“No.”
Olivia clutched Tristan to her chest and continued to rock back and forth, “why?”
“Because it’ll be past your bed time by the time it ends,” Morgan explained as she put her earrings on. “Misty will make sure you get dinner and I’m sure she’ll read you a story after your bath.”
“Can’t I stay up this once?” she pleaded.
“Olivia Cathleen, it is high time you learned that no means no. If you continue to push the issue you will be sent to bed immediately,” Severus snapped as he looked up from his book.
Olivia looked ready to protest, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Instead she dragged Tristan along with her as she crossed the room to climb up into Severus’ lap.
“Do you every wait for an invitation?” Severus couldn’t help asking.
“Am I supposed to?”
Severus merely snorted and allowed Olivia to lean against him as she clutched Tristan tightly.
“Do you both have to go to the feast tonight?” she finally asked in a small voice.
“Yes.”
Olivia buried her face in the front of Severus’ robes and clung to him, smashing Tristan in between them.
Morgan frowned slightly, the last few days Olivia had been rather on the clingy side, not wanting either her or Severus more than a few feet away at any given time. She wasn’t sure why the girl was acting like that. Had it been any of her other children she would have immediately guessed they were coming down with something. But Olivia… sometimes the girl seemed clearly aware that she had lost one set of parents less than a year ago. Other times she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was not a Snape by birth.
“I don’t want to be left here alone,” Olivia said softly, her voice muffled as her face was still hidden in Severus’ shirt.
“Misty will be with you the whole time,” Morgan reassured her as Severus seemed to look completely lost as to how to deal with the tentative child who had adhered herself to him desperately.
Morgan was suddenly hit by another possibility. She knew that her other children had often picked up on the things that were left unspoken. She wondered if perhaps Olivia had, on some level, noticed the growing amount of tension and fear from everyone she came in contact with. Although she and Severus had done their best to protect Olivia from the horror that was Voldemort perhaps they had not done a thorough enough job. Perhaps she realized how truly terrified they were and it was starting to affect her as well…
Morgan was tempted to skip the welcoming feast. But she realized that it would be a sign of defeat. She was not going to let Voldemort change their lives. Not while they were at Hogwarts, not while they were safe from any immediate danger.
Her hand went to the charm around her neck, clasping it tightly. In the past few days it had become second nature to her. She had cried when she had received the packaged from Remus containing the charm and the message that it would allow Nimue to know when she was thinking of her.
Now, every time Voldemort came to mind, or the safety of her family, or merely a longing for the daughter who had been taken away for her own safety… thoughts that plagued her with every breath she took… every time they became unbearable she clutched the charm and felt a small measure of peace as it grew warm in her hand, knowing that Nimue, somewhere in Greece was clutching her charm too.
As she watched Severus, in a rare moment of tenderness softly stroking Olivia’s black curls and quietly reassuring her that everything would be fine, she silently vowed that she would never let Voldemort, or anyone else, tear apart her family. She would give her own life before she let anyone harm them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I was beginning to doubt that you were going to make it on time,” Charlie said as he glanced at his watch.
“It’s his fault,” Harry said as he hastily tried to smooth down his perpetually untidy hair.
“Don’t go laying all the blame at my door,” Sirius inserted, “I wasn’t the one who…”
“Just bloody well drop it,” Harry snapped, albeit good naturedly, as he gave up on his hair.
“Glad we’re all in a cheerful mood this evening,” Charlie said as he checked his watch again, seeing that they still had a few minutes until they would be expected in the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony and the welcoming feast.
“Slight disagreement about the time we planned to leave,” Sirius clarified as he attempted to smooth some of the wrinkles out of his robes. He mentally reminded himself to look up at least a couple of basic household charms, at least then it would look like he knew how to dress himself.
“And once we finally got that settled,” Harry picked up, “someone…”
“Yes, I know, I’m a complete pushover when it comes to those gorgeous big blue eyes…” Sirius had a rather ridiculous grin on his face, “I’m trying to convince Elizabeth that it would be a good idea to give Willow a little brother or sister, or perhaps even more than one… William is so much older than she is after all. Although, she’s told me in no uncertain terms that I have to stop acting like a child if I want her to even consider it. She told me that Willow, a baby, and me are just too much for her to handle.”
Charlie laughed as they shut the staff room door behind them and headed for the Great Hall, “I might be able to convince Meg to give you one of ours if you’re that desperate.”
“Ah… but it would be so much more fun to try and make one of our own,” Sirius said with a sly smile. “In fact, knowing our resident greasy git as well as I do, I’d have to say I’m fairly certain that that is the only reason why he allowed himself to become the father of so many children.”
Harry tried to tactfully turn his laughter into a cough, but failed miserably.
“Be nice you two,” Charlie advised them, “what kind of example are you going to set for the students?”
“They’re not here yet,” Harry said as they reached the Great Hall, “for the next few minutes I’m still at liberty to say what I will about other members of faculty.”
