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Grace was just too mentally exhausted the next morning and slept through her alarms. It was a good thing she didn’t have any plans for the day, but sleeping for so long also meant she had missed all the texts and calls from Luna. It was hard for Grace to pry her eyes open, as they were sensitive from practically crying herself to sleep the night before. When her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was large, blue orbs, platinum blonde hair, and a smile in the shape of a heart.
“Good morning, Gracie~” Luna sang out, inches from her face.
“Bloody hell!” Grace shrieked, pulling the blankets over her head. “Give a girl a bloody warning!”
Luna broke out into a fit of giggles, but Grace just stared up at her friend. Suddenly, Grace felt as if a dark cloud had appeared over her, and it showed on her face. Luna’s giggles came to a halt and she pulled Grace into a sitting position to get a better look at her, “Grace, what’s wrong?”
“Hm?” she had a far-off gaze and while her body was there in bed, her mind was not. Everything from the previous day— specifically the previous night— had finally been catching up with her. She just felt so tired, like her body was lead and her head weighed ten times its weight. From her eyes being so swollen, she had a hard time keeping them open wider than half-lidded, as well.
Luna had seen Grace on her low days many times before, and she had gotten better each time on taking care of her friend and knowing what to do for each symptom and what not to do. She bit her lip and looked around the room; everything was neatly in place, which was good. It meant that Grace hadn’t had a bad episode where she thrashed and threw things and punched walls and mirrors. She had only done it once before: at school, and it terrified Luna into making a vow that she’d prevent Grace from getting that low ever again. “Grace, would you like to talk about what’s bothering you?” it was best to let Grace talk about it in her own time; Luna had learned that pushing her to talk only made things worse.
Grace still wasn’t giving her attention to Luna, though. Instead, her gaze had now been turned to Cas, the curled up ball of black fur next to Grace’s legs. He had been purring ever-so-slightly, but he wasn’t being any good for much else. “Hey,” Luna finally got Grace’s attention by pushing her messy red curls out of her face. Her eyes looked so blue, but it was only because the whites of her eyes were red, which made for an unfortunate circumstance. “Gracie, c’mon, talk to me.”
Grace’s voice, raw from crying, came out barely as a whisper, “I… told Severus. About my dad.”
Luna’s heart dropped. To her, Severus Snape was still the mean Potions professor that bullied his students and played favoritism towards his Slytherins. She hadn’t seen the kinder, more caring side that Grace had. Grace, of course, tried to explain this to Luna over the phone, but Luna would be lying if she didn’t half-expect Stockholm Syndrome. “Oh, Gracie… What did he say? I mean, how did he react?”
“I think… he cried, too. I don’t know. I was crying so hard, and he just held me until I fell asleep.”
Luna was completely shocked. Are we talking about the same man? She couldn’t imagine Snape saying a kind word, let alone comfort a child.
“He really cares about me. At least, I think he does. He acts like it,” Grace continued. “I just hope I didn’t, y’know, scare him.”
Luna gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her shoulder, “I don’t think Severus Snape is afraid of a little girl, Gracie. Don’t think about it too much, okay? Now, go get a shower, silly. It’ll make you feel better.” She pulled Grace off of the bed and led her into her bathroom. She set out a fresh towel for her and a clean pair of pajamas and also set out her medication for the day for her. “Get a nice, hot shower. I’ll go make you some lunch.”
“But I’m not-“ Grace tried to protest.
“You need to eat! I’ll be right back,” Luna closed the bathroom door, but left it slightly ajar so she’d be able to keep an ear out for Grace.

