Professor Snape was putting his room back in order with a flick of his wand when you knocked, balancing the two plates on a huge textbook in your hand. Professor Snape whirled around to see you there and his eyebrows went up into a furrowed peak of surprise. "I brought lunch." You said, showing him the two plates. He came closer to see that it was, indeed, Hogwarts' mid-day meal on the plates and he simply gazed you. "Why, pray tell?" He asked. "Because I wish for you to be fed." You said walking inside. "Would you like for me to put these on your desk?"
Your father followed after you on your way to his workspace, objecting to your meal-time antics. "Miss Y/N, I must ask you to leave." "Oh but you can't forget, I promised to have lunch with you." You said, setting the plates on his desk. "What? No, you didn't. You promised to meet me after school hours." He said, grabbing your arm and turning you to look at him. "Yes, but lunch is more convenient don't you think?" You asked, dodging his attempts to kick you out. "I don't have time for this, Y/N." He groaned, eventually resting his hands on your shoulders and pushing you towards the door. "But, father!" You whined. "What have I told you about addressing me as your father during school hours?" He asked, annoyed, as you quickly shut the door before he could push you out.
"Hear me out!" You said, leaning all your weight against the door. "Stand aside, so I may open this door." Your father demanded, attempting to get past you. "Come on, please!" You said, shifting so that you were covering the doorknob. "No." "Please?" "No." "Please?" "No!" "Please?!" You begged. "Let me open this door!" He replied. You sighed. "If I do, will you listen?" He frowned. "You'll have five minutes to make your case." You shuffled past him so that he could open the door. "Now, what is this all about?" He asked.
"I… may or may not have lied to Professor Binns and said that you and I were having lunch together, so I wouldn't have to stay after class and get detention…" Professor Snape was not amused. "What did you do?" He asked pinching the bridge of his nose. "Literally, nothing! I had finished my work and turned it in, so I decided to close my eyes because I was having a splitting headache. He thought I was sleeping in his class." I said. "And you didn't think to simply sort things out with him?" He replied.
"Oh, I did. Believe me, I did. I replied to him asking me if I was sleeping in his class with: "First of all, I was not asleep, I was resting my mind after your grueling essay. Second, I have nothing else to do, so why not reward my hard work with a much-needed break? Third of all, not everybody is finished, so let's stop talking and let the others get back to work." He didn't even answer my other two lines, he simply said, "and now you disrespect me by answering questions I didn't ask." How is that disrespectful?!" I said. Your father was silent for a minute before he sighed. "Very well. Come sit."
The pair of you sat at his desk after you pulled up a stool. There was once again silence between you. But it was soon filled with the clink of silverware against China plates. This tiny background noise made it a comfortable silence. But after a while, your father broke it. "Don't think that because you had lunch with me, you're exempt from tonight." "Yes, sir." You said, focusing on your lunch. He raised eyebrows. "Sir. You rarely call me that one." He said. "I wasn't sure whether to call you Professor or Father." He gave you a look that said, "Come now, Y/N. You know this." You sighed. "Whenever school hours occur, you and I are not related, and therefore should not treat each other as such." You said, forking some food into your mouth after finishing. "Precisely. So you know exactly what to call me right now."
"Yes, but you have to admit that this is every so slightly more familiar than is appropriate for a mere student/teacher relationship, right?" You asked, fiddling with your fork. "Especially when adhering to standards of professionalism…" "Don't flatter yourself, Y/N." Professor Snape scolded. "You know better than this." You frowned, disappointed and still slightly confused. "Yes… Professor." You said, using that tone that a child uses when they lose an argument with their parents. "Good. Now, if you're done eating, please take these plates back to the kitchens." He instructed, giving you his half-eaten plate. "Yes, Professor." You said with a nod. "I'll see you after school." "And you are to address me as Professor, or Sir, tonight." He said. You frowned, looking back at him. "... Yes, Professor." You then walked out of the room, closing the door behind you.
You made your way to the kitchens, dropped off the plates, and went to check the time. The clock said that you had 35 minutes left of lunch, so you went looking for your favorite Slytherin. He was with his group and Pansy Pug-face Parkinson. Seriously, isn't there a disease named after her family? You pressed your lips together and started walking in the other direction. However, Draco spotted you. "Y/N!" He said, walking away from the rest. "But, Dracey!" Pansy called. "Later, Pansy." He said, before turning to you. "Where were you? I was looking all over the Ravenclaw table for you." "I was having lunch with my fa-... Professor Snape." You said, catching yourself on your words. "Afterwards, I came looking for you to explain. However, it seems like you're occupied at the moment."
"Never mind them, Y/N. They can wait." He said waving off the others. "Are you sure? Pansy sure seems tempted to hex me right now." You said, looking back at her. Her fist was clenched around her wand, and her face was red with envious fury. "Well, maybe I just sensed that something was displeasing you." He said, turning your gaze away from Pansy. "It's nothing important, Draco. Go back to the others." You said, gesturing him towards them. He frowned, but left you alone and went back to his group. Pansy smirked, latching onto Draco's arm once he was close enough. You continued on down the hall until you reached an exit that led out to the path to the lake. Once there, you sat down on a bench beside a tree that overlooked the lake. Taking out a book, you began to read Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.
