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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Harriet's heat continued in a blissful culmination.
"I love you……" She whispered as her alpha held her close.
In a gentle response, Severus lovingly nuzzled her.
Harriet sighed as she drew a deep breath and enjoyed his addicting scent.
The smell of old parchment, crisp leather, and smoky lavender seemed to emanate from his skin as he gave Harriet a doting kiss before he slowly pulled away
Severus opened his dark eyes to stare into her face.
Harriet expected him to speak, but he communicated wordlessly instead as he kept his soft, glimmering gaze focused directly on her.
His stare bored into her heart as he raised a tapered hand and began to stroke a few strands of her dark hair.
After several minutes of basking in his admiration, Harriet finally heard her alpha murmur a firm declaration in a decadent tone somewhere between a growl and a purr, "...You're mine, Harriet Snape."
"...I'm yours." Harriet smiled as she moved to kiss the palm of Severus's hand.
The candles in their room burned brightly as Severus enveloped Harriet in his loving embrace.
Their lips met softly, slowly, purposely, until they sank back into the enrapturing comfort of her cozy nest.
While Disencan and Little Sev slept peacefully through the night in their rooms down the hall, Mr. and Mrs. Snape took full advantage of the luxury offered by the Silencing Charm the Minister for Magic had cast.
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Little Sev had several adventures with his good friend Disencan over the course of the next week while his mother endured her cycle in his father's arms.
Once the initial flurry of hormone-led demands died down as Harriet neared the end of her suffering, she sat in her nest with Severus one morning as they shared the fresh plate of pumpkin scones Disencan had thoughtfully left outside their door.
"Just think……" Harriet said after she swallowed her mouthful of food, "If you step down as Minister, your new positon may not let you work from home during the times one of us is…..indisposed."
Severus frowned as he glanced at his wife and retorted, "If I am to resume my position as headmaster, my outreach will be much more contained, yes….However, the staff had no problems making similar…..allowances……for our needs before."
"You can't watch over Maggie every minute, Sev." Harriet sighed.
Severus narrowed his eyes as she explained, "Say you do quit your government job and go back to Hogwarts, then what? She graduates in six and a half years. Are you going to leave the castle then and find employment wherever her career takes her?"
Harriet chuckled as an irritated scowl marred Severus's features.
"And what about little Sev?" She asked, "You can't be in two places at once."
"Our son is different." Severus quipped, "He can look after himself. I have no qualms about him going into the world once he's grown to be a strong and capable wizard."
Harriet secretly adored how protective her husband had become of their children, especially their little girl.
She decided to tease him further though while they sat, ate, and talked.
"I suppose you may not have to worry about it at all." She shrugged.
Severus cast her an unreadable look.
"Maggie may find a mate and choose to stay home with her family instead of going into the workforce." Harriet shrugged, "You and I can enjoy visiting as grandmother and grandfather then."
"Tell me, my love, do you draw satisfaction from speaking to me with such a cruel tongue?" Severus dryly asked.
Harriet laughed as she crawled over and settled herself in his lap while they finished their scones.
Despite their witty exchange, Severus wrapped his arms around Harriet while she laid against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
In the calm tranquility of the moment, Harriet decided to change the subject entirely.
"Little Sev and I went to Hogsmeade last Thursday. Do you remember?" She asked.
"...Yes." Severus purred as he stroked her upper arm with two of his tapered fingers.
"Well, when we passed by the apothecary, I couldn't help but notice a sign had been placed in the window that they had a fresh shipment of larindonan legumes from Latvia." Harriet revealed.
Severus abruptly stopped his ministrations as he gazed at his wife with a disbelieving frown.
"Don't look so surprised, Sev." Harriet chuckled, "You're the one that signed that new trade bill into effect. You know we're receiving lots of new exports recently."
"Yes, but larindonan legumes were not specifically included on the proposal." Severus huffed, "Once I return to my office, I'll send a team out to investigate what other unlisted items may be arriving without the Ministry's consent."
"Is that all you have to say?" Harriet asked with a mirthless chuckle.
Severus kept his frown as he stared at his mate.
"I could buy some." Harriet mused as she frowned back, "We could-"
"-Fertility potions derived from larindonan legumes are at worst dangerous and at best, unpredictably ineffective." Severus interrupted, "My desire to protect you, my love, is far greater than my desire for a larger family……..Shall I remind you that we've had this discussion before?"
"I heard a witch in front of the shop say using them was the only way she was able to conceive again!" Harriet insisted, "You're a Potions Master, Sev! I'm sure you can figure out a safe formula…...Can we not at least try?"
No." Severus refused, "We cannot……..There will be no larindonan legume-containing elixirs brewed…..in this house……..Should our natural…..excursions…..result in another child, then we will accept the outcome gladly."
"But-" Harriet began.
