"No," lovelle started shaking her head frantically, "This has to be some sort of joke," she hoped, looking between Minerva and the headmaster. When they didn't respond, she knew Dumbledore was being honest.

"Prove it!" she demanded, still fighting to stay in denial. There was no way she could possibly be related to this git. What had her mother been thinking? 'He's such a bat!' Lovelle mentally insulted him.

"If you insist," Albus agreed solemnly. Then, just as if they were about to make an unbreakable vow, he told Severus and lovelle to join hands in order for him to perform the required incantation properly.

Still glaring at Snape (she was so not calling him dad), Haley did as she was told and put out her right hand, the one attached to her now bruised wrist.

Minerva gave the potion's professor a reprimanding look as she caught sight of the purple skin, which he made a point to ignore.

After taking his daughter's hand, the headmaster muttered some weird words that lovelle knew couldn't possibly be English and watched as her and Severus' hands turned gold.

"What does that mean?" Lovelle asked, letting go of the now pale-faced man's hand.

"It means I did not lie to you Miss black," Albus informed her, "Severus is indeed your-"

"Well I'm not staying with him!" the distressed girl shouted, interrupting the headmaster. "He's worse than Mr. Coleman!" she stepped back towards Minerva and away from the two men in the room. It was a lie, though. Nobody could outdo that man's cruelness.

"Who is Mr. Coleman?" Dumbledore inquired politely, despite lovelle's rude behavior.

Flashback

"Get back here lovelle!" a gaunt-faced, scrawny old man shouted, more so limping after rather than chasing the six year-old girl. Coleman, the cook at Wool's, had caught the brat breaking into his kitchen, stealing two cookies in the process.

Much to her non-existent luck, lovelle had run herself into a corner, which allowed the sour man to catch up.

"Stay 'way from me!" she shrieked, biting Coleman's hand as he attempting to grab onto her hair.

"You little shit!" he cursed at her, smacking the girl so hard across the face that she actually toppled over. Coleman then took the fallen desert items, squished them with his bony palms, and dropped the crumbs over the sobbing girl whom had been nursing her swollen face. "Clean this mess up," he spat at her.

"No!" she stupidly protested, for what happened after that was now all too painful for her to think even about.

End Flashback

They all watched as the child became flustered. "Nobody," she lied, "But I'm still not staying here with him," Haley said once more.

Professor McGonagall sighed, allowing the matter of Mr. Coleman to surpass them for now. "Lovelle dear," she began, "As your parent, that is for Severus to decide."

"But he's not my parent!" she argued, "Not really," the girl explained, "He didn't even know me before today and even then he was a git!"

"Miss black-" the older woman tried correcting the rather unnecessary crudeness. Father or not, that was no way to speak to an adult.

"Let her go," Snape finally spoke up. Everyone turned to him, certain they had misheard his words.

"Severus," Albus led the younger man to the opposite side of the room and cast a silencing charm. "What are your intentions?" he asked, hoping that the young man wasn't about to let his daughter walk out on him.

"Let the child stay with Minerva for several days," he told the headmaster, "She will have calmed down by then and I will have had the chance to sort this out."

Dumbledore eyed him carefully. He knew Severus would need time to recover from such news and also that lovelle required her own space now as well. "Alright," he agreed, "Just be sure she knows why," Albus stated, not wishing for the child to feel unwanted.

After Severus consented, he removed the charm.

"Well?" Lovelle asked once they had returned. Dumbledore laughed softly as she had managed to sound extraordinarily like her impatient father. Snape merely glared at the old man, knowing why he was so amused.

"For the next week you shall be residing with Professor McGonagall," her father said, surprising both females.

"Good," lovelle spat, feeling abandoned despite not genuinely caring for the man's demeanor. He was still her dad, afterall.

"It is not permanent," Snape reminded her.

'Nothing ever is,' lovelle pathetically told herself. "Then where will I go?" she pointed out, "I'll still have another week until school starts."

He couldn't help himself, "Idiot," Snape told her, "With me, of course."

Lovelle huffed at the name-calling, despite the fact that it had not been done harshly. "I can't wait," she said sarcastically, sounding like her father again.

Severus raised an eyebrow at her disrespect, but lovelle just rolled her eyes instead of apologizing.

