Hot Chocolate
Sweeping through the hallways of Malfoy Manor, Severus glanced down at his wand, which was balanced carefully in the palm of his hand, before turning down another corridor. The moment he learned of what Draco did, he couldn't help but be furious with his godson had done. Setting a boggart on Abby, what was he thinking?! It seemed that he had inherited his father's tendency to do stupid things without any second thought.
But worry and panic pushed that to the back of his mind, which caused him to race out to look for his new ward, already know that she was hiding in some cupboard, crying her eyes out.
She saw the boggart, and it turned into you!
Severus couldn't help but shudder. Abby's worse fear was him? Why? Did he do something to her? If he did, what was it? He had to find her, not only for her own safety now, but to find the reason why he was her worst fear...
The wand his hands started to spin wildly, causing Severus to pause as he waited for it to stop and show him which way to go. After a moment, it came to a sudden stop, pointing to his side, which was of course, a cupboard. After a brief moment of relief, he grabbed from the handle to the door, which just rattled his hand. Locked. Probably with accidental magic. "Abigail, open the door," he called out.
A muffled whimper. "Please. I'll leave you alone, I promise. Just please don't hurt me again."
Cursing under his breath, Severus jabbed his wand at the lock, preforming a silent Unlocking Charm and letting the door swing open. As it opened, letting some light come in, he heard Abby cry again, scooting back until she audibly hit a nearby shelf, items on it rattling. "No, don't hurt me, Mr. Severus, please -"
With another silent spell, a ball of light appeared at the end of Severus' wand, flooding the small room, an old study maybe, with light. Abby was huddled against the far bookshelf filled with dusty antiques, shaking as she stared at him with wide eyes. Her left cheek was a dark red and swollen, tears rolling over it.
"Oh, child," said Severus with a twinge of pain. He walked forward and knelt down a few feet away from her, ignoring Abby's flinch, and shook his head. "I'm so sorry. Never did I..." Never did he think that Draco could do this to her. "Draco told me what happened. I didn't hurt you, Abby, I promise."
"Wh-What? But... But I saw -"
"Did I say earlier that I would never hurt you intentionally?" Severus gently told her. "I meant that, Abby."
"But you hit me," cried Abby. "I saw you!" She buried her head in her hands. "You told me to go away, that you didn't want me to call you Da-Daddy anymore."
"No, I didn't," said Severus with a shake of his head. "What you saw was a boggart. Its a magical creature that can change into what we fear the most to frighten us. Remember me telling you about it before?" he said, reminding her about the time he read her a book about magical creatures, the boggart being one of them.
As Abby lifting her head up, Severus was a little disappointed to see the realization in her eyes, as if she finally understood. "Why are you afraid of me?" he asked gently. "What did I do to make you fear me?"
"I-I was afraid you'd change you mind," Abby admitted in a whisper. "That you'd say that you didn't want me anymore."
Sighing, a mixture of relief and sadness, Severus opened his arms to his new ward. "Come here," he said simply, and braced himself as Abby scrambled into his arms, almost knocking him over. "Believe me, Abby, I would never say that. I chose to adopt you. Nothing is going to make me change my mind." He glanced down at her. "Unless you don't want me anymore -"
"No, no!" Abby buried her face in his chest. "I'd really like it if you were my daddy! I'm sorry, I'll never think that again!"
Chuckling, Severus pressed a brief kiss to the top of her head, and she looked up at him with a slight blush. "Come on then, child," he said as he stood up, "lets get you fixed up. I have a jar of cream for bruises somewhere in my robes."
"Sir? Why would Draco take me to a boggart?" asked Abby hesitantly, stumbling over the creatures name. "I know he don't like me, but that was so scary!"
"I'm sorry to say that I don't know why my godson did that," answered Severus "But I'm certain at this very moment that his mother is giving him a stern talking to. What he did was very wrong, not only because you were frightened, but because both of you could have been hurt. Boggarts are dangerous, depending on what you fear the most. If you fear, for examples, snakes, the boggart will turn into a snake, and if it was poisonous, you could die if it bit you."
"Oh..."
Abby was silent as they made their way down the large halls, but finally spoke up before they reached the living room. "Is he gonna get punished?"
"Most likely," said Severus.
