AN/- hey i apologize for the extremely late update-but had to go camping (not as fun as you think it is) anyway after battling the cold and reminding myself of the fact the I mustn't crib about it not snowing-I bring you this-hope you'll enjoy =)-Also a special thanks to Jayc and Does it Matter(I suppose it doesn't but it would be lovely to know) the two anonymous people who reviewed I am glad your enjoying-would love to reply if you had an account here. ANyways I am so glad your enjoying my story Jayc and Does it Matter I understand-we share very smilar sentiments when it comes to Jean although he's not really gonna turn up anytime soon unless I think he is absolutely necessary-hope you guys are enjoying this.

Warning: I know my story isn't 'M' yet but a few F-bombs have been thrown around casually-I understand some of you may not like it but I haven't heard anyone complain yet so I suppose you guys are fine with it... anyway-just thought I should clear that out.

~Penny

Chapter 45

Audrey waited to cross over from the bus stop to the other side of the road. Her father was quick on his legs so she had to be fast, thank Merlin she had worn her trainers instead of her converse seeing how hard it was to walk with them as they had an extremely heavy sole.

He walked into a worn out play ground that was covered in snow, the broken swings creaked in the wind as they made their way through it, she noticed her father walked faster than he normally did through that park, she wondered if he had anything against that place. She looked around to find that there was a large tree at the end of the park where there seemed to be a tiny pier that overlooked a frozen pond, she wondered what this place must look like in the summer. When she looked up she noticed that her father was already half the distance to the brick stone wall and a rusted iron gate. She ran to catch up with him, they walked in silence till they reached the gate that he pulled open; she was scared it might break off. She entered the odd sort of colony like area, the lane was narrow and the houses were one storied and stuck to each other as if they were built all together. The buildings were all painted in one similar boring colour that looked like a very dull yellow—possibly the dullest that one could find, each house had a small front lawn that was obviously unkempt everywhere. The road leading down was narrow and therefore the children playing on the street were staring at the two black haired occupants—the older boys pushing the younger ones down to have a good look at the girl who had walked into their street, the girl who was like the ones from the main city of London—they called them townies—the townies were pretty, delicate and only drank water from bottles that were sealed—they didn't smoke the cigarettes made in the factory down the road but smooth filtered ones with cocky brand names on them, they only wore expensive clothes—not the baggy loose and holed ones they did, so seeing a nice looking fifteen year old townie made them hoot out in happiness.

Audrey turned on hearing the boys hoot at her, she noticed her father throw them an extremely dark glare as he pulled her hand into his and then wrenched her forward.

"Onward—faster!" he snarled commanding angrily as the boys could be heard teasing him and mocking him in their bad accent and incompetent English.

"Oye! You black haired—where is you takin' the pretty townie?" snorted one as Audrey decided to walk faster.

"Looks like a bat—bat man!" laughed the other as Audrey felt like snapping back at them, but she knew that wasn't necessary seeing that another one of her father's fresh death glares made them shut up, she smirked a little and then walked ahead with him.

"Thank merlin—I don't live in this shit lane anymore," he said to himself.

"You still have a house here?" she asked him.

"My father's brother died when I was too young—he left the house in my name—stated that only I could use it—it's three lanes down—way more decent—I hardly ever go there though," snapped Severus as Audrey nodded. She could tell the odd feeling he was getting on returning to the place he grew up as a child, she could tell the other women who were now coming into view remembered the young gangly boy, with black hair—who did not talk to anyone—the freak boy was back and had gotten a townie girl with him.

Audrey walked forward as she tried to smile at these women who were looking at her father with such rapt interest and some with a little fright and disgust. They didn't smile back, she could hear some even mutter "bloody townie—come to ruin everythings"

Audrey noticed her father had turned to one of the houses and stopped walking; he just stood there, staring at the structure waiting for his courage to develop. Audrey came up to stand next to him, she could see from the corner of her eye that those boys had followed them.

"Well?" she asked him trying to push him forward but Severus just glared at the house.

"You don't have to do this dad," she said trying to explain that he didn't have to do this for her, she would be just as happy to return back as she was happy to be standing here, but Severus knew better, he knew what had to be done—had to be done.

"Come," he ordered taking her hand in his as he stepped forward, skipped the rain gutters and stepped into the lawn of the house he had been staring at. Audrey did what she was told as they reached the door of the house he had been glaring at previously. Severus sighed as he raised his fist to knock on the wooden door that was worn out due to age and possible previous termite infection. Nobody answered the door as they waited outside.

"Maybe they aren't at home," said Audrey lightly as she turned to look at the neighbouring houses that the hooting boys had brought out, they were all now collectively looking at the townies.

