Now there were only a few days until the start of term. Dumbledore offered to let Draco and Brogan portkey to King's Cross and take the Hogwarts Express with their friends but since they were sixth years they politely declined "the experience". Nonetheless Draco was bubbling with excitement. He was corresponding daily with several of his friends, boasting of course at being at Hogwarts already and the potion he and Severus were inventing together, and the biggest news of all, how he was becoming fast friends with Snape's daughter.

Brogan was pleased that Draco was getting back in his form, so long as he kept civil to the other houses this year. She was thinking about the year starting and how strange to not be up in Gryffindor tower with her mates but how she would be down in Slytherin instead and with a shock she realized she would have to go to a girl's dorm. Suddenly she was flying down the corridor to Snape's private lab; she had quickly learned to check for him there at any time of the day or night, at any time when he wasn't actually with her pretty much.

"Da!" she shouted flinging the door open. It was comical how used to her entrances Severus had become, he didn't flinch or pause in what he was doing, he didn't even cast a stasis charm anymore, he was thrilled however every time she came running to him and called him Da. Much to the joy of everyone else in the castle she was pulling him back to life, there was a warmth to him now that hadn't been seen in years.

"Yes, Brogan," he prompted, still not looking up. She padded softly to his side and his eyes flicked over to see that she was barefoot -in the dungeons -in his potions lab! He ignored it for the moment though since she was climbing on a stool near him anyway.

"I was just thinking about the Slytherin dorms and I was wondering if I'm going to be sharing a room with other girls or not. Because I realize you can't put me in with the boys and so that would mean in with the girls but I -I don't think that would be proper yet. Well maybe it would be okay but it's still kind of awkward and then there are the visions and everything too. Because I know you don't want me to use the silencio but the potion -which helps enormously and is really great, it isn't quite fool proof yet though and maybe it won't ever be and I don't want to disturb them and I actually really don't want to share a room with Millicent and Pansy and I thought I should tell you that."

Secretly, well he thought it was secretly but others could see it quite plainly, secretly Severus loved it when his daughter rambled at him like that. He wondered if she rambled like that to her friends when she was Harry Potter, he supposed that she must have and sometimes he worried that it might give her away. Brogan had no illusions about maintaining the ruse forever, she had money down with both Bill and Draco that Hermione would figure it out before Christmas. She was fairly certain that Hermione would come to her first and not Ron and together they could ease Ron into the truth.

Severus looked at his barefoot daughter, with her beautiful dark auburn curls and imagined for just a moment her bunking in either the Gryffindor sixth year boys' dorm or the Slytherin boy dorm. A magnificent sneer came across his face, "You will not under any circumstances spend the night in a boys' dorm, of any house. Nor would I ever force my own kin to share a room with Pansy Parkinson, you may continue to sleep in your room in my quarters. As my daughter nobody will think twice and if they do dare to inquire we will tell them that you are taking an experimental potion and need to be near me."

Brogan's smile was brilliant. She had actually not thought about just staying in her current room next to her Da -that would work great!

"Although," Severus continued slowly and Brogan looked up in instant consternation, "that room is rather small and windowless at the moment isn't it? We shall have to consult the headmaster about making it a good deal nicer if you're staying there for the whole year."

"A window? That would be brilliant but how could you do that?"

"Magic," smirked Severus and Brogan just groaned.

For a moment it looked as though Draco might petition to stay in Snape's private quarters too but then he got excited about being with his friends again. Dumbledore and Brogan got together the next day to improve Brogan's room. It was really good for the pair of them. The headmaster had heard from Bill Weasley and Snape how atrocious Harry's life was at the Dursleys and he truly felt remorseful for leaving Harry there.

The headmaster's mind had been swimming with regrets and might have been's and he was seriously wondering if being with Severus was in fact the right move now, maybe the Weasleys would be better -they were so loving and light hearted, he had even started on the fib he could tell them. But then he met with Brogan in her room and saw the heap of transfigured shoes. "Miss Snape," he started, "I have never known you to be so material. This is rather an outrageous amount of shoes!"

