*Emerges from hibernation* "Hello? Is anybody still out there?" *ducks to avoid thrown tomatoes and shoes*

(Read my post-chapter Author's Note for my excuses/apology...)

This chapter is split into two parts – Leah and Snape's thoughts, just so you know. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and/or favorited and followed since last chapter! :) I love you all and thank you for your support of this story! If possible, please take a few moments to read the note at the end of this chapter and answer the questions I've asked in a review. Thanks again, and now: on with the story!

Chapter 19: Domestics

"How could you be so stupid?"

Professor Snape's voice was a low hiss and his dark eyes glared at each of us, lingering just a bit longer on Harry before met my eye.

"The two of you know that classes are in session and that Miss Potter's presence is to remain a secret, yet you," his angry glare fell solely on Harry at this point "still took the risk of running off, nearly getting caught by that cow – the one we want to avoid at all costs!"

That was enough.

"Do you think I want to get caught?!" I asked, trying to stay at least relatively quiet, though it was difficult. "Do you honestly think I want to be captured by someone else and held against my will? Because I can tell you with all surety that that's not the case! I don't want to be kidnapped, and I certainly don't want to be tortured. Again." I heard my voice break, and I tried and failed to hold myself together. "I just want-"

My voice broke again and I felt hot all over.

"I just want my mum and dad," I finished, my voice fading to nothing as I turned away from the other two, whose eyes I could feel on my back. I felt utterly childish, speaking my oldest wish out loud. It sounded child-like, even to my own ears, no matter how many times I had said it inside over the years. It was still the hope of a far younger, much more innocent child who didn't quite know what else to think about or dream or wish for during those long, dark nights inside the creaky walls of the orphanage.

A few tears gathered in my eyes, making my vision blurry, but I couldn't bring myself to wipe them away. Moments later a soft hand touched the back of my shoulder, making me jump.

I turned to see Professor Snape gazing at me with surprisingly soft eyes. Harry stood a few paces back from him, looking hesitant to approach me, as if he wasn't sure what to say or how to say it.

"The Headmaster has decided you are to return with me to my quarters," he said. I nodded, very much relieved that he hadn't even mentioned my earlier statement. "And you, Mr. Potter, are required to go to your classes now. Here's your bag, courtesy of the Headmaster."

He took his hand off of my shoulder to fish a palm-sized school bag out of his robes pocket, then flicked his wand silently to enlarge it.

Harry took it and, after pausing for a moment, walked a few more steps to stand right in front of me. He lifted a hand to wipe away a single tear that had fallen onto my cheek, then pulled me into a tight, one-armed hug.

"I hope they'll let me see you soon," he said.

I nodded, not wanting to say anything, and watched as he left the room.

Only a few minutes later Professor Snape was leading me into his (or, rather, our quarters, at least for the time being). The entrance to his chambers was behind a life-size painting of a severe looking wizard, who was painted with the moon shining bright behind him and a bubbling cauldron in front of him.

"Galanthus Nivalis," Professor Snape said, and the man in the painting nodded, allowing the painting to swing open, revealing a doorway.

I followed him inside, examining the room as it presented itself to me. When we'd entered what Professor Snape had called the dungeons of the school I'd been ready for, well, dungeons. But instead of skeletons and slimy walls, it had been dry and only a bit chilly. Even the Professor's quarters were surprisingly cozy and comfortable.

The floors and walls were still stone, like the rest of the dungeons, but there was a plush-looking dark navy sofa and a deep green armchair that looked very well-used, accompanied as it was by a scuffed but handsomely carved side table. Two walls of the room were covered in bookshelves that were stuffed full of books, leaving only enough room on the wall the sofa and chair were facing for a fireplace and a space for the entrance we had just come through on the other. On the other two walls there was a single door framed by two magical lanterns that looked a lot like old-fashioned kerosene lamps.

"And here is the door to my bedroom," Professor Snape said, gesturing to the closed door to our right, behind the armchair. "Most of my afternoons are spent in my private potions lab, which is attached to my bedroom. If you require anything of me during the time I am working there, you should knock and wait for me to respond. Never, under any circumstances, enter my bedroom or lab without my permission, understood?"

I nodded.

"Through here is a hallway leading to a small kitchen and dining area, as well as your room and a bathroom," he said, motioning this time to the door on our left. "I also have my own private bathroom connected to my room, so there's no need to worry about when you may bathe or use the facilities."

I felt a faint blush spread over my cheeks, but nodded again.

"Meals will be served in the dining area by a house elf whenever you ask. My personal elf, Verdian, has been told to respond to your summons as well as mine, so simply ask when you need anything of that sort.

"You will not have an enforced curfew, as you will not be attending any classes or be required to get up early in the morning. That being said, you should not be outside of these quarters without express permission from myself or the headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore has taken the initiative to buy you all of the textbooks for first through fifth year, and you are expected to complete as much of the coursework as you can through independent study work throughout the year. Work through as many or as few problems you need to at the end of each chapter until you feel sure about your knowledge of the information. On the weekends I will give you either an oral or written test to gauge your progress. Any questions?"

