The sound of grunting and a few choice swear words echoed through to the Slytherin Common Room. Soon Lauren appeared, dragging her jammed packed trunk behind her, her face red and blotchy from the effort.

The trunk banged sharply against the heel of her foot and she let it drop to the floor with a resounding clatter, followed by an explicitly colourful choice curse word that would have made a pirate blush.

"There's got to be an easier way to do this," Lauren muttered, glaring darkly down at the offending trunk and contemplating just incinerating it right there and then.

"There is," a silky drawl sounded from somewhere within the room.

Lauren whirled around to find Severus Snape leaning against the wall with his arms folded in front of him and a small amused smile curling on his lips as he watched her. The murky, green tinged water of the Black Lake beyond the window added the perfect backdrop to the dark Potion Master.

"If you had retained any information during the course of your school year, you would have known that Wingardium Leviosa would be a useful spell to use right about now." There was no mistaking the bite of sarcasm that had entered his voice.

"I knew that," Lauren muttered, slipping her wand out from the waistband of her jeans.

Snape smirked, not bothering to hide the fact that he didn't believe her. He pushed away from the wall with elegant grace and strode towards her with long strides, his robe flapping sharply at his heels.

"Or, alternatively, you could use the Locomotor charm," he continued in his lecture voice as he came to stand beside her. He arched a brow ever so slightly, somehow managing to convey just enough condescension into this slight facial expression as humanly possible.

Lauren blew a wild strand of hair from her sweaty face and placed her hands on her hips, in no mood for his attitude. "And I suppose you're going to graciously show me how to cast that spell?"

"Graciously?" Snape scoffed. "No. I intend to show you once and I expect you to pay full attention, for I can guarantee you that I won't be demonstrating it again."

"That is gracious for you," Lauren bit back with equal sarcasm, causing Snape to narrow his dark eyes at her cheek.

With a sharp, yet fluid movement, he pulled his wand free from the sleeve of his robe and Lauren unconsciously stepped back. Snape's eyes briefly flickered towards her, but he chose to ignore her reaction and, instead, pointed his wand at the trunk.

"If I had intentions of hexing you, I would have done so already," he stated, an odd edge to his voice. "Now concentrate and I expect you to execute this perfectly afterwards."

"I thought school was supposed to be over for the year," she muttered.

"Now, Miss Ward!"

His sharp command left no room for argument and Lauren scrambled to focus her attention on him.

Snape, satisfied that she was indeed paying attention, turned back to the trunk and flicked his wand, uttering the incantation, "Locomotor trunk."

The trunk rose a few feet off the ground and levitated in the air. Snape lazily swished his wand from side to side, causing the trunk to follow the same pattern, and Lauren watched in awe at the fact that he made it look so easy.

Finally Snape settled the trunk gently back upon the stone floor and angled his body so that he was now facing her, his facial expression now that of ostentation.

"Your turn."

Lauren glanced down uncertainly at her wand and then back up at Snape. He had a knack for making everything seem effortless, and she knew that she was going to need some serious motivation to pull this off.

"Let's make a wager," she suggested.

There was a prolonged pause. "What did you have in mind?"

Lauren cast a sly side-long look at him. "If I cast this spell correctly, you buy me a bottle of Firewhisky. Lauren hastily held up a finger in warning. "And you let me get shit-faced drunk."

Snape studied her for a few moments, silent in his thoughts and cunning burning in his obsidian eyes. Then he straightened up and, after slipping his wand back up his sleeve, he clasped his hands behind his back and murmured with clear enunciation, "Very well."

Lauren should have been instantly on guard at the sly smirk that now foreshadowed his features but, as such, she was just elated that he was playing along, and she was ready to fist pump the air in victory.

Severus' next words, though, had her halting in her tracks and gulping down the lump that had formed in her throat as he continued in a silky voice that sounded distinctly like honeyed poison. "Now for the terms of my wager."

"What did you have in mind?" Lauren was certain that most of the blood had drained from her face as she stared back at him, waiting with pooling dread.

"You will have three attempts. Should you fail..." Snape made a show of pausing and thinking about his terms.

"Yes?" Lauren asked.

His eyes glinted with a dangerous spark. "Should you fail, you will be forbidden to create, replicate, make or consume any alcoholic beverages in any form."

Lauren gaped at him in outrage. "That's...that's outrageous!" she spluttered.

"Those are your terms. Take it or leave it."

Lauren chewed her thumb nail as she tried to find any loopholes or wriggle room in his wager. As such, there was none that she could find and now she was pondering whether to accept this ludicrous bet or not.

"I am waiting, Miss Ward."

Lauren sighed. "I'll only accept if this clause is for the remainder of this Summer holiday only."

