Epilogue/Introduction

Eleven years, three months, two weeks and one day after the final battle…

"Tiffany Minerva Snape, come down from the top of that tree this instance young lady!" Hermione Jane Granger-Snape yelled at the top of her lungs as she looked up at the young girl of eleven who was sitting in the upper most branches of the tallest tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The girl gave a start and nearly dropped the journal and quill she had in her hand. She smiled at her mother and quickly tucked the journal and quill inside the book bag that hung on a branch over her head.

Slinging the bag over her head she quickly scurried down the tree and landed gracefully at her mother's feet. Her long black hair hung down to her shoulders like her fathers and her brown eyes shown with mischief just like her mother's had at that age. Her skin was pale as Severus' but her cheeks held the rosy taint that Hermione's had. She had the same complexion and nose as her father and a love for learning like both her parents. She gave her mother her best innocent smile and started toward the small cottage that sat on the far end of the front lawn of Hogwarts beside the gates.

This is where they lived during the holidays. Dumbledore had insisted that Snape get rid of that hideous house he'd been living in during those days and build something a little more homey-felling. The truth was that Dumbledore had already told Harry and Ginny that they could build a home beside Hagrid if they wanted and Ron and Lavender had been given permission to use any part of the surrounding mountains that they wanted. He had wanted the saviors of the school to live close, not to mention that all of them had now became professors at the school where they got their start. But alas it was only Severus and Hermione who had taken up residence here on the Hogwarts grounds. Harry and Ginny were using Grimmauld Place while Ron and Lavender lived in a beautiful little house in the country about a quarter of a mile from Ron's parents. Hermione had known that he wouldn't even be far from his parents. Ron was a family man through and through. And surprisingly so was Severus.

He had taken to fatherhood like a duck to water. Hermione had barely been able to pry baby Tiffany from his arms long enough to feed her. He had wanted to be completely involved in everything that had to do with her. Hermione had been happy to see him so involved, being all the things his father had not been.

"What were you doing up in that tree. I thought your father and I both told you not to climb the trees in the Forbidden Forest, even if they were in the front, ever again. It's not safe." Tiffany sighed and shook her head.

"I swear mum you and dad are the worst worry warts I've ever met in my life." The reply was one that Hermione had heard several times before and one that she hoped she continued to hear. As long as she was complaining about there rules on the tree climbing and everything else then she knew that they were doing something right.

"I'm you mother, it's my job. Now come along Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus will be down for tea in a few moments and Tonks and Remus are bringing Teddy over." Immediately Tiffany brightened and swirled around to look up at her mother.

"Teddy's coming." Hermione placed her hands on her hips and gave her only daughter a firm look. Tiffany would be her and Severus' only child. After an accident a few years after Tiffany's birth when she, Harry and Ron had been out and about skewering the country for dark artifacts she had been told she could have no more children. But that did not stop her from hoping that god would smile upon her and Severus' as he had been through out the years. Hermione knew that Tiffany had a soft spot for the half werewolf half metaphor and both she and Severus' along with Remus and Tonks welcomed the match. The two youngsters seemed to be inseparable and Hermione hoped that someday they would be celebrating the joining of their families. Though she knew that the only real reason for the nearness was that they were both only children and they both loved to get into trouble.

"You are not going into Forbidden Forest and you are not going to traipse around Hogwarts while no one is there to watch you. Do you understand me Tiffany M…?"

"Yeah, yeah, Tiffany Minerva Snape. I really wish you'd just call me Tiff." The young girl said as she walked beside her mother, her book bag clinched in her hands as if she was afraid that she would drop it. She thought about the journal entry she'd just written and how she hoped that the Locking Charm she'd placed upon it would be enough to keep her mother and father both out of it if they found it. She had gotten pretty good at the Disillusion Charms from hanging out with Professor Flitwick ever chance she got. Aunt Minerva had showed her many cool tricks with Transfiguration and Uncle Albus was all the time sneaking her into his office to teach her things like Defensive magic and more advanced stuff that she wasn't supposed to learn for several years. But she had taken an instant liking to the older man and woman who were not really relatives and she knew that even though they said that what they taught her was a secret that they had already cleared it with her parents first.

"I really wish I knew where you got that smart, know-it-all attitude from." Hermione shot back as she held the door open for her daughter who bounced inside and went straight for the clean and pristine living room, muddy shoes and all. Severus sat in there with his socked feet on an ottoman and the Daily Prophet opened between his hands. He looked up and surveyed Hermione over the top of his spectacles. She grinned at him and silently dared him to say anything but he couldn't resist poking her buttons. His hair had started to gray years ago and he was not as swift as he had once been. Hermione had also heard several students, Gryffindor and the like, comment on how well they liked his class and that they couldn't see what their parents had complained about. Whenever someone who had left the school before the war would come back to visit they couldn't believe the change in Snape's appearance and attitude. He was much more approachable and where he had once worn a permanent snarl now he worn a permanent smile.

