Here is the second chapter everyone, sorry it took so long. I had my tonsils taken out yesterday so I was really no good to write. The pain is absolutely excruciating, but I will endure! Does anyone know if gargling with salt water actually works? I mean, the tell you not to eat anything with salt on it, why would you gargle with it?

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the second chapter and will grace me with many reviews!

Thank you!

Chapter 2

A two foot long essay! TWO FEET of explaining all the rules and regulations Severus had set out for her, why he had set them, and why she should never disobey them. Her father was the most evil, sinister, man she had ever bloody had the misfortune of meeting! And could she sit up in her room to write it? No of course not, because Severus did not want her to spill ink on the carpet…even though he could easily clean it with magic! Aurora sighed as she continued on her fourth paragraph and sighed.

Her father didn't even give her a chance to explain, but she supposed that once he got a copy of the Ministries letter he had already decided on a punishment. If she saw Dobby again she would shove him into an oven! Her eyes felt so heavy and all she really wanted to do was go to bed, after she read some of her letters of course.

A thumping sounded from the other room as Severus re-entered the kitchen holding a stack of folders and mumbling to himself. He turned to the fireplace, pointed at it with his wand and said, "Incendio."

In a mere second warm flames filled the hearth; but changed from a warm golden color to an eerie green when Severus tossed a handful of Floo Powder into the flames.

"Dr. Michael Dodson."

The flames crackled happily and when Aurora peered over it was to see the warm face of her physician.

"Hiya Sev," Michael said warmly, a smile stretching across his handsome face. "Shouldn't you be here?"

"I had a minor setback," Severus grumbled, glancing at Aurora. "Which is why I am calling you…how many patients do you have tonight?"

Michael ruffled his blond hair and yawned.

"Was actually just planning to clock out…why?"

"I have some cases at St. Mungos that I can't take care of from home-

-what cases are you taking care of now?"

"Just the ones that require potions, however I can't do anymore interviews…would you mind-

-say no more Sev," Michael smiled. "But you owe me now!"

"I'm sure I'll find some way to make it up to you." Severus said, rather icily. "Thank you Mike."

With another frosty glance towards Aurora, Severus swept out of the kitchen and back towards his study.

"Go to bed!" he shouted as his office door slammed shut.

Aurora rose from the table and trudged upstairs. She knew that Severus was livid; he had a lot of work to do and now he would have to make it up because she had to chase after some stupid elf. With an overly exaggerated sigh she flopped onto her bed and faced the ceiling. Aurora was tired, but she wasn't wiling to go to sleep. Reaching under her pillow Aurora pulled the stack of letters she had gotten from Dobby and opened the first one on top.

Dear Rory,

Summer's okay, but I can't wait for school to start so I can see you again! Maybe we could ride the train together this year. Gregory and I are still fighting, but believe it or not it isn't as bad as it used to be. I hope your summer is going well with Snape…remember the promise we made to each other…a promise to behave ;). How are you doing with that so far? Anyway, just thought I would keep the other promise we made to one another and write you as often as I could. So here is the first letter of a very long and tedious holiday…TA-DA!

Sincerely yours,

Ashley Blake

Aurora smiled and placed the letter to the side.

Dear Rory,

I asked Father if you could come to the Manor for a few days and he said yes! Aurora you should come and play a game or two of Quidditch with me! I have a new broom that I have been dying to try out! Please right back so I know how long I should practice for…you may be Slytherin's star seeker but against me Rory you don't stand a chance! Anyway, hope your summer is good! Severus treating you okay? Don't stress the poor man out too much, we still want to be able to drive him mad when school starts you know! Well I have to go, hope to see you soon Rory…keep in touch.

Draco Malfoy

Aurora's eyes began to droop but she pressed on to the next letter, she would read this last one and then turn in for the evening.