"Miss black," Minerva started sternly, placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," she sighed and muttered bitterly, "sorry."

Dumbledore broke the tension by chuckling at the scene, his light blue eyes twinkling once more. "Well, then it is decided," he clasped his hands together, "Let us be on our way."

Minerva then reluctantly led lovelle out of the room, disappointed that this hadn't turned out better.

…

When the trio reached Dumbledore's office, Professor McGonagall told lovelle to wait outside so that she and the headmaster could finish their earlier conversation. This time, however, the eleven year-old was given strict instructions that disallowed her from leaving the seat outside the office door.

Bored and having nothing better to do, lovelle made herself comfortable in the small chair and fell asleep.

…

"Albus," McGonagall began once the door was safely closed behind them, "You are well aware that I am in no position to look after a child this summer," she informed him, "I have letters to write, homes to visit, a class to prepare-"

"Relax, Minerva," he silenced the stressed woman, "I have already made alternative arrangements for the child."

"You mean the Weasley's?" she checked. Before they had departed from the headmaster's office, Albus had been speaking with Molly about possibly taking in young lovelle until September. "They agreed?"

"Yes," Dumbledore replied, "After hearing of Miss black's predicament, Molly was all too eager to accept," he smiled sadly, "I will floo her now."

…

What seemed like only five minutes later, night had already fallen and Haley was being forced awake by some red-headed lady she was unfamiliar with.

"May I help you?" she asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

It was then that Minerva came up and explained the situation to lovelle. Apparently she was to stay at a place called the Burrow for the next week with this woman and her husband. Then Haley was also informed that the couple had seven children and that two were her age, which cheered her up a bit. The professor also made it clear as to why she wouldn't be staying with her at the castle, hoping that the young child would understand; which she did.

"You'll love it there," Minerva tried putting the nervous girl at ease whilst the headmaster spoke privately with Molly and Arthur.

"Promise?" asked lovelle with a small voice, feeling five years-old again.

The woman smiled warmly, "I promise." She was then engulfed by a child suddenly wrapping her small arms about her waist. "There, there," McGonagall returned the hold, "You will be fine."

"I'm gonna miss you," she said with a muffled voice being that her face was still planted into the professor's robes. This was the first person she got to meet in the magical world and the girl didn't want to be separated from that bond so soon.

"Oh, child," Minerva held on a bit longer before letting lovelle go, "It is only a week," she reminded the heartbroken student before her, "And once you have attended my class, the Burrow will be dearly missed."

Lovelle smiled at her. Finally, she had gotten the lady to tell her a joke, even if there may have been a bit of truth behind it.

"Ready dear?" she heard somebody ask from behind.

'My name is lovelle,' the girl felt like reminding these people, but instead replied, "I think so."

"Have you used the floo system before?" Arthur asked her as they approached the fireplace.

Lovelle shook her head negatively, still remembering how she had seen Snape use it earlier.

"Would you like to travel together?" Molly asked in a motherly fashion, "Just for your first time," she reassured the child, knowing that as an eleven year-old she would be embarrassed for needing any help.

"Okay," lovelle agreed, hesitantly leaving the professor's side. Then, much to her humiliation, the plump woman picked her up, explaining how rough floo travel could be and that they couldn't possibly fit in the fireplace at her home standing side by side.

Lovelle barely had the chance to wave her good-byes to Minerva and the headmaster before being carried into the green flames, soon after vanishing into the Burrow.

…

"They're coming!"

"Move back!"

"Ouch, Percy that was my foot!"

"We're going to be squished if you lot don't-" but it was too late. Just as the Weasley clan started de-crowding the fireplace, their mum and dad, along with a little girl, barged through and landed on them all.

"Sit, each of you!" Molly ordered once they had all managed to stand up. Lovelle immediately warmed up to her upon seeing the large group of people and hid behind the eldest woman just as she had earlier done with McGonagall and Dumbledore.

Knowing better than to disobey, the seven red-heads took their seats in the living room, some on the couch, others on the floor, while Arthur sat in the only available armchair.

Mrs. Weasley, who remained standing with lovelle, gave each of her children a rather disapproving look, her eyes saying it all: a real punishment would be following later.

"Now," she began after making herself clear, "lovelle, dear, why don't you come out and say hello?"

Slowly, the raven-haired girl made an appearance and timidly greeted the others.