"Possible," he said knocking again as no one answered again.

"Maybe you aren't knocking hard enough," she said as he frowned and knocked harder than before.

"Really—even I can't hear that," she said rolling her eyes as he sighed and pulled back his fist to knock again a little apprehensively but his daughter seemed to be way more impatient than he was.

"Hello—any one home?" she called loudly as she banged on the door with her whole fist and not just one knuckle that Severus had been using all this while.

There was once again no reply for a bit but then they heard a bit off scuffling as the door was pulled open by an elderly man with light dirty blonde hair. He glared at Audrey and then turned to glare at the man next to her in a similar fashion.

"We don't want to buy nothing from you townie folk now—sod off!" he snarled as he pushed himself inside and began pushing the door behind him. Severus looked extremely angered but did not say anything; it was like he was a bomb waiting to explode. Audrey noticed his hands curl in fists as his mouth twitched in odd ways.

"No wait!" she said placing her foot between the door as Tobias couldn't really help but yank open the door angrily as he noticed half of the lane there staring at his house.

"What you'll looking at—get lost—you bunch of stupid retards!" snarled Tobias angrily, spit flying everywhere as he came out of the house in his dark blue jeans and green jumper with lines of light silver on them. Audrey couldn't help but smile at that.

"I take my grandmother was a Slytherine?" she asked as Severus frowned, who was grandmother—oh—oh yea. He nodded slowly.

Audrey noticed the crowd laughing at the old man and then clearing off, the man came back to stand in front of them, glaring at the lot rudely. Audrey couldn't help it as a smile crossed her face, she could tell just how much her father resembled his own, their mannerism were the same, they had similar stiff body language, they had the same thin but muscular built and then they had the same roman nose—not forgetting the glare and frown that they were sharing.

"What do you want—I told Bradford down at the office—I wasn't gonna clear off—so what do you want now—I am not sellin' this house even if me mother comes up from hell and threatens me too!" snarled Tobias in breadth as Audrey tried to speak, but she couldn't help but realise—his voice—his voice was similar to her father's too although the way they spoke made her father look like an aristocrat over his.

"Wait a minute—how old are you again?—what now they is sending fifteen year old brat from the city to get me out of the house with—and who the fuck are you?" snarled Tobias Severus stood there quietly.

"Tobias!" said the woman from the doorway as she came out and stood next to her husband as she wrapped her long black woollen cardigan around her thin frame, her salt pepper hair tied in a loose braid as her thin spectacles framed her face.

"Why are you shouting?" asked the woman deadly calm as she looked at the girl in front of Tobias who wrapped his arm around her protectively.

"These ruddy townies're back," he muttered angrily as he held his head down a sneer crossing his face.

"Come on," snapped Severus all of a sudden wiping the smile off Audrey's face, she knew he was angry, she knew he hadn't expected a grand welcome but nor had she but neither had expected to be insulted—but it was just a misunderstanding after all he hadn't seen his father in the last ten years so how was his father expected to know what he looked like now, even Audrey knew he looked quite different than what he did in school.

"But pappa-," she protested as he had already turned his shoulders squared ready to move everything out of this path.

"No—come!" he snarled again.

"But pappa please—he's just confused us with someone else," she reasoned but she knew it was a lost cause.

"Alright—stay then," he snapped and then took a few steps forward, hoping she would follow.

Audrey turned to look at the couple who had their eyes glued to them; she made a disappointed face at them and then turned to catch up with her father who seemed like he was walking at the speed of firebolt.

"Pappa wait! You must listen! Damnit why won't you listen!" she snarled angrily as he stopped in his path turned around to glare at the stubborn girl, who gave him an equally deadly glare back in return.

"I—," began Severus as he noticed his mother walking towards Audrey and then standing next to her, looking at her rather curiously.

"Severus—Severus? is that you?" she asked the man in front of her as if she was seeing a ghost, she seemed surprised and a little loss for words as she stood next to Audrey.

"Yes, it's him," replied Audrey as her father stood stiff on the spot as if he had been frozen there. Eileen walked towards him slowly as Severus didn't know what to say really, he fiddled with the buttons on his coat as his mother took cautious steps towards him. Meanwhile Tobias had come to stand next to Audrey; she looked up at him as he looked back at her.

"Hi!" she said jovially offering her his hand as he took a step back; he seemed a little boggled by her friendliness when they hardly knew each other. He grunted in reply a sneer forming around his face, which oddly made the girl laugh.

"What choo laughing at?" he asked as she shrugged but continued to smile at him.

