"…But we're safe now," lovelle concluded once she and Harry had finished sharing their pasts with one another. Her brother had spoken of his years with the Dursley's while she went into detail about her earlier encounters with Coleman.

Flashback: lovelle

"Got yourself a visitor, eh?"

Miss black peered up from her place atop her cot. She'd been waiting for the woman Miss Evangeline said would be stopping in soon when the cook made an appearance, much to her displeasure.

"Why do you care?" Lovelle spat back venomously. No matter how many times this man had caused her pain, she'd never show the fear she held for him in his presence.

Coleman chuckled evilly, "If you think for a moment that I do, you'd be sorely mistaken," he informed her, taking a seat at the end of her lumpy mattress.

This action caused the eleven year-olds' heart to pick up a rapid pace. She sincerely wished that this man couldn't sense it.

"They'll be here soon," she warned the frail, elderly, pathetic excuse for a man.

The cook merely edged closer at her words rather than take caution and leave as she'd implied for him to do, "You really aren't in any position to be making threats, Black," he replied coolly, clearly not concerned by the two ladies about to make their way in.

"Why are you even here?" Lovelle rudely asked, summoning her courage. "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen making our supper?" she said almost like an order rather than an inquisition.

…Earning her a harsh smack across the face.

The only fortunate thing about this situation was that Minerva and Miss Turner could now be heard heading up the stairs just outside her door, causing Coleman to instantly back off.

"As soon as that broad is gone," he smirked, not needing to finish that sentence. Lovelle knew she'd be in for it once her visitor departed. No sooner did the cook exit her room, she'd pulled herself up and into a tight ball at the corner of her cot, which was exactly how McGonagall found her.

The single difference was that the red mark upon her cheek had vanished thanks to Miss Black's accidental magic.

End Flashback

Lovelle shivered slightly as she recounted her latest memory of Paul Coleman. She was exceedingly grateful that she had left with the professor and hadn't been abandoned once more simply to fulfill the threat he'd made. The girl did not even want to imagine what he had in store for her that time.

Shaking her head clear of the many possibilities, she continued speaking, "They can't hurt us anymore, though," the older child reassured him, mentally choosing to ignore the rumors about You Know Who. She didn't want Harry to worry over the possibility of their mother's murderer coming back for revenge. While she not only thought that to be highly unlikely, on the slight chance that the dark wizard did return, she would take care of him herself.

Flashback: Harry

"Where'd he go?" Piers, one of Dudley's closest mates, asked loudly as he and their little gang of Harry Hunters had been chasing after the larger boy's cousin.

"I dunno," he scratched his head dumbly. Harry had been just in front of them when he'd suddenly disappeared completely.

"There he is!" another kid yelled out, pointing up at the roof of their school.

Atop of it, a young Mr. Potter stood feeling both frightened and extremely confused. The last thing the scrawny child remembered, he had been desperately trying to get away from his tormentors and now he was trapped miles above the ground from them (not that he minded).

"How'd he do that?" Piers wondered aloud, squinting his already beady eyes in bewilderment.

Dudley answered with the same response his parents gave him each time Harry did something strange or unusual, "He's a freak!" he told each of his partners in crime, causing them all to laugh and forget the moment of magic they'd actually witnessed.

And while the miniature whale appeared amused by all of this, Harry knew that once Dudley told his parents, they would hardly feel the same.

…

Correct in his prediction, the wizard had been tossed into his cupboard the minute Petunia and Vernon found out; but not without a proper 'conversation' with his uncle first.

End Flashback

Lovelle was nearly in tears by the end of her brother's tales. The last one was almost nothing in comparison to some of the others…but she refused to think on them any longer. Nothing of the sort would be happening to him again.

Because no matter what, Harry would simply not be put in harm's way so long as she was around; ever.

"I know," said boy quietly agreed to her earlier statement, feeling sleepy. Already it was approaching eight o' clock and with the potions Poppy had given him, his light was fading fast.

"Tired?" Lovelle asked rhetorically, a small smile upon her face.

