Emilla Potter

Christmas Grounded

...Despite its apparent simplicity, the Wand-Lighting Charm was not invented until the 18th century. It was first used publicly by Levina Monkstanley, its inventor, in the Ministry of Magic in 1772 — to the astonishment of her colleagues — to help her look for a fallen quill in a dusty corner.
The little witch was reading her textbook lying on her bed. On the desk there were papers, quills and even a few puddles of ink next to it's bottle which seemingly fell over. The desk was not the only messy thing in the room. Books where put everywhere randomly. On the chair, on the window sill (inside the room), on a pile of unfolded clothes under, around, and on the bed. Emilla Potter was eating a piece of chocolate while she was reading the chapter from The History of Magic.
- Thank you Bathilda Bagshot - she sarcasticly murmured to the book. - Thanks to you, I can't go out today! - she said closing the book but still left a finger at the page she was reading.
- Emilla! - Severus shouted from downstairs.
- What?! - she shouted back and opened the book again. She wouldn't even move her pinkie, nothing can get her to help him in anything. He still shouted two times, then Mila heard him coming up the stairs. The seventh and the eighteenth stair creacked louder then the other twenty-one.
Snape didn't even knock this time. He just swinged the door open and let himself in. He looked around slowly, as if he was adjusting the scenery in front of his eyes. Emilla turned to sit up and see him and she almost laughed. There was he standing with his "home-dad-style-serious" way. The hands-on-hips seriousness. He put up one hand and pointed around.
- What is this?
- A room? - Mila acted questioningly as if the question was already stupid. - Or you were pointing more upwards which means it is a ceiling.
Snape just waited a few seconds. His eyebrows were way above their normal state. Then he smirked for a second and went back to being serious.
- Alright - he said - I won't bother you. - He walked towards the door. Mila looked after him confused. As the door closed she looked around.
....sure.... I wouldn't be in trouble if the room wasn't looking like this... - she thought annoyed.
- I won't do a thing! - she angrily lied down on his bed. Then opened the Bagshot book and continued the chapter on Lumos.
...However, Garvin Lügner (a German wizard) claimed to have been the one who invented the spell, while he was developing his Instant Darkness Powder. It later transpired that Lügner had been lying about the invention of the charm and that his Instant Darkness Powder did not do too much more than slightly dim the lights.[2]
- Well, that's disappointing - the girl ate another piece of chocolate. Then she wrote down a few things from the book.
- Gar...vin - she murmured as she wrote the name - Lügner. German. - She looked at the door. There was no sign of anybody. Thats weird...
Snape acted strangely about the room being a mess or about her being a totally annoying jerk. When he got upset with her backtalking he walked out then came back with an idea of punishment. Last time she got "no sweets" for a week after talking back to him. Now she saw her eating chocolate in bed while she didn't even try to get the room to look better.
- ... no. Oh no. - she whispered - I am officially doomed...
Most likely Snape was going to end the grounding. And she didn't realize it! That's awful. Maybe if she cleans up? Noo... Then he gets what he wants. But... then she could meet with the guys from the orphanage! That wpuld be awesome! Emilla sighed, rolled her eyes and got off of the bed. Clothes got on the bed from the floor, from the chair and from everywhere else. Books got back to the shelf, her homeworks got into the drawers of the desk. The ink-puddle was a problem, but she can call for a sponge later. As she thought about this she let out another sigh.

