Still don't own Harry Potter nor any characters therein.

Thanks to my reviewers! Er, well... reviewer single, I guess... Thanks anyways! *stares at the lack of reviews*

somebody please review!

December 1992

"Happy Christmas, Professor," Daisy said calmly and sweetly as she knocked on his office door at eight on Christmas morning.

"Likwise," he said gruffly, and she tilted her head and held up her gift, her wishes being evident in her eyes. "Ah, follow me."

He led her to his private quarters and opened the door for her. They grinned as they took a look at all the gifts under the tree for the both of them. He went over but stopped as soon as he heard something moving within the walls. They both heard it, and she pulled out a mirror. Snape closed his eyes and began following the sound around before he heard a body hitting the floor. He waited until the sound was gone before he opened his eyes and ran over to her.

To his relief, she wasn't petrified or dead, merely fainted. He carried her over to the couch and laid her down, rubbing her forehead gently and trying to wake her by whispering into her ear that the basilisk had gone upstairs. After a few more minutes of this, he pulled up a chair and leaned over her, rubbing her forehead like a worried parent would to their child.

"And you said you'd make a horrible father," Albus' voice came from behind, and Snape glared over his shoulder. "Is she…?"

"Fainted," Snape said, "I think she saw something, but I'm not sure. We'll have to wait until she wakes to know. And I would make a horrible father, and you know it."

"Really? The way you are acting now is very much what a man would do for his ill or frightened son or daughter," Albus said calmly, and Snape remained still. "You've had much practice on the first years, I think you should settle down and start a family once the war is over, my boy."

"It would take a blind woman to marry me," Snape snapped sorrowfully, and Dumbledore shook his head gently.

"Ah, Severus, it seems that all of Misters Potter and Black's insults have finally wormed their way into your subconscious mind," he said sadly. "There is a woman out there, you just need to be patient and wait for her. I think you'll find that you'll have a much stronger bond than you would have been able to have with Lily."

Snape said nothing but looked at the third year on his couch. After a bit, he turned around.

"Do you-do you still have the mirror of Erised?" he asked, and Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "I-I need to check to see what-what I see in it."

"Why not ask your good friend Amortentia?" Dumbledore asked, "You seemed to have done that already last year with the one I am speaking of."

"Daisy," Snape realized, "But headmaster, she's young enough to be my daughter!"

"I know," he said calmly, "And please, call me Albus. True love knows no times nor limits, only bounds, and will give you multiple chances if you will take them."

"You-you think that somehow Daisy is the reincarnation of Lily?" Snape asked, and Dumbledore shook his head. "Blast it, Albus, your riddles are driving me mad, in more than one sense of the word!"

"All good things come to those who wait," he said calmly, "Now, please remember that until she-!"

"Until she's of age I can't do anything or it'll be illegal even if it's willing," Snape spat like it was venom and he hated the subject (which he did). "I know. I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were, my boy, I never said you were," Dumbledore soothed, "But also, that aside, I was going to ask you what you thought of her projection ability and to remind you that if a future version of herself comes to tell you something, it is very important that you listen since they will only come to you when she looks for the memory that they are needed most in."

"And when she was a first year?" he asked, "And her second?"

"Complete accidents, but her powers were guiding her nonetheless," Dumbledore said calmly, and Snape bristled. "Now, now, my boy, what seems to be the matter?"

"She saved my life, Albus," he bristled angrily, "When I was five, my father was whipping me to death with a dog chain. If her eleven year old self hadn't intervened, I'd have died. As it was, she was in danger herself since I recall her getting into a fight over the knife and him getting stabbed with it in one of the vital areas."

"Ah, so that is why she was screaming profanities about him," Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling brightly, "Which would explain your amusement at her words and vulgar language. I assume there is another instance?"

"When Lily died," he murmured, "The next day, I had no idea what to do. She told me that she'd become a spy, so I did. After I did that, I had no clue, and was glaring at the mirror and wanting to destroy it and myself when she stepped in and taught me what it was like to be touched kindly again. She's saved my life more times than she's known, and more times by her future self as well. I'm alive because she was there for me as a projector."

"Ah, yes, that has been the case with a projector and their spouse most of the time," Dumbledore said amused, "Their spouse is in need of their abilities and is saved by the projector, who is in turn saved by their future spouse when they are feeling the most upset as their powers are awakening and blossoming into fruition. Although, at times thus is the case for the projector's close friends as well."

