While Minerva had set off after Lily's daughter, Dumbledore summoned Professor Snape into his office, hoping to explain what was soon to take place before the child's arrival. He thought it would be most unfair to have this news suddenly thrust upon the young man in lovelle's presence.

"Severus, my boy," Albus greeted, his blue eyes twinkling at the potion's master. "Lemon drop?" he offered.

"No," Snape declined bitterly, wanting the headmaster to get on with it. He had much more important matters to partake in.

"I insist," the old man tried again, knowing that Severus would require one (they were laced with a very powerful calming draught, afterall).

Eyes narrowed, Snape snatched one from the silver dish and popped it into his mouth.

Placing the remaining treats back on his desk, Albus merely smiled at the annoyed look his young colleague wore.

"What is it you require, headmaster?" he asked impatiently after swallowing the all too sweet candy.

"Nothing more than your undivided attention," Dumbledore assured him, taking a seat behind his desk, suggesting that the other man do the same on the opposite side.

Curious, Severus complied and took the chair. "Well?" he pried after several moments of frustrating silence went by.

"Do try not to be upset with me, dear boy," Albus began, "For what I am about to divulge is most important," he explained, knowing that an angered Severus never thought clearly and acted irrationally.

The young professor braced himself, certain that the words to come were to be most unpleasant. This was the same tone Dumbledore used whilst discussing Lily's death seven years ago. "I see," Severus replied, tensing a bit. "Alright," he agreed at the man's questing gaze, inwardly making no promises.

Nodding knowingly, Albus continued regardless. "I am well aware of the amends you and Lily made upon your seventh year," he admitted.

'For a day,' Snape almost corrected. After that, the redhead had avoided him like the plague because of what happened that one night.

"I did not know, however" the blue eyes ceased their persistent twinkling, "about the existence of Mrs. Potter's firstborn."

Snape scowled, having hated when any person referred to Lily by her wedded name. However, he soon after recovered and inquired, "What are you saying, headmaster? You have known of the Potter spawn-"

"I am speaking of Lily's firstborn, Severus," he reminded the twenty-nine year old, "Not her second."

"Have you gone senile?" Snape snapped, refusing to believe that there was another Potter roaming the streets.

"I am afraid not," Dumbledore replied sadly, wishing that he had rather than this being the truth. "On October the fourth of the year 1978, Mrs. Potter delivered a child at St. Mungo's. It was not until a year past Harry's birth that Minerva informed me of this," he admitted, not allowing Severus to cut in, "Not having the means to support the infant, young Lily asked Professor McGonagall to place the newborn in the care of another family."

"And Potter agreed?" Snape couldn't help but to ask.

Albus shook his head, "It was not his decision to make." Then, at the younger man's confused expression, he admitted, "The child did not belong to James."

The headmaster hadn't seen the potion's master this surprised in years. He watched as Severus put the pieces together.

"But how-"

"Concealment charms, my boy," Dumbledore supplied, knowing what he was about to ask. "It was a well kept secret for several years by her and Minerva."

"You knew," Snape began angrily, standing from his previous seat, "For nearly eight years and did not find it necessary to inform me of this?"

Getting up as well, Albus tried defending the situation, "If I had known at the time-"

"Would that have changed anything?" Snape challenged.

"It was so soon after Lily's death, Severus," he reasoned, "You were in no position to care for a three year-old," the man stated truthfully. "And it was assumed that the child had already been adopted."

He stared at the headmaster in disbelief. While he did not agree with it, the potion's professor at least understood why both Lily and McGonagall kept this from him. Albus, however, his mentor for so many years, had betrayed him.

"This is my child, Albus," he demanded, the words feeling foreign upon his tongue, "I had the right to know!"

"I agree," Dumbledore looked at him, guilt-ridden, "I can only hope that you will someday forgive my grave mistakes."

Severus looked away, furious, despite the calming draught.

"They should be here any moment now," the headmaster broke the sudden quietness.

"Who?" Snape turned back, somehow already being able to guess the correct answer.

"Minerva and the child," Albus went on, "As it turns out, an adoption never took place."

"You mean to tell me, all this time, my child has been in an orphanage?" he spat questioningly.

"Wool's," Dumbledore nodded grimly, "Minerva went there just this morning."

Without saying a word, Snape abruptly left the office, disregarding the headmaster's protests. He needed to be alone.

…

An hour after her father and the headmaster's meeting; lovelle arrived with Professor McGonagall at the outskirts of a rather large castle. Unfortunately, she felt much too sick to take in the beauty of it all.

"It's alright, dear," Minerva reassured after the young girl had apologized for throwing up over her shoes. She briskly banished the vile and helped lovelle regain her composure.

