Disclaimer: JKR has the entire claim. I have none. I would not presume to write in her universe if I had not read that she is flattered by all of us fanfic writers.
Bleu Moon – It is unfortunate that I have no real experience with snakes. Yes to most of your questions. The paintings are important. La la la la La.
MadMonkette – Gusha is highly amused.
Kateri – Sorry. Frustrating? Possibly? *insane laughter – followed by a whisper: Shut up, Gusha* Aw, they figure it out pretty quick now.
sandtr – Sorry, Della really is dead.
palanmenel – I'd tell you, but that would ruin the painfully drawn out suspense. I almost wish I hadn't told everyone that this is a Severitus challenge fic. It would have played with y'all's minds more. Sigh.
Sela – Yes, I am rather brilliant, am I not. *Shut up, Gusha* We just don't really like the Sev/Lily pairing really…
Them Girl – Not to appear techno-illiterate, but what is QWOH? Glad you like my Sev.
Littletiger – Thank you for being willing to slip the negative criticism in with the positive. I'm glad you liked the sitting room. It was difficult to write, although I knew just what I wanted. *Sigh*
davesmom – Intriguing is right. Thank you for your stories. Hey you people reading all these acknowledgement thingies, check out this gal's stuff. (Since you seem to have so much time on your hands.)
Harmoni – No one, it has to be spelled out for them. *nods*
Thank you to MarsIsBrightTonight, Mikee, Enahma, samson, pixyfairy120, kateydidnt, and Sparrow for reviewing. It means a lot to me. *Brushes happy tear from eye*
A/N – Almost a whole page, yikes. Now for the chapter. Er…right.
*****
Severus Snape,
You are hereby informed that your presence is required at a special, delayed reading of the last will and testament of Miss Asphodel Maddis. The reading will take place at Hogwarts, in the Headmaster's office, at 6:30 PM on the twenty first of October.
Sandman and Ross
Attorneys at Law
Snape read and re-read the letter in a state of shock. After all these years, Della was reaching out from beyond the grave to touch him again and again.
He folded the letter and placed it in the pocket of his robes.
His eyes strayed in Potter's direction. Potter was looking straight back at him. The boy held up a slip of parchment, alarmingly similar to the one he had just tucked away.
Snape nodded slightly and then looked away. Of course, the boy would be there too.
Snape had grown to dread the boy's potions lessons. It was entirely too disconcerting to see him with Della's hair, Lily's eyes and James Potter's general features. Although, he admitted, lately the boy had grown to look more like 'Harry' and less like 'James.'
Snape touched his pocket and the letter inside crinkled. Three days and they would see what Della wanted to say from beyond the grave.
*****
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked shrewdly as Harry pushed his breakfast around his plate.
Harry shrugged and handed her the solicitor's letter.
"Della Maddis has been dead since before you were born. Why would she write you into her will?" Hermione asked.
"I donno." Harry mumbled. "Snape said that she and my mum were close. Maybe she left something to Mum that will be passed on to me."
Harry put the letter back away, and turned to his breakfast.
Harry found himself enormously unwilling to bring his divination to the breakfast table.
At Privet Drive, it was a joke on his relatives, here at school, where people took magic seriously… Well, Harry still had trouble admitting to himself that his teacup predictions were worth paying attention to, and he did not want to have to defend them in public.
Instead he kept his things in his room. The first evening back, Harry left a note asking the house elves to leave a kettle of hot water on his desk in the morning. Every morning since, water had been waiting for him. When he was running low on spearmint leaves, the jar was suddenly filled again.
Harry made it a point to rise early enough to make the tea leaves part of his morning ritual. It was soothing and relaxing to go through all of the motions. It focused his mind to concentrate on the day.
That was important, because the teachers were being even harder on them than last year. Scarcely a day went by without one teacher or another mentioning the O.W.L.'s.
He got plenty of odd looks from his dorm mates when he first set the jars, mortar and teapot out. Ron had been the one to mention it. Harry had just shrugged and grinned. They had all gotten used to it.
"Do you have the snake with you, Harry?" Ron asked.
"No, she doesn't say much more than hungry and sleepy yet." Harry said. "I thought she would be more comfortable in my room until she understands more. The book says to handle her as little as possible."
"Have you named that snake yet, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Not yet." Harry admitted. "I hoped she would give a little input into her name, since I can talk to her, but her speech is so juvenile…"
"You could give her a flower name." Hermione suggested. "It is a family tradition, after all."