To his surprise, Abby flinched. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get him in trouble," she mumbled.
"Now what are you going on about, Abigail?" asked Severus, stopping in front of the living room doors. "You didn't get anyone in trouble - Draco did that all on his own." He shook his head, disappointed in his godson. "He was foolish, acting as an arrogant prince would, he will be punished for it. And of course, he will apologize to you. Understand?"
Nodding, Abby rested her good cheek against his shoulder. "I'm sorry that I ran away, Da... You sure I can still call you daddy?" she asked hesitantly.
"I said so, didn't I?"
"I'm sorry that I ran away, Daddy," finished Abby. "I was just so scared."
"Completely understandably. But next time something happens, if your scared, or if someone bullies you, come to me immediately, alright?" said Severus.
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Pushing open the doors, Severus announced to his friends, "I found her."
"Thank goodness," said Narcissa with a sigh, Draco in her lap and his face buried in her shoulder. "I was worried - goodness, what happened to her cheek?" she asked with concern, and her son lifted up his head to see what she was talking about, grey eyes and pale cheeks red from crying.
"Missi!" The house-elf appeared a moment later at his mistresses call. "Some hot chocolate for our guest, with plenty of whipped cream." Chocolate was a cure to more then just being around a Dementor.
"The boggart hit her." Setting Abby down on the couch as the house-elf did as it was told, Severus reached into his robes, pulling out a tiny cream for bruises, which he enlarged with a tap of his wand. He always carried a small supply of shrunken medical potions with him, especially since children seemed to managed to hurt themselves all the time. "It should be fine once I put this on." Screwing the top off, he dipped his long fingers inside and proceed to smear a large glop of it on the swollen cheek. Abby winced at the cold cream, but sighed a moment later as the pain started to fade away.
"Better?" asked Severus when he was done, cleaning his fingers with a quick spell and placing the jar away.
"Uh huh, thanks," said Abby, her cheek now a light pink and no longer swollen.
"Severus, why don't you come here for a second," said Narcissa, her voice calm but her eyes filled with disappointment and sadness. "I believe Draco needs to talk with you."
Giving his friend a nod, Severus said to Abby, "I'll be back in a moment." But as he was turning to leave, he felt a tug on his robes, and glanced back to see green eyes staring up at him, wide with fear.
"Don't be too mad at him," Abby said in a whisper as her tiny hand clung to his robes, her gaze flickering to Draco. "Please?"
Not for the first time today, Severus sighed as he gently took back his robes. "I won't, Abigail. I promise." He waved to the house-elf that just appeared, with a large cup of hot chocolate that was topped with a mountain of whipped cream in its hands. "Drink your hot chocolate, and I'll be back soon."
Draco was sitting next to his mother on the couch, while Lucius was at the fireplace, talking with someone about removing the boggart as quickly as possible if Severus understood correctly. Turning his attention towards his godson, who shrank as he came closer, Severus crossed his arms and fixed him with a stern look.
"What were you thinking, Draco, when you set a boggart on my ward? Both of you could have been seriously harmed."
"I know," mumbled Draco. "I just wanted to scare her away."
"Why on earth would you want to do that?" Severus knew that Draco didn't like Abigail, but he couldn't see a reason why. She hadn't done anything to him.
"Cause..." Suddenly growing defiant, Draco crossed his arms and pouted. "Cause she's gonna steal you from me! You're my Uncle Severus, not hers! She can't have you!"
Ah. And there was the problem. Severus and Narcissa exchanged a glance. Jealousy.
"I am not a toy to be fought over, Draco," said Severus sharply, causing the boy to flinch. "I am not only your uncle now, I am Abigail's guardian, and hopefully in the near future, her father. She's going to be a part of my life, and hopefully, yours as well. She needs friends her own age, one of the reasons I brought her tonight. And instead of doing the right thing and offering a hand of friendship, you scared her with her worst fear."
"But ever since she came, you haven't come over," argued Draco. "She's gonna take up all your time, and - and you'll never have time to see me!" Sniffling, Draco rubbed at his nose. "And you'll forget me," he finished with a whisper.
