Samaria Kirby is my creation. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 7

Samaria and Severus returned to Hogwarts a week before September first. Elena, of course, came with them. Their plan for childcare was: while they were teaching Narcissa would come and get Elena via the Floo Network, and Samaria would go to the Malfoy's when she was finished with her classes. When they arrived at Hogwarts Professor McGonagall met them at the doors.

"The Headmaster wishes to see you," she said, smiling at the baby in Samaria's arms.

After thanking her, the two headed for the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. After using the password McGonagall had given them (Licorice Wands), they walked up the stairs to his office. Samaria had always loved this room; all the gadgets whirring and spinning, the pictures of the previous headmasters, but most of all, the beautiful phoenix on its perch.

Dumbledore smiled when they came in, "So, this is little Elena." Samaria smiled and handed her to Dumbledore when he came around his desk.

"Beautiful as her mother," he said.

"Thank you," Samaria blushed.

"You must be very proud, Severus."

"I am," he said, and looked at Dumbledore expectantly. Samaria knew what he was thinking. He was hoping Dumbledore had finally given him the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But Dumbledore didn't say much more, he merely cooed and played with Elena. After a few moments, he finally got to the point.

"We have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Looking at Severus, he added quickly, "Not you, I'm afraid, Severus. Her name is Dolores Umbridge. The Ministry appointed her."

"You're allowing the Ministry to interfere at Hogwarts?" Severus asked, his displeasure obvious in his voice.

"They insisted after the dementor attacks against Harry over the summer, and I conceded."

Samaria was shocked; she hadn't heard anything about this. Looking at Severus she thought he either had known or didn't care, due to the lack of emotion on his face.

Samaria asked, "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Dumbledore smiled. "In fact, I know you've been cooped up at Spinner's End due to this little angel," he looked down at Elena. "And I have it on good authority, that the Weasleys will be taking Harry to Diagon Alley for school supplies tomorrow. The only one there will be Sirius at Grimmauld Place." He looked at Samaria with a smile, which she returned.

Severus scoffed, but didn't comment.

After saying their goodbyes, the two headed for their quarters in the dungeons. When they went in, Samaria noticed that fires were already going in their damp rooms, and a baby crib had been set up. After lying Elena down, she joined Severus in the living room.

"Are you honestly considering on visiting Black?" Severus asked when she sat down beside him.

"Yes, he hasn't met Elena yet." After looking at him a moment, she said, "You don't have to come."

"Of course, I'll come."

"And be civil?" she asked.

He sighed, "If I must."

Samaria leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "For Elena. She doesn't need to see her daddy fighting with someone who gets along with her mommy. She'll get confused."

"She's three weeks old," he replied.

"Still, you should start practicing being civil to one another."

He shrugged, "She'll learn the way of things soon enough, but I will be civil as long as Black is." He smirked. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees my beautiful daughter."

She laughed, "You can't use her to rub in his face."

"I'm not using her. I'm just proud of her and want to show her off."

"Umm-hum," Samaria said, unconvinced.

~*SW*~

The next day, Severus had some duties he had to attend to (for the Dark Lord), so he told Samaria to go on to Grimmauld Place without him, and he would be there later. She was now in the entryway, listening to Sirius and Lupin talk as she grew closer to the kitchen.

"Snape will make you the potion if you just ask Dumbledore," Sirius was saying.

Lupin replied, "I'm not at the school anymore. He doesn't have the obligation."

"You know Dumbledore will make him! You look horrible."

As Sirius said this, he noticed Samaria appear in the doorway.

"Hey!" he stood, and walked over to her. Lupin turned to see whom it was and stood as well.

He looked horrible, like he hadn't slept in weeks, and was extremely pale. Samaria then remembered the full moon was coming up.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Is that…" Lupin gestured to the bundle in her arms.

"This is Elena."

"Elena? So, it was a girl. I've been wondering about you. Only got a little news here and there from Dumbledore. Obviously, you've forgotten how to send an owl," Sirius said.

"I've been kind of busy," she defended her self.

"I figured you were. That's why I'm going to let you off, this time." Sirius then came close enough to see inside the blanket. "So, do I get to hold her?"

Samaria smiled, and handed her daughter over to him. He gazed at her face a long time before saying, "She's actually pretty. Didn't take after Snape at all."

"Don't. I don't want you two putting each other down in front of her. I'd prefer if you didn't do it at all," she said.

"Well, you'll have to settle for it not being done in front of her," he replied.

Lupin spoke after looking at Elena for a moment, "She is a pretty baby."

"Thank you."

"What's her full name?" Lupin inquired.

"Elena Lily Snape," she watched their reaction.

They both looked up at her with shocked expressions.

"Snape let you put her name in there?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. She was very dear to me, and she was his only friend when he was at school. I felt it was appropriate." Samaria wasn't sure if they knew Severus had once been in love with Lily, so she didn't mention it.

Sirius fawned over the baby for a few minutes, talking to her and referring to himself as 'Uncle Sirius'. Lupin would stroke her hand or head, talking to her, but he wasn't as animated as Sirius was.

"Lupin," Samaria said, as she watched Sirius play with Elena. "If you need some Wolfsbane Potion, I can ask Severus to make you some."

Lupin shook his head, "I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't. I'll have him bring some to you before the full moon."

Though Lupin began protesting, there was a look of relief on his face. Finally, he stopped and said, "Thank you."

"No problem," she replied.

"Want to hold her, Moony?" Sirius asked.

As he handed Elena to Lupin, the front door closed loudly and Severus walked in.

He looked at Sirius with contempt in his eyes, but said nothing. His eyes then went to Lupin holding his child, and Samaria could almost see him physically biting his tongue so not to say anything. He walked over and took a seat beside Samaria.

