Hello, I seem to be getting better at posting these chapters now. So nothing big happening in this chapter, but my next chapter will be leading to a point in the plot I am excited about, more on that later. For now, enjoy.

Chapter 13

Jenny was sitting in a rather comforting chair, right next to the fire in the staff room one Friday afternoon reading through her book, with Lola curled up at her feet, when she heard Alice and Maddie talking behind her.

"I don't know what we can do, Severus says he can't leave his potion so that's him out of the equation." Maddie said sounding exasperated.

"What about Minerva?" Alice enquired. "She always said she would be able to look after the kids if we needed it."

"Already asked her, she and Albus have something at the ministry tonight." Maddie replied.

"You having trouble finding a babysitter?" Jenny asked turning around to face the women.

"Oh Jenny sorry we didn't notice you there." Maddie apologised.

"That's ok." Jenny replied with a smile. "You need a babysitter?" She questioned.

"Yeah for tonight." Alice told her. "Some old friends of ours from school have asked us if we want to meet for dinner, and our original babysitter has cancelled on us."

"Why don't I look after the kids?" Jenny asked. Maddie and Alice looked at her as if she had just offered to donate a kidney.

"Would you really? That would be fantastic." Maddie squealed.

"I'm guessing it would be all the kids not just yours?" Jenny replied with a chuckle at Maddie's excitement.

"Yeah, would that be ok?" Alice asked her with a worried look.

"Sure. The more the merrier."

And so at around 6 that afternoon, Jenny found herself at the door to her quarters as it opened to reveal 4 sets of parents and their 6 children. She smiled and moved over as the children ran into her quarters and pounced upon Lola, all bar Ava, who reached out from her mother's arms to Jenny, who took the little girl and gave her a hug.

"Thank you so much for this Jenny." Lily said as she smoothed out her daughters hair. "I hope they won't be took much trouble."

"Nonsense. We'll have a great time won't we kids." She called to the rambunctious children scattered around her living room. They all chorused back with cheered and laughter.

"Come and give us a kiss goodbye then." James laughed, and the children came rushing back to say goodbye to their parents. After hugs and kisses were exchanged all round, the group disappeared off to their dinner party, and Jenny was left with the children.

"Ok so shall we head down for dinner?" She asked the hungry children. The group of youngsters nodded eagerly. Jenny laughed and after adjusting Ava in her arms she beckoned for the children to leave her rooms. Once outside Sarah took hold of Jenny's free hand and her twin in the other. The boys walked on ahead of them so Jenny could see them. Once the group made it to the Great Hall the kids all hurried to their small table by the staff table as Jenny took a seat with them. She had decided she was going to sit with the kids tonight as she was going to have them all night anyway. Some of her students smiled at her as she passed and Jenny in turn smiled back. With both Albus and Minerva gone for the night, Filius Flitwick was in charge for the evening, and it was his called that began dinner. Jenny noticed that Severus was also missing from the staff table, which with half its staff gone anyway looked rather bare.

"Mummy says Uncle Sev is working on some really cool potion." Harry told his babysitter.

"Really?" The group nodded.

"That's why he couldn't look after us." Hannah informed her.

"I see. Well maybe we can send him a note asking if he wants to join us when he's finished." Jenny spoke to the children, who all excitedly nodded and began to discuss what they were going to write. Jenny smiled noticing that would keep the children busy till dinner was finished.

Once they had finished eating Jenny took the kids back to her rooms, where they sat and she wrote the note to Severus with the children dictating her every word, all insisting that they would sign their own names. Once she had made sure everyone had signed and after helping Ava sign her name, or more appropriately squiggle, Jenny added her own name to the letter with a small note to tell Severus to please come as it would please the kids to have their favourite uncle play with them for the night, she called out for one of the house elves Minerva had introduced her to, Dobby. The house elf had worked for the Potter's and when they moved to Hogwarts they bought him with them. He had been designated as Jenny's elf for her stay at the castle, something which had please the elf more than anything. He appeared with a pop.

"How can Dobby serve you Mistress Jenny?" Jenny smiled at the elf. She was still getting used to the whole idea of elves popping in and out do the castle all the time.

"Could you please take this note to Professor Snape Dobby? The children and I have written it for him and they will be very upset if he doesn't get it."

"Of course Mistress Jenny. Dobby is happy to serve." And with that the little elf took the note from his mistress and popped out as quickly as he had popped in.

Severus was working in his personal potions lab, making sure to finish the next batch of Remus's potions. He still had a few more left, but Severus knew that there were going to be 2 full moons next month, so the poor wolf would need all the help he could get. He had just added the last ingredient when he realised he had missed dinner, yet again. Lily and Alice were continuously moaning at him reminding him that he needed to eat more. He smiled at his memory, and called out to his personal house elf. The little elf popped in with a spark.

"Yes Master Snape, how can Twinky serve?" She seemed to be the only elf immune to Severus's glare.

"Can you bring me up some sandwiches, Mistresses Potter and Longbottom will kill me if they find out I've skipped dinner again." The little elf smiled and nodded.

"Yes master, Twinky is happy to serve." The little elf clicked her fingers and disappeared with another pop. Severus turned his attention back to his potion, it had turned to the right colour and a quick stir told him it was also the right constancy. Taking the vials he had already prepared, he filled them with the potion, and casting another spell to stop the vials from breaking, he stored them in his quarters ready to give to Remus the next time he saw him. It was at this point that Twinky popped back in with his dinner. Thanking the little elf as she popped out again, he settled himself down in his armchair with the latest copy of his potions text book. No sooner than Twinky disappeared, than another elf appeared in Severus's living room, this was Dobby; the elf that had been assigned to Jenny.

