The Lily and the Serpent
Chapter 9
WE CALLED IT!
Mrs. Potter is now Mrs. Snape
It's been confirmed, ladies and gentlemen, Lily Potter, the young, handsome widow of James Potter, has gotten married again, this time to her "dear old friend," Professor Severus Snape. Their quiet nuptials took place on June 16th, 1995 at the courthouse. No flowers or fancy dresses. Just a quick, no-nonsense signing of the marriage certificate, no doubt in an effort to get to their honeymoon all the quicker. Lily's son from her previous marriage, that adorable pre-teen we all know and love, Harry Potter, served as the witness. He then reportedly stayed over at a friend's house for a couple weeks while the newlyweds settled in.— continues on page 3.
Harry snatched the newspaper out of Ron's hands and crumpled it up.
"Harry, really," Hermione scolded lightly, "It's only the first day of school—"
"Yeah. And you wouldn't believe all the lewd remarks I've heard already. Not to mention the drawings…" Harry shuddered.
"Well, bloody hell, what did you expect?" said Ron, "We knew this was gonna happen."
"Try to look on the bright side, Harry," Hermione said pragmatically, "At least now we can be sure that Snape is our ally. And we need as many of those as we can get."
"Maybe try to have a sense of humor about it," Ron suggested, "Don't give the Slytherins the satisfaction of seeing you squirm."
"But come on, Ron. Imagine if Professor Snape married your mum."
Ron made a face. "Ugh. Now that's a ruddy disturbing image."
The next day, during school lunch, Hedwig dropped a letter in front of Harry. She then flew across the room and dropped a letter in front of Snape. The professor and Harry made eye contact for a second, both a bit surprised. They then proceeded to open their letters.
Harry's was from his mother. It read thus:
Dear Harry,
I hope that you're settling in nicely at school and that your friends are doing well. Please give Ron and Hermione my love.
I have some news for you, sweetheart, and I hope you'll take it well. You're going to have a younger brother or sister by the end of the school year. I've only just found out myself, and I wanted to tell you right away. I want you to know that I'm very happy.
All my love,
Mum
Harry, somewhat in a state of shock, looked back at Snape. The man looked positively choked up, a small, bewildered smile on his face. He'd obviously received the same news. Harry had never seen him look so…human. But when Professor Umbridge, that vile woman in pink, leaned over to sneak a peek at the letter, Snape quickly tucked it away and snapped back to his usual stern look, giving the woman a warning glance.
"What's the good news, Harry?" asked George, snatching the letter from his hand.
The twins pressed their heads together and read it to themselves. Sly smiles appeared on their faces.
"Well done, Severus," Fred said teasingly.
"That didn't take long at all," George added.
"Give that back!" Harry snatched it out of their hands. "And don't tell anyone."
The twins looked at each other mischievously. "Wouldn't dream of it, mate," they said together.
MRS. SNAPE EXPECTING ALREADY?
The headlines were bad enough, but things were rapidly getting terrible now that Umbridge was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, or rather, not teaching it. They weren't even allowed to use their wands.
Snape crossed Harry in the hall one evening. The boy was clutching his hand as if it hurt.
"Have you hurt yourself, Potter?" he asked.
"No…" Harry put his hands behind his back. "No, I haven't."
Snape put out his hand. "Let me see."
Harry was about to give him his right hand.
"The…other one," Snape said, knowing better.
Begrudgingly, Harry held out his left. Snape held his wrist gingerly and looked at his hand. I must not tell lies was carved into the skin.
"I see…you've managed to get on Umbridge's bad side."
Harry pulled his hand away. "All of her sides are bad."
"Hmm…Well I do recommend that you attempt to stay out of her way." Snape glanced around and then caught his wrist again. Quickly and quietly, he drew his wand and muttered something. The cuts began to heal immediately. "…Now get to your room," he said curtly, "Do not expect me to cut you any slack should you break curfew."
Snape took no pleasure in working with Umbridge, especially when she became Headmaster. She physically abused the students and constantly bullied the faculty. Eventually, she even took to using his potions for her interrogations, something he truly did not appreciate. After she had used a good deal of his truth serum on a Ravenclaw named Cho Chang, Snape took what little remained and disposed of it. This turned out to be a fortuitous decision, as Umbridge would have used it next on Harry.
Snape was not at all saddened when he heard that Umbridge had been kidnapped by centaurs.
YOU-KNOW-WHO IS BACK
"Harry, please don't go," Lily pleaded. Her son hadn't even unpacked when he'd gotten home from school.
"I've already arranged it, Mum. I'm just going to stay with the Weasleys for a while. It's better this way."
"Harry Potter. You belong with your mother. And what's more, I'm going to have this baby any day now, and you're running out on us?"
"I expect…the boy wants a bit of time away…to cope with recent events," Snape interjected.
"And why can't he cope right here?"
Harry was already practically out the door. "Listen, Mum, I love you, and I want you to be happy…But all of this…is just too confusing and weird. Give me some time to figure everything out."
Snape put his hands on Lily's shoulders. She stood at the door and watched until her son was out of sight.
"I believe…that things may be safer this way," Snape ventured.
Lily began to cry, shaking her head in frustration. He guided her to the couch, and once they had sat down, he let her cry it out on his shoulder.
"When this is all over, my love…it will be easier for us to be a family…We will not always have to live in fear." He caressed her face. "I know you're afraid…and I know why…but we are going to come out of this…I promise, Lily."
