“We failed as friends, Narcissa.”
She was relieved when her husband finally started talking. It was almost morning and a few hours had passed since he came from Severus’s. Until now, Lucius had given virtually no sign that he was functioning normally. He was closer to a catatonic state. - “What do you mean, darling?” - she asked, hoping that her husband would answer the question. - “What do you mean we failed as friends? Did something happen to Severus?”
“Miss Granger is his adopted daughter, and we didn’t know about it. Severus Snape has been a father for eight years and we didn’t know about it.” - Narcissa had the impression that with every word Lucius spoke her heart was breaking more and more, she preferred not to think about how he might feel - “From what I learned, Miss Granger had a difficult early childhood, and a very difficult one at that.”
“Why didn’t he tell us about it?”
“I can only tell you what Severus told me.” - her husband sighed, got up and sat next to her. Before he started speaking, he placed his hand on hers and tightened his fingers. - “At first, he wasn’t sure if it would last. Later, Miss Granger stop him. She didn’t want to become a problem for him.”
Cissa didn’t say anything. She leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder. She didn’t have to wait long this time, because after a while Lucius pulled her to him and hugged her, enclosing her in his arms. Narcissa knew what awaited her now. She will be able to try to get closer to this witch more openly to let her know that she is welcome in their family. And Draco... Now, he will have to use his own charm to get closer to Miss Granger.
xxx
“Time to get up, Sun.” - she heard when she started waking up, she wanted to sleep more so she rolled over, which almost resulted in her falling out of bed, if not for her father’s quick reaction - “My bed is huge and you’re still one step away from fall off it almost every time.”
Still sleepy but rested, she opened her eyes and smiled at the man who was her only family to her. And it will be so regardless of what anyone thinks about it. - “What time is it?”
“Five is coming. You asked to wake up you early. I don’t know why you couldn’t keep some of your stuff here. I don’t understand why you don’t want to live here with me.”
She sat up, untangling herself from his embrace, saying, “We’ve already talked about this.”
“Maybe you’ll change your mind when you find out who entered my bedroom unannounced yesterday, saw you in my bed and drew the worst possible conclusions?” - he looked at her, looking satisfied - “I had a visit from my friend yesterday. Lucius was, shall we say, mildly surprised.”
She hid her face in her hands so that he wouldn’t see how moved she was by the news. Severus, however, didn’t let her choke on what she felt, because he forcefully removed her hands and grabbed her face so that he could look into her eyes without saying a word.
“I didn’t cause you any problems?”
“No, silly. After I explained everything to him, he got it into his head that I didn’t tell him about you because he wasn’t a good enough friend. Lord Malfoy is quite emotional when he isn’t wearing a mask of seriousness or mockery. So did his wife. I don’t think there’s any point in hiding what we have in common.”
“Do you really think so? And anyway... Why did he visit you at such an unusual hour?”
“Remember how I promised you that I wouldn’t hide anything from you?” - his question worried her, especially since he looked like he didn’t believe what he was going to say. - “Well, Lucius came to me to find out something about you, because apparently my godson has a crush on you.”
Suddenly, all the moments when Malfoy mocked her and treated her as if she was inferior to him came in front of her eyes. What Severus said couldn’t be true. It definitely couldn’t be true. Finally she whispered - “It’s some misunderstanding...”
“Believe me, I’d rather it be just a misunderstanding. Apparently, Draco inherited more of his mother’s traits than I previously suspected. One could just as easily say that a Black in love is an illogical Black.”
She smiled involuntarily, feeling the blush creeping into her cheeks. No one had ever looked at her this way before. And even though she was noticed by someone like Draco Malfoy, it would be hard for her to deny that she wasn’t flattered. - “Well, I’m going to my dorm, dad. Give me time to think about how to tell Harry about our family situation. I wouldn’t want to lose him. He’s really important to me.”
xxx
Several dozen minutes later, Severus Snape watched Hermione sit down at the Gryffindor table. Of course he dreamed that she would follow in his footsteps and become a Slytherin, but he knew that she was too brave for that to happen. He was tired because he couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he had with Lucius or what Hermione had said. Maybe it’s time to let go of the promises made by the wizard he lost and start living again.
His daughter deserved a more complete family.
As he yawned once again, he noticed that he was starting to attract the attention of Minerva sitting next to him. The head of Gryffindor usually ignored him as long as she didn’t need him. That’s why he was concerned about her behavior. In particular, she was usually quite direct in expressing her needs.
Finally he couldn’t stand it and asked, a little too abruptly, “What happened?”
“I thought you’d be a little more upset about yesterday’s incident.” - she said, looking at him as if she expected some specific reaction from him. - “I didn’t think you would approach it so calmly.”
Had something happened that he didn’t know about?, he thought, confused. - “What are you talking about?”
At that moment, he heard Remus Lupin’s voice behind him. “Yesterday there was a class about boggarts. I provoked…”
“Aaah, that’s it...” - he said smiling, regretting that he didn’t have the opportunity to see himself in the outfit for which Augusta Longbottom is known. The fact that he had become her grandson’s boggart made him now look at the young Gryffindor with respect. - “Why should I be angry about this? I’ve known for a long time that you’re still one of those teenagers who bullied me at school. I’m too tired to care.”
He wasn’t sure what their reaction was, and he really didn’t care. He had too much on his mind lately to allow himself to worry about the former Gryffindor’s immature behavior.
xxx
“What happened yesterday?” - Harry leaned towards her and whispered so quietly that no one other than Hermione could hear him. - “You weren’t in your dorm yesterday.”
She quickly turned to him, clearly surprised by what he had just said. Hermione blushed, not out of embarrassment, but as if she suddenly felt hot, and then, equally quietly, she replied - “How do you know?”
“I asked Dobby for help in giving you the note, but he said you weren’t in your bed and even though he knew where you were, he didn’t give me any information.”
“We’ll talk when we’re alone. You and me. Whether I say anything to Ron depends on your reaction.”
He was concerned about her words, but he saw that it was important to her. That’s why he didn’t protest. He probably wouldn’t have time for that anyway, because his attention was distracted by the sound of the door opening. It was a reflex. Harry turned around and saw a teenager who looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen. He was tall and slim with carefully styled dark blonde hair. He was dressed in a suit. His whole appearance gave the impression that he wanted to look good. And judging by the surrounding whispers, he had achieved his goal.
The stranger stared ahead of him, entranced, and before anyone could ask him who he was, he shouted, “Hey, Sev, I promised you that I would find a way to get back to you!”
