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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"Gather 'round, everyone! Gather 'round!" Professor Gilderoy Lockhart called out with a bright smile that showcased his unbelievably straight, white teeth.
Harriet and the rest of the girls in the room watched in fascination as Professor Lockhart strutted down the center of the long dueling stage like a peacock with his elegant, silver cape draped behind him.
Severus, the other professors in the room, and most of the boys all scowled in disgust.
He had been more than annoyed by his co-worker and Severus anxiously waited for Professor Lockhart to call his name so that he could go up and blast him for talking to Lily, er, rather…..so that he could assist Professor Lockhart with his demonstration.
Draco noticed the way that Harriet stared at their teacher with wide eyes and her fascination twisted his pale face into a hideous sneer.
The foppish professor pranced in front of the crowd as he spoke, "Professor Dumbledore has given me permission to start this dueling club, as many of you are already aware. I must say though, I've been pleasantly surprised that our very own Professor Snape has agreed to assist me in a little show for you all today!"
Gasps rang out through the throngs of students as Professor Lockhart made a grand gesture to introduce Severus, who stepped up onto the dueling stage with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
"Kind of you to assist me, Severus." Gilderoy nodded at his peer with a smile.
After he had found the other alpha talking to his mate, Gilderoy's use of his first name had Severus silently gnashing his teeth as he replied in a low drawl, "...The pleasure is all mine…...Professor Lockhart."
Everyone in the room watched Severus and Gilderoy very closely.
The two men looked at each other for a moment before Gilderoy brightened his smile and addressed the crowd again, "Alright! Professor Snape and I will face off, if you will! But don't worry! You'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him!"
Behind Gilderoy, Severus smirked.
"...Shall we?" Gilderoy asked after he turned to face his colleague.
When Severus nodded in silent agreement, a hush fell over the room as Gilderoy's smile fell away from his face.
The two professors pulled out their wands and slowly walked towards each other in a decided march.
They then whipped their wands out to their sides and bowed deeply to each other before they turned on their heels and paced towards the opposite sides of the dueling stage.
Professor Snape and Professor Lockhart turned to face each other as the students all held their breath.
Gilderoy held up his wand, but Severus was far too skilled.
Severus lifted his arm over his head in one smooth motion and cried out in a loud voice that enunciated each syllable carefully, "EX…..PELLIARMUS!"
Severus's casting of the disarming spell was impressively precise as he completed the task with another fluid swing of his arm.
Light burst forth from the tip of Professor Snape's wand and hurtled towards Professor Lockhart, who stared at the oncoming magic with wide eyes.
Gasps, squeals, and cheers rang out in the crowd as Severus's spell hit Gilderoy right in the chest and sent him flying backwards across the dueling stage to land in defeat right on his pompous rump.
As the boys laughed and clapped, Severus tried not to look too smug, although a small smirk of triumph did settle briefly on his thin lips.
Let that be a lesson to the cocky alpha who had shown the audacity to steal a moment alone with Professor Snape's mate…….
Harriet frowned as Hermione asked worriedly, "Do you think he's alright?"
"Who cares?!" Ron exclaimed.
Draco overheard and grinned.
Gilderoy groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, dusted his fabulous cape off, and smiled over at Severus while he rushed to preserve his dignity, "Brilliant, Professor Snape! Although, if you don't mind me saying, I merely allowed you to disarm me…..it was more than obvious what you were about to do!"
Gilderoy finished with a laugh and Severus showed his coworker the small mercy of letting him cling to his pride.
Severus knew that in a real battle, he would obliterate Gilderoy Lockhart with ease, a fact which his actions had just proven to Hogwarts' student body.
However, due to the circumstances of the occasion and the subtle signal of submission that came as Gilderoy respectfully referred to him as "Professor Snape" instead of "Severus", Harriet's father decided to move on.
"Perhaps, Professor Lockhart, it would be prudent to first teach the students…..how to block….unfriendly spells?" Severus asked as he spoke very slowly.
"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape!" Lockhart exclaimed with an eager grin, "Surely your daughter is as talented as her father?"
Severus's face fell as Gilderoy turned to Harriet and chimed, "Harriet Snape, my dear! Would you like to come up and have a go at it?"
Ron and Hermione looked at Harriet as her eyes widened behind her glasses.
