Part Two: Potion Master's Daughter

13 years later, Hogwarts School:

It was all over The Daily Prophet, how Sirius Black had escaped again and was still wanted by the Ministry. Scores of Aurors were hunting him, but no one could find him.
Snape rather expected Dumbledore knew where Black was, but if he did, he wasn't talking. It rankled the Potions Master that the Headmaster seemed determined to believe that Black was not the villain he'd been painted, especially after the events in the Shrieking Shack with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," was all Dumbledore would say when Snape pressed him.

And if that were not enough, now a new shadow had come to plague them. Dumbledore had received an owl from two of the U.S. Magical Association's Dark Hunters, a husband and wife team, Jennika and Colin Flynn, requesting permission to search near Hogwarts for a wanted dark magician, one that their latest intelligence had placed in Scotland.

Her name is Livia Nightshade, and we've been after her for years. She's an evil, sick, vicious killer, she's evaded and killed some of our best operatives. We think she may be lurking in your vicinity. One of her preferred MO's is to kidnap a child as a hostage, use the child as a shield, and then kill the kid in front of our agents, who were helpless to stop her because she'd cast a stasis spell on them. She's what we call a red-level priority one criminal, and we advise you to be very careful with regard to your students. Dumbledore had been very cautious after reading that letter, sharing the contents of that missive with only two of his staff—Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape.

Minerva had been horrified, saying quietly, "As if we didn't have enough trouble with our own Dark Wizards, now along comes a fugitive from America. What's the world coming to, Albus?"

"A very sorry state, my dear, unless this particular wizard is caught. The U.S. Department of Magical Defense sent me ten pages on the atrocities this one has committed—not reading for the faint of heart, I assure you."

"Well then, it's a good thing that our students are safe at home for the summer holidays," McGonagall stated.

"A handful of students still remain here," Snape reminded her. "Those who have no permanent homes to go to, or are working on an internship, or a situation at home that's intolerable."

"I'm aware of that Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Every precaution will be taken to ensure their safety. Hogwarts has long been a bastion against Dark Magic."

"Given what we know of this American necromancer, might I suggest we restrict the students to the grounds?" Snape offered.

"Yes, that's a good idea. I doubt the witch will consider venturing into the castle, not with all the Dark Magic detectors we have."

"Have you told these Dark Hunters that there could be a possibility that their fugitive might join forces with some of our own Death Eaters?" Snape inquired silkily.

"Whyever would you think that, Severus?" cried Minerva.

"Because, Minerva, it would be a logical thing to do. Consider, she's in a strange country, she doesn't know where to hide, that makes her vulnerable. Someone like her isn't used to that, she likes to be in control. She'll be at a disadvantage until she finds a place to hole up, and who better to know of one but another dark practitioner?"

"But would they help her?"

"I think it likely, if she made it worth their while. Nothing for nothing. But if that happens, she will be that much more difficult to find."

Dumbledore nodded, concern etching more lines in his brow. "You are quite correct, Severus. I will make certain our American colleagues are made aware of that possibility."

Snape cleared his throat. "I would like to offer my assistance to them, if I may, Headmaster?"

"Naturally, Severus, though you don't need my permission, you aren't in my employ at present. You may do as you see fit."

"Good. I have an old score to settle with this Dark Witch," Snape hissed, and his eyes blazed with suppressed fury.

"An old score? What are you talking about, Professor?" McGonagall asked, puzzled. "How can you know this dark witch, she only just came here."

"I don't know her personally, Minerva, but I do know of her deeds. She caused the death of a woman whom I was . . .particularly fond of," Snape said through gritted teeth. "It took me a long time to find out that information, but my contact in America at last told me the name of the necromancer my friend had been fighting when she died. It was thirteen years ago, but time doesn't matter to me. I swore on her grave that I would avenge her if I could." Snape bared his teeth in a horrible parody of a smile. "And my patience is rewarded at last, for my enemy has come to me. Now there can be a reckoning, once and for all!"

"Severus!" McGonagall stared at him as if she'd never seen him before. She'd never seen the Potions Master so enraged, normally he was ice cold and controlled to the ninth degree. "You sound as if you mean to . . .kill this Nightshade person."

