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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The annual holiday party for Hogwarts staff approached as the snows of winter began to cover the ground.
Severus scowled as he peered out over the castle's white grounds while he contemplated what he should do about the party.
As Headmaster, he had no option but to attend.
How would Harriet feel about being on display as his bride?
Word of their marriage had spread to all corners of the wizarding world.
Should Severus show up at the event alone, he knew he would face more nosy inquiries than if he simply brought Harriet with him.
Reluctantly, on a chilly Thursday afternoon, Severus stood outside of her bedroom door and raised a hand to knock sharply on the wood.
She had asked for a moment to sort through her dresser drawers before she joined him in his room for dinner.
Although he wanted to respect her wishes, after spending hours that day mulling over the idea on the day that the date for the party had been finalized and announced, Severus couldn't wait to discuss the issue.
His heart clenched as he heard footsteps from the other side of the door before she slowly opened it and peered out at him.
"Good afternoon." Severus drawled in formal greeting.
"Hello." Harriet replied.
He frowned down at her for a moment before she blinked and asked, "I'll join you in a bit…...Is something the matter?"
"Pardon my intrusion, but I've come to make a request." Severus explained.
Harriet's eyes widened slightly as she waited anxiously to hear what else her husband had to ask her.
"...Hogwarts will soon hold its holiday celebration….for staff members." Severus slowly spoke as he stared at Harriet, "Forgive me for troubling you, however, I'd prefer to have you at my side so that we may avoid the barrage of questions from those seeking to pry into our privacy if your absence is noticed."
Harriet beamed as she nodded eagerly and spoke, "Of course, Sev……I'd be happy to come."
Severus threw her an unreadable look before he turned on his heel and walked back to his own room with his black robes swishing over the aged floorboards.
As he opened the door to his private chamber, and slipped inside, Harriet smiled after him.
She retreated into her own room to finish her task of sorting her drawer contents while she drew a deep breath.
Harriet knew that the battle to win Severus's heart had so far gone in her favor, though she wondered if there was nothing else she could do to endear him to her further?
Harriet smirked to herself as she abandoned her work and pulled on her jacket.
Silently, she left the house in search of a suitable weapon she may use to her advantage.
From his bedroom window, Severus watched as Harriet made her way down the brick steps that led to their front door.
His eyes narrowed to slits as he wondered where his bride could possibly be going?
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It surprised Harriet to learn that the most skilled magical tailors and seamstresses did not reside in any reputable part of Britain's wizarding world.
As she stood in the dingy shop, deep in Knockturn Alley, with glittering gowns of jaw-dropping splendor all around her on suspended, cloth mannequins, Harriet blinked at her reflection in the floor length mirror.
The dress she wore was as magnificent as she had envisioned, although the wart-covered witch who had stitched each of its seams with a bit of her own magic laughed as if Harriet were a great joke.
"That husband of yours doesn't stand a chance against something so powerful, dearie." The witch mused as she let one of her gnarled hands drift over the glittering, black fabric of Harriet's voluminous gown.
"I hope you're right." Harriet pouted as she looked at the older witch, "He's a tough one, really. We've been married for months now and my progress is rather slow."
"Perhaps you'd like a little something extra for your gown, then, dearie?" The witch asked with a toothy grin.
"...Something extra?" Harriet blinked.
The witch cackled quietly as she circled Harriet and mused out loud, "I can lace the threads with a few drops of Amortentia…..As it bleeds from the fabric into your flesh, your perspiration will send it into the air, mixed with bits of your own scent, of course, and he'll fall madly in love with you!"
"No." Harriet said quickly as she shook her head with a frown, "No…..Thanks anyway, but I'd never do that."
"The Imperious Curse, perhaps?" The witch asked, "I can trigger a similar effect to be placed into the metal of the buttons on your sleeves. When he takes your arm for a dance, he'll instantly be at your command!"
"Sorry….how is that any different?" Harriet asked as she narrowed her eyes at the seamstress.
A shiver ran down Harriet's spine as the witch cackled to herself.
The possibility occurred to her that the witch may have sought purely to cause malice.
"I think I'll take the dress as it is." Harriet interrupted the witch's low, eerie laugh.
"...Very well, dearie." The witch whispered in a giggle as she hobbled over to the counter at the front of the small shop.
In one sweep of her wand, Harriet removed her gorgeous, new dress and effortlessly changed back into the clothes she had arrived in, before she gathered the long layers of tulle, silk, and lace in her arms.
As she walked over and laid the beautiful garment on the counter, the witch began to package her purchase as she chuckled, "May I offer you a bit of advice, anyway? Free of charge, no worries there!"
"Sure." Harriet frowned as she took a pouch of Galleons from her pocket and prepared to pay.
"A child, dearie. That's your ticket to your husband's heart. You need to bear him a child." The witch grinned.
"My husband's not very interested in having a family." Harriet sniffed as she handed her money to the witch.
"Nonsense!" The witch cackled again, "All alphas want pups, whether they know it or not. Place a newborn babe in his arms, a fine son, and see if he won't soften at the sight."
"I'm afraid that's more difficult than it sounds." Harriet nodded at the witch.
The witch cast her a scrutinizing look before she turned away to finish packing Harriet's dress into a box.
