Finally having located Ginny's bedroom (which took forever in Maggie's opinion; the house had to have like a bazillion levels to it) she quickly ran inside to see a raven-haired girl sitting in the middle of a mid-sized bed, talking animatedly with two red-headed twin boys.

"Hay!" she happily shouted the nickname, practically pouncing on her old friend.

"Erm… hey? the twins responded confusedly, wondering if they should remove the crazed blonde off of lovelle.

"No, not hey," Maggie told them after releasing her hold on the other girl, "It's Hay," she smiled, "her nickname."

"What are you doing here?" Lovelle managed to ask once the surrealism had lessened some. Afterall, she hadn't seen her friend in over two years now; and what she was doing at the Burrow of all places only left her all the more at a loss for words.

"To see you, of course!" Maggie explained, feeling a little hurt. "After I found out where you were, I'd thought-"

"Wait," Fred cut her off, "How did you find her, exactly?" George asked. Lovelle remained silent, also dying to know.

Maggie sighed, originally having expected this visit to be a lot more exciting. "Well, this woman, McGonna-something," she wasn't sure of the correct name, "came to my house earlier to tell me that I'm a witch," she stated casually, as if these sorts of things happened to her all the time. "Then about halfway into our meeting, this Dumbles-man popped into the house and began telling the professor lady all about how you went missing on a trip with your dad," Maggie paused at that, "you have tons of explaining to do on that one, by the way," she informed lovelle, causing green eyes to look away guiltily. "And then the McGonna-person told him that she knew where you'd be," she took a breath, having been talking fast, "that's when I spoke up and asked to go with her. Then," blue eyes shined, "she said yes, and now I'm here!"

"Wow, Mags," lovelle was the first to say, "I can't believe this," she shook her head, still trying to wrap the news around her very confused mind.

"Well, you'd better," she playfully hit the opposite girl's knee. "Because now that I've got you, I'm never letting go again," Maggie then hugged her once more, "I missed you so much," she said whilst holding on.

"I missed you too," lovelle admitted, giving the blonde a squeeze before releasing her. Meanwhile, the twins stood at either side of the bed, having been knocked off when Maggie suddenly lunged onto it.

"Sorry, you two," Maggie looked between Fred and George. "I didn't mean to startle you like that," she smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, no you didn't scare us," George began, "We're used to random girls throwing themselves at us," Fred smirked.

Lovelle laughed as Maggie stuck her tongue out at them. "I wasn't aiming for either of you," she informed them, "and you know it."

"Sure," Fred joked, "Whatever you say," his twin added sarcastically.

Before Maggie could get a word in edgewise, lovelle spoke up again. "Why don't we all sit on the floor?" she suggested, feeling too crowded for her liking.

Much to her relief, her friends agreed and migrated onto the carpet below; forming a square rather than the circle her and the other Weasley's usually created.

"So what's this about you having a dad?" Maggie inquired, desperate to know.

"Um," lovelle fiddled with her hands nervously. "Well…" she wasn't sure how to respond to that. Yes, she had a father and all, but he wasn't anywhere near what she had expected. Lovelle honestly wasn't certain if she considered the man her father at all.

"Why don't we tell you?" the twins gave their friend an escape route, aware of her discomfort.

Maggie eyed lovelle suspiciously, curious as to what the big deal was, before agreeing.

It was then that Fred and George reiterated everything they knew about the situation, all that had happened since, along with how much they all disliked the greasy haired git, aka: lovelle's dad.

"Yeah, I've met friendlier people," Maggie said once they finished. "But, Hay," she turned towards her friend and spoke in a more serious tone, "You really haven't given him much of a chance, here," she pointed out, "I mean, right after meeting him, you ran away," Maggie proceeded before lovelle could fight her on that, "Then, when he came to the Burrow, you refused to leave with him. And the whole reason he even came was because he was concerned," Maggie ignored the three's scoffs at her words, "I would've been too," she defended, "If I found out you were someplace other than where you were meant to be, I'd have come for you as well."

"But that isn't why he came, Mags," lovelle interrupted. "He just wanted to embarrass me in front of my friends," she stated as if it were the truth. The raven-haired girl honestly believed her father was against anything that would make her even remotely happy. With everything that had transpired between the two, there wasn't much to proof to say otherwise.

"I highly doubt that," Maggie retorted, determined to talk sense into her friend as usual. "He just wanted to take you home," she put it out there.

