Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every week!

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The following Friday, Hogwarts' Halloween celebration consisted of many different occasions rolled into one.

Nearly Headless Nick's birthday party, Tom Riddle's sorting, and the annual All Hallow's Eve event were held that same night.

Slytherin cheered when their house gained a new member, but Draco frowned as Tom Riddle walked over and sat down at his table.

He sulked as he watched all of his Slytherin housemates gather around Tom and begin to chat eagerly with the new student, who had already gained a startling amount of popularity during his very first day of enrollment at Hogwarts.

What really made Draco frown though was the look that he saw on Harriet's face as she stared at Tom from across the room.

Her silly little friends didn't notice the twinkle of admiration in her eyes but Draco certainly did.

It was that glisten in Harriet's emerald gaze that made the Malfoy heir frown down at the large slice of pumpkin pie on his plate.

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Severus kept a close eye on his new student.

However, during Tom Riddle's first month of school, suspicions could easily have been thrown aside by the unwary.

Tom acted as a model pupil who continuously turned in his assignments on time, provided accurate answers, and treated his professors with the utmost respect.

His pleasantries made Severus all the more dubious about his sudden appearance.

What kind of second year was that flawless?

………...Or that bright?

Severus often checked twice over Tom Riddle's submitted work with narrowed eyes.

The Riddle boy's potions abilities were well advanced beyond that of an ordinary second year student.

It was arguable that Tom's insightful answers and calculations could have surpassed that of a seventh year and to Severus, that made little sense for a young man who supposedly had received no formal magical learning before his arrival at Hogwarts.

Draco boiled with jealousy as Tom Riddle wove his way into his friend circle and quickly stole his spotlight, along with the majority of his entourage.

He remained on good terms with Tom, but barely.

Draco spent an unhealthy amount of his free time staring at his rival in utter loathing, especially when he caught him smiling at Harriet.

During study hall one afternoon, Harriet, Ron, and Hermione sat together, working on their Transfiguration essay when a smooth voice grabbed their attention, "Harriet Snape! Is this seat taken?"

The golden trio looked up to see who had spoken.

Harriet tried not to blush as Tom Riddle smiled down at her.

Hermione blinked in surprise.

Ron's mouth fell open.

It wasn't often that a Slytherin asked to sit with three Gryffindors, especially not the Slytherin who had already won the hearts of most girls in his year.

"I…..I…...no, no. I-It's not taken." Harriet stammered as she resisted the urge to blush while she gestured at the empty space next to her at the table.

"Excellent." Tom replied with a kind smile as he sat down beside Harriet.

"Is Slytherin's table full?" Ron asked the newcomer as he narrowed his eyes.

Hermione discreetly elbowed Ron, an action which earned her a scowl from her friend, before Tom smiled at Ron and answered, "Oh, no, not at all. You see, I don't think that we should be limited by house alone as to who we get to know."

Ron blinked, but Hermione nodded as she appreciated the mature wisdom in Tom's words.

"...Or who we get to cherish." Tom added as he looked over slyly at Harriet.

Harriet's resolve broke.

As she gazed into Tom's hypnotic stare, her cheeks blushed a bright shade of pink.

Across the room, Draco's pale face burned scarlet with seething rage as he watched his usurper arrogantly attempt to steal away the one that he loved with all of his young heart.

Harriet was flattered.

Draco was furious.

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Draco clung to the only remaining connection that he had to Harriet, the page which he had torn from that black diary.

Later that evening, without fail, as they had each night for the past few months, Harriet's words of black ink appeared on the page that Draco stared down at as he sat in the Slytherin common room.

Hello.

Draco took his quill and quickly scrawled back as soon as Harriet's letters disappeared:

Hello.

He watched as another line formed on the page:

Can I tell you something?

With his lips pursed tightly together, he wrote:

You can tell me anything.

Draco's heart raced in his chest as Harriet's words appeared on the page:

A boy talked to me today.

Draco pouted as he thought carefully about his reply. After some deliberation, he wrote back:

You should be careful with boys. They only want to hurt you.

He gnashed his teeth when Harriet's answer came:

I don't think this one does. He's very sweet and kind.

Draco's quill bobbed violently as he answered:

Boys are only sweet and kind when they want something from you.

He frowned when Harriet asked:

Are you a boy?

Draco sniffed as he answered:

Yes, that's how I know. Stay away from him, whoever he is. He'll only hurt you.

He made a noise of irritation in his throat when Harriet answered:

How do I know that you won't hurt me? You're a boy too and you've been kind to me.

As badly as he wanted to reveal himself, Draco remembered a hateful scowl that Harriet had thrown at him during Charms earlier that day.

It wasn't the right time.

She would reject him, spurn him, throw the diary away, and then the only link he had to her would be lost.

With a heavy heart, Draco wrote back:

How can a boy locked in a diary hurt you?

He didn't wait for Harriet's reply as he folded the torn paper into his pocket and headed up to bed with a deep frown of misery on his face.

