Severus' Daughter: Year One

Chapter two: Awakenings and Confrontations

It was six o'clock in the morning when Rosalie started to awaken. Severus was the only one awake, Minerva and Remus had gone to bed, Minerva in her room and Remus in the one he used before their memories were altered, he had a short nap but he was too worried for his daughter to properly sleep. He was staring at her, holding her hand as he sat forward in his chair, brushing his hand through her hair which they had taken out of the bun. He watched as she shifted in her sleep, her eyelids flickering.

Then she opened her bright green eyes, flinching as she realised someone was touching her small, fragile body.

"Hey, it's alright. You're safe here. No one is going to hurt you here." Severus said gently as her panic slowly lessened.

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with confusion and slight fear.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice croaky.

"I am Severus Snape. You are my daughter. I'm sorry I couldn't get you out of there sooner, but I didn't have my memories. I didn't know about you being my daughter until yesterday. Your grandma and I came for you as soon as we got our memories back. I'm sorry you were placed with them, Rosie. I'm sorry you were hurt." He told her, still brushing a hand through her soft hair.

"Where am I?"

"Moon Cottage. It is where your grandma and I live, you used to live here too, for the first year of your life. But then we had our memories changed to protect you and your mother. There was a war, you see, and the bad man wanted me to fight for him, but I refused, and he wanted you and your mum dead. So we all changed our memories and you and your mum went to stay with a friend for protection. But the bad man found you, and killed your mum and our friend. Then he tried to kill you, but it wouldn't work. It seems your mum cast a protection of some kind on you, so you didn't die. That is why you have your scar."

"I was told my parents died in a car crash." She said, tears filling her eyes, but there was a glimmer of hope in them as well. As if she hoped that he was really her father so that she would actually have a family.

"The Dursley's lied to you, Little Snake. Lily and James were killed by the Dark Lord. The darkest wizard of all time."

"Wizard? Magic isn't real. I am a freak, and I do freaky things." That comment broke the mans' heart.

"You are not a freak. The Dursley's lied to you. Magic is real. You are a witch, like your mum and grandma. I am a wizard. In September you will start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Which is where I work, I teach Potions. Your grandma also works there, she teaches Transfiguration. All of those things you did as a child, that was accidental magic, all magical children do it. It certainly isn't freaky, and you are not a freak. I will continue to tell you that until you believe me, Little Snake."

"Little Snake?"

"One of my nicknames for you. I'm a Slytherin, you see, that is my House at Hogwarts, the symbol of which is a snake." He explained with a small smile on his face. Her lips twitched in response, as if wanting to smile. "I also call you Rosie on occasion. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Is there any part of your body that you can't feel or move?" He asked, not bothering to hide his concern.

"I'm slightly sore. And my legs feel weird. But other than that I think I'm okay."

"Can you move your legs?"

She tried to move her legs, but she couldn't, so she shook her head.

"But you can feel them? They aren't numb?"

"No, I can feel them, but they feel weird. I don't know how to describe the feeling exactly."

"Okay." He ran some more diagnostic spells on her spine and legs that would go slightly more in depth about those areas than was shown on the more general scan. When it was done he grabbed the parchment from the air and looked at the results, not before realising his daughter was staring at him and his display of magic in awe.

"Will I be able to do that some day?" She asked in awe.