While Harriet took another glance around the shop as she waited, the witch smirked to herself, pressed her wand against the fabric of the dress and murmured, "Conceptius Facilitatus."
With her head turned, Harriet failed to see the glowing light produced by the fertility charm that her seamstress wove into the threads of her beautiful gown.
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As usual, Hogwarts' annual holiday party was a very formal occasion.
On the night of the event, Harriet walked beside Severus while they made their way through the castle, proudly holding onto one of his arms, which he had bent to chivalrously escort his wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Snape caused more than a bit of gossip as they entered the Great Hall, though Severus and Harriet both tried to ignore the lingering gazes and wagging tongues while they made their rounds to politely socialize with each guest.
The decorations in the room set the mood for a wintry soirée, with massive, full trees that boasted twinkling decorations and a snow that fell from the ceiling without accumulation or unpleasant temperatures.
Severus kept his expression stoically unreadable throughout the evening, but it took a great deal of self-control for him to focus his attention on whoever he and Harriet spoke to instead of his bride herself.
He had said nothing to Harriet, but his jaw had visibly dropped the moment his dark eyes had fallen upon her in her beautiful dress.
Gorgeous and elegant, the sight of Harriet in that marvelous gown made him lament the fact that they had to attend the party in the first place.
All Severus really wanted to do was stay home with his wife, rip the garment from her lithe body, and spend the evening with her in their bed.
Harriet didn't realize her husband's reaction to her outfit as the night droned on and he stayed perfectly within the parameters of gentlemanly politeness.
In fact, Mrs. Snape regretted the party more than her husband.
Although the Great Hall was far from warm, halfway through the event, Harriet began to feel feverish.
Her body shook with a violent chill despite the flushed heat that radiated from her face.
Nausea churned her stomach as her head swam while she and Severus spoke to Professor McGonagall.
"I'm quite glad you two have become civil with each other, at least……I understand the new laws and all this aftermath from the war is quite difficult." McGongagall nodded at the couple.
"Indeed….." Severus concurred, "In all honesty, professor, we're actually rather-"
"-Sorry!" Harriet interrupted as she swallowed thickly.
Severus and McGonagall blinked at her in surprise.
"Would you two excuse me for a moment?" Harriet asked as she forced an awful clammy feeling aside while she let go of Severus's arm.
"...Are you well?" Severus asked worriedly.
"What's the matter, dear?" McGonagall frowned in concern at Harriet.
"I….I'm fine, I only need to sit down." Harriet nodded.
Severus and McGonagall watched her rush towards the chairs that had been arranged in the room.
As soon as Severus's dark eyes flickered back to McGonagall, she nodded and said, "Go on, then, Severus, you had better follow her. She doesn't look well at all……Madam Pomfrey's with us tonight…..Maybe she can help?"
Severus frowned as he furrowed his brow.
His worried hesitation gave McGonagall the time to ask, "Is she……..with child?"
"No!" Severus snapped as an angry scowl manifested on his face, "Of course she is not with child! A woman can be ill for other reasons, as you well know!"
"I only asked, Severus." McGonagall shrugged, "I can't help but notice that she smelled rather sweet. I had no intention of offending you."
Severus felt his mouth fall open as subtle realization dawned on him.
"Forgive me………." He nodded at his coworker before he turned on his heel and pursued Harriet.
McGonagall had been right, Harriet smelled sweet, too sweet, even for an omega.
Severus drew in a deep breath as he inhaled his wife's enticingly pleasant scent while he retraced her footsteps.
She had left the Great Hall and escaped into the corridor on the back side of the large room, usually reserved only for Hogwarts' staff, but that didn't matter.
Severus had no problem at all tracking Harriet by chasing that trail of her delicious aroma she had left in her wake.
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Harriet had decided not to sit down after all the second a telltale cramp had seized her lower belly.
Her emerald eyes had widened in horrified understanding and without drawing attention or herself, she quickly made her escape before any other alphas present took notice.
Harriet had grown accustomed to enduring unpredictable heat cycles, though as she staggered down the abandoned hallway, she begrudged her body for its poor timing.
As her head throbbed, she lost sight of where she headed or why.
She blindly clung to her goal of moving away from that crowded, noisy room.
Another pain began in her abdomen without warning.
The intensity of the spasm caused her to grit her teeth and groan as she slowly sunk to the floor with her dress's grand, glittering skirts billowing elegantly around her like rippling sheets of night sky.
Harriet pressed herself back against the wall and sighed as the coolness of the stone soothed her burning skin.
A sharp cry left her lips as hands suddenly lifted her.
She felt her body leave the floor as it was hoisted away by two strong arms as she cracked her eyes open.
Omegas in heat were particularly vulnerable and it was that notion that bothered Harriet…..until she saw who held her.
"Come with me, Mrs. Snape." Severus drawled as he held her close and gazed into her face, "A lady in your condition needs her privacy."
Instead of returning to their home, Severus strode through the dark castle, towards the dungeons, as Harriet gripped onto him and laid her head against his chest.
She sighed in relief as she wondered where he intended to take her?
She didn't care much.
As her heat crashed down upon her, all she wanted was to be somewhere private, naked and groaning in her alpha's strong arms.