"Did Professor Dumbledore – perchance – get me some clothes or something?" I asked, feeling a little uncomfortable. "All my things were left behind when..."

"Madam Pomfrey was charged with getting some Muggle clothes for you. They will be deposited in your room by Verdian when she returns from picking them up. Also, simply place your dirty clothes in a pile in a corner of your room and Verdian will pick them up and deliver them to the laundry rooms where they will be laundered and returned within twenty-four hours."

I frowned. "Isn't it unfair to make your house elf do all those things? I can easily make my own meals or wash my own clothes. I helped out with both for years at the orphanage."

Professor Snape's brow furrowed at the mention of the orphanage, then shook his head, muttering something that sounded like "Just what I need, another Granger."

"House elves are indentured servants of sorts," he said in a way that meant he'd given the same speech before. "Their magic only functions correctly when they are under a master, and without a master most will go mad with no work to be done. It's how they are made and there's no getting out of it. They enjoy working."

I still didn't like the idea of house elves, but I let it go.

My stomach growled in the silence and I bit my lip in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Think nothing of it. You didn't eat any lunch, due to the conversation with the Headmaster and your subsequent running away with your brother. Of course you're hungry. Verdian!"

A sudden pop heralded the arrival of the fourth house elf I'd ever met.

"Verdian is here for your services Master Severus, sir," said Verdian, whose voice was the lowest of the four house elves I'd seen, though it was still higher than any human's normal voice.

"Verdian, this is Miss Leah Potter, who will be staying with me for much of this year. She requires a meal, if you could get something from the kitchens?"

"Of course Professor Snape, sir," Verdian said respectfully, nodding his head first to Professor Snape and then to me. He apparated away again, leaving us alone in Professor Snape's living room.

"Through here," Professor Snape said, going to open the door on our left and holding it open for me. I thanked him and walked into a hallway that looked like a slightly thinner version of the dungeon corridors outside of his quarters, though the smaller hallway was lit with the same lamps as his living room.

There were three doors on the right hand side of the passage, and Snape directed me through the first, which led into a small kitchenette, though without a microwave or refrigerator. The oven looked like an antique: cast iron, with a stove top and a pipe to direct the smoke out of the room. On the opposite side of the room was a small table with two chairs at it. A small window showed a view of distant mountains.

"Hang on- aren't we underground?" I asked, stepping forward to look out the window. If I pressed my face close to one side of the window I could see a forest, with a small cottage next to it. "How can we see the outdoors?"

"Magic," Professor Snape said shortly, a small smirk curling his lips. "The windows are enchanted with a view of the castle grounds, and reflect the actual scene outside. Not unlike the ceiling in the Great Hall, which behaves like the sky outside. There will also be one in your bedroom."

I wasn't sure what he meant about the ceiling of the 'Great Hall', but I nodded anyway. I was looking forward to having a window, even if it was only an enchanted one. Without one I was afraid it would feel too much like my room in captivity.

It was silent for a moment before Verdian popped back in, holding a tray with a plate filled with steak, green beans and potatoes, along with a glass of milk. "Here is your dinner Miss Leah Potter, ma'am."

He stood on his tiptoes to slide the tray onto the table.

"Thanks Verdian, but you can just call me 'Leah'. There's no need to add my surname or a title."

"Of course, Miss Leah ma'am! Verdian will be remembering," he said, nodding eagerly and bobbing his head up and down before popping away again. I sighed, smiling at the place where he had disapparated.

"If that's all you need, I'll be heading to my potions lab," Professor Snape said, heading back to the door we'd come in by. "Leave your dishes on the tray and Verdian will pick them up later. Head to your room when you're finished."

And with that he was gone. My stomach growling again, I eagerly approached the food. My arms and legs were starting to ache again, and I was eager to eat and then collapse on a bed in a room I could call my own.

But after a filling meal and a quick shower my mind was too awake to relax into the world of dreams. So I had changed into a pair of comfy pants and a loose t-shirt that had been provided in my dresser, grabbed the first book I laid eyes on, and began to read. Hopefully it would send me off to sleep as it always had done in the past.

Snape POV

Two hours after he had gone down to his lab Severus happened to glance at the clock. It shocked him how much time had passed. He often lost a sense of time while he was brewing, the actions becoming automatic and allowing him to think. He had come down to his lab after leaving Leah to her dinner and had automatically slipped into his thinking mode, letting his mind run free on the topic of Leah Potter. His moods about her for one – alternating alarmingly between protective and frustrated. It wasn't the same type of relationship he had with his Slytherin students – as an overseer to whom they could come when they needed something – but, if he needed a way to describe it, it was what he imagined being a parent would feel like. The feelings were a strange combination, and he couldn't find a way to wrap his mind around them logically. What he did know was that something had changed when Leah had collapsed on his doorstep, her broken form had summoned up a feeling that he hadn't experienced in years – love.