Harry merely nodded, his eyelids drooping now.

At that, she brushed the unruly hair her brother owned gently away from his face and checked the time.

"Oh no," lovelle felt her heart sink. She was in so much trouble.

"What is it?" Harry half inquired, half mumbling.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit late," she told him, not giving off any of the panic she currently felt.

"Tomorrow?" he checked, unable to register most of what she was saying in his exhausted state. He only knew that his sister was about to be leaving for the night and that he also wanted to see her again.

"Tomorrow," lovelle repeated in a confirming manner, hoping she really would be able to come though on her words. Honestly, whether or not she ended up doing so would be up to Severus now. She only prayed that he wouldn't be upset with her tardiness to the point where she'd be kept from Harry as a punishment.

"Mmkay," the eight year old muttered, mostly asleep.

Lovelle laughed softly and tucked him in. "Goodnight, Harry," she whispered, afterwards embarking for the exit.

…

"Let her come to you on her own, Severus," McGonagall sternly advised. The two adults had just eavesdropped on a very disturbing conversation between Lily's children. Now, they stood in the hallway outside of the hospital wing, discussing what to do with this newfound information.

"Do you honestly believe that she will?" the potion's master retorted, his anger towards Minerva momentarily forgotten as this important matter needed to be conversed.

"In time, I should expect so" the animagus supplied, sincerely foreseeing that. Despite being quite shaken by the things she had recently heard, McGonagall still thought it best to allow the children their own time. Eventually, she knew, they would open up to both her and Severus. Admitting to overhearing everything would do nothing more than upset Miss Evans and Mr. Potter. Of that, she was certain.

"I should do nothing," Severus spoke harshly, "act as if this never happened," he continued, "is that what you are suggesting, Minerva?"

She sighed, "I know of your planned visit to Wool's," the woman began, "when you get there, do as you wish in regards to Coleman," she said his name with much distaste, "for now, however, you must allow Miss Evans to come to you on her own," McGonagall repeated, "it is the best way."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, not at all content with allowing this matter to drop. While he certainly would be 'doing as he wished' upon his trip this upcoming Sunday, it still bothered him to know that he couldn't speak to his daughter about this…Because, although the man would never admit to being concerned about the girl's current feelings, he did care about the way she was once treated. It simply was not right; especially when the girl in question remained his only child.

Not that he'd openly say that this fact had anything to do with him seeking justice.

"I'm really, really sorry for being late," a tiny voice broke into their debacle. Looking down, the duo saw lovelle standing, noticeably nervous, before them. Obviously, she held clueless to their eavesdropping and thought Severus and Minerva to be barely on their way; when, in reality, they had arrived long ago.

"We shall discuss the consequences in the morning," her father informed her with a frightening tone.

Lovelle was busted.

The next day was now one she dreaded immensely.

"Okay," she replied almost inaudibly. After that, she gave a small wave to McGonagall (whose reason for even being there was that the potion's master had sought her out, thinking lovelle to be with her when she remained absent for an extended period of time) and followed Severus back into the dungeons.

Half an Hour Later

As lovelle was hastily ordered into the shower upon coming back into their quarters, her shoes and light sweater had been thrown quickly inside her bedroom, leaving them strewn across the floor. She was just in such a rush that she hadn't taken the time to put the items away properly. So now, as she bathed, her father could be found doing the task as it should have been done in the first place, feeling rather annoyed.

"Impossible whelp," Severus muttered, picking up his daughter's sweater. Going to hang it within her wardrobe, he caught sight of a folded parchment that had fallen from the clothing's pocket. Curious, the professor opened it only to reveal Potter's drawing.

…

Exiting the tub, hair still wet as she wanted to hop into bed as fast as possible, lovelle entered her room, finding there a potion's master whom was glaring at a piece of paper.

"Umm," she cleared her throat, making her presence known. "Harry made that for me," the girl let him know, trying not to be angered by the fact that he'd gone through her personal belongings. Truthfully, the single thing that kept her from unleashing her short temper was that she was in no position to start a fight with her father right now…not with him already disappointed in her because she had failed to return at the designated hour.

