They reached the portrait to the kitchen and Dani pulled on Draco's hand. "Let me do it," she begged before reaching up to tickle the pear. It giggled and the door sprung open.

"What are we going to eat, Draco? We need to get something that my mum will like," Dani twisted her hands a bit, betraying someting other than absolute confidence for the first time.

Snape was walking over to the half-asleep Tara, her pillow clutched in his long white fingers when she suddenly sat up. He made it the rest of the way to the bed, handing her the pillow before he spoke. "She's safe with Mr. Malfoy at the moment. After leavingthe Headmaster's office, we headed to the kitchens for lunch. Following lunch, we toured the grounds and Mr. Malfoy came across us. He and Danika seemed to be enjoying each others' company adn the both of them were hngry so, he took her back ot the kitchens while I came to see how you were doing," he said, thinking she might want an accounting of their day and mentally smacking his forehead for his last remark.

"Why do we need to get something your mum will like? Will we be bringing her some food? Or does she just want you to eat healthy, something that all mothers do?" Draco was more than happy to let her tickle the pear, something he still felt more than a bit foolish doing.

He recalled the days of his childhood - before the Dark Lord had become a constant presence in their lives - when his mother would sometimes prepare delicious food on the very rare occasion.

They walked into the kitchen and Draco looked around.

Ginny laughed and wrapped her arms around Harry, drawing herself closer to him. "How could it? Its orange..." She made a face and wrinkled her nose. "Orange is not a color you should let anywhere near this red head. But think of it, Harry... pretty soon and with a little work, this whole garden will be beautiful and full of rich and abundant life." She leaned against Harry, imagining she could feel his warmth right through both their clothes and smiled. "Just like us, Harry. We'll have a beautiful and abundant life."

Tara scrubbed her hands through her bed-head hair and yawned, trying to take the time and let her composure return. Surely Snape hadn't meant it in the way she was wishing, so she needn't go all typical female and fall apart on him. "Do you trust Draco Malfoy?" Tara caught his look and responded to her own question, "Well, if you trust him with my daughter, than so do I. I hope you both managed to enjoy yourselves on the tour, because I certainly enjoyed my sleep." She looked down at her rumpled nightgown and felt a bit silly. "Could you please hand me my robe, Severus?"

Dani raised big blue eyes to Draco's gray ones. "Isn't my mum coming to eat dinner with us? I thought she might want to..." But her thoughts were interrupted by clammoring elves asking them waht they wanted to eat. She looked at Draco for assistnace in ordering a meal that didn't consist of junk food and cheeseburgers.

It wasn't until she mentioned handing her her robe that Snape noticed her state of dress... or rather, undress. His eyes lingered on Tara, the way the thin nightdress was slightly rumpled and clinging to her form in some places, one thin strap threatening to fall off her delicate shoulder. Snape reluctantly turned his gaze away from her and reached for the robe which hung from the end of the bed. His eyes turned back to her as he handed her the robe, wishing she would invite him into her bed rather than put it on.

Draoc locked gazes with the little girl and nodded. "She might and I'm sure she'll try. Being an instructor here is really hard work, but I'm sure she'll be down soon. But hard work means you need to eat a lot, too." His stomach agreed with a growl.

"Could we have roast chicken with roasted vegetables, extra potatoes, and shepherd's pie." Remembering he was in charge of a young child, he added, "Please." After a moment's thought, he added, "And some pumpkin or fruit juice and some fruit and raspberries for dessert." After yet another thought, he turned to Danika and asked, "What do you like for dessert? Do you like ice cream or cake?"

Realizing that the Astronomy professor was Danika's mother, and remembering that Snape had disappeared and that he had been in charge of Danika earlier, his eyebrows arched upwards at the sudden notion. He shook his head ever so slightly to clear it of any such thoughts.

It wasn't his business, after all, but he was suddenly curious.

Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around Ginny as she had done with him, holding her close and looking into her eyes. "Our lives will be perfect as long as we have each other," He said. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and smiled down at her.

Tara watched Snape retrieve her robe and hand it to her, her observant eyes taking in the way his eyes darkened in lust. She was surprised, considering how rumpled and creased she felt. Taking the robe, she slid it on but didn't bother to tie it. "We're not going to be getting much time alone now that Dani's come to live here," Tara finally spoke some of the words that had been weighing on her for awhile. While she was ecstatic to have her daughter back with her, she was also a bit sadder than she should that her so-called relationship with Snape was being affected.

"No, we won't," he agreed, stepping back from the bed after she had slipped on her robe in anticipation of her rising. "Would you like me to come back after you've had a chance to get dressed?"

"Ice cream, please," Dani said solemnly, her big eyes shining at Draco in complete adoration. She was now his devoted shadow, and Dani was seriously considering making him her "boyfriend" and marrying him when she grew up. "I hope my mum does come down, but its alright if she doesn't. I'm just glad I don't have to stay with Alanna anymore." Dani unconsciously touched her bruise through her clothes and moved to sit down to wait for the food.

"No," Tara laughed in disbelief. How could he not see what was as plain as the nose on her face? "Merlin, Severus, I want you to take advantage of one of our few moments alone before I have to go and make sure that Mr. Malfoy is properly caring for my Dani." She didn't move, however, looking up at him expectantly.

Draco's keen eyes picked up on the unconscious movement and his heart twinged. He was starting to put two and two together, and him being a child of abuse when he was younger made the pieces click together faster than they normally might have.

He gently squeezed her hand. "And ice cream, too."

The elves nodded and scurried away and he led her to one of the tables and sat down.

"I've had to stay with people I didn't really want to stay with either before. So I know what that's like. You'll love it here, I think, especially since you seem to like learning."

He had no idea as to why he was saying this, but he knew that as a child, he himself dealt with a lot of guilt when his father had been violent towards him. He thought that it had been his fault and tt wasn't something he was supposed to talk about and keeping it in had make him more withdrawn.

Danika was clearly a bright child and he could see her potential and he didn't want to see that part of himself being reflected in her. Slytherin House could really use a bright student like her someday.

He grimaced when he remembered her mention of Gryffindors.

But maybe she'll choose Slytherin...

"What do you think of Hogwarts?" He asked.

Ginny made a face up at Harry and wrinkled her nose again. "No," she disagreed. "Perfect would be boring and impossible to maintain. Perfect is what you would have had with Elizabeth, but it isn't what you'll have with me. You'll have passion, though... and that's something better than perfect."