Snape's smirk broadened. "Now you're thinking like a Slytherin." He sounded almost proud at her line of thinking.

Lauren shook her head. "Maybe, but knowing you, you would have ensured that it'd be for the remainder of my school years."

"It had crossed my mind, yes," he conceded silkily. "Now do you accept or not, Miss Ward? I have better things to do with my time than waste it bickering with you."

"Yet you're still here. One would almost think that you enjoy bickering with me."

Snape huffed out a sigh and turned to leave.

"Fine, I accept!" Lauren called out, causing Snape to halt. When he turned around, an infuriatingly smug smirk was gracing his features.

"Then, by all means, astound me," he drawled, extending his arm in the direction of the trunk.

Lauren shot him a baleful glare and then turned to face her trunk, raising her arm and aiming her wand at it. She used Occlumency to clear her mind of all emotions and distractions, and then concentrated on the spell she was going to attempt to use.

Careful not to exert too much force into the wand movement, or channel her magic too forcibly, Lauren flicked her wrist and uttered the incantation clearly.

The trunk rattled weakly on the floor and then shuddered to a standstill.

"Strike one."

Lauren was sorely tempted to stick her tongue out at Snape, or smack that smug smirk clean off his face. Instead, she drew in a deep, calming breath and concentrated again.

This time the trunk rose in the air with precarious wobbly movements. Lauren gritted her teeth and concentrated on holding the spell, but it was no use and the trunk fell to the floor with a crash.

"Strike two," Snape taunted.

Without turning to look at him, Lauren held up her other hand and flipped him the middle finger.

Lauren closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Her Occlumency was coming to her with more ease and naturalness than before, and she knew that with more practise it would become second nature to her.

Opening her eyes, Lauren raised her wand once more, determined to get the spell right this time. The trunk rose into the air more steadily and stayed in position. Lauren flicked her wand from side to side, a huge grin stretching on her lips when the trunk did as she commanded.

Lauren, in her elation, whirled around to face Severus. "You owe me a bottle of Firewhisky!"

Unfortunately, in that moment, she had forgotten that the spell was still enchanting her trunk and it zoomed toward Snape with alarming speed. He leapt back out of the way, barely avoiding getting struck by it.

"Oops," Lauren said sheepishly, lowering the trunk once more to the floor and cancelling out the spell. "Sorry about that."

It was Snape's turn to scowl darkly at her. "I'm starting to think you had every intention of trying to knock me unconscious, Miss Ward."

"Nope, that was purely coincidental." Under her breath she added, "Though I wouldn't have complained if I had."

Snape's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and Lauren knew he had overheard her comment.

"But I doubt I would have been able to hurt you, considering that you're a highly skilled duellist."

Snape merely glared back at her in deathly silence.

Lauren decided to broach the subject. "I've been meaning to ask...will you teach me how to fight?"

"You already know how to fight."

"Yes, but not with magic. And I know that, being the exceptional duellist that you are, you can teach me life saving skills that will save my ass, especially now that I'm on the Dark Lord's To-Do-List."

There was a subtle shift in his demeanour as he regarded her, the frosty hauteur giving away to shrewd cunning and consideration. Lauren held her breath, praying that he would agree.

"It would be prudent for you to learn," he stated slowly. "I will pay you a visit in three days time. We shall discuss it then, Miss Ward."

Lauren could have sagged in relief and she gave Severus a grateful smile which, oddly enough, seemed to make the Potion Master visibly uncomfortable.

"Now," he continued briskly, veering the topic in another direction, "the Headmaster is waiting for you. You had best be on your way."

Lauren nodded, knowing he was right, and she concentrated on casting the spell once more on her trunk. It rose elegantly into the air, as thought being pulled by invisible strings, and patiently waited for her next command.

She turned around to face Snape. "I'll see you in three days then." She couldn't disguise the hope in her voice even if she tried.

Snape inclined his head in agreement.

Lauren's smile grew wider and she turned around and strolled towards the doors. She paused and glanced over her should.

"Professor Snape?"

He met her gaze and silently waited for her to continue.

"Don't forget the Firewhisky!" she taunted in a sing-song voice before ducking hastily through the doors.

The doors slamming shut behind her foretold that Snape was not happy about losing the wager.

Lauren met up with Dumbledore outside the main entrance of the castle, the warm rays of the sun basking along her skin and warming her to her very core.

Dumbledore stood swathed in an eye-blinding maroon robe infused with equally blinding magenta, a matching pointed hat perched upon his snow-white head.

He turned around at the sound of her arrival and arched a brow when he noted her levitating her trunk behind her.

"Ah, I see Severus has taught you a few useful spells."