Snape took a deep breath before answering, "The crimes that woman has committed are most unforgivable in nature. If anyone deserves death it is she. And not merely for what she did to my Amelia." He felt himself flinch inwardly as he said her name. Even after thirteen years, the mere thought of her caused a stabbing ache in his chest. Amelia Amarotti, Dark Hunter, the only woman he had ever loved, who had believed in him as a man and a wizard, who had loved him despite all his flaws. Dead and buried these thirteen years, but never forgotten.

"Be careful, Severus," Dumbledore cautioned, breaking into Snape's dark musings. The Headmaster gazed at the other man, meeting his eyes squarely.

Sometimes the thing we hunt can turn on us, Severus. Be careful, my friend, that you don't become the thing you hate most.

Snape absorbed the old wizard's silent warning without flinching. Have no fear of that, sir, he replied calmly. The dark holds no temptation for me, never again. I but seek justice for a wrong done long ago. Amelia would understand.

She was a Dark Hunter wasn't she? Like our Aurors?

She was very special . . .one of the best in her field. They awarded her the Order of Merlin First Class posthumously.

Aloud, he said, "I'm always careful, Headmaster. But it's a great crime that Nightshade walks free. I shall do all in my power to see that she is brought down."

"So be it. The two wizards will be arriving shortly by dragonback, I believe."

"Dragonback?" Minerva repeated. "I don't believe I've ever tried that method of travel. What sort of dragon would ever permit a human to ride it?"

"A bronze dragon," Snape answered immediately. "Draco familiaris imperialis. A species native only to North America. They are sentient and have allied themselves with the American wizards."

"How do you know so much about them, Severus?" Dumbledore wanted to know. "I had never heard of them until recently."

Snape shrugged nonchalantly. "My friend Amelia introduced me to one, his name was Fireflash. He was her partner, a Dark Hunter as well. I had many conversations with him, he was a most fascinating creature."

"I look forward to meeting this dragon," Dumbledore said, his eyes glowing like a child's at Christmas. "Do you think it might be the same one, Severus?"

"It's possible, though there are other bronze dragons who work closely with the American Magical Association." Snape replied, thinking angrily, If it is Fireflash, I have some very pointed questions to ask him, starting with why he didn't protect Amelia from Nightshade like he was supposed to.

There were details about Amelia's death that he still didn't know, for though her demise was a matter of public record, how she died was not, except for the fact that she'd been killed dueling Nightshade.

And even that had been hushed up, until Fireflash had contacted him by owl and told him the name of the foe who had destroyed his beloved. He'd meant to ask the bronze those other questions, but the dragon had refused to answer them on paper, saying the subject was top secret and not to be discussed casually. That had been three
weeks ago, and Severus wondered if Fireflash had known even then that Nightshade was heading to Britain.

Why can't they seem to catch her? Is it because they're all incompetent or because she's more powerful and therefore more dangerous? Whatever the reason, I'll not rest until I've strung her up from the nearest tree. Death is the only mercy I'll show her.

"Well, I look forward to meeting them," Minerva said. "It's been too long since I've had a decent conversation with another woman besides Poppy Pomfrey and Professor Sprout. Sybill doesn't count, she's always going off into her fake trances."

"Or shop for shoes," Snape murmured to himself, recalling Amelia's shoe fetish.

"Excuse me, Severus?" Minerva glanced at him questioningly. "Did you say
something?"

"Er. . . .no, I was just clearing my throat," he recovered swiftly. "They'll be staying in the castle then, I presume?"

"Of course. The castle is the ideal place for them to stay, we certainly have plenty of room." Dumbledore chuckled. "They were going to rent a room in Hogsmeade, I believe, but I assured them they would be better off here." He frowned, half to himself. "There was something else . . .something I'm missing . . ." he lifted his head, his gaze falling on the Sorting Hat sitting on the top of his cabinet of curiosities. "Ah, yes! Now I remember," he exclaimed. "They wrote to me just before they left to tell me they'd be bringing along their apprentice. They feared leaving her alone, she might have become a target, for they've made many enemies during their career and not all of them are behind bars."

"How old is this student?" Minerva asked.

"I believe she—I don't know her name—is around thirteen, close to fourteen."

Wonderful, Snape thought acidly. Just what we need around here, another incorrigible teenage girl. Couldn't they find a babysitter in America? Thank God I won't have to deal with her, as I'll be out hunting Nightshade. This is the only time I have to listen to normal adult conversation. I hope the brat knows how to keep herself amused, because Hogwarts in the summer can be very dull for a teenager. And the last thing we need right now is some nosy child wandering about the castle getting into trouble.

