Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1 : After war, a little girl and a witch
After the death of You-Know-Who, the war was not yet over for a lot of people. There were those who fought for their lives or those of their loved ones, those who fought for their freedom despite their crimes, and those who fought to put behind bars those who had committed said crimes.
For some even less fortunate, it was all three at the same time.
Severus Snape, a renowned Potions master and a renowned Death Eater, was one of those less fortunate people.
He miraculously survived the now famous Battle Of Hogwarts, thanks to an antidote that he was testing at that time. Afterwards he spent more than three months in an artificial coma to allow his body to reject the massive dose of venom that Nagini, the snake, had injected him with. When he woke up, he was questioned, asked about his actions and about other people he could identify as a Death-Eater. Then it was his trial, where he was dragged through the mud as well as put on a pedestal. Finally, he had to survive the hordes of journalists, haters and worshippers who chased him all the time to get a new scoop out of him.
He then moved into a new apartment, his family home totally overwhelmed by intruders and took a well-deserved rest that lasted several months. It wasn't until almost two years later that an old acquaintance of his appeared at his house, not to have a cup of tea, as usual, but to ask him to resume his position as the Hogwart’s Potions’ professor. After much debate, which included arguments such as his inability to find a job due to his past, the possibility of having his ingredients paid for by the school, and the ability to meet private contracts from St Mungo's Hospital, London's Magic Zoo and other private sectors, Severus finally agreed. He will never reveal that what pushed him to say yes was his need for a familiar routine and the return to a place he long considered to be home despite the bad memories.
Severus Snape had now been back for several years at Hogwarts, always known for his strict learning methods but not anymore for his fanatic preference for Slytherin, despite his ever-present role as the head of the house (and a few points offered without a good reason to his old house).
It was exactly 6 years after the day of the Battle of Hogwarts that his little routine was disrupted.
He was sitting alone, in the teachers' common room, legs crossed, an ankle to the knee, reading one of his last books when the door slowly creaked open.
He raised his head and saw a mane of chestnut hair, clinging to what appears to be a little girl. She scanned the room with her eyes and finally noticed him. She gave him a broad smile with a missing tooth and Severus couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow at her.
She seemed to take this as an invitation and entered the room, closed the door behind her and trotted towards him. She stopped at his feet and swayed back and forth on her tiptoes, her ponytail and little red dress with golden bias following her movement.
"Hello! What are you reading? I like to read a lot. Now, I read White Fang. Mummy says it’s a classic muggle book."
Severus raised his inquisitive eyebrow even higher, observing the young intruder with a curiosity mixed with a little exasperation. The girl did not seem shocked by his lack of response and hoisted herself on the sofa, sitting comfortably next to the wizard, swinging her little legs.
"Your book is big. My mummy also read big books. Now it’s “Harimacy and the curse breaking” or something like that."
"Arithmancy." he corrected without thinking.
"That's it! Do you know it? "
The little girl looked at him with a huge toothless smile and didn't seem at all disarmed by his lack of conversation. Without really knowing why, he began to answer.
"Yes, I do."
"Cool. What are you reading?" She pulled gently on her book to try to see the cover. He yielded and showed her the title.
"La… test… de… ve… deve….”
“Developpement” he provided.
“Deloppement... and… dis… cov… veries in… the… world… of… Po...tions!"
Proud of her, she smiled at him again and then asked :
"And You, you know how to make potions?"
"It would seem so."
"Will you teach me?" she immediatily asked.
"If you are coming to study at Hogwarts one day, Miss, I will."
The girl chuckled happily as she heard him call her "Miss", she stood up proudly.
"My mum, she said that when I grow up I will go to Hogwarts, then you will teach me. My name is Rose Granger, you will remember?"
Severus raised his curious eyebrow again :
"Are you the daughter of Hermione Granger?"
"Do you know my mum? People say she's a hero!" the girl happily said.
Severus frowned, he had learned, like absolutely everyone else in the sorcerer's world, about the break-up of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Not that he was interested in the information. He looked at the girl, she couldn't have been less than 5 years old. Her conception must have taken place at the end of the war. While the breakup had made the headlines without allowing the information to escape him, he had not heard at all about the pregnancy of the Golden Trio's brain.
