The Potions Master's Daughter

"Who is she?"

A few hours later, Sadie was standing in Hagrid's garden, tending to some plants. Hagrid had gone inside his hut to grab some flesh-eating slug repellent. They were destroying the cabbages. Sadie stayed far away from them, instead taking care of some flowers. She had already put the daily plant food around them. She picked up the massive water bucket and carefully poured water onto each flower. Just as she put the water bucket down after watering the last flower, Hagrid came back out.

"Sadie, yer mum's bin lookin' for yeh. I'd reckon yeh'd ought ter go ter her," he announced, carrying the flesh-eating slug repellant towards the cabbages. She thanked him and headed towards the castle. She was heading down a hallway when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You're too young to be a student. Explain to me exactly why you are here." Sadie whipped around to see Severus glowering down at her. He was not happy, having just been informed by the headmaster after Minerva's approval that he had a daughter. In her moment of fear, she forgot everything she had put together the day before about him.

"I-I, well, you see-" Sadie stuttered. Severus didn't let her finish. He grabbed her left arm rather roughly and pulled her along with him. She almost screamed. She forced her hair to stay down, though. It felt like her arm was being pulled off of her body.

"You're coming with me." He dragged her up towards her mother's office. He knocked on the door. "Minerva," he yelled. Sadie wriggled, trying to get out of his grasp. He glared at her, tightening his grip an unnecessary amount. "Stop squirming, you insolent brat. Minerva!" Minerva finally opened the door.

"Severus, would you please-" She stopped short, frozen in shock at her daughter's face becoming very pale from pain. Severus's knuckles were white from squeezing so hard.

"I found this brat strutting about the castle. She's too young to be a student. Albus just left for the ministry so I figured you'd be the one to bring her to." He threw the girl a look. She looked up at Minerva, her eyes begging for help.

There was a loud crack, and Sadie's arm bent into a weird angle. Her hair finally shot straight up. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted from pain. Her hair fell into her pale face. Minerva shook herself out of her shock and quickly removed Severus's hand on her daughter. Sadie collapsed on the floor. Minerva kneeled down to look at her.

"What are you doing?" She was practically yelling, but not at Sadie. She glared up at Severus. Severus's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. "Could you not tell she was about to pass out, you blithering idiot?" She knelt back down and picked the girl up. Severus followed her inside.

She took the girl to the bedrooms, still set up. The walls were lined from little drawings of Minerva, slowly increasing in talent. Severus began to wonder if the girl drew them. The most decent one was from right before Sadie's fifth birthday before she started staying with Rosmerta.

It had taken Minerva two years to finally work up the nerve to stay in the cottage she and Elphinstone had once lived in, but she eventually managed. Sadie snuggled close to Minerva. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Who is she? Answer me now, Minerva," he demanded. Minerva glared at him, setting Sadie down on the bed and siting next to her and taking her hand. To Severus's surprise, she started stroking the girl's hair.

"This is Sadie." Minerva didn't even look up at him. She was so angry.

"Is she yours, the girl? Is she your daughter?" Suddenly, Severus became very fearful that Minerva was about to murder him. Tears welled up in Minerva's eyes, and one sneaky one escaped as she kissed the girl right below her hairline. Then she looked up at Severus.

"Yes. She's adopted," she spat. Severus's eyes widened, much to Minerva's satisfaction. She then had a thought to get back at him. She knew what Albus had just discussed with him. She lightly squeezed Sadie's hand. "Actually, Severus, she's your daughter, the one you never knew about." She loved the way Severus's eyes stared at her, horrified at what he had done.