chapter 3
01 09 1987
The buzz of the alarm woke Kinsley up with a start at exactly 6:30 am. She turned her alarm off quickly, not wanting to listen to that incessant buzzing for a second longer, and got out of bed.
She changed quickly into black bike shorts, her favourite green tank top, and put on her running shoes.
The green tank top had been given to her by Marylin Rosier the year before, a small Slytherin who just graduated and had always liked Kinsley.
In fact, Marylin had been the one who’d inspired Kinsleys running addiction. Back in her third year, when Kins was only six, Marylin decided she wanted to get on the Slytherin Quidditch team. She started going for runs and working out early every morning, and as often as she could she’d take Kins along with her. Kinsley was determined not to stop this habit now that Marylin was gone because it had obviously paid off. Marylin graduated having been Quidditch Captain for three years in a row, and one of the best chasers since James Potter. She got offers from the Holyhead Harpies and the Falmouth Falcons, choosing the Falcons after playing both teams off against each other and now receiving the highest rookie income the league had ever seen.
Therefore, Kinsley was going to train her ass off so that one day, she could do the same.
Her runs were always either really early in the morning or very late at night, and she’d run a lap of the black lake and then a specific track in the Forest, then back up to the Main Entrance. The Forest was always good because Kins knew there was some creepy stuff lurking in there, and that meant she wouldn’t stop or go slow out of fear that something was chasing her.
That morning, Kinsley finished the track in about forty-five minutes. It was no record, but Kins wasn’t planning on setting a record that morning anyway. She made her way through the school to the Great Hall and was pleased to see a couple of Professors already scattered around eating breakfast. Kinsley waved to Charity Burbage and Aurora Sinistra, before she sat herself straight in the middle of the main table, right next to her Godfather.
“Hiya Sev. Nice toast?” She grinned.
Severus Snape looked up from his breakfast to smile at Kins, a sight very rarely seen unless you are Kinsley, her mother or godmother, or a cauldron.
“Kinsley. Yes, you should have some. Nice run?”
“Thanks, Sev!” Kins laughed, and she stole a piece of toast from his plate and bit into it. “Yeah, it was actually really nice. I spoke to the squid, he said to say hello to you.”
“Eat your food before you talk.” Severus sighed. “And eat your food, not mine.”
“You’re right! Goldy!” Kins said, and her faithful house elf appeared out of thin air.
“Mistress Kinsie! What is you be wanting for brekkie today?” Goldy asked.
Goldy used to work in the kitchens, but he took an immediate shine to Kinsley when she came into the kitchens with Sirius Black looking for a snack one day, and he was asked to be her Personal House Elf soon after.
“I would love a couple of pieces of avo toast please, Goldy.” Kinsley asked, and Goldy vanished away to make her order with a happy, “Yes Mistress!”
“How are you feeling about today?” Asked Severus.
“I’m just excited. Finally, I’ll be the same age as people, and I can actually count as a student.”
“That’s right. You’ll never be a little leech in our classes ever again.”
“I was never a leech,” Kinslety said indignantly. She stuck her chin up and looked Severus right in the eye. “I bet I could teach the potions classes instead of you at this point.”
“That may be true.” Admitted Severus. “But remember, you-”
“Can’t let on I have about eleven years of experience on the dunderheads in my class. Yeah yeah. I know. Heard it a hundred times.”
“Good.” Severus nodded.
With a quiet crack, Goldy appeared again in front of the table. “I is having your toast, Mistress Kinsie!” he squeaked and placed the plate in front of her.
Inhaling the amazing smell of avocado and lemon juice in the morning, Kinsley sighed, “I love you, Goldy. You have no idea.”
Goldy let out a happy little squeak, “I love you, too, Mistress Kinsie!”, and apparated away again.
Severus shook his head. “That elf is not going to survive once he can’t bring you breakfast, lunch, and dinner personally. What will he do with himself?”
“You’re just grumpy none of the elves love you like Goldy loves me. Must be lonely.” Kinsley jabbed back.
Severus rolled his eyes at her.
“Don’t worry, Sevvy. I love you. That’s enough, isn’t it?”
Severus hesitated a couple of seconds before he said, “I love you too.” He always hesitated a couple of seconds, as though the thought of being loved by anyone came as a shock. Kinsely knew it did come as a shock, which was why she made an effort to say the words as much as possible, just to get the message through his silly mind.
Severus had started as Potions Professor when Kinsley was five years old, and they had no interaction for the first month or so. This was partly because Severus was an irritable asshole who kept stewing about the shit cards he’d been dealt, and partly because Kinsley was so busy there was just no time.
However, one day Kinsley decided to go exploring the castle way after her bedtime, when everyone in the castle was asleep except for a grumpy Potions Professor on patrol. Kins ran straight into his legs, and stumbled back, realising she’d been caught.
Kinsley was always good at getting out of trouble - she’d been taught by the best. And the best had taught her that in those sorts of situations, you had to think really fast.
She’d been living at Hogwarts for too long to try the simple, “sorry, I was lost” and something told her flattery or distraction wouldn’t get her out of that one. So Kinsley pulled the only card she felt she held and started crying.
“I-I had a nightmare.” She sobbed. “I couldn’t sleep, and I was t-trying to find Pops so I could get some sleep p-potion.” Kins looked up at Severus through her big, amber eyes, with an exaggerated pout and some (very realistic) fake tears. She then pouted for real when she realised the Potions Professor had not bought her bullshit.
“Would I be correct in thinking that Pops sleeps in the room just down the hallway from yours? The room which you visit at least once a day?” Severus raised his eyebrow intimidatingly.
Kinsley huffed and stomped her foot. “Fine. I got bored and I wanted to see if I could find any ghosts. Please don’t tell Mum. She’ll be mad.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell your mother.”
