"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," yelled Harry over the wind. "Or both!" he added, after a momentary pause, before diving down towards the ground.

Eileen tried to follow on her school broom, but it was no match for his Nimbus Two Thousand. Regardless, the speed and thrill of flying still brought a smile to her face as she chased after him around the Hogwarts' grounds on this particularly beautiful October Saturday.

As she neared the ground, Eileen tried a new trick, jumping off her broom and rolling on the ground to break her fall. Her broom kept moving forward until it crashed on the ground just a couple feet ahead. Pleased with her horseplay, she jogged towards her broom before moving to grab an empty seat under the closest tree.

Looking up at Harry, she laughed at the flips he was trying himself but in mid-air. Hearing the sound, he charged towards her before making a sharp turn and stopping right at her feet.

Eileen clapped excitedly. "You're getting so good! You'll be perfect in a month for the first match."

Harry shrugged his shoulders nervously, before taking a seat next to her. "So what do you think?"

"About the package? I don't know… it could be anything, but if I had to guess, then maybe I'd say it's a potion?"

"Why?"

"Well, we don't really have a lot to go on… All that stuck out to me is that the mysterious little object could fit into the palm of my hand. Potions could be that size and be pretty well-valued or be super deadly. But even if it was a potion, it could still be any type of potion. And if it wasn't a potion, it could still be anything else." Eileen sighed, feeling helpless, "We just need more clues."

"Yeah, I guess we can try talking to Hagrid again. By the way, I'm still wicked annoyed at Granger for butting in. Talk to her, will you?"

Eileen shrugged, not wanting to state that she agreed with Hermione: they really never should've snuck out or gone to the forbidden third floor. Especially to fight Malfoy, who like she predicted had never shown up and had sicked Filch onto them instead.

They sat in silence for a minute, stuck in their own thoughts, before Harry continued, "So why are you skipping your teas with Professor Sinistra?"

"What?" She gave him a confused sidelong glance.

He rolled her eyes at her but didn't elaborate further. Eileen thought for a moment.

"I haven't been skipping them – we went to tea with Hagrid the week before, and yesterday, I had a lot of work to finish. Not all of us like leaving everything to the last minute," she finished, smiling at him cheekily.

He shoved her. "I don't procrastinate, and you haven't been that busy. She seemed pretty sad yesterday when you told her you weren't going," recalled Harry, thinking back to the awkward conversation he had witnessed yesterday afternoon.

"I'll go next week. You could come with me!"

"See! You're totally avoiding being alone with her!"

She glared at him, "I am not! I might go see her today."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"Fine! I'll go now." Eileen jumped up and started brushing away the dirt and grass from her jeans.

She took a couple steps, before turning back towards Harry, "Do you wanna come with?"

Harry laughed but got up as well, following her back towards the castle. "You don't have to go; I was just asking why you were avoiding her. Did she do something?"

"No. Yes." Eileen sighed. "I don't know. Not really, I guess."

"Does this have to do with all the time you've been spending in the library, looking at those potions books?"

She shoved him again lightly, scoffing, "Have you been spying on me?"

"It's hard not to notice, especially considering you don't do any of our actual potions stuff. You don't even like Potions."

"That's not true. I like Potions. I just don't like Professor Snape."

"Who does?" Harry muttered. The Professor continued to ignore Harry when Eileen was around, but would mutter obnoxious comments about Harry when he was alone. The whole situation was confusing and frustrating for Harry, who wasn't sure what he had done. Harry had asked Hagrid about it a couple times, but the giant man refused to answer his inquiries.

"I think that's part of the problem. She's talking to him about me."

Harry tried to refocus on their conversation. "Professor Sinistra and Snape?"

"Yeah. Or the other way around."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Come on this way," she led them both up the steps of the castle before turning towards the hallway that led to the Astronomy Tower stairs.

"Why would they be talking about you? Also, I don't think I've ever really seen Snape talk to her before. They sit on opposite ends of the High Table."

