Snape's Secret Ally

Myrtle was in a bit of a slump. Everything had become so boring ever since Mary had become a Prefect, and no one had come to take her place. Of course, Mary wasn't the first friend to spend time with her after she'd died; that honor would always belong to Princess, the first true friend she'd ever had, despite the former having been a Slytherin. Princess was a year below her, as well as one of the few half-blood witches in Slytherin at the time, which made her an easy target in her own House. The two of them had loved playing Gobstones together, back when both of them were alive, and they had both promised each other that they would join the Gobstones Club once Princess was thirteen.

And then, of course, Olive Hornby made fun of Myrtle's glasses, which caused the latter to lock herself away in the girls' lavatory, and just about everything went downhill from there.

Myrtle had gone out of her way to make Olive's life as miserable as possible, haunting her for as long as she could until she was sequestered to Hogwarts grounds when Professor Dumbledore became the headmaster. And of course, as soon as she came back, she found herself alone once more, doomed to haunt the very bathroom she'd died in, occasionally swimming around the sewage if she felt a bit adventurous. She wished she'd stayed at Hogwarts the whole time, at least until Princess had graduated. She'd only heard that she'd gone on to become the Captain of the Gobstones Team and head of the Gobstones Club, and that she'd married that awful Muggle man. And then of course, she'd gone and had-

Myrtle heard a strange voice outside her cubicle. She opened it violently and said, "Go away-"

There was no one there... at least she didn't think there was, until the voice sounded again. Myrtle looked down and found herself staring at a pale, black-haired, black-eyed toddler. Professor Snape's toddler, to be precise.

"... oh," Myrtle said, changing the tone in her voice. "Hello, Alice."

"Hello," the toddler said in the smallest voice Myrtle had ever heard.

"Why are you all the way up here?" Myrtle asked, floating down to meet Alice's eye level.

"See the castle," Alice said, spreading her arms out and gesturing to the stone walls of the lavatory.

"Do Mummy and Daddy know you're here?"

"... 'Mama' and 'Papa'," Alice said, her tiny brow furrowing as though she was offended.

Myrtle mouth opened at the gesture. She had the same sort of expression Princess used to have whenever she lost a game of Gobstones. "Do Mama and Papa know where you are?"

Alice shrugged her small shoulders, something Myrtle couldn't recall being something toddlers did.

"Why are you wandering the castle?"

"What is?"

"Walking around the castle on your own?"

"Oh... well," Alice began drawing out the last word as though she was trying to figure out what to say, "see Gay Lady."

Myrtle blinked. "The Grey Lady?"

"Yeah," Alice nodded.

"Well," Myrtle said, "how about we find Aunty Mary, and she can help you?"

"Okay."

Myrtle floated in front of the toddling Alice as the two of them made their way down the hallway. She subtly whispered to one of the portraits, "Could you let Professor Snape or Evans-Snape or Mary MacDonald know Alice is wandering the corridors?"

The painting nodded and departed to some other part of the castle, either just outside the Potions or Transfiguration classroom.

"So," Myrtle asked, "did you meet anyone on the way?"

"No," Alice said. "I... I wanted Buddy Baron, but... no."

"What about-"

"Alice-Marie!" Myrtle was startled by Professor Snape's voice, and she hid herself through the wall as he came flying down the corridor before them, his black cloak flowing. He landed and briskly walked toward Alice.

"Papa!" Alice toddled to Professor Snape as she shot her hands up, and Snape lifted her off the floor.

"I was very clear that you must remain with Snarky and your brothers while your mother and I are working." The seriousness in Snape's tone and the way he spoke to a toddler was almost comical.

"But," Alice said, "Gay Lady!"

"I can take you to Helena later," Snape said.

"Papa," Alice said, her eyes welling up, "Aunty Mary was gonna take me to the Gay Lady!"

Snape paused, looking down at his daughter. "We can find Aunt Mary and, if she is able, she can take you to visit Helena. Yes?"

Alice nodded, her lip quivering as she nuzzled against Snape.

"Snarky must be worried sick."

"Sorry," Alice mumbled.

Myrtle heard Snape's footsteps echo through the corridor, each step growing quieter, until there was nothing but silence. While she'd been in a funk before, she couldn't help but smile to herself as she remembered the way Alice's brow furrowed. It seemed Princess hadn't quite left Hogwarts. Not really.