“Becauseee,” Kinsley grinned, realising she still had a chance. “I know some things about some Gryffindors, and I’ll trade you some lions in detention for you not telling Mum.”
Severus laughed, actually laughed, understanding a five-year-old was negotiating with him. A five-year-old was playing poker in a world full of people playing go fish.
“Alright.” He decided. “Let me walk you back to your room, and on the way, you can tell me what these Gryffindors have been up to.”
And that was the beginning of the relationship in which a bright young girl would continue to seek a grumpy man, and talk his ear off. Slowly, Severus discovered he didn’t dislike the presence of Kinsley, and he began to talk back to her.
When Kinsley was six, Minerva officially asked Severus to be Kinsley’s Godfather, and since then the two had been as thick as thieves.
“I’m done!” Kinsley announced as she finished the last bite of her toast.
“Go get ready,” Severus suggested.
“Yep!” Kins smiled, and she kissed him on the cheek goodbye, waving to the other Professors at the table and making her way back to her room.
She quickly hopped in the shower in the ensuite to her room before standing in front of her wardrobe and debating the outfit for the day.
“We’ll be late if you don’t choose something to wear soon,” came a voice from behind her, and Kinsley turned around to find her Mother standing in the doorway.
“Morning Mum!” Kinsley grinned. “It’s a special occasion, though. My first time meeting the people in my grade!”
“I’m sure they’ll love you regardless of what you’re wearing, dear.” Minerva sighed. “And you’ll get changed into your robes, anyway. There’s no point in stressing.”
“But they’ll love me more if I wear something pretty,” Kinsley argued, and she turned back around to face the overflowing cupboard of clothes.
“We’re to leave at 10 o’clock. They won’t get to see whatever masterpiece you choose out if you’re late and don't even make the train.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kinsley rolled her eyes.
Kinsley finally settled on an outfit almost completely made of hand-me-downs. She loved the hand-me-downs, though. They reminded her of the students she loved.
Kinsley would not stop crying. It was the first day of classes, Minerva was teaching, Poppy was in the infirmary, and they had given Kinsley to the elves for the day. Kinsley just wouldn’t have it, and the elves knew the only way she’d shut up would be if she was reunited with her mother. They apparated into the Transfiguration classroom and tucked the crying infant into her mother’s arms before she was the wiser, and apparated away.
Kinsley quickly quietened, but Minerva realised she couldn’t leave her daughter alone quite yet. She taught for most of the day when, in the final lesson which was transfiguration with sixth years, a scream sounded from just up the corridor.
Minerva’s instincts kicked in, and she pushed Kinsley into the closest persons arms before rushing to investigate. She returned, after telling Peeves off for scaring a first year, to find half the class cooing over a wide-eyed baby. Marlene McKinnon, who had the girl in her arms, begged not to have to let her go, and Minerva finally agreed once the rest of the class joined in.
Then started the trend of everyone wanting to hold Kinsley, and kids offering to babysit as well. After stern words to the entire school about ground rules for looking after Kinsley, Minerva agreed. The ground ruled included, but were not limited to;
- Do not leave the baby alone
- Do not perform magic on or around the baby
- Do not endanger the baby in any way
- If anything happens, take Kinsley straight to Minerva or Poppy
Interest in looking after Kinsley rose quickly, and Minerva eventually drew up a timetable of who had Kinsley when just so she could keep track. Every mealtime time Kinsley would be found in someone's arms, she was with a student every break, and every night after dinner Kinsley could be found in any of four common rooms.
Kinsley was such an easy baby that everyone just loved her, and as she grew older she could do more things which just meant everyone wanted to babysit her even more.
Some people, such as Ellora Zambini or Elias Proudfoot, only babysat Kinsley once before becoming bored of it. However, the general student population just could not get enough of her, and Kinsley was often found in the arms of the Marauders, or with Pandora Lovegood, Marylin Rosier, or numerous others.
At their graduations, the students who were particularly close with Kinsley usually gave her a present to remember them by, because they didn’t want her to forget them just as much as she didn’t want them to forget her.
Kinsley got changed into a navy knit sweater and a pair of blue jeans, nodding at the mirror.
The sweater had been given to her the year previous by a fourth year named Charlie Weasley, who had been sitting with her at the lake when he noticed she was cold. He told her to keep it, and that his mum was always knitting new ones, but she gave him a bracelet in trade just to make things even.
The jeans were new, courtesy of a ‘happy first year of school’ shopping spree, and Kins thought they were very nice. Kinsley pulled on some red Converse for shoes, grinning at the familiar feel.
The red Converse were a gift from Marlene McKinnon about eight years ago, and they’d been shrunk down to fit her toddler feet, and enlarged slowly to continue to fit her growing feet. The thought of Marlene was always sad - she was a favourite of Kinsley’s who had sadly died in the war.
Kinsley put a diamond stud through each of her lobes, thanking Regulus Black and his tiny acts of rebellion. Regulus was another of Kinsley’s favourites (she had lots) and he used to take her out somewhere in the grounds and vent about his life while simultaneously teaching Kins how to make flower crowns. Reg had stolen the earrings from the black vaults as a gift for her at his graduation, and he was declared dead two months later.
“Are you finally ready?” Minerva popped her head back through the door.
“Yep!” Kinsley said, and she snatched up a bit of money from around her room, sprayed some floral perfume (thank you Lily Evans), and grabbed her trunk.
“You have everything for your dorm?” Minerva asked. “Because you can’t come back here willy-nilly.”
“I have everything I’ll need, Mum,” Kinsley reassured her. “And if I don’t, Goldy said he’s happy to make a couple trips for me.”
Kinsley took one last look at her room, which she wouldn’t see until the Christmas holiday break, and closed the door behind herself.