Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers apply.
Chapter 21
The next morning Severus pulled himself out of bed at his usual time of 6:00 am. He took a shower, got dressed, and read his potion journal until 7:00 after which he flooed Lucius. He knew he was probably up as Lucius like him preferred to get an early start to the day.
"Good morning, Severus," Lucius said getting down in front of the fireplace in his study.
"Good morning Luc," Severus replied politely. "I have some bad news. It happened again last night only this time a student was petrified while attempting to sneak down to the hospital wing. He was found just after 1:00 am."
"Who was it?"
"A Gryffindor first year by the name of Colin Creevey. I do not know if Dumbledore will be flooing you later about this, but I thought I would give you a head's up in case."
"We governors will wait and see if Dumbledore does inform us, but if he doesn't, there is going to be hell to pay and he's going to be doing most of the paying. Thank you for letting me know, Severus."
"You are welcome Luc," Severus replied ending the call and getting up. He went upstairs to the Great Hall and walked in, his cloak billowing behind him. He greeted his snakes with nods and smiles as he made his way to the head table and sat down next to Lily.
"Is it true what everyone's saying about Colin Creevey?" Lily whispered.
"It is true. He was apparently on his way to the hospital wing when he was petrified. Mr. Filch found him and summoned Minerva who summoned Dumbledore and they got him to the hospital wing."
"This isn't good and nobody has any idea what might be doing it?"
Severus snorted. "Well of course the headmaster is convinced that it's one of my snakes doing it, but we will see."
"What do you mean?"
"Mr. Creevey had his camera with him and we are hoping that he was able to take a picture of his attacker before he was petrified. I am going to be taking the camera after class tomorrow to a Muggle photography shop to see if they can develop the film. Filius is coming with me as the headmaster is sure if there is a picture of the attacker and it is somebody in my house; I will destroy the picture to protect them."
"What! Is he completely off his rocker?"
Severus sighed. "I am definitely beginning to question his reasoning abilities."
All of a sudden, there was a lot of squawking as the mail owls flew in. A big fluffy one landed beside Harry's plate, carrying an envelope of cream colored parchment that Harry recognized as being from Gringotts. He had been receiving statements on his accounts since his mum had put four of the eight vaults she'd gotten from the Potter Account in his name. He took it from the owl, gave him a slice of bacon, and it took off. Harry opened the letter.
To: Harry Severus Evans Snape, formerly Harry James Potter
From: Silverclasp, Potter Account Manager
Dear Mr. Snape:
This letter is to inform you that your father, James Charlus Potter III has disowned you and you will no longer have access to any of the Potter vaults. If you have any concerns, please come to Gringotts and ask for me.
Sincerely,
Silverclasp
Potter Account Manager
Harry snorted and threw the letter on the table. He had disowned Potter months ago so he couldn't say he was sorry it was official.
What's going on, Harry?" Draco asked.
"Official letter from Gringotts telling me that Potter's disowned me. Like that's supposed to devastate me!" Harry sneered. "Fine with me; I didn't want anything to do with that git or Black anyway."
Vince chuckled. "Everybody's heard about what Professor Snape and your mum did to them yesterday."
"They deserved it all too," Harry said, but then chuckled. "It was pretty funny though."
Harry waited until after breakfast to show his dad and mum the letter from Gringotts.
"That stupid, arrogant piece of dragon dung!" Lily snapped. "I hope if he remarries he has all girls because only boys can inherit the Potter fortune."
"He's an idiot and has no appreciation for the fine son he already has," Severus said.
"That's because he just wanted a little clone of himself," Lily said.
"Well, I already disowned him months ago so I'm not going to shed any tears over it," Harry replied.
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Severus and Filius stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron into Charing Cross Road where Severus hailed a Black Cab. They were both dressed in Muggle clothing. Filius was wearing black slacks, a white shirt, a light weight grey suit coat and black loafers while Severus was dressed in black slacks, a black T-shirt, and dragonhide boots and a dark green windbreaker. Severus hailed a Black Cab and they got in and Severus asked the driver to take them to the nearest camera store that developed film. After they were dropped off at Jessops on Oxford Street and the cab had left, Filius said. "So that is Muggle transportation? I must say you get to see a lot more than you do by any of our methods of travel."