XXXXXX

She was sitting quietly on a bench just outside the greenhouse, near a bush of prettyflowering myrtle, enjoying the sunshine and reading an advanced medical healing text. Mistress Flynn—she preferred to be called Jenna—had just given it to her this morning.

"Something you might enjoy reading, so you won't get too bored while we'rebriefing our colleagues over here," was how her teacher had put it. "Though the way you devour books, child, I probably should have gotten you three more."

The girl had smiled at that, for it was their little joke, that she would rather read abook than do almost any other girlish activity—like painting her nails or going to parties. Still, reading was why she was so advanced magically, almost a whole year ahead of other students her age. Her two teachers were proud of their apprentice's aptitude, though they occasionally wished she socialized more often. But being a Dark Hunter's apprentice meant you moved around a lot, and she never really had time to form close friendships with kids her own age. Her best friends were animals and her books.

Professor Snape was coming out of the greenhouse with some cuttings of mandrakeand other herbs he needed for a potion which would reverse the effects of the stasis spell Nightshade was so fond of. He was in a hurry, for he'd promised Dumbledore he would meet him and the American wizards in the Great Hall for lunch. He'd spoken briefly to both Dark Hunters upon their arrival. Colin Flynn was a medium-sized blond haired man with a rather impatient air about him, a man more of action than of words, though he seemed like a nice enough fellow, very professional and a former friend of Amelia's. Both of them had attended the Academy with her, his wife Jennika was a dark-haired woman with lively brown eyes and a merry smile, she was an Arithmancer and cryptographer. Both of them were dressed casually in black pants and gray long-sleeved shirts, the Dark Hunters did not believe in uniforms, they preferred to blend in with their surroundings.

He vaguely recalled Amelia mentioning them once or twice, but they'd never reallydiscussed old acquaintances that much, they'd been too busy forming a new relationship with each other.

Colin Flynn seemed to know of him, though. "Severus Snape, right?" he'd said uponseeing him. "Amelia talked about you quite a lot."

"Only about every other sentence," said Jenna, smiling. "She thought you were thegreatest wizard since Merlin. And Amelia wasn't the type to be easily impressed. It's a
pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Mrs. Flynn," Severus had said politely, shaking her hand.

"Jenna, please. No need to be so formal around us," the Dark Hunter corrected.

Though talking about Amelia was painful for him, he couldn't help but feel a tiny glow of satisfaction at the fact that she'd actually mentioned him to her friends. It proved that their little affair had not been a fleeting thing, but something real, something that could have been a permanent relationship. Someday, I would have married her, he had thought sadly.

Then he'd gone on to inform them of his desire to assist them with their investigation, they'd agreed happily, glad to have the expertise of a local. Afterwards, he'd excused himself to gather the ingredients for the anti-stasis draught, which were numerous and not easy to harvest.

As so often happened, he became involved in his work and lost track of time. Now he was late and irritable because of it, since he prided himself on punctuality. Thus he took the shortcut down the path lined with myrtle trees, past where the American student was studying.

There was a bend at the top of the path, and as Snape crested it he could see thebench and its occupant quite clearly. He glanced briefly at her, not really focusing on her because he was angry at his tardiness. That must be the American student, a part of his mind noted, because she doesn't look familiar.

Then he looked again—and stopped dead.

He had never seen this girl before, yet he would know her anywhere. For she wasthe spitting image of Amelia Amarotti. Or rather, what Amelia would have looked like as a child. She had the same auburn hair, slightly curly, cut short. The same pixyish face, even the same habit of putting the tip of her tongue between her teeth when she was concentrating.

The resemblance was uncanny.

It was as if his long lost love had been reincarnated.

I wonder if she could be a relative? Amelia did say she had sisters. But I don't know how old they were. It's not inconceivable that this could be one. The resemblance is
unmistakable. He drew closer, walking silent footed down the path. The breeze ruffled the back of her neck and she brought up a hand to brush a lock of hair from her forehead.

There was a glint of gold about her neck. Snape's eyes narrowed.

She was wearing a gold chain about her neck. A gold chain upon which a heart-shaped locket was suspended.

His mouth fell open.

That's my locket! She's wearing the locket I gave to Amelia for her birthday. He would recognize that particular necklace anywhere, it was one of a kind. He supposed it had been given to her as a memento, something to remember Amelia by. But how dare she wear that here, of all places? He thought indignantly.

