Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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After the day's exams had concluded, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map from his pocket once his students had left his classroom.
"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." Harry whispered under his breath as he gave the parchment a light tap with the tip of his wand.
As the map materialized in front of Harry's eyes, he squinted down at the parchment and searched until he found one particular set of footprints……….Zinnia Snape.
Harry frowned as he stood from his desk, left the Defence Against the Dark Arts room, and began to walk towards the courtyard where his sister stood.
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When Harry walked through the entrance to the courtyard and spied his sister, he scowled at the horde of students that were gathered around her.
Harry hurriedly tapped his wand against the Marauder's Map again as he mumbled, "...Mischief managed."
He could see her there, over the sea of shifting bodies and bobbing heads.
She used the stone steps as a platform while she stood next to a boy from Hufflepuff.
Harry squinted and realized that Zinnia and the boy were diligently working together to service the crowd by selling copies of the same paper booklet that he had examined in class.
Scorpius had already arrived at the courtyard and stood in line as Harry watched from the background.
Draco's son had endured a brutal stab to his heart when he spotted Zinnia next to someone else.
Zinnia's partnership with the first year Hufflepuff boy was purely business-related, but Scorpius didn't know that and it probably would have offered him little comfort if he had.
After he had waited in the long queue for what felt like forever, Scorpius finally made it up to the step where his beloved stood with the Hufflepuff boy.
"What are you doing?" Scorpius asked with a frown as he looked between Zinnia, the other boy, and the massive stack of paper booklets.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm working. Would you like to buy one? They're nine Knuts a piece." Zinnia promptly informed him.
"...Why are you working?" Scorpius asked with a frown as Zinnia handed him a booklet to preview.
"Because I need money to buy something that I want." Zinnia frowned back, "I'm the writer, he's the illustrator." She nodded over at her business partner, "...And together, we've made these to sell."
Scorpius scowled over at the Hufflepuff boy, consumed with jealousy that he himself lacked artistic talent.
Scorpius was sweet and kind like Hermione, with a truly good heart.
However, he was a Malfoy, born and bred.
He grasped for a way to compensate for his own shortcomings and provide his darling with what she wanted.
"I can just give you the money." Scorpius offered in a tone that sounded eerily like his father, "You don't have to go to all of this trouble. How much do you need?"
"Nine Knuts for the comic book, thank you very much." Zinnia snapped as she snatched the booklet out of Scorpius's hands with a scowl, "No free reads…...Your generosity is admirable, but I can earn my own income without accepting charity."
An irritated scowl formed on his pale face when he realized that what he wanted, which was for Zinnia to run away from that first year boy, couldn't be bought, although there was a blatant need for funds.
Over the chatter of the many students that clambered around him, Scorpius rummaged in the pockets of his robes for a moment.
Zinnia and her illustrator jumped in shock when Scorpius threw down a heavy, velvet purse at their feet.
She blinked at Scorpius as she stepped forward, retrieved the velvet purse, and opened it.
She paused while she counted the coins inside.
When Zinnia's assessment was finished, she looked at Scorpius with an incredulous frown and asked, "...One hundred and eighty Knuts?!"
"I'll take twenty copies, please." Scorpius pleasantly said as his scowl melted away.
"What are you going to do with twenty copies?" Zinnia asked curiously while she began to count out the booklets.
"I'll distribute them in the Slytherin common room." Scorpius shrugged.
"I've already sold a fair amount of these to Slytherins." Zinnia replied as she held the booklets in her arms, "Are you…...sure that you still want this many?"
"Will you sell them to me or not?" Scorpius huffed.
"...Very well." Zinnia agreed as she leaned forward and placed the twenty booklets into Scorpius's grasp.
He struggled to hold them all for a moment while he stumbled to find his balance.
"Thanks." Zinnia said with a nod to her best customer of the day.
Scorpius chivalrously nodded back at her before he turned and walked off.
As he made his way out of the crowd, away from the courtyard, and down the stone corridor, he frowned to himself.
Scorpius had no planned use for all of those booklets, but he supposed that leaving them in the common room wasn't the worst idea.
He had only wanted to be the most valued patron of Zinnia's business since the position of her partner had regrettably been filled.
Scorpius's frown deepened as he thought.
It should have been him up there, next to her, helping her…...
He had seen the vapid look on that Hufflepuff boy's face.
Scorpius didn't understand.
How could anyone wear an expression so bland while they stood in the company of Zinnia Snape?
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By the time Harry made it close enough to his sister to confront her, her throngs of customers had mostly dissipated.
When she saw Harry marching towards her with a disapproving scowl, Zinnia looked down at the small trunk in which she and her illustrator had collected their profits.
"Hello." Harry curtly greeted the pair of young entrepreneurs as he crossed his arms.
The Hufflepuff boy looked nervous but Zinnia answered Harry absently while she counted the coins in the trunk, "Well, hello, Professor Snape. Come to buy a comic book? That's no bother, you can have one for free."