"Yes?" Severus asked. The elf shook a little. There weren't many people who liked Severus Snape, and even his demeanour scared the elves.

"Mistress Jenny and the children asked me to give you this Master Snape." Came his nervous reply. The little elf held out the note to which Severus took it.

"You can go now." Came Severus's curt reply. Dobby gave a little yelp and disappeared as quickly as the little creature could.

Severus smirked and opened the letter.

To Uncle Severus,

Our mums and dads have gone out for dinner with Uncle Hunter and Aunt Isabelle and Auntie Jenny has said she would look after us. She says we can invite you to come and play with us if you want to. Mummy said that you were working on a very important potion, but could you please come and play with us, we promise to be good.

Love Harry, Neville, Sarah, Hannah, Teddy and Ava.

Severus smiled at the children's letter. Each had sighed their own name. He didn't recognise the handwriting though. It was written by someone with excellent penmanship, he noticed, and in a fountain pen and not quill. It wasn't until he read the little message at the bottom that he realised who had written the message.

Severus, I hope the kid's message was understood. Their parents have gone out for dinner and I have the pleasure of babysitting. Maddie said you were working on some sort of potion that might take a while, but if you finish early then I know the kids would love it if you came over. Bring a DVD or something, I'll provide the popcorn?!

Jenny

Severus re-read the message again, noticing Jenny's friendly tone. She wasn't all bad, he had already decided. The young woman had a polite personality, and tried to interact with him when they saw each other. Since she had cornered him in the corridor and forced him to talk to her, there had been an unspoken civil friendship between the pair. Severus was still hung up on Rachel, Jenny could see that and it was something she didn't push. She seemed to understand his desire to have to know what happened to her, whether that was because she herself didn't know her own past, or whether she had also lost someone close to her since, Severus didn't know and he also didn't push it, but by offering her preverbal olive branch, she was extending to him an offer of friendship, something Severus didn't get offered much, at least not since Rachel disappeared. He twirled over her offer while he ate weighing up his options. Lily had told him that the dinner with Hunter and Isabelle was offered to him also, and he and Isabelle got on very well, as although she hadn't taken her studies any further, she had always been better than average when it came to potion making. The two could quite happily get into a discussion that could well last the whole dinner. Deciding to join the young woman and children for the evening, he finished up his diner, and called Twinky back to collect the plate, and to pass on his thanks to the elves for their wonderful cooking yet again.

"Uncle Severus!" Came the delighted cries of the 6 children as Jenny answered the door to her rooms later that evening. She smiled as she moved over to allow the wizard access to her home, and he was immediately set upon by the kids. Severus knelt to the floor as they jumped all over him. Jenny laughed at the sight. She had yet to sit in on one of Severus's classes, but from what she had heard from her own students and the whispers in the corridors, Severus was one of the strictest and meanest teachers on the faculty. He wasn't someone you would like to get on his bad side of; but looking at him now, rolling around the floor, laughing and playing with the kids, she honestly couldn't see how anyone could think Severus didn't have a heart. He loved those kids to death.

"Did you bring a film?"

"Auntie Jenny said we could watch a film."

"She said she was going to get the popcorn if you bought the film." Came the children's rapid calls. Severus chuckled.

"Well then," he replied pulling a DVD case from his pocket, Jenny strained her neck to see what it was. "I wonder what we have here." When the children saw the DVD and realised what it was, they all cheered. Severus turned his head and showed Jenny the DVD, she looked confused.

"Labyrinth?" She read the title. "I don't think I've seen that one before, is it any good?" The kids smiled.

When the Marauders returned homed that evening, they found Ava fast asleep in Severus's lap, who was sitting in one of Jenny's single armchairs, Neville, Teddy and Harry were curled up with each other on the other armchair, with Teddy sandwiched in the middle, both he and Neville were fast asleep, with Harry dozing. The twins Sarah and Hannah, were both sitting either side of Jenny on the sofa, each girl was snuggled tight into her both fast asleep, with a blanket wrapped around the three of them.

"Hi." Alice whispered as they entered the room. "Oh look at them all." She gushed looking at the children. "Did they behave all right?"

"They were all little angels." Jenny smiled.

"I see you came out of your cave then Sev." James laughed. Severus smirked.

"I was invited by your children by spend the evening watching a film and eating popcorn, I'll have you know." He retorted. The group laughed.

"Come on, we'd better get these ones to bed." Lily smiled reaching to take her daughter from Severus. Frank bent over and picked up his son, whilst Remus picked up Teddy, James took Harry and Sirius and Maddie took a daughter each.

"Thank you so much for this Jenny." Maddie sighed.

"Don't worry, I had a great time, and I hope the kids did too." She smiled getting up off the sofa.

With smiles and thanks all round from the parents, they took off into the night with their individual children. Jenny smiled as she closed the door behind the families, and turned to look at Severus, who had by now raised himself from his chair.

"Well." She said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Do you have to get back or...?" Jenny trailed off. Severus looked at her blankly. "I just thought," she explained. "If you didn't have anything else to do tonight, you could stay and watch another film or something. It's not that late." Severus glanced at the clock and realised she was right, and as much as he would normally make up an excuse and leave, he found himself suddenly not wanting to leave Jenny's company.

"No, I don't have anything I need to do. What were you thinking of watching?" He asked. Jenny simply smiled.

So as you may have guessed my next chapter will be purely Severus and Jenny based. Hopefully this will be able to reveal more about Jenny and her quest to find her family, and more about Severus's desire to find Rachel.

As per the norm, please read and review, virtual cookies to anyone who does, thanks :)

Beth xx