Then he swept past her, his robe fluttering behind him like the wings of a particularly large bat. The girl, absorbed in her reading, did not even look up.

Why would anyone give Amelia's locket, clearly a lover's token, to such a young child? She would have been a baby at the time of Amelia's death, hardly able to appreciate such a thing. He frowned sharply.

She would have been a baby . . . Then it hit him.

A baby would have been given the locket for remembrance . . .remembrance of the mother she would never know.

She resembled Amelia so much because she was indeed related to her, but not a sister.

She was Amelia's daughter.

Dearest God.

He began to run towards the castle. To hell with decorum and lunch too. He needed answers and he needed them right bloody now.

"Ah, Severus, there you are!" Dumbledore greeted. He waved a hand at the table filled with enough food to feed an army of Dark Hunters. There were sandwiches of every description, fruit, chips, decanters of wine and pitchers of pumpkin juice and small pots of tea. "We almost started without you."

"My apologies, Albus. I was busy gathering ingredients and it took longer than I expected," Snape said, though he felt anything but sorry for his lateness now.

"Happens all the time to Colin." Jenna chuckled. "Once he gets started on a painting, he forgets the world exists."

Snape nodded politely and seated himself at the table, though he longed to scream who is that girl and why is she wearing my dead girlfriend's locket? He stared at the food arrayed before him in distaste. He had quite lost his appetite.

"Your apprentice, I don't believe we've been introduced," he began. "What's her name?"

"Arista," Colin answered, frowning slightly. "She's kind of quiet, doesn't talk unless she's got something to say, then she chatters nonstop. But she resembles her mother a great deal, don't you think?"

"Who is her mother?" Snape queried softly, leaning forward, though he already knew the answer.

"Amelia, of course," Colin replied, even more confused. "But you knew that already, so what's with the Twenty Questions? She wrote you about her when Arista was born,
right?" he trailed off when he caught Snape's look of utter bewilderment. "Didn't she?"

"Good God!" Jenna gasped, looking from one man to the other. "He doesn't know, Colin."

"But that's impossible," her husband sputtered. "She told me she was going to write him. I reminded her three times to mail the letter . . ."

Snape heard them as if from a distance, his mind had traveled back in time, thirteen years ago, to the last letter he'd received from Amelia.

She'd told him about her being assigned to the black ops case, asked him to wish her luck, and then there had been a post script.

I've got a surprise for you. You're really gonna love it. Tell you more after I finish this case."She never wrote me," he managed, his voice crackling with emotions he couldn't name. "Never told me that I had a child. Our child. I think she wanted to surprise me."

A surprise . . .Amelia, I thought you meant you were going to surprise me with a visit. . .not a baby!

That child out there . . .is mine. My daughter. My little girl.

"Looks like she did that all right. You're white as a sheet, man," Colin observedwryly.

His wife elbowed him in the ribs. "Colin! How would you feel if I never told you I had our child and then I showed up thirteen years later with her? You'd not be so smug then, mister."

Her husband flushed a dull red. "You're right. I'd probably pass out in shock. Sorry, Severus."

My daughter. I have a daughter. Me, Severus Snape. He kept repeating those words in his head, because in spite of the proof right outside, he still had trouble believing he was actually a father.

A father to a child he never knew existed.

"Why didn't either of you ever tell me?" he demanded suddenly, angry now that they'd known she was his child and hadn't bothered to contact him.

"Well, we, uh, thought Amelia had already told you," began Jenna awkwardly, looking like a schoolgirl who'd forgotten her homework. "It was her place to inform you, not ours. We'd always assumed she had . . .and then she was killed."

"But didn't you wonder why I never came for my daughter? Or at least sent her letters, money, a birthday card?" Snape scowled.

"At first we thought you had her, until we found her in the orphanage when she was eleven. She went missing soon after Amelia left to track down Nightshade," Colin
explained.

"Missing? I don't understand. Explain from the beginning," Severus ordered.