"Severus?" called Mrs. Snape again as the man in front of her looked into her eyes, the eyes that they shared the eyes he had passed on to his daughter.

"Hello mother," he said in the highest frequency he could manage—it was as if it were inaudible to human ears—but Eileen heard it—she was pushed to straining her ears, so she heard it ever so clearer—this man—this man was her son—her Severus was right there. Eileen beamed as she tried to say something, her hand rest on his upper arm as his mouth twitched into a small smile. Eileen threw her arms around him, her boy was back—he had come back—he had forgotten and forgiven—she was overjoyed, so overjoyed that she began crying in his embrace—yes, his arms were around her as she was being squished by her son, who was a good foot taller than her—just like his father. No! He might not like her saying that.

"Toby—it's him—it's Sev!" she said happily as Tobias stopped the staring competition with Audrey and looked away from her, he then walked up to his family and smiled. Severus was a little frightened to see a smile cross his father's now wrinkled face—there had been a time when Tobias had been a handsome man—he was handsome now too but not as much.

"Son—how've you been?" Tobias asked Severus as he nodded briefly but that was seemingly not enough, he pulled the younger man into a hug and refused to let go as for the first time after a long time did Tobias Snape cry over his son. He was a happy man today—it was truly a good Christmas.

"Well,-let go!" snapped Severus as Tobias ignored his tone and attitude as he smiled at the man in front of him as his clapped an arm around Severus's shoulders still smiling. The Snape's fussed over their son, completely ignoring Audrey who Severus motioned to follow them as they entered the Snape house at Spinners End.

The Snapes made Severus sit in the living room as they spoke to him eagerly asking the annoyed man question after question after question. Till finally Audrey entered the room, she had been fussing over the snow that had fallen over her jacket as her wand kept slipping out of the compartment of her right hand sleeve, she pushed it back up and continued with the fussing with a frown on her face not realising how quite in had gotten in the room.

"Bloody snow," she muttered to her herself murderously as only then did she realize how quite the room had gotten as everyone was looking at her, studying her like she was some new type of animal.

She looked at them as a deep blush crossed her cold cheeks warming them instantly as the warmth of her body and the warmth of the house made her look clammy. None of them spoke as she noticed her father's head go from one parent to the other and then roll his eyes at them individually as he raised his eyebrows at her. The sooner they were done with 'social' visit the better.

"Umm...hi!" she said giving the silent room an awkward wave, they didn't say anything, so Audrey turned to look at her father who sighed and shook his head, he took a few steps around the couch and made his way to his daughter, he then gently draped his hand around her shoulders.

"Audrey—wanted to say hello to my parents," said Severus a little oddly as she smiled at them a little over conscious as her blush deepened.

"And—do we know Audrey?" asked Mrs. Snape sweetly as her face finally broke into a smile while husband still stared at Audrey a little suspiciously.

"No—neither did I till last year—she's my daughter," said Severus as Audrey couldn't help but smile, she could sense the pride in his voice.

"So—she's your kid?" asked Tobias walking forward to where his wife was now standing and smiling down at Audrey, in a very grandmotherly way.

"What does 'my daughter' mean?" snapped Severus as Tobias frowned at him.

"Well—she's got the Snape curse of frowning and glaring at things—what better proof can you get?" asked Eileen as Audrey frowned at her father for snapping at his own but dropped at her grandmother's statement.

"So you're that Rachel girl's kid?" asked Tobias trying to remember.

"She's not a girl anymore though," said Audrey simply as Severus scoffed a little; he wondered if Tobias would take this as a joke or feel insulted.

"Hardly, so she didn't tell ya she had a kid for the last—how old are you darling?" asked Tobias a little sharply as his tune changed instantly to a genuinely sweet sounding one.

"Fifteen," replied Audrey earnestly as Tobias smiled at her pleasantly while she could tell her father was frowning at the man sharply, but she knew that he knew that he just spoke that way—he couldn't really change the way he spoke—so what he didn't talk like the queen's family, didn't mean that he didn't know how to be pleasant.

"Yes, I wasn't aware about her till this year," said Severus through gritted teeth as Audrey could feel herself smiling.

"Right—then stay for dinner, won't you?" asked Tobias directly to Audrey as she looked up at her father with the most pleading eyes, he closed his eyes and sighed, how was he supposed to deny her something when she gave him such looks. He nodded as she burst into a smile and nodded.

"Yes please—thank you," she replied gracefully as Severus was happy that she hadn't forgotten her manners.

