Hi all... my first HP fic, so don't be too harsh, please? Feedback is welcome also- just please be constructive. Disclaimer: I don't own Severus Snape, or anything/anyone else Harry Potter related. Thus, without further adieu...
Dandelions
Prologue:
I walked around the room a minute, rocking the small child in my arms in an attempt to soothe her. I had always known raising a baby in a complex where children delight in causing chaos and screaming at all hours was a bad idea.
"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep my little baby," I sang softly, as comfortingly as I could with a slight sore throat. "When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little dragons." Yes I know, the song goes 'all the pretty little ponies,' but if I was going to raise this kid, it wouldn't be in the usual manner. How could I, with her parents being who we were. I would teach my daughter to embrace the dark, not run from it, until she was old enough to understand right from wrong, danger from safety. But, thankfully, that wouldn't be for awhile yet.
Hearing a creak from our bedroom, I walked quietly to the door. Had my love awoken and found me gone? No, just turning over. The moonlight shone delicately on his clear, pale skin, that raven's wing black hair, that face I fell for so long ago. I looked from him to the sleeping child- Celestina Judas; why had I let myself be talked into naming my firstborn Judas? Maybe we'd just call her Jay or Celine, we'll have to wait and see.
As I was watching, my love opened one eye just barely. "Celli? Come to bed," he called softly. I couldn't help but smile, and walked over to the bedside. My love stretched out an arm for me to lay inside, and I happily snuggled up to him as his arm wrapped around me. Here, in the arms of my lover and husband, with my daughter sleeping soundly between us, I felt as if for the first time in my life, I belonged somewhere. It was a feeling I knew I'd never get tired of.
Tilting my head up slightly, I kissed that beautiful man. "I love you, Severus," I whispered, but he had already fallen back asleep.
About a week later, Severus Snape was pounding on his brother's door, soaked from running in the pouring rain. "Sam? Samuel? Please tell me you're awake!" he yelled.
A light came on inside the house and Severus' older brother Samuel opened the door, bathrobe on over his pajamas. "What the bloody hell do you want?" he asked, somewhat irritated. Samuel calmed down, however, when he saw the terrified look in Severus' eyes. He'd never seen his little brother so scared before. "Well, at least get your hide in from the rain. You're not the village idiot you know."
Severus obeyed and entered, dropping the hood of his soaked cloak.
"Samuel, what's wrong," Samuel's wife, Heather, asked, decending the staircase and stopping halfway. Her hazel eyes were still a bit foggy with sleep.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying filled the room.
"What the bloody hell?" Heather asked.
Samuel just looked at Severus as the younger Snape removed his cloak to reveal a very unhappy infant in his arms. She was hastily wrapped in a light purple blanket, but nothing more. Severus handed the baby to Samuel. "I trust you remember your niece Celine?"
Samuel took Celine into his arms and started rocking her, trying to calm her down. "Now are you going to tell me what's going on before I kill you in front of your own daughter?"
Severus sunk into a chair nearby and held his head in his hands. It took Samuel a minute to figure out that Severus was... crying? Once Severus had composed himself a bit and Celine had been quieted, Severus looked up at his older brother.
"Celestina's dead, Sam. Voldemort killed her right in front of me, said she was getting in my way. But he didn't know- doesn't know- about Celine. You're her only chance. You have to take care of her for me."
Heather stomped the rest of the way down the staircase. "Hell no," she said. "We can't take care of your snotty nosed little brat just because you made a stupid mistake. It's not our fault."
"Heather darling, you know I love you but shut the bloody hell up," Samuel replied. "This child is not going to be sentanced to death just because you don't want the goddamn hassle. Of course we'll take care of her, Sev. No worries."
Severus gave Samuel a weak smile. "Thank you. And if money is an issue," he shot a look at Heather, "I'll help you out all I can. Just remember.."
"Yes yes, we don't exist, it's for our own protection, all that rubbish," Samuel recited.
Heather just glared at the two men and went back upstairs to bed. Samuel put Celine in Severus' arms. "You might as well stay the night here, since it'll be the last time you see this little one for quite a while."
Severus nodded, regaining his usual composure. Samuel gathered some blankets for him, and let the two sleep on the couch. In the morning the blankets were neatly stacked at the end of the couch, with a pillow between the baby and the edge of the couch, but no sign of Severus.
"At least the kid sleeps quietly," Heather commented over her morning cup of coffee.
"Will you be at least a bit nicer about this whole thing? Come on, it won't be all bad- the baby's on bottled milk right now, and Severus brags about how well behaved she is, well for a baby anyway."
"Yeah whatever you say dear. I'll play the mommy card for you, I guess."