"Yes, it is rather refreshing to just sit back and let someone else do the driving," Severus commented as he pulled open the door to Jessops and they went inside. Severus explained to the clerk about the camera's film being only halfway used and how his wife had accidently opened the back of the camera and possible exposed the film, but could he get it developed even though there might be some photos lost.
The clerk rewound the film and gave the camera back to Severus. He nodded and told them it would take two to four days to do it so Severus said they would come back in on Friday to pick it up whatever pictures there were. Since it was close to five, Severus hailed another Black Cab and gave the driver the address to the Royal China restaurant at 13 Queensway. They were seated and given menus. "What do you recommend, Severus?" Filius asked looking over his menu.
"They are noted for their dim sum here. Otherwise the Barbeque Pork Loin with Braised Noodles is delicious and so is the Chicken and Prawns in Cream and Sour Sauce."
They decided to start off with the Crab Meat Dumpling Soup with an order of Minced Pork Dumplings with Shrimp. Filius decided on the Barbeque Pork Loin and Severus on the Chicken and Prawns in Cream with and they both added sides of Chicken and Mushroom Buns. For the dessert, they both decided on the Chilled Mango Pudding. Severus paid for the dinner with the Muggle cash he routinely carried. He always kept some in his quarters for outings such as this.
"That was excellent," Filius said while Severus was paying the bill. "My compliments to the chef."
They went back outside and Severus flagged another Black Cab to drop them off on Charing Cross Road. By now it was fully dark, but inside of the Leaky Cauldron was busy since people were no longer afraid to come out of their houses at night. All the businesses in Diagon Alley had benefited from Voldemort's demise.
They flooed back to Hogwarts and stepped out into Severus' quarters. "I'm assuming the headmaster will want you to accompany me when I pick up the developed film on Friday so we can leave at the same time if that works for you?"
"That's fine, Severus. Do you have any other favorite restaurants?"
"Yes, I have a favorite Indian restaurant that I have eaten at a couple of times. Its name is the Cinnamon Club."
"The name sounds familiar. I think I recall Miss Patel mentioning it to me," Filius nodded. "I believe she said it was her parents' favorite place to eat and that the cuisine was more like India than the other Indian restaurants they've eaten at. Perhaps we can try that or else we can go back to this Royal China again," Filius said. "The food was exotic and very tasty."
Severus nodded. "We can decide on Friday," he replied.
After Filius went back to his quarters, Severus flooed Dumbledore. "I took the camera in, but unfortunately we will not be able to see what is on the film until Friday. Filius and I will return on Friday and I will give him the photos to keep after I pay for them so they will be no question of fraudulence. I have Mr. Creevey's camera and I will give it to Minerva to keep until Mr. Creevey is no longer petrified."
"Fine, but I want to see them as soon as you return."
"If you are going to up still because Filius and I are going to have dinner again in London and we probably will not be back here until about nine."
"I will wait up."
"Fine then. Goodnight, Headmaster."
Severus and Filius returned to Jessops on Friday to pick up the pictures. Severus paid for them and then immediately handed Filius the envelope of photos and he put it into the inside pocket of his jacket. They had decided to have dinner at the Cinnamon Club. Filius decided on the Baked Sea Bass filet with burnt shallots and ginger crust and tomato lemon sauce while Severus decided on Tandoori wild Spence Gulf king prawns with malai curry sauce and dried shrimp rice. They both had a seasonal green leaf salad and a side dish of Masala mashed potatoes.
Filius stopped eating at one point and asked, "Severus, do you ever wonder if Albus is getting too old to be the headmaster and should step down? He will be 111 this coming August and I'm worried about some of the things I've seen in the last year."
"You mean his insistence on having the Sorcerer's Stone hidden in the building?"
