***Last chapter was updated. A few important edits were made. I suggest rereading it before getting into this one :)

Chapter 14: July & August

Severus found himself struggling with anxiety in the hours before his first official Order meeting. At Orion's insistence, everyone would be meeting at Grimmauld Place, and, to make things more hectic, all of the deserters would be present. No easing into it. No subtlety. Just diving head first into a hoard of self-righteous Gryffindors and daring them to pounce.

He would've been much more eager to participate if children weren't involved, namely his own.

Roslyn had only been truly afraid a small handful of times in her short life and almost all of them were marked by a shift in her hair, eyes, and magical energy signature. He wasn't sure if the last tell was something only he was sensitive to or not, but regardless, her…unique situation wasn't something he was going to broadcast.

He had no interest in being outnumbered by his former rivals, no interest in seeing Lily, and a distinct lack of desire for Sirius Black to know they had a blood relative in common. Though that was highly unavoidable under the circumstances.

Instead of worrying his elves and wearing holes in his rugs with his anxious pacing while he watched Roslyn play, Severus decided to go to Grimmauld Place early. Her nappy bag was packed while Topaz fed her a snack in her high chair, then he changed her outfit to make a point, putting her in Slytherin and Ravenclaw colors — a dark green onsie, navy tights, and a dark silver cotton skirt. Despite Narcissa's attempts to get Roslyn attached to tulle and taffeta, his little one seemed to hate the skirts and dresses from her aunt as much as her father did. Despite how aesthetically satisfactory they were on his toddler, both father and daughter preferred simpler clothing that didn't become bothersome.

Severus, to Narcissa's chagrin, made a point to find simpler clothing for Roslyn that still made her look like the princess she was. Roslyn's love for rose headbands and full head of dark curls tended to placate Narcissa for the most part, however.

He assumed she got the quickly growing locks from her mother's side of the family.

With Roslyn happily dressed, equipped with a green and silver headband, and wearing a pair of black crochet booties, Severus floo'd to Grimmauld Place, stepping out of the private floo before making his way to the largest drawing room.

Regulus had been nearby and thus was the first to greet them, gushing over Roslyn's attire and, as he'd learned to do, paying extra special attention to her headband. Severus chuckled at her shy smile, rolling his eyes when Regulus made a show of asking if he might get a hug from the prettiest princess he'd ever seen.

"You'll give her a complex," Severus muttered when Roslyn leaned out of his arms to reach for Regulus, who beamed as he took her. "Show off."

"I'll give her confidence," Regulus said, shaking his head in wonder as he toyed with a lock of her hair that had curled into a slightly more distinct spiral than the rest. "She's a Black. It's my job to make sure she knows it."

Severus gave up the argument, knowing it would be at least a few years before it could be an actual issue and by then everyone should have adapted accordingly, preventing his very well-behaved soon-to-be toddler from changing her tune.

Orion joined them, bestowing a much less dramatic display of affection and compliments on Roslyn before taking a seat. Within an hour, the other deserters had started arriving as well and within moments the room was full of baby chatter as Roslyn, Draco, and Theodore reacted to seeing one another.

The seating arrangement on their side of the room put the children in the middle of an almost-complete circle, while the rest of the seating was open. Large sofas lined the walls and all the coffee and end tables had been safety-charmed in preparation for the Order's children.

Severus shot Orion a glance, noting that their current configuration would keep the children mostly hidden from view. They would likely make noise and reveal themselves fairly quickly, but the attempt to shield them was clear. Aside from the barest twitch of his lips, Orion didn't acknowledge that Severus had noticed his intentional power play.

Unfortunately, the small comfort his gesture had provided was negated when the guest floo on the other side of the room came to life when the clock struck seven. Albus and Minerva came through first, taking their seats at the desk Orion had conjured for them, effectively putting them between the two camps, though they were closer to the wall than the middle of the room. Severus assumed this was also intentional. It was no secret that both Blacks wanted their stray relative to be forced to confront them, though Severus wasn't sure how he felt about them setting the stage for Roslyn to be the catalyst.

Granted, she probably would've ended up the catalyst without their interference, but he still didn't want her exposed to so many unfamiliar people and have it be a frightening experience. She was used to overly happy elves and a nest's worth of calm, collected Slytherins. The sudden abundance of rowdy Gryffindors would probably be a rather jarring experience if the meeting went poorly. And Severus fully expected the meeting to go very poorly.

