Echoes

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Echoes

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Chapter two: Realization

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The next morning, Sandra Mirari Snape sat on her father's lap at breakfast, trying her best to feed herself. So far, she seemed to have succeeded in getting food everywhere but in her mouth. Severus left her at it - he would feed her for real as soon as he was done with his own breakfast.

When the students of Hogwarts had first been introduced to the baby, their reactions had varied. Many of them had ooh-ed and aah-ed over Sandra, while just as many had been annoyed with her screaming. Those who muttered about the baby's screaming received a glare from Severus. It was usually enough to get them to be quiet.

He'd heard rumours about where they thought the baby had come from and how come she was in his care. Everything from a stolen baby, to a descendant of Voldemort that Snape had been entrusted to care for. Every idea was more outrageous than the other.

And none of them were right.

If they only knew the truth...

The public explanation about who she was was that Sandra was Severus' daughter and her mother didn't want anything to do with the child, so she was in Severus' custody.

"Dada," said Sandra and held out the spoon for her father to taste, waking him from his reverie.

"No thank you, love," Severus replied and took a napkin and began wiping her face. She protested loudly and tried to move away from the offending piece of cloth.

When she was clean, he gave her a bottle of milk. She accepted happily.

Sandra was an easy baby. She was almost always happy and unlike her father, she'd gained the affection of most of the school. Even those who'd been complaining about her screams in the beginning had taken her to their hearts. Ronald Weasley was one of the students who'd surprised him the most. Sandra had begun crying in class once when she was only a few weeks old, at the end of the school year. Severus wasn't used to dealing with her yet and he couldn't get her to stop crying, no matter what he did. Finally, the youngest of the Weasley brothers had asked if he could try.

Severus, who'd been at the end of the line at the time, his head aching from the screaming and his body tired from too little sleep, had told him, "You may do whatever you want with her, Weasley."

Weasley had come over and taken the crying child from his arms and started stroking her back gently, up and down, while talking softly to her. Soon, the wailing had become small hiccups and before long, Sandra was asleep.

Weasley had put her down in her crib and hurried back to his seat. Severus found himself staring, first at his sleeping daughter, then at Weasley and back again. After class, he'd forced himself to ask just what the Weasley had done to the baby. The redhead had explained the simple procedure of rubbing Sandra's back. Severus had to admit a grudging respect for the younger man.

~~~~~

Draco Malfoy

Severus Snape has been a friend of our family since before I was born. He went to school with my father. They did everything together - cheated on tests, made fun of teachers, pulled pranks on other students and became Death Eaters together. That's about how far their real relationship goes, 'cause after that, Sev's story is quite different from my father's.

While my father worked his way up the ranks among the Death Eaters until he was one of Voldemort's most trusted followers, Sev' became a spy for the side of light. I didn't know that of course and neither did my father or Voldemort. If either of them had known, Sev' wouldn't have been alive today.

As it is, he is very much alive - and with a daughter at that.

When I first came to Hogwarts, he was my favourite teacher for many reasons. He was our long-time friend - he was the closest to an Uncle I've ever had -, he was the head of my house, and he didn't like Harry Bloody Potter. Now, things have changed. A lot. Perhaps you'd expect that my feelings towards the man who's one of the reasons my father is in Azkaban would have changed as well, but they haven't. He's still that Uncle I never had. He's Uncle Sev', although I would probably never dare to call him that to his face.

Sandra is adorable; I just have to say that. She inherited Snape's black hair, but her skin looks much healthier than his does. He always had that vampire-look going. Too much time in the dungeons, I think. He needs to get out more.

After my parents were both sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of their lives, I was a bit distressed. Suddenly I was Mr Malfoy, the one who was supposed to take care of, well, everything. I wasn't ready, by far. The Wizarding world was also quite suspicious of me, the son of two trusted Death Eaters (yes, my mother was a Death Eater as well). Just to set the record straight: I was never a Death Eater. I never got the chance (the Dark Lord didn't initiate anyone that hadn't graduated from school yet), but even if I'd had the chance, I wouldn't have done it. I was not about to kiss the ground where that freak stood. I'm a Malfoy; a Malfoy answers to no one but himself.

Still, I was distressed.

One late evening I went down to Sev's rooms to talk. He's always been a good listener, despite what you may think. At least he listens to me.

I knocked on the door to his rooms and he told me to come in.

He was sitting by the fire in his favourite reading chair, with a cup of tea next to him and a book on his lap. He was still dressed in his robes, despite the late hour.

"Good evening, Draco," he said and motioned for me to sit down.

"Good evening, sir," I said. I had always been a bit unsure of what I was supposed to call him. He would, like I mentioned before, kill me if I called him 'Uncle Sev' to his face. At the same time, 'Professor Snape' seemed too official for someone I'd known since I was born, but I didn't dare to call him 'Sev' or 'Severus' while we were in school. That's what I called him at home, when we were at the Malfoy Manor.

"Was there something you needed to discuss, Draco?" he asked.

"I was just -" I began, but then broke off, staring at Sev'. Or, rather, staring at Sev's midsection. His robes covered him fairly well and it was only because I knew how slim Sev' usually was, that I noticed the difference. The swelling.

Sev' followed my eyes and his eyes widened slightly. "Oh," he said. "Well, I guess it's time for you to know."

He didn't sound angry; his voice was void of any feeling except perhaps fatigue.

"Are you pregnant?"

The question hung in the air and for a moment I wondered why I'd asked. I stared at him. He sighed.

"Yes, Draco, I am," he said.

"But - how? When? Who?" I asked as my brain processed the information.

"I'm six months along," Sev' replied. His lips quirked into something that could have been taken as a smile. "I'm not going to answer the other questions and you know it."

I stared at him, mouth slightly open and probably looking really stupid, but for once not caring about my appearance. "Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied, his tone calm. "I'll find out in three months."

The smile widened slightly and realization dawned on me. "You're happy!" I said, ecstatic.

Sev' had looked into the fire, but his gaze turned to me when I exclaimed the words. "Yes," he said.

Then I did something that I hadn't done since I was five years old. I leaned forward and hugged him. "Congratulations," I said and I was really, honestly happy for him.