"That and insisting on having a Cerberus guarding it not to mention that he hired a defense professor that was possessed by You-Know-Who and didn't even notice it. I'm also concerned about the prejudicial things I've heard him say and his extreme favoritism toward Gryffindor."
"I am worried about my house and his attitude towards them. His prejudice towards Slytherin seems to be increasing rather than diminishing. I thought it was bad when I was a student, but it's definitely gotten worse."
"It does seem he's becoming paranoid. Maybe if we as heads of house and Poppy were to talk to him, we could convince him to step down," Filius suggested. "Surely she has noticed how much he's changed."
"You, Minerva, Pomona, and Poppy can try to talk to him, but if I come with you, he won't even consider it because he will think I want my snakes to be able to run wild, take over Hogwarts, and set up Mr. Flint as the next dark lord." Severus shook his head. "I suspect it will end up with the Board forcing him to retire."
"It's a shame," Filius said shaking his head. "He was a brilliant wizard in his day, but his behavior now is damaging to the students and to the school's reputation."
They finished their dinner. "It's my treat," Filius said, stopping Severus from pulling out his wallet. "But I do need your assistance with the Muggle money, however."
Severus helped him sort the cost of the meals plus a generous tip. They caught a cab and had the driver drop them off a block from the Leaky Cauldron since the driver would not be able to see the building. They flooed back to Hogwarts and stepped out of the fireplace into Dumbledore's office.
Albus immediately put out his hand and said, "Let me see the pictures."
Filius took the envelope of pictures out of his coat's inner pocket and handed it to Dumbledore.
Severus turned and sneered, "If you find anything relevant, you will let me know, Headmaster." He flooed back to his quarters in the dungeon, pulled off his boots and sat down in his favorite recliner, happy that he didn't have to patrol tonight. If Mr. Creevey had managed to get a clear picture of his attacker before he was petrified then it would be up to Dumbledore to deal with it. He did not know what it would show, but he was certain it would not be any of his snakes.
Christmas was less than month away and he needed to start thinking about his Christmas shopping for Harry and Lily as well as Minerva, Pomona, Filius, and Remus. Filius would most likely enjoy gift certificates from both the restaurants they had eaten at this week. Pomona might enjoy a gift certificate to tour Kew Gardens or the Chelsea Psychic Gardens. Minerva might enjoy a new novel. She favored the Victorian era Muggle novels. Perhaps she might enjoy an American Muggle novel of the same era such as Gone With the Wind or Little Women. Remus loved to read so maybe he would get him a couple of Ian Fleming's James Bond books that he was an admirer of.
Harry, well he was growing so fast that he almost came up to Severus' shoulder now. He could probably use more clothes.
His floo sounded and he looked up to see Filius' head in the flames. "May I come through, Severus?"
"Certainly," Severus said.
Filius stepped out of the floo. "Albus looked at the pictures, but the one we were hoping to see is just a big blur. I can't tell what it is that Mr. Creevey saw at all."
"I am sure Albus will find a way to keep blaming it on Slytherin," he answered with a sigh. "Thanks for letting me know, Filius."
"No problem Severus," Filius replied stepping back into the floo. "See you at breakfast."
Severus shook his head and got up to ready for bed. The coming months were going to be even nerve-wracking if they didn't figure out what was attacking the students and on top of that he had to protect his snakes from Albus' headstrong, erroneous, and damaging views.
Everything remained quiet for the next few weeks. Most of the talk among the older students was about the Yule Ball to be held on December 19th and who was going with whom. He smiled as he recalled the Yule Balls when he was a student and how Potter asked Lily every year from 4th year up to go with him at least 50 times.
The peace and serenity was broken on December 18th when a second year Hufflepuff with the improbable name of Justin Finch-Fletchley along with the Gryffindor ghost, Sir Nicholas were found petrified on the fourth floor by Harry when he came down from Ravenclaw Tower to go to the library. Both he and Justin normally would have been in Herbology, but all the outdoor classes had been canceled due to the blizzard currently raging.