-

Luna made Grace a sandwich and she’d force it down the girl’s throat if she tried to refuse it. Grace, on her low days especially, took no mind to her needs such as bathing, eating, taking her meds, or getting a proper sleep schedule. That was when Luna had to go full-on “mommy mode” and take care of her friend. It was a good deal, too, since Grace usually mothered Luna almost all of the time. Being without mothers, the two girls filled the gap in for each other.
As she made her way back upstairs, she passed Snape’s study. The door was open, so naturally, she couldn’t help but peek inside. Severus was staring down at his desk, at a piece of paper, and twirling his quill in his fingers. Luna walked over to the door and knocked on its frame, “Professor?”
Severus’ head shot up, “Miss Lovegood? How’d you get in here?”
Luna’s eyes motioned to the upstairs, “Grace’s balcony was unlocked. I climbed in. You okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. How is Grace? She hasn’t been down yet. Is she sick?” Although there was the slightest hint of panic in his voice, his words softened when he spoke about her.
“Well, she told me what happened last night. She’s not avoiding you, Professor. She's just exhausted, is all.”
“Is she okay, though? Does she need anything?”
Luna had to admit, seeing the Professor concerned for Grace was quite amusing, as well as sweet, “I’ve got everything under control, Professor. No need to worry. Grace will eventually come back around and she’ll be her old self again.”
Severus nodded, giving a weak smile, but his eyes kept going to the papers on his desk. This didn’t go unnoticed by Luna, and once she saw Grace’s name on the paper, her curiosity got the best of her. Tilting her head to the perfect angle, she could at least read what was in bold print: “Adoption Form.”
“Merlin’s beard! You’re going to adopt Gracie?”
“Miss Lovegood, keep your voice down!”
She repeated herself in a hushed tone, “You’re adopting Grace?”
“Yes, Miss Lovegood, I am. But you mustn’t tell her.”
“Okay, sooo when are you going to tell her?”
Severus hadn’t actually gotten around to thinking about when to tell her. He didn’t want to make it seem like the issue was no big deal, but he didn’t know the right way to bring it up to her. Then, he got a perfect idea, “Isn’t her birthday coming up?”
Luna gasped and covered her mouth to conceal her excitement, “Oh, that’s perfect! Grace hates her birthday, but you’re going to change that all around. I promise I won’t say anything, Professor. Oh, I take back every bad thing I ever said about you, you big softie!”
Severus watched as Luna went back upstairs to tend to Grace. The strange feeling in his chest came back. He then realized that by adopting Grace, he’d have a daughter, making him a father, something that would have sounded absolutely preposterous a few months prior. But, by having Grace in his life, would also mean having everything that came along with her; her quirks, her cat, her music, her ups and downs, and her best friend, who cared for Grace like a sister. He wasn’t completely inexperienced with teenage girls, as he had to deal with the female Slytherins, and he knew the drama they attracted.
While Grace was by no means as cold as the girls in his house, he figured teenage girls were the same no matter what. They’d mostly talk about shopping and makeup and what shoes went with what outfits; all innocent stuff. But as girls got older, their conversations focused more on boys. Rather, boy, since it seemed like every girl, and even some boys, in Slytherin House were in love with Draco Malfoy. Severus, even though he was Draco’s godfather, had to admit Draco was a bit of a tosser, and being a spoiled brat didn’t help his cause. Still, the adoration of Malfoy spread through all four houses, and he even took note of how Grace and Draco, both being the most popular Seekers in the school, had their episodes of team rivalry banter that could easily be mistaken for flirting. Perhaps the fact that he’d have to deal with his Grace dating scared Severus more than actually having a daughter.

-

Over the next few days, slowly but surely, Grace began to come out from under her dark cloud. Severus didn’t push her to do anything or talk, he just let her ease back into a pattern.
The first time she had come out of her room, it was nearly lunch time. She rushed downstairs into the kitchen, apologizing profusely that she had missed breakfast and felt awful. Severus assured her it was fine, and really, he didn’t have much of an appetite before Grace showed her face again. Still, she insisted on making up for it by making a big lunch and supper.
Grace stayed quiet for the most part, but Severus could tell that she was doing all of the talking inside her head. She’d zone off, but her facial expressions, even her body language, gave the illusion she was having a made up conversation in her head. Sometimes he’d see her go to say something aloud, but she would always catch herself. However, when Grace felt fine enough to talk, it was mostly about books or movies of tv shows that Severus had or hadn’t seen or read. And Grace, who usually kept her thoughts well-hidden, was an open book at her most vulnerable state. Severus could read her for everything she thought of, and without using Occlumency, could practically read her mind.
For instance, inside her head, Grace was composing two lists: one being things Severus had read or seen, and the other being a rapidly growing list of things to show Severus. He could tell because after each answer he gave her, yes or no, her eyes quickly darted to one side of the room or the other. He figured out that she was envisioning the list of things to show him was on the right side of the room, which made sense because Grace favored her right side. Without Grace’s constant yapping and the fact she moved much slower than usual, he picked up on the tiniest details about her. She was right-handed, and her right arm was her strong arm, and almost never used her left hand unless it was to steady something. But the list in her mind just kept growing, and she would even stop every once in a while and her eyes would scan down as if she was revising the list to see if she had missed anything.
Needless to say, every night after dinner, Grace and Severus sat on the sofa with her laptop between them, and they began checking things off the list. They, of course, started with The Fault in Our Stars, since Severus had finished the book. It was an extremely tragic book, to begin with, and watching everything being acted out only added to the sadness. Grace sat with a box of tissues in her lap, and sure enough, by the end of the movie, Grace was a blubbering mess. Severus could only smirk and roll his eyes at her because he knew for a fact that she had seen this movie a hundred times and still cried. And then, Grace teased Severus for not crying, saying that he had a heart of stone. But little did she know that she was the one responsible for that heart of stone being chipped away at.