The rest of Dumbledore's troops filed in slowly, though Severus noticed several members were not in attendance. The Longbottoms came through together, their chubby one year old settled on his mother's hip, fast asleep. Then the Prewett twins. Then their sister, her husband, and her hoard of children, who appeared to be chastised already. A small bundle with that same ginger hair was tucked against Arthur's shoulder, though the child didn't appear to be sleeping soundly. With that many older brothers, Severus wondered how the poor thing slept at all.

Other than a mildly distrustful glance, Molly Weasley said nothing as she corralled her children onto the couch, filing them in between herself and her brothers while Arthur stood with their youngest, gently bouncing her to keep her asleep. Severus could only assume Dumbledore had spoken with them before hand, because Molly scanned their group once more after she was settled and seemed to spot one of the children on the floor before she turned away, appearing satisfied.

It probably hadn't been very difficult to assure a woman with so many children what lengths even the most flawed of characters were willing to go to in order to spare their own.

But the flames came to life again, admitting Lupin first, then Lily, then Potter with his small doppelganger hanging from his shoulders, and Severus knew the evening ahead would be exponentially longer than he'd originally feared.

To the surprise of no one, Sirius Black was the last to arrive, trailing after the remaining marauders by several minutes. Severus spent that time maintaining his bored façade and watching the only children in the room he held sentiment towards. Roslyn was giving the two boys what would surely come to be a warning glare as she grew. They were starting to argue over a toy again. When she smacked each of their hands and took the toy for herself, they quieted and immediately tried getting back in her good graces. Roslyn crawled over to Regulus, presented the stolen toy to him, and went back to her cousins with narrowed eyes.

Try and get it back, her eyes said. I dare you.

Wisely, Draco and Theo seemed to accept defeat. When they were rewarded with cuddles from Roslyn, Severus nearly snorted.

He wasn't even listening properly, at least not at first, when Potter and Black finally noticed their present company and started to pitch a fit.

Hiding a sigh, Severus watched Draco startle at the sound of shouting and abandon Theo and Roslyn in favor of his mother. Theo's anxiety was also very apparent, though he clung to Roslyn for a few moments before deciding he wanted Theron. Roslyn, despite being the youngest, had the most delayed reaction and sat confused, trying to find the source of the noise, for several moments before she decided she was frightened.

And what curious timing she had. She managed to stand and take three unsteady waddles before she could reach his legs, where she all but threw herself in search of balance. She gave him a shy smile when she caught herself that he returned with the barest hint of a grin and a discreet brush of his knuckles against her cheek.

Sirius was seething when Severus spared the growling lion fest a glance. "Give me one good reason why Snivellus of all people would defect from the Death Eaters!" he demanded. "One!"

The silence in the room was broken by Roslyn's quiet but clear question.

"Dada?"

Severus turned his full attention back to Roslyn with purposeful innocence, making the gentle run of his fingers through her thick curls obvious for his audience's sake. "Yes, my little one?"

"Up peashe?" she asked, bouncing her knees slightly as she reached for him.

Sirius didn't get a chance to explode, despite how close to doing so both he and James seemed to be, because his old head of house chimed in without skipping a beat.

"Severus," Minerva scolded. "You awful man! Look how big she's gotten since the last time I saw her! And don't you dare try to say you haven't been around. I know as well as Albus how often you visit the school to meet with him."

Severus could hardly contain his smug smirk as Roslyn burrowed against his shoulder and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. "I suppose now's a bad time to mention she's started to toddle since you last saw her as well?" he said.

Minerva's fury was at war with her sentimentality and, he was certain, her desire to coo over Roslyn's successes. "Horrible, horrible man keeping that angel away from the rest of us," she muttered.

"She's quite lovely company," Severus agreed. "Surely you understand why I keep her to myself."

Sirius finally snapped. "There is no way. In hell. That Snivellus. Has. A. Kid." He said slowly. "What the fuck is this bullshite."

Molly and Lily glared at Sirius, who rolled his eyes and added, "You put silencing charms around the munchkins every time I'm around, don't pretend they heard me."

"You still shouldn't get comfortable speaking like that around the kids," Lily scolded. "You know Harry's picking up words left and right."