With a mental sigh, wondering how he could deal with this calmly, Severus placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, causing him to look up at him. "Besides the fact that you can't just scare people you don't like, Abigail is not stealing me away, Draco," he said gently. "Yes, she will take up some of my time, but so does my job. I didn't mean to be gone so much. Things, besides Abigail, happened." Severus smiled. "And forget about my little dragon of a godson? Never. You will always have a place in my heart, even if sometimes I don't have the time to come visit you. Alright?"
Nodding, Draco wiped his nose on the back of his hand. "Alright... Are you terribly anger with me, Uncle Severus?"
"A bit," admitted Severus.
"Are you gonna punish me too, Uncle Sev? Mum's gonna take away my broom for a month," said Draco quickly, even as he wrinkled his nose in disappointment. "Right, Mum?"
"Yes. Plus, he's already had Lucius punish him as well," said Narcissa. "Five swats on the bottom and a stern talking too about doing idiotic things that might disgrace the family name."
A bright blush appeared on Draco's face in embarrassment.
"Well, it certainly sound like you've been punished," said Severus with a nod. "But, you can make it better by apologizing to Abigail."
Glancing up at his mother, who nodded in confirmation, Draco slid to floor and slowly made his way over to the other couch, while his uncle and mother watched. Abby, who was sipping her hot drink carefully, giggling softly as she used her now sticky fingers to eat up the whipped cream that dripped over the sides.
"Um, Abby?"
Blinking those large green eyes, Abby looked down at Draco. "Yes, Draco?"
His cheeks turning a dark pink, Draco stared at his feet as he mumbled, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry... for setting that boggart on you. I was just... jealous, I guess."
"What? Of me? I don't... why?" asked Abby with a tilt of her head, clearly confused. "I don't have none of your pretty things, or such pretty parents." She sniffled. "You've got everything, and I haven't got anything so nice. Not even my Mr. Dragon is fancy like your things.""
"You've got Uncle Severus," pointed out Draco. "You get to be with him all the time. And I don't get to see him that much anymore. I guess... I just didn't want you to take Uncle Severus away from me."
"Oh... I guess I get that... I forgive you, then" said Abby with a shy smile, causing Draco to snap up his head and give her a wide eyed look.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. I'd been jealous too if someone tried to take away Mr. Severus from me," said Abby with tiny nod. "I get it. So I forgive you."
"Uh... thanks?" said Draco hesitantly. He'd probably never meet someone who forgave him so quickly. And beside that, he usually he had to bribe his friends to forgive him, or their parents forced them to "be nice" again so they wouldn't loose the favor of the Malfoy family.
"Do-Do you wanna share this hot chocolate with me?" Abby asked, holding up her cup. "Its really sweet and warm. Its my favorite!"
"Uh... Alright." Joining her on the couch, Draco carefully took the mug from Abby's outstretched hands and took a carefully gulp. "Our house-elves make the best hot chocolate ever," he said, not noticing the white blob on the end of his nose. "My mum gives it to me sometimes when I have a bad dream."
"Draco, you got some whipped cream on your nose," pointed out Abby with a giggle.
"Huh?" Draco went cross eyed trying to find out what was supposedly on his nose.
Giggling again, Abby reached out and swiped off the cream to Draco's surprise. "Got it!" she said, popping her finger into her mouth without a second thought, even though it made her new friend turn red.
"They are so cute together," cooed Narcissa as the children continued to share the drink. "I do hope they get together when they're older. They would make lovely grandchildren."
"Is that all you care about, beautiful grandchildren?" asked Severus with a raised eyebrow after he held back a choked laugh.
"Of course not. But it certain is nice to dream," said Narcissa with a happy sigh. "Don't worry, Severus, I just want my baby boy to be happy. Oh, I must get a picture! It will perfect material to embarrass Draco with when he's older. Missi, get the camera!"
"Yes, Mistress, here it is!"
"I talked to McNair in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," said Lucius as he came over. "He'll send someone over to get rid of the boggart as quickly as he can." He glanced over to the two children, who were chatting about something. "They became friends rather fast, didn't they?"
"It seems so. Narcissa is already planning their wedding," Severus chuckled, ignoring the look Narcissa gave him before she started snapping pictures.
