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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Disencan was the first to rise that morning.
The Snapes' house elf collected the letter from the mail slot and placed it on the table for Harriet and Severus's review while he began to make breakfast.
He thought nothing of the parcel until the couple shuffled into the kitchen an hour later.
"What's this?" Harriet asked as she picked up the letter.
The envelope bore no return address, but as Harriet turned it over in her hands to slit its back, Severus scowled as he plainly recognized the Malfoy family crest stamped into the dark wax.
"My love….." He began to warn his mate.
Severus spoke too slowly.
Harriet had already opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment it contained.
Together, she and Severus read over the lines on the page:
To Mr. and Mrs. Severus Snape,
The Malfoy family cordially invites you to a Holiday Party at the address shown below on December 31st at 8:00 pm. Please RSVP.
Kind Regards,
Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy
Severus braced himself for his wife's reaction as Harriet stared at the parchment.
While Draco remained his godson, he knew his mate harbored few decent feelings towards the Malfoy family.
"Well…….." Harriet scoffed as she roughly stuffed the letter back into the envelope, "I see Narcissa wasn't allowed to sign."
"I believe only the heirs placed their signatures." Severus concluded, "...Draco's spouse did not add her name either."
Harriet tossed the envelope onto the dining table and looked at Severus.
They frowned at each other for a moment before Severus spoke, "I am no happier than you are, my love. While I do not have a personal quarrel with the Malfoys, I would prefer if my daughter were not pursued by her first suitor at age eleven."
"How are you not enraged, Sev?!?!" Harriet spat, "You should be! A boy is trying
to…..to…….You've been protective since she was conceived! Are you not furious about this?!"
"I am furious, but not with the boy, not now." Severus calmly replied. He gazed at Harriet as he wisely reasoned, "My love, I am less than thrilled by the invitation, but have you not noticed that our daughter has barely mentioned anything about her first semester except-"
"-Scorpius." Harriet concluded as she raised her hands and dropped them in a gesture of frustration.
"Correct." Severus frowned, "Perhaps they will remain only friends…..I have yet to see them interact…..She's failed to mention anything more than a simple, platonic companionship between them……I also realize the Malfoy boy has given our daughter reason to smile, which eases my qualms. I confess…..I was as nervous as her about the other students' perception, if you'll allow me to speak truthfully."
Harriet gnashed her teeth against her own hatred as she contemplated having to sit in Draco's house and pretend to enjoy an evening while she relived the horrors she had witnessed there.
"I'll write back this morning and let them know we aren't coming." Harriet sniffed.
"...Do you really consider that to be a prudent decision?" Severus asked.
Harriet widened her eyes at her alpha as she exclaimed, "Yes, Sev, I consider it a 'prudent decision'! I can still hear Hermione's screams! I can still see-"
"-But Maggie cannot hear those screams." Severus interrupted, "And all Maggie will see is the boy. Can you be certain she'll be able to forgive us when she finds out we refused the Malfoys' generous offer, my love? Are you willing to break our daughter's heart to spare your own feelings?"
Harriet scowled for a long moment before she asked, "Are you honestly suggesting that we…..that we accept the invitation?"
"Regardless of whether you and I approve of this….friendship….or not, I fear forcing them apart will only push them closer together." Severus nodded, "Besides, if we do attend, we may observe the two of them together…..I would have the chance to read the boy's thoughts as well."
Harriet frowned as she stared at Severus.
She searched his face for a hint of doubt, but as he gazed at her with resolute confidence in his dark eyes, she eventually admitted the truth she wished she could refute.
"Alright." Harriet shrugged. A frown marred her fair face while she sighed, "Fine...We'll go."
Severus glided over, cupped his wife's face, and gazed into her emerald eyes.
"I hate it when you use reason against me." Harriet scowled.
"Not against you, my love….for you. Our attendance at this event is vital if we hope to ultimately protect our daughter." Severus drawled.
He didn't give Harriet the chance to protest as he leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to her lips.
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During the previous months, the new trade bill Severus had signed into effect had bolstered wizarding Britain's economy as various goods were imported and exported.
Harriet had made several trips to Hogsmeade on a variety of errands, but no matter where her business took her each visit, she always found time to wander past the apothecary window.
She frowned whenever she gazed at the sign that advertised the shop's ample supply of available larindonan legumes.
Once Maggie returned home, Harriet couldn't help but keep her children on her mind as she shopped for the items needed for their holiday meals and celebrations.
The day after the Malfoys' letter had been received, Harriet stopped abruptly in the street as a wry smile drifted across her face while she watched a young couple.
Snowflakes drifted down over a dark-haired alpha as he helped his heavily pregnant wife along the path, careful not to let her slip and fall.
Envy filled Harriet's heart as she watched the other omega lay a hand on her swollen belly.