Hermione came down the stairs a few minutes after Harry and ran into him as he was standing still in shock at seeing Justin and Sir Nicholas petrified. She gasped when she saw them and said, "Harry, what happened?"
"I don't know for sure, but it looks like the same thing happened to them as it did to Colin and Mrs. Norris."
"We need to find a professor," she said.
Harry thought for a moment and then called, "Blinky!"
Blinky popped in and then squealed as he saw the petrified Justin and Sir Nick.
"Blinky, I need you to get my dad out of class and bring him here. Okay?"
Blinky nodded mutely and then popped out again. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps running up the stairs and Severus appeared at the top of the staircase. He stopped short at seeing the petrified boy and ghost. He looked over at Harry and asked, "Are you two alright?"
Harry nodded. "I found them when I came down from our tower."
"Expecto Patronum," Severus said and when his Patronus, a black panther appeared, he told it to go to the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Sprout and tell them they were needed on the fourth floor near the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.
Severus walked over to Harry and stood by him and Hermione until Albus and Minerva appeared and then after a few more minutes, Professor Sprout came into view and gasped as she saw her frozen badger. "What happened?"
"Whatever has been striking at night is now striking during the day too it appears," Severus answered.
"And where were you when this happened, Mr. Snape?" Albus demanded.
"I was in the Ravenclaw common room and several people can vouch for me including Professor Flitwick. Justin and my Herbology class was canceled due to all the snow," Harry replied calmly. He wasn't going to let that old fart accuse him of doing this.
"Don't be ridiculous, Albus!" Minerva snapped. "This is magic well beyond the capabilities of a second year."
"Whatever is doing this appears to be targeting Muggleborns," Professor Sprout pointed out. "Mr. Creevey is a Muggleborn and so is Justin."
"We should not stand here chitchatting. We should get Mr. Finch-Fletchley to the hospital and I suppose Sir Nicholas too," Severus said. "Classes will be out in 20 minutes and there is no point in feeding the rumor mill that has already sprung up."
"Quite right Severus," Minerva said as she and Pomona carefully levitated Justin and floated him towards the stairwell, leaving Severus to figure out how to get Sir Nicholas to the hospital.
He decided to use the Flabra, gust of wind, spell to get the petrified ghost down to the hospital wing. "Harry, Hermione, where are you headed now?"
"We were going to the library, Dad and then lunch after that."
"Alright," Severus nodded. "I will see you at lunch. Be alert, aware, and be safe."
"We will Dad," Harry promised before heading down the corridor to the library.
Severus continued steering Sir Nicholas to the hospital wing with the gusts of wind spell. He had just gotten him through the hospital wing doors when the bell indicating classes were over rang loudly. "Where do you want me to put him, Poppy?"
Madam Pomfrey looked around and then pointed to an empty area beside the potion cabinet. "Here Severus, bring him over here."
Severus steered Sir Nicholas over to where she pointed and set him down. He looked over to the area where the curtains were drawn around the two beds where Mr. Creevey and now Mr. Finch-Fletchley lay.
Poppy followed his gaze and murmured, "I do hope someone finds out who or what is doing this very soon and stops them or it."
"I have the same sentiments as you Poppy," Severus replied then turned and strode out the doors.
Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break
Albus was sitting behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands folded over his stomach, ruminating over the continuing problem of Harry Potter. He looked up at the Sorting Hat that sat on a high shelf of a bookcase by the side of his desk between sorting. "All these problems would have never occurred if you had just sorted Mr. Potter into Gryffindor."
"There are no problems, Headmaster except for whatever is inside your head," the Sorting Hat replied. "You know when you put me on that first time I considered putting you in Slytherin because of your cunning and ambition, but I decided that you being in Slytherin would only over activate those characteristics. Actually, I should have put you in Hufflepuff so you could have learned kindness and compassion."
"Dumbledore sat up straight at hearing this pronouncement. "How dare you! You have never addressed me before like this," Albus complained outraged.