“Fine, just remember, that if Morgan finds out that any comments were said against her husband she’s taking it out of your hide, not mine,” Charlie caught the lady in question’s hand as they reached the podium with the staff table at the top of the room.
“I caught my name…” Morgan narrowed her eyes as she looked the three men over, “now what have you been up to…”
Sirius caught her other hand, “now what makes you think that we would be up to something?”
Morgan looked up and caught Severus watching them from across the room, “honestly, you three are trying to take Remus’ place, aren’t you?”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” Harry tried to assure her.
“Hmmm…. I somehow doubt that,” Morgan looked skeptical, “try not to torment my husband too much. And if you two gentlemen do not release my hands this instant I will not be held responsible for whatever hexes my darling husband chooses to send you way.”
Morgan put up with a few more jokes from the three men, before detaching herself to find Severus. She was thankful that their delightful sense of humor made the hurt of not having Remus, who had been her closest friend for years, here for the start of another school year. She knew she would miss him terribly, but was thankful that he was able to watch over her daughter for her.
“Were they bothering you?” Severus asked quietly as he took his wife by the arm and led her to the staff table, deftly pulling out her chair for her and making sure she was comfortable before taking his own seat.
“Of course not, they were merely trying to provoke you,” Morgan assured him as she watched the first of the older students trickle into the Hall. She kept a close watch until she made sure that both of her daughters had made an appearance. “Do you think Olivia is alright?” she asked as the last of the students, save the new first years, took their seats and created dull roar all talking at once.
“I am sure she is fine.”
“Maybe I should go check on her…”
“She will be fine, there is no reason for you to check on her,” Severus said as he surveyed the assembled students with a cold and impersonal glare.
“But…”
“Morgan, I instructed Dobby to keep an eye on our quarters as well tonight. If Olivia should need something he can come find us while Misty remains with Olivia. Will that satisfy you?”
Morgan smiled softly, “you always think of everything…”
“One of us has to.”
Morgan would have smacked him for looking so superior as he said that if students hadn’t been present. “Who’s meeting the first years?” she asked, realizing that with Remus gone now the duty would fall to someone else.
“Flitwick,” Severus replied as he quickly flashed a warning look to his Slytherins, as though daring them to set so much as a toe out of line. It wasn’t a dare many, even the toughest of Slytherins, were willing to take.
“Are there any children of people we know that you would care to bet on for House placement?” Morgan whispered.
Severus thought for a moment, “no… there should be only one Weasley starting in this year, I can’t think of any others…”
“You’re no fun.”
“Hmpf… I am not betting against a Weasley getting into Gryffindor if that is what you’re getting at. I have no desire to get involved in that, it does not involve very favorable odds.”
Morgan smiled, her husband always did manage to exude cold indifference or downright contempt whenever he felt it was necessary. She gently laid her hand on top of Severus’, mindful of not showing too much affection as they were in public, “I love you,” she told him softly.
Severus didn’t reply, but gently squeezed Morgan’s hand as his eyes softened a bit.
She was tempted to tease him about turning sentimental on her, but a gradual lull in conversation and the opening of a door on the side of the Great Hall distracted her. She watched with a smile as Professor Flitwick escorted the rather nervous looking first years in, along with Sophia.
Flitwick really was an excellent choice to meet the new students, she thought. He could easily command attention and respect, but was not at all intimidating. She nearly choked on her pumpkin juice as she imagined the outcome if Severus ever had to perform that duty. The first years would all arrive in tears, if they didn’t rush to get back on the train to go home that was.
Minerva looked down the staff table as the last few faculty members took their seats. Once she was certain they were all present she nodded to Flitwick and waited for the students to quiet down, something that promised to take quite a while. However, silence feel quickly as Flitwick brought forth a three legged stool and placed the worn and battered sorting hat on it.
As the sorting hat sang its new song, extolling the virtues of the four houses, Minerva couldn’t help but think that every student before her could possibly be forced to play a roll in the war, in battles yet to come. It seized at her heart as she looked down at the sea of innocent faces before her. As she looked from Gryffindor, to Hufflepuff, to Ravenclaw, to Slytherin, she wondered if the house animosities would stand in the way of their cause. She prayed, to whoever was listening, that they wouldn’t.
As the last lines of the sorting hat’s song faded away Professor McGonagall rose to her feet, “before our new first years are sorted we have a transfer student to welcome into our numbers. Miss Sophia Lupin is joining us having received an informal education in Greece, I trust you will all make her welcome.”
Sophia tried to hide the way she was trembling as she took a seat on the stool, feeling so many eyes upon her, as the sorting hat was lowered onto her head.
“Well now…” a voice said in her head, “aren’t you an interesting one…”
Then there was silence. Sophia waited patiently for what felt like a very long time. Still, the hat said nothing else.
Am I really that difficult? she mused in her head.
“No, just seeing what all is going on in here,” the hat replied.
Well then, where are you going to put me?
“Hmmm… father was a Gryffindor, but that doesn’t seem to suit… better be… SLYTHERIN!”