"I'm not completely sure how I feel about some possible Muggleborn playing with our son," said Lucius slowly as Draco got whip cream on his nose again, though this time is was deliberate. And Severus wasn't surprised, he had actually expected this to pop up eventually. Especially when one knew his full history. He got ready to speak up, but he was beating to the punch, so to speak.
"Uh uh, not another word," said Narcissa as she lowered her camera, a sharp jab of her finger pointed towards her husband. "I know how you feel towards Muggles and Muggleborns, Lucius, and I understand your reasoning, but not this time. For one, we don't know what her heritage is, not that we should care that much since secondly, Draco has just made a friend, a lovely young girl who forgave him even though he set a boggart on her. She is, at the moment, the only friend that he gained without your help."
"But -"
"I don't want you to even count the Crabbe, Goyle, or Parkinson children," shot Narcissa. "They only play with him because their parents are afraid of us, with good reason, of course. Abby, on the other hand, is going to have Severus for a father, and he was no reason to be afraid of us. And there is also the fact that both of them will be around more often. So just ignore the fact that there might be a chance Abby's not pureblood and everything will be just fine. Understood?"
"... As you wish, my dear," finally said Lucius, admitting defeat before he even got the chance to fight.
"Good." Placing down her camera, Narcissa stood up, clapping her hands together. "Now, its time for dinner! Children, come along now!"
"I see why you married her," said Severus, the two men still a bit little stunned. "Though she can be scary when she wants to be. And she can certainly beat you down to size, something I don't see anyone else doing."
"Don't act like the same thing wouldn't happen to you," grumbled Lucius, even as he gave his wife a loving look.
"I won't lie, I'd probably act the same way if Narcissa turned on me," said Severus with a nod as he patted Lucius on the shoulder. "Now come on, old friend, lets see if we can get one of the house-elves to sneak us a bit more wine without your lovely wife knowing." She had a strict rule of only one glass before or after dinner, since Lucius didn't do well when drunk. He git very... loopy.
"I heard that!" called out Narcissa, and both the men chuckled before following her and the children.
Dinner was a nice, if not always quiet, affair. Since Abby didn't know much about the wizarding world, Draco spent most of his time explaining how Quidditch worked, a game he and his father were a little obsessed about. The adults talked about business, with Narcissa occasionally cooing over the two children, going on how she would get the most beautiful grandchildren from them, that they would have bright silver-blonde hair and emerald green eyes, or inky black hair with shining silver eyes. Severus and Lucius just rolled their eyes and went on with talking over her.
Eventually, the meal came to an end, finished off with tarts, and the group moved back the living room to continue talking, the room warm and cozy with a lit fire and soft music. Soon enough, both Draco and Abby predictably started to doze off, struggling to stay awake and yawning more then once.
"I think its best we go back to Hogwarts," said Severus with Abby closed her eyes and almost fell forward. He stood and bowed to his hosts. "Thank you for the meal and conversation. I'll make sure to let you know when the hearing is scheduled." Lucius had graciously agreed to speak at the inevitable hearing for him taking in Abby.
"It was our pleasure," said Lucius as they shook hands, his wife picking up Draco so she could put him to bed. "Come again soon, Narcissa worries about you so when we don't hear from you often."
"I'm not the only one," shot Narcissa. "Now come on, Draco, say goodbye to Abby, she has to go home."
"Good - yawn - night, Abby," Draco mumbled, his eyes hardly open as he snuggled in his mothers arms.
"Night night, Dray," said Abby with a sleepy smile, rubbing her eyes to keep herself away. She looked up as Severus came over, yawning. "I'm really tired."
"I know, child," said Severus as he picked her up, letting her snuggle into his arms and even cling to his robes. "We're going home now."
Saying 'thank you' and 'goodbye' once more to his friends, Severus gathered his cloak from Dobby, and started walking to the apparition point, trying not to wake his ward. But it seem even exhaustion couldn't put her to sleep yet, as she looked up at him sleepily and said, "Your friends are nice, Mr. Severus. I like Draco." She yawned again. "Draco the Dragon, who set the scary not-Mr. Severus on me... But that's okay, we shared hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream and its - yawn - all better now... What's Qu'ditch again?"
"You're rambling, little one," chuckled Severus as they passed the anti-Apparition barriers. "Now I'm going to need you to hold on, and warn me if you feel sick again, alright?"