"What was that?" she asked dizzily.

"Apparation," the professor answered, "It cannot be done within Hogwarts so I'm afraid we must finish our journey on foot."

"That's fine," lovelle soon let her know, "I'd rather walk," she sheepishly admitted, having hated the horrible disapparating sensation.

McGonagall had to refrain from chuckling lest she further embarrass the eleven year-old. "Follow me, Miss black," she began walking the short distance towards the castle gates, watching in amusement as lovelle's eyes widened after finally being able to take the sight in.

"This place is amazing," she said, completely in awe once she and the professor had approached the gargoyle leading into Albus' office.

"So I've been told," the older woman said, having listened to and answered the child's many questions and comments upon their arrival.

Lovelle turned red for but a moment until she realized the piece of stone was actually talking to them. This really shouldn't have surprised her so much being that she'd already met with several talking portraits and encountered the shifting staircase. Still, her wide eyes barely blinked, unable to believe that her mother and father got to attend such a school and that she soon would be too.

"Chocolate frogs," McGonagall told the gargoyle after having been asked for the password.

Stepping onto the spiraled stairs, lovelle scrunched her nose up in disgust and wondered who on earth would ever want to eat a chocolate covered frog.

"Ah, Minerva," some old man dressed in periwinkle robes greeted, his eyes shining brightly at the two.

"Hello, Albus," the typically stern woman replied kindly, "May I introduce Miss black," she then gestured for lovelle to step forward.

Coming out from behind the other professor, she bravely walked up to this strange person.

"How do you do lovelle?" the headmaster inquired.

"Fine," she answered simply, eying him cautiously, "Are you Dumbledore?" she then asked, recalling what Professor McGonagall had told her before they had disapparated.

"Professor Dumbledore," Minerva corrected, returning to her more serious self.

"Sorry," lovelle quickly apologized, not wanting to make anybody upset and get kicked out the school as a result.

"It is quite alright, my dear," Albus soothed upon noticing the girl's worried face.

'Why does everybody keep calling me that?' Lovelle asked herself, somewhat annoyed. At first the notion had been nice, but now it was just bothering her because it made her seem like some stupid kid.

"Would you care for a treat?" the headmaster held out the same silver tray her father had been offered from. It contained bright yellow candies coated in sugar.

"Sure." Forgetting the earlier annoyance, lovelle took one, never having had many sweets before. A nudge from the professor, however, stopped her from eating it right away. "I mean, yes sir, thank you," she corrected herself and then put it into her mouth after an approving nod.

Dumbledore could only smile sadly at the sight.

"Am I going to be staying here?" the girl asked around the hard candy in her mouth. It was very good and made her feel peaceful.

"No," the headmaster informed her, ignoring Minerva's pressing stare, "I am afraid it is against school rules for students to remain at Hogwarts over the summer."

Lovelle was immediately confused, "So I have to go back to the orphanage?" she asked, utterly depressed at the thought. She knew from the start that this was all too good to be true.

"Did I not already promise you otherwise, Miss black?" McGonagall intervened.

"Yeah, but-"

"I thought we had already established that I do not lie."

"No, I didn't mean it like that!" Lovelle became concerned again.

"I am sure Professor McGonagall is well aware," the headmaster informed her, also offering another lemon drop.

"You will not be returning to Wool's, Miss black," Minerva repeated, this time placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, "I promised you."

Lovelle sighed in relief, "Then where will I be staying?" she asked, "Doesn't my dad work here?"

McGonagall too looked at the headmaster for a response, but all she received was a disappointed shake of the head for her answer.

"Regretfully, your father is unavailable at the time," he informed the child.

"Where is he?"

Thinking quickly, Dumbledore formed a believable excuse for the other man, "At a potions conference in Bristol," he said, "I am sorry to say that he won't be returning until after school resumes."

Minerva looked at him disapprovingly while lovelle shot another question in his direction, "Did he not know that I was coming? Professor McGonagall said I would get to meet him after we spoke with you," she half-whined.

"He was not aware," Albus lied, "and the conference was rather short notice. Professor McGonagall had no way of knowing your father would not be here," he covered for the woman.

"Oh," lovelle's shoulders slumped in disappointment. She'd have to wait out the next two weeks until she finally got to meet her parent. "Then where will I be staying?"

Minerva and Albus looked at one another. The two had foolishly assumed that Severus would take the child in.

"Why don't you go and explore the castle for a bit, Miss black?" Professor McGonagall suggested, needing to privately speak with Dumbledore.

Getting the hint, lovelle agreed and made her way out, hearing the promise from Minerva that she would be sent for once they were finished talking.

