Days passed by, and to Anna's relief, so far she had not received any notice from Lavinia regarding the upcoming interview, which she was very uncertain she really wanted to do. Overall, it appeared that the Secret Slytherin Society kept their profile low. Therefore, Anna was surprised and slightly alarmed to receive a summons to her father's office on Wednesday night. The note was given to her by Al Potter, who shrugged when Anna asked him whether he knew what it was about.
"Why only you?" asked Lennox McKinnon, to whom Anna was talking about Quidditch practice when Al came over to them, "why not both of us?"
"Might be something personal," suggested Anna, "I'm not just Head Girl, you know. I happen to be the Headmaster's daughter," she added archly.
"Right," said Lennox, "and here I was, thinking of scheduling Quidditch practice for Wednesday."
"I think we'll be able to cram it in," said Anna, scanning the note, "Daddy doesn't want me to be in his office until eight, we can be done by then, don't you think?"
"OK, then," said Lennox, brightening up.
He didn't hold a grudge against Anna for occupying his desired place as a Seeker on the house Quidditch team. On the contrary, he became more and more approving of Anna with every practice session, confident in an upcoming victory against Hufflepuff. Part of this, of course, was due to Anna's personal charms. He couldn't help noticing it while he spent many hours with Anna each day, not only during classes and Quidditch training, but also while they both were doing their Head Boy and Girl duties.
Anna, too, was taking more and more to Lennox McKinnon. Tall, handsome, popular, Head Boy, Quidditch captain – he was, of course, every Hogwarts girl's object of desire. In fact, it was by now widely speculated that it's only a matter of time until Anna Snape and Lennox McKinnon start going out together. Anna could not quite pretend she frowned upon such rumors. The only one who wasn't too pleased with this prospect was, naturally, James, who was forced to keep his silence.
… Anna entered the Headmaster's office with a slight feeling of foreboding, but she put on her most convincing expression of cheerful innocence, and when Professor Snape looked up at her from the paper he was reading, Anna smiled and sat down.
"Hi, Daddy," she said, "did you want to see me?"
"Yes," said Snape, "your mother and I got an owl this morning. Your sister is going to be married to Jeremy Hawthorn."
Anna gave a squeal of delight and jumped up from her chair, clapping her hands.
"Oh, Daddy, how wonderful! When?"
"In May," Severus replied, "your mother is already going full steam ahead with the preparations. We're having the reception in our house, though I told your mother it might be too crowded if all the guests she plans on inviting show up."
"If Fiona and Jeremy wait until June, they could have the wedding right here at Hogwarts," suggested Anna, "and then it won't be a problem."
"I said as much," replied Snape, "but they don't want to wait, they want to be married the moment they get back from their ridiculous expedition with Rolf and Luna. Looking for the Blibbering Dung-digger or something of the sort…"
Snape let out a derisive snort, but inwardly, he was nothing short of thrilled that this romance, which started so scandalously, was coming to a happy and respectable end. He had always liked Jeremy Hawthorn, but naturally, could not quite approve at the time of a connection between his sixteen-year-old daughter and her Potions teacher.
"Daddy," Anna interrupted his chain of thoughts, "did Fiona write anything about who are going to be her bridesmaids?"
"You, of course," said her father. Anna gave another loud squeal of girlish delight. "And Hawthorn's younger sister, Marielle."
"I suppose I will have to write to this sister of Jeremy," said Anna, "so we can coordinate our dresses. If she has dark hair, perhaps I can convince her to go for shocking pink, it would look so striking, don't you think… yes, Daddy?"
Snape cleared his throat loudly.
"Fiona's upcoming wedding is not the only reason I specifically asked for you to come here. I have something to show you that is of far greater concern."
Snape pulled open a drawer of his desk and started taking envelopes out of it. There were dozens upon dozens, and he piled them upon his desk until they nearly covered its surface.
"What is this, Daddy?" Anna asked with, she hoped, a convincingly innocent and curious expression, even though she already knew what it was all about.
"Letters," said Snape, "mostly from my former students. Also from Ministry officials, Quidditch players, influential businessmen, even a singer or two. There, listen," he pulled out one letter with a flourish and read, "Professor Snape, I want you to know that I see you as the only rightful authority at Hogwarts. And here's another one – we hope you will soon be able to shake off the ridiculous demands of the board of governors and re-instate the house of Slytherin to its natural rights; If you are ever in need of a voice in the Ministry, you can count on your respectful student, Richard Belmount, a proud Slytherin who is deeply saddened by this tearing down of our noble house…"
"Well, you sure can't say you are unpopular, Daddy," Anna said cheerfully. Her father looked back at her with an expression Anna had long ago learned to associate with immediate danger.
"Even having my own fan club won't help me if the governors are after my blood," he hissed, "people are trying to undermine the reform, and however pointless I might personally find the said reform, it is my duty as Headmaster of this school to target those who are behind this rebellious campaign."
Anna looked straight at him, youthful innocence radiating from those sapphire eyes he was never able to resist, and hoped she is successful in keeping her face blank.
"It's more than obvious to me that there is a group of Slytherin students who have decided to start a guerilla war," continued Snape, "and I only hope for your sake, Anna, that you have nothing to do with it, or you will risk losing your position as Head Girl."
"Of course, Daddy," nodded Anna, feigning calm.
"We do need to show morale is high, however," said Snape, "we need something to take students' minds off mutiny against the reform."
"Sure, Daddy. What did you have in mind?"
"Do you think I'm good at figuring out how to capture the fancy of a couple hundreds of teenagers?"asked Snape, annoyed, "why don't you tell me what you have in mind, Anna?"
"Well," Anna said slowly, "if you want to keep everyone happy and occupied, why don't you declare there's going to be a ball on Christmas Eve, Daddy? A real Yule ball, instead of the usual lame dinner for the three nerds who are staying behind to cram in as much revision as possible? That'll keep everybody's minds busy, girls will all have their dress robes fitted or order new ones, and boys will be figuring out how to ask the best-looking girls to go to the ball with them. People will have far less time for secret plans and whatever nonsense they might be up to."
She hoped she sounded convincing. Snape contemplated the idea for a few seconds. Then he gave a curt nod.
"Very well," he said, "of course, I cannot be bothered overseeing the details of this affair. I count on you and McKinnon to do that. Don't worry about the budget, I want this to be the best ball in the history of Hogwarts."
Anna sprang to her feet, thoroughly excited by the prospect of having to buy two new sets of dress robes – and also, she had to admit, by the thought of putting the Secret Slytherin Society on hold.