Description
Grace was just too mentally exhausted the next morning and slept through her alarms. It was a good thing she didn’t have any plans for the day, but sleeping for so long also meant she had missed all the texts and calls from Luna. It was hard for Grace to pry her eyes open, as they were sensitive from practically crying herself to sleep the night before. When her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was large, blue orbs, platinum blonde hair, and a smile in the shape of a heart.
“Good morning, Gracie~” Luna sang out, inches from her face.
“Bloody hell!” Grace shrieked, pulling the blankets over her head. “Give a girl a bloody warning!”
Luna broke out into a fit of giggles, but Grace just stared up at her friend. Suddenly, Grace felt as if a dark cloud had appeared over her, and it showed on her face. Luna’s giggles came to a halt and she pulled Grace into a sitting position to get a better look at her, “Grace, what’s wrong?”
“Hm?” she had a far-off gaze and while her body was there in bed, her mind was not. Everything from the previous day— specifically the previous night— had finally been catching up with her. She just felt so tired, like her body was lead and her head weighed ten times its weight. From her eyes being so swollen, she had a hard time keeping them open wider than half-lidded, as well.
Luna had seen Grace on her low days many times before, and she had gotten better each time on taking care of her friend and knowing what to do for each symptom and what not to do. She bit her lip and looked around the room; everything was neatly in place, which was good. It meant that Grace hadn’t had a bad episode where she thrashed and threw things and punched walls and mirrors. She had only done it once before: at school, and it terrified Luna into making a vow that she’d prevent Grace from getting that low ever again. “Grace, would you like to talk about what’s bothering you?” it was best to let Grace talk about it in her own time; Luna had learned that pushing her to talk only made things worse.
Grace still wasn’t giving her attention to Luna, though. Instead, her gaze had now been turned to Cas, the curled up ball of black fur next to Grace’s legs. He had been purring ever-so-slightly, but he wasn’t being any good for much else. “Hey,” Luna finally got Grace’s attention by pushing her messy red curls out of her face. Her eyes looked so blue, but it was only because the whites of her eyes were red, which made for an unfortunate circumstance. “Gracie, c’mon, talk to me.”
Grace’s voice, raw from crying, came out barely as a whisper, “I… told Severus. About my dad.”
Luna’s heart dropped. To her, Severus Snape was still the mean Potions professor that bullied his students and played favoritism towards his Slytherins. She hadn’t seen the kinder, more caring side that Grace had. Grace, of course, tried to explain this to Luna over the phone, but Luna would be lying if she didn’t half-expect Stockholm Syndrome. “Oh, Gracie… What did he say? I mean, how did he react?”
“I think… he cried, too. I don’t know. I was crying so hard, and he just held me until I fell asleep.”
Luna was completely shocked. Are we talking about the same man? She couldn’t imagine Snape saying a kind word, let alone comfort a child.
“He really cares about me. At least, I think he does. He acts like it,” Grace continued. “I just hope I didn’t, y’know, scare him.”
Luna gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her shoulder, “I don’t think Severus Snape is afraid of a little girl, Gracie. Don’t think about it too much, okay? Now, go get a shower, silly. It’ll make you feel better.” She pulled Grace off of the bed and led her into her bathroom. She set out a fresh towel for her and a clean pair of pajamas and also set out her medication for the day for her. “Get a nice, hot shower. I’ll go make you some lunch.”
“But I’m not-“ Grace tried to protest.
“You need to eat! I’ll be right back,” Luna closed the bathroom door, but left it slightly ajar so she’d be able to keep an ear out for Grace.

