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On a snowy morning during the winter holidays, Severus woke and watched the fluffy flurries fall outside of the frosty window pane.
If Lily hadn't been lying on his shoulder, he would have shivered from the chill.
He murmured a single word and lit the fireplace in their bedroom before he heard a gentle coo warningly echo from down the hallway.
Albus had been up for most of the night with a bad cough.
Lily and Severus had stayed loyally beside him the entire time.
While Lily tended to their ill son, Severus had brewed some Healing Draught with Tilly's kind assistance, but the potion hadn't been ready until shortly before dawn.
Soon after Albus had swallowed the medicine that his father had given him, he had finally been able to sleep.
Harriet and the babies had rested throughout the night, blissfully unaware of their brother's ordeal, but Severus and Lily were exhausted.
It made matters worse that the morning sunrise brought with it Christmas Day.
Severus yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his dark eyes while he wondered whether or not he should take a sip of Energy Elixir.
When Severus heard his youngest little pup start to whine, he ignored his own weariness and gently kissed Lily's forehead before he deftly slid her off of his chest without disturbing her sleep.
He silently rose from the bed and padded down the hallway until he came to Oliver's nursery.
Severus stepped in the room, scooped the baby boy up into his arms, and cradled his infant close while Oliver nuzzled against his chest and whimpered impatiently.
Lily's eyelids fluttered as Severus returned to their room a moment later with their whining baby and she asked quietly, "...Sev?"
"Go back to sleep, my love." Severus sighed as his head throbbed from sleep deprivation, "I have him."
Lily smiled softly as she felt Severus crawl into bed behind her and position her upright so that her back laid against his chest.
Severus used his skilled fingers to carefully pull down his wife's nightgown.
Although Lily flinched when the cold air of the chilly morning struck her bare breasts, a soft smile danced across her lips as she felt her baby eagerly take her nipple into his tiny mouth.
Oliver's pitiful cries quickly quieted into happy, snuffling grunts while Lily slowly drifted back to sleep, soothed by her baby's gentle suckling and Severus's calming scent.
Most alphas were largely uninvolved with the feeding process of their pups, but Severus Snape was not like most alphas.
Severus's dark eyes softened as he stared down at his sleeping lover while he held their baby to her breast.
Sleep deprived or not, Severus was happy to do anything that he could to help his beloved Lily.
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By the time that Lily woke, the twins cried to signal their readiness for breakfast as well.
Severus left the bedroom once more to bring Draven and Brendan to their mother and let her nurse them both while he held little Oliver.
Down the hallway, in the two rooms closest to the stairs, Albus slept on as his small body recovered from the ailment that had robbed him of rest, but Harriet was already out of bed.
She pulled her robe on with a wide smile of eager excitement on her face.
Between the gifts, the hot chocolate, the smiles, and the laughter, Christmas morning at the Snapes' house was never a disappointment.
Harriet's bright smile faded as she opened up her door to a dark, silent hallway.
She stepped out and peered inside Albus's room with a frown.
Harriet didn't know what her little brother had endured during the night, but she decided not to disturb him when she noticed that Albus slept with a focused scowl on his face, as if his rest were very diligent work that he had been tasked with completing.
The snowfall continued outside as Harriet cautiously crept down the hallway towards her parents' open bedroom door.
"Harriet! Good morning, sweetheart! Happy Christmas!" Lily smiled at her daughter after she warily poked her head into the room.
"Happy Christmas, Mum, Dad." Harriet greeted her parents as she returned Lily's smile and walked over to her mother's nest when Lily reached out towards her longingly.
"Happy Christmas." Severus replied in his low voice as he shifted and allowed Harriet to climb in under the covers next to her mother.
There were moments when Severus selfishly missed the days that he had spent in privacy with his mate, but their children had enriched their lives.
Harriet and the boys were the physical products of his love for Lily, Severus constantly reminded himself of that, and it moved him deeply every time.
"Sorry, darling, we're getting a late start this Christmas. Albus had a rough night." Lily explained as she leaned over and kissed Harriet on her forehead.
"That's alright, Mum. I'm just happy to be home." Harriet smiled before she frowned and asked her mother, "Is…..Is Albus any better now?"
"He should be once he wakes." Lily smiled reassuringly at her daughter.
She and Severus watched as Harriet slipped a finger into Draven's tiny hand and let him clutch onto her while he nursed.
"...Are you feeling alright?" Severus asked Harriet as he looked at her with a worried scowl.
Albus hadn't interacted with the babies all that much before he had fallen ill, but he had played with Harriet for the entirety of the previous day.
Severus was worried that his eldest son's sickness may prove to be contagious.
"I'm fine, Dad." Harriet absently replied as she stared at her baby brother.
She laughed as Draven let go of Lily's breast and giggled up at her while she played with his little fingers.
