Chapter 1
"Sophia, off the table."
"I'm sure the table is built sturdily enough to hold my weight, Severus."
Said man now looked up at the curly haired child. "Off Sophia. Now."
The 5th year Gryffindor rolled her eyes and slid from the table to the chair. Sophie rested her elbows on the table and her head in her hands. Silence, only comfortable for one, sat between them. Severus moved from here to there in the dining room that stretched into the living room and walkway out of the house. Whether he was cleaning or simple rearranging items escaped Sophie, though she had been living with Severus for a few years.
He really wasn't a bad guardian, considering how much some of the students at Hogwarts hated him. She recalled how when she told some of her friends that the terrifying potions professor was going to be her guardian they had all acted like it was the worst thing to ever happen. Though, at the time, she thought it was the worst thing to happen as well.
Her fingers began to trace patterns into the wood of the table as she thought back to when she had been given the news of her parents untimely demise.
It had been halfway through her first year at Hogwarts when she was delivered the news: a madman has murdered her parents. Sophie was called into Dumbledore's office late in the night, Professor McGonagall had escorted her from the Gryffindor dormitory. Upon entering, she was ushered into a seat and offered a numerous amount of candy.
"Headmaster, I'm sorry but, why am I here? Did I do something wrong?" Sophia looked between the two professors in the room.
"No, Sophia, no... You are not in any trouble." Dumbledore soothed her worries. "There is, however, unsettling news. Have you ever heard of the man Andrew Bernai?"
Sophie shook her head, black curls bouncing, "No, Headmaster. I haven't."
The two adults shared a look before taking a seat on the couch in front of her. Gently the news was broken to her with the professors almost over-explaining what had taken place the previous day. Throughout the explanation, Sophia stared at a single spot on the wall and stayed perfectly silent. When the explaining was over Sophia let out a shaking breath and said:
"So, professors... What will happen to me now?"
McGonagall reached out and took her hand in her own. "You'll be taken care of, Sophia. Now, why don't you go back to your dormitory and get some sleep, it'll do you good."
Around an hour later Severus found her in an empty corridor sitting in a windowsill. He had been much too rigid and rude and her much too tired and distraught for any real conversation to happen short of hurtful comments and sniffling tears. That emotional encounter had ended with an incredibly awkward hug and a slightly less-distraught child going back to bed.
" ia... ophia... Sophia!" Her head snapped up and was greeted with the sight of her guardian looking very cross.
"Hmm, What? I'm sorry."
Severus let out a soft sigh and said rather tightly, "I'm heading out to Diagon Alley to pick up some potion ingredients. I was going to ask if you wanted to accompany me, but seeing as you're too distracted to hear me in this quiet room, perhaps the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley would render you useless."
The words stung Sophie to the point of where it must have showed on her face for Severus' eyes narrowed slightly and the corners of his mouth twitched downward. She stood up and quietly said, "Well all right then. I hope you find what you need."
Severus glanced down at his wrist to a silver banded watch with a green face. "The store will be closing soon, I need to go." His gaze switched back to her, "Will you be coming or-"
"No really, it's fine. Go on and go before the store closes."
"Sophia-"
She cut him off again, already walking away waving her arms in the air "There's a book I've been wanting to read in the library, I'll do that while you're gone."
She paused in the doorway and heard him sigh. "Fine then. Keep out of trouble, I'll be back soon." With a woosh of the floo, Severus was gone and Sophie was alone.
