Chapter 14-
As Severus Flooed into Grimmauld, long habit had him quickly retreating into the shadows as he heard voices. His keen dark eyes glinted as he saw his daughter walk in with two of the main banes of his existence for far too long.
"You two will have a lovely time together," Black was saying to the two children. "Tonks will be by when she gets off of work and I'll be back in the next few days."
Severus frowned, mentally working out the dates. The full moon had come again without him even realizing it if Black was planning to leave. The only thing the fugitive left for was to accompany the werewolf Lupin when he transformed. Luckily, Severus still had a few doses of Wolfsbane left.
Though he wasn't happy to be caught so unprepared, Severus let the thought go. There was little he could do about it now. Instead, he looked over his daughter, ignoring the insipid conversation the three had fallen to as they all took seats around the fireplace and the two teens began a match against Black of wizard's chess.
His daughter looked much better already. She had taken the potion he had left with black, giving her the luxurious locks she shared with Capricia back. She was dressed in one of her few remaining pairs of Muggle jeans, thanks to her mother's fashion 'help', and a t-shirt. But more than that, Severus was both pleased and upset to see that she looked calmer and happier than she had when she had left his house.
Even when he had known her only as Hermione Granger, he had noticed that there weren't many times when the girl relaxed. Most of those times happened when she was around Harry Potter, giving him yet another reason to dislike the boy. She was never that relaxed around him. He doubted she'd ever be that relaxed around Blaise or Draco.
He cleared his throat, stepping out of the shadows. Both teens jumped in alarm, but he was displeased to see that Sirius had merely grinned at him. The man's Animagus-enhanced hearing and perhaps smelling had given away Severus's hiding spot, Severus realized unhappily. Black had merely been waiting for him to reveal himself.
"Severus!" He turned as his daughter smiled up at him. "You came to visit?" She asked, standing.
"Yes." He said, nodding to her. "I wanted to check on you and make sure you were alright. How are you?" He asked.
She surprised him, coming over and wrapping him up in a hug. He put his arms around her shoulders awkwardly, more than aware of Potter and Black staring at them. Potter's wide eyes were more than enough to make him unhappy, but Black's almost smug, amused look was ten times worse.
"I'm fine, thank you." Hermione said. She blushed a little, looking down. "I am sorry; I guess I overreacted a little yesterday."
"Oh?" Severus raised an eyebrow, surprised by her words. For all that people kept comparing the girl to him, he didn't see it himself. He certainly would have never apologized, especially for overreacting. "So, you are coming home with me? I assure you, the boys are being punished."
The girl shrugged, going back over to take her seat beside Potter on the loveseat again. "I don't want to go back- for now at least!" She added quickly, apparently not wanting to hurt his feelings. "I'd like to stay here for awhile longer. I enjoy spending time with Harry and Sirius, if that's alright."
"I suppose I have no choice but to allow it." Severus said, even though he longed to say the opposite and force the girl home. He knew better than that- her stubborness was pure Snape.
He was rewarded for forcing the words out, as Hermione instantly lit up with a brilliant smile. "Black, you don't mind, correct?" He asked out of politeness, not that he thought Black would refuse his godson anything. Potter looked thrilled to have Hermione with him, as he well should.
"No, of course not," Black said, waving his arm languidly from his seat in the plush armchair across from the two teens. "It's a treat having her here. It gives Harry something to do during the day other than spend all of his time with me and she's already whipping us into shape. She had Harry starting on his homework this morning and we all actually ate a meal together at lunchtime."
Severus rolled his eyes at the account. He should have known better than to expect Black to be a responsible adult. "I do intend to come and visit when I have time." He said to his daughter. "But you will not be able to spend the summer here. For one, your mother wishes to spend some time with you. She will not accept you staying here full time, especially as she is not a member of the Order and does not have access to the house. We wouldn't want to anger Capricia."
He directed his last statement to Black and was viciously pleased to see the other man pale. Capricia was and always would be a formidable opponent. It would never do to displease that woman- it always could be a man's last mistake.
For while his daughter still looked inclined to protest, Severus knew his words had gotten through to Black.
"Your mother has extended an invitation for you to join her in Italy, if that is your wish." Severus added, after giving Sirius a moment to panic. "If you don't want to travel that far, you may return to my Manor and she will visit you there. You can bring Potter, if you'd like." He forced out, as a thought struck him. "After all, Draco is there partly because he is Blaise's best friend. Far be it from me to not allow you the same opportunity. At the very least, it will give the two of you some time outside. And while you visit with your mother, Potter can go flying on our Pitch."
As he'd known would happen, Potter's bright green eyes lit up at the offer of flying. Even he could admit that Potter was a gifted flyer.
"That's really decent of you to offer." Sirius said, seeing his godson's pleasure as well. "Sending the two of them to your Manor may solve a lot of problems."
"Sirius!" Harry protested, looking to Hermione for support. "We're able to stay alone for two days!"
