Jack was frantically racking his brain for a plausible story to tell Hermione. “Er…she picked it up in the library.”

“That’s what I said and she won’t believe me!” Eliza said indignantly. “See Mum! Jack can tell you—it came from the library!”

“Eliza Antigone Snape, unless you want to spend the rest of the holiday in here, tell me where you got this book.”

Eliza crossed her arms and gave her mother the Snape stare. Oh my god…she’s gonna flip…wonder how long till Daddy gets home… Luckily for Eliza, Severus walked back into her room five minutes later.

“Hermione, have you—uh, have I completely missed something?” he asked, looking between his wife and daughter. Currently, his daughter was shooting near-death glares at his wife. And, of course, Jack was sputtering in the fireplace. “Eliza’s not pregnant, is she?” he asked, thinking of the only semi-rational explanation to what was going on.

“What?! Daddy!” Eliza shrieked, falling off her bed, once again.

“No, Severus. Eliza is not pregnant. She does have this, though,” Hermione said, handing him the book.

Severus looked at Hermione and then at the book. “Hermione, let’s go talk in the hall,” he said, pulling on her arm.

Eliza watched her parents leave and then leapt to in front of the fireplace. “Jack…Mum and Daddy are going to kill me!!”

“Uh… don’t worry Eliza. They won’t kill you. They’ll kill my dad. And then Jacob’s dad. And then us. We’re last on the pecking order, you know.”

“Okay, let me rephrase this, your father is not Professor Snape, known short fuse. I’m as good as dead.”

“You worry too much. Besides, he is my grandfather, too, you know. Now, did you find out anything interesting since we last talked about it?”

“Yeah. Mum and Dad are in the Order of Phoenix that Dumbledore started during Voldemort’s first reign of terror. That would explain part of why they leave for a few days on end. According to what’s been reported, there are usually small amounts of Dark Arts reported, and, in certain areas, Dumbledore’s Phoenix, as they are called, are brought in.”

“Did you swallow an encyclopedia?”

“No. I just did a lot of reading this morning. And I found that particularly interesting.”

“Eliza,” Severus said coldly, walking back into her room. “Jack, she’ll call you back and please, have your father Floo Hermione’s office in twenty minutes.” Jack winced, nodded, and his head vanished from Eliza’s fireplace. The despondent twelve year old looked at her father and her eyes started to tear up. Severus noticed this and raised an eyebrow. “First of all, I’m sure I know how you got that book, but I want to hear it from you.” “Harry owled it to us. We were curious.”

“Curious about what? What could possibly intrigue you so much that you’d want to read a book that it’s so depressing, even Voldemort, the megalomaniac he was, wouldn’t want to read it?”

“Well, I wanted to find out more about you…and Mum…and about why you guys leave for days and then just show up with bruises and cuts and why I can’t go remotely near the third floor stairwell.”

“And your dear, sweet big brother thought this would help?” Severus asked rhetorically as he waved around the offending book.

“Yes. It has helped, too. And it’s answered a few of my other questions.”

“Like?”

“The fact you’re nearly twenty years older than Mum.”

Severus narrowed his eyes and then any sign of emotion was gone. Eliza quirked an eyebrow and shrugged it off. “How mad is Mum? Really, truly?”

“At this moment, I expect her to be yelling at her two best friends. However, we’re not done talking about you.”

“What?! I didn’t do anything wrong! You can’t punish me for being curious.”

Snape continued as though he hadn’t heard her. “I may not be able to punish you for being curious, but I can punish you for getting your information from the wrong sources.”

Eliza pulled an exasperated face. “Is there something I can do that doesn’t involve me getting punished?”

“Yes. Don’t do anything to get yourself into trouble.”

“That’s such a Dad thing to say.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last remark. As your punishment you have to do the dishes the muggle way and clean up after Sox, the muggle way, also.”

Eliza pulled another face. “Daddy, that’s disgusting.”

“Sorry love. Now, I believe this book was in your possession.” Severus handed the book back to Eliza.

“You’re giving me back this thing?” Eliza asked, taking it. She automatically flipped to where she was when Hermione came in. “I can’t believe it. How did you get Mum to agree?”

“Your mother doesn’t know. And she had better not find out that I gave that book back to you. Understood?”

“Yes Daddy,” Eliza said solemnly before diving back into the book.

“I heard your mum yelling at Dad,” Jacob said two days later with his head in Eliza’s fireplace. “I didn’t know your mum could swear like that!” he exclaimed in amazement.

“Yeah, she can. But, Daddy gave me back the book. Thank Merlin that holiday is over in one week.”

“What do you have to do for your punishment?” Jacob asked, knowing there would definitely be a punishment.

“Clean up after Sox and do the dishes the muggle way.”

“Oy. How is Sox, anyway? I can’t believe Dumbledore is letting you keep a dog! I’m jealous!”

Eliza laughed and scratched Sox’s ears. “She’s such a cute little thing, isn’t she?”

“She won’t be little—oof! Jack wants to talk!” Jack’s head popped into view.

“Hey Eliza!”

“Hey Jack.” Their conversation went on from there, switching from Jack to Jacob and back to Jack again after thirty minutes. However, the conversation was cut short from Severus walking into Eliza’s room and kindly requesting her for a few moments. Eliza shrugged good-bye to her friends and followed Severus out of her room and into his Potions lab.

“Daddy?”

“Your mother is working on the nursery, so I need your help to make a potion for her.”

“What are we making?” Eliza asked, lighting a fire underneath a cauldron.

“Have you read any books on birthing?” Severus asked as he took down several ingredients and measured them out.

“Uh, no!” Eliza shuddered and followed Severus’ subtle directions. “Birthing..eeeww..”

“Well, how do you suppose you got into this world? Add in that root right now. Well, how do you suppose you got here?”

“I prefer not to think about it. Like this?”

“Yes, like that. Let it sit for twenty minutes,” he told her. “Did you come up with two more names? Your mum really liked Preston.”

“I thought of Quentin and Stuart.”

“Quentin?”

“I think it’s cute! Do you really need me here?”

“No, I just wanted to talk to you.”

Eliza rolled her eyes and made a mental note about getting someone to teach her father to be more social. He was considerably more nicer than what he used to be like, if stories counted for anything, but, he was still extremely anti-social.