Professor Lockhart stepped forward and chivalrously pulled her up onto the dueling stage.
Severus realized to his horror that he couldn't protest his daughter's participation without causing her embarrassment in front of her peers.
Harriet watched her father narrow his dark eyes at her in concern before he turned to peer over the crowd as he quickly thought of a way to keep his little girl safe.
Who could he trust not to harm her?
Who could he….trust….and feasibly nominate to be her opponent?
….Certainly not another Gryffindor.
"May I suggest someone from Slytherin house, Professor Lockhart?" Severus asked. Gilderoy blinked as Severus held up his hands and shrugged, "...Malfoy, perhaps?"
Draco's heart leapt in his chest as his grey eyes widened.
When Gilderoy nodded in agreement, Severus looked over at Draco and made a very quick, jerking motion with his hand as a signal for him to participate.
Draco disguised a smile with a smirk as he climbed onto the dueling stage and walked towards Harriet.
Severus stood behind Draco and listened as Gilderoy called out, "Alright, you two, let's have a nice bow first! Remember, disarm only! I'll have no one placed into danger under my watch."
Severus cleared his throat to prevent himself from snorting mockingly.
Harriet and Draco scowled at each other as they came face to face and gave each other the slightest of bows.
"Scared, Snape?" Draco hissed.
As Harriet frowned at him, he grit his teeth to keep his jaw from going slack.
The desire to lean in and kiss her pink lips felt unnaturally strong.
"You……..wish." Harriet whispered slowly.
The ferocity of her voice made Draco shiver in delight as they both turned and paced in opposite directions.
"Disarm only!" Gilderoy called out as Harriet and Draco whirled around to face each other.
Severus's heart clenched.
Draco held out his wand but Harriet shared her father's talents.
She was far too quick for her suitor.
"EX…...PELLIARMUS!" She cried out.
Harriet managed to mimic Severus flawlessly as she spoke the incantation and swung her arm.
A burst of light surged forth from the tip of her wand and sent Draco sailing backwards across the dueling stage to land ungracefully on his bottom in the same manner as Gilderoy moments before.
The throngs of students laughed.
Severus rushed over to Draco and scowled down at his pupil as he jerked him up by the collar of his robes.
Professor Snape roughly shoved Draco towards Harriet to preserve what was left of the young man's honor.
Under a scowl of vexation, Severus carefully hid the proud grin that so badly wanted to spread across his lips in response to his daughter's accomplishment.
Draco had no intention of harming Harriet, but he did greatly desire to impress her.
With a great cry, he flourished his wand and exclaimed, "SERPENSORTIA!"
Gilderoy's mouth fell open.
Severus's eyes narrowed as light burst forth from Draco's wand.
A large cobra appeared on the dueling club stage, halfway between Draco and Harriet.
Harriet's face clouded in apprehensive fear as the snake hissed and slithered forward.
"I said disarm only!" Gilderoy called out angrily at the two young duelists.
Professor Lockhart expressed his disappointment, but everyone noticed that their brave Defense Against the Dark Arts professor cowered behind Harriet while the snake approached.
"Don't move, either of you." Severus ordered in a low, commanding tone as he stepped towards the serpent, "I'll get rid of it."
The snake continued to slither towards Harriet.
Severus pointed his wand at the snake while his daughter gasped.
Professor Snape opened his mouth as the snake opened its own, but another noise rang out, a voice that spoke odd words.
"Siisss ashashi……..Mensisss ashashi samansss."
Everyone in the room turned to look as the crowd of students parted while Professor Dumbledore and a young boy with black hair and dark, piercing eyes stepped forward.
The cobra turned to look at the boy instead of Harriet.
Severus recognized instantly from the eye contact that the boy held with the snake that he must be speaking to the animal directly in its own language.
Everyone watched in fascination as the snake hissed back at the boy, who appeared completely calm despite the deadly creature which lingered less than an arm's length from his exposed throat.
When the bizarre conversation came to a pause, Severus raised his wand and cried, "Vipera…..Evanesca!"
The room stayed silent as the snake disappeared into a ring of smoke and embers.
"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore nodded at Hogwarts' potions professor as the boy beside him frowned, "I was just giving our new student a tour of the school and I thought that we would stop by to examine the progress of Hogwarts' dueling club."