~~~~~

Severus set his daughter in the small play area that had been set up in his classroom. It was filled with stuffed animals in all different shapes and colours. Those could entertain her for hours.

The class filed into the room, one by one. It was Double Potions for the Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh years.

That of course meant that Harry was in the class.

"Sit down," he said as soon as the bell had rung to signal the start of class. His tone was gentler now than it had been before Sandra was born. Not because he felt sorry for the students, but because Sandra had become afraid of him when he growled and yelled at the class.

He handed out a test to the class. Some paled as they saw it. Others, like Hermione Granger, took the test and began scribbling away. After seven years at Hogwarts, the young woman still thirsted for knowledge as much as she'd done when she first arrived.

Harry on the other hand, took the test and bit his lip before starting to write. Ron Weasley just glared at the offending piece of parchment, as though the questions would just answer themselves if he stared at it long enough - or perhaps he hoped that it would disappear.

For fifteen minutes, the only sounds in the room were the frenetic quills on parchment and Sandra's happy squeals and mumbling.

"Turn them in," Severus said when the time was up.

The students all walked up to his desk and placed the papers in a neat stack. Just at the same time, Sandra, who'd decided that she should try and stand up with the help of the fence around the playpen, fell backwards, hit her head and began crying.

Harry Potter, standing the closest to the baby when she fell, picked her up slightly awkwardly but still securely in his arms.

"Shh, don't cry sweetie," he said, rocking her.

Harry hadn't been one of the students that had swarmed around Sandra. Ever since he'd first been introduced to her, he'd kept himself distanced from her, almost as if he were afraid to touch her. Now that Harry finally did have her in his arms, Severus couldn't help but think that they looked absolutely beautiful together. Both with the black hair and rosy skin. Sandra's eyes were darker than Harry's - lucky for Severus, because otherwise it would have been obvious who her other father was.

As it was, Severus saw Granger gasp, out of the corner of his eyes. Realization dawned on her and she looked over at him. Severus met her eyes, hoping that the girl would keep quiet about this as she had about Severus' pregnancy to begin with.

~~~~~

Sirius Black

Professor Dumbledore told Remus and I both when Snape was in the last stages of his pregnancy. We lived - we still do for that matter - in Hogsmeade. After Voldemort was defeated and Wormtail captured, I was a free man, allowed to do what I wanted. I decided that what I wanted to do was stay close to Harry. Remy decided that what he wanted was to stay close to me.

When Dumbledore called us in, I thought it was more of a social call than anything else. Nothing prepared me for the story he was about to tell me.

Snape was pregnant.

And not only that - my godson was the other father.

If Remus hadn't been there, I don't know what I would have done. As it was, he and Dumbledore continued to explain that I couldn't go off killing Snape, nor could I go up to Harry's room and scream at him. The reason for the latter was simple - Harry didn't know.

That almost made me go off on another rampage, this one directed towards the Headmaster himself.

"He doesn't know?" I screamed at him. "How can he not know?!"

"Because we put a memory charm on him," said Dumbledore. "Or rather, Severus did."

"Why?!" I exclaimed.

"Because it's what's best for Harry," the Headmaster said. "Or at least that's what Severus thinks."

Sinking down into my chair, I asked, "When did this all happen?"

"September," Dumbledore said. "Just weeks before Voldemort was defeated."

I continued to ask questions; I wouldn't believe that my godson had gone to that... that... that snake. Not by his own free will.

Finally, they were able to convince me that it should stay a secret. Inside I knew, though, that secrets are always bound to pop up when you least expect them to.

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To be continued...