Jack eyed the two before breaking the seal on the parchment. As soon as he did so, the trio realized that the parchment had suddenly become as thick as one of the Hogwarts books. “Er.. I guess Dad was really detailed?” Jack asked more than said.

“Suppose so. Want to go back to the common room and read it all?” Jacob suggested. “We have a free period first.”

“You guys go; I’m supposed to meet my dad in the dungeons. Something about the baby.”

“Well, have fun. Enjoy your baby-girl status for as long as possible,” Jacob said with a smirk. Even though he was only four years older than his younger brother Alexander, Jacob remembered his four years of being the center of attention. “Though, when this baby is a toddler, you can get away with practically anything. Your mum and dad will be too focused on him or her.”

“Or them,” Eliza said, standing and shouldering her bag.

“What?” Jack asked, choking on his bacon. “You can’t have a multiple birth! You aren’t a Weasley!”

“Well, I’m glad to see my dad’s last name has something to do with genetics,” Eliza said Snape-ishly. “I’ve got to go—Dad’s gonna be upset if I’m not there on time.”

“This is a detention, is it?”

“Oh, no. He just wants to see me.”

“Have fun!”

In the dungeons, Snape was sitting in his office with his feet propped onto his desk. Hermione was stretched out on the forest green leather couch that she transfigured, reading a list aloud when Eliza walked in.

“-ames, what do you think?”

“Definitely not. Hullo Eliza,” Snape said, sitting upright.

“Hullo Daddy.” She dropped her stuff next to the office door and sat on the now-extended couch. “What did you need me for?”

“Well, we’re going through names for the baby…”

“Already?! It’s not coming until…” Eliza paused while she ticked off the months with her fingers. “…March. That’s five months away.”

“We know, but at the end of January and at the beginning of February, your father and I have to make a trip for Dumbledore,” Hermione replied.

“What?! You’re going to miss my birthday!” Eliza’s deep brown eyes clouded over as she receded into the depths of the couch. “You’ve never missed a single birthday, but now you are?” she asked, hurt. Her normally cheerful grin was replaced by a downcast pout.

“It’s unavoidable, Eliza,” Snape told her, coming to rest before her on his knees. “We know that we’ve never missed one of your birthdays, but this time we have to. You’ll barely notice our absence, besides. You’ll still have all your presents and I think Mrs. Weasley is coming up to see you, too.”

“But you won’t be there,” Eliza said softly. Inside she was reeling. She was mad at Dumbledore for sending her parents off to do something during her birthday, firstly. Didn’t he know that her birthday was one of the few sacred, undisturbed days in the Snape household? Secondly, she was upset with herself for letting it get to her. Eliza hung onto her knees for a few more moments before letting them drop. “You know what? Oh well. It’s not as though it’s the end of the world, right?”

“Right.” Hermione sounded way too cheerful. “Now, I’ve talked to the med witch. I’m having twins… we just don’t know the sexes yet.”

“Twins?” Eliza pouted. But then, Jacob’s words rang in her ears. Maybe she could get away with more when there were two to watch.

“Don’t pout,” Snape commanded, frowning at her. “You’re way too old for pouting.”

“Fine then, I’ll glower like you do,” she replied sarcastically.

Hermione snickered and went back to her list. She reread it a few times, ticking off certain items each time. Finally she looked up at Eliza and Snape. “I think that the last thing I need either of you two for is naming the twins,” she said. “I’ve got almost everything else done.”

“Were you this prepared when I was born?” Eliza muttered to her father.

“No. We learned all this from having you. Harry was already fifteen when we found out I was his father,” he muttered back.

“I hear you!” Hermione sing-songed. “Now, Eliza, since your father and I are not going to be here for your birthday…don’t give me that look…yes, that one. Good grief Eliza! It’s the first birthday we’ve ever missed and probably will ever miss while you live with us. I mean, Harry certainly didn’t have his parents at all his birthdays. He even had to be with the Dursleys for his birthdays,” the Arthimancy professor ranted.

“Ignore her,” Snape muttered out the side of his mouth. “She’s been having mood-swings.”

“I hear you, Severus Snape! And this is not a mood-swing!” With that, Hermione stormed out the dungeon.

“See what I’ve been living with for four months?” he asked, sitting on the couch. He leaned back and opened his arms for Eliza to scoot closer to him.

“Hey, you don’t have to sit through a class with her. It’s really horrible,” Eliza said, sitting next to her father and putting her head on his shoulder. “One moment she’s cheery and the next you’d think that she’s a female version of you.”

“Watch it! I am still in the room and I can still take points off for that disrespect.”

“But what would Mum think? You two have always told me that honesty is the best policy,” she said in a sweet voice with a fake smile.

“Don’t throw my words back at me, Eliza Snape.”

Eliza pulled a face and picked up the parchment that her mother dropped. On the bottom were a few names written down. Eliza crinkled her nose and asked with serious disdain, “Please tell me that you will not be naming one of the twins Edna.”

“What’s wrong with Edna? Your great-great-grandmother was named Edna.”

“Yeah, and how long ago was that? 600 years? Be considerate for the poor schmuck.”

“Did you just call one of your future siblings a schmuck?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

Snape just shook his head and tickled his daughter. She squealed and rolled off the couch, trying in vain to get away from the evil fingers.

“Oh!” Eliza said, straightening up. “Why did Mum go through auror training?”

“Well,” Snape replied briskly, standing, “I believe it is almost time for your next class. You should be running along now.”

“Daddy!”

“Eliza.”

The twelve year old huffed up and stormed out the room, very similar to what Hermione had done just twenty minutes before that.

In the Charms corridor, Jack and Jacob were waiting for Eliza to turn up when she barreled into them. The two boys raised an eyebrow at each other over Eliza’s head. She almost never ran into people—said that only ungraceful people did that sort of stuff.

“Hey Eliza. Bad meeting with the folks?” Jack asked as they walked through the door. He turned a quick smile at old Professor Flitwick before sitting in his normal seat.

“You could say that.”

“Well?” Jack said, pressing for details.

“Mum’s going to have twins.”

“What’s so wrong about that? Now you’ll be able to boss about two kids. You can treat them like Dad treats you,” Jack said.

“Yeah, well. After that revelation, Mum left and then I was talking to Daddy…and I asked him why Mum went through auror training. And then he basically kicked me out.”

“I suppose that’s a bad meeting with the folks, then,” was the response. “But Dad’s package was very informative. It was a big book that him, your mum, and Uncle Ron worked on while they were in school here and going through auror training. All of it is about the rise and fall of Voldemort.”

“But there are about one hundred of those books,” was all Eliza could say before Flitwick called them to his attention to start the lesson.