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Chapter 3

"She is coming to Hogwarts this year, Severus, along with Harry." Albus said, looking up at Severus from behind his desk. Severus stood on the other side of the desk.

"Yes." Severus said in a monotone voice, he never let anyone see the side he showed to his daughter. He kept a cold appearance towards almost everyone. The only ones who saw otherwise were the Malfoys and his daughter. He made sure of it. "And still no sign of the Dark Lord. He doesn't need to be protected."

"That might be true, Severus, but the deal is still on. I want you to protect him." Severus pursed his lips as he forced himself to keep silent as Albus continued, "I believe the young Malfoy Boy's birthday is tomorrow so your daughter's is in two weeks on the Nineteen of June, correct?"

"Yes." Severus drawled out unsure why Albus had an interest in his daughter, but figured that maybe the old coot was just trying to be friendly... but then again he was never truly fond of Albus.

"Ah, I'd like to send something she would like if it is alright with you." Albus offered and Severus was hesitant but agreed, upon turning to leave Albus called, "It would be unwise to not follow your half of the bargain in the years to come." Severus gave a curt nod and left.

"Daddy, when do I get to go back over to Draco's?" The eleven year old across the table asked as the pair sat eating their breakfast. Everyday that passed she looked so much like her mother almost a miniature copy. Severus felt a pang of guilt, and while it had been eleven years since losing Ava, it still surprisingly stung... same kind of sting he felt when he realized that Lily was gone too. While today was Adelaide's birthday he smiled over at his daughter.

"Not today. They'll come over later for dinner. But I got you something." He got up and opened the kitchen cabinet and reached to the top shelf where the present was hidden. He handed it over to her and smiled as she tore it open happily and grinned up at him holding the book he had gotten her and then looking in the bag and pulling out the box of her favorite candy, Peppermint Toads.

Squealing with happiness she cried, "Peppermint Toads!"

"Hey, you need to at least finish your breakfast." Severus laughed as she tore open the box and ate one instead of finishing her breakfast. He watched her eat two or three more before closing the box and offering him. He hesitated but smiled and took one, eating one as well. "What do you want to do today?"

"Diagon Alley!" Addie cried happily before running off. Severus cleaned up breakfast with a flick of his wand and asked his House Elf, Kelpy, to finish up before his fingers found the locket in his pocket... it had been there for the last eleven years, never once leaving him. Severus half wanted to give Addie the locket now, but thought it would be a better gift to give on the first day of Hogwarts before he left her with the Malfoys so they could drop her off at the station and he could be on time for the Professors Meeting before the Students arrived. When she came back dressed in a deep blue sundress he was about to ask if she was ready but she spoke before he could, "When will my letter arrive, Dad? Aren't I supposed to get a letter to Hogwarts?"

"Yes you are, and it should be here no later than tonight. So why don't we go to Diagon Alley and we can go find a few things you want?" Severus asked offering his hand, but she seemed to hesitate before nodding and taking his hand.

To say Addie was excited was an understatement. She was beyond happy when the owl arrived before they left for Diagon Alley. It was her Hogwarts Letter... and she was more than happy. "Dad!" She cried happily as she ran back to him from retrieving the letter, waving it happily over her head as she practically jumped with happiness. "I am accepted! I get to go! I get to go to Hogwarts!" She cried out. And he gently took the letter, reading through it before smiling down at her.

"Alright, do you still want to go to Diagon Alley or-"

"YES!" She practically scream and saw the burst of laughter that erupted from her father.

The pair spent most of the day in Diagon Alley, eating Ice Cream, reading books, and going in and out of shops just because they could. Addie finally around five asked if they could go home for dinner, which Severus clearly agreed to all too enthusiastically. Addie ran off to change and heard the floor before her door opened and there stood her best friend, Draco. "Happy Birthday, Peanut." He flashed an all too arrogant smirk at the use of the nickname for the smaller eleven year old.

She was small, had thick black hair that fell in natural gentle waves down to just below her shoulder blades. She had a small frame, and looked more like a eight or nine year old than eleven year old. Which was how she got the nickname, Peanut, from her Godfather, Lucius, and Draco, who was a little bigger than her with slicked back blonde hair. She scowled at the nickname but went over and hugged him before the pair headed downstairs to where Narcissa, Lucius, and Severus were talking in hushed voices. The pair stopped before the doorway, trying to over hear.