"Lovelle, this is Percy," Molly began with the ginger furthest to the right. He waved at her, smiling slightly. "He's going to be in his third year at Hogwarts," she explained. Lovelle nodded before being introduced to a shy-looking girl named Ginny who was apparently only eight years-old and would not be going to her school for a while. Next came Charlie who would be in his sixth year, then Bill who had already surpassed his seventh year and was to move out of the Burrow shortly. Then there was Ron, the youngest male, lovelle noted, was also same age as her brother, Harry. Finally, Fred and George, the two who were to be in the same year as her, were introduced although she wasn't really sure which was which.

"Why don't you show lovelle around the house?" Arthur advised.

They all happily agreed after Molly informed them that the newcomer would be sharing Ginny's bedroom.

Ten Minutes Later

"And this is where you'll be sleeping," Percy directed her towards the small room decorated in pink, making it stand out from the others. They all walked in and formed a circle by sitting on the floor.

"But bedtime's not for another three hours," Ron stated knowingly, "We still have to eat dinner."

"Ronnikins is obsessed," Fred began, "with food," his twin finished.

The boy blushed, "Am not!" he defended, causing lovelle and Ginny to giggle.

"So, what would you like to do in the meantime?" Charlie asked their guest politely.

Lovelle thought about it, "Could you tell me more about Hogwarts?" Sure she'd roamed about the castle earlier, but the girl still knew very little about its history.

"What do you mean?" Percy questioned at the same time Ron said, "How could you not know about Hogwarts?"

"I only just learned this morning that I'm supposed to be a witch," she told them, breaking free from her previously shy demeanor.

They all gasped, "Really?" Ginny asked.

"Didn't your parents ever tell you?" Ron rudely inquired, forgetting what their mum had told them about her being an orphan.

"Ron," Bill nudged his brother hard on the side causing him to yelp.

"It's okay," lovelle smiled sheepishly. "I actually have a dad and a brother now," she informed the group.

"Who?" they all asked while Ron once again said the wrong thing, "Then why aren't you with them?" He got two shoves for that, one from each twin.

Laughing at the display, rather than getting upset over the comment, she replied, "He's this really mean man," lovelle told them, "I decided not to stay with him at Hogwarts because he's such a bat."

Both Charlie and Bill looked at her disapprovingly, mimicking the face their mother had given them after causing her to fall through the fireplace.

"What's his name?" Percy asked, breaking the tension.

"Something Snape," she answered, not being able to recall the man's first name. Just like Dumbledore and McGonagall, it was weird and hard to pronounce.

"Professor Snape?" the Weasley's repeated, horror-stricken.

Taken aback by their reactions, lovelle had to ask, "Do you all know him or something?"

"Well, he's our potion's professor," Charlie explained as she mentally said, 'duh!'

"And let's just say he's not known for his charming personality," Bill cut in.

"Please," Fred spoke up, "From what you've told us," George went on, "He sounds like a bloody nightmare," the previous twin added before the latter finished, "We wouldn't have stayed with the greasy-haired git either."

Deep down, lovelle knew she should be bothered by others speaking against her father, but didn't try stopping them. Why should she defend a man she hardly even knew?

"So, who's your brother?" Ron wanted to know, switching the topic at the same time.

"Oh," she instantly cheered up, "His name's Harry. From what Professor McGonagall told me, he lives with our aunt, uncle, and cousin." Lovelle had been waiting to say those words for such a long time. She really had a family!

"Not to seem rude," George began, "But what happened to your guys' mum and his dad?" Fred asked. All their mother had told them was that this girl was an orphan. She never mentioned any brothers or fathers, although now the Weasley children were starting to understand why.

Lovelle's lifted spirit deflated as she was forced to tell them the same story McGonagall recited to her earlier.

Much to her surprise, nobody appeared to feel sorry for her like the others had. Instead, the seven red-heads gawked at her like she was some kind of celebrity.

"Um," lovelle began; "Could you guys stop doing that?" she asked them, shifting uncomfortably.

"Harry Potter is your brother?" Ginny giddily repeated at the same moment Ron said, "You're Harry Potter's sister!" in excitement.

"Yeah," she nodded her head, kind of creeped out, "So?"

