The Encounter

A/N: Here we are! Here is Alice and her first encounter with her real father, Severus Snape. Thanks to karelia and Beth for sticking with me and the encouraging words. Please review! I want to know your thoughts on Snape meeting his daughter for the first time! :)

***

Life for the Longbottoms had been charmed. Alice Hermione was the most adorable child, and she was an absolute joy to everyone who knew her. Neville worked hard for a couple of years and then earned his position at Hogwarts under Madam Sprout. He brought his four-year-old daughter and his wife to live with him, and in no time at all, she was the darling of Gryffindor House.

Alice was a precocious child, and being the pet of so many made her cheekier than a four-year-old had a right to be. She was a willowy thing, petite, with dark, wavy hair. She was also fair skinned and had the most darling pink cheeks that when she smiled, showed a slight dimple on her lower left cheek. Her eyes were so dark they were nearly black, but when caught in the right light, people could notice the soft, dark chocolate color in them.

***

A week after the Longbottoms moved into the castle, Alice was outside, playing and enjoying the spring air after a good night's rain to fashion mud pies for her afternoon tea with her dolly. She sat in the mud pile in one of her old, worn play dresses that her mummy didn't care if it got dirty and was happily patting away to her heart's content.

Soon, a dark figure loomed behind her, blocking out the sun. She turned around to see who the intruder was and looked up at an angry man with black hair and eyes, wearing all black robes.

"What do you think you are doing, young lady?"

"I'm not a young laa-dee," she said, drawing out the word. "I'm Alice Hermione!"

The dark man folded his arms and responded coldly, "Your father is Mr. Longbottom, correct?"

The little girl furrowed her eyebrows and, without a word, turned her back to him and went back to her work.

"I am speaking to you, Miss Longbottom." His voice was soft and controlled. "Didn't your mother have the common sense to teach you manners?"

Alice stood up and faced him. "Don't you say anythin' 'bout my mummy!" she yelled. "And I don't like you! You're rude!" Then she took one of her mud pies and threw it at the front of his robes.

"You little hellion," he seethed. "You get out of here this minute, and go to your father." He took out a handkerchief and wiped the mud off of him. As he cleaned himself, he muttered aloud, forgetting the child hadn't moved a bit. "Stupid boy, first he gets that Lovegood girl up the duff, and now look at the result!" He looked up to see her still there, looking defiantly at him. He glared at her. She set her face in a terrible scowl and firmly placed her balled-up hands on her waist.

"Look at the state of your dress; it is disgraceful!" he snapped at her. "Tell me, what kind of loving parent allows their child to wander about looking like common gutter trash?"

Alice stomped her foot on the ground. "I'm not scared of you!" she shouted at him. "And my mummy loves me, even if I do get my dresses dirty."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "You'll be a Gryffindor for sure," he sneered. "What sort of little girl are you? You have the temper of raging hippogriff!"

Alice stood her ground against the looming wizard. "You're a mean ole man! There's nuthin' wrong with my dress, and I don't have a temper!" she snapped back at him as she stomped her little foot. She then reached down for another mud pie and was stopped in her tracks as her mud pie flew out of her hand and smashed on the ground with a flick of the wizard's wand.

"Don't even think about throwing mud again on me, Miss Longbottom. You happen to be playing in front of my private entrance into the dungeons, and I am far too busy to deal with little spoiled brats who can't maintain their manners or check their tempers!"

Alice, still scowling, said, "You're an old bully, and I hate you!" She dissolved into a puddle of tears and ran off to find her daddy. He would make it better. That mean old man would get it once her daddy heard the things he said.

She ambled into one of the greenhouses where her daddy was working and tugged on his robe. "Daddy," she said.

Neville looked down. "There's my princess! My, my, what have you been up to?" he asked as he looked at her muddy dress, hands and face.

"Am I a brat?" she asked.

Neville stooped down. "No, darling," he replied as he wiped the tear streaks that had been smeared with mud from her face. "You are my sweet girl."

"There was a mean man who yelled at me and said my dress was ugly. And he said I don't have manners." Her lower lip quivered as she spoke, and large tears were filling up in her eyes.

