Author's Note: Hello HP fans! I just saw the new movie and was reminded of how dearly I love these characters. I started writing for fun and thought I would post for fun. This is a somewhat AU version of events in that it introduces an OC, but I wanted to tell a story about Snape that would give him added depth (as if he needs it). So his story is altered in some major ways, and the same in others. Ultimately it will be about Harry's years at Hogwarts, but it begins where it begins. I would love it if you would review with thoughts. If you don't like OC pairings, this probably isn't for you. Happy Reading! -BD

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Harry Potter. All original characters belong to me.

Prologue

The summer was almost over. Severus was ready for the August heat to pass. He was ready to go back to Hogwarts. Everything would be different now; this would be his first time teaching, his first year back at Hogwarts since he had been a student. Of course, Dumbledore had denied him the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, said it was too soon, people would grumble and question. Severus thought it was a funny excuse – such things never seemed to bother Dumbledore. Why then? Did Dumbledore still not trust him – even after all he had done – even after he had risked everything to spy on the Dark Lord? Severus tried to convince himself that it was just because he was talented at Potions. That had to be the reason.

Severus glanced down at the dark mark on his arm. It would always be a reminder of his past. Some days he wondered if Raleigh would ever move beyond the lies, the dark deeds, and the fact that he had truly been a servant of the Dark Lord. Even more, he wondered if she would ever really forgive him for risking their daughter's life to try and save Lily.

Tired of being alone with his thoughts, he apparated home from the grassy hill where he had gone to sit. It was quiet in the house, and as he climbed the stairs he heard a giggle coming from the room at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door and glanced down at the small child who sat on the floor, humming to herself.

His dark thoughts chased away, Severus smiled and tugged on his daughter's curly blond ponytail. How he had produced such a beautiful child he would never know, but Ariana was utterly perfect. The little girl turned her head and smiled up at him.

"Daddy, you're home!" she said, jumping up from the floor where she had been doing a puzzle and throwing herself into his arms. He held her soft three year old body tight for a moment before loosening his embrace and letting her down. He loved her so very dearly. "Daddy, I'm missing a piece of this puzzle. Can you find it for me?"

Severus pulled out his wand and waved it once. "Accio, missing piece."

A small puzzle piece flew out from beneath the bed and into his palm. He handed it to his daughter and watched as she fit it into the proper place. Severus frowned when he realized what the puzzle was a picture of. It was a small child, bundled up in some blankets and sleeping, with a tuft of dark hair and a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

Harry Potter. James and Lily's Harry. The Boy Who Lived.

He remembered a particularly painful conversation with Dumbledore, after Lily had died.

"If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear."

"What – what do you mean?"

"You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily's son."

"He does not need protection. The Dark Lord has gone –"

"The Dark Lord will return, and Harry Potter will be in terrible danger when he does."

One day Harry would come to Hogwarts, and it would be time to face his promise.

"Raleigh!" he called, perhaps more harshly than he needed to, and his wife appeared in the doorway of Ariana's room. His eyes darkened. By the look on her face, it was clear that she knew why he had called her. She knew he would be angry and she had bought it anyway.

He stepped towards her, lowering his voice to almost a growl. "Can you tell me the meaning of this?"

Raleigh put her hands on her hips and scowled back at him. "Severus, really. She saw it in the store and asked for it. I saw no reason to tell her no. Harry is famous. Ariana deserves to know about what happened."

"She's three years old," he protested, taking another step toward her.

"She'll be four in December," Raleigh retorted, her gray eyes battling for dominance with his dark ones. "She's a very smart girl and she'll be one of Harry's peers someday. Besides, there's no reason to be upset about it other than the fact that he's Lily's." She let out the last word with a sigh of frustration. "You are just as glad as anyone that You-Know-Who has been defeated. What really bothers you about Harry is her."

"She's dead, Raleigh," he said, the pain evident in his voice. "He killed her, no matter what I did to try and stop it. Harry is only a few years younger than Ariana. Some days I just…"

"He could have killed us. He would have killed Ariana if he had ever found out about your betrayal. You let saving Lily take precedence over our daughter! Some days I wonder if you would've have turned over James and Harry if it meant saving Lily."

He slammed a fist against the wall, whether in anger or grief even he couldn't say. "What would you have wanted me to do, Raleigh? Remain his servant? Keep lying to you? Let the Potters die?" His eyes flicked over to the child sitting on the floor. "Ariana survived. Harry survived." He bit his lip. "Even if Lily didn't."

Raleigh's expression softened. She knew she was asking the wrong thing of him. The past was the past. "It's been nearly a year, Severus. You have to start letting her go. It's not fair to me."

Severus ran a hand down his face and felt his heartbeat slow. Raleigh was right. He wasn't being fair. Yes, he would always dislike Harry for being James' son and not his, but there was no reason to take it out on Raleigh and Ariana. Raleigh had suffered enough.

He reached out a hand and stroked Raleigh's cheek. "It's never been fair to you. I'm sorry," he said softly. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and nuzzling against his hand.

"I love you, Severus," she said, and when he bent his head to kiss her, he knew that he loved her too. Lily Potter was dead.