"Umm . . .the beginning, right," Jenna coughed, clearing her throat. "That would be right after Amelia returned from her vacation to Scotland. She came back to New York two months pregnant, only she didn't know it. Stress threw off her, um, cycles. Anyway, our boss, Chief Hamilton, didn't give her much breathing space before he sent her out again, and by the time she realized she was pregnant she didn't want to quit her assignment. Said it would reflect badly on her if Hamilton learned she was pregnant then. Hamilton's a chauvinist, hasn't got any respect for women, thinks they belong in the kitchen, cooking with a baby on their hip and all that baloney," Jenna said scornfully, her contempt for her boss plain. "Amelia said he'd say it was typical of a woman—go on vacation and get knocked up. She was right, he would have said that, the pig. And he'd have declared her unfit for duty too, even though she wasn't."

"Hamilton's a jackass, we've always known that," put in Colin. "Eventually, when she couldn't hide it any longer, she told him. He had a hissy fit, Amelia lost her temper with him, and she walked out."

"Did she hit him?" Severus wanted to know.

"Yeah, she did, belted him a good one. How'd you know?"

"I had a quarrel with her once," Snape admitted.

"Ouch." Colin winced. "She had a right hook that could knock out a gargoyle."

"Hamilton was lucky all she did was punch him out," Jenna said angrily. "I'd have turned him into a toad if he'd said the things to me he said to her face. Anyway, Amelia left and came to stay with us until the baby was born. She didn't want to tell her folks yet, they weren't speaking to her still because she refused to quit being a Dark Hunter after the Slade case. Said they were still angry with her since she went back to work, and this would only add to it."

"Would they have disowned her?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that, they weren't the type," Jenna said quickly. "They'd have had a good old Italian shouting match, then they'd have accepted her baby and her back like nothing ever happened. But Amelia wanted to wait, and nothing I said could change her mind. Stubborner than ten mules and a mountain goat, she was!"

"That's for sure," Severus said, a half-smile on his face. "I used to want to shake her sometimes."

"I know the feeling," Colin laughed.

"When was the baby born?"

"March 16th," Jenna answered promptly. "I thought it was strange, that she was so happy, even though the father wasn't there to see his own child get born. I'd have been mad as a hornet if I'd had a baby by myself. Not Amelia. She said, he'll know when it's time and not before."

Severus swore softly under his breath. He knew why she had never told him, because of the Unbreakable Vow. I won't be responsible for you breaking it. Only if there is no other choice, will I send for you.

Jenna drank some wine, then continued. "A month after Arista was born—Amelia named her Arista Eileen, for both of her grandmothers—and your name's on
her birth certificate, in case you were wondering, Severus—Hamilton contacted Amelia. He was all sweetness and light, practically begged her pardon on bended knee, the snake. He needed her, only she could handle this next assignment, she was the only one he could trust. At first she told him to get lost, that she'd walk through fire before she went back to work for him. She wouldn't work for someone she couldn't respect. But then the Department of Magical Defense called her and requested her assistance for a top secret case, the same case Hamilton wanted her for. Them—she couldn't refuse."

Damn your stubborn hide, Amarotti! If you were here now, I'd shake you until your teeth rattled.

"They wanted her to track down Livia Nightshade." Snape surmised. "That much I know, she wrote me about it, though she never mentioned names."

"She wouldn't, it was classified," Colin said. "She was under oath. She took a chance even writing about it to you. But you were on her to-be-notified-in-case-of-death list, so I guess the Defense Chief was willing to overlook it."

"Then Hamilton reassigned us to a new case in California chasing down an arsonist,we were in Pennsylvania at the time, and we couldn't look after the baby. Amelia told us not to worry, she'd make other arrangements. We assumed that meant sending her to you or maybe her folks in New Jersey.

"But she didn't. Instead, she hid Arista with a Muggle couple, they ran an orphanage down near Stroudsburg. We knew none of this until two years ago, Severus. All we knew was that we returned from our assignment and Amelia was gone and so was Arista."

"But why choose a Muggle family? Why not just send her to me?"

"I don't know," Jenna sighed. "Once she got that case, she became withdrawn and secretive. I think she was pressed for time, she had the Department of Defense on her back to start looking for Nightshade immediately, and they didn't care if she had a kid to look after first. She knew that Nightshade's MO was kidnapping children and what better target than a Dark Hunter's kid, right? So she protected Arista the best way she could, by hiding her where nobody'd ever think of looking. The old misdirection trick."

"But she did more than just give her baby to them," Colin interjected. "She made sure they'd take care of her, planted some false memories of Arista always being there. She also cast some heavy duty spells on that locket of hers. Protection spells, non-detection spells, all so no dark wizard would be able to find her child. She knew what she was doing, she'd learned her lessons well from Slade. She made it so the locket was unremovable, and thus Arista would stay hidden from any magician. Even us."