As Severus's staunch refusal to use a fertility potion echoed through her mind, her jealousy turned to willful rage.
Harriet scowled as she grit her teeth and marched down the street towards the apothecary.
The doorbell chimed as she entered the shop, filled with determination.
Ring, Ring.
"Good day!" A friendly clerk called from behind the counter as Harriet walked up.
"Hello." She nodded.
"What can I help you with this afternoon?" The clerk asked with a happy smile.
As Harriet prepared to speak, her gaze moved down to the other woman's abdomen.
Shock and anguish flooded her system as she realized its roundness meant the clerk was also expecting.
Harriet's heart sank in disappointment as she marveled at the good fortune seemingly displayed by every woman around her.
"I need to buy a lot of larindonan legumes." She nodded.
"A lot?" The clerk asked with an amused smile, "May I ask how many exactly you're looking for, ma'am? To serve you better?"
"As many as it takes." Harriet frowned.
She realized to her dismay that she had no recipe to reference.
No formula……..
Left without hope, the clerk became Mrs. Snape's rescuer.
Harriet watched the woman lean over the counter and discreetly ask, "Forgive me if it's too bold a question, but do you want larindonan legumes for fertility potion?"
"Yes!" Harriet cried without hesitation.
She cleared her throat and glanced around in mortification as the other customers browsing the store glared at her sudden loudness.
"Wait here." The clerk smirked at Harriet.
Harriet blinked as the clerk turned and waddled into the back room.
She shifted her feet as she stood at the counter for a long moment before the clerk finally re-emerged with a small sack of odd-looking, bright purple legumes.
Harriet frowned as she wondered how she would be successful if she chose to continue her recklessly stealthy plan.
"Sorry, love, my mind's not quite right these days. Did you need anything else? A handful of sea moss to go with this? Or a formula card?" The clerk asked.
"No, it's…..it's alright. I completely understand." Harriet said as she smiled, "I have two children myself, but yes, um, a formula card would be wonderful…….Sea moss, too, if it's recommended. My…..My alpha said larindonan legumes can be dangerous if they're used incorrectly." Harriet nodded.
The clerk smiled before she stepped out from behind the counter and quickly filled a bag full of the ingredients shown on the formula card she handed Harriet.
Once each supply had been gathered, the clerk returned to the counter and tallied up Harriet's purchase.
"Five Sickles, ma'am." The clerk nodded.
Harriet hurriedly pulled the money from her pocket before she handed the exact amount over to the apothecary clerk who pushed the bag towards her.
"I wouldn't pay much attention to the gossip about larindonan legumes being dangerous…." The woman smiled at Harriet, "Every potion and every ingredient carries its own hazards, of course…..but we haven't had any negative complaints about the formula on the card." She nodded.
"Does it have decent rates of success?" Harriet frowned as she took the bag from the clerk.
"It certainly worked for me, I'm certain it will for you too." The clerk smirked as she laid a hand on her rounded abdomen.
"Thanks….." Harriet whispered.
Her green eyes flickered longingly to the swell before she nodded gratefully at the woman, turned, and left the shop.
Harriet swiftly apparated out of Hogsmeade and quickly began to work in her kitchen as she threw a cauldron on the stove.
Maggie and Little Sev had gone to their father's office for the day.
Harriet knew she only had a couple of hours before her husband and children would return home.
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Never one to particularly excel at the art of potion-making without her husband's guidance in some way, Harriet had to start the formula three times before she finally brewed a viable batch of larindonan legume-based fertility potion.
Disencan watched with wide eyes, but thoughtfully stayed quiet to let Harriet focus.
It was a mad scramble to complete her work before the clock struck five.
In one last, wild dash, she scooped a dose into a vial and stuffed it into the pocket of her robes.
Harriet quickly vanished the cauldron, fumes, and leftover ingredients with a flick of her wand.
Mere seconds later, the door to the Snapes' home opened as Severus, Maggie, and Little Sev entered.
Rabbie hopped along beside them.
"Hello, Mum." Maggie smiled as Severus carried her inside.
"Hello, Mummy!" Little Sev greeted Harriet with a smile.
"Yes, hello, Mummy." Severus purred as his dark eyes flickered over his wife while she walked towards them, patted Little Sev's head, smiled at Maggie, and kissed Severus's lips.
"Hello, my loves." Harriet greeted her family, "Ready for dinner?"
As the Snapes assisted Disencan with some of the meal preparation, the fertility potion formula lay crumpled and hidden in Harriet's pocket along with the fluid-filled vial.
Both of her first two failed batches had caused the cauldron to bubble over.
Each time, a bit of liquid had splashed onto the counter where the formula card lay.
Harriet hadn't noticed the ink had smeared.
Instead of the recommended single handful of larindonan legumes, she had mistakenly added three.