Life After Life

Chapter One: Four Years Down the Road

Severus' new job was with children, a chemistry teacher at a local high school. Despite what his peers
had thought, he had always had a life in the muggle world. Chemistry and Potions had a lot in common.
Severus Snape yelled up the stairs of the home he had lived in for the past four years. "Blake! Sora!
It's time to leave! We're going to be late!" Two children, a thirteen year old boy and a fourteen year old
girl, came rushing down to meet him.

"Sorry Dad, SOMEONE thought it would be funny to flush my chapstick down the toilet," pouted Sora, flipping
her blonde hair back. Blake responded with a raspberry. Severus sighed, "Behave please. Go wait in the car."

If someone had suggested four years ago to Severus that he would miss having kids around, he would have
laughed hysterically in their face. Yet here he was, with not two, but seven children, from ages two to
sixteen, in his home. First had been Shiloh, his sixteen year old, adopted three and a half years ago. He
started out not trusting Severus, but it eventually grew to it was now. He was almost six feet tall with sandy
brown hair and blue-green eyes. He was no longer the problem child the courts had feared he would turn into.
Then there was Tristen, fifteen years old, Sora's older brother. They had come from a severly abusive family
situation about three months after Shiloh. He and Sora shared blonde hair and hazel eyes. Blake's mother had
abandoned him when he was five and he bounced around foster care until falling into Severus' lap at age eleven.
His father was unknown. Last year, Severus had found his mother in a motel, drugged out of her mind with a five
year old, Brandon. Severus wrangled with the courts until he got custody of him. Blake and Brandon were almost
complete opposites. Blake was short with bright red hair and brown eyes. Brandon was tall and lanky with jet
black hair and ice-blue eyes. Last came Severus' beloved twins, Luka and Nikolette, age two. Their parents had
died in a plane crash and the state simply put the twins with Severus six months ago. Nikolette had dark brown
hair and almost winter green eyes. She was contantly getting into everything. Luka had silver-blonde hair and
reddish-purple eyes. He was a quiet baby.

And he was sick as a dog, sitting at the table, sniffling miserably. Niki was busy throwing the fit her
brother was too sick to throw. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. He is going to the hospital today, after we drop Sora and Blake off at summer
camp," came Severus' bemused answer as Shiloh, Tristen and Brandon came flying down the stairs. "Shiloh, would
you mind taking Brandon to daycare before you and Tristen go to soccer practice?"

"Nah, it's cool. Hey Niki girl, it's ok. The docs are just gonna make Luka feel better." He swung her
onto his hip and headed out the door with the others. Severus smiled and picked Luka up.

"Well, shall we?" he asked the small boy, following after his kids.

*RING RING*

*RING RING*

~Blake's voice~ Hello? Hello? Is there anyone there?.... Sorry, I can't hear you... You're gonna hafta
speak up... Hello? All right, all right. You can stop yelling! We're not home right now, but leave a name and
number and we might get back to you... if not, we don't wanna talk to you!

~Severus' voice, in background~ Blake!!

~Blake's voice~ Just kidding!!

*BEEP*

"Severus? This is Albus... Are you there? Who was that? Severus, I need to talk to you. Please call... our
way if you don't mind. I don't like this contraption. We need your he-"

*BEEP*

Anya glowered at the device from the darkness. "Stupid wizard man. Just leave them alone! De-Lete." With
that, the message disappeared, along with the demon.

A/N: Sorry, still short! And they will meet soon! I just need some help with a non-lethal kid's disease that one
would need to go to the hospital for... I'm trying!