Brogan blushed, "I know, I always forget to wear them though and Professor Snape has to transfigure me a pair. He transfigured all of them for me, AND he even named me Brogan."

Suddenly the name clicked for Dumbledore, it was the Gaelic term for shoes! Dumbledore laughed so hard he had to take his glasses off and wipe them afterwards, "you know Miss Snape, it seems that everything is going to work out for you now doesn't it?"

Brogan smiled at him, "when we got my wand repaired we explained to Mr. Ollivander that it was a potions mishap and after the woods were figured out he told us that the larch and vine told him that it was a curse being lifted. That's how it's felt to me sir. Some things have been difficult of course and there's a lot to get used to, but I feel more authentic I guess.

Bill and Professor Snape and Draco, they all hug me and carry me and do nice things for me and I feel like I'm just soaking it up. It's nice. When Draco first came Bill and Da had a long talk about whether to tell him or not and what to do and after they decided it would be okay to tell him they both threatened to chop him up and feed him to a hippogriff if he harmed one toe on me. I felt really safe and protected..."

"And loved." the headmaster added for her. Brogan just nodded mutely. "I am so happy for you Brogan and I would like to also promise to chop up anyone who harms a toe on you."

He patted her shoulder a bit and then looked around the room. "It seems rather small and cheerless in here doesn't it? Let's see what we can do, shall we?"

At one point the headmaster had to poke his head into Severus' room to see if Brogan's room was noticeably larger or not, he wasn't sure if it would really irk the potions master or not but he had stopped just a shade smaller. Brogan got walls that did not look dungeony, her own bathroom, a huge closet and a big canopy bed (with room for her Hedwig doll). Dumbledore also taught her a charm to make her shoes march themselves (in neat pairs) to the closet and line up there.

Little magical windows appeared on each wall reflecting the best views around the castle, "you must know what the weather is like dear, otherwise you might fall into the dreadful habit of wearing the same black robes every day regardless!" And they both chuckled.

As one last touch, with a flick of his wand, the headmaster added a little loveseat, 'for piling your clothes on of course.' Brogan noticed again the horrible spell damage on his hand. "Professor Dumbledore," she said softly, "what happened to you sir?"

The headmaster shook his sleeve down and blustered a bit, "it's just a bit of a curse I got caught in. Nothing to worry about."

"Can I try sir? My new wand is very powerful and really healing with the phoenix feather sir." She looked up at him with such loving guileless eyes that Albus could only smile.

"Of course Brogan, it would be most rude of me to decline such an offer. Are you familiar with the spell, 'Absit iniuria verbis' it's a general healing spell that you might try with that marvelous wand of yours."

Brogan nodded determinedly and murmured the words once before she got out her wand and took the headmaster's hand in her own. His hand felt dry and cold and wretchedly dead, but she gave it a gentle squeeze anyway with her warm one. Even holding her wand still over the injury caused that magical wind to appear, caused her hair and eyes to glow, Dumbledore's mouth opened in surprise. Ollivander had hinted but this was more marked and magnificent than expected, he suddenly had a spark of hope that Brogan might actually help.

She heard his little gasp and looked up with a smug smile, "it's a wonderful wand isn't it? It was great before but now it's like the potential has no limit. I love the feeling and I'm determined to live up to it you know? Have you ever had a magical object professor that you tried to be worthy of owning?"

"Never owning my child, we just receive the privilege of working alongside them for a while, right?"

"Exactly sir."

"It's very wise of you to sense that Miss Snape, I look forward to witnessing your adventure."

Brogan smiled, satisfied with her professor's apparent determination to live a bit longer. The hand she held felt very dead to her and she sensed the curse travelling further up his arm and towards his heart. A few tears appeared in her eyes at the thought of this great man dying from a curse and without realizing it, since she had the wand in her other hand, she used the hand holding his to wipe her tears away, inadvertently smearing them across his blackened flesh. Taking a deep breath and remembering the words, Absit iniuria verbis, she cast the spell.