"You know, Headmaster you are a bigger fool than even Godric was. I have sat here and listened to you while you have lied and plotted with those two fools James Potter and Sirius Black, and listened to you set up dangerous plans to test Mr. Snape, and I have had enough!" And with that declaration, the Sorting Hat disappeared, leaving Albus with his mouth hanging open unattractively.
It reappeared in Minerva's office and made itself comfortable on one of her shelves. It opened its mouth and laughed heartily, remembering Dumbledore's expression when told he had almost been sorted into Slytherin.
Page ~*~*~*~*~* Break
Severus kept an eye on the students that night. The Hufflepuff table was subdued due to the news that one of their members had been petrified earlier that day and the rest of the tables, even the Gryffindors were unusually quiet out of deference to the Hufflepuffs. He noticed immediately when he came into the hall that Dumbledore was not present for dinner this evening. He wondered if that had anything to do with the emergency meeting called by the Board of Governors.
"I don't understand, but it wouldn't explain its appearance in my office." Severus heard Minerva say to Pomona and Filius.
Severus leaned over to Filius and whispered, "What is Minerva talking about?"
"The Sorting Hat has now taken up residence in Minerva's office and refuses to go back to Albus' office and won't explain why."
"When even the Sorting Hat jumps ship; I think that is a definite vote of no confidence," Severus remarked.
"I agree," Filius said and then asked, "What are your thoughts on what happened to Mr. Finch-Fletchley?"
"I wish I knew," Severus replied. "Remus and I discussed what it might be and Harry has been doing some research on it also. The only thing all three of us came up with is either a Basilisk or a Cockatrice as both can petrify but according to what Remus said the only Basilisks in existence are in and around Greece where they were created by Herpo the Foul. A Cockatrice has not been seen for a century or mors so they may even be extinct."
"I recall that a Basilisk can live for thousands of years," Filius remarked.
"Yes. Remus said he thought there might be two or three left and said the Ministry used to keep track of them, but he doesn't know if they still do."
"So whatever is petrifying our students most likely isn't a Basilisk or Cockatrice.
"Not unless one or the other somehow got over to Britain and then to Hogwarts."
"I had thought of a Cockatrice because they can also petrify with their gaze, but as large as they are I couldn't envision one going about in the hall without being seen especially after Mr. Finch-Fletchly was petrified in broad daylight."
"The majority of the students were in class at that time though," Severus said. "But still, I cannot imagine either of these creatures as huge as they are being able to move quietly enough not to attract attention."
"True also," Filius replied.
"But the that leaves the even more depressing possibility that it might be a student doing it."
"I for one do not believe it's a student," Filius said stoutly. He then changed the subject from the depressing talk of petrified students and possible causes. "Are you and Lily going to be chaperones at the Yule Ball?"
Severus sighed. "Yes. I let Minerva talk me into it. I was rather looking forward to catching up on some of my reading."
"Come along now Severus," Filius teased. "I as usual will be conducting the orchestra and I promised Lily I play at least one slow song so she can have at least one dance with you."
Severus smiled and looked down the table at Lily who was sitting next to Remus and chatting with him. "Yes, she can be quite persuasive."
Minerva tapped on her goblet to get the student's attention. When all the students had stopped talking and were looking up at the head table, she said, "It has been decided with input from your heads of house that you will now be escorted to and from classes or to your common rooms by your professors. An elf is assigned to each house and should you miss dinner or want a snack before you retire, you may summon the elf and have them bring it. There will be no sneaking down to the kitchen late at night. A temporary earlier curfew has also been established for the entire student body." These were the ideas that the heads of house had come with during their monthly meeting to keep the students safe.
There was a loud groan from the students especially the fifth, sixth, and seventh year students.
"You may grumble about this, but it is for your own safety that it's being done."
After the dessert had appeared and disappeared again, Severus led his snakes to Slytherin House while the rest of the heads took charge of their houses. Lily went with Filius to help him with the Ravenclaws while Remus helped Minerva with the Gryffindors and Hagrid went with Pomona to make sure she got her Hufflepuffs to their house safely.