Guess I should explain; the first part is written in Celestina's POV- bit of a strange reason why that is. Oh well- stay tuned for Chapter 1! -Dez
Dandelions
Prologue:
I walked around the room a minute, rocking the small child in my arms in an attempt to soothe her. I had always known raising a baby in a complex where children delight in causing chaos and screaming at all hours was a bad idea.
"Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep my little baby," I sang softly, as comfortingly as I could with a slight sore throat. "When you wake, you shall have all the pretty little dragons." Yes I know, the song goes 'all the pretty little ponies,' but if I was going to raise this kid, it wouldn't be in the usual manner. How could I, with her parents being who we were. I would teach my daughter to embrace the dark, not run from it, until she was old enough to understand right from wrong, danger from safety. But, thankfully, that wouldn't be for awhile yet.
Hearing a creak from our bedroom, I walked quietly to the door. Had my love awoken and found me gone? No, just turning over. The moonlight shone delicately on his clear, pale skin, that raven's wing black hair, that face I fell for so long ago. I looked from him to the sleeping child- Celestina Judas; why had I let myself be talked into naming my firstborn Judas? Maybe we'd just call her Jay or Celine, we'll have to wait and see.
As I was watching, my love opened one eye just barely. "Celli? Come to bed," he called softly. I couldn't help but smile, and walked over to the bedside. My love stretched out an arm for me to lay inside, and I happily snuggled up to him as his arm wrapped around me. Here, in the arms of my lover and husband, with my daughter sleeping soundly between us, I felt as if for the first time in my life, I belonged somewhere. It was a feeling I knew I'd never get tired of.
Tilting my head up slightly, I kissed that beautiful man. "I love you, Severus," I whispered, but he had already fallen back asleep.
About a week later, Severus Snape was pounding on his brother's door, soaked from running in the pouring rain. "Sam? Samuel? Please tell me you're awake!" he yelled.
A light came on inside the house and Severus' older brother Samuel opened the door, bathrobe on over his pajamas. "What the bloody hell do you want?" he asked, somewhat irritated. Samuel calmed down, however, when he saw the terrified look in Severus' eyes. He'd never seen his little brother so scared before. "Well, at least get your hide in from the rain. You're not the village idiot you know."
Severus obeyed and entered, dropping the hood of his soaked cloak.
"Samuel, what's wrong," Samuel's wife, Heather, asked, decending the staircase and stopping halfway. Her hazel eyes were still a bit foggy with sleep.
Just then, the sound of a baby crying filled the room.
"What the bloody hell?" Heather asked.
Samuel just looked at Severus as the younger Snape removed his cloak to reveal a very unhappy infant in his arms. She was hastily wrapped in a light purple blanket, but nothing more. Severus handed the baby to Samuel. "I trust you remember your niece Celine?"
Samuel took Celine into his arms and started rocking her, trying to calm her down. "Now are you going to tell me what's going on before I kill you in front of your own daughter?"
Severus sunk into a chair nearby and held his head in his hands. It took Samuel a minute to figure out that Severus was... crying? Once Severus had composed himself a bit and Celine had been quieted, Severus looked up at his older brother.
"Celestina's dead, Sam. Voldemort killed her right in front of me, said she was getting in my way. But he didn't know- doesn't know- about Celine. You're her only chance. You have to take care of her for me."
Heather stomped the rest of the way down the staircase. "Hell no," she said. "We can't take care of your snotty nosed little brat just because you made a stupid mistake. It's not our fault."
"Heather darling, you know I love you but shut the bloody hell up," Samuel replied. "This child is not going to be sentanced to death just because you don't want the goddamn hassle. Of course we'll take care of her, Sev. No worries."
Severus gave Samuel a weak smile. "Thank you. And if money is an issue," he shot a look at Heather, "I'll help you out all I can. Just remember.."
"Yes yes, we don't exist, it's for our own protection, all that rubbish," Samuel recited.
Heather just glared at the two men and went back upstairs to bed. Samuel put Celine in Severus' arms. "You might as well stay the night here, since it'll be the last time you see this little one for quite a while."
Severus nodded, regaining his usual composure. Samuel gathered some blankets for him, and let the two sleep on the couch. In the morning the blankets were neatly stacked at the end of the couch, with a pillow between the baby and the edge of the couch, but no sign of Severus.
"At least the kid sleeps quietly," Heather commented over her morning cup of coffee.
"Will you be at least a bit nicer about this whole thing? Come on, it won't be all bad- the baby's on bottled milk right now, and Severus brags about how well behaved she is, well for a baby anyway."
"Yeah whatever you say dear. I'll play the mommy card for you, I guess."
Guess I should explain; the first part is written in Celestina's POV- bit of a strange reason why that is. Oh well- stay tuned for Chapter 1! -Dez