It was utterly bizarre to put on the girl uniform. Brogan sort of wished she had done some practice skirt wearing before now but it was too late for that. She had on the proper Slytherin skirt and blouse and tie and socks and shoes and a new robe. Her hair had been brushed and was tucked behind her small ears. Not wanting to look too much like a first year she left the tie a little loose so the knotted choker Draco had given her could be seen.

She was still fussing a little with her hair, it didn't have to cover her forehead anymore; the scar cream had done a really good job and it wasn't visible at all except when she was experiencing a vision. Snape had been a little concerned with how quickly she had gone through the pot of salve but he didn't know that she was using it on the "I must not tell lies" scar on her hand too. She figured that he supposed she was using it on other scars but he was too polite to ask and she was too smart to tell.

Draco waltzed in on her, he was extremely impressed with her new room and loved to take up the entire settee whenever he visited (must you be so posh Draco, it's a loveseat, oh really Brogan, why don't you come over here and show me the difference, eep!)

"Princess," he greeted her. Brogan groaned: her hair was stupid, the skirt was too short, the shirt too thin, but maybe Draco could help.

"Did your mum teach you any charms to make a skirt longer?"

"No, but I could demonstrate the one my dad taught me," and he grinned lecherously at her smooth white legs. He sent a silent heartfelt thanks to Minksy for teaching Brogan useful womanly charms. Draco and Severus had heard Brogan and Minksy talking several nights back at Spinner's End but they never made further inquiries, more than grateful to delegate that embarrassment. The kind little elf was probably here earlier this afternoon too, Draco pondered for a moment how he could ask without implying that Brogan could no longer get dressed by herself.

"I'm sure Madam Malkin wouldn't set you up with a skirt that's too short. And you look fine to me."

"Do I look fine for alone in my bedroom with you or fine for being stared at by 500 teenage boys in the Great Hall?"

Draco took an involuntary step back, Brogan raised an excellent point and he was completely unprepared for sharing his new best friend. He was excited to see Blaise again, but he hadn't really considered Blaise leering at his girl. He wasn't even sure if Blaise talking to her would be okay. And Blaise looking at that much of her legs? A sneer crossed his face as he considered it.

Brogan saw the sneer come with glee, "See, you're thinking about it and it is too short! -Da!" she bellowed.

Draco half expected Severus to come barging in as if Brogan had cut her arm off but he merely strolled in as calm as could be. He was buttoning his robe sleeves and looked up at her, "yes Brogan?"

"Isn't this skirt too short?"

"It is, unfortunately, as short as all the other sixteen year old girl skirts are. If you make it longer you will look strange, however you are already on display as my daughter so perhaps it won't matter compared to that."

"No," Brogan was aghast, "I can't be a dork for two things that would be worse. I'll just try to remember all the things Minksy told me and cross my legs and stuff." She took a deep breath, "it will be fine. I'm just feeling a little nervous right now."

Severus gave her a glimmer of a smile, "perhaps I can offer you a calming draught?"

Brogan turned green, she hadn't taken a calming draught since that day she threw up all over her father, and the couch, and the rug, and herself, and then cried herself to sleep on Draco's lap, yeah, that day. She shook her head, "no thanks, I'll sort it out."

"Good, you look very nice. There is no need to worry. Once the carriages start arriving we will go to the Great Hall, you and Draco can sit together at the Slytherin table. Albus will introduce you to the masses at some point and when he does you just have to stand up and wave a little, then you can sit right back down, stick your head in Draco's armpit and hide until the tables are dismissed.

After the feast go to the Slytherin common room so you can hear the rules and then I will escort you back here afterwards. Understood?"

"Yes, but have I ever actually put my head in Draco's armpit? I think I would remember that."

When the headmaster introduced her the room went very quiet and then there was a lot of murmuring. Brogan, stood up, smoothed her skirt down, and then shyly looked up through her bangs and around at the room. She spotted Hermione waving to her and gave her a bright and lovely smile and waved back a bit. The whole effect was utterly charming and Draco began glaring at everyone he could.

