I do not own Harry Potter characters and I do not own the poem in this chapter. Enjoy.
Under the careful eye of her loved ones, Vera Lily Snape grew quickly. The Snapes were well liked in the neighborhood, even if they were a bit odd.
At age four, Vera had a mop of thick hair as yellow as her mother's that fell in crimped waves and was often held back by two small bows on plastic clips. Her cheeks were rosy and dimpled when she smiled, as she often did. As much as she acted like her mother, she also held a few of her Father's features, a straight, with a pointed nose and deep brownish/black eyes.
If one was to ask the residents of Spinners end about the family at the end of the street, you would hear about a young twenty something woman with straight Blonde hair that fell to her shoulders and curled in, with bright blue eyes and thin black rimmed rectangular glasses. Always sharply dressed in pant suits or dresses with blazers. A Lawyer of some sort who worked for large business executives whom no one ever heard of. Well liked, if not well known by her neighbors.
Little was seen of her husband and even less was known about him. If asked, Susan would say he was a professor at a boarding school. A Chemist. Yes they were the ordinary, run-of-the-mill family.
Mostly.
"Vera…." Susan sang and crept around corner and into the living room, searching for her toddler with a small baby blue night gown in hand. Under the coffee table, Little Vera giggled quietly, catching Susan's attention who grinned and stood up straight. "Well I guess she's not in here." She whistled and slipped behind the hall that slip the hall and the living room. Vera crawled out from under the table with a grin until her mother swooped down and scooped the squealing child up.
"There she is!" she laughed, "Come on, Daddy's going to be here soon." She led her daughter up the stairs and into her room, which was painted spring green and turquoise blue with a small bed covered in pillows. "Now put on your Pjs and maybe you'll get a story tonight."
Vera slid into the thin cotton nightgown as her mother grabbed a small wide toothed comb. Vera scrunched up her nose but knew there was no way getting out of it, she hated it when her mother brushed her hair, but it was either sit down and bare it or forfeit the shortbread cookie she usually got before bed if she had been good.
With a grumble Vera followed her mother downstairs and sat in on a small foot stool in front of her mother's rocking chair. "How much longer?" she asked as her mother pulled the comb through her wet, apple scented hair. Susan eyed the black and white clock then hung on the kitchen wall, "A few more minutes baby." She replied and separated Vera's hair in half and braided each half until two small wet braid hung down her back.
"He's late." Vera said with conviction. "He's coming don't worry." Susan eyed the large fire place. After fifteen minutes the flames grew and roared with green light as a dark figure strode through them. "Daddy!" Vera leapt from her chair and toward the hearth where her father shook clouds of ash off of his cloak.
"What are you doing out of bed?" he knelt down to level so she could throw her arm around his neck, "I told her she could stay up until you got home." Susan leaned on the doorframe.
Vera nodded as she was lifted up and hooked her legs around her father's waist.
"Welcome home" Susan embraced her husband and pecked his cheek, "Alright, daddy's home and it is time for little girls to go to bed" Susan clapped her hands and Severus transferred Vera into Susan's arms.
"No, no ,no, no, no" Vera whined, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." Susan set her daughter on the ground and took her hand. "But you said I could have a story before bed." Vera demanded. "Very well, but after that you go straight to sleep." Vera nodded, "Can Daddy read to me?"
Susan sighed, "I'm sure daddy is very tired, maybe tomorrow night." Severus slipped off his cloak cut in, "I'm sure a short story is within the realm of possibility." Vera cheered, "What will I be reading?"
"The Giants of Gantua!" Vera insisted, "Oh honey that one is too long." Susan sighed. "No it's not" the child pouted.
Susan looked to her husband for support, only to be met with a sheepish smile, "Not it's not." He repeated and led the child up stairs. Susan's eyes followed them with a small smile on her lips and sighed, picking up a basket of laundry in the hall and began to fold the clothes.
Vera crawled into her bed and slid a thick leather bound book with frayed pages out from under the bed. Severus picked up the heavy book and flipped to the page that was marked with a frayed piece of green silk connected to a gold ribbon. Vera laid back on her pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Severus fingered the page before reading. "Fee, fi, fo, fum. Ask not whence the thunder comes." His deep voice gave the perfect ominous edge to the story.
"Ask not where the herds of gone, nor why the birds have ceased their song. When coming home don't take too long, for monsters roam in Albion." Vera listened with baited breath, even though she had heard the story countless times.