Each house was equipped with individual libraries, but Ravenclaw and Slytherin had the best ones by far so they could do without the school library if worse came to worse. 'Irma would probably not mind less use of the library at all,' Severus reflected.
The professors found out the next morning that Albus had been suspended by the board for a month and Minerva was appointed temporary headmistress until his return after the Christmas holidays. Severus hoped he would reconsider his actions during his enforced holiday and change his course when he came back. He doubted this would happen, but there was always room for hope.
The Yule Ball was that evening. While more subdued than it had been in the past years; everybody still had a good time. The Great Hall was beautifully decorated with the usual 12 Christmas trees and huge wreaths hung on the walls. There was one large buffet table and smaller tables that would seat ten scattered around the hall. The orchestra, led by Filius, was positioned where the head table usually sat and the floor in front was cleared for dancing.
Severus shared a promised dance with Lily. He wore a navy blue dress robe and Lily wore a pale column of strapless golden silk and wore her hair upswept. She looked very beautiful indeed.
The professors made sure that everybody was back in their common rooms before midnight. The train would leave Hogsmeade tomorrow at eleven for the trip back to London. Everybody was going home this year; the only people left in the castle were going to be a few professors, Poppy and the two petrified boys.
Severus was up early to greet Matius who had come to get Keb and Isis and the gifts he bought for Harry and Lily. He knew Harry was planning to get up early and send off Hedwig off to Witches Moon. He gave his gifts to Minerva, Filius, and Pomona, and Remus before breakfast. At ten-thirty Severus, Pomona, and Filius rode down in a carriage to Hogsmeade to make sure all the students got on the train safely. Once the train had pulled out of the station, headed for London, they rode back to the castle. They wished each other a Happy Christmas and went their separate ways. Filius would be spending Christmas with his brother and his family while Pomona was going to visit a Herbologist colleague and friend in Spain for the holidays. Minerva as temporary headmistress had to stay at Hogwarts so her family was coming from Inverness to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. Remus was staying simply because he did not want to be bothered by James and Sirius during the holidays.
Harry and Lily were waiting for Severus in his quarters when he returned. "Ready?"
They donned their coats, gloves and boots and flooed to the Dragon's Tale and then Severus apparated Harry to Witches Moon first, opened the gate and let Harry in, and then disapparated back to the inn to get Lily. It was snowing heavily and the wind was picking up. Tita was waiting in the entrance hall for them and had snacks and hot wassail waiting in the living room with a fire roaring in the fireplace. They removed their boots and winter outerwear and then took their things upstairs.
"This is so awesome!" Harry exclaimed kicking off his trainers and stretching out his feet in front of the fire as Severus handed him a cup of the hot wassail.
Severus was filling his cup with the hot wassail. Lily was still upstairs unpacking and putting her things away. The living room was decorated the same as it had been the previous year.
Harry eyed all the presents under the tree curiously then turned to his father. "Say, Dad …do you mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it you want to know?" Severus asked, looking up at Harry.
"Are you and mum going to stay just friends forever or are you going to make it more permanent?"
Severus choked on his wassail and spit half of it out. He set his cup down on the table.
Harry continued on with his explanation as if he didn't notice his father's reaction to his question. "I could tell from the way that you talked about mum's wand the night she came back through the Veil that you feel more than friendship for her and from what she's said to me; I'm pretty sure she feels the same way about you. I mean she was really frightened and worried about you when you, Aurors Moody, and Black went to retrieve the horcrux in that cave."
Severus did not quite know how to answer Harry's question. He definitely did want to ask Lily to marry him. He had made up his mind when Lily announced that she had been given a second chance that he was not to let it slip away from him again. "I have been thinking about it," he confessed. "Do you think you can keep your mother busy tomorrow while I go to Diagon Alley?"
"Sure Dad, I can ask mum to tell me about when you and she were kids and about Grandpa and Grandma Evans."
"Good," Severus replied as Lily walked into the room. Severus poured her a cup of the wassail and handed it to her.
"Thanks, Sev." She took a sip of it. "Delicious!" She picked up a plate and placed two of the small sandwiches Tita had made on them and added some sliced vegetables and dip to it.
