Seventeen

As if it weren't enough to babysit the girl all summer, he must now babysit her cat as well. The disgusting beast is present week after week, glaring at him with those yellow eyes and leaving its hair scattered throughout every surface of the room.

Severus hates cats.

He didn't always hate them, there was once a time where he would try and save every stray kitten he found. Severus would bring them all home, parade them around the house, proud of his findings, desperate for his mother to congratulate him. She would always stiffen up at the sight of them, beg him to get rid of it before Tobias came home. At the time, he didn't understand; wouldn't Tobias be proud of him, too? Aren't fathers supposed to be proud of their sons when they do the right thing? That's what the television always showed; a black and white image of a father taking his hat off at the front door, clapping his son on the back and letting out a deep belly laugh when the mother made him sow his father the frog, snake, or lizard in his pocket.

It wasn't until he watched his father kill four kittens in front of his very eyes in a drunken rage one summer that he stopped announcing their presence. Instead, he would sneak them in, hide them in his bedroom closet and swipe scraps from his measly dinner to feed them; but they always grew louder the emptier their stomach got. They were as hungry as he was, but he didn't go screaming about it, not anymore, anyway.

That was when Tobias would find them. Sometimes Severus could sneak them out and toss them out the back door before he heard his father's boots come crashing through the kitchen and a hand grab him by the back of the neck. A few times, he wasn't quick enough, and he would have to bury yet another tiny, lifeless body beneath his mother's scraggly rose bushes. Just as Tobias did with his mother many years later, when she finally died. Severus didn't know how she died, still didn't, in fact. It happened during his seventh year; the bastard didn't even bother to let him know. He simply came home at the end of term, and she was no longer there. Tobias had her buried beneath the rose bushes, a small flat stone with a crudely carved E sits atop her resting place; he liked to think she was somewhere, watching over his kittens. Tobias followed her not long after, finally drinking himself to death. Severus didn't know or care where the town decided to bury him. He never even went to claim his body.

The night he threw the girl and the cat from his office, he reminded himself of his father; except, he had the strength to stop himself from going further. His father would have broken the cat's neck in front of her, then watched as she buried the pitiful thing, and beat her black and blue for the inconvenience. Holding her cheek between just two of his fingers the night he called her to his office to accuse her of stealing from him, he realized how much smaller she is than him. How frail, how easily he could bruise her body. He had to push her away from him. Images of Tobias beating his mother flashed through his mind, he could hear her screams, see the bruises on her face and arms the next morning. A shiver ran through his body. Severus was not, could not become, Tobias Snape.

Those big blue eyes just stared up at him, trustingly? How could she trust him, when he has scared her to tears? Those eyes, the part of her that was undeniably Sirius Black, filled him with rage, made him want to pummel her to the ground. He watched as a single tear crept from her eye, spread down her face, and dripped from the cupids bow of her upper lip. That part of her, the Lily portion, made him want to throw his arms around her and protect her from any injustice, including his own wrath and fury.

Severus had lost count of the number of times he would turn towards her while they were brewing a potion together, see her from behind, and have to stop himself from calling her Lily. He did not want to admit that the girl made his days less dull; she often brought a smile to his lips, a genuine laugh to the back of his throat. Having her near was dangerous, having her away from him was boring; both were downright torturous.

At the time of discovering the missing potions ingredients, he fully blamed the girl. No one else came into his private stores, no one else had unsupervised access. She had a point though, if she had wanted to steal from him, she would have done so much sooner. Perhaps, he had been too hasty with his allegations. Perhaps he should have scoped out some other alternatives; Potter and his slew of misfits, or Karkaroff.

Severus patrols the carriages and darkened corners of the castle during the Yule Ball; he refuses to brew yet another contraceptive potion, as Pomfrey had him brew at least a dozen vials in preparation for this night already. Making his way from Flinches office towards the main entrance, he spots her, just as his hand pushes the door open. The sight was enough to make him stop a moment to compose himself. Sure, she is beautiful, but the arm that she is on fills him with such anger he must bite his tongue to keep from yelling at her.

Marcus Belby. The fourth biggest pain in his ass. Just being around the boy proved intelligence was not hereditary. How in the hell did she become mixed up with Belby?