The hours walked past him quietly as his adopted daughter wasn't even saying anything loudly through the day. He was reading in his chair next to the fireplace. The fire warmed up the room not just with it's heat but with it's light too. A pinetree was standing on the other corner further from the fire. It was waiting to get decorated. It was the twenty-fourth of December and Emilla wasn't even trying to get out of her room. After she got home she acted like nothing happened, but she was just a tiny bit more nervous then she should have been. He would never tell it to her but her nervousness was the only thing that reminded him of her gotten week of grounding. He wanted to ask her to come and bake and decorate, he truly did... But if she doesn't want to... that's her problem. He shook his head with a smile, then turned a page in the book.
He used to read dramas very long ago. After that he became someone he never really wanted to be, he stopped reading them but in the last few years he started it again. He was hoping he wouldn't have to be that person again, but there was a chance. Dumbledore said a few thing and had a few theories. He heard a loud thump which had him sit up in shock pulling him back from his dark thoughts of the future. He put down the copy of Gorbuduc on the armchair and quickly went upstairs. He opened the door and saw Emilla sitting on the floor next to the bookshelf. Around her she had a few books, next to her the chair was fallen over. The girl had a hurt grimace on her face. He helped her sit on the bed, stood up the chair and picked up the bo9oks to put them in the window. Then he sat down on the chair facing his daughter sitting on the bedside.
- What happened? - he asked.
- I think it's obvious... - she was still huffy.
- No it isn't. - he smiled - I meant the clean-up thing. Your clothes are folded in the closet, the papers are in the drawers the inkbottle is stood up, you didn't ask for a sponge for the puddle, but everything else is where it should be - he showed around the room - Except a few books - he pointed behind him. Mila didn't even look at him a this point. As he looked at her he saw the girl huggig one of her leg. He just made a tsk sound to get her attention and asked her to show her leg with his hand. It had a little scar which was bleeding a bit and it was a little red around it. He pointed at it and healed in in a second. Then he put her leg on the bed straighten it out. As Emilla wanted to move the man stopped her.
- You stay like this for three minutes! Got it?
Milla nodded silently. He placed the books back to the shelf and with some magic he cleaned up the ink-puddle. He walked downstairs and made two cups of hot chocolate. When he got back to Emilla the girl was reading in the bed with one straight leg.
- Did you stand up for a book?
- Nnnope.
- Then where did it come from?
- It was under my pillow - she closed the book and looked at him. He knew she was telling the truth. He gave her a mug and sat down on the end of the bed.  They drank and sat silently. Severus was watching her face with close attention.
- What? - she asked after a while.
- I'm trying to see into your thoughts.
- Why?
- 'Cause I see that something is wrong.
She looked down at her knees. He knew she didn't want to talk about it but...
- If you keep it down, it can get you sick - he said. He was talking from his own experiences.
Emilla put down her mug and changed her sitting position to crossed-legged. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she did light-blue smokish light appeared around her. It got bigger and bigger in the middle of the room. Soon it became colorful but incredibly bright. Lily was humming in the kitchen. Harry was sitting in the high chair. He was playing with his spoon. James came into the kitchen and walked behind Lily. He started to sing with her and they danced as Lily laughed. James was spinning Lily around then picked up the little Emilla and danced with her around the kitchen. Harry laughed and the spoon fell to the floor. All of the bright people, the cozy kitchen slowly faded away. Their laugh's stayed for one more moment. On the bed Emilla was sniffing as silent as she could. Snape had tears in his eyes and he felt a heavy stone in his stomach. He sat next to the girl and hugged her tightly. Mila started to cry out loud. Her tears flowed as if they were never going to run out.
After minutes when she finally calmed down Snape stood up and pulled her hand with him. They walked out of the room and he took her to the bathroom.
- You go and wash your face - he said - Then change and come to the kitchen.
- GINGERBREAD HOUSEEEE!!! - Emilla shouted and spin excitedly.
An hour and a half later the two of them were in the kitchen covered in flour. The gingerbread houses pieces and the biscuits were already in the oven and Severus Snape started a war when he picked up a handful of flour and poured it all over the little girls hair. There was no turning back. Snape's always black clothes were paling out, his hair looked grey rather then black and he was smiling from ear to ear. Evelynn was screaming and running towards the living room. Severus got one more handful of the flour in his hands and throw it after her, then ran after the girl. He picked her up and playfully throw her into the armchair. She laughed, screamed then started to tickle the man, but - not so surprisingly - Severus Snape wasn't ticklish. Snape looked away and looked back at her with questioning eyes. She stopped the tickling and trew something in the air. The blue sparks became people again. They sang and danced and Emilla danced with them.
- Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me
Don't stand, don't stand so
Don't stand so close to me - the three man sang it.
- Sing up Padfoot! - James shouted.
Sirius, danced on a table James and Remus were dancing next to the two sides of it. They were dancing a whole choreography together. Sirius sang the solo, James and Remus were the vocalist.
Emilla joined the memories to sing with them.
- Don't stand, don't stand so
  close to me
Snape sat on the armchair's left arm and shook his head with the rhyme. Not much later the song ended, the memories faded away and Emilla stood alone in the middle of the living room. Snape clapped as his daughter dramatically bowed.
- That was amazing, Miss! - he acted as an interviewer - But I'm afraid we'll have to go back to the kitchen if we don't want to eat burnt gingerbread.
- The kitchen it is! - she shouted and pointed with her whole arm to the door. Snape picked her up and fling over his shoulder. - PUT ME DOWN!
- Alright, I will. - he said - In the kitchen.
- Heyy! That's not fair! - she acted hussy but smiled.
The two made even a bigger mess with decorating the gingerbread figures. After that and the tree decorating both of them slept in under a few minutes. The christmas eve ended beautifully.