The Snape family cuddled together there in Lily's nest for a while until Oliver fell asleep in Severus's arms.
The twins napped as well, with full bellies and soft smiles on their adorable little faces.
Severus and Lily stood from the bed and laid their three youngest children on the thick, soft blankets to go and check on Albus when they heard him stirring in his room.
On the rare chance that Albus was contagious and still ill, Severus and Lily didn't want to expose the babies to him directly until they'd looked him over.
Harriet stayed loyally behind to keep an eye on her little brothers.
Lily bent down to give her daughter a grateful, caring hug.
"I love you, sweetheart." Lily whispered to Harriet while she squeezed her affectionately and kissed her cheek.
"I love you too, Mum." Harriet smiled as Lily let go.
Lily turned to leave the room and Severus trailed behind her, but Harriet whispered out to him and caught his attention before he made it through the doorway, "Dad!"
Severus whirled around with a worried scowl as he stalked back over to Harriet.
"What's the matter?" Severus asked urgently. His dark gaze scanned scrutinizingly over his daughter as he hastily searched for signs of distress, "...Are you ill?"
"No." Harriet replied with a smile.
She leaned forward without warning and hugged Severus around his waist as she leaned against him, closed her eyes, and whispered, "I love you too, Dad."
Severus's mouth fell open slightly and although he didn't reply, silent tears watered in his black eyes as he gently patted Harriet's back.
Severus knew that his thoughts about himself and Lily were truthful, their children had indeed enriched their lives.
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To the family's relief, Albus woke later that morning feeling like himself.
The Healing Draught that Severus had brewed for his son had done an excellent job of restoring the little boy's health and energy.
Later that afternoon, the Snape family sat downstairs in their cozy living area while they ate, chatted, and opened gifts.
Severus and Lily had bought some new clothes for the babies since they were too young for most toys.
However, Oliver, Draven, and Brendan each received a new rattle from Diagon Alley's largest children's shop.
Albus had been given several interesting new books, art supplies, and a few toys.
Harriet was very appreciative of her new school clothes and outfits for her doll that still sat in her room.
There was one gift though, that she opened with a loud squeal of unbridled shock and pure mirth.
Albus's eyes had widened when Harriet had unwrapped the package.
The babies had shrieked along with their sister, happy to add their own volumes to her noise of delight.
"THANK YOU!" Harriet almost screamed at Severus and Lily in ecstatic surprise as she clutched her brand new Nimbus 2000 broomstick in her hands.
Severus and Lily exchanged knowing smirks with each other.
"You're welcome, sweetheart." Lily beamed at their daughter.
"The youngest seeker in a century should have the best broom." Severus said as he preened at his daughter's recent accomplishment.
He watched Harriet look at her new broom in wonder for a moment before he scowled as he added very seriously, "...Mind that you ride it safely, else your mother and I will take it away. Is that understood?"
"Yeah, Dad! Yeah!" Harriet nodded excitedly, "Can I try it out?!?!"
Lily looked over at Severus as he rose from his seat and nodded, "...As long as I'm beside you."
Lily smiled as Harriet quickly bundled up by dressing in her coat, hat, scarf, and gloves before she hurried out into the snow.
She placed the broomstick between her legs and kicked off of the ground while Severus shot into the air behind her.
He whirled protectively along next to his daughter to watch her and guide her in the swirling ball that made up his talented, broomless flight.
Severus could easily keep up, but Harriet's new broomstick was nimble, fast, and precise.
It was a real joy to fly on.
Harriet laughed as she glided beside her father through the falling snow on that cloudy Christmas Day.
She was too young to understand just how important that memory would eventually be, but she did realize it was one that she would cherish for many years to come.
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News of Harriet being one of the youngest students to make the quidditch team in a hundred years traveled quickly around Hogwarts.
Once Draco heard the announcement after the winter holidays, he sulked and brooded for the rest of that afternoon.
Others thought that he was jealous, and he was, but he was too busy berating himself to focus on his envy.
Why had he thought that it would be a good idea to steal Neville Longbottom's Remembrall during a flying lesson?
Draco had only wanted Harriet to chase after him and pay him attention.
He hadn't meant to help her secure a spot on Gryffindor's quidditch team!
Harriet would soon be busy with practices, games, and celebratory team gatherings…….which meant that he would have even less time to pester her.
Draco walked away from the castle early one morning, over the small hill, and up into the rafters of the quidditch stadium to watch the Gryffindor team practice on the field.
He saw the happy smile on Harriet's face as she zoomed around and laughed with her new teammates.
Draco wore such a dramatic pout that it was almost comical.
He made up his mind then and there.
Somehow, some way, when the next school year started, Draco was going to finagle himself a position on Slytherin's quidditch team.