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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The sirens' evil laughter echoed off the rocky walls of the hidden grotto as Lily reached out blindly.
A horrible gurgling noise came from her throat as she tried to scream, desperate to find something, anything……that may possibly help her.
Blind and unable to communicate, the panic coursing through her system nearly overpowered her pain.
Had Lily's injuries not been inflicted by magical beings, she would have surely bled to death in the seconds immediately after the sirens' departure.
Fortunately, her hero had stayed nearby.
"Lily!" Severus shouted while the wicked trio disappeared into the night sky, "LILY! I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"
She moaned as she recognized Severus's voice.
He grit his teeth as he swam towards her, surprised by how quickly he was able to move.
As he plowed through the water faster than he had ever managed in his life, he rushed through the tide of the grotto and raced to his darling's side.
"Lily, it's me, Severus!" He called as he crouched down beside her. When she reached a hand towards the sound, he touched her shoulder to let her know his exact location before he went on, "Let me take you back, alright? Here!"
A disturbing noise came from Lily in between a wall and a groan as she tried to explain her plight to her best friend.
Severus couldn't bear to look into her face for more than a few seconds at a time as he scooped her into his arms and dove into the water.
Before the Gillyweed completely wore off, he kept his gaze focused on their destination as he clutched Lily against himself while he quickly carried her through the winding tunnels of water back to Hogwarts.
It made him want to vomit knowing a creature existed in the world cruel enough to take his beautiful flower's eyes and tongue.
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As soon as they surfaced, Severus sank to his knees on the grassy hillside next to the Black Lake with his darling in his grasp.
"It's alright, Lily, it's alright……I'm sending for help now, just bear with me…..bear with me….." Severus urged as he stiffened his back to support her.
She trembled violently, though Severus couldn't determine if it was from pain, shock, or both.
Regardless, he chose not to waste time taking Lily to the Hospital Wing.
Severus did not understand the full capabilities of sirens, yet he knew that no ordinary wizard or witch could undo the wrath of the sea.
Instead of turning to Madam Pomfrey or seeking out a healer in Hogsmeade, Severus rolled up his wet shirt sleeve, removed his wand from his pocket, and pressed its tip against the Dark Mark tattoo on his left forearm.
While Severus hissed from pain, an unsettling noise came from Lily's bloodied throat as the skull and snake writhed to silent signal his request had been received.
"Don't worry, Lily!" He cried as he pocketed his wand and cradled her against him, "Help will be here soon."
Who knew Dark Magic of any sort better than the Dark Lord himself?
It had been Voldemort and only Voldemort who had been able to chase the sirens off the night the ship had been burned and its decks covered with the bodies of the dead.
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Voldemort was an incredibly punctual leader.
Less than ten minutes after his most promising new recruit requested his presence, he walked from the distant, dark forest and proudly strode over to where Severus clutched Lily on the hillside.
"Ah, Severus!" Voldemort called with an eerie smile as he approached the couple, "What a surprise to receive a summons from you on this fine evening……Should you not be entrenched in your studies or sleeping in your-"
Once Voldemort came close enough to notice Severus was not alone, he stopped speaking and furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Please!" Severus called out, "Please, help her! She's…..she's…….."
A knowing smirk of pure malice spread across Voldemort's thin lips as he gazed down at the couple.
Severus watched his leader's eerie stare scan over Lily and silently assess her empty eye sockets and tongueless, gaping mouth.
"So then, my suspicions were correct after all, eh, Severus? You've managed to mate with a siren. What a talented boy you are! This girl may just be the catalyst we need to further our crusade!" Voldemort laughed.
"No! It's not…I….I'm not…." Severus began, "I've done no such thing! She's my friend, my lord, please! Won't you show her any mercy at all?"
"Severus……" Voldemort smirked as he bent at the waist to look into Severus's eyes, "You needn't hide the truth from me….I saw it in the girl's face when I rescued you from that miserable ship her filthy kind destroyed…..She cares for you…..I've never known a mortal man who could refuse the affections of one like her."
Severus's mouth fell open as he held Lily and stared up at Voldemort.
"Beastly things, aren't they? Sirens?" Voldemort sneered.
Severus gasped, "My lord, please! She does not share their same qualities, that's why they've wounded her! If-"
"-Perhaps you should take a moment to reflect on your own words, Severus." Voldemort said calmly as he held up a hand to silence his servant while Lily moaned again, "All sirens are the same. Do not let this one's charms fool you….You are far too wise for that, even at your young age."