"-I am your alpha." Severus interrupted her as he clasped her chin between two fingers, "And as such, I forbid it….Harriet Snape…..Do I make myself clear?"
Under any other circumstance, Harriet would have retorted, but as she gazed into Severus's eyes, she found herself ensnared by a late gush of emotion that ordered her to obey.
As Severus swept her into his arms, intent on easing her displeasure through means of seduction, Harriet smirked against his lips while their kiss continued.
Her heart pounded with anticipation.
Harriet had no intention of heeding Severus's warning command.
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In the slow fade from autumn to winter, while Harriet contemplated potential aids to conceive her next child, Scorpius pondered how to approach Maggie.
The two had developed the habit of spending every moment together when not restricted by their academic schedule.
They ate breakfast together in the early mornings.
They made their way to class together each afternoon once lunch concluded and their classes sent them in the same direction.
The hour after dinner each evening before bed allowed them to linger in the courtyard, side by side while they chatted.
Other boys snickered at Maggie's heavy breasts, but Scorpius kept his eyes on her face, too entranced by her bright smile to gawk at her figure even if he had wanted to do so.
Weekends at the castle were blissful for the young friends as they passed those days in the library together, unhindered by irritating schedule changes every two hours.
One rainy November afternoon, as thunder rumbled in the sky, Maggie and Scorpius sat together on a long wooden bench while they each read a book of their choice.
Following one particularly loud boom, a violent bolt of lightning shot out from the clouds and blazed past the window.
Maggie jumped and gasped, startled by the force of the storm.
As soon as he heard her expression of fear, Scorpius instinctively grabbed her hand.
Maggie's green eyes widened as she gazed at him in surprise.
"S-Sorry……" He mumbled as he hastily dropped her hand and dove back into the shelter provided by his open book.
"You don't have to be sorry." She whispered.
Scorpius hesitantly looked up.
"That was nice of you to comfort me." Maggie smiled.
"I, um…..I didn't want you to be afraid." Scorpius politely explained.
A floorboard creaked somewhere behind them as they stared at each other for a moment before Scorpius nodded and looked back down at his book.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw motion.
As he dared to glance over the page, he noticed Maggie's hand on the table, open and waiting for him.
Silently, Scorpius slipped his hand into hers and held it tight.
For the rest of the afternoon, the young couple smiled as they read their books with their hands clasped and their hearts racing.
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Scorpius Malfoy was no ordinary first year Hogwarts student.
Scorpius Malfoy was a young man who had already fallen head over heels in love.
He thought about Maggie Snape all day every day.
He dreamed about her each night.
Once Hogwarts' winter recess arrived in December, most students, including Maggie, celebrated the freedom that came with it, but Scorpius's stomach twisted into nauseating knots.
As they rode the train back to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a weight pressed against his chest as he contemplated the grim reality of three weeks apart from his darling.
"What's the matter, Scorpius?" Maggie asked while the train chugged along.
"I'll miss you." Scorpius shrugged, "It'll be odd, won't it? To be separated for so long now?"
"Yeah, it will." Maggie nodded with a sad smile, "...I'll miss you too."
As Maggie flashed him a warm smile, the light in her emerald eyes made Scorpius want to fall to his knees and wail in lament.
Why did Hogwarts need a winter recess anyway?
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Harriet and Severus happily welcomed their daughter home, along with Little Sev, who greeted her with an exuberant hug.
As the Snape family left the platform after the Hogwarts Express completed its journey, Scorpius watched them leave with a frown of absolute despair on his pale face.
Draco knew his only son surprisingly well.
He mirrored Scorpius's expression as he turned and noticed who his child's attention focused on.
"That bad, eh, Scorp?" Draco asked.
"What did you say, Father?" Scorpius asked as he frowned at Draco.
Draco scoffed at the slight hint of irritation he heard in Scorpius's tone, as if his question had been an annoyance that had taken him away from the girl he fancied.
"I asked if it's that bad?" Draco grinned.
Scorpius said nothing as he looked down for a moment.
"You know I only want to see you happy." Draco went on, "As sick as your mother is, she wants the same and-"
"-There's nothing you can do, Father." Scorpius sniffed as he scowled at Draco, "Can we just go home, please?"
"Yes, but I think you're wrong." Draco smirked.
"How can I be?" Scorpius asked as they began to walk away from the platform.
"Your grandparents and I have decided to host a holiday party." Draco grinned.
"That's nice, I suppose….but I don't understand what that has to do with you helping me." Scorpius frowned.
"You will after I hand you some parchment and a quill." Draco smirked.
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Maggie had been home for three delightful days.
The time had been well spent by the Snape family sharing meals, having discussions, and tending what little upkeep their garden demanded in the winter.
However, before anyone woke on the fourth morning, a beautiful, slate grey owl soared over the family's home and delivered a single letter sealed with black wax that had been stamped with a very distinct emblem.
The front of the envelope clearly read:
The Snape Family