In truth Brogan was a little on the short and flat side for a lot of the boys. Her hair was probably too short and too curly for others. Her nose was neither pert nor Snape-like. Her eyes were pretty but lots of girls had pretty eyes. She had a kind of awkward chummy air about her, not something that usually attracted Draco but he was definitely attracted. Pansy could see no reason for Draco to be so besotted with this new girl. Maybe because he was such a little teacher's pet and she was the teacher's brat? Pansy sneered and started looking forward to taking the new girl down a peg in the dorm that night.

Blaise decided to talk to Brogan before forming an opinion. He also couldn't figure out why Draco seemed to like her so much but decided that with time he might see it. She was funny; she had a nice smile and a good laugh. He could see the Snape qualities when she made sly jokes but most of the jokes were aimed at herself.

She was gentle too and kind to even Crabbe and Goyle, the whole of Slytherin table was suspicious about that. None of them had witnessed her sorting, maybe the headmaster just put her in Slytherin for convenience when really the hat would have put her in Hufflepuff?

Brogan was just trying to be herself. She had gone around and around on how she should act and finally decided not to act. She knew she couldn't sustain an ice princess persona, or Merlin-forbid some kind of seductress with throaty laughs and lots of eyelashes. She knew she was raising a few eyebrows with her un-Slytherin friendliness but whatever. Confidence and power were other Slytherin qualities and she owned those when it mattered. She was the only one at that table that had been in the Chamber of Secrets, let them sneer about Hufflepuff.

The pudding had been served when Brogan noticed that the headmaster hadn't said anything about Harry Potter. She realized with a stab of ice down her back that Draco would have totally noticed and sneered something about it if she wasn't sitting next to him. Taking a sip of her juice to ease her dry throat she turned to Draco as casually as she could, "Is Harry Potter here? My Da told me I would be in his classes this year."

Draco calmly moved back a little and scanned the Gryffindor table, "I don't see him Princess, maybe he's waiting to make a grand entrance."

"Princess?" asked Teddy.

Brogan rolled her eyes, "my Da's mother was Eileen Prince and Draco thought that was enough to call me Princess. There are worse nicknames right?

And usually he treats me like a Princess too so I really can't complain."

"It's certainly more delicate than your real name isn't it Shoe-Girl?" sneered Pansy.

Brogan laughed right at her, "see," she said to Teddy, "I told you there were worse."

All the boys that were sitting around Draco and Brogan laughed and Pansy was left wondering how she had lost that one.

When it was time to return to the dorms Draco held Brogan's hand the whole way there. When the common room was crowded he pulled her down to sit on his lap. It was a little weird for them since neither was used to her being in a skirt but they got settled and waited for Professor Snape.

Brogan listened avidly to everything her da said. He was very different from McGonagall of course and yet a lot of it was similar: your new family, see the prefects with problems, etc. At the end he introduced them to his daughter Brogan Snape again. Brogan slid off of Draco's lap and went to stand next to her da. Severus placed his big hand on her shoulder and the claiming gesture almost made her go all wibbly in front of the snakes.

When his little speeches were wrapped up and the first years were all entrusted to the prefects to get to bed that night he steered her to the door. Brogan turned back and called a cheery "Good night" to Draco and her new acquaintances. Draco waved back and waited for Pansy to descend.

"Where is she going?" Pansy demanded.

"To her bedroom in her father's quarters?" Draco supplied as if Pansy was the dumbest creature on earth.

"I guess she really is a princess if she gets a private room like that." Pansy sneered.

"Or, her father is a professor and has an extra room in his quarters." teased Blaise.

Draco was so relieved that Brogan wouldn't be assaulted by a jealous Pansy all night that he could have fainted. He pictured his girl curled up in her big new bed with the Hedwig doll he had given her tucked under her arm and got one of those dumb besotted smiles - and with Pansy hovering right over him too.

"So Dray," she began, "you two seem thick as thieves, when did you meet Princess Shoe?"