"With seed they pulled from magical pod, the monks grew a pathway to seek out their god. But when they came to what they thought was heaven's gate. They were met with a terrible, grisly fate. For between heaven and earth was a perilous place, Gantua, home to a fierce giant race." Vera closed her eyes and imagined the ugly, giant creatures they might lurk above the clouds. They were not like the gentle giants on earth who simply lived peacefully, but huge ugly trolls with small eyes and large clubs.
"With a bridge now before them to the world of men, a plague of Giants doth descends. Taking a cue from the richest of kings, they acquired a taste for acquiring things. But the one taste that caused them to lose all control, was the taste for mankind, blood, bone, and all." The father stopped and eyed Vera, "not frightened are you?" he questioned. Vera stuck her chin out bravely and shook her head, she would never be afraid of a silly story. "I thought not." He continued.
"King Eric bade the monks to return to dark arts, to find some way to rule giant hearts. So they melted on down, mixed in magic and more, and they crafted a crown unlike any before. For as soon as the king to the crown in hand, the giants were slave to his every command. He sent them back to the place of their birth, their home now a prison between heaven and earth. Eric severed the link between giants and men, and peace returned to his kingdom again. Mystical relic were all that remained, safe with Eric through the year that he reigned, and when time came at last for King Eric to sleep he took crown and bean with him for permanent keep. And as the King's bones slowly crumbled away, truth became legend."
"Or so people say." Vera finished off for him. "Yes, now." He stood up and placed the book on the bed side table, "You've had your story and now it is time for little girls to sleep." He pulled the small lamp chain and let darkness fill the room, light only extending from the moon beams shining in the window and the hall light outside the door.
"Daddy?" she asked, "Hm?" He paused at the door. "It's just a story right?" she stated more than asked. "Is it now?" he looked at her from the door way, "Those monsters, they can't be real." She assured herself. Severus grinned and pulled the door closed slowly, "If you say so." He replied and closed the door firmly.
After his footsteps faded away, Vera grabbed the large book on the table and slid it onto her pillow, flipping open to the last page of the story. The moon shone bright on the page, providing enough light to read by, "And Jealous eyes are looking down, on peaceful field of Albion, an enemy vows will come a day when giants return and giants stay. To wage a war and this time win, and eat the last of Eric's kin." She read softly and shuddered, snapping the book closed and set it back on the table.
Down stairs, Susan had finished the folding and was changing for bed herself when her husband walked down the stairs. "Is she asleep?" she asked as she pulled her hair into a floppy bun, "you know she's not."
"So I went to Privet Drive today." She said softly, "Susan…" he began, "I Know, I Know, But if you saw the way they treat him." She shook her head and banged her fist on the marble counter on the vanity. "Can't we appeal to the Ministry or something?" Susan asked. "Dumbledore had the Potter's will sealed and we both know why." Severus reminded her. After It was announced what Sirius Black did, Susan went from angry denial and defended him very chance she got, to betrayal, and then to anger and resentment. He was Harry's Godfather, so Dumbledore sealed the will to protect him, but now Susan had her doubts, Dumbledore hadn't always been the most trust worthy of men.
However she still hated Black for betraying her brother and Lily
"You're not even supposed to go over there, we have to trust Dumble…"
"I don't trust Albus Dumbledore as far as I can throw him" Susan interrupted, "We have the room, and if the ministry just hears Harry talk about how he is treated there I know they will let him stay with us." She turned sharply in her seat to face her husband as he pulled off his black shirt and white undershirt. "He doesn't even know he is a wizard! They him told his parent's died in a car crash while drunk and that's how he got his scar!"
"I agree it's awful but there isn't much we can do," Severus sighed as Susan pulled off her white blouse and black slacks and slip into a rose pink, silk night gown that reached about to her mid-thigh. "No there is a lot that we can do, we can go to the ministry and we can tell them about the Dursleys."
"They will tell you it's a muggle case." The man in black laid back on the bed. "Then I will go to the police myself, He sleeps in a bloody broom closet Severus! It is child abuse. You of all people should know we can't just sit by and let this happen." She insisted.
He stiffened and remained silent for a moment, Susan only ever mentioned that time of his life if she really wanted to make a point. "He's about seven now, that is old enough to testify in court." He finally agreed.
"If it comes to that, I intend to confront the Dursleys tomorrow. They hate him so who know, we might get lucky and they will just let us take him, we are blood relatives after all." Susan was suddenly over whelmed with joy. She slid into bed next to her husband, "Thank you." She whispered and kissed his cheek.
"You would have done it anyway." He shrugged. She purred, "Damn right I would."
Heyyy, thanks for reading and I swear I will update my other stories soon, but after I get some time, between school and all. Bye!