Lauren shrugged. "I caught him in one of his more...generous moods." She intentionally left out the fact that she had scored a bottle of Firewhisky out of the deal.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and then he withdrew his wand from the depths of his robe pocket and summoned her trunk, making it zoom to a skidding halt by his feet. Lauren watched in fascination as he shrunk it down to the size of a matchbox and, stooping, he scooped it up and pocketed it, shooting Lauren a wink as he straightened up.

"Nifty."

"That spell does have its uses," he remarked. Then, extending his arm for her to take, he continued, "Shall we?"

Lauren blinked stupidly at his offered arm. "I thought we couldn't Apparate or Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts?"

An amused smile stretched on his lips. "There are certain advantages to being Headmaster, Miss Ward."

Lauren paused, realizing that she had forgotten about this little tidbit. But his words had also brought to the forefront another subject that she was not very happy about.

Lauren lifted her gaze to meet his own. "Like awarding points at the last minute to ensure the Gryffindors won the House Cup instead of the Slytherins?"

Dumbledore silently stared back at her, his arm still extended for her to take.

"That was really cruel, you know that. Did you even stop to think that your actions would hurt the feelings of a lot of your Slytherins? You may not have realized it, but you basically crushed them in one fell swoop. They're only children, Dumbledore. How could you do that to children? To your students? Are you letting you favouritism blind you again into treating others unfairly?" Lauren's chest heaved as she ranted, the built-up anger finally finding a release.

Dumbledore patiently let her expel her anger, not once trying to contradict or interrupt her to defend himself and his actions.

"Well?" she growled after a few moments had stretched out between them.

Dumbledore gave a regretful sigh as he gazed off into the distance, but he remained silent, which only infuriated Lauren even more.

"I don't care what your reasonings were. There were other ways to make Potter feel special. What you did was show the whole damn school that, in the end, its only your favorites that matter."

Instead of anger, Dumbledore merely stood there, unfazed as she ranted at him.

Lauren paused for breath, frowning. "What?"

Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Your steadfast loyalty and sense of justice are that of a true-at-heart Gryffindor." Lauren scowled and was about to retort – rather scathingly - when Dumbledore's next words had her pausing in thought. "But I find that I am rather relieved that you have been placed in Slytherin. There are a few that can benefit from these traits that you possess."

Lauren stared mutely at him, her mind trying to make sense of what he was actually saying. It did not pass her notice that he hadn't offered up an explanation and had instead deflected with effortless ease.

Then, without warning, Dumbledore curled his hand around her upper arm and with a swift turn, they Disapparated.

The world as she knew it spun violently and Lauren was subjected once more to the uncomfortable sensation of being squeezed through a tube that she was far too large to fit into. Just as she felt as though her ears were about to pop, it suddenly (and blessedly) came to an end.

Lauren gasped in a ragged breath but, to her credit, she did not throw up this time. She shot Dumbledore a withering glare as she bent at the waist, clutching her knees for support. "A little warning would have been nice."

He hummed merrily to himself. "I felt distraction was rather prudent."

Lauren's scowl deepened and she straightened up, intent on resuming her tongue lashing from earlier on. But she stopped dead, her mind blanking out as she became completely distracted by the sight before her.

They were standing on the other side of a shut wrought iron gate, an elegant swooping 'W' embossed upon the cold metal. Lauren's absently stepped forward, her gaze being drawn of its own accord to the sight beyond.

Rolling green lawn stretched out as far as the eye could see, and a gravel driveway wound up to the manor up in the distance. Large and twisting Jacaranda trees lined each side of the driveway, the blooming flowers forming a breathtaking canopy of indigo .

In the distance she could just make out the manor. Lauren had been expecting a castle or mansion of some sort; something that would be cold and foreboding to live in. Lauren was pleasantly surprised by the sight that greeted her instead.

The 'manor' itself resembled a large and grandeur English cottage. Ivy adorned most of the brick-faced walls of the manor, creeping and winding around the pillars and the stone terraces of the balconies. Even from this distance the manor had a warm and welcoming feel to it. It felt like home.

Lauren stared stunned at the sight, for she had never glimpsed anything as breathtaking and beautiful as this house. This was pure luxury for her. It boggled her mind that this was now all hers.

"We first need to activate the wards and transfer ownership over to you, Miss Ward, before we can proceed inside."

Lauren dragged her gaze away from the sight before her and tried to focus on the Headmaster.

"It is going to require some blood on your part, I'm afraid," Dumbledore continued. "I hope the sight of blood doesn't make you squeamish?"

Lauren shook her head and held out her hand towards him, palm facing up. "Nope," she stated, popping the 'p'.

"Excellent," he mused, taking her hand in his own. With a quick flick of his wrist, he slashed a shallow cut across her palm with his wand.

Lauren watched in fascination as the bright red liquid welled up and she instinctively cupped her hand to avoid any spillage.

