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Harriet shrugged aside the strange new student's appearance.
She knew her mother had died long ago, what did a child who bore her name matter?
"Lily" and "Evans" carried no more uniqueness than any other names.
Red hair was fairly common in both wizarding and muggle Britain.
Severus scowled as he sat at his desk a week after the new school year had begun.
Since the Sorting Hat Ceremony, he had barely slept.
He had eaten only the minimum morsels it took to survive.
While it was highly implausible that the girl who bore such a strong resemblance to Lily could have possibly had anything to do with her, Severus found himself unable to contain his screaming curiosity.
It seemed like a cruel trick that a child with Lily's face, Lily's name, and Lily's jewelry had slipped into Hogwarts and been sorted into Gryffindor.
To Severus, it was as if history had repeated itself right in front of him.
He had to meet the child's parents, he had to learn the truth, but he knew he must be discreet!
Asking the girl directly would appear as odd.
He refused to go to the Ministry and demand a records search, that would be more than suspicious.
Meeting her parents would be much better.
A simple meeting with Lily Evans' parents and it would be over.
Severus would be satisfied.
He would accept the closure provided by the encounter and move on with his lonely life.
His dark eyes narrowed to slits as he dipped his quill into the ink and sent the utensil gliding across the parchment in long strokes of his elegant handwriting.
To the Parents of Miss Lily Evans,
I hope this letter finds you well. It pleases me to announce that your daughter has settled into life at Hogwarts. As a result, you have both been invited to a celebration of family and friends this weekend at the castle. Please see the enclosed instructions on directions, access, and lodgings which will be provided on the grounds in the designated areas.
Sincerely,
Severus T. Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
He had just finished signing his name when a knock fell on his door.
"...Come in." He commanded in a low drawl.
The door to his office swung open.
McGongagall stepped inside the room as she greeted him, "Severus! I hope you'll forgive the interruption, I've come to ask if I may have a few more lacewing flies for my second year students this afternoon? We'll be demonstrating herbal usefulness in regards to transfiguration on insects. I don't have the time to gather anymore flies myself before then……I had taken the opportunity to find some last week, but the jar has bizarrely disappeared from my office."
"...Of course." Severus frowned as he glanced up to meet her gaze, "Minerva, I'm afraid I am in need of your help as well."
"Oh?" McGonagall blinked, "With what?"
"Beginning Friday, Hogwarts is to host the family of each and every student for a welcome weekend." Severus nodded.
McGonagall's eyes bulged.
She didn't quite know how to respond, although for a split second, she wondered if she truly spoke to her old friend or to an imposter instead.
"I……I beg your pardon, Severus?" She asked.
"We are to invite every students' family for a visit to the castle." He nodded, "However, many will be muggles….Do you know if Dumbledore ever mentioned a way to disarm the enchantment so that they may…..enjoy the castle?"
"...Long ago, yes." McGonagall nodded.
"I beg your pardon?" Severus asked.
"It's not commonly done, but it is possible. Or was, according to Albus." McGonagall nodded, "The discussion came up one morning shortly after I began my teaching career…….Hogwarts is not usually a hosting sort of castle, for those outside of students and staff, as you know. The key is in the headmaster's office, somewhere. I must say, Severus, I'm not sure how long it will work."
McGonagall finished with a frown, but Severus hadn't felt such determination coursing through his veins since he had vowed to raise Harriet.
Once McGonagall left, he stormed through the castle and charged into the Headmaster's office to begin his frantic search.
An hour later, he held in his hands the key to removing the enchantment that blinded muggles to Hogwarts' truths as he sat down at his desk once more.
The charm carved into the object's handle was unfamiliar, but the spell itself gave Severus an inkling of how much time he would have once it had been temporarily disabled.
Three days would be plenty of time to host a parents' weekend.
Severus would leave it up to Harriet to handle the more social aspects of the event.
She could plan activities, make speeches, and lead the staff in visiting with the families.
Severus narrowed his dark eyes as he thought.
He had one goal, only one objective during the days to come…….meet Lily Evans's mother and father to discover the truth about her heritage.
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Announcements and invitations were sent by owl the following day.
Once the event was officially announced by the headmaster at breakfast, Hogwarts' students spent the rest of the week in excruciating anticipation.
They happily chatted with each other about what was to come, some eager to show their parents off, others embarrassed their peers would meet them.
Finally, Friday evening arrived and with it came the castle's weekend guests.
Severus prowled the line of receiving faculty as each student's family came forward to be checked in to the castle and shown to their temporary rooms.
The Hogwarts express had never been used to bring adults to Hogwarts before, but that bothered Severus little in his quest to know more about Lily Evans.
Faculty members kept a tally list of each arrived guest as they greeted and welcomed the parents to the castle.
Severus's dark eyes scrutinized every name during those long hours.
His heart sank once the endless stream of parents at last ran dry.
Lily Evans, the first year Gryffindor who bore such a resemblance to his lost beloved, had neither mother nor father arrive.
"What about that one?" Severus snapped at McGonagall as he laid a long, tapered finger over her name on the parchment she held, "Where are the girl's parents?"
"Ah, Severus, I assumed Professor Flitwick would have told you. He was the one who intercepted the letter……The owl that was sent became quite lost." McGonagall nodded.
Severus gnashed his teeth impatiently as he waited to hear more.
He couldn't care less about Flitwick's involvement or lost owls, did the student Lily bear any relation to his Lily or not?
"All that survives of the girl's family is apparently a muggle father and a grandmother who no longer practices magic." McGonagall went on, "Her father did, in fact, accept our invitation but as I understand it, he's a busy healer in the muggle world and unfortunately has been delayed until tomorrow."
A foolish, ridiculous hope bloomed in Severus's broken heart.
………..The girl had a…….grandmother?
What was her name?
Who was she?
Where did-
"Please don't worry, Severus." McGonagall urged, "We've already made arrangements for Mr. Evans to be escorted to the castle tomorrow morning. I assumed it would complement your original request."
McGonagall threw her old friend a knowing smirk.
Over the years, she had not forgotten Severus's great love for Lily.
"Thank you, Minerva." He frowned before he turned on his heel and marched away as his black robes billowed behind him.
McGonagall's smirk faded as she looked back down at the list of names in her hand.
Her only hope was that Severus had not chased a senseless, empty fantasy.
As she descended the nearby staircase, Harriet watched her father stride away.
McGonagall happened to glance up and see her there, but when the two women exchanged morose glances, her aged lips pursed into a frown.
Harriet walked down the steps and approached her former teacher-turned-coworker with an uneasy smile, "Good evening, Professor. Is Dad alright? He looks more miserable than usual."
"Perhaps you should go and talk to him, Professor Snape." McGonagall replied.
It always amused her to use her old student's formal, professional title.
How many years had passed to allow a child in her classroom to become her colleague?
Harriet nodded before she turned away.
Despite her eagerness to comfort Severus, her efforts led her nowhere.
Harriet checked his offices, his classroom, and his chambers before she roamed the castle in an idle search, but she could not find her father.
She let out a breath as she finally resigned herself to the notion that for whatever reason, he wanted to be alone that night.