Though Severus wasn't happy with the thought of Hermione spending any time alone with Potter- Merlin forbid they develop any more sort of attraction- he had to admit that he too believed they would be fine for such a short period. Surely Black wasn't talking about the full moon. He looked into the other's eyes and saw a brief image of Black and Dumbledore speaking together, both looking anxious.
It was something more serious.
"I'm sure you would." Sirius offered, once he was sure Severus was out of his mind again. "But I meant a little later on in your break. Why don't you and Hermione head upstairs. Snape and I need to speak of a few things in private while he's here."
The two teens stood agreeably. "Okay." Hermione said, waving at her father. "See you later, Severus!"
"Bye, Professor." Harry added, summoning a smile for his Potions Professor even though he'd really rather not have.
It was worth it, as Hermione grinned at him before dragging him out of the room.
"What's going on, Black?" Severus demanded as soon as he was sure the two students were out of sight.
Sirius sighed, his smile fading. "The Headmaster has already begun getting reports of different sets of magical creatures either pledging support to You-Know-Who or of them disappearing, presumably to wherever they're being sent by You-Know-Who."
"Really?" Severus crossed the room, dropping into the seat his daughter had just vacated as he pondered the information. "How is He doing it?" He pondered. "Better yet, how is the Ministry explaining it? You know how tight a watch they keep on creatures."
Sirius shook his head. "The Ministry never had as great of control over magical creatures as they always so pompously assured the public. And now, though we aren't sure whether it's simply through incompetence or because the overseers are Death Eaters, but more creatures are coming up missing. Dumbledore is getting quite worried."
"What's he intend to do about it?" Severus asked, sensing they were getting to the crux of the issue.
Sure enough, the Gryffindor shook his head, immediately looking uncomfortable. "The Headmaster wants Remus to go talk to the werewolves. Many of them live out in the wild, though they haven't been rounded up and tagged by the Ministry yet. With Greyback already firmly on You-Know-Who's side, we can't afford any more. I can't let Remus go alone, Snape. I can't. He's my best friend. And more than that, if he goes, he's going to be living with them for more than a few months. He won't have access to Wolfesbane."
"Is the Headmaster going to let you go?" Severus asked, neither confirming nor denying his agreement with Sirius's assessment of the situation. He was far more interested in the Headmaster's opinion.
He got his answer at once, for Black's face immediately turned defiant.
"Dumbledore keeps saying he isn't my jailor," Sirius said, crossing his arms. "If he isn't, he damned well can't stop me."
"This safe house was created, in large part, to keep you safe." Severus pointed out, though truthfully he couldn't have cared less. "You'll be giving up that safety. Potter won't be happy." And that, he knew from many meetings with the Headmaster, was just as big an issue as keeping Black alive. When Potter wasn't happy, he was prone to idiotic actions, as his first four years at Hogwarts had proved quite sufficiently.
Sirius nodded regretfully. "I know. And I'm sorry that I won't have more time with Harry. But we lost Remus once to the wild packs, that's why he was suspected so much when James and Lily went into hiding. I'm sure he went back to them after I was imprisoned, at least for awhile. I can't risk losing him. I've finally gotten one of my best friends back- the only one I'm ever going to have. Harry will just have to understand."
"Well, if he's in my house, I can at least make sure he's not stupid enough to try and follow you." Severus said, shrugging.
Sirius grinned in triumph, knowing from long experience that those words were as close as Snape would ever come to giving him approval. "It'll also give him more time with your daughter." He added, more than ready to get away from such serious- pardon the pun- issues. Baiting Snape was always fun, even if they were far more friendlier these days than anything.
Severus would have loved to hex Black and then leave, but his desire to get more information on his daughter kept him in his seat. "I know." He said shortly. "And I'm not happy with that. But, I suppose it's better that she's spending time with him than with Weasley."
He'd been hearing Minerva and the other female teachers gossiping for four years, giving their opinions over which boy the Granger girl was going to end up with.
"Really?" Sirius was surprised by Snape's words. "You'd rather she end up with Harry?"
"You haven't spent much time with Weasley yet." Severus said. "If- and that's a very big 'if'- but if she has to end up with one of them, I'd kill Weasley rather than let her end up with him. That's how much I dislike him. Potter would be unpleasant, but he makes her happy. Half the time Weasley is angry at her and isn't talking to her and the other half of the time he's arguing with her or criticizing her, both of which always end up with her in tears. I'm far more hopeful that she finds a more suitable suitor. A Ravenclaw at the least, though a Slytherin would, of course, be ideal."
Sirius chuckled, amused at the other man's words. "Snape, you sound just like my father. And your father, I would assume. I would caution you against having expectations like that for a Gryffindor, but I imagine you know that already, having known Hermione for so long. She surely won't be one for blithely accepting an arranged marriage. Do you have one for her?"
