It's time to continue my story. It will be a moment between Remus and Severus and a moment between Katie and Percy.

Part 10

" You' ve still got to see Dumbledore to tell him what's going on with Vol-"

"Don't say his name," Severus hissed, cutting Remus off.

Whenever anyone would say the name in his presence, the mark on Severus's left arm would hurt. Oh, it was a hellish pain that sometimes made him think that that spot was on fire, that his arm was on fire. It was a pain that literally tore him apart from the inside out. A physical pain. Unlike the one that had torn his heart apart when Bellatrix and him had given Katie away back then. When they had known that it was the only way to keep their daughter safe.

"I'm sorry."

Wordlessly, Severus nodded.

" Now to answer your question, I don't need to see Dumbledore. There are no plans to seize the world domination, to hunt down, to torture, or to slay Muggles right now. Nor does he know much more than Dumbledore about the child of the prophecy," Severus then replied.

"He knows about her?"

Horrified, Remus looked at him. Never would he have guessed that Voldemort knew about the child, and about the prophecy. In fact, he would have thought that Severus would have kept it from him, but then again, the prophecy was known by some people in the Wizarding World.

"All he knows is that there is such a child and that it is probably not Potter. But apart from that, well, he knows as much as anyone else."

" Well that' s good."

" He always just asks if Dumbledore is any closer to finding the child. He asks questions about what Dumbledore knows about the child. You know, about Katie. The only thing he doesn't know is that she's the one he's looking for. Nobody does. Well, no one will ever know that. Never," Severus told him.

At this point, Severus didn't even want to think about what would be if the truth would ever come out. After all, he knew that no secret could be kept forever. One day the truth would come out. Sooner or later, everyone would find out who Katie really was. And what she was. I mean, that she was the child of prophecy.

When the truth would come out, he would do everything in his power to protect his daughter, and would even sacrifice his life for her. He was ready to die to protect her. Then again, would Bella be willing to do the same?

"Bella wants to see her," Severus stated suddenly.

It felt as though not talking to someone about it would crush him. He wanted to talk about it. With Remus.

"And what did you say?"

"Bella will never see her, not while I can prevent it. Well, not as long as I'm alive."

"Maybe you should-" Remus began, but didn't finish the sentence. Severus should jump to his own conclusions.

"What do you mean? Do you want me to agree to a meeting?"

"Katie is old enough to make her own decisions."

"But not when dealing with this woman. Katie and Bellatrix will never meet, not as long as I live," Severus declared in a firm voice.

He didn't want to take the risk. The risk that the maternal instinct in Bellatrix wasn't strong enough after all, and that she would turn Katie over to Voldemort, was simply far too risky for him.

Bellatrix Lestrange wasn't Lilly Potter, who had died for her child. Nor was she Narcissa Malfoy, who did everything for Draco.

She was Bellatrix Lestrange, and her heart belonged to Lord Voldemort.

"And yet you have doubts," Remus stated.

"I-," Severus couldn't find the right words.

Remus couldn't even begin to imagine how hard this whole situation must be for Severus. Having to hide a secret from everyone for years and not being able to talk to anyone about it. Never knowing who to trust.

Well, although he could understand him a little bit, because he had a secret too.

"Maybe there is a way after all. Maybe the two of them could," Remus began.

"You're not seriously telling me that you think it's okay for Bellatrix and Katie to meet? Most of all, what do you want their meeting to look like? Should the two of them meet for a cozy chit-chat over tea in Hogsmeade? Or do we invite Bellatrix to Hogwarts?" Severus looked at him, shaking his head in disbelief and at the same time stunned.

How could Remus suggest such a thing?

" You see, I don't know what's right or wrong here. However, I think Katie has a right to meet her mother too, if that's what she wants for herself."

"Get to know her? There's nothing she needs to get to know. Bellatrix Lestrange is completely mad, insane, and one of his most fanatical followers. That's all she needs to know about the woman who gave birth to her, and Katie doesn't need to get to know her for that."

