Chapter 3: The Thing

Severus Snape sat at his desk staring at a framed picture of two lovely women in sun dresses standing on the beach and waving to the camera. He sighed as he stared at the picture remembering happier times when he and his mother could get away from his father for a few blissful days at the beach with his family.

A secret no one really knew was his family and how close he was to them.

"I wish you would come back Gran. Things really are miserable without you," he sighed before putting the picture back in a draw in his desk before standing and heading to his private lab.


Albus' plan was insane but I had to admit thrilling. He proposed we not tell either of our parents and what they found out at Graduation they found out. He said it didn't matter what would happen because as soon as we graduated we were going to be off to marry and start a life together.

He was right. Graduation I was seven months pregnant and my family hit the roof. They tried to beat me in front of everyone and I had feared they'd succeed. That was till my knight in shining armor; my phoenix, hexed my parents and grabbed me creating a port-key and whisking us away. He was always so clever. Who knew he could make a port-key?

"They really tried to beat her in front of everyone?" Hermione exclaimed.

Minerva sighed and pulled pictures out handing them to the younger two.

Hermione and Harry looked through the pictures of the graduation. They saw that Katy was heavily pregnant and glowing.

Then they saw her with fear in her eyes and shaking as a man that looked a lot like her had a death grip on her. A woman that also looked a lot like her with her hand raised.

Then there was a picture of Katy hiding behind Albus and that blazing look in his eyes Harry remember seeing when Albus fought Voldemort in the Ministry his fifth year.

"What about Albus' parents?" Harry asked handing the pictures back.

"Shocked to say the least and hurt their son kept this from them. But then they were just happy Katy was okay. They found Dumbledore easily enough. He'd port-keyed to his home to gather some things before leaving for good. They convinced him to have a proper wedding and to stay with them at least until he and Katy got on their own feet," Minerva stated.

She flipped some pages and handed a few wedding photos to the professors.

Hermione thought the picture of Albus and Katy standing in the front of the little chapel was sweet. More so when you noticed Albus hand his hands wrapped around her large belly and was rubbing it gently.

"Both agreed you know and two months after graduation which was a month after their wedding Katy gave birth to two baby boys. The problem though was during those first few months Dumbledore was distant. He didn't want to have anything to do with his sons and befriended a visitor to Godric's Hollow named Gellert Grindelwald," Minerva sighed taking the wedding photos back and placing them in the book.

"Why? I thought he loved Katy," Hermione frowned.

"Oh he did…does. But he was only seventeen after all. He was still a child in most aspects. Some say to this day he is still a child," Minerva laughed lightly.

"Well what did Katy do?" Harry asked.

"Saved his sister from death," Minerva stated.

"What!?" the two friends exclaimed.

"There was a terrible argument between my father, myself, and Grindelwald. It led up to a duel in our basement," Albus sighed tiredly as he entered his living room.

He stood behind Minerva staring at the two professors.

"Three shots were fired in a haze of fog and there were two screams. When the dust cleared Grindelwald was gone and Ariana was in the middle of it all surrounded by a bubble shield. Katy stood at the top of the basement stairs her hands outstretched using wandless magic to keep my sister safe."

"How did she get in the basement at all?" Hermione asked.

"She was only eight. There's no telling what made her go down. Probably to stop her father and brother," Albus sighed.

"Are you all right headmaster?" Minerva asked quietly.

Albus smiled and leaned down to kiss her head.

"Just tired my dear but I thought you would like to go for a bit," Albus replied.

Minerva smiled and stood about to put the book away.

"No, no I'll finish the story," Albus stated, "My two biggest enemies are gone. I think the secrecy is over now," he added taking her seat.

"I'll tell the others then sir," Minerva replied sweeping out of the room.

"Tell the others what?" Harry asked.

"I'll finish the story and let you figure it out," Albus replied.

"So what happened then after Grindelwald?" Hermione asked. She had gotten very interested in the story.