Part 7
They all returned to Hogwarts a few days later. Things went on. Well, in a good way or a bad way.
Someone knocking on the door broke Severus out of his concentration.
Right now he was experimenting with a new potion.
Annoyed, he jerked the door open, only to come face to face with Minerva McGonagall.
"We need to talk," she declared, entering Severus' rooms without waiting for a reply or invitation.
The latter was still standing by the door, staring after Minerva.
Oh, how he hated it when she did things like that.
You know, when she just walked into his rooms as if she were living here herself...
"Close the door. We need to talk and we' d better not let anyone know," she explained.
" If this is about why Gryffindor lost 50 points."
"It's about Katie," Minerva interrupted him.
Severus closed the door and joined Minerva on the sofa.
Now, Katie had never been a reason Minerva had sought him out before.
Well, not since the first time she'd fallen off her broom and broken her arm. Yet he didn't think that, or anything like it, was the reason.
In fact, only one thing could be the reason.
Albus Dumbledore.
After all, Albus Dumbledore was the one who was looking for the children born on the night of the storm.
Those children that Dumbledore wanted and needed to find.
And Severus could only conjecture what would happen if Dumbledore learned the truth about Katie.
A truth that went beyond the time of her birth.
Katie, after all, was not just a child born on the night of the storm, no, the prophecy fit her perfectly.
And on top of that, she was the child of two Death Eaters.
It was something, was someone, that Dumbledore could use to imprison Severus in his service forever.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Albus is starting to ask questions. I was just with him in his office. Getting the files of all the students. All the students who were born the night of a storm and shortly before and after."
"And Katie?"
"She was born three days after the storm. According to the records, anyway. However, I suspected that Albus would expand his search at some point, which he has now. Oh, he's so dogged in his search."
"But he believes your story, doesn't he? I mean, he believes you would never lie to him."
" As far as he's concerned, Katie is my son's child. An orphan. Born and raised in my home village in Scotland."
"Good."
"But I am constantly afraid that someday, by some silly chance, the truth will come out."
Back when Minerva McGonagall had left the cottage with the baby in her arms, well, she hadn't wanted to think about the future.
Didn't want to think about what it would mean if someone learned Katie's true identity.
The child of prophecy could and would turn the whole wizarding world upside down.
And Dumbledore, well, he liked to manipulate things for his own purposes, as Minerva knew.
She knew the man, knew his true colors. Knew that he was not just the good-natured and wise Albus Dumbledore.
Knew about the shadows of his soul.
About his past.
And for that reason, she had to protect Katie from him.
However, she had always known that one day the moment would come where she couldn't handle protecting this child alone anymore.
And this moment had now arrived.
No longer could she protect Katie alone.
"I know how we can protect Katie," Severus explained after a brief moment of hesitation.
"You know a spell?"
" I do, blood magic. I need the blood of two of Katie's relatives to do it, though. My blood and"
"We could ask Andromeda Tonks for some blood, or her daughter," Minerva interrupted him.
"Ideally, the blood of the parents, both parents, would be best."
"You want to ask Bellatrix for blood?"
"Well she' s still Katie's mother."
It was risky, Severus knew.
However, if things got out of hand, he could always try to use a spell to take Bellatrix's memory away. To oblivate her.
Still, he hoped that there was at least a spark of motherly love left in Bellatrix.
However unlikely it was.
Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the worst Death Eaters.
She murdered and tortured.
Spared absolutely not a single thing.
Yet she was also Katie's mother.
So Severus hoped that was enough.
Enough to convince Bellatrix to give him some of her blood.
It was only three days later that Severus had the opportunity.
An opportunity to ask his daughter's mother for the blood for the spell.
By a happy coincidence, they were both at the Malfoy house.
"Belle, wait a minute," Severus asked her.
Belle, that was the nickname Severus had given her many years ago.
Belle, no one else had called her that.
Only Severus.
Oh, and that had been a long time ago.
Way back when she was still at Hogwarts.
Well, back when she had been a different person.
"Belle?" disdainfully, Bellatrix raised an eyebrow.
There was no more Belle.
Bellatrix lost that part of herself, irretrievably.
She was no longer Belle, not since she had sworn allegiance to Voldemort.
"Our daughter may be in danger," Severus said.
"I do not have a daughter."
"Yes, you do. Well, we may have only had her with us for a few hours, but we''ve known from the first moment we saw her that we would do all we could to protect her. And that' s what we have to do again now."
"What do you mean?"
"Dumbledore searches for all children born on the night of a magic storm for years now. Our daughter is one of those children. And so far, Professor McGonagall has managed to protect her and hide the truth. But Dumbledore is starting to ask questions. Unpleasant questions."
"So now, what do you want from me?"
"Blood. A vial of your blood for a spell to protect her. Blood magic."
For a moment, Bellatrix looked at him in silence.
Severus had known it would be a risk if he asked Bellatrix for her blood, if he asked her to help her daughter.
"Please tell me about her," asked Bellatrix.
Severus nodded.
Well, maybe that wasn't such a bad idea.
All these years, he had always wondered what had become of their child.
Well, all these years until Katie had come to Hogwarts.
But even then, he had only been able to participate in his daughter's life from afar.
Up until now, anyway.
Hell, Bellatix had probably also wondered one time or another what had become of her child.
There was no other way he would be able to explain her request.
"She has your untameable curls, but her hair is as black as mine. So she always wears it tied up in a strict knot. Oh, she's inherited my love for potions and also your talent with the wand. Mineva has taken good care of her. You see, our daughter had a wonderful childhood."
" And apart from that?"
" Well, she's got a mind of her own. In fact, she reminds me of you, of how you were then. You know, before Rodolphus. Just before all this happened."
Well, Bellatrix fell silent.
Any decision she had made had been a deliberate one.
She believed in the cause.
Believed in the supremacy of the purebloods.
Hell, she was Bellatrix Lestrange, Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower.
However, deep down inside, she was a mother.
And then, she stretched out her arm.