"If you work hard in school and do well in your exams you can certainly do that some day. Although you have to be either a Healer, Medi-Witch, or a Potions Master in order to perform those particular spells. I am a Potions Master, a fully trained Healer, a Dueling Master and a Defence Master. At the school I teach Potions, make Potions for the Hospital Wing, and help Madame Pomfrey when help is needed. On the side I have also helped out at St Mungo's, the Wizarding Hospital in London, invented Potions, and more. I was also the one who helped your mum give birth to you, because during the war your mum didn't trust anyone else with her safety, or yours, except maybe Madame Pomfrey, but she doesn't have a full Healers' qualification as she is a Medi-Witch, meaning she isn't trained to be a midwife, unlike me. The only thing I'm not trained in is Mind Healing." He explained, happy that his daughter seemed to be taking an interest in what he was saying. He smiled before continuing, "Thankfully you aren't paralysed. However, there is some slight damage to one of the nerves in your spine, which I can fix easily with a potion that I will make when either your grandma or your godfather wake up. As for your legs, however, there is some damage to the muscles, hence your inability to move them. However, I can make a salve which will help and I will give you some exercises to help as well. I'd say that within about a month you should be able to walk properly again." He said before taking a pain relieving potion out of his bag and explaining what it was to her as he helped her sit up against some pillows which he placed against the headboard so she could drink it.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the pain left her body. She looked around the room, looking at the light grey walls, the ebony bed frame, the dark green sheet underneath her and the light grey, woolen throw that covered her legs. There was a dark wooden door to her left that she presumed led to the hallway. A set of double wooden doors opposite the bed that she presumed was the wardrobe. There was a single dark wooden door next to those that she guessed may lead to an en-suite. There was a dark wooden bedside cabinet on either side of the bed. There was a large window to the right of her, covered by dark grey curtains. There was a fireplace, next to the door she presumed led to the hallway, which was currently lit providing some light and warmth to the room.

Severus stood and walked to the curtains on the window, opening them and allowing his daughter to see the large field surrounded by forrest that lay outside. He then returned to his seat next to the bed and took her small, pale hand in his.

"How is your breathing? Are you struggling?" He asked gently.

"No. I'm breathing better than I have in ages."

"Good. Now, what is your favourite colour?" He asked, smiling at her confused look.

"Why do you need to know what my favourite colour is?" She replied, tilting her head to the side slightly in her confusion.

"So I can decorate your bedroom, Little Snake. You know, your mother used to tilt her head to the side when she was confused as well."

"Really?" She asked, smiling at the small bit of information about her mother.

"Yes. I can show you some pictures of her at some point, if you want me to."

"Yes please." She agreed, nodding vigorously.

"Okay. But first I need to know what your favourite colour is. I need to decorate your bedroom, which has been locked since the day I had my memories changed, you can't stay in my bedroom forever after all. Unless you want to, of course. But don't worry, your bedroom is right next door to this one, so we won't be too far away from each other." He smiled gently at her and she smiled a small smile back.

"Purple, light grey and light green."

"Okay. I will decorate your room after I have made those potions for you." Rosalie looked down at her lap with a small frown on her face. "What's the matter, Rosie?" Severus questioned her, concerned, as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed so that he was next to her, facing her.

"I don't want to be a burden." She whispered, but he heard it.

"Rosie, you aren't a burden. You never have been and you never will be. Do you want to know something?" She looked up at him, the answer clear in her bright green eyes. "The best day of my life was the day you were born. Not even the day I married your mother could top it. Although, it is the second best day of my life. I remember the day you were born so clearly now, your mother woke me up at about eleven o'clock at night on July the thirtieth, we had gone to bed early because we had spent the day making sure your nursery was ready for you, since you were only a week away from being due. She was in the midst of a contraction and I knew what was happening immediately. I woke up your grandma, who was going to be Lily's birthing partner whilst I did everything down the business end, and I got everything I needed and came back to this very bedroom. And after fifteen hours of your mother shouting, crying, swearing, threatening, groaning, and myself and your grandma comforting her, encouraging her, holding her hands, and mopping the sweat off her face, you were born. It was just after two in the afternoon on the thirty-first, three minutes past two to be exact, and out you came. You were covered in blood, you were crying, you had little tufts of black hair on your head. But you were the most amazing, perfect, beautiful being I had ever seen. And you were mine. So I cut your cord, cleaned you up, wrapped you in a blanket and placed you in Lily's arms. I cleaned Lily up, waited for the placenta, vanished it. And then I just stared at you. Taking in your ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes. Taking in everything. And when Lily went to sleep because she was exhausted after giving birth to you, I held you in my arms and I promised, right there and then to do whatever it took to keep you safe, and that I would always love you, no matter what. You were never a burden to me, Rosie, and you never will be. And I will remind you of that fact until the day I die if necessary."

Rosie was crying silently by the end of his speech. But she had happiness and hope in her eyes.

"Can I hold you?" Severus asked, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around his daughter and comfort her, but he didn't want to scare her.