"By the way Lily; I am going to Diagon Alley tomorrow so if there is anything you need, let me know. I forgot to restock some of my potion ingredients here. I should have done it earlier, but with everything that has been happening; it completely slipped my mind."
"I feel so sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Creevey and Mr. and Mrs. Finch-Fletchly. Imagine having your child petrified and unable to come home for Christmas," Lily said.
Yes, I do also," Severus replied. "I don't know what Albus is going to do about their scores as Mr. Creevey will have missed the greater part of the school year by the time the Mandrake Restorative Draught is ready and Mr. Finch-Fletchly will have missed half of it." Severus shook his head. "Perhaps Hogwarts will be willing to pay for tutors for them so they can get caught up over the summer holiday."
"I would think that would be only fair, Sev."
Before they had lunch in the Conservatory; Severus, Lily, and Harry went into the library to say hello to Tiberius and Audra's portraits. They visited for a bit with Audra asking Harry how he was doing in Ravenclaw. After Lily and Harry had left, Severus posed a question to his grandfather. "Do we have any books written about Lord Slytherin? I mean books that written in his time and not any modern books that usually feature him as a hater of Muggleborns and Muggles. The children in my house do not know much about him except for the bad things they have heard about him from others and I would like them to know the real Salazar."
"I believe there are two, but they are in very fragile condition," Tiberius said.
"Are they too fragile for me to make a copy of?"
"You should be able to copy them; I just do not want them removed from the library."
"No, I do not want them ruined either," Severus agreed.
"You will find them both in the biographical section," Tiberius said.
Severus quickly located the books and carefully removed them from the shelves. He grimaced when he saw their fragile condition, but made copies of both books. He thanked his grandfather and took the books upstairs.
He went to his lab to check his stores to if he really did need anything from Slug & Jiggers. He would have to stop there anyway to maintain his fiction of needing potion ingredients. His true plan was to visit his Gringotts vaults. When he was a teenager, his mum had told him about the Prince wedding set that included both an engagement and wedding ring that Prince brides' had worn and handed down to their sons or daughters for centuries. She had never told him where it was because having been disowned; she had only seen it on her mother's hand.
Severus knew Zort kept an up-to-date ledger on what each vault contained and could probably tell him where it was easily. He could also ask his grandmother since it must have gone back into the vault on her death, but he didn't want to take a chance Lily might overhear him so he decided asking Zort would be the best option.
Severus was up early and had breakfast so he could and get to Gringotts early. Since the bank was open 24/7, he could have gone at midnight if he had chosen. He left a note for Lily and Harry letting them know he had gone to Diagon Alley and would see them shortly. He flooed to the Leakey Cauldron, deciding since it was a fairly nice day to walk to Gringotts. He passed through the doors and stepped up to the first available Goblin and requested to see his account manager, Zort.
Zort was summoned and when he appeared they first exchanged the ancient greeting taught to Severus by Eileen and then went into Zort's office. He sat down behind his desk and Severus in a chair in front of the desk. "How may I help you today, Professor Snape?"
"Zort, can you tell me in which vault the Prince betrothal and wedding set resides?"
"I can have that information for you if you will give me a moment," Zort replied as he summoned a self-updating ledger that listed all the transactions of the Prince vaults. He searched through the ledger which listed all the withdrawals and deposits of money, jewelry and other items stored in the Prince vaults. "Yes, here it is. The ring set was brought in by your grandfather's lawyer, Reginald Winchester on October 11, 1974 …" Severus knew his grandparents had died within a month of one another during his fourth year at Hogwarts. Tiberius had died on September 9, 1974 and Audra on October 10, 1974. "And they were placed with other jewelry in Vault 754. There is also the Heir's ring which rightfully belongs to you."
"Really? My mum never mentioned an heir ring, but maybe my grandfather never wore it so she never saw it."
Zort frowned. "It should have been given to you by your previous account manager when you came in after we sent you the notice of your inheritance."
"Well, I think Groden was getting up there in years and might have forgotten."