"Look at this situation, Lils!" Sirius said, his frustration.

Lily raised a brow. "I am. I see a little girl who looks like her father. You can't deny she's his."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "She could just as easily be Regulus's by her coloring, Lily."

Severus shared a brief glance with Regulus and Orion, the former of whom was hiding a smile by aiming it at little Theodore, who shyly returned the gesture.

At the sound of his name, Roslyn sat up just enough to twist around, whether to verify that Regulus was, in fact, still present, or because she'd been reminded of his presence. Severus kept his focus on Roslyn, but took note of the nearly shaking Sirius in his peripheral vision. Regulus, it seemed, was content to stir pots he might've left alone.

"Hi, best friend," he said to Roslyn, his grin brightening. "Looking for me?"

Roslyn's smile was shy and the only telltale sign that she was aware of how many unfamiliar people were in the room. Despite her obvious discomfort, she still uttered a quiet "Weggus" and reached for him.

Regulus, as always, was more than happy to reach over and pluck Roslyn from Severus' lap, earning himself a roll of his best mate's eyes as he did so.

Minerva huffed. "Keeping her to yourself indeed," she said.

Severus smirked. "I'm not sure why she likes him so much, to be honest. Possibly because he makes an idiot of himself for hours on end purely to amuse her."

As if to prove her father's point, the moment Roslyn was settled in Regulus' lap after giving him a hug and one of her eskimo kisses, she covered her eyes with her hands.

Orion chuckled. "Time for your two-hour peek-a-boo sacrifice, it seems."

Roslyn's hands dropped without the expected "boo" as she twisted around to acknowledge Orion this time. Severus kept his suspicion from his face, but he knew Roslyn's character better than anyone. Her attention span was great enough that he knew she hadn't forgotten Regulus and Orion were present, yet she was acting like it. Acting younger. Acting, he dared muse, her actual age.

It was unnerving.

If Orion suspected anything about her behavior, he didn't let it show either and simply smiled at Roslyn. "Hello, little one," he said. "You look positively enchanting today, did you know that?"

Regulus tapped one of the petals of the rose on her headband. "Say 'I'm always enchanting,' Rosie."

"Do not give her a complex," Severus said, the rebuke a reflex.

Orion chuckled again. "To be fair, Severus, it's accurate. Besides, she's barely one. We've a while yet before she fully understands vanity."

"We?!" Sirius seethed from the other side of the room. "What do you mean we?!"

Regulus sighed and stood, passing Roslyn to Orion as he did so. "Listen," he began, eyes narrowing at his brother. "You can throw a temper tantrum if you'd like Sirius, but I'm warning you now…" His voice dropped. "Do not. Upset. Roslyn."

"Don't tell me you're the brat's godfather?" Sirius asked, his voice a low growl.

"As good as," said Regulus vaguely. "If you'd like to know more, then stay after the meeting, but otherwise, shut your mouth for once in your life instead of jumping to misguided conclusions."

To Severus's surprise, Sirius almost looked willing to heed his brother's advice, but movement caught both of their attentions. Roslyn was gently patting Orion on the chest, and when he turned back to her, her gaze slid to Sirius with a familiar knowing look in her eye that made her father nervous.

"Poppy?" she said quietly, stringing a small series of babble afterwards. She was too quiet for anyone on the other side of the room to hear.

Or would've been, if Sirius hadn't been an Animagus.

"What's going on?!" he demanded. "What the fuck did she just call you?!"

"You're not deaf," Regulus snapped. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, Sirius!"

"Who is she?!"

Severus was about to chime in, despite knowing the situation would only escalate from there, but a distressed wail interrupted the building argument. Orion was trying to comfort Roslyn, who was suddenly inconsolable, to no avail. Regulus glanced at his niece before throwing a glare back at his brother, while Severus took his panicking toddler from Orion and let her hide her face against his neck.

"What did I say?" Regulus hissed.

"I don't take orders from you, you cowardly little—"

"Enough," Orion said coldly. "Regulus, sit. There's no need to stoop to your brother's level. And Sirius, if you're so concerned about where Roslyn fits into this family, then take Regulus's advice and stay after the meeting. But she is family, which makes this family business." His eyes narrowed. "Not a social drama performance taking place inside a war room."