"My lord, please, I beg you!" Severus winced as if he had been slapped, "Please, allow her to live! She would only need a touch of your powerful hand and her pain would vanish! I know it!"
Severus slyly flattered his dark master hoping that would somehow change Voldemort's mind.
"...And what will you give me in return, Severus?" The Dark Lord asked with a sneer.
"In……In return?" Severus blinked, "Anything!"
"I am the greatest wizard of all time, Severus!" Voldemort replied with a hateful scowl, "I can see your connection to this girl…….as plainly as the moon in the night sky. Her kind harbors a direct link to the ocean itself…..Which I will one day conquer after my victory has been won upon the land."
Severus frowned as he stared at Voldemort.
"With her beauty, Severus, she has already ensnared your heart." Voldemort shrewdly determined, "A mortal man such as yourself can't possibly resist the temptation of her watery bed forever. I will mend the girl if you both vow to me that once your inevitable union happens, the product of your mating will be given to me, for my own use."
"...My lord?" Severus asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Agree to give me your future daughter's hand in matrimony, Severus." Voldemort hissed, "That is my command!"
Severus clutched Lily's hand as he asked, "A-And can you be certain that if we are to…couple…my lord, she will bear a daughter?"
"Oh, Severus……" Voldemort chuckled, "Have you ever heard mention of a siren bearing a son?"
A horrible sound came from Lily's throat as if she were trying to shriek her protest, but Severus ignored her as he nodded, "Very well, my lord…….If you will heal her, we will give you our first born daughter's hand in matrimony."
Lily's gurgle grew louder as she let go of Severus's hand but Voldemort cracked an eerie grin and exclaimed, "Excellent, Severus! Though I must warn you, even magic as great as mine will take time to heal the fury of the sea!"
Before Severus could ask what exactly his dark master had meant, or how long of a time he should expect for Lily to be completley mended, Voldemort pointed his wand at Lily and cried out.
Her garbled shouts of protest grew louder as a bright ray of magic crashed into her from the Dark Lord's wand.
Although she convulsed underneath it, Severus could sense from its cooling lightness that Voldemort had indeed cast some sort of healing charm to help Lily.
A scowl of anguish twisted his face as he considered how his poor darling probably felt.
He knew Lily had been horrified by his agreement to Voldemort's terms, but Severus also knew what it took to survive.
Between that moment and the day their future daughter would be of marrying age, he had plenty of time to end the war and nullify his promise.
Severus wanted Voldemort to heal his darling, he had no real intention of selling his daughter to the Dark Lord.
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Severus held Lily in his arms while she slept through an enchanted haze brought on by the blast of Voldemort's generous spell.
He touched his dark master's hand and allowed him to transport them all through time and space, far away from the hillside next to the castle.
Careful not to harm Lily, Severus landed roughly on his shoulder as they all abruptly ended their journey in the middle of Knockturn Alley.
He glanced around with a look of repressed fright on his pale face as he clutched Lily against his chest and watched Voldemort straighten his spine.
In the middle of the night, the desolate side street far away from the seedy neighborhood's most notorious pubs seemed surprisingly empty.
"My lord……?" Severus whispered, "May I ask why you've brought us here?"
"My enchantment will not work instantly, Severus." Voldemort said calmly as he walked on and gestured with his pale hand for his young follower to trail behind him, "I shall see that you have a place to care for the girl until my magic's effects are fully realized."
"But……" Severus frowned, "What about our studies at the castle? What about-"
Severus quieted as Voldemort spun around in one fluid motion to stare down at him with his red, serpentine eyes.
"Do you think I'm daft, Severus?!" Voldemort hissed, "Do not insult me, I know full well you have more of a brain than that."
"Forgive me, my lord." Severus said quickly as he frowned at Voldemort, "I meant no offense."
Voldemort gazed down at Severus for a moment before he turned away with a teeth-gnashing hiss.
Severus breathed a sigh of relief though his heart pounded in his chest while he followed Voldemort down the street and into one of Knockturn Alley's cleaner taverns.
While Voldemort made arrangements with the tavern keeper, Severus frowned as he held Lily.
As he gazed down into his darling's sleeping face, desire welled in his heart.
He would keep his flower safe.
He would care for her while she healed.
If Voldemort's words had been true and they would eventually produce a daughter one day, then Severus would do everything in his power to deliver the child from the Dark Lord's clutches.