“Well, I can’t call you Puppy all day,” Eliza told the puppy as though she could understand. “So, what do you want to be named?”

“She can’t understand you,” a baritone voice said to the left of Eliza’s bed. Severus stepped closer. “Your mother thought you might like a dog to keep you company since we’re going to be gone soon and when we come back, you’ll have three more brothers soon after.”

“How’d you get Professor Dumbledore to agree?” Eliza asked, scratching the puppy’s chin. “I thought dogs weren’t allowed.”

“You seem to be a special case, Miss Snape,” Dumbledore said from the other side of the bed. When he stepped closer he said, “Pardon my presence, but I wanted to see you receive your pup. Now, I’m off to prepare for the celebration tonight.”

Eliza turned back to her father. “So, I can really keep her?”

“Your mother and I did give her to you, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s your answer. Now, put on a dressing gown and come open presents.”

Eliza kissed her puppy’s head and pulled her royal blue dressing gown down from where it was hanging next to her bed. “Well, I think I’m going to name you …Sox…” The spaniel barked once and jumped into Eliza’s arms. She carried Sox into the next room and then sat against the end of the couch, facing the Christmas tree. “Can I hand out presents?” she asked her half-asleep mother.

“Sure,” Hermione replied with a long yawn.

The rest of the morning passed by with a big flourish of wrapping paper and colorful bows. Sox, of course, had to bark at everything. Eventually, though, the puppy fell asleep with only her nose visible from underneath a pile of wrapping paper. Eliza took that chance to snap a picture and then fully appreciate all of her presents. From the Weasley family, she got a jumper (gold with a green snake curling around the letter S) and lots of joke stuff from Fred and George (“Which will undoubtedly be used against the faculty,” Severus despaired when she opened the tell tale box) and lots other stuff such as books and candy from the rest. Her parents had given her Sox, of course, a few books (some of which were muggle… “Mum, something’s wrong with these books.” “What is it, hon?” “The images don’t move.” “That’s because they’re muggle.” “Oh. COOL!”), sweets, and trinkets they found in the odd shop.

Around ten thirty, the Snapes went up to the Great Hall for Christmas brunch. When they got there, all of the tables had been pushed back with only the Head Table on the floor. Christmas decorations adorned the wall and the seemingly endless ceiling. Everyone who was still at Hogwarts sat down at the elegantly set table and Dumbledore grinned at everyone.

“Well, it seems like all is in order. I suggest we partake in this wonderfully scrumptious meal.”

Eliza snickered behind her hand and started to heap piles of food onto her plate. It was her twelfth Christmas at Hogwarts and Dumbledore never ceased to amuse her. Severus gave her a Look and took the bowl of eggs from her lest she drop it amid her giggling. Hermione rolled her eyes and served herself some toast before passing the plate to the Ravenclaw next to her. Eliza’s giggling was a yearly occurrence and everyone except for Severus tolerated it. Dumbledore was egged on by it. The rest of the meal proceeded in a similar fashion, with Dumbledore doing things that made Eliza giggle and made Severus give her Looks. The rest of the students that had stayed were politely laughing at the two, but were astounded to see the daughter of the meanest teacher in the school giggling at the headmaster.

The next day, Eliza was stretched out on her bed, reading a particularly nasty account of something her mum had seen while going through her auror training. Sox was stretched out besides her, being petted occasionally. Eliza didn’t even look up when her mum came in.

Hermione knocked softly on her daughter’s bedroom door, but then opened it when she didn’t hear a response. When she slipped into the room (an amazing feat seeing as how Hermione was huge, expecting triplets), she saw a sight good enough to warrant a heart attack. Eliza, the self-proclaimed anti-bibliophile, was laying on her bed reading just about one of the thickest books on God’s green earth. As Hermione got closer, she recognized her handwriting on the page her daughter was reading and Harry’s writing in the margins. The older witch’s eyebrows shot into her hairline and she pulled the book out from Eliza’s nose deftly (several years of practice with bigger books enabled this).

“Eliza Snape! Where on Earth did you find this?” she asked, holding the offending book.

“Er…the library?” Eliza replied nervously, sitting up. Ack! Bloody hell. Mum’s got the book…Jack and Jacob are gonna kill me…and I was almost near the good part when Mum cursed the lights out of that Death Eater…Hermione did not look convinced. “Really. I found it in a library.” As soon as the words came out, Eliza clamped a hand over her mouth. What was the phrase? Open mouth, insert foot? Well, now she just had to shove her foot into her mouth.

“A library? Pray tell which one.” Hermione said, waving around the book. Severus took that opportunity to walk in.

“What’s going on in here?” he asked, looking from Eliza to Hermione.

“Nothing at all, Daddy,” Eliza said quickly.

“Right. I was coming to tell you, Hermione, that I’m going down to Hogsmeade. Do you need anything?”

“No, thank you.” Hermione watched him leave and then crossed the room to Eliza’s fireplace. She took a pinch of powder and threw it into the roaring fire. “Jonathan Snape!” she shouted into the fireplace. Jack head came swirling into view after a few moments. “Jack, do you know where this book came from?” she asked him.

“Uh…no…” he said nervously, shooting Eliza a glance. His twelve-year-old aunt was making ludicrous motions behind her mother’s back. Hermione noticed this and turned around quickly. The sudden ceasing of the frantic waving motions caused Eliza to fall off the