"Albus," Snape groaned just before Daisy began stirring slightly.

"Ah, and that is where I take my leave," he smiled with a mad twinkle in his eyes just before going back to the fireplace. "Happy Christmas, Severus."

"I hate you, Albus," Snape spat as the headmaster vanished into the Floo.

"Mnn… Professor?" Daisy asked quietly, confused.

"Miss Dare, are you alright?" he asked, and she blinked at him before bolting upright.

"The monster!" she yelled, "The Basilisk!"

"You-you saw it?" he asked gravely, and she hugged herself to him tightly like a koala bear.

"It-it was horrible… it-it truly was the king of serpents…" she said terrified and shaking.

"It's gone," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's gone, we're in the dungeons, in Salazar Slytherin's domain – it won't hurt us here. My question is how is it getting around the castle?"

"My question is who let it out," she murmured, "I'm scared! I know I'm a half-blood, but I'm scared! I don't want to die! I don't want to get petrified!"

"Hush child, it's gone now," he soothed. "You did the right thing by using the mirror. I had my eyes closed."

"You did?" she asked pulling away with tears in her eyes, and he nodded. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, child, that was very brave of you," he murmured as he gently began rubbing her back. "The beast won't be here long. That, I know of for sure. With any luck, Potter or Granger will be the ones to follow in Moaning Myrtle's footsteps."

"Professor!" she wailed, and he smirked, "That's not funny!"

"My apologies," he said gently, and she looked up at him as though he'd just spoken Mandarin Chinese to her. "What?"

"You…" she murmured confused.

"You are one of the few people I apologize to," he said quietly, "There are only two others. Albus, and-and my friend."

"Lily Evans Potter," she said quietly, and he nodded. "What happened to her sister?"

"Married a Muggle, a whale of a man, and produced another whale," he dismissed, "I'm going to laugh if the younger whale's child ends up a witch or wizard."

"Sir?" she asked, and he looked at her, "what was that potion before?"

"Hm? Ah, you won't learn about that one until your sixth or seventh year," he teased and waggled a finger at her. "No, that's a secret. The world's most handy potion for a warthog faced buffoon like Gilderoy."

"Speaking of which," she said curiously, "doesn't he owe us a thousand galleons for kicking his buttox in a duel?"

"Yes, yes he does," Snape said calmly. "I wonder when we'll get it."

"Severus!" a male voice said from the fireplace. "A happy Christmas to you my good man!"

"Humbug!" Snape snapped, and Daisy grinned and forced away a giggle. "If I had a knut for every idiot who went around with 'Happy Christmas' on their lips, I'd be swimming in a pool of galleons!"

"Oh, come now!" Lockhart gleamed, "Surely you want to see your present?"

"Dare I ask?" Snape drawled, "Dare I even bother? If it has anything to do with the colors pink, brown, lilac, turquoise, or magenta, I'll hex you so you're in St. Mungo's until Potter comes of age!"

"No," Lockhart laughed, "Here, my good man! I want to see how that duel will turn out against me and your prized summer pupil! A meeting tonight in the Great Hall, with all the students watching?"

"Not tonight, I'm busy," Snape said, "One of the students who remained behind wishes to spend Christmas with the bat of the dungeons, surprisingly. No, I was thinking the evening of Valentine's day, yes?"

"A splendid idea! Such a perfect way to end the most glorious of the days in February!" Lockhart yelled in triumph! "A wonderful idea, Severus, pure genius, I don't know why I didn't think of it myself!"

"Gilderoy, I have a Christmas to get back to," Snape drawled, and the Defense teacher laughed again.

"Very well, you gloomy man! It's no wonder all the students call you a bat!" he laughed, "Here, Happy Christmas!"

Snape glared before staring at the blood-red robes he received.

"I'm going to kill him," Snape snarled, "Here, keep it."

"Thank you, sir!" Daisy beamed before hugging it to her. "And I'll treasure it because it was you who gave it to me!"

"You're the only one who wouldn't burn what I gave them unless it was one of my snakes," Snape said deadpanning before turning back to the gifts under the tree. "Now, I believe that we shall start with what Father Christmas brought us this year, yes?"

So, what do you think? Is she acting like a love-struck schoolgirl? I kind of aimed for that... but Snape also I want to act as a parent figure until she's old enough that he can transition it from parent-like to sibling-like and then eventually further somehow. I'm still working on that part.

Please review!