Regulus gently touched Roslyn's curls in a gesture of comfort before retaking his seat, meeting Theron and Lucius's gazes briefly as he did so. Lucius continued to feign indifference, while Theron was busy trying to talk Theo out of going over to Severus and Roslyn.

"Wosie kay?" he said loudly, pouting when his father wouldn't let his wriggle to the floor despite his efforts.

"She'll be alright, sweet boy," said Narcissa. "You can give her a big hug when she's feeling a bit better, alright?"

Theo pouted, but settled all the same.

Eventually Dumbledore's firm stare made the marauders settle down and the meeting was able to get back on track. Severus's attention was passive at best. He listened, but rarely needed to contribute, and spent most of his mental energy paying close attention to Roslyn. He still wasn't certain if she'd been upset because of the raised voices or if there had been some other cause, and he was convinced her little display of favoritism to Regulus and Orion had been intentional. Perhaps Evangeline had been involved?

Either way, she was still sniffling, albeit barely, when the meeting finally disbanded. He kept his grip around her snug and continued to toy with her hair, massaging her scalp as he did so. More often than not, rubbing her hair in some way calmed her faster than massaging her back, though both were generally effective.

Albus came over to thank Orion for his hospitality, followed by Minerva, though Severus was certain her motivations stemmed from her affection for Roslyn. Most of the Order had left by the time Minerva managed to coax a small wave from the still upset Snape.

To Severus's surprise, three people were still hovering near the floo.

"Come on, Pads," James sighed.

"James," Remus said quietly. "It's his family. Let him decide for himself."

Potter fixed Lupin with a hard stare. "The only family he has are us, Lily, and Harry. His blood family left him for dead."

Sirius was staring pensively at the mantel when he sighed. "To be fair, only my mother and Reg were home. And Regulus couldn't have done anything without getting the same beating I did."

James continued to seethe, but Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "What harm is there in him talking to them?" the werewolf asked. "Maybe this will be a good thing. If nothing else he could get some closure. Let it go, Prongs."

With a frustrated huff, James took a handful of floo powder and left without another word. His friends watched him go with matching frowns.

"You okay?" Lupin asked.

"Sure," said Sirius. "I'll be fine. See you at the flat."

Remus offered Sirius an encouraging smile before he took his leave, and suddenly the room felt much smaller.

Dumbledore smiled despite the tension. "Minerva and I will be off now, I think," he said cheerfully. "Do enjoy the rest of your evenings."

When the flames settled again, Theron turned to Severus. "Lucius and Narcissa slipped out already," he said. "Do you want me to stay for this?"

Severus shook his head. "I appreciate the thought, but no. Orion, Regulus, and I can manage, I think."

"Wosie kay?" Theo muttered again. This time, Roslyn was less upset and acknowledged her name. Theron moved closer to the two toddlers could reach one another, and rolled his eyes at Severus at the little ones hugged one another in the awkward position.

With an eskimo kiss for his kindness, Roslyn was the first of the pair to pull away and resume snuggling Severus, making Theron chuckle. "Good thing Draco didn't see that," he said as he walked towards the door, heading for the private floo.

Severus snorted. "Thank Merlin for small blessings. We do not need two toddlers fighting over giving affection to the third."

With Theron gone, Regulus, Severus, and Orion turned their attention to the lone marauder standing awkwardly by the fireplace. Regulus glared at him.

"I got a much better reaction from her the first time we met," he said. "You're still an almighty prat."

"Who is she?" Sirius asked, his voice quiet. "What's this 'Poppy' nonsense?"

"Gryffindor manners, as usual," Orion muttered as he stepped forward. "Let's go to the smaller drawing room. Roslyn can play there and you need to see the tapestry anyway."

Sirius was silent long after they relocated to the drawing room. He ended up staring at the mended tapestry long enough to make Regulus slightly nervous, giving Roslyn ample time to not only relax, but become curious about him once again.

"I have a sister," was the first thing he said.

"We had a sister," Regulus corrected him quietly. "You had a twin."

"She passed shortly after giving birth to Roslyn," said Orion. "There was a prophecy. If she'd been raised with us, she would've died much sooner and much more violently. I thought I was saving her. She was aware that she wouldn't survive childbirth, unfortunately."