"I'm telling you that people are concerned He is going to return." Severus said in a hushed voice.

"But Potter destroyed him." Lucius answered, in the same hushed voice and the children strained from where they were hidden, trying to listen in.

"What will happen if he does come back?" Narcissa asked, but the two men gave worried looks to the woman and she answered her own question, "You don't think he'll want them to join..." Her voice hushed and scared. The Malfoys barely got out the last time by claiming they were under the imperious curse, and still were dealing with legalities that they were keeping from Draco. Both Lucius and Narcissa, while pompous in their ways and views, did not want Draco to join the Death Eaters, it would be a death sentence if Voldemort was defeated again... if he was in fact going to come back like Severus warned.

"I'll keep an eye out, but we will have to do what we can if he does rise to prolong them joining." Severus said and Lucius scowled.

"If he rises again, then we would be better off just doing what he wants and-" Malfoy scoffed quietly.

"Ssssshhhh." Narcissa shushed the men and said, "It is awfully quiet upstairs."

Addie and Draco bolted back up the steps as quietly as they could so not to get into trouble for eaves dropping. The pair ended up back in Adelaide's room where they pulled one of the board games off the shelf and quickly set up Wizards Chess before Narcissa entered the room. "Ah, there you two are. Come on, Dinner is ready." The two shared a look as Draco's mother disappeared from the doorway but got up slowly.

"Who do you think they were talking about?" Addie whispered and Draco shrugged.

"Probably someone important." Draco scoffed, but Addie could tell he had no clue as to who they were talking about. "But they did mention Harry Potter, so maybe You-Know-Who?"

Addie nodded, "But he is dead. So it couldn't be him." She pointed out but the pair stopped talking as they entered the dinning room of Spinner's End.

"What house are you hoping to be sorted into?" Adelaide asked Draco as they stood by the fireplace to floo to the station before they could go and get onto Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Slytherin, duh. My family has always been in Slytherin." Draco scoffed. "What about you?"

"Any house would be fi-" She started but Draco cut her off.

"Not Gryffindor. Gryffindor is for losers." Draco growled out and Adelaide nodded in agreement. She thought any house would be fine for her, but felt drawn towards either RavenClaw or Slytherin.

"Addie, can I talk to you for a moment?" Severus said, as he stood in the doorway and she nodded, leaving the Malfoy's Living room with her father. "Now, I know we have been through this before, but I do have a reputation to keep at School, so I will not be like I am here or at home while you are at School. Remember you can always write me or even the Malfoys if you need anything or just want to talk."

"I know." Addie smiled, but her smile faded with the stern look from her father. She watched as he pulled something from his pocket and held it out to her. It was small velvet black box and she carefully opened it to see a small silver heart shaped locket. She gently pulled it from the box and looked up at him before taking in the locket. She saw letters glinting and shifted it so the light was not directly where the words were. Forever and Always was on the locket front.

"It was your mother's." Severus said, and Addie looked up to see her father have more a pained look than she had ever seen. But also recognized it as the look he got when she asked about her mother. "It is an old family heirloom, passed down for several generations. It is now yours."

"Thank you." She smiled, wrapping her arms around her father's waist and feeling him stiffen before relaxing into the hug and hugging her back.

"You need to get going. I will see you both at school. But I have to go as well." He kissed the top of her head before with a crack was gone. She re-entered the living room to find Draco, Narcissa, and Lucius waiting for her. The four flooed to the station and then walked with the two trollies over to the wall. Lucius went with Draco while Narcissa helped Adelaide through the wall and the pair met up with Lucius and Draco.

"Alright you two, make sure you get into Slytherin." Lucius smiled arrogantly down at the pair and Draco only smirked back but Adelaide hesitated before giving a cheeky smirk back.

"Of course." The pair said together before entering the train and making sure their things made it on the train. They moved through the train before finding a compartment with kids that Draco knew.

"Whose your pet?" A girl with a smooshed in face sneered at Draco.

