Harry Potter fanfiction · No romance · Family bonds · Healing · Women's growth · Political intrigue and power struggles
Lin Shu is eleven, carrying half a trunk of medicinal herbs her grandmother packed for her, and has made her way to Hogwarts all alone.
The Sorting Hat declares, “Deeply ambitious, and wise enough to assess the situation before acting. Slytherin!”
Then she discovers she has two guardians: Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor, and Snape, Slytherin Head of House.
The man in black robes, with greasy hair and a tongue sharper than a snake's, lays down three rules the moment they meet: Don't cause trouble, don't let anyone know we're related, and don't bother me unless you have to.
Lin Shu obediently nods. “So I can bother you if I have to?”
Snape: …
What she doesn't know is that, from the first day of term, every complaint in her head travels straight into his ears through a one-way “line.”
[His face is so pale. Must be poor circulation.]
[This place is cold and damp. Living here too long will make you sick.]
[He talks tough, but his heart is soft.]
Snape listens without changing expression, then turns around and takes down the curtains to wash them, adds protective potions to her curriculum, and puts all three of his patents on the Board of Governors' table. “Enough to buy porridge.”
She starts a mutual-aid group with a crowd of girls, establishes anti-bullying rules, and lights up the thousand-year-old castle. He complains that she's “meddling in everything,” while shielding her from the blades lurking in the dark.
“Useful people are still alive.” The little girl tucks her silver needles close to her body. “Dad, Mom, when I grow up, I'll come find you.”
This is the story of an Eastern girl secretly raised by a professor who talks tough, while she casually gets all of Hogwarts back on its feet.