Neville closed his eyes and sighed. "What else did he say?"

"He don't like us. He said I look like trash. It was rude!" She furrowed her brow and continued, "I don't like it. He said mean things 'bout mummy and you. So I throw'd my mud pie at him."

Neville figured his face had to be ghostly white. My Lord, she has her mother and her father's temper. Now she's gone and really done it!

"Alice Hermione," he began sternly, "you were rude and disrespectful to Professor Snape. That is his name...Professor Snape. You and I will have a talk about this later, and then you will apologize to him at dinner for being rude."

"But he was rude!" she shouted in anger.

Neville held up his hand to silence her. "I will have a talk with him too, but I want you to stay away from him from now on, do you hear?"

"Yes, Daddy," she mumbled.

***

"Professor Snape?" called out Neville as he reached the Potions classroom.

Snape came out of his storeroom, looking viciously angry. "Longbottom!" he snarled. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep your offspring out of trouble and away from my property."

Neville sighed. "What did she do? Break your wards and steal into your stores?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Snape sneered as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Your daughter was playing in the mud, directly in front of my personal entrance into the dungeons. She looked like an urchin...a homeless beggar! Is that the best you can do for your family? Or is she mentally stunted? I know I had always believed you to be."

"Look, Snape," Neville replied as he stood up to him. "Insult me all you want. I know you don't respect me. But Alice is only a little girl. You leave her be. I've already told her to stay away from you, but she will come round to apologize for her behavior at dinner."

Neville turned to walk away, and Snape said, "You would do better to keep your eye on that temper of hers, Longbottom. She must take after her grandmother."

Neville smiled as he turned around, his wand hand at the ready. "Oh, yes. I still have never gotten that picture out of my head of you dressed as her when I was a third year," he said wistfully.

He walked away as the older wizard began to rage in front of him. Finally, he had his revenge on the professor for seven years of torment.

***

Luna sat at her vanity, brushing out her hair, laughing raucously.

"I really don't see the humor in this, Luna!" he chided.

"Oh, Neville," she said sweetly. "It is funny. Ever since she first showed us her little personality, she has always had a temper. She's just giving back to the professor what he gave her from his own genetic pool!"

"Do you think he will ever suspect?" he whispered as he pulled a chair close to her.

Luna shrugged. "I can't say, darling," she replied. "All I do know is that one day it will come out. Secrets like these never can remain forever. I just pray that it won't be anytime soon."

"Well, she is apologizing. I made that quite clear to her," he said firmly.

"Certainly, Neville," she said dreamily as she stood up. "Let's wake up Alice and go to dinner."

***

Professor Snape sat at the head table and spied on the Longbottom family. They were a decidedly happy family. However, something nagged him about their daughter. As he looked at the complexions of her parents, he couldn't help but think she seemed out of place. Her hair was too dark. Moreover, there was something familiar about her face. Something was amiss, yet he couldn't place his finger on it.

In due course, the girl and her parents came over to have Alice apologize. She stood in front of him, her huge dark eyes looking up at him imploringly. "I'm sorry we lost our tempers," she whispered.

A Gryffindor? he thought. That was a Slytherin move if ever I've seen one.

He raised his eyebrow as he sat facing the little girl. "I did not lose my temper, Miss Longbottom," he said, keeping the tenor of his voice smooth as satin, "however, I will admit to being unkind. It happens to be a part of my nature. I shall overlook the soiling of my clothes if you will promise to control your tongue." He gave her a smirk, waiting to see what she would do next.

The girl gave him a warm smile, showing off a dimple on her left cheek. He looked carefully into her face. She then threw her arms around his neck. "I promise I'll be good," she whispered into his ear.

He grunted in reply and endured the unabashed attentions of a four-year-old as she kissed his cheek. He looked up at her beaming parents and saw the most curious thing. Neither of her parents had dimples.

Snape was shocked. She couldn't possibly be their child. But why? Why would these young people place themselves directly into the line of the gossips' fire proclaiming a hasty wedding due to the bride being pregnant, especially such a well-respected wizard as Longbottom? He decided to continue to observe the girl and figure out the mystery of her true parentage.