Severus understood why Lily withdrew after her baby boy was born. He wouldn't want any child of his to be Destined to someone his age. He was quite apprehensive about his Soulmate being twenty years younger. The new magickal tattoo on his left ankle itched constantly, but he kept himself from scratching it.

He and Lily had not spoken in the fifteen months directly following Harry Potter's birth. Then the Dark Lord had murdered her and her husband, and their son had disappeared from the magickal world.

Severus wanted to locate his young Soulmate, but he had no idea who to ask. He realized that the boy likely had relatives who had taken him in, but he couldn't help the uneasiness that itched under his skin.

He had arrived at Godric's Hollow several hours after the Dark Lord's defeat. Already there had been whispers of the child who had defeated Him and survived a direct hit from the killing curse. When Severus had realized that it was his young Soulmate they were speaking of, he had apparated as quickly as possible.

Lily's and James's bodies had not been disturbed. James lay in front of the door, staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Severus stepped over him, walking the familiar path to the nursery as he had been shown once nearly two years before. Lily's body was sprawled on the floor of the nursery, one hand reaching toward the empty cradle. Severus fell to his knees before her and gathered her lifeless body into his arms, tears pouring down his face. It was there that he was found when someone came to retrieve the bodies for burial.

The Aurors took him in for questioning. He was kept for several days in a holding cell at the Ministry. They didn't believe him when he insisted that he was not in league with the Dark Lord, even though he did not bear the Dark Mark. They refused to believe his story of being Lily's platonic Soulmate. Platonic Soulmates were very rare and finding them was even rarer. They also refused to believe that he was Harry's romantic Soulmate. They wouldn't even check his ankle.

"Everyone wants to be a celebrity's Soulmate. At least don't make such absurd claims until he's older," the Auror sneered.

In the end, though, after questioning him under veritaserum, they could find no reason to continue holding him and were forced to reluctantly let him go, just in time, as the next day he was to return to Hogwarts for his second year as a teacher.

Teaching Potions to underaged dunderheads was not the job Severus had wanted when he was younger; he had thought that he would have a potion shop or possibly an apothecary, maybe take on an apprentice or two. However, Albus had said that this was where he was needed, and being the youngest potions master in recorded history, he was uniquely qualified for the position.

He used his position as teacher of the class to his advantage to better the class, referencing his notes from when he was a student to publish textbooks under the alias "The Half-blood Prince." The textbooks were surprisingly effective and combined with his no-nonsense teaching methods, most students got at least an Acceptable mark in his class.

As the years rolled by and all Albus would tell anyone about Harry Potter was that he was in the care of Muggle relatives who treated him well, Severus almost forgot about his young Soulmate, but ten years after the Dark Lord's defeat, his name was called during the Sorting Ceremony and the boy who stepped forward looked far too small to be eleven years old. He had previously been hidden behind a red-headed, freckled boy who simply must be a Weasley and was taller than most of the boys their age, drawing Harry in stark contrast.

The entire Hall seemed to hold its breath as Harry seated himself on the stool and the hat dropped over his eyes. The seconds ticked by for a full minute, holding everyone in suspense, until the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!"

Indignant exclamations came from the Gryffindor table, surprised gasps from Hufflepuff and interested hums from Ravenclaw. The Slytherins seemed to be suspended in a moment of surprise for a second, before tentative applause started and gradually got stronger as Harry Potter slipped down from his stool and walked confidently towards his new housemates.

Word Count: 742

Hello, Strangers! I had resolved to never again post an unfinished story, but in this case, to keep myself accountable, I have decided to post my NaNoWriMo 2020 project as I write it. It can be found here and on Wattpad or AO3 under the same title and username. I hope you like it, as I'm working hard on it.

All the love ,

Emmi .

11/17/2020