"He's the one who defeated You-Know-Who," Percy explained, "the darkest wizard of all time."

"Wait," lovelle wondered, "is this the same wizard who killed my mum?"

"Was," Charlie corrected.

"He's dead now," Percy informed her.

"Or so they say," Bill added.

"But my brother was only a year-old then!" she protested, "There's no way he could have fought an evil wizard!"

"That's why he's so famous," Fred told her, "Because he did," George nodded his head when lovelle shook hers.

"And since you're related to him, that kinda makes you famous too," Ron let her know.

"But I don't want to be," lovelle pouted. She hated being the center of attention. After years of being ignored, it made her more aggravated than most normal people.

"Too late," George said, "You already are," Fred winked at her.

She huffed in defeat then looked over at Bill who asked her, "Why didn't you move in with your other relatives like Harry?"

"I guess because I'd already been given to Wool's," lovelle shrugged her shoulders.

Now they all gave her the looks she expected earlier. "Stop that," she ordered, "I'm over it."

"It's still sad," Ginny then rested her head upon lovelle's shoulder in an attempt to console her.

After awkwardly patting her back, Charlie spoke up again, "When do you think you'll meet him?" he asked.

"I'm hoping to stop by over our Christmas break," she told them, "We get two weeks or so, right?"

Bill nodded his head, "Do you reckon Snape will agree to that?" he challenged.

For the second time, lovelle lifted her shoulders up since she didn't know the real answer, "I'll find a way if he doesn't."

Fred and George whistled simultaneously at that, "You got guts kid," they said.

"Well you don't think he'd actually harm his own daughter, do you?" Percy looked over at his two older brothers.

As they replied, lovelle couldn't help but to look down at her hurt wrist. Excluding McGonagall, nobody had noticed it yet.

"No," Bill began sounding quite big brotherly. "He didn't do that, did he?" he crossed the small circle to get a better look at the bruise.

"I don't think it was on purpose," she offered, not wanting to upset her new friends.

It didn't seem to work. Right after admitting that he was, in fact, the culprit, they all started calling him names and the twins began plotting pranks for their new professor.

"C'mon guys, it's not that bad," lovelle tried calming them down. Seriously, by the way they were all going on, one would think she was actually related to them.

'I only just met these people like an hour ago and already they're this defensive,' she said mentally, wondering what they would be like a year from now. Still, it was nice to have real friends who actually cared about her. Ever since Maggie was adopted, lovelle had been mostly alone.

"I can heal it for you if you'd like," Bill told her once the small clan quieted down.

"You mean with magic?" she guessed.

Bill just nodded and pulled out a wand similar to the one Professor McGonagall had.

"Wait," lovelle stopped him. "Is it going to hurt?" she had to know.

They all just laughed, "Not a bit," the eldest boy reassured her. He then cast a simple spell upon her wrist (again in a language lovelle was unfamiliar with) and she watched in amazement as the purple mark disappeared completely.

"I can't feel the bruise anymore!" she happily explained, pressing hard on the once injured skin.

"Glad to hear it," Bill smiled and returned to his seat.

"Do you still want us to tell you about Hogwarts?" Percy asked, recalling her earlier request.

Lovelle nodded her head as he, Bill, and Charlie figured out where would be the best place to start.

"Well, first off," Charlie began, "there's four houses," he then listed them, "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

"Gryffindor's the best though," Ron cut in. Lovelle just smiled at him, not having the slightest clue as to what a 'Gryffindor' even was. She merely sat there in silence, occasionally asking a few questions and, in the process, learned all about her new school until Molly called them down for supper.

…

"Should we tell him?" Minerva asked once the potion's professor exited the headmaster's office. He had just stopped by to inform Albus that he would be brewing a very delicate potion and was not, under any circumstances, to be disturbed.

"No," Dumbledore decided, "It is probably best that he remains unaware."

Although she felt torn, Gryffindor's head of house had to agree in the end. Severus certainly did not have many nice things to say regarding the Weasley's and would therefore be furious if he caught wind that lovelle was, in reality, with them instead of her. While he may not have the best relationship with his child, Severus still cared for her, as she was not only a part of him, but a part of Lily as well.

Minerva could only hope that she and Albus would prove successful in keeping up with this charade for the next week. If they failed, all of them, the Weasley's included, would suffer the consequences.