"Adelaide Snape. Got a problem, Pansy?" Draco sneered back and the girl huffed as Addie and Draco sat across. Several others filled in and soon there were seven small First Years in one compartment. It took Adelaide a few tries but she eventually got all their names. The smashed in face girl was Pansy Parkinson, and the two did not get along at all. There was Crabbe and Goyle, who Draco seemed to instantly have them drooling at his heels. Theodore Nott sat across from Adelaide, and between Pansy and Draco's two new best buddies: Crabbe and Goyle. Draco sat nearest the window with Adelaide between him and a boy named Blaise Zambini.

"So, you seem a little uneasy, Adelaide." Pansy sneered at Addie and the girl glared back and opened her mouth to respond.

"Knock it off, Pansy, she only knows Draco, if you didn't know any of us I'm sure you would be just as nervous." Theodore Nott snapped at the girl, sending a glare. "Ignore her, she constantly has a stick up her ass." He motioned to Pansy.

Addie couldn't help the laugh and before nodding, "I can tell." Growing a little more comfortable around the boys, even if Pansy made her uneasy. "So... how come I never met any of you guys?"

"My mother was mostly working so I was with my Grandmother Most Days." Zambini explained.

"Eh, my parents hardly went anywhere unless they were getting something out of it." Nott shrugged. "Crabbe and Goyle's probably didn't know the difference between left and right let alone the front door to the closet door."

"My parents are not like that." Crabbe snapped, but Goyle was out of it.

"In all reality, my parents just felt bad if your Father come over and we weren't there so we never went off the property." Draco explained and Addie nodded.

The rest of the time on the train they bought enough sweets to last them and shared stories and laughed and talked. Pansy only tried to embarrass Adelaide one more time but Draco quickly told her off, and the Girl remained relatively civil after that. They changed to their robes and shared more stories and talked more and more. The group seeming to bond slightly over sharing stories and candies.

Adelaide waited quietly, taking in the Great Hall as she stood near Draco and her new friends. She watched as the Hat sorted several people, even watched as Draco was called, the hat barely touching his head before crying out, "SLYTHERIN!" She felt uneasy as she watched him go over to the Slytherin Table, walking proudly. Another name was called... Harry Potter. This time the hat took a little longer and the Great Hall had even fallen completely silent with the exception of whispers. Then the hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Adelaide Snape." She heard the lady, Professor McGonagall, call her name and she sheepishly moved forward as the hall seemed to fade once more. She felt eyes on her and she didn't dare to look over at her father, who had been sitting in the furthest spot closest to the Slytherin Table... but she felt his eyes on her. The Hat was placed on her head and she almost jumped as it seemed to hesitate. The Hat didn't whisper to her, only seemed to be contemplating and she only hoped she wouldn't end up in Gryffindor and lose her friends. Then the hat suddenly cried out and she stiffened, her eyes finding Draco's at the Slytherin Table. She slowly moved from the stool and made her way towards Hufflepuff Table. The Table gave a round of clapping, but no where near as enthusiastically as it probably would have been if she had gone to Slytherin.

Hufflepuff? Of all houses, Hufflepuff? She sat down and found Draco sending her glare. She didn't want to be in Hufflepuff. She knew no one in Hufflepuff. She watched the others be sorted, but she knew no one. A third year boy with brown hair sat beside her once the feast commenced he offered his hand, "Cedric Diggory."

"Adelaide Snape." She took his hand and she shifted uneasily in her spot as the boy across from her offered his hand as well.

"Justin Flinch-Fletchley." He also had brown hair and she happily shook hands with him, seeing that he too was a first year.

The dirty blonde haired girl beside her spoke now, "Susan Bones." She flashed a smile before she picked a few things up to eat. Addie nodded in greeting and felt a little more at ease knowing some names of those around her. But She was still in Hufflepuff... and she chanced a look at her Father. He seemed to be lost in thought, but he was looking past her, she turned slightly to see who he was watching ... Harry Potter. She snapped back into the conversation.

"Think he will be a little nicer now that you aren't in Slytherin?" Cedric asked, motioning to her father.

Addie shrugged, "I don't know. I want to say yes... but I doubt he will be easier on the House I am in, just because I am in that House."