Severus watches as the girl turns pink as all eyes seem to find her. She has always been a beautiful girl, a bit of a wallflower, but beautiful, nonetheless. Tonight though, between the dress, the faintest bit of makeup on her face, and her hair cascading in soft curls down her back, she was downright breathtaking. He exits the main entrance, thankful for the snow and bone chilling temperature.

Karkaroff, of course, finds him during his patrol of the courtyard and follows him around like a lost puppy that Severus just can't shake. How many damn times does he have to tell him that they will speak later? It's as if the idiot wants them both to be found out.

Severus finally convinces Karkaroff to go inside and fetch them both a warm drink and leans against a carriage. He has a perfect view of the Great Hall through the large windows in front of him. Belby drops the girls arm and beelines towards the buffet tables set up along the right hand side of the hall, the girl goes left and takes a seat in front of the very window he was watching through. She seems bored already, sitting alone along the wall, head turned ever so slightly in his direction, staring out into the darkness.

"Well? Do you see?" Severus is pulled from his thoughts abruptly as Karkaroff returns, empty handed, and thrusts his arm towards Severus' face. "It's never been this clear, never since-"

"Put that away!" Severus slaps Karkaroff's arm out of his face and stalks away from the window.

"But you must have noticed-"

"We can talk later, Karkaroff!"

"It's happening again, like before! And soon neither you nor anyone else will be able to deny it!"

"I've told you already Igor, I see no reason to discuss it."

Just then, a carriage parked just outside of the main entrance begins to shimmy and wobble, doubtless full of underage debauchery. Severus flings the door open to find a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff student snogging and deducts ten points from each of them.

"It's a sign, Severus! You know it is!"

"I do not know what you're talking about." Severus lies through his teeth, trying to save himself should there be any students nosing about.

"Really? Then perhaps you won't mind…..rolling up your sleeve?" Karkaroff makes a move for his sleeve, Severus pins himself against the carriage and raises his wand towards Karkaroff, daring him to come closer. "You don't fool me, Severus! You cannot pretend this isn't happening! It has been getting darker and darker for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it-"

"Then flee. Flee- I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."

Severus leaves Karkaroff standing out in the snow, enters through castle through the main entrance, past the Great Hall, through a long corridor, and out into the courtyard, desperate to have a few moments alone. Except, he isn't alone, because there stands Black. The thin lace sleeves leave nothing in the sense of warmth, and he can see her shiver as the wind cuts through the courtyard. Snow clings to her strands of red curls. He clears his throat, and she turns to him, teeth chattering.

"Where is your date?"

"My da-oh! Belby? Ha!"

"Something funny?"

"Belby isn't technically my date. He only asked me because everyone else already had dates. He only wanted in to see what food was being served." Severus chuckles at this, typical Belby.

"And you?"

"It's my seventh year. First tournament in twenty-two years. I would have been stupid to miss this." Black untucks her hand from under her arm and gestures towards the empty courtyard, grinning.

"Yes, lively company." Severus remarks, dryly.

"I just needed some air." Her teeth chatter violently, her lips a faint blue despite the rose colored paint on her lips.

"Come." He says, as he removed his thick cloak and drapes it across her shoulders. She wraps it tightly around herself and follows him back through the courtyard doors and down to the dungeon.

Severus produced two large mugs of tea, and places on in front of her on his desk. She cups it with both hands, closes her eyes, and lets the steam wash over her face. She still has his cloak wrapped around her body, swallowing her in the folds.

"I no longer believe you to be the thief."

"I told you that I wasn't" She states, matter-of-factly.

"Yes. Well. You are cleared."

"Oh, that means so very much. Tell me, how could you have possibly figured that out?" Her tone is bitter and sarcastic.

"Don't push it, Miss Black."

She places her mug on his desk, crosses her arms across her chest beneath his cloak, and leans back in her chair, staring at him with an odd expression.

"Where's your disgusting cat tonight?"

"Bram isn't disgusting. He is actually quite clean, Luna ensures it. Says Nargles will infest him if he isn't."

Severus scoffs. Nargles.

"And he is with Luna. She went home for the holidays, asked if she could bring him with her. Said her father would be fascinated with him. I told her it was okay."

"How very kind of you." Severus states, matching her previous sarcastic tone.

The two sit in silence for several moments, sipping their tea, before he brings up the true reason as to why he brought her to his office. Severus opens the top drawer of his desk, and carefully pushes her tattered copy of The Hobbit out of the way, he retrieves a length of parchment and holds it up to her.