"Professor Snape is inventing a new potion to help those who suffer regular nightmares, something less addictive than dreamless sleep and also able to promote good dreams since not dreaming at all can lead to other side effects. I have been helping him with it for the last month or so, just lots of chopping and fetching and keeping meticulous notes but it's been fascinating."

Blaise smiled fondly at him, "Only you would be excited about cutting your summer vacation a month short to make potions in a dungeon."

"Yeah well, Brogan was here too and she's a good flyer and funny so it wasn't all dungeons."

Teddy leered at him, "I would chop potion ingredients if it meant getting chummy with her."

Some teasing and boy talk followed and Pansy was just stalking off when Draco called out to her, "Pans, be careful with that nickname. You should know that it probably won't bother Brogan much and if Snape hears he might get a little vicious. He named her."

The Slytherins who heard that statement had to sit for a moment and try to imagine a time when their head of house was so human that he could have named a little girl. A time when he would have forsaken all the pure blood traditions and chosen such a funny name. They couldn't really imagine it and comforted themselves that it was probably a long time ago.

Brogan had terrible nightmares that night. The potion seemed to work about 80% of the time which seemed marvelous to her but was unacceptable to her father. Especially now that classes were starting and she wouldn't have access to her morning naps. Snape held his hysterical daughter in his arms that night and she sobbed and then worried about the time and the classes the next day and how was she ever going to stay awake for them and how was she ever going to fall asleep now and then she got the hiccups and Severs feared she might work herself up so much that she threw up on him again. He soothed and rocked and eventually she fell asleep.

At one point in her rambling she had asked if he could stupefy her, when he refused she asked if there wasn't a go to sleep spell for parents with fussy babies or for leaving teenagers chained to the bottom of a lake. There was, of course, but Snape wanted to talk to Poppy before he started offering such easy fixes.

Madam Pomfrey was not among those in the know about Brogan Snape being Harry Potter. The headmaster had tentatively suggested telling her, just in case, but Snape had snarled and growled and spit about his daughter not being some freak show exhibit -which really wasn't fair to Madam Pomfrey at all- but there it was.

So when Severus went to her and spoke about his daughter having terrible nightmares and non-potion options poor Madam Pomfrey really didn't quite grasp the scale of the problem. She thought it might be a touch of homesickness or anxiety over being in such a large intense school for the first time. Her suggestions were for quiet before bed activities, rituals, tea, meditation, that sort of stuff.

And of course the meditation suggestion reminded Severus about the occlumency classes he had canceled the year before. He knew so much more about Brogan now, and there seemed to be real trust between them, perhaps occlumency would work. It was something to think about.

The morning of the first day of classes Brogan really wished that her da had stupefied her but he was trying to make it up to her. There was a small table with breakfast for two set up in his quarters and a dose of pepper-up potion was sitting next to her plate. A pleased flush spread across her chest as she realized they were sitting down to breakfast together before the first day of school. Like a real family, and there was even a seat at the table for her.

Severus seemed a little flushed as well. "I hope you don't mind," he started. "I asked the prefects to hand out the schedules, I thought we could," and then he trailed off, unsure of what he thought he was doing really.

Brogan gave him a shy smile and put her hand on top of his, "it's nice Da, it's perfect. And you completely surprised me too, when did you have time?"

Snape scoffed at her, "you should know how little I actually sleep." Brogan looked stricken for a moment so he hit her lightly on the back of her head, "from when you used to creep around at all hours of the night with your cloak, foolish child."

Brogan rubbed her head and looked down, "oh yeah, from that."

They each started filling their plates and Severus slid a battered old book across to Brogan with her schedule perched neatly on top. She almost asked what it was but her mouth was full of scrambled eggs so she just cocked an eyebrow at her father.

"As you have heard, I will be teaching defense against the dark arts this year and Horace Slughorn will be teaching potions. Slughorn will be expecting my child to excel in potions, a few things we can pass off on spotty home schooling but we do not want to raise his suspicions. He can be a bit of a gossip and it would be best if we concealed the truth from him as best we can. Thus I am giving you my old potions text, you will find it heavily annotated and if you cannot manage an E using my notes then you really are a dunderhead."