"No, I haven't come to buy one of these. What are you doing?! You can't just….write and draw my life and then sell it to people for profit!" Harry fumed.
Zinnia glanced up at Harry innocently for a moment as she shrugged and replied, "...Oops….."
"People ask me questions all the time and some things, I'd rather not discuss, Zin. Whether it's too complicated or…..or too dull for them to grasp, some details are better left as a mystery." Harry went on.
"Would you please cup your hands, brother?" Zinnia asked.
"Why?" Harry scowled suspiciously.
"Cup them." Zinnia insisted.
Harry warily kept his scowl, but he did as his sister asked.
Behind his glasses, his green eyes widened in surprise when Zinnia poured one hundred Knuts into his waiting hands.
"What's this?!" Harry gasped.
"Your share of today's profits." Zinnia explained, "So many people here have never seen a comic book before….. They're quite intrigued by our product. Not to mention that the booklets answer the questions that the elusive Professor Snape refuses to speak of, so…..We sold a hundred copies today alone. I expect we'll sell a hundred more tomorrow, you know, once word gets out."
Zinnia and Harry stared at each other for a moment in silence.
Harry couldn't believe what he had heard.
He managed to speak at last, "W-...Why would anyone come and buy more copies? They'll just borrow one from their friends."
"No." Zinnia smiled as she gestured to the remaining booklets, "My partner and I have the original. The copies that we sell are made with a spell that only shows the entirety of the artwork to one set of eyes. You can preview the story, or read a small portion of it, but to see the entire thing, you'll have to come and purchase your own. Our booklets can't be traded and read cover to cover. This also eliminates the problems of siblings sharing."
It was a ferocious stipulation, but an economically stable one for Zinnia and the Hufflepuff boy.
She looked over at her illustrator and informed Harry, "My new partner is remarkably adept at parchment charms, you see."
Harry smiled tensely over at the Hufflepuff boy before he looked back at Zinnia and asked, "So you're…..handing me all of your profits then?"
"No, I'm giving you your share." Zinnia replied, "We charge nine Knuts per booklet, that's three for me, three for my illustrator, and three that we both agreed to donate to a charity of some sort. I'll keep one of my three, give one to you and Ginny, and the other to Mum and Dad."
Harry didn't know what to say for a moment.
He sighed as he shook his head and handed the Knuts back to his sister, "I can't take money from you, Zin. You're my little sister…..You're still a child!"
"You're not taking it from me, I'm sharing it with you." Zinnia frowned, "They're your stories, it's only fair."
"I can't take money from you, Zin." Harry repeated with a chuckle.
Harry wasn't entirely thrilled that his adventures had been told and sold without his prior knowledge, but he was flattered that the younger generation was so interested in learning about his experiences and struggles.
"If you ask me not to, brother, I won't sell anymore." Zinnia promised Harry with a frown, "I'm only trying to earn some money and I thought this may be a way. I didn't expect you to be angry."
Harry smiled after a moment and replied, "...It's alright, Zin. I'm not angry with you. You can keep selling these…..books. Comic books? Booklets? I don't see the harm, especially if some of the money goes to charity."
A bright smile lit up Zinnia's face as she exclaimed, "...Thanks!"
Harry smiled back and nodded as he turned away.
There weren't many children Zinnia's age that cunning or that ambitious, Harry had to admire her for that.
Besides, he could hardly argue with his sister's financial system.
Harry felt that her intentions were actually decent and incredibly thoughtful.
Although, it did make Harry smirk as he wondered what their father would have to say when he found out about Zinnia's new pursuit.
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Harry continued to teach.
Zinnia went to class and tried to ignore whenever she saw her brother speaking with Delphini.
To her dismay, Delphini had purchased one of her booklets.
Zinnia would have refused the sale, but her illustrator had already completed the transaction before she could stop him.
Delphini eagerly used the booklet as a tool to ask Harry questions and imitate even more conversations with him after class.
Despite his sister's irritation, Harry continued to act as a mentor to Delphini.
When his students were studying, he contemplated ideas about how he may further inspire her to turn away from her the dark legacy of her evil ancestry and lead a life filled with peace and kindness.
Delphini was desperate for the kind of parental attention and genuine interest that Harry showed her.
Voldemort's emotionally deprived daughter readily latched onto Professor Snape and the two began to form a sort of unspoken bond almost akin to friendship.
Harry couldn't wait to present his developments about Delphini to the headmistress and the Minister for Magic.
He sat in McGonagall's office early one morning, before classes began, while he and his former professor waited on Severus to arrive for his official visit.
"I think you've made some great strides with the girl, Pot-, Snape." McGonagall spoke before she blushed at her mistake and nodded sheepishly.
"It's alright, Professor." Harry said with a merciful smile of amusement, "And I suppose that's for the Minister to determine when he comes today. How are we going to do this exactly? Do you want me to go and collect her from class?"