As Tom Riddle lay peacefully asleep, strengthened by every word that passed between the two individuals writing in his old diary, Draco had no idea about the ominous truth that his last sentence to Harriet held.

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While Draco tried to discover a way to pry his way into Harriet's heart before Tom succeeded in devouring it, Severus continued his investigations on his incredibly and unbelievably advanced student.

"Something isn't right, Lily." He sighed one evening while he sat on the sofa and let his wife lay against him.

Lily had baby Oliver in her arms while Albus sat drawing on the floor as his twin brothers crawled around.

"Have you asked the Malfoys for help?" Lily blinked at her husband while Oliver shifted in her grasp.

Lily sat with her back to Severus's chest as he looked down at her and asked, "What could the Malfoys know about it?"

"Haven't they been heavily involved in the Dark Arts for generations?" Lily asked as she leaned up and kissed Severus sweetly on the lips, "Perhaps they may have some sort of information…...a clue at least? You and Lucius used to be very close, surely he could be of some assistance to you, sweetheart."

Severus's black eyes glimmered in admiration as he reverently looked at his wife and spoke, "My love, I think that's a wonderful id-"

Excited squeals interrupted Severus.

He and Lily both looked over in the direction of the sound.

Their eyes widened as they saw little Draven and Brendan holding onto the side of the wooden table in the living room as they clumsily stood to their feet.

"Sev!" Lily gasped in a hushed whisper, "Sev! Look, they're standing!"

Oliver fussed quietly in her arms as she leaned forward on the sofa and placed an encouraging hand on her husband's back to gently push him forward.

Severus followed his mate's touch and slid from the sofa into the floor, a short distance away from his twins.

"Come on! Come on, my loves!" Lily called from the sofa while she gently bounced Oliver who whined to express his displeasure, "Walk to Daddy!"

Draven and Brendan blinked at their father before they glanced behind him at Lily.

Brendan held onto the table as he wobbled on his chubby little legs while Draven put a tiny fist up to his mouth.

"Walk to Daddy!" Lily urged her babies from the sofa.

Severus's black eyes widened as his tiny sons blinked curiously at him once more.

He opened his arms receptively as Albus looked over and watched his younger brothers.

Brendan let go of the table.

Draven squealed and followed his brother.

He soon found out that his legs were even less stable than his twin's and he awkwardly grabbed onto Brendan's shoulder for support.

Together, in a flurrying mess of chubby limbs, large eyes, and excited squeals, Draven and Brendan held onto each other while they took a few klutzy steps towards Severus.

"SEV!" Lily cried proudly as she watched their twins walk, however uncoordinated, for the first time.

Between clutching each other and relying on their underdeveloped muscles, Draven and Brendan didn't make it very far.

Severus furrowed his brow and swooped forward to scoop the twins into his arms as soon as he saw their little legs give way.

Lily cried excitedly behind Severus as the twins giggled in his arms.

He breathed a sigh of relief that he had managed to catch his little ones before they had tumbled painfully to the hard, wooden floor.

"They walked, Sev! They walked!" Lily exclaimed as Severus stood and carried the boys over to the sofa while she proudly praised their sons, "Well done, my sweethearts! Well done!"

"They did indeed, my love." Severus replied. His voice was the low, rumbling purr of a proud alpha as he turned his head and gave his wife a quick yet intense kiss to convey his approval.

"I love you…." Lily whispered to Severus before Albus called their attention away.

"Mum? Dad?" Severus's eldest son asked.

"...Yes?" Severus replied as he tore himself away from Lily and glanced over.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Lily asked her little boy as she patted Oliver's tiny back.

"Do you remember my first steps?" Albus frowned as he stood up and walked towards his parents.

"Of course we do, love!" Lily honestly replied as she moved Oliver over and made room on her lap for Albus, which he readily accepted as he climbed over her knees.

"Your mother and I remember your first movements before you even entered the world." Severus nodded at his eldest son while the twins attempted to pull at his dark locks of hair, "We remember your first breath, your first cry, your first smile…...your first steps……"

"We're your parents, darling." Lily comforted Albus as she took his face into her free hand, "How could we ever forget? We love you with all our hearts, and your brothers….and your sister….and Tilly. We're a family."

Lily and Severus's loving words soothed Albus.

A bright smile broke out across his small face before he leaned forward, wrapped one arm around Lily, and one around Severus as he whispered, "I love you too, Mum….Dad……and sister…..and my brothers….and Tilly...I love all of our family."

Lily and Severus had tears in their eyes as they gladly accepted their small son's embrace.

Oliver cooed while the twins babbled as Severus closed his eyes for a moment and relished the feeling of hugging Lily and the little lives that their love had produced.

No matter what he had to do, Severus was determined to discover the truth about the new student at Hogwarts.

Dark Lord or not, no one was going to disturb Professor Snape's peaceful world.