"Press your hand against the crest on the gate," Dumbledore instructed, stepping back.

Lauren did as she was told, but her mind was screaming at her to find a disinfectant as soon as possible. This was highly unsanitary.

Almost immediately there was an urgent tug within her very core as her magic was called forth. There was a shuddering pause as the wards placed upon the property 'tasted and tested' her blood. Then a tingling warmth rushed up her arm and flowed through the blood in her veins like a torrential river. Lauren gasped at the unnerving sensation, unable to move as the wards accepted and acknowledged her magic and lineage.

There was another poignant pause and then the tingling warmth receded swiftly, halting at her hand pressed against the embossed 'W'. A golden shimmer flared beneath her palm as her magic became one with the wards.

The golden light died down, releasing its iron grip on Lauren, and she dropped her hand to her side.

"What just happened?" she asked, still staring with wide eyes at the gate.

"The wards placed upon the manor recognized your blood as belonging to the Ward bloodline, and have now accepted you as the new owner of this lovely property," Dumbledore explained magnanimously "The gates should now allow you entrance."

Lauren eyed the firmly shut gates and wondered where the key was to unlock it.

"Simply walk through them, Miss Ward," Dumbledore explained patiently.

Lauren blinked back at him, wondering if he was yanking her chain. Decided to trust him on this, she took a tentative step forward and it was like walking through smoke; one minute the gates were there and the next the were nothing but thin air for her to pass through.

Lauren glanced back to see Dumbledore stepping through, humming to himself with a small enigmatic smile plastered on his face.

"I take it being my guardian gives you certain privileges as well," she stated, realizing that he could come and go here as he pleased and that there was no way she was going to be able to bar him from dropping in unexpectedly.

"Yes, it does. But I will endeavour to respect your privacy and will forewarn you in the unlikely event that I will need to visit you."

Lauren remained silent, unsure whether to believe him or not. Though she was leaning towards believing him, as Dumbledore had opted to delegate most guardian privileges to Severus Snape.

"Shall we have a look at the house?" Dumbledore continued brightly, extending his hand in the direction of the manor.

They walked through the tunnel of Jacaranda trees, the fallen petals carpeting their progression and scenting the air with a delicate sweet perfume.

They finally made it to the front door of the house and Lauren paused to admire the bright tulips planted along the edges of the house. These were her favourite flowers and Lauren had to wonder if this was purely coincidence.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Lauren turned towards the door and lifted her hand to turn the handle. But before she could so much as nudge the door, it swung open silently on its hinges. Lauren faltered, frowning in confusion.

"Look down, Miss Ward."

Lauren did so and almost squeaked in surprise as two large blue orbs stared back up her, bat-like ears flapping rather enthusiastically as the house-elf beamed back at her with puppy-like devotion.

"Mistress! Yous has finally arrived," the house-elf exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

Lauren was at a loss for words. The last thing she had expected was to inherit a house-elf. But her shock morphed in thoughtfulness as she stared at the elf, realizing it looked very familiar. Then the memory hit her.

"Blinky?"

"Mistress remembers Blinky!" Blinky cried happily, tears of joy pooling in her overly large eyes. Lauren was momentarily scared that the creature was going to burst into tears. She did not do well around crying, and usually avoided weeping people altogether.

But Blinky behaved herself and stepped aside to usher them in.

Entering the foyer, Lauren paused in surprise. Admittedly, she had been expecting something resembling 12 Grimmauld Place: dark, dreary and overall just having a miserable atmosphere.

Again, Lauren was pleasantly surprised.

The foyer wasn't overtly or richly furnished, and the pictures hanging on the walls were unique and captivating. It would seem that Bethany had chosen paintings that had appealed to her rather than going by the popularity of the artist. This was evident in the fact that there was an oil painting of the Eiffel Tower at twilight, another of a black panther stalking towards the viewer, and an abstract painting of a wizened old man seated in a rocking chair, picking his overly large nose. None of the pictures blended in with the decorum, and Lauren sensed that the rest of the house was going to be just as unique.

But the thing that drew Lauren's attention the most was the brightly lit interior. Her gaze wandered upwards to the chandelier overhead and her eyes widened when she realized what she was actually seeing.

Electricity! This house has electricity!

Dumbledore followed her line of sight and chuckled. "Bethany Ward was considered...a unique witch, and she embraced certain aspects of both the wizarding and Muggle world."

"This is brilliant," Lauren murmured before turning her attention to Dumbledore. "Did you know her?"

"Alas, no. She was a fiercely private witch. I don't think there were many who really knew her all that well."

Lauren nodded, suddenly eager to get exploring.

"I shall leave you to to it then, Miss Ward. Should you need me, or Severus, we are but a Floo call away. I take it you know how to use the Floo Network?"