"Lovely—I made cake," smiled Eileen clapping her hands together excitedly as she asked Severus to follow her into the kitchen so that they could talk about something—Tobias let them go he knew what they were going to talk about. Audrey stood in the far corner awkwardly. Tobias smiled at her as they shared an awkward silence as he lite himself a cigarette. Audrey moved a little uncomfortably as Tobias looked at her and then pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and rubbed it out in his over full ash tray. Audrey settled down on the couch while Tobias looked at her curiously.

"So..." he began looking at her, possibly trying to decide if she looked like Severus or her mother who he hadn't seen before—he decided that although she looked a lot like her father—she did have some features on her face that didn't belong to her father—like her nose—the shape of her face—her lips—the size of her forehead and her ears, they all played a major role in making her look different from her father, although her skin, eyes and hair colour was just like her father's.

"So—how'd he come across you?" he asked her.

"Well, my mum and I lived in France for most of my life, I studied there and well there was tournament that had our school compete with the one dad works at and well—he sort of looked out for me then and then well—umm—you know—it's complicated," she said trying to frame sentences that would hopefully not include terms that he would not understand but his next question was a simple one.

"So—you—you're like—them?" he asked her a little disappointedly as Audrey bit her lower lip, she knew Tobias wasn't very friendly about magic—she didn't really know an answer to that—but she wondered if his so called change that her father had been talking about that changed his attitude about magic—she took a risk and told him the truth.

"Yes," she replied simply nodding her head as Tobias pushed himself back into his seat and said nothing, Audrey could tell he was a little uncomfortable.

"Do you want to see it?" she asked him as he looked at her interestedly. He had seen magic before—the two others in his instant family could do it, he had seen it, he had wanted it but could not have it, he had been enraged by it and lost so much because of it, but her offer seemed different—his son nor his wife had ever really offered to show him any magic on their own—he had always just caught then practicing it.

"Alright," he said a little slowly and then nodded his head. She pulled out three pence coins from her pocket as he showed them to him. She wondered if this stupid muggle magic could amuse him but he seemed to be looking at it with rapt attention.

"Ok—now I can make them disappear," she said holding the coins in between the lengths of her fingers and waving her other hand around and over it pulling the coins into her other hand as the hand that had held the coins seemed more interesting to Tobias than the other one, his eyes she noticed filled with wonderment as she got up and pulled her other hand to his left ear.

"I think I can make them app'ear' from your ears too," she said as she pulled one coin out of her hand from around each of his ears and then from under his chin as he chuckled a little, she giggled and sat back down on the seat.

"You think I am daft girl?" he laughed louder as Audrey stiffened she hadn't meant to make him think that way.

"No, sir I would never-," she began explaining as Tobias stopped laughing, didn't she know he had lived his whole life with wizards.

"Calm down—and quite with the formalities—you sound like those townie toss pots," he said smiling at her as she blushed.

"Can I see your wand?" he asked her as she looked at him, then she strained her neck to look at the kitchen to see if her father was by chance looking. She then pushed the hand straight down making her wand slide into her hand and she carefully handed it over to him.

"It's lovely," he said looking at it longingly.

"Thanks," she said a little apprehensive seeing that her father was just a door away; he'd kill her if he knew she'd given a muggle to hold her wand, not because he was prejudice but because it was just so wrong on so many grounds.

"What wood is this?" he asked curiously weighing the wand on his hand.

"English oak and ebony," she replied as he nodded interestedly as he handed her wand back to her.

"Its core is actually phoenix feathers and powdered unicorn horn," she said pushing her wand back up her sleeve as he raised his eyebrows.

"Are these things—real?" he asked softly a little disbelief in his voice.

"Yes—my gra—great uncle owns a phoenix—his name's Fawkes—he says that after he dies—Fawkes will be rightfully mine—maybe I could show him to you then," said Audrey excitedly as Tobias smiled and leaned in to listen to her clearer, his smile dropped a little, he didn't have anything to give her as inheritance.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, she could tell his mood has most certainly deteriorated, but he smiled and said nothing as he shook his head.

"Pappa told me—you were a musician?" she asked him as he raised his head, she seemed excited.

"I play a few instruments," he said smiling, he spoke further seeing that she was interested.

"I can play the piano, the cello, the violin and the guitar," said Tobias lightly a little proud of his abilities making him smirk.

"I can play everything that you said but the cello—I just can't get my hand to settle on it—like it's just too big!" she said animatedly as Tobias chuckled, Audrey couldn't really have guessed that this man had once been an abusive drunkard, he seemed like a decent normal muggle.

"That's impressive—what music do you like?" he asked sitting up straighter as if this would be the deciding factor of whether she was worth being his granddaughter or not.