"Then why did he threaten to take me back to Wool's?" Haley asked loudly, having snapped. Obviously, neither the twins nor Maggie were aware of this for the trio appeared stunned. "The second we arrived back from the Burrow, we got into this huge fight," she began elaborating, tears brimmed her obsidian-specked eyes as she recalled the dispute. "I told him that just because he may be my parent; it didn't make him my guardian," Haley started crying, "Then he said I'd have to go back to the orphanage since that meant I didn't have a family," she wiped the fallen salt-water off of her face, "It was like he didn't care," the eleven year old sniffled, "He'd be glad to send me back…" she drifted off into her own train of thought.

Right as Fred wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, Maggie began talking. "But he didn't," she smiled knowingly, "Your dad didn't take you back."

Lovelle looked at her thoughtfully. "That's probably just because I passed out," she told them, her cheeks reddening at the moment of weakness she'd shared.

"Then why didn't he just send you back after you woke up?" her friend pressed on. "Why even bother taking you out to purchase school supplies?" she pried.

"I don't know," lovelle mumbled, seeing her point but not wanting to confess to it. Severus had also provided her with a room of her own, but she didn't tell them that. There was no need to start agreeing with the blonde, she stubbornly told herself.

Maggie laughed softly from her place beside George. "It's because, deep down, you know that he genuinely cares about you," she enlightened her. "Even if neither of you will admit this," she shrugged her shoulders, "It's still the truth."

"She could be right," Fred agreed a few minutes later.

"Mags is just too smart for her own good," lovelle said mockingly, not really meaning that as an insult.

"Bet she'll be sorted," George looked at the girl to his left, "into Ravenclaw, then," Fred concluded.

Maggie simply waved off the statement and took it as a compliment. After hearing her mother's stories, she knew Ravenclaw was the house for those whom were intelligent. "Don't try changing the topic," she told the twins. "Lovelle really needs to fix things with her father," Maggie advised. "I could speak with-"

"No," the other three stopped her, "that wouldn't be such a bright idea," George finished.

"Why?" Maggie questioned, "I'm not afraid of him," she crossed her arms, trying to look tougher. This, however, only caused the others to laugh.

"Well, he's talking with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley right now. Why don't you at least wait until after?" Lovelle suggested, knowing her friend wouldn't let this go.

"Good idea," Maggie nodded her head, finding that plan to be wisest as well. "So, what do you want to do in the meantime?" she asked.

"Well, did you know that Fred and George-" lovelle began.

"Wait, so those are your names?" the blonde broke her off, not having been properly introduced earlier.

"Oh, right," her friend caught on, "Maggie, this is Fred and George," she directed her fingers towards the two in no specific order, "Fred, George, this is Mags," lovelle got the three to shake hands.

"So, which is which, exactly?" navy blue eyes looked between the twins confusedly. They were completely identical.

"I'm Fred," the boy to her right stated just as the one across from her said the same.

"No, I'm Fred, you're George," the redhead with his arm still wrapped around lovelle's shoulders argued.

"I'd have to disagree," the other said.

"Yeah, I'm probably George-"

"If you aren't Fred-"

"Then who else would you be?"

"Well, I could be you."

"That's true…"

Lovelle just watched in sheer amusement, having been able to tell who was who for a while now. Maggie, regretfully, did not possess the skill, therefore explaining the scrunched up look on her face.

"I'm Gred," the twin beside Maggie decided, "And I'm Forge," Fred concluded.

"Whatever," she replied, her head aching in bewilderment.

Lovelle just giggled, not even attempting to help Maggie sort it out.

"You know they have four other brothers and a sister?" she informed the blonde.

"They don't all look like that, do they?" she pointed at George, her eyes wide in horror.

The boys laughed, "Nope," Fred answered, "We're the only twins here," George grinned.

"Thank god," Maggie sighed in relief before asking another question. "Where are they? I didn't see anyone else on my way up," she pointed out.

"They're around here somewhere," George responded, "Probably still outside," Fred went on, "De-gnoming the garden," lovelle finished.

Maggie shook her head, "Not you too!" she shouted at her friend. It was bad enough trying to keep up with the redhead's way of speaking. Adding a third person to that would only further complicate matters.

The trio laughed at her distress when lovelle finally decided to say, "I have a brother, also, just so you know."

"What?" Maggie had never been this unenlightened. Being smart had its perks. Not being confused so often was one of them.

Again, she was laughed at before her friend finally began explaining everything that had been previously left out.

…

"You are a parent first, Severus," Molly was telling him whilst the four adults sat at the table within the dining room, "and a professor second. Everything comes after lovelle now."