"Yeah," Lauren said absently, her eyes drawn once more to the chandelier. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait! Am I allowed to use magic? I know I'm stuck in a child's body, but considering that I still retain my adult mind, I just wanted to know if the same rules apply to me?"

Dumbledore, to his credit, didn't brush off her question and was actually giving it considerable thought. "In usual circumstances, the answer would be no. But when it comes to you...well, I am not entirely certain of the answer." His brows furrowed as he came to a conclusion. "Wait until I leave and then cast a simple spell. If you do not receive a warning letter from the Ministry, then I would say that it is safe to continue using magic. But I should warn you to exercise caution and do not cast spells in front of Muggles."

Lauren nodded in understanding.

"Excellent. Now Blinky will gladly help you with anything else that you need. Take note that she is only here for the duration of any holidays and will return to Hogwarts afterwards."

Lauren glanced around, wondering where the elusive house-elf had disappeared to.

"And one last thing. I have added certain security measures to ensure your safety. None may enter without your consent. The house recognizes you as the new owner and, as such, you have free rein to choose who may come and go. I gave it some thought but in the end I decided against using a Fidelius Charm for now."

Lauren's mind drifted to the moment when Voldemort would return to power and her safety would be severely compromised then. For now she was safe as she could be, but in three years that was going to be an entirely different story altogether. "Would it be possible to add the Fidelius Charm at a later date?"

Dumbledore peered at her over the top of his spectacles. "I would highly suggest it."

Lauren nodded. "Good."

Dumbledore straightened up and gave her a small smile and reached into his robe pocket, retrieving her miniaturized truck. Placing it on the floor, he stepped back and enlarged it with a flick of his wand and the use of a non-verbal incantation.

"Good day, Miss Ward," he stated, inclining his head in her direction. Then he turned around and exited through the door, a whistled merry tune following in his wake.

"Would Mistress like a cup of tea?"

Lauren jumped, squawking in surprise. The little elf had crept up on her so quietly that Lauren was starting to suspect she was part ninja.

"Um...what?"

"Would Mistress like a cup of tea?" Blinky repeated, those enormous eyes trained on Lauren.

"Um, sure. Yes, please," she replied, watching in bemusement as the house-elf scurried off to prepare her some tea.

Lauren pulled her wand free of the waistband of her jeans and cast about in her mind for a simple spell. She decided to settle for the one that Snape had taught her earlier on. Her trunk levitated in the air and she held it for a few moments before settling it back on the stone floor.

Then she waited.

Nothing happened. No warning letter from the Ministry magically appeared. Nothing.

Curious...It would seem that by all intents and purposes, the laws of magic recognize me as an adult. Very interesting.

She almost yelped again when Blinky appeared suddenly by her side, cup of tea and saucer balanced in her hands as she held it up eagerly for Lauren to take.

"Thank you, Blinky," Lauren murmured, taking a grateful sip of the hot infusing liquid. She then eyed the elf curiously. "How long have you been here?"

"Since yesterday," the elf enthused, her ears flapping eagerly.

"Yesterday?! It only took you a day to clean this place and tend the garden?"

Blinky shook her head from side to side. "No, no. Blinky not have to clean much. House and property were placed in stasis."

"Stasis?"

"Frozen in a moment."

"Ah," Lauren mused in understanding. "So have you explored the place much?"

"No, no. I's is not exploring, Mistress. I's been cleaning and getting Mistress's house ready," Blinky said, wringing her hands in front of her. Her eyes were big and wide, almost as though she were afraid that she were in trouble.

"It's okay, Blinky," Lauren assured, stooping so that she was now eye level with the diminutive elf. "I just wanted to know if there was anything interesting or worthwhile you may have discovered..."

The elf's ears instantly perked up. "Oh yes, Blinky found many interesting things. There's the huge Library with lots of books about poisons, a laboratory in the basement..."

"A lab? In the basement?" Lauren instantly pictured something from Frankenstein, and felt excitement course through her veins. This was perfect. "Can you show me please?"

Blinky's head bobbed up and down like one of those Bobble Head toys, and she grabbed Lauren's hand, practically dragging her in her haste.

Five hours later found Lauren in one of the eleven rooms she had decided to make her own. The other rooms had all been similar in design (and thankfully all had working plumbing), but this room had a special and more homely feel to it.

There were odd whirring devices nestled upon the mantle of the fireplace and an old fashioned writing desk sat in the corner, the wooden surface somewhat worn from constant use. A beautiful white bedspread with bright red flowers embroidered on it adorned the huge four poster bed. The floor was completely made up of polished hardwood, though a large plush cream rug added to the comfort level of the room.