"Excellent falsehood! Why did he marry Fulvia and not love her? I'll seem the fool I am not. Antony Will be himself." You read aloud the part of Cleopatra. "What is that you are reading?" A Gryffindor with frizzy brown hair asked, sitting beside you. You looked at her, surprised that anyone would take interest in you and your muggle reading material. "It's a book by a muggle play author, Shakespeare. It's a tragedy called Antony and Cleopatra." "Oh, I love Shakespeare." She said, smiling. "May I read with you?" You smiled. "Of course." "But stirred by Cleopatra. Now for the love of Love and her soft hours, Let's not confound the time with conference harsh. There's not a minute of our lives should stretch Without some pleasure now. What sport tonight?" The girl read Mark Antony's lines.
"Hear the ambassadors." "Fie, wrangling queen, Whom everything becomes-to chide, to laugh, To weep; [whose] every passion fully strives to make itself, in thee, fair and admired! No messenger but thine, and all alone Tonight we'll wander through the streets and note The qualities of people. Come, my queen, Last night you did desire it. [To the messenger] Speak not to us." Afterward, the two characters left the scene, so you stopped, to have a proper introduction to the girl. "You read his verses well," I said. "Are you a muggle-born? I've never met another half- or pure-blood who liked Shakespeare before I introduced them to it." "I am. My name's Hermione Granger. What's yours?" "I'm Y/N Snape. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione." You said, shaking her hand.
"Snape? As in Professor Snape?" A boy by the name of Harry Potter said. It was quite evident based on the scar, black hair, and glasses. "I didn't realize he had a daughter." Harry marveled. "Yeah… we don't talk about it…" You said, avoiding their gaze. "It's just… easier that way." "Oh? And why is that?" Hermione asked. "Well…" You winced. "Oh, wait…" Harry said before you could say anything. "Is it because of your Hogwarts house?" You looked him, a frown tugging at the corners of your mouth. "Yeah. Probably. Maybe? I don't know. We don't really talk about it… well, we don't really talk about anything that could be considered… unprofessional."
"It seems like your relationship with your father is… strained to say the least." Hermione said. "I'd say that practically nonexistent is a more fitting description." You chuckled. "But, no matter. Theoretically, it's for the best." "How so?" Harry asked. "Well, I'm willing to bet 100 galleons that the only other students who don't despise Professor Snape would be the Slytherins." "Yeah, that one seems like a safe bet." Hermione nodded her head. "It is. I know it. So, theoretically, if my father and I don't act like we're family, I won't be caught up in the hate." You explained. "The theory proved to be wrong." Hermione placed her hand on my shoulder when the clock rang. "Oh dear. It was nice meeting you guys, but I'm afraid I have to leave. I have Divination next."
"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I have ancient runes." Hermione said. "I have potions." Harry rolled his eyes. "Should I say hello to your father for you." "NO!" You practically yelled, grabbing his shirt collar and holding an intense staring contest with him. "No." "No." He repeated. "Don't do it, Harry." "I won't do it." "You better not do it." "I won't do it." "So help me, Harry, you had better not do it!" "I promise I won't do it!" "Just making sure! I don't need him disowning me because I'm friends with Harry Potter!" "Now why would he do that?" Harry asked while making me let go of his shirt collar. "I don't know. We haven't had a meaningful father-daughter conversation in four years!" You said, before running off. "I really have to go! Maybe see you guys later?" "Sure! How about the library after school?" Hermione called. "I'm in trouble with my dad after school! How about tomorrow in the mornings?" "Works for me!" Harry replied. "Me too! See you then!" Hermione called.
You ran up the stairs to Professor Trelawney's classroom, skipping up to four steps at a time. Once you were there, it was almost time for class to start, so you sat down at a table with a random student. She was a Hufflepuff. "Hey, do you mind if I sit with you?" You asked. "Sure." She said, before looking up from her bag. Her eyes widened at the sight of you. "Yoooo!" She said, her American accent sticking out like a sore thumb. "You're the girl that destroyed the Ravenclaw table!" You held back a chuckle. "Yeah, what of it?" "That was awesome! You finally said what we Hufflepuffs have been wanting to say for years now! Honestly, it's like Ravenclaws are the Slytherin to our Gryffindor!"
But I'm actually friends with a lot of Slytherins… You thought while plastering a smile on your face. "... Yeah." "Oh… wait. I'm sorry, I didn't-" "What?" You asked, confused. She couldn't have possibly read your mind… Right? "Your father… I forgot he was the head of Slytherin." Oh yeah… that counts too, I guess…? You thought. "It's alright. Who really cares who my father is? The Ravenclaws would hate me all the same if my father was Cornelius Fudge!" You laughed. "Alright, class!" Professor Trelawney said, coming into the classroom from her office. "It's good to see you all again. Of course, I knew that you would all return to this room safely! Alright! Come now, more crystal gazing!"
"May I?" The Hufflepuff asked. "Sure, go ahead." You replied. She peered into the cloudy orb. "Hmm? Now, what do we have here?" Professor Trelawney asked coming over to observe. "Huh. You're troubled, Y/N." The Hufflepuff said. "You've blocked off emotions concerning a specific person… With a wall of disappointment." You and Professor Trelawney were both impressed. "Give me your hand, darling." She said, staring down at my outstretched palm. "Oh, she's right. You are a kind spirit with a sunny disposition, but… you bear a grudge against a person for an event that happened… four years ago, when you first sat in front of all your peers in the great hall." You muffled the jolt that was sent through you at the memory of the sorting ceremony. "And… You hide a secret from the same person. A secret of friendship with another…" Your fist clenched. "You can't tell him, Professor." You said, shaking your head. "I won't. The lessons I teach my students are none of his concern." She said. "But he's not going to be happy when he finds out." "If he finds out." You said, turning to the Hufflepuff girl. She made the 'lips-are-sealed' motion.