𝙁𝘼𝙏𝙀'𝙎 𝘼𝙇𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙈𝙔 (𝙰 𝚂𝙽𝙰𝙿𝙴'𝚂 𝙳𝙰𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈)

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 3

It was seven in the morning by the time Sushila woke up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She got of bed and padded over to the corner of her room, where a calender hung on a nail in the wall.

Yawning, Sushila crossed off the last date and took in the next one, a small smile forming on her lips.

It was her birthday! She was finally eleven!

Being eleven came with a lot of perks. She would get her own wand, she would be a student at Hogwarts, sorted into a house, make friends her age.

Humming to herself, Sushila got ready for the day, before skipping into the living room, where she found Snape sipping his morning coffee, reading the 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵, in his favorite armchair.

"Morning, Dad!" Sushila chirped, giving him a quick hug.

"Morning kiddo," Her father chuckled, keeping the cup aside and patting her back. "Oh, and happy birthday, love."

"Thanks," Sushila grinned, before moving to poke the family owl, who was snoozing on the perch.

She never expected gifts on her birthday, since her father wasn't exactly a gift person, and contented herself with the company of her father instead.

"Sushila," Snape called, sighing as he took in the owl now sitting on Sushila's head. "I think you forgot something."

"What?" She asked, trying to shoo Onyx away.

"This," He smirked, holding up her Hogwarts Acceptance letter.

"My letter!" Sushila squealed, and Onyx flew away with an annoyed hoot.

She took it from Snape's hand and opened it, reading it carefully. "I'll be starting this September. It's so exciting!"

"Eager to leave the nest, are we?" Snape teased, taking a sip of his coffee.

Sushila rolled her eyes. "Being a few corridors away is not leaving the nest, Dad."

"I guess so."

Breakfast was a quiet affair, with the only sounds being the clinking of spoons against the bowls. They never really ate their meals in the Great Hall, because Sushila couldn't be at the staff table, and this way they'd get some time to spend together.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"I wanted to ask, when will we go to Diagon Alley?" Sushila asked, as she finished her cereal.

"Probably tomorrow. It's a Saturday, and I don't have a meeting tomorrow." Snape replied, looking up from his toast.

"Alright. Do you still have a meeting today?"

Her father sighed. "Unfortunately yes. But how about about a game of chess in the evening?"

"Two games," Sushila said with a sweet smile. "And we'll make a potion together."

Snape rolled his eyes playfuly. "Fine. But you won't whine if I win the games."

Sushila stuck her tongue out slightly at him. "We'll see."

As her father left, Sushila couldn't help but wonder why so many meetings were coming up so suddenly. The term break was usually free, but now every teacher had their brows furrowed over something or the other.

"I don't think you should do that, kid," Madam Hooch said Sushila tried to balance on a low-hovering broom.

"I'll be fine," Sushila grinned, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance. "Completely."