She flopped down on the luxuriously soft bed and stretched out, a giddy grin blooming on her face. She couldn't wait for Snape to show up so that she could show him the lab where they could brew potions together. She had a feeling he was going to be rather impressed. Hell, she was impressed herself.

She turned her head and eyed the stack of books she had gathered from the library and had placed on the desk, each pertaining to a variety of poisonous snakes of the magical kind.

When Blinky had stated that the library was huge, she hadn't been kidding. Book shelves lined each and every wall, stretching from floor to ceiling and each shelf crammed with books, a large section dealing with poisons and antidotes. It was like something out of the Beauty and the Beast movie. Lauren promised herself to properly peruse that room more thoroughly some other time; today had been dedicated to exploring other parts of the house.

So far Lauren had discovered there were twelve bedrooms, a kitchen complete with walk-in pantry, a powder room, a study, a lab in the basement, a library, a dining room that could easily seat twenty people, and a living room. She hadn't yet explored any of the storage closets.

Though, truth be told, it would take weeks – months even – to explore everything fully. And hopefully along the way Lauren would get a clearer picture of who Bethany Anne Ward had been.

Lauren was seated at the oval kitchen table, the bright sunlight streaming in through the open window as she pored over a book on rare and magically poisonous snakes, hoping for a clue as to what type of snake Nagini was. Part of her suspected that Nagini wasn't an ordinary snake at all, even by magical standards, but she had to try and find something if she wanted to save Snape in the end.

Scribbled notes were scattered all over the surface of the table, and in the background Blinky was washing dishes, humming merrily to herself.

Lauren smiled to herself as she took a sip of the perfectly made tea. So far witch and elf were co-existing quite well together, and Lauren had no complaints.

Lauren almost spilled her tea when a deep, rich, and very sarcastic sounding voice interrupted her reverie.

"Cease your daydreaming and allow your wards and let me in, Miss Ward."

Lauren's head whipped around, searching for the dark form of Severus Snape.

"Fireplace, Miss Ward," he drawled impatiently.

Lauren's gaze landed on the fireplace, her brows drawing into a perplexed frown when she spied the green flames flickering within, and the disturbing image of Snape's features distorted within those flames.

Lauren carefully placed her mug down and scooted out of her chair, coming to kneel on the hard and unforgiving floor of the kitchen.

"Um, how do I let you in?"

His brows furrowed in a deep scowl. "Did that fool teach you nothing?"

"I think Dumbledore assumed I already knew how to do it. So how do I let you in?"

Snape huffed, grumbling something incoherent under his breath. "I will attempt to Floo to your home. The wards will alert you and you can mentally accept or deny me entrance."

"What would you do if I declined?" she teased, leaning back on her haunches.

Snape smirked at her. "I know for a fact that you will not deny me entrance."

"Oh?" she challenged. "Is that a fact?"

He smirked. "In this instance, yes." He paused and added with dramatic flair, "I have your Firewhisky."

Lauren instantly perked up. "Come right in!" she stated brightly, scrambling to her feet.

Snape's eye roll was hard to miss. His distorted green head disappeared from view and a few seconds later Lauren discerned a sharp and insistent mental nudge that was distinctly 'flavoured' as Severus Snape.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, mentally opening the wards and allowing him entrance.

A moment later the black form of Severus Snape stepped out through the fireplace. He withdrew his wand and vanished the soot from his clothes before sheathing his wand once more.

His gaze flickered up and landed on Lauren. With a dramatic eye roll at the expectant look she was shooting him, Snape withdrew the promised bottle of Firewhisky from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Ooh, aren't you a beauty," Lauren cooed as she practically cradled the bottle against her chest.

Snape watched her with blatant disgust and stepped further into the kitchen, pausing at the table. His assessing gaze took in the scribbled notes scattered about, as well as the book Lauren had been reading.

"Interesting choice of book," he remarked.

"I found in the Library. You should see it – it's huge, and there are so many interesting books," Lauren babbled, her eyes growing wider and brighter with her infectious enthusiasm. "I was going to place the book you gave me in there, but I'm half afraid it would get lost amongst it all, never to be seen again."

"You still have the book I gave you?" Snape sounded genuinely surprised at this revelation.

"Of course. It's found a permanent place in the bookshelf in my bedroom. I hope that's alright?"

Snape looked momentarily at a loss for words. Then he turned his attention back to the book. "Why the sudden interest in..." He paused, reading the title, "Magically rare and poisonous snakes?"

Lauren placed the bottle of Firewhisky upon the table and tried to shuffle her notes in an orderly pile. "Let's just say that it's important."

Silence was her only reply and she glanced up to see Snape giving her a shrewd look. But he did not press her for further information, as he had already concluded that this pertained to future events. He gave a slight nod of his head.

"I know we were meant to start training today, but I was hoping you'd be able to take me to Muggle London. I need to do some shopping."