"That's a good idea." Harry said. "I'll have to give it some thought. So, Hermione, do you think that we will have to transfigure a person for our O.W.L.'s?"
Nothing could have been more effective in changing the subject.
*******
(I) (I)
(;o;)
(,( ),) Plot Bunny
(,,)-(,,)
A/N – Well, this certainly came out different than I had originally planned it. Darned plot bunnies. I thought about making this two chapters, but I like this next part better than the first bits.
*******
On the Twenty first of October, Harry presented himself at Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was there, along with Professor Snape and a short balding wizard that Harry took to be the solicitor. The three men were standing near the door when he entered.
"Harry Potter?" The little man said. "How wonderful to meet you at last, I must say. I am Marcus Ross; I will be presenting the will this evening. If we could all sit down, I will set up my equipment, and then we can begin."
"Equipment?" Harry asked, sitting in the chair Dumbledore motioned him to.
"Before the will, we will have a presentation of memory recordings." Mr. Ross said, opening his briefcase on the low table Dumbledore had placed in front of the group of chairs. "Not customary, but not unusual either." The man hummed as he fitted together the odd pieces of something. It looked like a piece of alchemical apparatus, lots of glass tubes and wire springs.
The man finished and turned back to the others. "I must ask that you remain quiet during the recordings. The memory will project in the air just here." He waved his hand over the machine. He took a silver cube out of a small wooden box and placed it in a tube on the apparatus.
Immediately, the memory machine lit with undulating colors and within a few seconds a picture appeared where Mr. Ross had indicated it would. Harry gasped. It was his parents, Lily and James Potter.
They both smiled, they looked at each other and then Lily spoke.
"Dearest Harry, you are the joy in our life. We love you very much." Harry was aware of Snape shifting uncomfortably in the seat beside him, but he concentrated entirely on his mother's face.
"James and I are recording this as a preface to my cousin Della's will. The two of us have discussed the topic exhaustively, and James has /finally/ agreed to do this the way Della planned it. Not to say that I fully agree with her, but I know what she wants and why. Even if we are alive and sitting next to you when you see this, you will hear it from this recording, not from us directly." She looked at James again, quickly then turned back. Harry felt she was staring right at him. "We only ask that you listen."
"First, Harry, you are not our son."
James broke in. "Not biologically, at least. Never doubt that we love you as we would our own child."
Lily placed her hand on her husband's arm. She continued. "We are infertile, Harry. There is nothing Muggle or magical medicine can do to change that for us. You could not be our biological son. We adopted you the day after you were born, and you have been our son ever since." James shifted and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but Lily caught his eye and he relaxed again.
"Your mother wanted everyone to believe that you were really my son. She convinced me, after weeks of discussion and argument to pretend to be pregnant while she was." Lily's face was sad, but she smiled faintly. "It was the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. While we were in the same house I could feel her pregnancy as if it was happening to me. I felt your every kick and punch. I had given up hope of feeling those things for myself."
"Including the morning sickness," James broke in again. "which Della was spared, by the way."
Lily made a face at her husband and continued. "Della did extensive research on charms, transfigurations and potions that would disguise you. She was determined that you would look like James and me instead of your real father and herself. I do not claim or pretend to understand why she was so insistent, but I know she had reasons."
Harry heard Snape growl softly beside him and turned slightly. The man was unbelievably tense. For half a second they looked each other in the eye. Then Lily continued, drawing their attention.
"What we did not expect or plan on was that Della died while giving birth to you. We continued with the adoption, according to her terms."
"Frankly, I was against it." James broke in. "As of right now, you have a living parent. A father, the man your mother married. I have argued and fought with Lily and our lawyers, but Della's intentions and her will are clear and legally binding. So, I will hold my peace for now."
"James." Lily said softly. He nodded and she continued. "We changed your appearance. The disguise should be wearing thin by now. Until this is shown, I will be maintaining it slightly, but most of it should last until the appointed day. Now you are fifteen. I am sure that you have grown into a fine young man with James' example. We love you, Harry. There is no way we could love you more. Now listen with an open heart to what Della has to say."
James and Lily smiled again and faded out.
*****
A/N – I apologize for the first two sections. *winces* I do not feel they are up to standard, but anyway.