They turned a corner. "Last time I went to tea, he stopped by as I was leaving."

"So? What does that have to do with you?"

Eileen wondered whether she should tell him about what happened between her and Snape. Thinking over what he said though, she thought Harry might be right – just because they were supposedly blood related (she still hadn't had a chance to make her own potion and confirm!) didn't mean everything Snape did had to do with her. After her detention with him, she had been concerned people would find out that they were half-siblings, but no one had mentioned it yet. Clearly, Snape wasn't telling people, but did that mean she shouldn't either?

"Nothing, I guess." Eileen replied. Harry had asked her for her advice on his trapdoor adventure and the package. Maybe she could trust him to help her too. Eileen continued, now whispering, "But there's something I should tell you."

Looking around, she turned right into a hallway that seemed empty. There was a single door at the end of the corridor and she could see Professor Flitwick heading inside.

"Something happened."

Harry looked up and down the corridor, before responding, "What's going on?"

"You remember when I got detention for mouthing off to Professor Snape? Well, he made me write lines in his personal potions lab while he'd been brewing this potion, Veras Sanguis. It tells the brewer the relationship between two individuals."

Eileen saw his eyes widen and she could see the gears turning in his head. He'd already put it together.

"Is Snape your father?" Harry tried to keep the shock, disdain, and pretty much all other emotions out of his voice in support for his friend. SNAPE?!

"WHAT?!" Eileen let out a little loudly. She shook her head vehemently.

Returning to a whisper, she continued, "No! Not my father. I've told you about my Da! He said he was my brother. Half-brother to be precise, and then he asked me to live with him."

Harry was quiet for a moment before he smiled at her, "That's wow, great. I'm, uhm, happy for you." Internally though, Harry felt a small pang of heartache. Being orphans was one of the first facts Eileen and Harry had bonded over. That and the fact that Hogwarts, even after only a month, had felt like a real home to both of them… He hadn't known anyone else who was as alone as he was in the world until he had met her, but now, even she had someone else.

Eileen looked at Harry, wondering what he was thinking. "It's not great, Harry. He used the potion, told me what it meant, and then started saying these things about our Da. Mean, hurtful things."

She could feel her voice start to crack, but she continued, "I don't believe what he said, but I can't deny that he looks like Da. And I looked up the potion so I could make it myself, but I don't have most of the ingredients or the money to buy them. I also don't think I could do such a complicated potion alone, and I don't want to ask anyone for help! You're the first person I've told."

Harry pulled his friend in for a hug, "It's okay. I can try and help you with the potion, and we can figure it out from there. You don't have to do anything about Snape if you don't want to."

She nodded into his shoulder.

"Have you talked to him since the detention? It's been a month."

Eileen gently pushed away from him and leaned back against the wall behind her. "No. He hasn't tried at all and I haven't been very friendly."

"Makes sense. Is there anyone you can ask about your dad and Snape?"

"No. We always moved around a lot for Da's job, and I'm not in touch with any of his friends. He also never talked much about his life before me; he didn't like talking about it to me or anyone else and now I think I know why."

At that moment, they heard the slam of the door at the end of the corridor and they saw two frustrated professors conversing intensely as they exited from the room: Snape and Professor Sinistra. They didn't even notice the students as they turned down an adjacent hallway.

Harry and Eileen looked at each other surprised at the coincidence, before wordlessly deciding to follow. Hurrying to catch up, they stopped at the end of corridor, not wanting to turn the corner until the professors were further ahead. To their luck, the teachers had stopped in the hallway and were whispering loud enough that the pair of them were able to overhear most of the conversation from their hidden spot:

"What is the cause for the delay? You wanted time to decide, and it's been weeks," Snape whispered furiously.

"Don't gripe at me. I haven't had a chance to discuss the situation with her, and I wanted time to discuss this with the Headmaster."

"You spoke with Albus?" The cold drawl sent a chill up both students' spines.

"Don't take that tone with me. You asked me a very serious request; of course, I would discuss it with the Headmaster." She added, after a second, "and Professor McGonagall."