"No, that won't be necessary." McGonagall said with another nod, "The Minister and I discussed it over a few letters. He told me that Professor Slughorn invited him to teach a few weeks ago……..In order to become better acquainted with Miss Diggory, it seems that your father has decided to accept the invitation."
"He's…...he's coming to teach again?" Harry blinked in surprise.
"A single class only, second year potions, with Miss Diggory. We felt that may be the best way to observe her further without arousing her suspicion." McGonagall explained to Harry.
"Yeah….." Harry said after a moment, "I'll lose all of my progress if she knows that she's being-"
A sharp, single knock landed on McGonagall's door.
She quickly looked past Harry as she called out in a shrill voice, "Come in!"
The door to the headmistress's office opened and Severus swept into the room with a serious frown on his face.
His usual, black robes swirled around his feet like trails of opaque smoke as he walked.
"Severus!" McGonagall smiled.
Anyone could hear the fondness in her voice as she welcomed her old friend.
"Minerva." Severus replied with a nod before he glanced over at Harry and greeted his son, "Professor Snape."
"I suppose I'll be giving that title back to you for the day, Dad." Harry replied with a mirthful smirk.
Severus grimaced, but Harry couldn't help the envy that he felt towards the second year potions students.
Harry had taken his class time with Severus for granted during his Hogwarts years.
He would genuinely appreciate being able to sit through even a single period with his father as his professor once more.
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"So you've managed to use your mother's charming kindness after all…..The girl seems to enjoy spending time with you?" Severus asked Harry as he walked through the stone corridors while they weaved their way down to the dungeons.
"Well…….I dunno, but she talks to me, she tells me things, not threats, just things, like you might tell a friend." Harry said with a shrug, "I've taken that as a good sign."
"I suppose it's an improvement from what you relayed to me about her behavior when she first arrived." Severus quipped dryly.
"I…..I may be wrong, Dad, but I think that she does….have a heart. She can feel, you know, in a way that he couldn't. I'm trying to use that to our advantage, but I'm not sure what to do next." Harry sighed as they made it to the dungeon classroom door.
Severus threw Harry an unreadable look as he glanced over his son and replied, "Leave that for me to determine. I expect my interactions with Miss Diggory today will be most…...informative."
"May I sit in on your class, Dad?" Harry asked.
Severus gave him such a terrible scowl that Harry had to bite down on his tongue not to laugh.
"I was….really only joking. Hope it all goes well!" He said cheerily before he turned and walked down the hall with a grin at the expression on his father's face.
Harry was only telling half of the truth.
During the period that Severus would be teaching, Harry had planning time with no students of his own.
If Severus would have invited him to come in and observe his class, then Harry would gladly have accepted.
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A short while later, as the second year potions students began to file into the dark, dungeon classroom, a beaming Professor Slughorn stood next to a frowning Severus.
Severus watched his temporary pupils come in and take their seats one by one.
Zinnia gave her father a small, disinterested wave and he responded with the slightest nod, although she was profoundly disappointed that he was there.
As Severus Snape's daughter, privately tutored by him for years, Zinnia could out-brew most of the seventh year students and several of Hogwarts' professors.
Potions was usually the period in which she let her hands work and her mind wander away.
Zinnia knew of her father's mind-reading capabilities.
His presence in the classroom meant that she would have to actually focus on the lesson and not let her thoughts dwindle into daydreams.
Scorpius flashed Severus a bright smile as he sat beside Zinnia, with his back straight and his books out in front of him, eager to make the impression to her father that he was a prepared, polite, and capable student.
Delphini was one of the last to enter the room.
When she walked through the doorway, it was evident that Severus being there was a shock to her as her brown eyes widened for a moment before she cautiously took her seat.
Severus hadn't barred Harry from his classroom in an act of cruelty.
If Delphini saw Harry and his father there together, she would know that something was amiss……
Severus glanced at Delphini several times while she settled in.
It concerned him that she kept peering back at him with a melancholy look of displeasure on her face.
Professor Slughorn could barely contain his excitement.
He practically shouted as he spoke to his class after his students were seated and ready, "Alright, listen everyone, I have a real treat for you today! I'll be taking a backseat for this lesson as we have the prince of potions himself here to teach us all a trick or two this morning! Please, everyone, give a round of applause for our very own Minister for Magic, Former Headmaster of Hogwarts and Potions Master, one of my favorite students in his day, Severus Snape!"
The class obediently applauded.
Scorpius smiled as Zinnia struggled not to yawn while they both clapped their hands.
Severus didn't notice either of their expressions.
He was too busy maintaining his Occlumency as he avoided eye contact with Voldemort's child.
Severus hadn't spoken a word yet, but as he stood next to Slughorn, he could feel Delphini's amber stare boring into him as her inexperienced Legilimency skills relentlessly tried to pick at the outer edges of his mind and discover his thoughts, his feelings, and his fears.