Unfortunately, Lucius seemed intent of bringing "justice" to Secret, despite her protests that she was fine, it was an accident, it was Care Of Magical Creatures, y'know, accidents were going to occur…
'How's it going?' Harry asked one Thursday morning. They were seated in Potions, making a Shrinking Solution. Secret had already done this potion, but due to the fact she was waiting on her Felix Felicis to stew, she had joined in today, glad to be making a simple potion with her arm.
'Not good.' she groaned, attempting to cut up Daisy Roots one handed. 'I've tried to convince him that it was just an accident, but he won't listen - oops!'
A root had just gone flying across the classroom, hitting Goyle in the head.
'Sorry!' she called over the laughter of the Gryffindors.
Snape looked over, looking down at her with concern.
'Weasley, cut up Snape's roots for her.' he said, before returning to his work.
Ron went red.
'I can do it, seriously Ron, just hold the root down…' Secret muttered.
Ron reached over and held the root as Secret cut, rougher than she would like.
'Oh dang it.' she muttered. 'Ahh well, they'll do.'
'Professor,' Malfoy drawled, having looked over their shoulders, 'Weasley mutilated Snape's roots.'
Snape swept over, much to Secret's annoyance.
'He didn't, I cut them, he held the root for me…' She defended him.
Unfortunately, that didn't seem to help.
'Weasley, I asked you to cut up Snape's roots, not just hold them. Change roots with Miss Snape.'
'But sir!'
Ron had just spent about half an hour carefully cutting his into equal sized pieces.
'Now.'
Grumbling, Ron gave Secret his roots, before taking the knife again and working on hers.
'Sorry.' she whispered.
'Not your fault.' he mumbled.
'And sir, Snape will need her shrivelfig skinned.' Secret shot daggers at Malfoy, who's voice was full of amusement as he called out once again.
'Potter, you can skin Snape's shrivelfig.' Snape said quietly, giving Harry his signature look.
'I can do it Harry…' Secret grumbled.
'No, I'll do it. You might end up flinging it across the room at Crabbe next. And whilst that may be extremely funny, Snape will somehow blame me, and take points.' Harry sighed, taking her shrivelfig and skinning it, before handing it back.
'Cheers.' she mumbled.
'Seen your pal Hagrid lately?' They all looked to see Malfoy, smirking.
'None of your business.' Ron said, not looking up.
'I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer,' said Malfoy in mock sorrow, 'Father is not happy about Secret's injury…'
'Which she wouldn't have got, if you hadn't of been such a moron in the first place.' Harry snapped.
'He's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, y'know. And a lasting injury like this,' he gave a huge, fake sigh, gesturing to Secret's bandaged arm. 'who knows if her arm will ever be the same again?'
'So that's why your telling Uncle all this fake stuff!' Secret whispered furiously, accidentally beheading a caterpillar head too hard and sending it flying across the room to hit Pansy - which Snape ignored - before putting her knife down. 'To get Hagrid fired!'
'Well,' Malfoy said, lowering his voice to a whisper, 'partly, Potter, but there are other benefits. Secret, give those here,' he raised his voice, 'I'll slice your caterpillars for you.'
'Very generous of you, Mr Malfoy. 5 points to Slytherin.' Snape said in a monotone, heading towards Neville's cauldron.
Poor Neville - he was in trouble. Neville regularly went to pieces in Potions lessons; it was his worst subject, and the fact he was terrified of Professor Snape made things ten times worse. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned..
'Orange, Longbottom,' said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see. 'Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?'
Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. It was times like these that Secret really did hate her father.
'Please, sir,' Secret spoke up, 'please, I could help Neville put it right...'
'I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Black,' said Snape coldly, before his eyes widened at his words. Secret felt a stab in her chest, and suddenly found it hard to breath.
'Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.'
Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.
'Help me!' he moaned to Secret.
Secret nodded, determined to help him now. 'Ok, what you need to do is...'
After a few moments, Snape called, 'You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's...'
Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, watching Neville sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Secret was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see, grateful Hermione had agreed to pack her things away as well so Secret could help the boy.
With the end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. Secret was breathing heavily, not from fear that she may have mucked up his potion - she knew the concoction's recipe far too well for that - but from the adrenaline rush she had come to associate with rule breaking. Even after three years, she loved it.
'Everyone gather round,' said Snape, his black eyes glittering, 'and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned.'
The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.
There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.
The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.
'Five points from Gryffindor,' said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. 'I told you not to help him, Miss Snape. Class dismissed. Stay behind, Miss Snape.'
The class surged to the door, Secret at the back.
'Miss Snape, I said to remain behind!'
Secret paused at the door, and turned. The class, sensing something was about to happen, stopped, hushed whispers fainting away.
'With all due respect sir, I do not know who this Miss Snape is. As you said quite clearly yourself earlier, I am Miss Black. Good day Professor.' she said coolly, before leaving.
Deciding she was not hungry, Secret headed away from the Great Hall, choosing to wander the corridors instead. Without her realising, her feet had taken her to an office, an office that now bore five names, scribed in plaques that were nailed on the door. Her grey eyes drifted over the names, her mind debating whether to knock. For if she had really disowned Snape has her father, then, that would no longer make Andy and the guys her uncles.
Sighing, she lowered her raised fist that had been poised to knock, when she heard her name being said.
Not for the first time in her life, she pulled the trusty tangle of fleshy string out her pocket, and slipped it under the door, sticking the other end in her ear.
‘… Severus, you have truly mucked it up.’ Andy was finishing.
‘I didn’t mean to call her that, it, it just slipped out.’ That was Snape. ‘The look of her face when I called her that… she looked like I had just poisoned the Weasley twins.’
‘By calling her “Miss Black”, you have effectively just told her that she isn’t your daughter! Severus, despite what you may believe, she still looks up to you as a dad, and I know I can only imagine what she must have felt. If she never forgives you, then I can hardly blame her.’
‘… I’m going for lunch.’
Quickly retracting the ear, she hid behind a statue as Snape swept out. He headed off down the corridor, as Secret removed her hiding frame from where she had been crouched, watching as her father’s figure shrink – and not just from her sight either.
'Secret?' Andy had come out and spotted her staring at the now-empty corridor.
'Hey… Andy…' she mumbled.
'You know, despite it all, I'm still your uncle.' He sighed, gently grabbing her shoulders, turning her round, cupping her cheek. 'We all are.'
'I-I just don't know what to think…' she mumbled.
'Then just, just breath. Come in, sweetie, and we'll have a cup of hot chocolate, and, we can forget about it for now, ok? We can pretend that none of this was happening, like everything is ok for now, ok?' Andy wrapped his arms round her, holding her tight.
Secret gave a sniffle. '…ok.'