"Minerva?" If possible, Snape's tone dropped in chill. "I," he emphasized with his hand, "haven't even discussed this with her."

Professor Sinistra replied wryly, "I realized. I also came to know that she isn't the only student you made this request for. Why him too?"

Eileen and Harry looked at each other, realizing they really had no clue at what was being discussed.

"That really is none of your business. Let me know when you've made your decision. I won't be patient much longer."

Eileen and Harry realized his voice was getting louder and that he was heading back towards them.

"This is you, patient?" Professor Sinistra laughed skeptically.

Furiously scrambling backwards, they tried to step quietly towards the other end of the hallway again, but not before the two Professors were standing at the end of the corridor, with a clear view of the guilty students.

"It's been half a mon-" Snape stopped mid-word, shocked at the sight of the two students but quickly analyzing the situation. Trying to recall what they may have overheard, his anger levels started to rise. He began again furiously but this time channeling his annoyance at the two shamefaced children in front of him,

"Eavesdropping? Of all the most disrespectful, impertinent…"

Severus quieted and stiffened when Professor Sinistra put her hand on his upper arm.

"Miss Snape, Mister Potter. What are you both doing in the faculty hallway?"

The two students exchanged glances, trying to decide who should answer. And, more importantly, what they should say.

"Speak!" barked Snape.

Eileen, annoyed at being chastised by her supposed brother, spoke up flippantly, "We're not dogs."

Snape's eyebrow twitched. Before the situation escalated, Harry quickly jumped in, "We had just stopped for a moment to talk. We didn't know it was the faculty hallway."

The Professors tried to analyze the veracity of his explanation.

Professor Sinistra, giving them the benefit of the doubt, questioned, "How long were you here?"

Harry felt his ears burn. "A few minutes?"

She quickly made a decision, "Five points from Gryffindor for eavesdropping. Now,"

Severus interrupted, adding, "From each of you."

Aurora looked at him annoyed. Seriously? Struggling not to roll her eyes and undermine their joint authority, she started again, "Now, hurry up and find another corridor to loiter in."

Noticing their brooms, she smiled, "Maybe go outside? It's a lovely day."

Eileen refused to answer or even look at either of them. Instead, she tugged on Harry's sleeve and they quickly walked past the professors.

They overheard her mutter to Harry, "Ten points? Nitpicky git."

Aurora stifled her own giggle as she heard Harry nervously chuckle. She was glad when Severus decided to let it go, although he had clearly heard Eileen and tensed at her comment. She tried to distract him by continuing their previous conversation,

"I'm taking the decision seriously, Severus. I'll let you know soon. It'd be easier if I thought she would want that, but there's clearly no love lost between you and Eileen from her perspective." She paused, before continuing, "Or between you and Mr. Potter. Why do you even want the guardianship and the responsibility for either of them?"

"That really is none of your concern, but I believe it's for the best. For both of them."

"Well then, I suggest you learn to get along better with them if you want me to transfer her guardianship. Part of this responsibility is to be a confidante as well as a protector. With your current relationship, I don't think either would ever want to talk to you about their problems."

Snape curtly nodded but didn't respond to her point. "Let me know. Soon." He took a moment before continuing, "About Eileen - you have no control over the decision about Potter."

Then, without further explanation, he walked away. Probably back to his own quarters.

That's what he thought. Git, she thought to herself. When she had spoken with the Headmaster, he had asked her to give a recommendation about Harry as well when she was pondering her decision about handing over Eileen's magical guardianship to Professor Snape.

Aurora knew that she would never transfer her ward without feeling secure in the relationship between Eileen and the Professor. She didn't know much about their relationship, but honestly, the last name and similar looks were a clear giveaway… of at least some sort of blood relationship.

Knowing Eileen's background, she didn't want her to give up a chance for an actual family. And despite the Professor's gruff and cold exterior, Aurora believed he genuinely cared about both students deep down.

Watching him stalk off, she added to herself, deep deep down.