey asked.

"No. She's my student, boarding at Hogwarts," Severus paused and then pulled out his wand and cast a privacy charm.

"I do have privacy charms set up on my office," Torey said. "I take confidentiality and privacy concerns very seriously."

"I'm glad. Given Rachel's status as the Girl-Who-Lived it is very important that what is said about her remains confidential and out of the press," Severus said.

"I did see the articles in the Daily Prophet this week. I imagine that has had an impact on Rachel," Torey said.

Severus nodded, though he wasn't certain how it had impacted Rachel. As the week had gone on the gossip in the school had moved on to other matters, so by the time Rachel was in his class today, Severus didn't see anything out of the ordinary about her.

"Back to the situation with her guardianship. Who currently has custody over her?" Torey asked.

"Legally, her muggle relatives, however due to circumstances they will no longer be Rachel's guardians once the adoption is complete," Severus explained.

"And what circumstances would those be?" Torey asked, seeming unfazed.

Severus hesitated and decided that if Torey was going to treat Rachel, she needed to know. If they decided that Torey couldn't help, he could obliviate her. "She was being abused. One of my prefects informed me of her suspicions and I had the Healer at our school perform a medical history exam. If she winds up in treatment with you I will have Madam Pomfrey forward you her records."

"How long have you known Rachel?" Torey asked, tapping her pen on her clipboard.

"A month," Severus explained, watching Torey's eyebrows briefly raise. "I was close friends with Rachel's mother, but I would not have been welcomed at her muggle relatives house. I hadn't seen Rachel since she was a baby, until she was sorted into my House at the start of the month."

"And this relationship with her mother is why you decided to adopt Rachel?"

"Part of the reason. I believe it's what her mother would have wanted, under the circumstances. And, given who Rachel is, she may be in danger from members of the Dark Lord's former allies. I am in the best position to protect her," Severus said, all too aware that he was being scrutinized.

"What does Rachel think about you adopting her?"

"She agreed, by nodding, but I don't really know what she thinks as she won't speak or write down answers to questions. That would be the problem," Severus said.

Torey sat back in her chair and considered him. "It's important that you work with Rachel to ensure that this adoption isn't a trauma for her. Even if she can't yet speak to you, you can speak to her and explain what is happening in an approachable way. Do you know if Rachel has spoken at all while she's been at school?"

"Not as far as I'm aware. She doesn't speak to me, her other teachers, or to her classmates," Severus said.

"And prior to attending Hogwarts, do you know if she spoke at the primary school she went to, or at home with her relatives?" Torey asked.

"I do not know," Severus said.

Torey made a note on her clipboard. "Do you know the address of her relatives, so I can request records from her primary school?"

"Not offhand, but I can get it," Severus said. Her file at Hogwarts would have the address of her guardians.

"How much do you know about selective mutism?" Torey asked.

"I haven't heard of it before now," Severus admitted.

Torey nodded. "That's not surprising, most people don't unless one of their children or students have it. It's an anxiety disorder that is closely related to social anxiety. Children, and sometimes adolescents and adults, who have it are often very anxious around people and they tend to worry a lot in general. They also tend to be very shy."

"How do we get her to speak?" Severus asked.

"It's a process of building an environment where she is comfortable and has less anxiety. If you decide that you'd like me to work with her, treatment will involve talking with her and building a rapport to help her speak here. Then we would generalize those skills so that she could speak with you. After that, we would work so that she could speak with classmates and other teachers," Torey explained. "It's important that she isn't being punished for not speaking. That only increases the level of anxiety she's feeling and decreases the likelihood she will speak."

"I've already asked the other teachers to stop taking points and to ask her yes and no questions in class," Severus said, glad that he'd brought that up at the last staff meeting. "How long will this treatment take?"

"Every child is different," Torey said. "Part of it depends on how long she has been mute and to what extent. If this is something that has just begun when she started at Hogwarts, we have a better chance of treating this quickly. If she has been mute for years and in all settings, it will likely take longer."

Severus nodded. That made sense to him. "Does treatment typically work?"

"In most cases, yes. Selective mutism was my field of specialty and I've worked with many children who have had it. Following treatment about ninety percent of them began to speak at school," Torey said.

"And you would be willing to treat Rachel? She would have to either see you on the weekends or after seven at night on weekdays," Severus said.

"I do work on Saturdays," Torey said. "And I can start treating Rachel if that's what you decide you'd like to do, once you're her legal guardian. I can't accept her as a patient without her legal guardian's permission."

"That should be resolved soon," Severus said, hoping that was true. "I will contact you once I receive her adoption paperwork from the Ministry."

Torey got to her feet and Severus took his cue to stand up.

"Thank you for coming in today, I look forward to working with you and Rachel," Torey said.

Severus nodded again. "Thank you."