Severus Snape stared at this beautiful dark haired girl, lost in memories and wonder. Without thinking, he burst out:

“Greetings, lost child…you look just like your mother…”

The girl looked at him, bewildered, fear in her eyes. Then, realisation dawned in them, and she muttered:

“You are Severus. Thank you for saving my mother’s life.” Tears came to her fathomless dark eyes; it glistened and shone with an ethereal light. “You lent her 11 years, and consequently, you gave me my life. I know that if you allowed her to remember, she would have thanked you every night in her prayers.”

Dumbledore looked from one to another, perplexed and concerned. Remus is still shocked from the sudden arrival of this girl; even in the magical world, it is still shocking.

Snape held tight onto the table edge, and said, perhaps a little unsteadily:

“How do you know? And your mother is…dead?”

“Yes…she gave me your ring before she died, and I found a piece of parchment in the attic just today, and I’ve read it.” Defiance and dread came to her eyes.

“Tell me about it all…You were there when it happened. Tell me that my mother was wrong. Tell me that my father is not…” she faltered, ever so slight, only to begin anew with fresh vigour and hatred in her eyes. “Tell me you didn’t just kill all those women like you do it everyday. Didn’t you even feel the slightest bit of guilt or pain?”

Haven’s voice was soft. But in her voice, there was an intense passion gathering, a cold fury that was never heard before, it gathered like a menacing storm waiting to blow. Remus and Snape both flinched from the vehemence that was radiating out of it.

“You saw them suffer, under those…monster’s hands. My mother described it all. Wizards. Indeed. It’s all about power and control isn’t it? That man who killed a little girl was barely 16; he was greedy for control, over life. She died a gruesome death; her body broken and wasted away, her limbs broken and dead. I could almost imagine her screams”

Remus stared in open eyed horror, and glanced at Snape, who has turned an even more deathly white; his knuckles bulged unnaturally from gripping the table.

“And how the women were lined up and picked like cattle and sheep? That’s power and control too. Power to have what you desires.” Haven didn’t know what is happening to her. All the anger that she had ever felt in this life seemed to be channelled into this single argument. Her body is feverish, power radiated from her, though she did not notice it.

“My mother said you didn’t look cruel, that she didn’t believe you were one of them.” Haven spat out the word, looking at the man in front of her disgustedly. “But you are, aren’t you, evil from the core, eager for more power, more control over our daily lives. Were you really a spy? Mother thought you were. Did you know how much all the women suffered? Why do you do these things! And, why? Why did you save only two of them? Why not every women there? You are a wizard, surely you could have done something!” Haven gave a frustrated cry.

“It’s only because of the babies wasn’t it? The redhead and my mother might have carried your baby…” At this point, both Dumbledore’s and Lupin’s head snapped round to look at Snape, who waited dumbly for her, his child, to end. “That’s why you only saved them. You have the power to control life and death. You can kill someone, or save some one, just like this…” Haven snapped her fingered in front of Snape’s deathly face, who stood towering above her, but neither did her notice or care. “Did you know what she said? Did you know what my mother felt? She said she’s forgiven you.”

Severus Snape broke down into a chair nearby, and started trembling uncontrollably. He hid his face in his pale hands, and wept unseen tears.

“My child…my lost child…” he muttered brokenly into his hands.

“No.” Haven said coldly. “I might be the daughter of the most evil wizard in the world. I might be your daughter. It’s never good to presume. But I shall never forgive you. My mother has forgiven you even before she left that building. Do you know why she did that? Do you know how much you’ve touched her heart? Did you know that she said she almost loved you, and would have, if it was a kinder time?”

A jet of silver light escaped her out stretched hand, and narrowly missed Snape, and hit a lantern on the table; it smashed into a thousand little pieces. Haven suddenly blinked and collapsed into the nearest chair, all hints of anger gone. All she said was: “Oh…Did I do that?”

Dumbledore was the quickest to recover from it all. He gestured Haven to sit down, and studied her face carefully. Haven flinched from the intensity of power that radiated from those gentle blue orbs.

“You are a wise child. Wiser than most of your age. Did life teach you that?” Dumbledore asked her softly, making her feel ashamed of her own outbursts just minutes ago.

“Yes, life taught me that. Experience and death. God taught me that.” Haven stared back at him, willing him to understand her.

