Snape and Lily's daughter

Flight of the Fat Lady

Monday morning. The girls were in the Great Hall when, along with other owls, Grace's owl arrived with a parcel. Before opening the box, Grace picks up the envelope on top of it.

Dear Grace,

Nymphadora told me that you wrote to her asking for help because you didn't want to ask your father for lingerie. I'm very happy to be able to help you with this sort of thing. I went to a few muggle shops and got some in your size, I didn't buy many, I think I'd better buy the rest when I'm with you and on holiday, but these will help you. I did all this with your father's permission, of course. I know you didn't want him to know, but I don't think it's right to leave him out. Dora also told me that you were going to try out for the Slytherin quidditch team this Sunday, did you succeed? Whatever problem you need our help with, you can always count on us.

P.S: Try not to send too many letters to us at Hogwarts, your father's request. You're invited to visit us at Christmas.

Love, A.T.

Grace was happy with the news that she would be able to spend Christmas with her second family. She didn't open the box because it wouldn't be ideal to open it in public.

"What did you get, Grace?" Melia asked her curiously.

"Bras." Grace answered.

After breakfast Grace quickly got back to her dorm so she could leave the package there.

That evening, all the Slytherin students were already in the common room or in their dorms. Snape suddenly appeared with a warning.

"Everyone come with me to the Great Hall. All the students will sleep there." Snape said. "This afternoon Sirius Black broke into Gryffindor tower. The headmaster asked everyone to sleep in the Great Hall."

Those in the dormitories went downstairs and then everyone followed Snape into the Great Hall. Slytherin was the last house to arrive, all the others were already waiting inside the hall. As soon as all the students had entered, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick closed the doors.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore spoke. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Before he left, he turned to the students and said. "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

With a wave of his wand, the tables flew to the edges of the hall, with another wave, the floor was covered with sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," he said, and then left and closed the door.

The hall immediately began to buzz with the excited voices of the students. There were no teachers there, only prefects. Grace went to the Gryffindor students with her roommates.

"What happened?" Grace asked.

"When we arrived at the entrance of our Common Room, the Fat Lady, which's a portrait that keeps the entrance, was gone. She then told us that Sirius Black had gotten in the room and that she ran away." Ron said.

Percy Weasley saw everyone chatting and then said. "Everyone into their sleeping bags! Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"Let's go, girls." Megan said.

The five of them took their sleeping bags and went to sleep on a corner. They stayed close to Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Ella whispered.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," Melia answered.

Everyone was asking how Black got in. All students from every House were talking with each other.

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," Selina Rosier spoke. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," a Hufflepuff fifth year said.

"He could've flown in," Dean Thomas said.

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" Hermione said to Ron and Harry.

"Probably. Why?" Ron asked her.

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," Hermione said. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

And then all the students fell asleep. Every hour a teacher entered the hall to check that everything was quiet. At 3am Dumbledore came in looking for Percy, Grace was listening to the conversation.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" Percy whispered.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

Grace heard the door open again. It was Snape.

"Headmaster?" he called. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either." he looked at his daughter, trying to see if she was okay.

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" Snape asked.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?"

"I do, Severus,"

"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed —"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it." Dumbledore said.

Percy went to sleep.

"Ah, Severus, you always told me that Grace was a copy of Lily, but with black hair... look at her now, asleep, she looks so much like you." Dumbledore said, Grace was pretending to be asleep. "I must go down to the Dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

Dumbledore left. Snape watched his daughter, who really did look a lot like him with her eyes closed, but he didn't want to believe it, he had always believed that there was a part of Lily still with him in his daughter, even more so because of her resemblance to her mother.