Sirius was still uncharacteristically subdued as he traced his sister's death date with one hand. "Aschere Antecanis…"

"She was three minutes older than you," Orion said. "Your temperament changed immediately after she was gone. I'd hoped you might befriend one another in school, but I don't believe such was the case."

Severus decided to chime in. "Evangeline Nott was her adopted name. She was a Ravenclaw prefect fifth, sixth, and seventh year."

"Barely knew her," Sirius said. "I think she chewed me out once. Dated a friend of hers, I think. Didn't pay her much attention." He turned around slowly, his expression unreadable as he eyed Roslyn.

"I imagine it'll take a while for this information to settle properly," Orion said gently. "But Roslyn's heritage isn't exactly broadcasted. I trust you can be discreet?"

Severus resisted the urge to snort as Sirius nodded. "She's my godson's age," he said. "James and Lily's kid. She's just a baby…shouldn't even have to deal with being born in the middle of a war, but here we are."

Regretting the words before he even formed them, Severus said, "The secrecy oaths within the Order should encompass any information given by spies. I would imagine this would also apply and I'm sure the Potters and Lupin will be interested to know at least some of the details of your new relation."

Sirius, who was still watching Roslyn watch him, almost smiled. "James isn't going to handle this well."

Regulus made a bitter sound. "He'll have to get over it. You have a niece. Don't think I won't kick your arse over this."

Unfazed by his brother's threat, Sirius fished around in a pocket until he found a candy wrapper. Flashing Roslyn a small grin, he transfigured the crumpled piece of paper into bright blue ball that was about the size of his fist, and immediately piqued her interest in the process.

"Ba?" she said, staring as it rolled towards Severus's feet.

"Aren't you clever," said Sirius. "This is a ball."

As Roslyn wriggled out of his lap, Severus kept his expression blank, though he was somewhat amazed at how well his former nemesis handled a child Roslyn's age. There was an odd sort of maturity and responsibility Sirius adapted as soon as he started playing with her —if sitting Roslyn in front of him on the floor and rolling the ball two feet forward and backwards with an almost one-year-old could be fully classified as playing. Within minutes Roslyn was comfortable with his unnaturally calm, yet playful presence that she was babbling and giggling at him the same way she did with everyone else present in the room.

Sometime later, when Severus announced that it was nearing Roslyn's bedtime, only Sirius was surprised when she stood, waddled the few steps between them, and hugged him before turning and making her way towards Severus in an equally, if not less steady fashion. Regulus and Orion didn't bother hiding their teasing smirks.

"She warms up to people fast," Sirius muttered, still shell-shocked.

"No she doesn't," his companions said in unison, flashing each other knowing looks afterward.

"She's actually a highly suspicious child," Orion continued. "She's also very intuitive. She liked Regulus almost instantly. She warmed up to me very quickly after I understood who she was. This evening, she was wary of you, but now she's not."

Severus resisted the urge to snort as Sirius regarded his niece in an awed silence. "Say goodbye to Regulus and Poppy," he told Roslyn. "You'd be upset if I let you forget."

She twitched at the reminder, eyes widening and she rushed away from him, to his amusement. Regulus scooped her up first, spinning her once to earn a giggle, and swore he wouldn't have let her leave without a proper cuddle anyway. Depositing her in Orion's lap, she snuggled him as well before he set her back on her feet, and she went back to Severus with her arms raised. He settled her against his hip with relaxed practice.

"Dinner Thursday?" Orion inquired. "Assuming nothing comes up."

Severus nodded. "My schedule is free at the moment. We'll be here."

Roslyn twisted her father's arms, beating Regulus to setting her stare on Sirius by a fraction of a second. The sudden, intense familial resemblance tricked a bark of laughter from Orion.

"I think your attendance has been mandated," he told Sirius.

The eldest of Roslyn's blood uncles offered a lazy smirk to his niece. "I can risk being poisoned, I guess."

Roslyn grinned, though the expression was interrupted by a yawn that made her eyes water, and she decided to lay against Severus's shoulder as he left the room instead. To her father's amusement, she was half asleep by the time he stepped out of the floo in Prince Manor.

A/N: I've been eager to get to the Order portion of this fic for quite some time. Severus has kind of been a sitting duck with his schedule.

Next chapter is Roslyn's first birthday, by the way... ;) xoxo