She nodded and he, gently, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to his chest. She clung to the black t-shirt he changed into after Minerva and Remus left the room, crying into it. He rubbed her back carefully with his hand and whispered soothing words to her, hoping that it was comforting her the way he intended it to.

"It's okay, Rosie. Everything is going to be okay. I'm here now, and you won't lose me ever again. Let it all out, Little Snake. I'm here. Everything is okay."

There was a knock on the door just as Rosalie had stopped crying, causing her to flinch slightly.

"It's okay, Rosie. No one here is going to hurt you. Come in!" He called after comforting his daughter.

Minerva entered the room with a small, sad smile on her face. She came over to the bed slowly, so as not to scare her granddaughter.

"Good morning Severus, Rosalie. What would you two like for breakfast?" She asked the two gently.

"I will have my usual, mum. Rosie, what would you like to eat?" Severus asked, pulling back from his daughter slightly so she could see her grandmother.

"I don't mind." Rosalie whispered.

"Okay, how about some pancakes? Remus, your godfather, wants some of my famous chocolate chip ones, is that okay with you, sweetie?" Minerva suggested with a gentle smile.

Rosalie nodded, mouthing 'thank you' with a small smile on her face.

Minerva smiled brighter and left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

"Do you want to eat up here or in the kitchen? I can carry you down if you want to eat there."

"Will you stay with me if we go downstairs?" She whispered.

"Always."

She nodded and he stood, lifting her into his arms, bridal style, and carrying her down the stairs. He entered the kitchen where he found Remus and Minerva cooking breakfast together, Minerva making the pancakes and scrambled eggs, and Remus doing everything else. He gently placed his daughter in one of the chairs at the table and tucked her in, the scraping of the chair causing the two others in the room to look at them and smile.

"Rosie, this is Minerva, my adopted mum, your grandmother. And this is Remus, your godfather and honorary uncle, I believe you used to call him Uncle Moony. And he either calls you 'Cub' or 'Snakelette'."

"Good morning, Snakelette." Remus smiled gently at her as he fried the bacon and sausages.

"Morning." Rosalie replied quietly, smiling shyly in return.

They had breakfast together, not really talking about anything, trying to make Rosalie feel as comfortable as possible. Severus gave her a glass of milk, and her nutrient potion to go with her meal, explaining what the potion was for.

"Little Snake, what would you like to do whilst I brew the potions you need and decorate your bedroom? You can go upstairs and have a nap, or stay down here and do something with your grandma and Remus. You can read a book, or they can teach you some things about the Wizarding World, or you can do some drawing or something. It is up to you." Severus asked his daughter gently, making sure to give her some options to pick from so she wouldn't feel obliged to do any one thing.

"Can I have a nap please?" She asked quietly, looking down at her now empty plate, on which she had placed and eaten the smallest pancake that had been made and nothing else.

"Of course you can, Rosie. Are you done with your breakfast?" Severus replied.

Rosalie nodded and he stood, picking her up again and carrying her up the stairs and back into his bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed and made sure she was comfortable before covering her with the throw and sitting down next to her.

"I need to go and speak to someone as well for a little bit, I shouldn't be too long, though. So, if you need anything call for Minerva or Remus, okay? If you need me then they can get me for you." Rosalie nodded in response. "I will be back for lunch. I want you eating three meals a day, okay? And I would also like it if you had two snacks a day as well, but that can wait, after all the healing your body has done in the last few hours you're going to need the rest. Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, I'm fine." She replied, not used to someone caring for her so much, or looking after her at all really.

"Okay. You get some sleep. I shouldn't be gone too long, and I will be in my lab brewing those potions soon. I just need to ask someone some questions. I love you, Rosie. And remember, if you need anything call Minerva or Remus." Rosalie nodded and he kissed her forehead gently before standing up and walking over to the door. He opened it, looked at her again to find that she was already drifting into sleep, he smiled and then left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

He saw Remus coming down the hall and stopped him as he passed. "Remus, I'll be speaking to Albus before making the potions. Can you check on Rosie periodically for me, make sure she is okay? I told her to call for you or Minerva if she needed anything but she might not feel safe enough to do so yet."

"Of course I will check on her, Severus. And give Albus a good word bashing for me, please?" Severus nodded and headed off to the floo.