"She learned that from you my dear, the best in the business I would say." Instantly the Daily Prophet that he had been reading wadded itself up and bounced into the waste basket. He raised an eyebrow at her as she stood in the living room doorway with one arm over her chest while the other was raised at the elbow while she rolled her wand around between her fingers.

"Do you really want to start this? I easily have fifteen more years of experience on you…" He trailed off letting her pick up on his challenge and just as always she did.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure I want to start this but it'll have to wait. Our company will be along shortly. Tiffany," the young girl groaned, "sorry Tiff, go change and get those dirty shoes outside where they belong." She scowled as her daughter jerked off her shoes and with a flick of her wand they walked back through the cottage and out the door to seat beside the others. "You couldn't levitate them out could you?" She called and for a response heard the sound of a slamming bedroom door.

"Leave her be Hermione. She is going through that stage where her parents just don't understand her anymore. They have so many rules and restrictions that it's hard for a girl to be herself and have her own life." Hermione turned and crossed her arms over her chest leveling her gaze with her husbands.

"Read her journal again did you?" Severus pretended shock and pressed his hand to his chest mouthing the word me before a grin appeared on his face. "We agreed we wouldn't do that anymore unless we believed something was really wrong. And then we agreed that both of us would be present when we read it." Severus shrugged and flicked his wand at the waste basket where his newspaper had disappeared to. With another flick the paper straightened itself and he opened it to the page he'd been reading a moment ago.

"Well, I only read a couple of pages. That kid could write a book about her life so far if she wanted to. It was right after Remus and Tonks had brought Teddy over and the two of them had disappeared for more than three hours. I just wanted to see if she had written anything about their little adventure inside. But she just babbled on and on about how unfair her life was." Hermione shook her head and prepared to break some sad news to her beloved but naive husband.

"Honey, she has two journals. One she hides in her room and uses Disillusion and Locking Charms so that if we do find it we can't get into it." Snape looked up at her over the paper again and let his mouth drop open.

"Why that little clever witch. Two journals, who would have ever thought?" Hermione shook her head and chuckled before turning to start the tea.

She had just finished it and was arranging a tray when Albus and Minerva arrived at the front door. The two greeted Hermione with hugs and kisses on the cheeks while Albus gave Snape a manly hug and Minerva kissed his cheek.

"You looked absolutely gorgeous Minerva. You'd better watch out Albus, some younger man will be trying to steal her away from you before you know it." Albus slipped his arm around Minerva's waist and smiled.

"I don't think I have any worries. Now where is my always delightful little niece, we've brought her something back from Egypt?" No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Tiffany came bounding down the stairs and threw her arms around Albus' neck.

"Uncle Albus, I'm so glad your back." She hugged the old man tightly and he returned the gesture before handing her over to Minerva who took her hands and spread her arms out looking her over.

"Why, you must have grown almost a foot while we've been gone. Look at her Albus; doesn't she look just like her mother?" Hermione couldn't resist the urge to laugh at the look on Albus' face.

"Heavens no Minerva, she looks more like her father when he was younger." The older couple then began to argue about which one was right and Tiffany sighed looking up at her mother and then over at her father. Both looked extremely amused at the two but she felt slightly annoyed.

"So did you bring me something back? I thought I heard you say that you did." She interjected and watched as the attention was once again drawn back to her. Both the older adults' frowns melted into a smile as she stared up at them with innocent brown eyes. Albus reached inside his purple robes and pulled out a rather large box. Tiffany took it from him and went over to her favorite armchair across from the fireplace, where she enjoyed reading until the late hours of the night, to open it. She pulled the lid off and found maroon and gold tissue paper inside. It was just like Christmas or her birthday whenever Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus came back from one of their frequent trips to an unknown land, lands that she hoped to visit one day with Teddy by her side like always. She pushed the tissue aside and pulled out a beautiful set of maroon and gold dressing robes.

"They were made in Egypt by a very well known robe maker. She assured us that they would be perfect for our little Gryffindor." Minerva put in with an approving nod but Severus interjected her.

"Well, how can we be so sure that she'll be a Gryffindor? Her mother might have been a Gryffindor in her school years but lets not forget that I, her father, was a Slytherin." Tiffany let out a groan and watched as the usual argument between Aunt Minerva and her father started. Her father was so convinced that she was going to be in Slytherin that he wouldn't accept anyone's opinion otherwise and Aunt Minerva wanted badly for her to be in Gryffindor like her mother. But in all truth she just hoped that she and Teddy were in the same house.