"Well— my mum's not really into music so whatever I heard was in school-people used to talk about bands and I went home and asked her to buy me albums for my birthdays—it was all that I wanted actually—I like the Beatles there one of my favourites and then there's U2 and the Rolling stones and there lots more," said Audrey as he nodded, he liked there music too.

"What are you'll talking about?" asked Eileen coming into the room as Audrey tried to look for her father who was still in the kitchen.

"She likes music," said Tobias proudly as Audrey smiled; Eileen gave her a short smile.

"So what house are you in?" she asked her, Audrey looked at her wondering if she'd be disappointed if she knew she was in Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor," replied Audrey as the smile on Eileen's smile diminished a little but she didn't say anything.

"What's that like?" asked Tobias interestedly noticing his wife's change in smile.

"It is where the bold dwell at heart," sang Eileen smiling remember the sorting hat's words.

"Personally—I think it's just a bunch of codswallops," said Audrey shaking her head.

"It's been ritual for so many centuries," said Severus pocketing some book that his mother had handed to him in the kitchen.

"But a ritual that discriminates people on the bases of their personality that an old hat considers viable—really—it just seems outrageous," said Audrey shrugging as Eileen wished to argue but her son beat her to it.

"And how do you think people should be sorted—on their own accord?" asked Severus raising a question his mother would have albeit more politely.

"Well—No, but if sorting is necessary—it should be done on a random ad-hoc bases not on the prior family ties and preformed prejudices—in Beauxbatons we were sorted on an ad-hoc bases," said Audrey angrily, her father smirked at this.

"The hat has been blessed with the magical capabilities of the four founders—its got way more brains then you would," scoffed Severus as Audrey pouted and glared at him but then giggled a little, she knew he was joking.

It was pleasant to say the truth, they spoke about other things as well several muggle inventions came into talk as they were discussed by the Snape family along with the wizard portion of the world that his mother was not connected to anymore.

"Or you for that matter," muttered Audrey smirking as Severus smirked and raised his eyebrows at her making her chuckle with him.

Christmas at Spinner's End went way better than Severus had expected, what was odd was his daughter was able to do something that he had never and could possibly never do—connect with his muggle father. They seemed to find each other interesting—seeing that she tried to decipher magic for him in a very different way than Tobias had been introduced too and he found her so much more interesting, while she seemed to be connecting to him quite well, once she even called him 'Mr. Snape' but he forced her to call him "grandpa Toby" which was odd—extremely odd, but it was alright seeing that Tobias actually connected to someone who wasn't a drunkard and spoke rubbish most of the time.

It was almost ten in the night when they got to leave, the lane was deserted and so Severus found it a little frightening to let Audrey walk on her own.

"I am not two you know," she said as he slipped his hand into hers.

"I am aware," he said a little bitingly as he refused to let go of her hand, she smiled at his gesture although she found it very protective she was pleased that he was that way, he was the way a father was supposed to be.

"Thanks for getting me here pappa," she said as they walked together, he looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"I am glad you enjoyed yourself," he replied as she nodded, he looked at the watch in his hand, they were already late, way more than he had anticipated, he had to get to the order before well—in five minutes and muggle transport would be absolutely useless.

"Have you ever apparated before?" he asked her as she shook her head, he sighed, he couldn't just apparate her, what if she felt sick?

"No, but I would most certain want to," said Audrey readily as he looked at her thankfully.

"Hold on tight," he said as he clenched her hand tightly, side long apparition was more difficult than individual apparition but he didnt have time to stop and think of that.

Audrey felt and odd feeling pass through her, it was as if someone was trying fold her a million times in a few seconds and trying to squeeze her folded self into the tiniest box accessible. Audrey closed her eyes hoping the feeling would pass, hoping she wouldnt feel sick.

A loud pop and she could feel as if someone had shifted the ground below her feet, she fell weak on her knees as her head felt rather dizzy and uneasiness took over her senses.

"Audrey," called Severus as he held to his chest, it was like she was fainting.

"Audrey!" he called again as she came around slowly blinking her eyelashes to get the haziness away from her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her as she tried to stand on her feet without his support but he didn't let go.

"I feel dizzy," she said as made her sit down on the couch, thankfully he had apparated them in the living room at Grimmauld Place.

"You're not hurt are you?" he asked checking her face if she had been splinched anywhere.

"No," she replied shortly as he sat down besides her and waited for her to open her eyes.

"Better?" he asked her running a hand up and down her back and she nodded and rested her head into him.

"This was the best Christmas ever—thanks dad," she said as he wrapped his hand around her and kissed the top of her head.

AN/- Hey I know Tobias might seems super OOC but I think he was supposed to be here anyways hope you enjoyed it!