Friday morning (exactly five days since her arrival at the Burrow) lovelle shot up from her mattress, gasping for air.

"Another nightmare?" Ginny asked, yawning sleepily as the other girl's screams had caused her to wake.

Lovelle nodded apologetically, feeling awful for having disturbed her roommate yet again. It was just that ever since she brought up Mr. Coleman, horrid thoughts and memories plagued her dreams.

"Wanna talk about it?" the redhead asked, trying to be nice although she inwardly wanted nothing more than to just go back to sleep.

Glancing over at the clock beside her twin-sized bed, lovelle noted that it was barely five in the morning and declined Ginny's invitation so that the little girl could return to her slumber.

Then, knowing that sleep was out of the question for her, the eleven year-old quietly exited the room and tiptoed down a creaky spiraled staircase for a glass of water.

Several Moments Later

"Morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted, scaring lovelle so badly that she had jumped up and squealed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Molly still laughed, "Couldn't sleep?" she questioned, slightly distracted over the cake she'd been up since four working on.

"Not really," she rubbed her face tiredly. Lovelle didn't bother explaining why. Unfortunately, this had become a daily routine. Surely the older woman knew by now that the girl was suffering from a bout of nightmares.

"Is it somebody's birthday?" she asked after drinking half a glass of water. The cake was massive and so far beautifully decorated in what she now knew where Gryffindor colors.

Mrs. Weasley nodded her head, "Percy's," she informed her, not looking up as she placed the number thirteen on top of all the frosting.

"Oh," lovelle replied, instantly regretting not knowing about this sooner. She now had nothing to give him.

Catching the upset look upon the girl's face, Molly stored the desert item away, promising that it could be a present from the two of them.

…

Nearly three days had passed by and not once had Severus run into his offspring. Yes, he told himself that he didn't mind, but it was still odd. Surely the whelp would have made an appearance at some point, whether it be at dinner in the great hall or by him catching her roaming about the castle once more.

Knocking upon the old lion's door, Snape decided it was time for some answers.

"Severus," Minerva greeted him, surprised. Still wearing her robe at this early hour, she asked him just what it was that he wanted.

"To speak with the child," he answered simply. For some reason, the man could only refer to lovelle as 'the child'. Calling her black somehow felt wrong as that wasn't her true last name, however, he did not have a well enough relationship with the girl to be using her first. Nevertheless, a decision would have to be made quickly as she would soon be his student.

"Miss black is still asleep," Minerva lied, talking in hushed tones to appear more convincing.

"Well, then perhaps I should wake her," Snape snidely suggested.

"She's only eleven, Severus," McGonagall berated, "She needs to rest."

"Are you implying that the child was up late, Minerva?" he challenged. "If she had went to bed at a decent hour-"

"Do not attempt to give me parenting advice," McGonagall spoke, her Scottish brogue coming out as she turned angry, "Not when you refused to take full responsibly for your own child."

"Then," the man channeled his inner Slytherin, "Why don't I rectify that now?" Snape then entered the room before any arguments could be made.

"Severus, I demand that you-" she started, entirely flustered.

"Where is she?" he turned on her after searching the room. Lovelle was nowhere to be found.

"Miss black  is…" McGonagall uncharacteristically stopped short, unable to form an excuse for the child's absence.

"Minerva," Snape pressed, his teeth clenched and wand drawn. Previous professor or not, one thing he would not stand for was a liar.

"She's not here," she finally admitted, still not revealing lovelle's true whereabouts.

"Then where?"

"I will not be saying," McGonagall informed him.

Seething, Severus stalked out of the blasted woman's quarters and made way for the headmaster's office, knowing that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with the stubborn feline.

Five Minutes Later

"Albus," he called for the man. Like Minerva, the headmaster too was attired in sleepwear.

"Good morning, my boy," his cursed eyes twinkled, "What can I help you with?"

"Where is she?" he repeated his earlier question originally towards the transfiguration professor.

Dumbledore sighed having expected this eventually. "Does lovelle's location truly concern you, Severus?" he had to know, "Or is this about wanting nothing more than the truth?"

Had he been asked this question three days ago, Snape probably would have responded to that accusation differently. Now, after absorbing the news and accepting the inevitable truth, the answer to come was quite the opposite. "Of course it is a matter of my concern," he told the old man, "Without my consent, the child has been taken away to another home," the potion's master pointed out. "I've now no idea where she is," he spat.