"Professor Dumbledore has received a response from St. Mungo's on your behalf. I regret to inform you that they are unable to implement an internship on your behalf."

"Oh. Well. That's okay, I suppose it is the thought that counts, after all." He can tell she is disappointed but smiles despite this.

Black stays for the better part of an hour, the two relish in the silence, not finding it necessary to partake in mundane small talk like so many around him are known to do. Before long though, she begins to yawn, and excuses herself to bed. She drapes his robe across the back of the chair while thanking him for the tea. He gets another peak at the dress she wears beneath, the deep blue color striking against her pale skin, the style elegant and old fashioned with a modern twist. Severus stands and produces a book from the edge of the table and slides it to her. He could not lie and say that he did not miss discussing literature with her and was most excited to hear her take on this one in particular. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky- his favorite book. Black gently lifts it from the edge of his desk, ponders the cover, and smiles shyly up at him before leaving the room.

Severus sits in silence for several moments, reading the parchment he had retrieved for the thousandth time.

Professor Severus Snape,

We regret to inform you that we are not in a position to grant an internship for herbology at the present time. While Miss Black is talented, we simply do not have the means to accommodate her endeavors. We look forward to her graduation and word of her N.E.W.T scores. She will make an excellent addition to our staff. Until then, please ensure Miss Black that we are interested in her and look forward to meeting her soon.

Severus knew writing to St. Mungo's on her behalf could be a gamble but chose to inform her that Albus had been the one to send the letter, knowing that Albus would keep the secret for him.

Speaking of the devil, Albus strides through his office door just as he places the letter back into his desk drawers, a smug look on his face.

"I hear I have received word from St. Mungo's. Miss Black thanked me profusely for writing to them on her behalf as I passed her in the hall just now."

"Did she?"

"Indeed, she did. Such a sweet girl."

Albus stands before him, cheeks slightly pink from dancing and drinking, grinning like a schoolboy.

"I have been conversing with Sirius as of late."

"Have you?"

"Sirius is considering taking up residence at Grimmauld Place."

"And this concerns me…how?"

"Sirius wishes to meet his daughter."

"Does he?"

"He has that right, Severus. He does not wish to meet her in a cave, he believes she will think less of him."

"Hm."

"Sirius is planning to return to his family home by the end of term. He wishes to meet Miss Black shortly after."

"I wish to be there for said meeting."

Albus thinks about this for a moment, then nods his head in agreement.

"Very well. I will let Sirius know." Albus turns to leave, Severus stops him, rolling up his sleeve slowly and producing his wand. He places the wand just above the Dark Mark, darkening it instantly. Albus grips his wrist, examining his Mark intently.

"Karkaroff's mark is becoming darker, too. He is panicking, he fears retribution; you know how much help he gave the ministry after The Dark Lord fell. Karkaroff intends to flee if the Mark burns…..I am not such a coward."

"No. You are a braver man by far than Igor Karkaroff." Albus sighs and releases his arm. Hs blue eyes that were so full of happiness and light only moments ago, are now full of gloom and sadness.

"We knew this was coming, Severus."

"I had hoped we would have more time."

"Don't we all."

"The girl, where will she go after term?"

"I do not know, Severus. She will be an adult, too old for her current home. Perhaps…." Albus breaks off, eyes glazed in a far-off sense. "Perhaps she will have a place with Sirius, if she accepts him."

Albus leaves him, Severus spends the next few hours pacing his office, chain smoking clove cigarettes and thinking. He could ask her to stay at Spinners End, he's frequently away, using it only days out of the year.

No, that would be far too inappropriate. She would laugh at him, turn him down, never speak to him again.

Instead, he drafts letter to Madam Rosmerta, why this idea came to him, he will never know.

Madam Rosmerta,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am under the impression that you are a bit of what the Muggles call a "real estate agent" and often assist in finding homes for young witches and wizards. Our mutual friend, Miss Black, will be aging out of her current home, and finds herself with nowhere favorable to go after term.

I'm afraid I must ask for yet another favor. Would it be at all possible to find her somewhere close to Hogsmeade? Somewhere you can keep an eye on her, ensure her safety, and relay her security to me on a monthly basis? I thank you, as always, for your discretion in this matter.

I should also add that time is of the essence, and as always, funds are not an issue. I shall compensate you handsomely for your involvement.

I will await your response with optimism.

Severus Snape