"Tiffany, dear, please tell your father that you want to be in Gryffindor with your Aunt Minerva." The older woman looked at Tiffany who shot a glance toward Uncle Albus who held up his hand in surrender with a smile. He'd long ago figured out that it was no use trying to save her from their constant debate.

"Please tell your Aunt Minerva that you want to be in Slytherin like your father." Tiffany put the dressing robes back inside the box and closed the lid before sitting it beside the fireplace. She put her elbow on the arm of the chair and placed her cheek on her fist. She hated when they argued about what house she'd be in. She hated when they argued about anything to do with her.

"I don't really care what house I'm in, as long as Teddy is there." She said as there was another knock at the door and she immediately jumped up. "I'll get it." She said and took off before anymore could be said.

She hurried to the door and threw it open to see Remus, Tonks and a very disgruntled looking Teddy standing in the doorway. Tiffany thought for a moment that he was angry because his parents had dragged him here but upon further inspection she noticed that he was in a pair of loafers, dark dress pants and a pressed red button up shirt.

"Oh my god. What happened to you?" She asked reaching forward to poke at his stiff collar and heard him give a low growl.

"Mother." He snarled and pushed past her into the small cottage while Tiffany greeted Tonks and Remus.

"Hello Uncle Remus and Aunt Tonks. How are you?" Remus reached down and picked her up balancing her on his hip. It amazed him that he could still do this in his old age but the young girl weight less than nothing even soaking wet.

"We're just fine." Tonks said leaning over to place a kiss on the young girl cheek which she gladly returned before putting a kiss on Remus' cheek as well. "And how are you little one?" Tonks had taken to calling her little one when she'd been far too young to understand what it meant and Tiffany didn't have the heart to tell her not to call her that anymore. It didn't bother her so much when Tonks did it, but when her mother or father did it was just down right out annoying.

"Good, Uncle Albus and Aunt Minerva were arguing over who I looked like more, my mum or dad. And I believe," she started hearing the sounds of Minerva and Severus' voice from the sitting room, "that dad and Aunt Minerva are still arguing about what house I'm going to be in." Remus gave the young girl a sympathetic look and Tonks gave her hair a quick ruffle. Tiffany reached up to straighten it as Remus carried her toward the sitting room.

"Remus John Lupin, you put her down. She's not a baby, she can walk. You'll hurt yourself." Hermione told him as they entered to room to find Teddy had taken up residence in Tiffany's armchair which was big enough for both of them. Hermione was trying to serve tea to the arguing Severus and Minerva while Albus sipped his tea and looked rather amused.

"Told ya so." Tiffany said jumping down from Remus' grasp and scurrying toward the sulking Teddy. He scooted over and made room for her and she quickly reached over and hugged him. He returned the hug and when they pulled back they were both smiling.

"So, did you go into the Forest today?" He asked in a whisper so that the adults in the room wouldn't hear. She nodded and leaned closer to him to tell him about what she'd found.

"Remember that big spider that Harry was telling us about when he came to visit last time." She watched as Teddy nodded. "I thought it was a scare tactic to keep us from going in there but its not. It's real. The one named Aragog died about twelve years ago according to Hagrid, who was really excited to share this information as you well know. He told me that there were others that lived in the Forest so I went in early this morning to take a look, right after the rain had stopped. They're about a mile and a half in. Hagrid must have told them to expect people coming around because they just went on about their business. And the best part is that they can talk. The one that's the king or whatever now actually invited me to come back in the morning and talk to him some more. He told me about how he chased Harry and Ron out of the Forest when they were in their second year." Teddy laughed a little too loudly and drew the attention of the adults in the room.

"What are you two up to?" Hermione asked as she and Tonks sat side by side on one of the several couches that had become a necessary addition over the years. There was always someone coming around, whether it was Harry Potter, another person that Tiffany got the privilege of calling Uncle, who told great stories about a darker time in the Wizarding world or the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley, whom was a bit of a cracked pot if you asked Tiffany. Tiffany and Teddy both looked at their mothers and gave them identical innocent smiles. The two older women did not by it.

"Nothing." They coursed and then Tiffany jumped up and grabbed Teddy by the hand leading him toward the stairs that lead to the upper floor and the privacy of her bedroom. Before they had reached the second step however her mother called them back.

"Where are you going?" She asked coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs with Tonks right behind her. The two looked up at their mischievous children and couldn't help but feel a small ping of pride as the two looked at each other and tried to think of a reasonable excuse for leaving the room.