Dear Aurora,

Hello dear girl, how is your summer fairing? I must say I have heard many good things from Severus when I hear from him. I do hope you are enjoying yourself…without getting into too much trouble. I do so hope to see you at the start of term on the train Aurora, and at an old man's request…please do not drive Severus too mad.

Best wishes,

Papa Albus

When Aurora woke again it was to find the smell of breakfast slowly wafting upstairs…and from the smell of things it was chocolate chip pancakes with butter and plenty of sticky syrup flowing down its side; but that was just if she had to guess. Chocolate chip pancakes could only mean one thing; today was her twelfth birthday and Severus had forgiven her for last night's mishap.

Pulling her robe from the back of her desk chair Aurora rushed downstairs and found Severus at the stove boiling a pot of water for his morning tea. She wasn't sure if he would welcome a hug or not, so she just took her seat and waited for Severus to approach her.

"I hear the birthday girl." Severus chuckled, turning to face her.

"Morning daddy." Aurora said, smiling so brightly that it could light the whole world!

"Now, if I am not mistaken this is the first real birthday you have had?"

Aurora nodded.

"Well then it will have to be special, won't it?"

Once again Aurora nodded.

"Hmm…" Severus hummed. "I have just the thing, how about we get in contact with Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Blake and see if we can't all head into Diagon Alley for a small outing."

"Really?" Aurora said, jumping from her seat. "You're brilliant dad!"

Severus staggered backwards as Aurora latched herself to his waist.

"You didn't think so last night," Severus chuckled. "Well that's all water on the bridge now…this trip will kill two birds with one stone…we can get your class supplies while we're out as well."

"You got a list already?"

"Darling, I'm a teacher."

Duh! Aurora thought rolling her eyes at her own stupidity. But she could tell that today Severus wasn't going to tease her about it. She was also very surprised that Severus had not given her part two of her lecture; she wasn't complaining though. It was nice that their little spat had ended so quickly. Hopefully he would forget all about that essay he had assigned.

"Can we go now?" Aurora asked, practically bouncing out of her seat.

"No, you need to eat first and then shower and dress."

"Okay, then after that?"

"Yes, I have to get in contact with Draco and Mr. Blake and then we can leave."

Aurora took her fork, cut a bite of pancake, popped it into her mouth and slithered out of her chair.

"Done!" she yelled racing up the stairs to the shower.

Severus chuckled and shook his head. He expected Aurora to be so excited that she would not be able to finish her meal, and today he was going to be kind and allow her to do that. But tomorrow she would be expected to finish her whole meal, absolutely no exceptions. Severus turned to the windowsill and gazed out at the beautiful blue sky that faced them. They had so much planned for today and it all revolved around his little Aurora. He had no patients tonight, once again Mike had done him a favor and took all of his cases, and he planned to be home Sunday as well.

Sunday's were very special to him and Aurora; they sort of had a routine down. Severus thought that because Aurora's religious views were so mangled by the Dursley's and her own interpretations that he would take her to the church that his mother used to take him to. Granted, they were all very shocked to see him (after so many years of spiritual negligence)…with a child no less…but just as they had done before they welcomed the both of them in with open arms.

He could see Aurora's skepticism at first, and she sort of hid the first time they were there…but as the weekends continued Severus found her becoming more and more confident; and more than once had he found that Aurora was invited to small gatherings and sleepovers. He was so happy that she was gathering a social life, and that she had friends outside of Hogwarts. Even though he saw her disappointment when the letters from Ashley and Draco did not come, he also saw that she would brighten a little daily knowing that she had friends in other places.

Severus took Aurora's plate and banished the food from it. He had to admit that she was more involved in the church than he was and she had taken to a very kind man that Severus remembered from his own youth. Randall Marks, he was the Youth Minister at the church, and a darling man. Aurora took to him just as he had when he was a young man.

"Daddy!" Aurora called from upstairs. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Rory?" Severus called back.

"Where are all the towels?"

"You're not dripping on my floor are you?" Severus asked, with a slight chuckle.

"Daaad!" Aurora moaned.