Snape frowned at her request. "Surely you know how to get there from Diagon Alley."

"Yes. But how do I get back? I know I need to tap some bricks on the wall after I pass through the pub, but what then? Which fireplace do I use to Floo back to my house? Do I just walk into any store and ask to use their fireplace?"

Snape's features were now morphing into that of someone whose patience was being sorely tested. "For one who professes to know a lot about our world, you certainly lack the knowledge of the most basic and mundane things."

"Sad, but true," Lauren admitted.

"What is so urgent that you need to go there? Surely you could send Blinky to get what you need, or find it in Diagon Alley."

Lauren glanced over at Blinky and cringed. "I don't think the Muggles will react very nicely to seeing her. And I'm not entirely sure I can get what I need in Diagon Alley."

"And what is it you need?"

Lauren eyed him and decided to be bluntly honest. "Feminine...stuff. And I only know how to use the Muggle variety."

She could see Snape visibly trying to work out in his brilliant mind what she was referring to. The flush that bloomed on his cheeks let her know that he had cottoned on.

"Shall I come back next week then?" he offered, sounding distinctly uncomfortable and unable to meet her eyes.

"Well, I suppose so, but I still need to get certain things very soon. These god awful cramps are a clear indication that my period is just around the corner, so I really do need to get pads. Not to mention some training bras...Going through puberty again is a bitch. And I'll also need to purchase ingredients to brew a pain potion for these blasted cramps."

Snape, his cheeks still flushed, turned on his heel and marched towards the fireplace.

Lauren panicked, fearing he was going to leave and refuse to return for the remainder of the Summer. "Professor Snape, please," she begged.

Snape paused, his back turned towards her, but otherwise remained silent.

"I wouldn't ask if I really didn't need this."

The moment stretched out and Lauren was expecting him to Floo out of there any moment now.

Snape surprised her by reaching into the pocket of his robe and turning to face her, withdrew his hand and handed her a small vial.

Lauren took the proffered vial and held it up to the light, examining the liquid within.

"That should help with the cramps." His voice was a soft murmur.

Lauren glanced up at him to find Snape assessing her with a cool and detached facade.

Unstoppering the vial, she downed the liquid in one go, the cramps vanishing almost instantly.

"I shall take you as far as the pub and I will escort you back when you are done with your...shopping," Snape stated, reverting back to his waspish nature.

Lauren nodded, thankful that he was at least agreeing to take her at all.

"Thank you. Let me just grab my Gringotts key," she said before rushing to retrieve said key.

Less than an hour later found Lauren and Snape in the Leaky Cauldron.

Snape had taught her (with great impatience) the spell to clean one's self off after Floo'ing, Lauren had learned which bricks to tap with her wand to enter and exit Diagon Alley, and after her shopping, he was going to show her which fireplaces she could use to return home.

Her pockets now crammed with Muggle money and her wand safely hidden in the waistband of her jeans, Lauren was ready for her shopping expedition.

"Meet me here in two hours," Snape stated as he glared down his nose at her. It was clear he had no intentions of going on another shopping trip with her. Once was clearly enough for him.

"You obviously don't know about traffic in Muggle London. Three hours," she countered.

His dark eyes narrowed, but he considered her words. "Fine. Three hours. Don't be late."

Lauren nodded and exited the pub, pausing for a moment to orientate herself. Then she was off to go do some much needed shopping.

To say she lost track of time was an understatement, but it was near impossible to do any amount of shopping in London on a Saturday in under three hours.

Lauren, her arms loaded with bags full of clothes, bras, underwear and miscellaneous shit that every female needs (or thinks they need), headed to the shoe department to pick out some much needed footwear.

It was here that she spent a good hour trying on various sneakers and sandals, even stopping to enviously eye the stilettos on display. Alas, there were none in her size.

As she was trying on a pair of red Converse, a dark shadow fell over her hunched form. Lauren glanced up to see Severus Snape glaring down at her with dark eyes that reflected his ire, as well as his annoyance.

"I clearly stated three hours," he growled, causing some of the other shoppers to glance up.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "You clearly haven't been shopping with many females if you think that three hours is sufficient enough time, or that we'll actually stick to the allotted time given," she shot back, lacing up the shoes. "What do you think?" she asked, standing up and pivoting her foot this way and that so that he could get a better look that them.

Snape glanced down, his infamous scowl etched on his face. Then he snapped his attention back to her, his eyes glinting. "You clearly defied my orders."

"No, I simply lost track of time," she muttered, glancing down at her shoes. "Yeah, I like these. I think I'll get them and those sandals, and maybe those white sneakers..."

"Miss Ward, do you have any idea how long it took me to find you?" His tone clearly indicated that his patience level was now depleted.