"That is possible as he was advised to retire by our manager shortly after that and I was appointed in his place. Would you like to go to your vault and retrieve them now?"
"Yes."
They went to the track area where a cart was already waiting for them. They got in and Zort steered it expertly. "Vault 754," he called as they pulled up in front of it. Severus got out and waited while Zort ran a finger down the row of locks and watched as they seemed to melt away at the touch of his finger. The door swung open and Severus swept inside. He poked around until he found a green, velvet box inside a safe he put his hand against to open. He picked it up and opened it. Inside sat a gold ring with a square cut emerald surrounded by ten diamonds plus another gold ring with diamonds set around the entire band. It was beautiful and like all Goblin made jewelry it would automatically adjust to Lily's finger size.
Another brown, velvet box sat beside it. Severus opened it this time to find the Heir's ring. He studied it closely. On it was a shield that was half blue which stood for truth and loyalty and the other half was purple which stood for royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice. On the blue side of the crest there was an open book which stood for manifestation and on the purple side was a lightning bolt that stood for swiftness and power. Over the top of the shield was an eagle with it wings outstretched which signified protection. Over it was a ribbon with the family's motto on it, Eruditio Decerno Libertas which translated as Knowledge Is Freedom. He slid it on the fourth finger of his right hand and it automatically shrunk to fit his finger.
He put both boxes in his pocket and left the vault. He waited while Zort closed and relocked the door and then returned to the main floor. Severus got out of the cart and thanked Zort for his excellent service. As he walked back down to the Leakey Cauldron he thought about what he would need to do if Lily accepted his proposal. He would need to add her name on his account and she could decide if she wanted to retain her vaults separately or combine them with his. Harry's name had been automatically added to his account when Gringotts had received notification of his adoption from WCS.
When Severus arrived back at Witches Moon, he could hear Lily's laughter coming from the Conservatory. He went upstairs to his bedroom and put the ring boxes in his dresser drawer and then went back downstairs.
Lily and Harry were bent over a photo album and Lily was explaining about the pictures while Harry was laughing. They looked up as Severus walked into the room. Harry grinned and said, "Hi, Dad! Mum was just telling me about how Grandpa Evans would always dress in a costume to hand out Halloween treats."
Severus glanced down at the photo of Mr. Evans dressed up as Frankenstein they were looking at. He chuckled in remembrance. "I recall he about scared the pants off me in that costume when I came to the door. He looked as if he had stepped out of the movie."
"Dad was always one for insisting that his costumes look as authentic as possible," Lily explained. "He used to drive mum crazy around Halloween."
"They sound like they were really interesting people," Harry commented. "I wish I could have known them."
Lily pulled Harry to her and gave him a kiss. "Me too."
After lunch, Severus went upstairs to wrap Lily's ring. He did all of his wrapping by magic as he had never been able to master wrapping a gift the Muggle way especially a small item like this. His presents always turned out looking a mess.
On Christmas Eve as usual, Harry was allowed to open one gift before he went to bed. He chose a box wrapped with silver paper and blue ribbons and a bow. He opened it to find a sweatshirt with the Ravenclaw House crest on it. Lily had gotten the idea when she had seen a Muggle boy wearing a sweatshirt with his favorite football club logo on it.
"Mum, this is fantastic! Everybody will want one when they see it," Harry exclaimed holding the shirt up in front of him.
"A good idea Lily," Severus said. "I think I will invest in sweatshirts for my house to better promote house unity."
Harry said goodnight to him mum and dad and went upstairs, taking his new sweatshirt with him.
"Would you like to open a present, Lily?" Severus asked.
"Yes!" Lily laughed. "You know how I love opening Christmas presents, Sev."
He took a small wrapped box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I suggest you open this one."
"Okay, if you insist." Lily tore off the paper to find a white box, pulled off the lid and found the green velvet box inside. She opened it and gasped as she saw the rings inside.
Severus dropped to one knee, took her hand and said, "Lily, you have been my very best friend since we were nine and now would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my partner, and my lover?"
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