You can hinder me, but you'll never stop me

Week Before Christmas

Contrarily to public belief, Jay did in fact love Christmas. There were countless lights hung up in the city, she was always invited to her old school's Christmas break celebration despite not graduating, and most of all; presents.

Of course, she couldn't ask for the things she wanted, but instead asked for 'appropriate' gifts she could sell, or donate to the local orphanage. But this year she was not looking forward to it. Which is why she found herself outside Severus' rooms. She'd hardly been there in weeks, but she knew that if anyone could help her, this was where she would find help.

She knocked.

Severus opened the door. "Yes miss Potter?" He sneered at her.

"I've come to talk. About what happened." She stumbles the words out before she can turn tail.

Wordlessly he opens the door wider. She walks inside and before he even closed the door fully she just bursts. "Look, I'm sorry for hurting you. Not for stopping you, but for the way I did. And how I've been ignoring the obvious problem we have." The words stumble out of her mouth in a clumsy fashion.

Severus just sighs. "Miss Potter, I will admit that I was also in the wrong." He falls silent for a moment. "I should not have reacted the way did, but neither should you have."

She nods in acceptance.

"What I do not understand, is why now?" He asks.

She takes a deep breath. "I talked to Charlie yesterday," At the mere mention of her brother Severus looks like he ate an entire lemon, "He told me that mother and father are working on getting me back somehow."

Severus sits on the couch, and motions for her to do the same. "I have indeed been informed of that. The way things are looking now, you will be back to them before Christmas arrives."

That's soon. Very soon. "I don't want to go back." She sighs.

"And yet your only other option is staying with me." He grabs his cup of tea of the side table and takes a sip.

She frowns, "Would that be wrong though?" She looks at him, "Would it be wrong to choose you over them any given time?"

Severus looks rather shocked. "You would chose me over your mother and father?"

"Of course!" How could the man even doubt that? She didn't want to go back to them. Even if it wasn't solely smooth sailing with Severus. She'd never had a present parent before, it wasn't like she'd never screw up. Same for Severus! He didn't ask to be made responsible for a twelve year old. And it wasn't like being a teacher and being someone's guardian were the same things...

In the meantime, Severus didn't think the girl could have shocked him more, and yet there she went. When she left with cold eyes and how she'd ignored him out of classes, he didn't think there was anything salvageable about the situation. And yet there she was, saying as if it went without saying that she wanted to stay with him rather than her parents.

"Jennifer," Oh had she made it back from 'miss Potter' to 'Jennifer again? "Even if I were to fight for it, the Ministry would never allow me to keep custody of you unless there are very good reasons for it."

Jay opened her mouth to respond only to keep quiet as Severus raised his hand to halt her. "That is not me saying that I wouldn't want you to stay with me. It is the law. If there are no implications that you are in danger while with your parents, and they are capable of convincing the right people of this, you will be returned to them. And unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about that."

"Don't I get to choose?" She asks, the pain obvious in her tone.

He looks sadly at the young girl. "I'm afraid that's not how it works." She knows that. She'd read every book on law she could get her hands on. It was merely wishful thinking.