Brogan had finally swallowed, "Draco is going to help me too, maybe I'll even get an O! But are you sure you want me to have this? I know some of the things I've written in my books are kind of personal…"

"You raise an excellent point; I wrote a lot of things in this book, including many spells. I didn't always write what the spells do; you must not try any of the spells without asking me first. There is one which inflicts vicious knife wounds, Merlin forbid you should try that one out on Mr. Malfoy."

"Da! What did you write down spells like that for?" Brogan cringed away from the book she had been flipping through.

Snape shrugged, elegantly, dismissively, "I was a boy."

"Yeah," she laughed, "so was I huh?" They finished up their breakfast and Brogan was super happy that she could take just the books that she needed for the day, so convenient being delivered her schedule at home. Home?

She had her book bag slung over one shoulder; it seemed heavier than she remembered and then she realized she was probably weaker or something. A troubling thought. Potions was up first, with the Slytherins and Gryffindors of course, tradition. Snape was walking out at about the same time she was and he turned to her and brusquely gave her a peck on the forehead, "have a nice day Brogan."

She swallowed hard, "thanks Da" and then headed out for her first potions class as a left-handed Slytherin girl wearing a skirt. What could go wrong she wondered?

Ron was in the class, which was kind of a surprise. He sat with Hermione in the area where the three of them used to sit together. Draco had arrived early and saved a seat for Brogan, his brow furrowed when he saw Brogan pull out her battered book but when she opened it he recognized the handwriting immediately and tried to take it so he could read it closer. Brogan gave him a dirty look and pulled it back towards herself, "mine!" she hissed. "Da wants me to do well in this class so it isn't suspicious."

Draco huffed, "we can share it!"

"Maybe," sniffed Brogan, "if you're a good boy."

And then Professor Slughorn was there and they had to pay attention. Brogan was amused when Slughorn unveiled the polyjuice potion as if four of the students in the class hadn't taken it, two of them a week or so ago.

The amortentia was interesting. Brogan didn't really want to smell it, she wasn't ready for that part of her new identity but when she got a whiff of Quidditch leathers and dark chocolate it didn't seem too traumatic. The liquid luck was really intriguing, she wanted that! So did half the class, mostly the Quidditch players.

It turned out that using the clever little notes in her magnificent new book was enough to win her the luck, much to Slughorn's delight. Too much delight perhaps, he looked at Brogan very closely and was reminded of the last green-eyed red-headed star potions student that he had, and sure enough this child looked quite a bit like his Lily. Even knowing that Severus Snape had claimed Brogan as his daughter didn't dissuade him from wondering if Lily could be her mother, he knew the two had been on again off again friends.

Brogan could see the cogs turning in Horace's head, normally she would freak out and run to Ron and Hermione and they would try to figure out the best thing to do. But now that she was alone in Slytherin she felt like she should be able to handle it on her own. Trusting her instincts she caught the professor's eye, he was about to ask a very awkward question, she looked at him as if they were sharing a secret, gave him the most mysterious knowing smile she could manage and put her finger on her lips, in the universal shhh sign.

Slughorn seemed completely delighted to be sharing a secret with the mysterious new student, he definitely wasn't sure what secret they were sharing but that could wait for the moment. Relieved, but trying not to show it, Brogan slid the bottle of luck in her pocket and caught up to Draco so he could pretend to show her the way to their next class. Winning the luck didn't earn Brogan much favor as the new girl, the professor's kid and the Slytherin that the Slytherins didn't trust yet –but Brogan tried not to care. For her keeping it out of her enemy's hands was as important or more important than having it in her own pocket.

When she saw the glare on Draco's face she wondered if she really did need to explain that to him. Shouldn't he be sneaky enough to figure it out on his own? So the Gryffindors were probably going to be jerks to her because she was in Slytherin and the Slytherins were going to be jerks because they weren't sure she was really Slytherin and she was going to be rude right back to them because they weren't as strategic as she wanted them to be?