For Severus Snape, the aftermath of Voldemort's defeat was just as draining as the events that led up to it. He watched men and women he once considered friends get carted off to Azkaban, some of them thanks to his information. Even as he mourned the loss of Lily Potter, he searched for his own wife and child. Raleigh had wanted nothing to do with him once she learned of his service to the Dark Lord, and she and Ariana had disappeared beyond his reach for more than a year. That year had been one of the worst of his life, not only because he was frantic about Lily, but because he was terrified of being caught spying for the Order.

Despite the trials of those painful months, he survived. He won back his wife and child. And Albus Dumbledore had been there through it all, protecting him and asking only as much of him as he could give. Dumbledore spoke of Harry only when necessary, and for the most part he left Severus to his own musings. Truly, he had loved Lily Evans as much as any man ever could, but she had not chosen him. She had watched him become a Death Eater and she had chosen James Potter.

Severus had chosen too. He had met Raleigh Malloy during their third year, and while he had allowed himself to have something of a crush on the petite silver-haired girl who excelled at Potions, he had never felt for her the way he had for Lily. Still, Raleigh was special, unbelievably special…

"Regulus Black, don't touch me!" a small voice shrieked.

Severus stopped in his tracks and turned towards the sound, losing sight of Lily in the commotion that followed. The Hogwarts Express had only just dropped them off at Hogwarts and already there was a conflict, before they could even get in the carriages and make it to the castle.

When he turned he noticed a small crowd had gathered around two figures in Hogwarts robes. A small fifth year Gryffindor that he knew well was glaring at his fellow Slytherin, Regulus Black. "You are a loathsome boy and I hope you die!" she declared.

He had to give it to her, when she got mad, Raleigh Malloy was quite feisty.

"All I wanted to know was if you were going in search of your sweetheart, ol' Snapey." Regulus taunted back, taking a step towards her.

Suddenly, Raleigh burst into flames and Regulus screamed. Severus ran forward, frantically thinking of spells that might save her, yet just as he reached her side the flames subsided. Regulus was on the ground crying, and Raleigh looked perfectly unharmed. There was a smug look on her face and she stalked off, the entire crowd staring at her in shock.

Severus followed her immediately, his long strides allowing him to catch up to her in very little time. They soon left the crowd behind and entered the Forbidden Forest.

"Are you planning to walk all the way to the castle?" he asked. "You'll miss the sorting, maybe even the feast."

Raleigh didn't answer, just reached up a hand and moved some silvery-blond hair behind her ear. Severus decided to try again.

"So, what was that?" he asked, preparing for an angry response.

Raleigh glanced at him and frowned, quickening her step. "Remember how I wrote you that I was sick this summer? That my father took me to St. Mungo's?"

Severus nodded. "I remember. Your parents are muggles, but your father is one of the foremost medical contacts for wizard-muggle relations – he helps disguise wizard potions as medicines for the non-magic world."

"Right. My dad is an expert with patents and marketing "miracle cures" and he's been a liaison for years, since before I was born. Anyways, this summer the wizards were trying to experiment with a new substance in their potions. Around the same time I fell ill for no explicable reason. As it happens, both my father and the potion-inventors were anxious to reach the same goal. My father wanted to save my rapidly ending life and the experimenters wanted a subject on which to test their new potion." Raleigh paused, slowing her steps and finally coming to a halt. "Severus, it is very important that you don't repeat what I'm about to tell you. I already screwed up enough back there."

Severus nodded, his eyes meeting hers and finding no hint of humor in them.

"The potion worked, as you see, I didn't die. However, what no one anticipated were side-effects. You see, Severus, the new ingredient was phoenix tears..."

"Which have healing powers…" Severus finished in a whisper, his mind whirling with the implications.

Raleigh nodded. "Somehow, although I recovered from my illness, I didn't return to normal. The phoenix medicine left me with certain qualities. While the phoenix flames at its death, I can summon a blaze at will. I can also—" she blushed a little, "pick up amazingly heavy objects, much like the phoenix."

"Can you fly?" Severus asked.

Raleigh resumed walking, "No, but I can do something almost as good."

She burst into flames, and was gone. Severus stood with his mouth open, staring at the spot where she had just been standing in disbelief. A single red feather lay on the ground where her feet had been.

Before he had the chance to pick it up, she reappeared in a flash of fire.

"How, how…" he said, searching for words.

She smiled. "I can apparate. Or whatever the phoenix equivalent is. Anywhere." She raised an eyebrow. "Anywhere," she repeated.

"This is just impossible," Severus sputtered, staring at the ground as he tried to collect his thoughts. He and Raleigh had been friends for years now, but he had never seen this coming. Her letters hadn't even hinted at it.

"Ready to go? I know you don't want to miss the sorting. Or rather, Lily Evans."

"Go where?" he asked, confused.

Raleigh slid her warm hand into his, threading her fingers through his and squeezing.

"The Great Hall, of course."

And for the briefest second, Severus felt the heat of flames surround him, before he found himself standing in the Hogwarts Great Hall, surrounded by a crowd of students and with the smell of gingerbread in the air.

Yes, Raleigh Malloy was one of a kind in the wizarding world, well capable of taking care of herself. Blinded by love, he had always placed her second to Lily. Blinded by power, he had placed her second even to the Dark Lord. For that, he was only just beginning to understand the full consequences.