…

He arrived in the Headmasters' Office to find Albus sitting behind his desk signing paperwork. Albus looked up as he heard someone stepping out of the floo.

"Ah, Severus, my boy. What brings you here so soon into the holidays?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling, a smile lighting up his face.

"It might be the fact that you conveniently forgot to return my memories to me and others, meaning my dead wife had to do that, and you ever so kindly placed my daughter with Petunia of all people." Severus got straight to the point, glaring at the twinkly-eyed man.

Albus looked shocked. "Severus, what on earth are you talking about?" Albus hesitated.

"You know what I am talking about, old man. Lily wrote a time-delayed letter to me, which appeared last night, and informed me of the truth, and included a charm which she created in order to return everyone's memories to them. I then went to Petunia's home, with mum, and found my daughter huddled in the cupboard under the stairs severely abused. We took her home, healed her as best as we could, Remus came with his remembered memories. And now my daughter can't walk because she has been so badly abused by that bitch and her whale of a husband that the muscles in her legs are damaged. But don't worry, old man, I will be going home soon to make a potion that, along with some exercises I will give her, will allow her to walk again, hopefully by the end of the month. She also needs a potion to help mend a slightly damaged nerve in her spine, and that is only the beginning. She is covered in scars, bruises and burns. She has had multiple concussions over the years. They drowned her so often that she had lung damage, but that is on the mend now, thank Merlin. Then there's the mental and emotional issues as well, like the fact she thinks she's a freak because that is what they called her over the years, and she believes herself to be a burden, and who knows what else. Honestly, what made you think placing her with Petunia was a good idea? You knew what she was like. You knew what she thought about magic. Why place my daughter with her? And why the hell didn't you return our memories like you promised you would?" He was yelling by the end, but he didn't care. He needed answers. He needed to release the anger that was filling him up.

"Severus, you must understand, I believed she would have been safer with Petunia, someone with Lily's blood. The blood wards protected Rosalie from anyone who wished her harm…"

"Except the people whom you left her with! They protected her from anyone who wasn't living in that house with her. Why did you think taking my daughter away and not telling me the truth would be okay? She's your granddaughter, for Merlin's sake! Why would you want to leave her with Petunia over place her with me? Or do you not care for us as much as you've been portraying over the years? Is this some big chess game to you? Did you only adopt me with Minerva so you could become close to me? So I would trust you when you ripped my family apart? So I would become a spy for you after you changed my memories so much that I wanted to join the Dark Lord, even if only for a moment? Are you using me and my daughter so you can destroy him? Because if you are, I'm not playing anymore. And I won't let you use my daughter either. I know you believe that she is the only one that can defeat him, but I am not going to let her be used by you and your schemes, I am not going to let her fight him when that is the job of adults. I am not letting you bring my child, or any child into this fight!"

"Severus, of course I care for you, and for Rosalie. I just wanted her to be safe. I didn't know Petunia would hurt her…"

"So you don't think that I could have kept her safe? Moon Cottage is under a Fidelius Charm with Minerva as the Secret Keeper, and there are plenty of other wards there as well. I am a Defence and Duelling Master, Minerva used to be an Auror, Remus is also a Defence and Duelling Master, and you think we couldn't have kept her safe? You thought she was safer with three muggles who didn't like magic and couldn't protect her had anyone figured out that they could get into the house so long as they didn't intend to hurt her. They could have gone in without the intent to hurt her and taken her out of the wards, before hurting her. Well, I'm sorry Albus, but I am not playing your chess game anymore, my daughter won't be either. You have lost your spy. But don't worry, I will still teach here, if only to protect my daughter."

"Severus, I'm sorry..."

"Of course you are! You're sorry that you don't have a spy anymore. You're sorry that I won't be here to keep you up to date with what is going on with the Death Eaters that are still around. You're sorry that you've lost two of your pawns. Now I am going to go home and make the potions my daughter needs if she ever wants to be able to walk again. Then I am going to decorate her bedroom. And if you decide to come over the summer, be warned that there are three overprotective adults that want to skin you alive right now."

Then Severus left through the floo, leaving the old man to sit at his desk and stare at the spot his adopted son was just standing in. His eyes no longer twinkling.

Hello, hope you are all well and that you enjoyed this chapter.

I will update again when I can.

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