" You know, there's always two sides to a story."

" No, not when it concerns Bella."

" And she carried Katie for nine months. Gave birth to her. Regardless of who or what she is now. She will always be Katie's mother."

" You know, that doesn't mean anything."

" Well, she gave you some of her blood to make the potion. Hmm, so Katie - she must mean something to her, must be important to her. Just think about it again. Perhaps Katie could write her a letter."

Severus was about to object, to refuse, but then he nodded, even though knowing he would probably never change his mind.

In fact, he had to think of his daughter.

At the same time, Katie had locked herself in the prefects bathroom and was now standing in front of the large mirror.

She took another deep breath before muttering the spell that released her hair from the strict knot. Slowly, the wild black curls fell over her shoulders, framing her face.

Looking thoughtfully at her reflection in the mirror, she turned from right to left.

She had never seen her mother up close, so she didn't know if she had inherited much of her mother's looks. At least she didn't have her father's nose. Thank Merlin.

Katie had always known, however, that her looks were a clue to who her parents were, why else would she have always been told by her grandmother, meaning Professor McGonagall, to tie her hair back tightly. And those wild curls she had inherited from Bellatrix.

With a sigh, Katie reached for her wand and muttered the spell that would trap her hair back in its tight knot. Well, it just didn't make sense to look for similarities between her and Bellatrix, her mother, if she didn't know what those might be. I mean, if she had never actually seen her mother before.

Katie also knew that it was rather unlikely that she and this woman would ever meet on friendly terms. Of course, on the other hand, the woman was her mother. And that had to mean something.

Katie decided to talk to Percy about it at the next Hogsmead weekend.

Hopefully he would have some advice. In fact, Katie hoped that Percy might know what to do about Bellatrix. Oh, what she should do about her mother.

And luckily, that weekend came sooner than they had hoped. Here's how Katie found herself sitting across from her friend over a glass of butterbeer.

"I need to talk to you about something in private later," she said quietly.

Quizzically, Percy looked at her.

"It's about her," was all Katie could say, although Percy understood who his friend meant by her even without saying much. There was only one woman Katie couldn't talk about in public. Namely, her mother, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Then let's go for a walk," he suggested, rising from his chair.

A short time later, together, the two of them walked far away from the other people towards the forbidden forest.

" I keep thinking if it's not a good idea to meet her once. Oh, I have so many questions," Katie began.

"You mean questions you can't ask your father?"

" Well, I don't know if he'd ever tell me all the things. Plus, some things he can't even know. You know, I just want to ask my mother if she ever loved me. To know what it was like when she gave me away. Then I' d like to see what I inherited from her. Do I have her lips, her cheekbones, or anything else of hers except the wild curls," Katie explained.

Percy nodded.

He could relate to Katie wanting to know her roots. Even if the Black family blood ran in her veins and she was the child of Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape. Hardly the jackpot when it came to loving parents.

However, he also knew that whatever Katie had in mind wasn't going to be that easy. Most likely Katie would never have the chance to talk to her mother in private, to meet her. Katie could hardly invite her to Hogsmeade. And for a moment he tried to imagine it after all. Katie and Bellatrix Lestrange sitting peacefully together in the Hogshead.

" I think maybe you'll write her a letter," he then suggested.

"A letter?"

"I'm sure you'll find it easier to put the words down on paper rather than being face to face with her."

Katie hesitated.

Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. Writing a letter really would be easier than a meeting. She could ponder the right words that way. Think about the words she wanted to write to her mother. And so that evening she sat down on her bed with some sheets of parchment and thought of what to write.

It really wasn't as easy as she had first believed. What could one write to a mother one did not know? You only knew that she was evil. Or at least had become evil.

But in the end, Katie had managed and managed to write a few lines.

So now she waited eagerly every day in the great hall for an owl to bring her an answer. Waiting for an answer from her mother, which she hoped would eventually arrive.