Noting that Severus had retreated back into saying 'the child' as opposed to 'my child', Albus still decided to finally be honest with him and revealed what had truly taken place Sunday evening.

…

"Happy birthday to you!" Lovelle, along with the rest of the Weasley's (besides Percy) finished singing and watched as Molly and Arthur's third child blew out the candles.

They all cheered (Ron being the loudest) once their mum pronounced it time for some cake with the presents to be opened afterwards.

"From lovelle and I," Molly hugged her son, handing him a rather large slice.

"Thank you," Percy returned the embrace. He then turned to a rather embarrassed looking girl and hugged her as well.

"All I did was light the candles," she pointed out after he thanked her. Arthur had some muggle matches stored inside the basement and was most delighted when he finally received the chance to test them out.

"Still," he smiled, insisting lovelle take some of the credit.

"Hey," Fred and George walked over to her before she could respond to Percy, "You have something on your face," George told her.

"Where?" she asked, hoping to wipe it off before anybody else noticed.

"Here!" the twins exclaimed and proceeded in smashing their pieces of cake into lovelle's face.

Shocked, she pretended to cry, causing Fred and George to cease laughing and step closer to her. It was then that lovelle reciprocated by taking her own piece (separating it evenly within each of her hands) and did the same with force.

The three merely laughed at each other's frosting-covered faces, unaware that they had started a food fight amongst the others.

And while Molly knew that she and Arthur should have been upset, the two adults still joined in on the antics after seeing how happy it was making their family.

Twenty Minutes Later

"You look," George began, "utterly hilarious," Fred finished, walking with lovelle into the nearest restroom so that they could wash off their faces.

"Speak for yourself," she laughed. It had only taken a day and a half for lovelle to succeed in telling the twins apart, something not even their own mother could do. After showing her interest in pranks and practical jokes, she and the twins grew closer, having something to bond over. Now the three were practically inseparable, despite it only having been less than a week since they first met.

"Lovelle, dear," she heard Molly call for her as she started drying her face with a rag, "Come down, please."

Looking at the twins, they each shrugged their shoulders, just as curious as to what their mum needed her for.

…

"Is that Snape?" they simultaneously whispered into lovelle's ears, hoping to be wrong.

However, to Fred and George's dismay, the girl only confirmed their suspicions, and finished descending the flight of stairs.

"Come," he ordered lovelle after noticing her presence. When she did not display any intentions of obeying, Snape added the angry, "now."

Molly sighed. Luckily, other than her, Fred, and George, all of the Weasley's were still inside the dining room, oblivious to the visiting professor. "As you can see, Severus, your daughter is perfectly fine," the woman pointed out, "at least allow her to stay for the remainder of the week," Mrs. Weasley tried.

"While we appreciate your hospitality, I must insist the child's return to the castle," Severus replied in a tone that left nothing up for debate.

"No," lovelle spoke up, crossing her arms.

Severus faced the girl, a twin at each of her sides. He raised an intimidating brow, "Pardon me?"

"No," she tested him again, stomping a foot in the process, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Fred and George looked between daughter and father with concern. No, they most definitely did not want to see their best friend leave with this git…but this was Snape and he was still her dad. The boys knew that if they were to ever speak towards their mother in such a fashion, each would receive a proper thrashing or yelling.

"Dear," Mrs. Weasley stepped forward, "perhaps it would be best for you to go," she tried explaining, "Not that I want you to," she hastily put in, "but there is little more than a week left until the school year resumes and you have yet to pick up the required material."

Lovelle reflected back on the letter she, Percy, Charlie, and the twins all received Sunday night. They had been planning on a trip to Diagon Alley together, but now that was clearly out of the question. It wasn't a bad thing all the way around, though, lovelle knew. She didn't have any of her own money anyways. The girl had even been borrowing Ginny's clothes throughout her visit.

"Alright," she reluctantly agreed and smiled at the elder woman. Lovelle then turned to Fred and George, hugging them both and promising to meet up with the two on the train.

"If we don't see you on the Express," Fred started, "we'll personally come after you," George promised.

Not capable of laughing, lovelle forced a weak smile before walking over to her father. She didn't bother speaking to him as she took a handful's worth of floo powder and transported herself into Minerva's quarters.