"Well, um, I was going to show Teddy the, um, new…owl daddy bought me." With that the two disappeared up the stairs and Tonks and Hermione heard the bedroom door slam shut. They looked at each other for a moment and both started to laugh.

"Did Severus really buy her a new owl?" Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, he did. A couple of days ago, even though we'll all be in the castle together she still wanted an owl. So of course, if she wanted the Severus went and bought it for her. And that's not the worst of it. Tiffany actually named it Narcissa, can you believe that?" Tonks shook her head and together they reentered the sitting room where Minerva and Severus' were still arguing about houses and their importance while Dumbledore and Remus were discussing plans for the coming school year.

"No business talk at tea boys." Hermione said sitting down on the couch closest to Severus while Tonks went to seat with Remus on an oversized armchair. The two older men looked up and Remus pointed at Minerva and Severus who were still arguing.

"Those two are…"

"Are acting like two year olds, yes." Immediately Severus turned too scowled at her and she shot him a look. "Don't give me that look. That look is reserved for problem students."

"You always were a problem student." He shot back and the others in the room smiled and sipped at their tea in silence. Hermione grinned and shrugged taking a sip of her tea before responding.

"You were always a difficult professor." She responded and watched as the scowl on his face melted into a smile. The whole room roared with laughter.

"I can't believe that you went into the Forest alone." Teddy said with a huge grin. He flopped down on Tiffany's bed and pulled his red dress shirt over his head. Beneath he wore a white t-shirt that clung to his body. Tiffany turned away and reached up to let the coal black owl out of its cage.

"This is Narcissa." She said as the owl fluttered around the room and came to land on her shoulder. She turned back to see Teddy toeing off his loafers and chuckled. "What's with the get-up anyways?" She asked sitting down on the bed as he laid back, propping himself up against the headboard. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before explaining.

"Mum and Dad had to go to the Ministry this morning and meet with Mr Weasley about me going to Hogwarts. The whole, his half werewolf thing. She made me dress like a complete dunderhead." He began to scowl at the wall and Tiffany laughed before reaching up and moving Narcissa from her shoulder. She gently placed the owl on the widow seal and watched as it flew off into the cool evening air. Her father and mother had been drinking their evening tea in the sitting room when she'd came bounding down the stairs to tell them that she'd named her owl. Both had spat their tea out and stared at her as if she were crazy.

"Sweetheart, you do realize that, that's the name of a former Death Eater?" Her father asked her looking rather like he might start to yell at any moment. Her mothers face was extremely pale and she was fanning herself with her hand. Tiffany looked from one to the other and shrugged.

"It was the first name that came to my mind. And it fits. She likes it." She had defended her choice of a name. "Besides, what's in a name, that which we call a rose would smell just as sweet?" She quoted and watched as some color came back into her mothers cheeks as she grinned a little.

"I'm not changing it." She had said before turning and with the owl following had retreated to her bedroom to sulk.

No more had been said about the name of her owl since that evening and she was glad.

"You won't hurt anyone. I've been around you loads of times when the full moon is out." He shrugged and picked up the book that was lying on the bedside table. Like her Teddy had a passion for reading and learning. He loved to discover new things and explore the unknown, just as she. More times than not they had found themselves in trouble with the adults for this.

"So how is old Filch anyways?" He asked with a smile. Tiffany returned the smile and gave a little giggle.

"Mum says he's doing just fine but we're not allowed to go back up to the castle anymore without Uncle Albus or Aunt Minerva being with us. You'd have figured they would have gotten rid of Fluffy after the Sorcerer's Stone was gone. I mean what's the use in having him around." Teddy nodded and opened the book beginning to flip through it, stopping at random pages and reading only the things of interest.

"Yeah, no kidding." He said but other than that remained quite. Tiffany crawled up the bed and lend back against the headboard with Teddy reading the book over his shoulder. He moved over a little bit so that she see better and so that the space between them was minimal.

Teddy had always liked Tiffany. She was different for all the other girls he'd meet in his young life and by far the coolest. She was into adventure and fun and just was generally fun to talk to. Her parents had traveled places and taken her with them. She'd been to places that he'd only dreamed of but the exposure to the culture had been minimal because she had been so young. She'd vowed she would revisit the places from her past and that she would take him with her.