"I think she meant it to be a temporary thing." Jenna picked up the thread of theconversation. "Just a few months until she caught Nightshade, then she'd come back and undo the spell and that would be that. Only she never came back, and Arista was never found."

"But she's here with you now."

"Yes, but like I said before, we've only been her teachers for two years." Colinrepeated patiently. "All the time we assumed she was living with you, she was actually still at that Muggle orphanage. She was there for eleven years, thinking perhaps that she was just like everyone else. Until her magic awakened. Once that happened, all the non-detection spells on the locket couldn't hide her. Amelia had calibrated them to hide a baby, not a child with full-blown magical powers. We felt her aura soon after she'd resurrected a cat that had been run over by a car."

"Resurrected? But that's not possible," Dumbledore interjected, speaking up for the first time during this unexpected discussion.

"Tell that to Arista," Jenna said with a shrug. "She's got one of the strongest healing gifts—if not the strongest—I've ever seen. That, coupled with the fact that she truly
believed she could make that cat live made the impossible possible."

Severus could almost hear Amelia's voice in his ear. Nothing is impossible with magic. Apparently his daughter had absorbed that philosophy from the day she was born.

"Working magic of that caliber, even though she had no idea what she was doing,made it easy for us to find her. As well as any dark magicians out there looking for an
impressionable powerful magical child to corrupt," Colin went on. "Luckily, we found her first, and the moment we saw her, we knew who she was. We weren't sure how she'd ended up there, though, and we'd considered . . ." he coughed uncomfortably. "I don't know how to put this . . .ah, hell, might as well just say it . . .I apologize for saying this, Severus, but we, ah, thought you might have decided you didn't want the baby and left her there. It happens sometimes when the parents are apart . . ." The Dark Hunter's face was now bright red. "We had to adopt her, we had a responsibility to teach her magic due to our Magician's Oath, and in order to do that we had to go through the system legally. And that's how she came to live with us and be our student."

"I understand now. And I can't blame you for thinking I wanted nothing to do with my child. Others before me would have walked away without a second glance."

"We shouldn't have assumed something like that, though," Jenna sighed. "Amelia was an excellent judge of character, she would never have fallen in love with a man that could have abandoned his own child. Now, of course, it all makes sense."

"Does Arista know of me?" Severus asked softly.

"No. We thought it best not to bring up the subject, and oddly enough, she never really asked. We told her about Amelia, showed her pictures, and she seemed content with that."

"I would like to speak with her, explain why I never contacted her. She deserves to know the truth, and I would like to get to know her better. Perhaps when we have dealt with Nightshade we can spend some time together."

"She's a good kid, very advanced for her age, she loves to read. Reads constantly, loves books and animals." Jenna told him.

"Ah. Something she has in common with me," Severus mused, sounding pleased. After that, an awkward silence ensued, until Albus broke it by suggesting that Arista
might be hungry and should be fetched inside for lunch.

Jenna rose immediately and after the younger magician had departed, Dumbledore turned to Snape and said calmly, "Perhaps, Severus, you could take a walk with Arista after lunch, get acquainted a bit?"

"An excellent idea, Headmaster."

A few minutes later, Jennika returned with Arista in tow. The girl was dressed in a pretty denim skirt and a white eyelet spring blouse with small lilacs embroidered on the sleeves and summer sandals. The phoenix locket rested in the hollow of her throat.

Severus's breath caught. Even indoors, her resemblance to Amelia was pronounced. She was small and slight, just as her mother had been, but appearances were misleading. Amelia had packed a size twelve courage inside a size five body, and Snape was willing to bet all his potions that her daughter would be the same.

"Arista, this is Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts, and his colleague and Potions Master, Professor Snape," Jenna introduced them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Arista," Dumbledore beamed at the girl, who flashed him a smile of her own.

"How do you do, sirs? Pleased to meet you." She came forward to shake their hands.

Severus took her hand in his own, meeting her eyes for the first time. They were not Amelia's turquoise, but his own deep velvet black.

So, she has her mother's face, but my eyes, he thought, returning her tentative smile with one of his own. Perhaps there is something of me in her, after all.

A/N: this takes place inbetween books 3 &4 of HP.