"Well, Sniv… Snape. You actually have a decent looking child here, thanks to her mother," Sirius said.

"Yes, it was quite fortunate I could get such a beautiful wife," Severus said with a smirk and Samaria sighed inwardly. They were so ridiculous. Sirius just glared at him, but it wasn't as harsh as usual. Lupin just sat there with Elena, looking back and forth between the two.

"Yes, fortunate. But not as fortunate for you as the coma she was in, that apparently caused her to have some temporary brain problems," Sirius replied smoothly, returning the smirk.

Before Severus could retort, Elena started to cry. He rose and went to Lupin, "I'll take her."

"Don't do that, Snape. She'll cry worse, and maybe even have nightmares," Sirius said.

As soon as Elena was in Severus' arms she silenced. Severus looked at Sirius with a smirk.

"She loves her daddy," Samaria explained. "He's often the only one that can get her to stop crying."

Sirius didn't seem to know what to say to this, so he just leaned his chair back against the wall and said nothing.

~*SW*~

Later that evening, Samaria and Severus returned home. The rest of the visit had been spent with Sirius and Severus sparring with words, Samaria and Lupin conversing, and Elena sleeping in Severus' arms.

"You two are such children," Samaria said. "At least I know with Elena in one of your arms, you two won't be dueling."

Severus didn't reply as he retrieved a bottle, heated it, and began to feed their daughter.

Samaria sat back, and watched her husband feed his child. He was so tender with her, gently wiping excess milk from her face, lifting her to his shoulder for burping, patting her back every so carefully. Then, finally rocking her to sleep.

Samaria smiled at the two. She wasn't going to take this moment for granted. There would be far too few of them in Elena's short childhood.

Just as she was about to say something to Severus, he groaned and flexed his left arm.

"The Dark Lord wishes to see me again," he said handing her the baby.

He left, but returned shortly. "He wants you to come," he said. "He says it's time for your test.

~*SW*~

Samaria took a deep breath before opening the door into a room in Malfoy Manor. When she had first gotten there, she had given Elena to Narcissa, as the Dark Lord ordered her to through Severus, then headed toward a room she had never been in.

Severus led the way. He stopped and gave her a moment before opening the door beyond which lay nothing out of the ordinary. There weren't any decorations, as in the rest of the manor, only a very large chair occupied by the very evil man she called master. He beckoned her forward.

When she reached the center of the room, Samaria stopped and bowed. Severus stayed back.

"Are you ready to prove yourself to me?" the Dark Lord asked.

"Yes, my lord. Most ready," she replied.

"You have renounced the Mudblood loving days of your youth?" he asked.

"Long ago, master."

He then asked another question, "Does the name Meredith Carter mean anything to you?"

Samaria paused; Meredith was her best friend during her Hogwarts years. After they graduated, they slowly drifted apart. She hadn't heard from her since before she and Severus married. Then she remembered a key element; Meredith was a muggle-born.

"Not for years, my lord," was her reply.

He nodded, "She lives in a small town just outside London. Quite happily, I believe, with her husband and child. What do all Mudbloods deserve, Samaria?"

She knew where he was going with this. "Death," she said without hesitation.

"And this Mudblood?" he asked.

"Is no different," she told him.

Nodding his head in approval he ordered her, "Go do as you like with her family, her husband is a blood-traitor and child, probably, just as filthy as the parents. I want you, however, to bring her back here and dispose of her in front of me."

"As you wish, master," she said bowing.

"Severus will take you there, but will not assist you," the Dark Lord told them, and dismissed them.

When they were out of Malfoy Manor, Severus asked, "Can you do this?"

Samaria only nodded.

~*SW*~

Panting, she looked down at the unconscious family. She stunned them all so she could think of what to do with them. There was no way out for Meredith, but her husband and child… just maybe. Taking a deep breath, she used Sectumsempra to make some cuts into the fallen wizard, some deep enough to look as if there had been an attempt on his life. She couldn't bring herself to do it to the small 5 or 6-year-old, so she just left him. Making a few deep cuts on herself, she didn't need to correct bruises for he had created real ones in defense of his family, and Disapparated with Meredith.

She met up with Severus, who had returned to Malfoy Manor and was waiting outside the room where the Dark Lord waited, and he helped her levitate the witch inside. The Dark Lord nodded approvingly at the unconscious body.

"Good," and with a flick of his wand she awoke.

Meredith looked around and spotted Samaria, who watched as recognition dawned on her old friend's face, then horror. Before Meredith had a chance to speak, Samaria shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" The woman fell to the ground and moved no more.

The Dark Lord chuckled and nodded. "Come here," he commanded.

Samaria came forward, not looking at the body in the middle of the room, trying to hold back tears.

"Your left arm," he said.

She held it out and watched as her link to the most evil wizard ever to walk the earth, was created on her very skin.

~*SW*~

When they returned to Hogwarts, Severus laid Elena down. Samaria sat on the couch, starring into nothingness. He then sat, put his arms around her, and held her as she buried her face in his shoulder. Before long, she finally let the tears come. He murmured consoling words, but knew it would not help. He remembered his first kill. The pain would never leave him, and neither would hers.

"Is it always so hard?" she sobbed.

He nodded, but said, "You learn to numb yourself to it, at least until you're alone. Then the memories come, and you feel again. It hurts, but remember, that this is for the greater good. That's the only way I get by."

She nodded.

"It's okay to cry. If that's what helps you get through it, then don't stop it. Do what you have to. This isn't an easy job, but…"

"Someone's got to do it," she finished.

"Unfortunately, you married a ready-made employee."

She shook her head, "I chose this. I'll make it through."

"I know you will," he whispered and kissed her head. "Because you're strong."

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