-

Luna made Grace a sandwich and she’d force it down the girl’s throat if she tried to refuse it. Grace, on her low days especially, took no mind to her needs such as bathing, eating, taking her meds, or getting a proper sleep schedule. That was when Luna had to go full-on “mommy mode” and take care of her friend. It was a good deal, too, since Grace usually mothered Luna almost all of the time. Being without mothers, the two girls filled the gap in for each other.
As she made her way back upstairs, she passed Snape’s study. The door was open, so naturally, she couldn’t help but peek inside. Severus was staring down at his desk, at a piece of paper, and twirling his quill in his fingers. Luna walked over to the door and knocked on its frame, “Professor?”
Severus’ head shot up, “Miss Lovegood? How’d you get in here?”
Luna’s eyes motioned to the upstairs, “Grace’s balcony was unlocked. I climbed in. You okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. How is Grace? She hasn’t been down yet. Is she sick?” Although there was the slightest hint of panic in his voice, his words softened when he spoke about her.
“Well, she told me what happened last night. She’s not avoiding you, Professor. She's just exhausted, is all.”
“Is she okay, though? Does she need anything?”
Luna had to admit, seeing the Professor concerned for Grace was quite amusing, as well as sweet, “I’ve got everything under control, Professor. No need to worry. Grace will eventually come back around and she’ll be her old self again.”
Severus nodded, giving a weak smile, but his eyes kept going to the papers on his desk. This didn’t go unnoticed by Luna, and once she saw Grace’s name on the paper, her curiosity got the best of her. Tilting her head to the perfect angle, she could at least read what was in bold print: “Adoption Form.”
“Merlin’s beard! You’re going to adopt Gracie?”
“Miss Lovegood, keep your voice down!”
She repeated herself in a hushed tone, “You’re adopting Grace?”
“Yes, Miss Lovegood, I am. But you mustn’t tell her.”
“Okay, sooo when are you going to tell her?”
Severus hadn’t actually gotten around to thinking about when to tell her. He didn’t want to make it seem like the issue was no big deal, but he didn’t know the right way to bring it up to her. Then, he got a perfect idea, “Isn’t her birthday coming up?”
Luna gasped and covered her mouth to conceal her excitement, “Oh, that’s perfect! Grace hates her birthday, but you’re going to change that all around. I promise I won’t say anything, Professor. Oh, I take back every bad thing I ever said about you, you big softie!”
Severus watched as Luna went back upstairs to tend to Grace. The strange feeling in his chest came back. He then realized that by adopting Grace, he’d have a daughter, making him a father, something that would have sounded absolutely preposterous a few months prior. But, by having Grace in his life, would also mean having everything that came along with her; her quirks, her cat, her music, her ups and downs, and her best friend, who cared for Grace like a sister. He wasn’t completely inexperienced with teenage girls, as he had to deal with the female Slytherins, and he knew the drama they attracted.
While Grace was by no means as cold as the girls in his house, he figured teenage girls were the same no matter what. They’d mostly talk about shopping and makeup and what shoes went with what outfits; all innocent stuff. But as girls got older, their conversations focused more on boys. Rather, boy, since it seemed like every girl, and even some boys, in Slytherin House were in love with Draco Malfoy. Severus, even though he was Draco’s godfather, had to admit Draco was a bit of a tosser, and being a spoiled brat didn’t help his cause. Still, the adoration of Malfoy spread through all four houses, and he even took note of how Grace and Draco, both being the most popular Seekers in the school, had their episodes of team rivalry banter that could easily be mistaken for flirting. Perhaps the fact that he’d have to deal with his Grace dating scared Severus more than actually having a daughter.

-

Over the next few days, slowly but surely, Grace began to come out from under her dark cloud. Severus didn’t push her to do anything or talk, he just let her ease back into a pattern.
The first time she had come out of her room, it was nearly lunch time. She rushed downstairs into the kitchen, apologizing profusely that she had missed breakfast and felt awful. Severus assured her it was fine, and really, he didn’t have much of an appetite before Grace showed her face again. Still, she insisted on making up for it by making a big lunch and supper.
Grace stayed quiet for the most part, but Severus could tell that she was doing all of the talking inside her head. She’d zone off, but her facial expressions, even her body language, gave the illusion she was having a made up conversation in her head. Sometimes he’d see her go to say something aloud, but she would always catch herself. However, when Grace felt fine enough to talk, it was mostly about books or movies of tv shows that Severus had or hadn’t seen or read. And Grace, who usually kept her thoughts well-hidden, was an open book at her most vulnerable state. Severus could read her for everything she thought of, and without using Occlumency, could practically read her mind.
For instance, inside her head, Grace was composing two lists: one being things Severus had read or seen, and the other being a rapidly growing list of things to show Severus. He could tell because after each answer he gave her, yes or no, her eyes quickly darted to one side of the room or the other. He figured out that she was envisioning the list of things to show him was on the right side of the room, which made sense because Grace favored her right side. Without Grace’s constant yapping and the fact she moved much slower than usual, he picked up on the tiniest details about her. She was right-handed, and her right arm was her strong arm, and almost never used her left hand unless it was to steady something. But the list in her mind just kept growing, and she would even stop every once in a while and her eyes would scan down as if she was revising the list to see if she had missed anything.
Needless to say, every night after dinner, Grace and Severus sat on the sofa with her laptop between them, and they began checking things off the list. They, of course, started with The Fault in Our Stars, since Severus had finished the book. It was an extremely tragic book, to begin with, and watching everything being acted out only added to the sadness. Grace sat with a box of tissues in her lap, and sure enough, by the end of the movie, Grace was a blubbering mess. Severus could only smirk and roll his eyes at her because he knew for a fact that she had seen this movie a hundred times and still cried. And then, Grace teased Severus for not crying, saying that he had a heart of stone. But little did she know that she was the one responsible for that heart of stone being chipped away at.