"They should be in the linen closet Aurora Evans," Severus said clearing the table with his wand. "Where they always are!"

"They aren't ALWAYS in there!" Aurora retorted, storming back into the shower.

"Yes they are!"

So belligerent! He didn't know where she got if from, if it was from Lily, James, or a habit she had picked up from him because they spent so much time together. Even if she could not physically, possibly, win a fight she would still try her hardest to win anyway. He remembered how-for whatever reason-they had started the argument on whether or not a tomato was a fruit or vegetable! And as any sensible person knows there is no possible way to win that argument seeing as it all depends on your perception of what is a fruit and what is a vegetable!

Well Aurora's perception is that if it has seeds it can be considered a fruit. And Severus, being the sensible man he is, countered with the fact that green bell peppers have seeds, as do cucumbers, and squash…so therefore are those fruits as well? And if that were the case, could fruits that did not have seeds be considered a vegetable? It had not meant to be an argument that they both became avid about, but it did and it ended up in a huge battle that resulted in Aurora being grounded and him having a migraine that lasted two whole days!

"Daddy!"

"Yes, Aurora?"

"I don't know what to wear!"

Oh, Merlin not this again! This is another ritual that is usually performed on a Sunday. It consists of Aurora complaining how she does not know what to wear, Severus giving her his two cents, Aurora complaining that he is such a guy, and him giving up and waiting downstairs for nearly an hour while she tries to make up her mind. He knew why Aurora was so thoughtful when it came to her clothing; it was because she was seeing Mr. Blake…and although it made him very uncomfortable…he also knew that Aurora had a crush on Ashley. And if he was correct with understanding teenage hormones-and after dealing with it for so many years he was an expert-he could see that Ashley shared the same sentiments.

"Aurora, if you do not hurry up and choose I will just cancel the whole thing."

Severus wished he had this kind of leverage on a normal day. She would not give in for anything, but today because she was going to see her friends he knew that she would behave and do whatever he asked. Her lack of reply was answer enough and Severus went over to the fireplace to Floo Draco first and then Floo Ashley.

"Draco Malfoy."

The fireplace widened slightly, so that it would accommodate Draco's fireplace at Malfoy Manor and Severus waited until either the younger Malfoy came or one of the elder Malfoys came.

"Hello?"

"Draco?"

"Oh, hey Professor Snape." Draco said sitting down in front of the flames. "Did something happen, is Aurora okay? I haven't heard from her all Summer!"

"She will explain it to you once you see her," Severus said with a wave of his hand. "Now, you know that today is Aurora's birthday correct?"

"Yes sir." Draco said with a nod.

"I was hoping to have a small get together between you Aurora and Mr. Blake…ask Lucius if he would mind having you leave for the day."

Draco nodded.

"Well I doubt father would care since it is you asking."

"Ask anyway Draco and if he says yes then meet Aurora and myself in Diagon Alley."

"What time sir?" Draco asked standing.

"Noon, and Draco Malfoy do not be late!"

"Yes sir."

Severus watched as the flame went out and the fireplace shrunk back to its normal size. When it came to contacting Mr. Blake Severus wasn't sure what approach to take; he could Floo his home but from what Aurora had told him Ashley lived among muggles. Well, it never hurt to try.

"Ashley Blake."

He supposed it was by sheer luck that Ashley did have a fireplace and he just happened to be right near it when he called.

"Mr. Blake?"

"Professor Snape?" Ashley gasped. "Is Rory okay, did she get hurt, where is she…she hasn't responded to any of my owls!"

"Mr. Blake would you please calm yourself!" Severus sighed. "She is fine, and if you would give me one moment to speak I would explain to you why I am Flooing your home."

That seemed to be effective enough to shut Ashley up giving Severus plenty of time to bring about his proposal. It took him several seconds and Ashley had already agreed to tagging along. Severus didn't bring up the situation with Ashley's uncle, he knew better than to fall into that bees nest. However he did ask that Ashley explained to his uncle that Severus would return him as soon as they were finished.