"I see," he replied in an eerily calm tone.

"May I have it back?" Lovelle asked politely, for it was a gift that she desperately wanted to keep.

Several seconds went by before she received any form of response.

Without saying a word, Severus placed the picture onto her miniature dresser that held next to the bed and strode from the room.

"Alright then," she knitted her brows together, confused by the sudden departure. Unsure of what to make of it, Haley simply got under the sheets, turned off the light, and tried with all her might to fall asleep.

However, what with her dreading the following morning, the night would inevitably be a long and fitful one.

…

After exiting Miss Evan's bedroom, the professor made way into his own room, mind reeling. When he saw just what had been sketched upon that stupid parchment, a part of him had felt unexplainably jealous. He supposed this was to do with the fact that in Potter's image of a 'perfect family', he held no place despite his daughter being one of its members.

Severus ran a long hand through his sleek, midnight colored hair stressfully, vying to no longer think about it; feeling that his night too would draw on in a painfully slow fashion.

Six Hours Later

Correct in his assumption, around two in the morning, the potion's master was awakened by what he recognized as screaming coming from his daughter's room.

Fearing the worst, Severus tossed on his robe and hurried over to her.

"No!" Lovelle tossed and turned in her bed, her legs kicking about, causing the covers to fall to the floor.

Flinging the door open, the professor was instantly washed over with great relief as he realized the girl had been screaming because of a simple nightmare, nothing more.

"Stop!" she kept pleading to a person he could only guess at.

Watching her for a moment, Severus considered merely returning back to sleep and allowing this dream to play itself out, but that moment was a very brief one. He knew, deep down, that he could not allow for lovelle to keep suffering like this. So, pushing back the words of his subconscious telling him that he would regret it, he strode over to the fitful girl and carefully shook her awake.

And his subconscious was right, of course, as he was soon after greeted with a shrill scream to his now ringing eardrums.

"What's going on?" Lovelle gasped out, sitting upright whilst feeling completely confused. Her father, she noticed, stood not far from her with a look of irritation mixed something else she couldn't quite place upon his face.

"You had a nightmare," Severus enlightened her with an 'isn't it obvious' tone.

The eleven year old instantly paled at that, now remembering just what the horrid dream had been about: Coleman, as per usual. But she wasn't about to tell him that.

He sighed, biting back the rude retort he'd been about to say, and tried recalling what it had been like for himself at his daughter's age when he suffered from night terrors. Nobody had been there to comfort him aside from his mother; but at least he was never completely alone. This child, however…his child, couldn't say the same. She'd most likely had not ever been helped.

He unexpectedly found himself wishing to rectify that.

"Sorry," Severus heard lovelle whisper, pulling him away from his train of thought.

This apology really should not have surprised or confused him, for he now knew of his daughter's past in its near entirety and this type of behavior should be expected.

"What is there to apologize for?" he inquired, wanting to hear her reasoning.

Haley played with the ends of her comforter, exceedingly uncomfortable in this situation of having the potion's master tower over her, asking questions that she didn't want to answer after he'd just discovered her 'secret'. Still, she spoke up, feeling that if she answered the simpler questions, it wouldn't be expected of her to comment on the more serious ones.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she told him, feeling the guilt her eyes displayed. Haley took her small legs and drew them to her chest, forming a tight ball of insecurity.

The professor took a seat at the edge of his daughter's bed, recognizing the body language for what it was: fear and uncertainty. He knew what the child had dreamt of…or at least whom she had dreamt of. Only an idiot wouldn't be able to riddle it out. He also knew that she'd never admit to that, let alone anything to do with her past in general.

Haley was much like himself in that regard.

However, it needed to be brought up. This could not be a matter they let slide between them.

The only question remained just when: before or after his trip to Wool's?

Should he come out with the knowledge this girl held unaware that he had about Coleman or should he continue to allow her to suffer until Sunday?

Severus, attempting to now think as a parent, reached an ultimatum.