"No," Severus admitted. "But only because she disappeared so soon. She was going to be betrothed to the Malfoy heir, even before he was born. Now, seeing the relationship between her and Draco continue to deteriorate, I don't even dare suggest the contract to Lucius. But that's not to say one will not be negotiated. She will have quite a fortune coming to her- there will be more than a few suitors pursuing her for her fortune. What about Potter?" He asked, curious in spite of himself. "He will be your heir, that technically makes him a pureblood. Are you arranging a marriage for him?"
"No." Sirius said, shaking his head. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. He might be an adopted Black, but he is first and foremost a Potter. Potter's were one of the few Old Families not to arrange marriages and I think I would want that respected if I were him. Not to mention Lily would come back and haunt me. The boy will find the girl he wants before long. If he hasn't already," he added, looking up in the direction of Harry's room, where he assumed the two teens were. "Are the two of them always like that?" He asked curiously. "They seem so close…like they've been married these last four years or something."
Even Severus couldn't deny that. "Potter is truly lucky to have Hermione. They are extremely close." He admitted. "Potter has had the whole school turn against him, on several occasions. Weasley himself regularly deserts Potter. Hermione is the only one who always remains by his side. I'm not sure what exactly he has done to deserve her loyalty, but he saved her from a troll in first year, inspiring her to lie for him and she's been his right-hand ever since. They have yet to show any overtly romantic inclinations, but they are getting to that age," he concluded unhappily.
"He didn't ask her to the Ball last year." Sirius didn't know why, but he found himself pointing this out to the other man. Snape looked so depressed, the Gryffindor couldn't help himself.
"Yeah, and he looked just as unhappy about his choice as Weasley when he actually saw her at the ball." Severus snorted, amused at the memory. "Many boys last year learned their mistake. And from what I heard, she still writes to Krum. He would be a decent match for her. Good family line and he obviously didn't care that she was a Muggle-born."
"World famous already and he's four years older than her?" Sirius asked doubtfully. "Not the safest of choices. He's got a lot of temptation coming his way."
"Yes, but he's not a Potter." Severus snapped. It was, after all, Krum's best qualification. "Anyways, I have high hopes towards a few of my Slytherins. Theodore Nott, for example. He's a quiet, bookish type, who probably would have been a Ravenclaw if not for his father's influence. Blaise regularly spends time with him when Draco begins to get too high and mighty."
Sirius grinned, shaking his head. How like Snape, to already have things planned out for a daughter he had only just discovered. "Well, she is only fourteen." He said, shrugging. "They'll sort it out soon enough."
"Yes, I'm sure. Though with Weasley being gone for the time being, I do hope she can forgive her brothers enough to spend some time with them. If she spends time with no one but Potter, she may begin a relationship with him solely for convenience."
Sirius doubted that a strong-minded girl like Hermione could be forced into anything, but kept that to himself. He couldn't help but ask, "So, what did you do to your boys? Nothing permanent, I hope."
"I gave them the worst punishment they could imagine." Severus said, smirking. "I grounded them to their rooms."
His words, so casually spoken, startled laughter from Sirius. "Touché, Snape." He said, shaking his head. "I thought you'd do a lot worse."
"It's easy to imagine how one will act with a son." Severus said, reflectively. "But you can't imagine how possessive one gets when confronted with a daughter. Imagine how you were as a student, Black. You are a prime example. I am her first line of defense against smarmy little gits like you, who want nothing more than to get into her knickers and then regale his friends with the tale the next day. And if it wasn't hard enough, my daughter doesn't even have the courtesy to spend time with other witches, learning the dangers of the male species. Instead, she spends all of her time with two boys."
Sirius regarded Snape for perhaps the first time ever with pity. "When you put it that way, I suppose it would be rather difficult." He admitted. "Especially an innocent girl like your daughter. Hermione's a sweetie- just the sort of prey some smooth-talking Casanova would try to seduce with memorized poetry and flowers."
"I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen." Severus said determinedly. "And once the thought gets to Blaise, I'm sure he'll be much the same. You weren't in the Snake's den, but I was regaled with every conquest that my fellow Slytherins made over the years. I don't know how much bragging the Lions actually do, but we Snakes are a different sort. And now that it is going to get out that Hermione is a pureblood of Snape and Zabini descent, the Slytherins will be fighting to get a hold of her bloodline."
"I suppose dating would be hard if a girl had a brother, especially in the same class." Sirius said, reflecting on the many problems he had run into when trying to woo girls with brothers. "That can only be good for you, though."
Severus laughed dryly. "I'm counting on it. Well, as fun as this has been, I need to speak with the Headmaster. I shall see you later, Black."
He stood and, with a short nod, Flooed away.
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No real action here, I'm afraid to say. Just a transition chapter. Sorry, it's been so long between updates, but I promise I'm back on track. So, please please let me know if you have any suggestions. Tell me how you think the fic is going so far. Too slow, too boring, anything. I'm having doubts, grave doubts, about this story...