The Potions Master's Daughter

Mending What Was Broken

A few minutes later, a woman stepped out of the office on the other side. "Oh, Minerva! How lovely to see you. What is it I can do for you?" The woman was moving much too slow for Minerva's taste.

"Poppy, Severus has hurt Sadie rather badly, and we need your assistance!" Minerva explained urgently. Poppy gave a barely audible sigh, not unnoticed by Minerva who was fussing over a protesting yet pale Sadie.

"Never do come around for a social chat anymore, do you, Min? Best friends to deputy headmistress and healer. Only when you need something, you come around, not that I'm protesting. Your daughter is hurt, but still. It'd be nice for you to show up here once and awhile just to catch up," Poppy muttered. Minerva looked up.

"What was that, Poppy?" She appeared not to have heard, much to Poppy's relief, but in reality, she had heard every bit of it and felt extremely guilty about all of it. It was true. The majority of her free time in the last few years was spent with Sadie. The other was spent grading and correcting papers.

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself about what I need to help young Sadie," Poppy lied. She smiled warmly at the girl. "Haven't seen you in a good while. The only child to be born in this Hospital Wing, I'm proud to say. Means students aren't getting any ideas." She knew Minerva well enough that she was certain the transfigurations professor would correct her. She was, however, surprised when the ten year old girl answered instead.

Minerva and Sadie exchanged a look. "On the contrary, Aunt Poppy, it might just be that they used protection or were on Birth Control potions. Or perhaps they went to Saint Mungo's instead," Sadie corrected. Poppy smirked at Minerva.

"Been teaching her that stuff already, have we, Minnie? My, my. Never would have thought you'd be one to-" A cool blush rose on Minerva's face, just light enough that anyone who didn't know her wouldn't be able to detect it.

"I'd rather not have my daughter become pregnant at age eleven due to some perverted boy who thinks it fun to have a one night stand with random girls, thank you very much. Now, back to the current issue at hand," she interrupted, a smile creeping up on the corners of her lips. Poppy laughed as she gathered a wet cloth and some pain potions and brought them back to Sadie's bedside. She gently placed the cloth on the girl's forehead.

"So, tell me. What happened with Severus? Did he lose his temper when he found out it was his own child you had been raising all these years? Was he trying to punish you and her?"

Sadie shook her head. "No, no. It was nothing of that sort. He just kind of grabbed me a little too hard when trying to bring me to Mum. He didn't know I was his real daughter and Mum's adopted daughter, and tried to turn me in for trespassing on private property."

Minerva nodded. "She passed out right as they got to my door. Pale as snow, she was. Imagine the look on Severus's face when he found out it was his own daughter he had caused misery to. Not only his own, but Lily's as well. Merlin knows what Lily would do to him if she were still alive. Bless her soul."

Unbeknownst to them, Severus was standing outside the door, trying to muster up enough courage to go in there and apologize to his daughter. He knew if he was caught eavesdropping, Minerva would have even more reason to murder him. Hearing them say it made it all the more real. They were right. Lily would be extremely furious at him for manhandling their daughter that way. To be honest, Lily would be furious if he handled anyone that way, which he had.

He just couldn't do it. He couldn't face the girl. Only once she had woken up had he noticed her eyes. Perhaps, if he hadn't been so blinded by anger in the corridor, he would have recognized them then.

Unlike the rest of her body, her eyes were not inherited from her father. As soon as she woke up, Severus saw her eyes. They were the eyes he had gazed into so many times when he was at school. They were the eyes that were so beautiful, even when angry. They were the eyes that Severus loved.