Good News (Draco)

[Scarlette Snape]

"Hang on, look at this." She said, as she opened a letter dated a few months before her birth. She set it inbetween her and Draco so they could read it at the same time.

Severus,

I know we went our separate ways after Hogwarts, but I still consider you my best friend. You're the only one I trust, and the only man I ever loved. Sev, I miss your friendship, but I know it's useless to say so now...so many years later. However I have to tell someone what happened.

Well for starters, I'm p...

The rest of the letter was ruined. Ink of a different color had been spilled on top of it. Ari sighed. "Well for starters, I'm p? Pregnant? Pleased to say...?" She groaned. "He should've just told me. I should've asked." She set the letter aside and grabbed a few more pictures. They were of her, though, Scarlette. When she was little. She looked on the backs, nothing written, or nothing she could see. She picked up one of her when she'd successfully brewed her first potion. She looked at the back. "Aparecium" Nothing...wait. Severus' handwriting started to show. Lorelai would've been proud. What?

[draco]

Draco read the letter, and the picture before turning his face to Lore. "I think we can easily assume that she could be your mother. I mean, 'Lorelai would be proud' and you look just like her." He said, looking down at the contents of the drawer that was displaced over Snape's old desk. "I would try scourgify on it but I'm not sure it'll work on dried ink..." He muttered, leaning back in the chair.

[Scarlette Snape]

"I think it is her. But the question then, is why did Severus adopt me, and who's my father?" She smiled a sad smile looking at the picture of Lorelai...her mother. Wait, Lorelai would be proud. "What happened to her then?" She said, finishing her thought aloud. She frowned. There was so much stuff to look at. Where should she look next?

[draco]

Draco wasn't sure how to even respond to her questions. He wished he had answers for her but he didn't. "Maybe something happened. Maybe she had to move and get away. I mean the Dark Lord was on the rise then. A lot of people went into hiding." He stopped momentarily before starting again. "She could also be- dead." He muttered, as he looked back down at the picture of Lorelai and the picture of Ari. "There isn't anymore papers in the drawer? He had to leave you more than just a few scraps of papers and a couple of pictures."

[Scarlette Snape]

Scarlette looked down at the drawer. Had they really cleaned it out? She reached a hand in and found a folded piece of parchment shoved in the very back. She unfolded it and it was blank. She performed some non-verbal spells trying to get it to reveal whatever was on it. Finally something showed up. It was a letter. Half written, never finished. Addressed to her, in Severus' handwriting.

"Scarlette," She read aloud. "If you're reading this, you've managed to unlock the drawer, and find information about your mother, Lorelai Brigham. I only hid it from you to protect you. To make sure that if you truly wanted to know you had to work at it. Lorelai was a friend of mine in school. She and I parted ways after school, but she came to me for help when she was pregnant with you. I took her in. She told me what had happened. She'd had a bit too much to drink, a guy she didn't know, name of Scabior...you might recognize the name now, I knew him from the start. One thing led to another. I took care of your mother as best I could, but she died in childbirth. Scabior doesn't even know you exist, and I personally believe it's best that way." Ari took a breath, pausing from reading the letter. Scabior...? And Lorelai. "Lorelai would have been proud of the person you've turned out to be, Scarlette. You're so like her in so many ways." Scarlette set the letter down. She couldn't read any more. A tear rolled down her cheeck. That was it? It was really that simple? She didn't even finish reading the rest of the letter.

"So I guess that's it then." She said, her voice croaking just a bit as she was holding back the urge to cry again. "Lorelai is my mother, and my father...Scabior? And I'm nothing but a one night stand. A pure-blooded one night stand." She said with a frown.

[draco]

Draco listen to her as she read the letter aloud. He could hardly believe it when he heard that Scabior was her father. Scabior, who like the Malfoy's worked for the Dark Lord. Scabior, who was just bad as Lucius Malfoy. "Wow..." He started, before stopping himself. He didn't know what to tell her. What to say to comfort her. He let the silence consume him as he took it all in. And knew it was for the best that Snape had taken Ari in. He didn't think he could ever feel prouder of his deceased Potions Professor. Not only did he spend years protecting the Boy-Who-Lived for his love Lily. But also raising the daughter of an old friend. It was hard to believe that Snape was a Slytherin. If Draco didn't know any better he would say that Snape belonged in 'Gryffindor, where the dwell the brave at heart.'

Draco sighed and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Finally the truth was known. He wasn't happy that Scabior was her biological father. But always knew that Severus would be her real father. The one that raised her properly and taught her everything he knew. Who took her in and gave her a roof over her head and raised her as his own. "You might of been the product of a one night stand, but you know that your mother loved you. She wanted the best for you. That's why she turned to Severus, and not Scabior. She knew that you would be raised correctly with Severus as your role model."

[Scarlette Snape]

Scarlette swallowed and nodded. "I've only ever read Scabior's name in the papers. A snatcher. Did you ever know him?" She asked. She had to know. She needed to know who he really was. She knew he worked for the Dark Lord, and nothing more. Ari let herself lean into Draco, her head resting on his shoulder. This had definitely been one long day.

[draco]

"Yes, I've been unfortunate to meet him on several occasions. He was the one that found Potter and his friends. Not a very nice bloke, seemed a little to friendly with Greyback." He stated, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He's in prison now though. For what he did during the war..." He stop and took a breath. Wondering if he should go on to tell her what her father was like. But he decided that she needed to know. She needed to know who he was. What he did. So she could come to the decision if it were someone she would want to meet or not. "He helped Greyback attack several victims who are now werewolves, or at least part werewolf. He tortured dozens of muggle-borns and half-bloods. I remember once when Scabior came to a Death Eater meeting. Severus gave him such a bizarre look. It was uncomfortable. I suppose it all makes sense now...."

[Scarlette Snape]

Scarlette swallowed again, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. She hid her face against Draco. "Thank you. As horrible as he sounds...I needed to know." She sat there leaning up against him for a long time in silence. Her father was a horrible monster, and her mother looked lovely. She sighed, it was a lot to take in. She sat up, moving away from Draco just enough to grab the picture of her mother, and move back to lean lightly on him again. "She was beautiful." She said softly.

[draco]

Draco nodded, his arm never leaving her. "She's very beautiful. I look at her and I see you. I can't look at Scabior, and see a trace of you. Not that I want too..." He muttered, before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "We should frame it... Put it on the mantel next to a picture of Snape or something..." It felt better now that he knew. He knew who her true parents were. Even if Scabior wasn't the best sort of bloke, but neither was Lucius. So they had that in common. "Maybe my mother knew your mother when they were in school. We should ask her sometime. After we explain to them about the adoption and such..."