"A new student in the middle of the term?" Severus asked, "How very strange……."
"Yes, let us discuss that at a later time. Everyone!" Dumbledore called as he spoke to the room, "This is our new student, Tom Riddle, who's come to us as a second year. I've tested his abilities myself and have placed him accordingly. He has yet to be sorted or to attend classes, but I expect that you'll all get to know him very soon."
Gilderoy hated that the spotlight was no longer on him.
As everyone stared at the newcomer, Tom Riddle stood in his simple clothes with his anything but simple looks.
His face was handsome and angular, even for a young man of twelve, his hair was dark, lustrous, and curly.
His eyes were as delightfully mischievous as the grin on his lips that he flashed at Harriet.
"Don't be frightened." Tom Riddle said as he scorched Harriet under the smoldering intensity of his decadent smile, "I wouldn't have let it hurt you…….What's your name?"
"...H-Harriet Snape." Harriet stammered.
"Well, Harriet Snape," Tom Riddle said with a smile so handsome it could have rendered several girls unconscious at once, "As long as I'm here, you have no reason to be afraid."
Behind Harriet, Draco's grey eyes narrowed to slits from pure, unbridled jealousy.
He could feel his blood boiling in his veins, but Severus wore a deep frown.
While he certainly didn't appreciate the debonair eloquence that the mysterious second year boy had used to address his daughter, there was something much more concerning to Professor Snape about Hogwarts' new student than his flirting abilities…...
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Later that night, Severus sat in Lily's nest while their hands slipped over each other.
Lily smirked at the way the soothing oil her alpha had made for them let her palms glide over his firm, pale chest.
Her fingers paid extra attention to the patches of black hair that covered its center.
"I don't understand……" Lily frowned, "Sev, I don't think that's possible. You know that Tom Riddle, the dark wizard, no…..what did they call him? The Dark Lord? You know that he was killed when we were only a bit older than Harriet. Surely it's just a coincidence? A boy with the same name? Why would Dumbledore accept him if he was dangerous?"
Severus had just managed to finish telling Lily about Hogwarts' newcomer before their mutual massage session had begun.
As his hands caressed Lily, he found himself nearly too hypnotized by his wife's heavy, wet breasts to speak.
When she sighed, his black eyes followed the motion.
The ripple of her curves sent his mouth opening in awe.
"Sev……..?" Lily asked with a grin.
"...Yes?" Severus replied after he swallowed dryly.
"My eyes are up here." Lily giggled.
"When did I say it was your eyes that I wanted to see?" Severus asked wickedly.
Lily laughed at him and playfully slapped his shoulder.
The violent motion sent her breasts tumbling against each other and Severus tumbling into her.
She whimpered needily as he latched onto one of her hardened nubs without warning.
A groan left his chest as the bitter taste of the massage oil mixed with the sweetness of his omega's milk.
Lily wrapped her legs around Severus a second later.
In a soft entanglement of blankets and repressed groans, the slickened, amorous couple became one.
It wasn't until afterwards, when Lily lay on Severus's chest, with his hands in her hair as they cuddled each other into the pillows, that he finally obliged his wife with his possible explanation about the new student, "...Have you ever heard of a Horcrux, Lily?"
"No...I can't say that I have." Lily pouted as she looked up at Severus.
"A Horcrux is a strong form of particularly sinister dark magic." Severus answered, "It's a hideous abomination created by murder and soul-splitting that allows a witch or wizard to preserve a piece of themselves in hopes of evading the grave and clinging to life."
Lily's pout melted into a frown as she sat up in her nest and looked at Severus very seriously while she asked, "Do you think that Tom Riddle made one….a Horcrux...before he died? Do you think that he's come back? How can that be if he died before he could use it?"
"Someone would have needed to activate the Horcrux and draw him out." Severus replied, "I don't know for certain yet, my love, but I surely intend to learn."
"Sev……." Lily breathed as her emerald eyes narrowed in worry.
"Don't fret, Lily." Severus reassured her as he pulled her close for a kiss, "I'll protect you and our children, my darling…...always~."
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Across the village, back at the castle, one candle burned in Slytherin's dormitory and another candle burned in Gryffindor's while Harriet and Draco eagerly wrote back and forth to each other on the pages of that ominous, black diary……..