“God? Oh yes, the muggle religion. I suppose you would say that Severus, and his fellow Death Eaters were playing God by taking life. And that Voldemort was playing God too?” But she never had a chance to answer. Finally, he sighed, and told the present company:

“She indeed looks a lot like Severus, in his early years.” And turning back to Haven, he said again: “But she seemed to have inherited some interesting features, from Riddle, both mentally and physically, who I presume is who she meant by saying the most evil wizard on earth, Voldemort. I don’t know how that is possible.” Looking at both Haven and Snape, he asked softly: “What does her mother look like?”

Haven opened a locket she wore around her neck, and produced a little photograph of her mother from it. She was a beautiful woman, her long, lustrous deep red hair glistened in the sun, and her dark eyes told laughter. Dumbledore silently studied it.

“Her mother was the most beautiful creature that ever lived on this earth.” Snape suddenly said with a sad reminiscing look on his face. “She had deep red hair, darker than Lily’s. Beautiful dark eyes, just like this child in front of me. She looks so much like her.”

“Yes. You can see definite red hints in her dark hair, inherited from her mother. Her eye colour can be from you, her mother, or Riddle. Her mouth and jaw shape looks identical to Riddle’s, whilst her hair hung in the exact way as you, and she has your ears and hand. Her nose seemed to be a mixture of her mother’s, and…Riddle’s. I don’t know how the genes can be combined like this. The best thing to do seemed to be a Paternity spell. And I expect that Madam Pomfrey knows the best ones.” Looking at Haven kindly, Dumbledore said:

“What is your name, my child?”

Haven found herself frightened by the blue eyes in front of her, however kind they are. She is in an alien atmosphere; she doesn’t understand what is going on. She’s surprised at her ready acceptance in magic, and she was more than surprised when that jet of silver light shot out of her hand. It felt as if a part of her has come back to her, she felt warm, happy, content, and whole. But now she’s surrounded by three wizards, one could be her father. How does she know if she can trust them? But those blue eyes are so kind and trustworthy; they can’t be the eyes of an evil person.

“Look, I don’t know where this is; I don’t know if I can trust you, what if you are one of them? I miss my home already, and my friend will be extremely worried, because I was taken away by a magical vortex, and he would have thought that it is Voldemort, my possible father, who took me. He might be thinking that I’m dead already.” She said all these in one quick breath, then immediately felt ashamed of her own words. Of course you can trust the old man. Trust your instincts. “I’m Haven…”

“You are a good girl Haven. Don’t ever trust people lightly, especially at this kind of times.” Dumbledore said gravely. “How did you hear about Voldemort? And how much does the boy know?”

Snape hissed inwardly, and flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord’s name.

“I showed him the parchment. It’s all written there. He knows as much as I know. He always knew, and will know everything that I know. We share everything.” Haven jumped to her feet, in fear that Oliver’s memory will be wiped too, like her mother. “No matter what you do, he will still know everything. I need him to know everything!”

Dumbledore is smiling now. “My child, you have wonderful trust in that boy, we won’t be the ones who takes them away…”

Snape however, has been tense for a while now. His head snapped up at the word parchment, and immediately got to his feet after Dumbledore finished: “Show me the parchment.”

Haven was frightened by his cold voice, silkily dangerous. Evil…you are evil to the core. Her own words rang in her mind. He might be your father. He loves your mother. Unconsciously, she handed over a crunched up parchment. Snape read it warily. At the end, he had tears in his eyes as memories came vivid in his mind.

“I don’t remember the part about the red head. When I tried to think about it, I met a block. Must be a memory spell I cast on myself. It must have been really bad.” Snape muttered to himself. Suddenly his eyes widened, he scanned the bottom of the parchment again, and breathed out fragmented words: “Jamie? James…red head…no…it can’t be…Potter!?”

Dumbledore silently took the parchment from him, and left him standing there, dazed. He scanned the words quickly, a frown gradually appearing on his face. When he reached the bottom of the parchment, his brows fused together like one thick brush stroke. Dumbledore stood to his feet with surprising agility, and motioned a still stunned Remus Lupin to him.

“Remus, I’m trusting you now with the task of finding Harry. It is essential that we find him, as quick as possible. Go well, child.”

Without a word, he left the office. Dumbledore then fixed his eyes firmly, but kindly onto Severus Snape, and gazed at him wryly:

“You might have just gained two children, Severus.”