Not the way he had loved Lily of course, not at all. It was much more like the way he had loved Regulus – the reason he had taken him under his wing when the boy had been sorted into Slytherin and they had formed a friendship. It was more of a sibling-type love, the strong desire to protect a younger sibling from a terrifying world.

Sighing, Severus added two more crushed lacewings to his cauldron and stirred – three times clockwise, seven counter-clockwise. He repeated it twice more then lowered the temperature of the flame slowly.

Should he go check on her, he wondered. Surely a teen her age would find a way of getting into some kind of trouble, no matter who they were. He did know, from years of being godfather to young Draco Malfoy that a quiet child was often a misbehaving child, and though he couldn't quite bring up an image of Leah misbehaving, he might as well go have a look to see how she was getting on. He poured the finished potion into some vials that he would have Verdian bring up to Madam Pomfrey – two batches of a mild Fever-Reducing Draught that would be needed as the weather turned colder, about thirty-six doses.

He walked through his living room, but didn't see her there. He peeked into the kitchen on his way past, but that too was empty. He felt a spark of irritation, hoping against hope she hadn't decided to test his boundaries already and being wandering around the castle. Soon he was at the door to Leah's room, listening, but not hearing a sound. Was she sleeping? Or exploring the halls of the school? Praying the former was the case, he peeked in. Leah was, indeed dozing. She was turned away from the door on her side. He noted she must have gotten a pair of comfortable clothes out of the dresser and once again reminded himself to thank Poppy the next time he saw her. As he opened the door fully and walked over he saw that A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration was held open by her thumb, but was very near to falling off the side of the bed. He let a small smile stretch across his lips, easily imagining the same thing happening to Lily when she was younger.

He carefully slipped the book out of her fingers and closed it, sliding a scrap of parchment in between the pages to mark Leah's place. His eyes traveled over her face and he couldn't help but compare it to Pott-Harry's. Both of them, as reckless and stubborn as they could be while awake, were so much more peaceful when they were sleeping. He thought back to his conversation with Dumbledore after the twins had run away – Leah to escape and Harry to find her. The old man had called him to his office to explain the situation, but hadn't let him find the children until he'd been delayed by forced conversation.

"No Severus, don't go after them. At least, not yet. They need some time alone to come to their own understandings."

"What understandings are so important that they need to find their own private space? They've run out of your office, for Merlin's sake! They are in the school unchecked, and could be at risk of being seen by other students or teachers that are wandering around. Is Leah's safety so unimportant now? I hardly think so much has changed in the past twenty-four hours."

"It is not a question of her safety, but of my oversight," The old man had sighed heavily, one hand reaching up to stroke Fawkes' feathers. "Before now she knew nothing of the majority of her past. I had not told her of her brother's history, nor her parents' deaths-"

"What!?" Severus yelled furiously. "You give her no background on her family, drop this bombshell on her after she's likely been hoping for a real family for her many years in the orphanage, a hope that was rekindled when she found out who her parents were, simply let her run away from the problem and entrust Ha-Potter with her mental wellbeing? A boy she met no more than an hour ago?"

"He's her twin, her brother, Severus," the Headmaster said patiently. "And the only family she has left. Trust me, a family members presence is key when getting through such situations." He was silent for a few moments, gazing deeply into the distance. "You know, I think that now would be an excellent time to go and search for them, don't you Severus?"

Not replying, Severus rolled his eyes and swept out of the office.

He once again shook his head at the impossible nature of his conversations with the Headmaster. Carefully he slid the top layer of blankets from beneath her and pulled them up over her legs and torso. Then, in a brief moment of tenderness (which he would never admit to anyone), brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes before returning to his potions lab.

And there's the chapter!

Just so you know, I am very, very sorry about leaving this story for so long. :( Things got busy in the summer, then school started, then Nanowrimo and dance and exams and Christmas... And watching all the NuWho Doctor Who episodes/minisodes/TARDISodes. I have become a very large Whovian, in case you couldn't tell... And Sherlock Season 3, even if not all of them are available in the US yet... Yeah, it's been a long six months and three weeks. :/ But I hope you are still ready for this chapter! (It's exactly 3000 words! I tried to make it longer in an effort to make up for my lateness.)

Hope that's enough to catch you up!

Again, I'm so sorry about the wait. One of the reasons this took so long was because I really wasn't sure where to go with the story (something I am still not clear on). So I need your help! Could you answer three questions for me?

1. Would you like the next chapter to be set relatively soon after this one or a month or so later?

2. Is there something particular you would like me to include as an interaction between Leah and Snape?

3. What's a good reason Leah would have to be out and about in the castle?

I'm really not sure when I'll have the next chapter done, as it will partially be based on your answers to the above questions, but I can promise I will have it up sooner than this coming July!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Until next time!

~Megan