He observed the little girl in more detail. Her chestnut hair was so curly that it seemed indomitable. Warm hazelnut eyes and a thirst of knowledge. He should have realized this before, given the similarities.
"What are you doing here then, Miss Granger?"
"We're here for the anniversary of the war. My mum was talking to a lot of people. I was bored, so I went on an adventure and found you."
"Your mother doesn't know you're here?" He asked frowning.
"Well, yes, but not there with you. I'll tell her. " Rose seemed perfectly serene about her plan but suddenly she wrinkled her nose.
"What's your name?"
"Professor Severus Snape."
"It's hard to say, your name... Can I call you Sev? Like I call Uncle Neville Nev? Uncle Nev also wants to become a teacher, he's an apprentice here but with the plants… Mum says she would like to be a teacher too but she can't. "
"Can't she?" Severus asked, a little surprise.
"Nah, she works in the archives, she likes it, but not too much."
The little girl looked around them as if she was afraid to see her mother appear from behind a painting and whispered to him.
"To be a teacher she has to go back to school but she can't because she doesn't have enough money. I heard her talking about it with Auntie Ginny, but it's a secret."
She put a little finger on her lips and blew a little "shush" then chuckled in her hands. Severus couldn't help but question her.
"Is it not possible for your father to help?"
"I don't have a dad! It's just me and my mum! Mummy, she says that we are smart enough not to need a man and that if someone tells me otherwise I have to defend myself."
Severus smiled at her vehement tirade which seemed to have been repeated many times. Just as quickly Rose seemed to forget the conversation and pointed to the book he was still holding open.
"Can you read your book to me? "
"I doubt that you'll find it to your liking, Miss."
"Please?"
She grabbed his sleeve and begged him with her big brown eyes, waiting for him to start reading. Severus sighed, opened the book to the description of a benign potion and started reading. The little girl clung more and more to his arm. The reading lasted a good ten minutes, interspersed with many questions from the girl ("What is a beozard?" “A Bezoard” "Anti clockwise?" “Like so”) before the door opened abruptly and a young woman with a mane similar to the little girl sitting next to him, entered in panic.
"Rose, where are... Rose!"
Without paying the slightest attention to him, Severus observed his former student throwing herself on her daughter and hugging her. She also was wearing a red dress but darker, decorated with gold and seemed to be between panic and relief. The young woman hadn't changed much from her senior year, only her face was a little more mature. Seeing the mother and daughter next to each other, he wondered how he had not understood the identity of the little girl before.
She put her daughter on the ground and grabbed her firmly by the arms.
"Rose, you know you can't leave without telling me! I could not find you and was so scared!"
"Sorry mummy, but I was in no danger, I was with Sev!"
Finally, the young woman he had easily recognized as Hermione Granger looked up and seemed to notice him for the first time. He hadn't moved, book in one hand and crossed legs, he raised, again, a curious eyebrow towards the newcomer which made the little girl laugh happily and hide behind her hands. Hermione stood up.
"Professor Snape!"
She ran a hand through her own hair, checking the state of her mane and dusted her dress. He politely bowed his head in greeting.
"Miss... Granger?" he asks, building on his hesitation to form his question
Hermione then ran her hand through her daughter's hair, unnecessarily trying to fix her ponytail.
"Yes, it's still Miss Granger."
Rose gripped her dress and said, impatiently.
"Mummy, mummy, Sev, he reads big books too, did you see?"
The girl leaned over the teacher's legs to point to the title in gold letters.
"Yes sweetheart, I saw, I hope you didn't bother Professor Snape too much."
"No mum, he was reading his book to me!"
It was Hermione’s turn to raise an eyebrow. She gave an amused look to the silent professor.
"A book totally destined for children, I have no doubt about it."
Professor Snape closed his book with a sharp movement, stood up and pushed off his black wizard coat. Standing upright, he was nearly one head taller than the young mother.
"Headmistress Mcgonagall is looking for a competent apprentice to train. Accommodated and paid during the apprenticeship."
He again politely nodded his head to each of the two women in the room.
"Miss Granger. Miss Granger. Good evening."
He walked out of the room, his large black coat lifted by his movement. Hermione watched him leave, surprised. She had to have a discussion with Minerva to be able to pass her candidacy if it was true. She looked down at her daughter who smiled proudly at her.