Two Minutes Later

"Impossible brat," Severus was muttering to himself as he followed the girl into McGonagall's office.

Still having heard him, lovelle innocently responded, "What? I thought this is where I'd be staying until the week is up."

Much to the man's satisfaction, Minerva was nowhere to be seen. "You assumed incorrectly," Snape informed her. "You already were given the opportunity to reside here and yet chose to deliberately disobey my instructions; therefore you have lost your chance."

"But it's not my fault," she tried explaining, "Professor Mc-"

"I am not interested in any excuses," he snapped. "Until the summer holiday concludes you shall remain in my quarters and that is final."

"Well I hope you at least have a bathroom in there," lovelle tried saying quietly to herself, but her father had still managed to hear the comment regardless.

"I do," Severus informed her, "Along with a perfectly good desk for you to sit at whilst you write five-hundred lines stating that you shall keep any and all impolite remarks to yourself."

Lovelle's jaw dropped for a moment. "You can't make me," she tried arguing against him.

"Is that so?" her father challenged, crossing his arms just as she had already done.

"Yeah," she bravely went on, "Just because you might be my dad, it doesn't make you my legal guardian," lovelle pointed out, having learnt the meaning of the term at Wool's.

"Then perhaps I should ask this guardian of yours for permission to punish you," he suggested, being sarcastic with the girl once more.

"Well I guess you can't since I don't have one," lovelle stated, feeling victorious. 'Ha! Let's see what you have to say about that!' she mentally cheered.

"Ah," Snape smirked, coming up with a solution to this little problem, "I suppose I should accompany you back to the orphanage if that is the case."

Any happy feelings she may have been experiencing quickly faded away as lovelle started to panic. "Why?" she asked, trembling in anticipation.

"It simply would not be reasonable on my part to leave a child both unattended and without any supervision or family to watch over them," he pointed out, "Would you not agree?"

"No," lovelle lied, willing to do whatever it may take to stay at Hogwarts with her friends…she just couldn't return to Wool's and Mr. Coleman. The very thought made her want to burst into tears. "I wouldn't agree."

"Hmm," Severus acted as if he were truly considering her opinion, "No," he disagreed, "I believe it would be best for you to return," the cunning man decided, "I will take you there now-"

"Please, don't!" the girl broke into hysterics. "I can't go back!" Lovelle cried.

Standing his ground, Snape merely asked, "Why not?" instead of giving into the child's act.

"B-because," she sobbed, "I can't stand that place!" Lovelle admitted, "It smells bad, the food is gross, nobody l-likes me," she went on without thinking clearly, "and Mr. Coleman is there! He won't leave me alone! He'll k-keep," but Severus never leaned of what Coleman would supposedly keep doing, for lovelle had begun hyperventilating at that point.

"Hush you foolish child," Snape instructed before the girl managed to give herself a heart attack. He then walked over and placed a hand upon her shoulder, causing lovelle to flinch.

"Please," she begged once more, thinking that the man had grabbed her so that he could take her back. "I didn't mean it," lovelle told him, "You can make me write as many lines as you want," she started ranting, "I won't argue with you anymore and I'll stop talking back and I-"

"Calm yourself," he interrupted the distressed girl. "The only place you will be going is to the infirmary if you do not start breathing properly."

Lovelle took a deep breath and used the sleeve of Ginny's old shirt to wipe the tears from her eyes. "So we're not going to Wool's?" she checked, still fearful.

"Idiot," he muttered before telling her, "Not today," Snape had to keep up with the act. This proved difficult when the little brat decided to attack his torso, clinging onto his robes for dear life.

"Thank you," she repeated several times before lessening her hold on him.

Severus then went to peel her off only to soon after realize that lovelle had merely loosened the grip because she fell unconscious.

'Oh, no you don't' he thought to himself. If the child thought that he would be willing to carry her to the dungeons, she was sorely mistaken. Snape then attempted to shake her awake, but it was to no avail. Lovelle had thoroughly exhausted herself to the point of no return. Until she got some proper rest, sleep would be her only companion.

Scowling at the unfortunate predicament the professor had been forced into, Severus lifted the all too emotional child up and into his arms and quietly, so as not catch any unwanted attention, set off for the dungeons.

Severus tried to brush off the warmness he felt when his daughter unknowingly snuggled closer to him upon being brought into her father's arms.