"Were you worried about me?" Lauren asked, slipping out of the shoes and placing them back in the box before donning her old sneakers once more.

"No."

Lauren hid her smirk and picked up the boxes of her selected shoes. "Okay. Look, I'm really sorry. I did lose track of time, but I'm done now and we can head back just as soon as I pay for these."

Snape huffed. "Fine."

"Will you help me carry my shopping bags, please?"

Snape glanced over to where she was pointedly looking to see a large pile of shopping bags heaped into a corner. Then he slowly turned his head to give her a pointed look. "I thought you said you only needed to get a few things."

Lauren chuckled. "You really haven't been shopping with a woman before, have you?"

Snape grumbled and marched over to the piles of bags and snatched them up while Lauren headed to the register to pay for her items.

As the cashier scanned the items, Snape sidled up beside Lauren, watching the woman's movements with a curiously assessing gaze.

"I suppose you want me to carry those as well," he remarked sarcastically to Lauren.

"If it's not too much trouble," she remarked back, handing the cashier the payment for her purchases. As the lady handed Lauren back her change, she glanced up at Snape and remarked, "Your daughter is just so adorable. You're a very lucky man."

Both Professor and student stood there dumbfounded, and when Lauren came to her senses she had to fight down the giggles that now threatened to bubble up.

She had no idea what possessed her to do it, and maybe she was feeling suicidally mischievous, but Lauren plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face and exclaimed in her best girly voice, "Yes, my Daddy is just the best!"

Snape's head whipped around her direction so fast that Lauren was surprised he hadn't given himself whiplash.

Taking the bag from the cashier, Lauren exited the department store as fast as she could and leaned against the wall for support as hysterical and all-consuming laughter consumed her. Tears of laughter were streaming down her face by the time Snape caught up to her, his face a thunderous mask.

"That was NOT funny," he snapped.

Lauren gasped for air and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You should have seen your face!" she wheezed, doubling over as she gave in to her giggles once more.

Snape growled in annoyance and Lauren held up her hand. "Okay. Okay. It won't happen again. Sheesh. You really need to draw up a list of things I can and cannot do. Clearly calling you Daddy isn't one of them."

Snape's eyes narrowed and he turned abruptly on his heel, marching down the crowded street. The crowd instantly parted like the red sea in the face of the formidable Potions Master and his raging temper.

Knowing he would not wait for her, Lauren scooped up her bags and dashed after him, completely out of breath by the time they reached the pub.

Once inside the pub, Snape miniaturized her bags and pocketed them, completely ignoring her the whole time. Then he marched outside, Lauren catching up just in time to see the bricks in the wall parting. She followed him all the way down Diagon Alley until they reached a wide and long side street that was walled in on either side and formed into a tunnel of sorts. Numerous fireplaces had been erected along each wall, each with flickering green flames burning within.

"Here is the answer to your question," Snape remarked cuttingly.

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a container. Prying the lid off, he then held it out for her. Lauren glanced up at him uncertainly, noting the disdain plainly written on his features as he glared back at her, and she hastily ducked her head, taking a fistful of the Floo powder as she did so.

She flung the powder into the fireplace and stepped in, stating in a clear voice, "Ward manor."

Lauren was deposited back into her kitchen, coughing out a lungful of soot as she stepped out. Blinky was instantly by her side, cleaning her off.

A flash of green flared behind her and Snape stepped out with much more elegance than she had managed.

He reached into his pocket, flung her bags onto the kitchen table and enlarged them.

Then he rounded on her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't ever do that again!"

Lauren gulped and managed a nod. Okay, she had been wrong. Snape could still instill a certain amount of fear within her.

Snape stared at her for several seconds and then abruptly straightened, marching towards the fireplace and leaving in a flash of green without a word of goodbye.

Lauren sagged, a heaviness settling deep within her heart, and she wondered if she would see him again any time soon.

Her gaze landed on the kitchen table where her bags of purchases lay strewn, and frowned when she glimpsed a handful of vials neatly lined up on the wooden surface. She edge closer and realized that Snape had left her some more pain potion.

A regretful sigh escaped her lips and then her eyes landed on the bottle of Firewhisky. Lauren closed the distance in an instant and snatched up the bottle, uncorking it with expert ease. She lifted it to her lips and gulped down a large mouthful.

And promptly spat it out.

Lauren spluttered and coughed, grimacing in disgust.

That's not Firewhisky...that's apple juice!

A note taped to the side of the bottle caught her attention.

There was no mention in the wager about not sabotaging the Firewhisky. Enjoy...S.

Why that sneaky, sly, slithering Slytherin! Lauren grumbled to herself before emptying the contents down the kitchen sink with a resigned sigh. And I was really looking forward to that drink. Time to learn how to brew some moonshine...