"Uh huh..." Tiny arms wrapped around his neck, and Severus spun on the spot, returning them to Hogwarts in a matter of seconds. So sleepy, Abby didn't even complain about getting sick.
"Can we see a Qu'dittch match soon, Mr. Severus?" asked Abby in a mumble. "I wanna see one..."
"There is a match at the beginning of May," answered Severus. "Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. Perhaps we can go see it."
"Yay..."
By the time he reached the large enterance doors, though, Abby was sound asleep, already drifting off to dream about people flying on brooms and diving through clouds of whipped cream.
Sipping at a fresh cup of hot chocolate that had a hint of fresh mint, all thanks to his personal house-elf, Dumbledore watched from his tower as Severus made his way inside Hogwarts, the young Abby cradled in his arms. It made the old man smile. He hadn't seen his former student this happy since he was with Lily. And he deserved to be happy, now that Voldemort was gone and his spy day's were over.
Leaning back in his chair, Dumbledore glanced towards the sky, watching as the first snow since Christmas slowly coated the grounds. He had received a letter from the Darcy Thomson a few hours ago, about Severus. While she was more then willing to still let him take Abby in, there was still the matter that she didn't have a surname yet. Since Dumbledore (or more technically, Fawkes) had been the one to find her, plus the fact that he was Chief Warlock, they were giving him the chance to pick her new surname, and change her first name if he wished, since it wasn't official just yet.
Dumbledore mentally shook his head. No, he would tell them that Abigail would keep her original first name. It was special, after all, a name that both she and her soon to be guardian picked out together. But a surname...
After a moment of thought, Dumbledore smiled, setting down his cup of hot chocolate before fetching a fresh piece of paper. Using his special quill, made from one of Fawkes feathers, he started to write out his reply to the Special Victims Department.
Miss Darcy Thomson,
I'm happy to hear that Potions Master Severus Snape is still eligible for the adoption of Miss Abigail Doe, and I thank you for the opportunity to give this young lady a new surname. After some careful thought and consideration, I have decided that it no surname should be given to her until her adoption with Potions Master Snape goes through. I hope this is satisfactory for you, and I hope to see you at the hearing.
Signed,
Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Sealing the letter in an envelope, stamped with the seal of Hogwarts, Dumbledore handed it off to his owl, since Fawkes refused to take his mail. "To Miss Darcy Thomson at the Special Victims Department in the Ministry of Magic, if you would, Pandora. And be careful, its starting to snow."
Hooting in answer, Pandora nipped at his fingers playfully before taking the letter and flying off.
Trilling, Fawkes flew over and landed on his shoulder, Dumbledore absentmindedly petting his head. He knew that no matter how much he wished, Severus would not give her his last name when he adopted her, since he had already mentioned once before that he would not continue the Snape line, that it would end with him.
Plus, when Voldemort returned, and Dumbledore knew he would, it would be harder for him to link Abigail with Severus if they didn't share the same last name. But maybe with a years time...
Picking up his mug again, Dumbledore inhaled the scent, which automatically relaxed him. Maybe not as much as sherbet lemon, but his stash would be low until he had some free time to go down to a Muggle candy story. He smiled. Maybe he could asked Severus to do it whenever he took Abby to London for shopping at Diagon Alley.
Humming a little song, Dumbledore sipped at his hot chocolate again, only to blink when he realized that it was suddenly missing a great amount. He looked to the bird on his shoulder, who was trying to look innocent and failing terribly. "You naughty bird. Be glad that you are magical, Fawkes, or that might make you very sick."
'I don't know what you're talking about,' Fawkes seemed to say in a trill before flying back to his perch, hiding his head under his wing so he could go to sleep.
Chuckling, Dumbledore set the mug down. "I really should start this paperwork," he mumbled, staring at the stack that was sitting on his desk. "Before Minerva finds out that I've been slacking off."
Lifting up his head briefly, Fawkes made a noise that could only be described as a laugh.
"Oh, shush. I don't see you helping me." Ordering a fresh cup of hot chocolate from his personal house-elf, Dumbledore got back to work, smiling when he thought of how Severus would react when told that he would be personally choosing Abby's new surname.