…

Twenty minutes had passed and the two professors had still yet to finish their conversation. Lovelle was now wandering amongst the dungeon corridor, bored. Besides the paintings and occasional statue, there was nobody to talk to. All of the teachers had apparently gone home for the summer except for Dumbledore.

Sighing in defeat, she continued her walk down the damp and cold hallway, completely caught off guard when I man suddenly flew through the wall and came to float before her.

Lovelle stood in complete shock, staring at this see-through person covered in blood, no longer capable of speaking or breathing. She was petrified.

"What are you doing down here?" the Bloody Baron demanded, "Students are not permitted access this holiday," he warned, "Leave the castle at once!"

Finally, the young girl managed to scream, scaring both her and the Baron as the shrill sound echoed off the walls, increasing the volume.

"What in Merlin's name-" a tall man dressed in intimidating black robes began, having heard the unpleasant noise from within his private quarters. By the time he had stepped into the corridor, the Baron had fled away and the child was making a run for it.

Not being fast enough, however, the girl was caught from behind just as she was about to embark on the stairway leading up into the entrance hall.

"Let me go!" Lovelle ordered, thinking it was Bloody Baron who had captured her. How was she supposed to know? Whoever this was had her from behind and she wasn't aware that ghosts couldn't touch live-human beings.

"Calm yourself first, and I shall consider it," Snape replied, unknowingly speaking to his own child.

Hearing a voice that she knew did not belong to the bloody man, lovelle relaxed slightly and quit fighting. It was then that she was released, allowing her to turn around and face him.

"Now," Snape began, "What, pray tell, are you doing here whilst you should be away with your family for the holiday? Are you not aware of the rules against students staying here uninvited?" Judging by her height and body frame, however, he hardly thought her to be older than eight or nine, let alone a student.

"But I was invited, sir" lovelle stood courageously against this fearsome looking adult, "And I don't have a family, for your information," she crossed her arms. It was the truth, even though she may have a father and brother out there somewhere, lovelle had yet to meet them. 'I may even have an aunt, uncle, and cousin too,' she thought, remembering what the professor had said about Harry living with them.

"Oh?" Severus asked snidely. "How is it you are standing here before me if you haven't any parents?"

Now the man was just being rude, lovelle realized. "You know what I mean," she huffed, "I just don't live with them anymore."

"Why ever not?" Snape looked down at her, "I cannot imagine why they would want to be rid of you," he said quite sarcastically.

Lovelle glared at him. This was the first person to be mean to her since she'd left Wool's and she hadn't even done anything to deserve it! "Go away," she glared at him, turning around only to be dragged back again.

"What's your problem?" Lovelle snapped. "Just leave me alone!"

But Severus ignored her. He grasped the girl's small wrist roughly and pulled her towards the fireplace within his office.

"Ouch!" she tried removing the large hand surely about to leave a bruise on her. "Let me go!" she demanded, tears beginning to form out of fear and desperation. Lovelle then watched as the man threw some sort of powder into the fire causing it to turn green.

"Albus," he hissed into the flames, keeping a tight hold on the child. Suddenly a face appeared in it, momentarily catching lovelle's attention.

"What is it, my boy?" the headmaster inquired, still busy with Minerva trying to find a suitable home for his offspring.

"There is a situation-" he began.

"Dumbledore!" Lovelle shouted, recognizing the headmaster. "Help me!" she cried, still struggling to get away.

"Albus, what is going on?" Snape heard McGonagall ask from behind the elder man.

"Follow me, Minerva," he replied, advising Severus to step out of the way so that he and the animagus could cross over into his quarters.

Several moments later, both the professor and headmaster had made it inside and lovelle immediately tried lunging for the woman, but was restrained.

"Professor!" she shouted, hoping to catch her attention.

"Severus," Minerva gasped, "What in Merlin's name are you doing?" she scolded, taking the small child away from him.

The potion's master merely ignored her and turned to Albus instead, "Headmaster, were you aware of this brat's stalking about the castle?"

"I should hope so," he replied, "I was speaking with young lovelle only thirty minutes ago. It would have been concerning had I managed to forget so soon."

"What is the whelp doing here?" Snape demanded. He was having a bad enough day as it were and hardly needed any pests roaming the halls.

"I brought her," Minerva spoke up, her arm around lovelle's shoulders comfortingly. The child still looked well-shaken from her encounter with Snape.

The light bulb finally went off at McGonagall's words. Severus looked at the girl carefully, noting Lily's emerald eyes, yet holding obsidian flecks within them, along with his pitch-black hair. This was his child.

'What have I done?' he inwardly berated himself.

Eyes twinkling, Dumbledore stepped forward, "Severus, I would like you to meet Miss black," he then faced the girl beside Minerva, "lovelle, I would like you to meet Severus Snape, your father.