Argh. Especially all the awkward exposition in the second segment. Anybody got any flower names fit for a snake?
Bleu Moon – It is unfortunate that I have no real experience with snakes. Yes to most of your questions. The paintings are important. La la la la La.
MadMonkette – Gusha is highly amused.
Kateri – Sorry. Frustrating? Possibly? *insane laughter – followed by a whisper: Shut up, Gusha* Aw, they figure it out pretty quick now.
sandtr – Sorry, Della really is dead.
palanmenel – I'd tell you, but that would ruin the painfully drawn out suspense. I almost wish I hadn't told everyone that this is a Severitus challenge fic. It would have played with y'all's minds more. Sigh.
Sela – Yes, I am rather brilliant, am I not. *Shut up, Gusha* We just don't really like the Sev/Lily pairing really…
Them Girl – Not to appear techno-illiterate, but what is QWOH? Glad you like my Sev.
Littletiger – Thank you for being willing to slip the negative criticism in with the positive. I'm glad you liked the sitting room. It was difficult to write, although I knew just what I wanted. *Sigh*
davesmom – Intriguing is right. Thank you for your stories. Hey you people reading all these acknowledgement thingies, check out this gal's stuff. (Since you seem to have so much time on your hands.)
Harmoni – No one, it has to be spelled out for them. *nods*
Thank you to MarsIsBrightTonight, Mikee, Enahma, samson, pixyfairy120, kateydidnt, and Sparrow for reviewing. It means a lot to me. *Brushes happy tear from eye*
A/N – Almost a whole page, yikes. Now for the chapter. Er…right.
*****
Severus Snape,
You are hereby informed that your presence is required at a special, delayed reading of the last will and testament of Miss Asphodel Maddis. The reading will take place at Hogwarts, in the Headmaster's office, at 6:30 PM on the twenty first of October.
Sandman and Ross
Attorneys at Law
Snape read and re-read the letter in a state of shock. After all these years, Della was reaching out from beyond the grave to touch him again and again.
He folded the letter and placed it in the pocket of his robes.
His eyes strayed in Potter's direction. Potter was looking straight back at him. The boy held up a slip of parchment, alarmingly similar to the one he had just tucked away.
Snape nodded slightly and then looked away. Of course, the boy would be there too.
Snape had grown to dread the boy's potions lessons. It was entirely too disconcerting to see him with Della's hair, Lily's eyes and James Potter's general features. Although, he admitted, lately the boy had grown to look more like 'Harry' and less like 'James.'
Snape touched his pocket and the letter inside crinkled. Three days and they would see what Della wanted to say from beyond the grave.
*****
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked shrewdly as Harry pushed his breakfast around his plate.
Harry shrugged and handed her the solicitor's letter.
"Della Maddis has been dead since before you were born. Why would she write you into her will?" Hermione asked.
"I donno." Harry mumbled. "Snape said that she and my mum were close. Maybe she left something to Mum that will be passed on to me."
Harry put the letter back away, and turned to his breakfast.
Harry found himself enormously unwilling to bring his divination to the breakfast table.
At Privet Drive, it was a joke on his relatives, here at school, where people took magic seriously… Well, Harry still had trouble admitting to himself that his teacup predictions were worth paying attention to, and he did not want to have to defend them in public.
Instead he kept his things in his room. The first evening back, Harry left a note asking the house elves to leave a kettle of hot water on his desk in the morning. Every morning since, water had been waiting for him. When he was running low on spearmint leaves, the jar was suddenly filled again.
Harry made it a point to rise early enough to make the tea leaves part of his morning ritual. It was soothing and relaxing to go through all of the motions. It focused his mind to concentrate on the day.
That was important, because the teachers were being even harder on them than last year. Scarcely a day went by without one teacher or another mentioning the O.W.L.'s.
He got plenty of odd looks from his dorm mates when he first set the jars, mortar and teapot out. Ron had been the one to mention it. Harry had just shrugged and grinned. They had all gotten used to it.
"Do you have the snake with you, Harry?" Ron asked.
"No, she doesn't say much more than hungry and sleepy yet." Harry said. "I thought she would be more comfortable in my room until she understands more. The book says to handle her as little as possible."
"Have you named that snake yet, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Not yet." Harry admitted. "I hoped she would give a little input into her name, since I can talk to her, but her speech is so juvenile…"
"You could give her a flower name." Hermione suggested. "It is a family tradition, after all."
