"Good evening miss Arden, lemon drop?" The headmaster asked, and Emily looked to the large bowl of sweets but she declined politely. Dumbledore looked at the girl with narrow shoulders, her long black hair and pale visage gave her something of an ethereal look. Her bright blue eyes had a lot more depth than most eleven year olds. Emily had been summoned to the headmaster's office, and throughout the entire day she had been looking forward to the event, with all the questions burning in her mind, she couldn't help feel the need for answers. But now that she found herself sitting before the austere man, she suddenly found her nerves on the fray.
"And how have you found your day today, Miss Arden? Adjusting to the Wizarding world?" He asked politely. The girl cast a nervous glance sideways, then looked back to him.
"It has been fascinating." She said in a quiet voice.
"Does anything seem to be bothering you?" he enquired. She looked up to his face, her eyes widened for a moment, and then she looked back down to her lap wringing her hands.
"Well… the sorting hat…" She whispered. The old man before her inclined his head, his face turning very serious. His half moon glasses were on the edge of his nose, and Emily could feel a rush of heat to her face at being under the scrutiny of the headmaster.
"Yes my dear, professor McGonigal has informed of your situation. I have in fact tried to consult with the hat, but it remains dormant for the year, as it always has." Emily could feel herself let down and yet tense at the same time.
"But, was it right? I mean… could it be true?" Emily asked.
"Which parts, my dear."
"Any of it. Family, that's alive." She whispered, her voice, which had risen in such excitement suddenly faltered.
"The sorting hat is a mysterious bit of magic. While it has unknown knowledge, in my tenure at this school I've never heard of an incident as to the hat lying to a student." He said. Emily could feel her heart sputter in her chest.
"Sir… it said my family was pureblood, and something about being slytherin by birth right. What does that mean?" Emily watched the old man's eyebrows suddenly arch and his face grew very sharp.
"Slytherin by birth right…. Would quite simply mean that your ancestors would, for the majority, have been slytherin. Pureblood, or as I prefer to say full blood, means you have two magical parents."
"Then why was I in a muggle orphanage?" The girl asked, her voice growing with emotion.
"A good question and I think you should not judge things too quickly, my dear. I will do some investigating on your behalf. At the very least, do not let it plague you ill with worry." He said as gently as he could. She could feel her heart racing and a strange sense came over her at the rush of emotion. As she stared at the headmaster she saw something begin to flicker on his edge, it was a flash, but it was a white light of some sort. Emily shook it off, and stood quickly to leave.
"Yes sir."
XXX
Severus sat down heavily in his chair. He stared at the wall for a moment, feeling his chest constrict and finally with a roar he slammed his fish onto the table. The small Gryffindor was nearly too much for him to handle. The child was well behaved enough in class, and her potions work was exemplary, but she was all too fitting with his lost child, Hazel. Severus could remember the funerals, watching his wife and daughter's casket lowered into the ground, feeling the happiness he had worked so hard to build torn away from him. Looking down at a son whom he would have to protect.
Severus found himself a tumbler and some firewhisky and took a large shot to calm his nerves. The dark mark had been aching, and it made Severus nervous. He knew something was going on, and whatever it was, he needed to be watching over Harry Potter, but more importantly keeping his child close, not being distracted by some chit that reminded him of his murdered daughter. The girl could so easily be her, the resemblances were outrageous, and Severus found himself staring at the child every time he saw her. Had he not buried his child himself, he would have wondered…
He shook himself from his thoughts and made his way to the Headmaster's office. Ascending the turning stairs, he let himself in without knocking and sat himself down in the chair. He looked up at the headmaster who was gazing at him.
"Rough day, Severus?" he asked. He rubbed his temples for a moment and arched one of his fine eyebrows at the purple-clad man.
"Nothing too far off from the ordinary, Albus."
"Wonderful. I wanted to speak to you about Alexander." At hearing his Son's name, Severus perked up, straightening in his chair.
"Is everything okay, headmaster?"
"Yes, of course, and you might find this reasonably interesting, but Alexander and Mr. Potter and Weasley seemed to have developed a rather good comradery."
"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley?"
"Indeed. Their fascination for Defence Against the Dark Arts seems to particularly draw Harry and Alexander into a friendship."
"How dreadfully ironic." Severus sneered. He couldn't help worry for his son. Association with Potter would mean that the boy could end up on the Dark Lord's radar.
"Severus, because of Alexander's ability, you understand my particular worry?" Severus snape stared uncomfortably at the man. Alex's ability was a Snape family trait that hadn't been seen in nearly twelve generations. It had manifested itself in Snape's two children.
"As much as I loathe to say it, Severus, perhaps this situation is what we might want."
"Advocating Alex and Harry is one thing, pulling him into this war on behalf of the order is another, Albus, and if something went wrong…"
"If Alex is firm in his beliefs, I see no reason to worry."
"Albus, my boy is good and nothing short of it. You know I joined lucius out of anger, but Sarah…" His voice caught at the mention of his wife. "She helped me, I only joined the dark lord to protect my family. If I hadn't all four of us would absolutely be dead and at least good came from my being a spy."
"Yes and yes, Severus. Your mark, has it been hurting lately?" The headmaster said, changing the topic. They did not need a heated argument at the moment.
"Enough. Something is stirring, and he strong enough to send out the burn, reminding us." Severus stood staring in thought for a moment, before nodding to the headmaster. He turned to leave when the old man stopped him.
"Oh, Severus, I had a very curious meeting today."
"And what would that be?" he asked, his visage was tired and Severus wanted to return to his quarters.
"A young Gryffindor, Miss Emily Arden came to me today with worries of a peculiar nature" Severus's glare hardened considerably, and the animosity could be felt throughout the room.
"She said the hat told her she was of a Slytheirn right pureblood family… and she had a brother. Quite curious, don't you think?"
"No, it's not, Albus, I buried my daughter. I held her in my arms, murdered. That chit is probably the cast off remains of a tyrst between two unwed deatheaters, and she serves to remind me every single day of what I've lost. Goodnight headmaster." Severus slammed the door feeling his heart race. How DARE the headmaster bring up such painful memories? He strode down the hallway, his mind ablaze until he came past the library. He watched two larger slytherin's accosting the small Gryffindor in question.
"Nice robes street rat."
"I'm not a street rat."
"Well, you obviously are if no one wants you. The ministry can barely be bothered to spend a sickle on you. It's a waste of ministry funds if you ask me." The two slytherin boys sneered at the girl. He watched as the girl's eyes narrowed at the boys.
"Well at least I'm not so desperate for attention I have to pick on people! Aren't you big and strong? Congratulations, you've successfully bested a girl half your size. Won't your parents be proud of their big strong boy?" She snapped at the them. She then turned on her heel and strode down the hallway, her robes billowing in her wake, and the two sltytherin boys were left in something of a daze.