Their parents had always liked it that they got along so well. He had even heard his mother telling Hermione that she hoped one day they would get married. But she was his best-mate and a man couldn't marry his best-mate could he. He looked over at Tiffany as her eyes raced across the page he was pretending to read. She was pretty with her long black hair and her pale skin. She had more of her father in her than her mother but he could see that she had inherited her mother's strength and courage. He knew that he'd be a Gryffindor, there was no doubt about it and with her talents and brains she was a shoe in. But he feared being placed in different house, feared what it would do to their friendship. Tiffany moved over a little and without a thought it seemed placed her head on his shoulder. He was slightly troubled by the fact that he felt the incredible urge to put his arm around her and hug her close.

She's your best-mate, mate, not your girlfriend. Take it easy. He knew that she was just an affectionate person but not many of the girls he met were affection toward him long after they found about his problem. Sure he'd never hurt anyone and was actually very tame for a young werewolf but there was still that chance and every time a full moon came around Tiffany was always right there at his side. She had watched him change numerous times and watched as he changed back as well. He knew that at first it had been a shock, she'd known about it but she'd never experienced it and when she had it had fascinated her. He remembered the light in her eyes as she stepped toward him when he'd been changing back. He remembered her reaching out and stroking the shinny black fur as it disappeared. He remembered everything about her.

Looking up from her at the book he flipped the page and without thinking more about it wrapped his arm around her and began to read again. She looked up at him and smiled, her prefect white teeth showing and he couldn't help but smile back. She was so…pretty.

"Next full moons in two days right?" He nodded and watched as the usual fire danced in her eyes. "Do you think they'll let me watch again?" He nodded and watched as she did her best to control her enthusiasm. No matter how many times she saw it she never tired of it. And he didn't mind the company all that much either. His father's transformations had always been more painful and dangerous than his own because he'd been bitten where as Teddy had been born with it. That primal hunger was encoded on his DNA and was part of who he was. He'd had to learn to control the animal inside early on.

"Sure, I don't see why not." He thought about not finishing his thought but knew he couldn't pass up a chance to tease her. "I think that our parents believe you have an obsession with danger or my transformations." Tiffany reached behind her and grabbed one of the thousands of pillows and smacked him with it. He quickly put down the book and reached to pick up one to defend himself. Before he knew it they were in a full blown pillow fight and duck feathers were floating through the air and covering every available surface.

With one well placed hit he knocked Tiffany backward and off the bed. She squealed and hit the floor giggling. He moved to the edge of the bed, still on his knees and looked down at her. She had fallen into the small space between the wall and the floor. Her feet were sticking up in the air and just luckily today she'd opted for blue jeans and a tank.

There was the sound of movement out in the hallway moments before the door burst open and in strode his parents, Tiffany's and Aunt Minerva and Uncle Albus. They took one look at the room and the two guilty looking kids and laughed. Hermione pulled out her wand and without a sound cleaned the feathers up and re-stuffed the pillows while Teddy reached down and helped Tiffany out of the tight spot between bed and wall.

"He did it." Tiffany said upon getting out of the space and pointed her finger at Teddy. He looked at her and let his mouth drop open.

"No, you're the one who hit me with the pillow." He shot back and moved back to sit up by the headboard while Tiffany moved down toward the foot of the bed to stand up.

"You said I was obsessed with your transformations." She heard her father whisper something and the group of adults snicker. She turned on her heels and looked at them, her hands going immediately to the gentle flare of her hips.

"I am not obsessed with Teddy's transformations. Their just…neat." She reasoned and watched as her mother and father both shook their heads while Aunt Minerva, Uncle Albus, Tonks and Remus smiled and nodded their heads. It was Remus as usual who asked the question that she waited on once a month.

"Yeah, well, I assume you want to come over for the night on Friday." Tiffany acted as if she was considering it and heard Teddy snort from the bed.

"Of course she does." He said and she turned back to him giving a smile.

"Always." She said, her eyes still on the young man lounging on her bed. She heard the adults leave the room and practically ran back over to the bed and bounced back up into her spot beside him. She rested her head on his chest again and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I'm glad we're best-mates Teddy." She told him as he reached for the book that had found its way back over to the nightstand. He looked down at her, his hand still reaching for the book and found her with her eyes closed and her arms squeezing him a little bit tighter.

"Me too Tiff." He replied but couldn't help wondering if he was glad they were just best-mates. He opened the book again and quickly found the page they'd stopped reading on before wrapping his arm around her again and holding her close to his side.

Tiffany was different from every girl he'd ever met. And he knew without a doubt that he would never find another girl who would understand him the way she did. Was it possible to find love at the age of twelve and a half? Or did you have to wait like his parents did, until there was a war going on? He looked back down at Tiffany who was smiling and reading the book that he held. He had to surpass a sigh and force himself to look back at the pages of text. Yeah, life was complicated, way too complicated.

THE BEGINNING!!!