"Try talking with her," Arthur jumped into the conversation, "From what you've told us, the two of you haven't had a real discussion yet."

"Not as a father and daughter should," Minerva put in, knowing that Severus was about to state the contrary.

"She is impossibly stubborn," the man tried defending.

"As are you," the brunette to his left intervened. "If you would merely listen to what she has to say, Severus, it may just be possible for the two of you to get somewhere."

The two Weasleys looked at Snape, awaiting a snide comment of disagreement. Yet, it never came. Minerva's words rang true. Each time lovelle had tried speaking with him, he'd interrupted her constantly, provoking these fights in the process.

Still, the threat of sending her back to Wool's (despite there being absolutely no truth behind it) wasn't the wisest of moves on the potions master's part. This proved to be nothing short of another bad example in regards to the man's parenting skills, which the Weasley's quickly pointed out after having learnt of it.

"Why don't you go visit with her now?" Molly offered. Severus appeared to have absorbed their advice to an extent. Whether or not he'd follow it, however, held unclear. Mrs. Weasley knew, though, that he and his daughter needed to talk things through; and that it was due time.

Severus sighed stressfully. He knew that he'd have to talk to the girl eventually. He also knew that she'd have a million questions for him that he likely wouldn't want to answer. The potion's master was hardly a sentimental person by any means. Sharing feelings and reminiscing over the past amongst others sickened him. He wasn't outwardly caring, loving, or understanding. Not since Lily.

Snape, in short, had to be the most unfit father in all of wizarding history. At least Lucius Malfoy, he knew, could manage a proper conversation with his offspring without it resulting in a shouting match.

"Alright," he had no choice but to agree. Besides, he'd had enough of the three's reprimanding. Another ten minutes and Severus would probably lose all composure.

"Lovely," Molly smiled winningly. "Let's go upstairs, shall we?" she suggested. "The children will be coming back shortly and I'd hate for your conversation to be interrupted," the busty woman explained. Surely any moment now the rest of the Weasley clan would barge through the back doors after having finished de-gnoming the garden.

Snape nodded his head curtly, stood from his chair, and made way to follow Mrs. Weasley.

Making his way out, unbeknownst to them, he'd still heard Minerva and Arthur's hushed words.

"How do you think it'll go?" Mr. Weasley had asked the transfiguration professor quietly.

"I cannot be certain," Severus heard McGonagall reply, "but I honestly have little faith that it will end well."

Proceeding to follow Molly up the stairs, the potion's master wasn't sure if he could actually disagree with the damned woman.

…

"Well, I think you should get to see him before school starts," Maggie voiced her opinion.

"That's in a little over eight days, though," lovelle pointed out.

"And she hasn't even got her school supplies," Fred put in without the help of his twin.

"Eight days is plenty of time," the blonde argued. "She could get the supplies by tomorrow and would still have barely a bit less than a week to visit with Harry."

"Still," George began to protest, "I don't think Snape," Fred went on, "Would agree to that."

"Then I'll have my parents take her," Maggie crossed her arms firmly. "I honestly believe that lovelle would be better off living with her aunt and uncle over that man, anyhow," she harshly stated. Upon hearing the rest of her friend's story, she'd begun to dislike Snape more and more.

Lovelle could only shake her head sadly. Despite it being a valid point, she inwardly wished that Mags was wrong. Why did her father have to be so mean? Just thinking of him now caused her heart to clench.

"I mean, seriously," Maggie continued, not taking the time to note the other girl's hurt feelings, "Why don't you ask the headmaster if you could go and live with your other family?" she asked. "Heck, you could even come and live with me!" she flung her arms about, dramatizing the case she was fighting for. Sure, her home was small and yes, her mum and dad had already told her that they couldn't afford another child; but she just knew that once they'd learned of lovelle's situation, her parents would find a way.

"Hey," Fred started, in a tone that suggested a breakthrough had been made within his mind. "You could even move into the Burrow!" both twins said, having come up with the plan simultaneously.

"Anywhere would have to be better than living with him," Maggie told her before quickly turning to the boys, "Not to offend your home or anything."

"We know," George blew it off. "You're right," Fred agreed with her. "I'd rather live in Knockturn Alley," the opposite twin continued, "Than with Snape," his brother concluded.

Then, just as lovelle was about to speak her piece on that, she heard somebody tapping on the doorframe. Looking up, she mentally scolded herself. Not only had they been speaking rather loudly, the door was stupidly left open as well. Who knew how long Mrs. Weasley and her father had been standing in the doorway, listening in?

Lovelle sighed, 'Great.'