"Okay, so I'll meet you guys in Diagon Alley then around noon? Where exactly?"

"It would probably be best if we met near Gringotts bank."

"Okay sir," Ashley said rising from the fireplace. "Tell Rory I will see her later then."

As soon as the fireplace had returned to normal Aurora raced downstairs smiling widely. Severus stood up straight and smiled as well. It seemed that she had finally chosen her outfit and Severus had to admit that Aurora looked absolutely beautiful. She was a spitting image of Lily Evans with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her red bangs swept to the side of her face. She sported a pair of blue jeans and one of her church t-shirts that said, "when God made me he was just showing off."

"Does this look okay daddy?" she asked twirling around. "I don't look too much like a bum, do I?"

"No, you do not look like a bum." Severus said, with a small shake of his head. "You look very cute."

Aurora's face sunk into a frown and she looked down at her outfit.

"Cute?" she repeated. "I look cute? What kind of cute, like five year old cute?"

Severus felt his stomach tighten, great, he needed to find a way out of this without it taking Aurora another hour to change.

"Twelve year old cute, Aurora Evans." He said sternly. "And if you want to meet Mr. Blake and Mr. Malfoy we need to leave now, or else we will be late."

Aurora loved Diagon Alley, she loved looking in the store windows at all the magical trinkets and creatures. She loved absolutely everything about it. But there was no doubt in her mind that her absolute favorite store would have to be Flourish and Blotts. The book store was absolutely wonderful and she usually could leave with Severus buying her at least one new novel. Which she of course could read through in about one sitting. The picture's moved, the text literally could pop out of the text, and the authors were absolutely magnificent. Normally that would be the first place she would set off to, but not today. Today she was meeting her best friends at Gringotts the Wizard Bank.

It took a couple of minutes to wade through the crowd of people, who had apparently come to do their shopping as well, but once they had Aurora recognized both of her friends immediately. Draco wasn't extremely tall but he was unmistakable with his blond hair slicked back and his usual look of arrogance surrounding him. Aurora knew that was just for show, and as soon as he started hanging out with the rest of them his nose wouldn't be so far up in the air.

Ashley, Ashley was taller than the both of them and his eyes stared gently off into space. He had blond hair as well, but his hair was slicked back like Draco's. It more or less just laid naturally around his face, with a few stray hairs swept in front of his warm grey eyes.

"Hey, stranger!" Aurora called racing towards them both.

She hugged them both at the same time, so they wouldn't start this whole argument over who she missed more, and with another warm smile she pulled away.

"Aurora," Ashley smiled. "What happened to writing every day?"

"I did write you every day!" Aurora spat. "My letters were just being intercepted by this house-elf."

She could tell by their blank stares that they were clearly confused, so Aurora explained. She explained about Dobby and how he had issued a warning that her life was in great danger for some unknown reason. It was only to her surprise that she learned that Dobby was actually the Malfoy's house-elf.

"Draco, you can't tell your father!" she shrieked. "Dobby could get into a lot of trouble!"

"I know," Draco sighed. "Don't worry Aurora, I won't say anything. Now I know why he was slamming his head against the stove yesterday, though."

"And you just let him hurt himself like that?" Aurora reprimanded. "I should shove your ears into an oven door!"

"Aurora," Draco, gasped. "I don't make him punish himself! Father does!"

"Well I have a thing or two to tell your father then!"

"You won't say anything if you don't want Dobby to get into trouble," Ashley breathed.

Aurora sighed, she had never had the misfortune of meeting Mr. Malfoy in person…but from what Aurora had heard he was not the nicest man to be around. He flaunted his wealth in the faces of others and he absolutely hated muggles; Aurora knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would not get along with him at all. But why worry about that now, she was with her friends, today was her birthday, and she was dead set on having as much fun as she possibly could!

(no flames :) )