"That's a good idea." Harry said. "I'll have to give it some thought. So, Hermione, do you think that we will have to transfigure a person for our O.W.L.'s?"
Nothing could have been more effective in changing the subject.
*******
(I) (I)
(;o;)
(,( ),) Plot Bunny
(,,)-(,,)
A/N – Well, this certainly came out different than I had originally planned it. Darned plot bunnies. I thought about making this two chapters, but I like this next part better than the first bits.
*******
On the Twenty first of October, Harry presented himself at Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was there, along with Professor Snape and a short balding wizard that Harry took to be the solicitor. The three men were standing near the door when he entered.
"Harry Potter?" The little man said. "How wonderful to meet you at last, I must say. I am Marcus Ross; I will be presenting the will this evening. If we could all sit down, I will set up my equipment, and then we can begin."
"Equipment?" Harry asked, sitting in the chair Dumbledore motioned him to.
"Before the will, we will have a presentation of memory recordings." Mr. Ross said, opening his briefcase on the low table Dumbledore had placed in front of the group of chairs. "Not customary, but not unusual either." The man hummed as he fitted together the odd pieces of something. It looked like a piece of alchemical apparatus, lots of glass tubes and wire springs.
The man finished and turned back to the others. "I must ask that you remain quiet during the recordings. The memory will project in the air just here." He waved his hand over the machine. He took a silver cube out of a small wooden box and placed it in a tube on the apparatus.
Immediately, the memory machine lit with undulating colors and within a few seconds a picture appeared where Mr. Ross had indicated it would. Harry gasped. It was his parents, Lily and James Potter.
They both smiled, they looked at each other and then Lily spoke.
"Dearest Harry, you are the joy in our life. We love you very much." Harry was aware of Snape shifting uncomfortably in the seat beside him, but he concentrated entirely on his mother's face.
"James and I are recording this as a preface to my cousin Della's will. The two of us have discussed the topic exhaustively, and James has /finally/ agreed to do this the way Della planned it. Not to say that I fully agree with her, but I know what she wants and why. Even if we are alive and sitting next to you when you see this, you will hear it from this recording, not from us directly." She looked at James again, quickly then turned back. Harry felt she was staring right at him. "We only ask that you listen."
"First, Harry, you are not our son."
James broke in. "Not biologically, at least. Never doubt that we love you as we would our own child."
Lily placed her hand on her husband's arm. She continued. "We are infertile, Harry. There is nothing Muggle or magical medicine can do to change that for us. You could not be our biological son. We adopted you the day after you were born, and you have been our son ever since." James shifted and opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but Lily caught his eye and he relaxed again.
"Your mother wanted everyone to believe that you were really my son. She convinced me, after weeks of discussion and argument to pretend to be pregnant while she was." Lily's face was sad, but she smiled faintly. "It was the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. While we were in the same house I could feel her pregnancy as if it was happening to me. I felt your every kick and punch. I had given up hope of feeling those things for myself."
"Including the morning sickness," James broke in again. "which Della was spared, by the way."
Lily made a face at her husband and continued. "Della did extensive research on charms, transfigurations and potions that would disguise you. She was determined that you would look like James and me instead of your real father and herself. I do not claim or pretend to understand why she was so insistent, but I know she had reasons."
Harry heard Snape growl softly beside him and turned slightly. The man was unbelievably tense. For half a second they looked each other in the eye. Then Lily continued, drawing their attention.
"What we did not expect or plan on was that Della died while giving birth to you. We continued with the adoption, according to her terms."
"Frankly, I was against it." James broke in. "As of right now, you have a living parent. A father, the man your mother married. I have argued and fought with Lily and our lawyers, but Della's intentions and her will are clear and legally binding. So, I will hold my peace for now."
"James." Lily said softly. He nodded and she continued. "We changed your appearance. The disguise should be wearing thin by now. Until this is shown, I will be maintaining it slightly, but most of it should last until the appointed day. Now you are fifteen. I am sure that you have grown into a fine young man with James' example. We love you, Harry. There is no way we could love you more. Now listen with an open heart to what Della has to say."
James and Lily smiled again and faded out.
*****
A/N – I apologize for the first two sections. *winces* I do not feel they are up to standard, but anyway.
Argh. Especially all the awkward exposition in the second segment. Anybody got any flower names fit for a snake?