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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A month after their wedding, Lily had completely recovered from Harry's birth and she was finally scheduled for the surgery that she had dreaded for over a year.
Severus was not thrilled about the prospect of Lily's life resting in the hands of a muggle doctor.
Most muggle illnesses and diseases could be cured using magic.
Surely, there was a remedy that Severus could find for his wife!
Lily was not interested in losing her female organs if it was evitable.
Lily was grateful that she had gotten to experience motherhood, but she still wished that she had the ability to make certain choices like most young women her age.
What if she and Severus wanted to have more biological children?
After her surgery, that would no longer be an option.
Since Harry's arrival, whenever he found the time, Severus had been looking for a way to help Lily avoid the sharp incision of the doctor's scalpel.
Severus felt that he may have finally found a breakthrough in a potion he had formulated and mixed himself.
One afternoon, he bottled the concoction and offered it to his beloved.
"...Just try it." Severus coaxed, offering the small vial to Lily.
"What if it doesn't work?" Lily asked, hesitantly taking the vial from Severus's hand.
"...Then it doesn't work." Severus shrugged.
Lily looked at Severus and Severus nodded to her reassuringly.
"This won't affect……?" Lily asked, waving a hand over her breasts.
"No." Severus shook his head, "The effects won't bleed into the milk, it's harmless."
Lily kept her eyes on Severus's as she opened the vial and drank its ingredients.
Lily trusted Severus with her life.
Lily depended on Severus.
If anyone could keep her out of the operating room, Lily was certain it would be her husband.
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A week later, Severus was holding little Harry, as they sat in the muggle hospital waiting room while Lily was prepped for her procedure.
Harry raised a tiny hand and made a sad little noise at the frown he saw on his father's face.
Severus was so worried about Lily he barely noticed.
He didn't understand…….
His research had been thorough, his measurements had been exact.
……...Why?
Why hadn't his potion been a success?
The wide door opened and Severus tensed. He was expecting a nurse to step out and invite him and Harry back to stay with Lily while she waited to be taken into the operating room. Instead, he saw Lily herself walk through the door, dressed in the same clothes in which she had arrived.
Lily had a happy smile on her face as a young nurse followed closely behind her.
Severus's frown melted into disbelief and he stood, carrying Harry with him as he rushed to meet his wife and the nurse.
"Let's go home, Sev!" Lily chirped happily.
"It's a mystery, sir!" The nurse announced to Severus while Lily beamed and took Harry from him, "The doctor performed another ultrasound and concluded that there's no pressing need for surgery right now! That's really strange, you know…..because usually, patients with your wife's condition just get worse and worse……Perhaps it's due to something else?"
"Perhaps." Severus said with a smug grin, "Perhaps….so that's it, then?"
Lily silently played with Harry and as she did, Harry rewarded her with a bright smile and a happy squeak.
Speaking to Severus and Lily, the nurse continued, "For now, we're going to see how she does. I'd still maintain birth control, though. The doctor said there is some internal scarring so another pregnancy is unlikely, but not impossible. Bear that in mind."
"Of course." Severus nodded.
"Thank you." Lily smiled at the kind nurse.
Together, the little Snape family walked out of the muggle hospital, eager to return to their lives and raise their son.
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The year that followed was the best that Severus Snape had ever experienced.
With Lily at his side, watching his son grow with every passing day, Severus came to know a sublime bliss that he never had before.
Unable to pay for a babysitter, the Snape family made the decision to survive on Severus's teaching salary for the time being, which allowed Lily to stay home and care for Harry.
When Severus did return to his post at Hogwarts that autumn, he had to work very hard to keep his signature scowl on his face.
Severus just wanted to smile…….
Still claiming that he had "medical" issues, Severus no longer lingered late in the dungeon classroom or in his office after hours.
Though it took discipline, Severus was careful not to let any of his new happiness show outwardly, lest he attract attention of the worst kind.
It was a reality that Severus and Lily chose not to dwell on each day, but it was still…….reality.
Severus Snape was in a dangerous position.
Severus still pretended to be and acted as Voldemort's most trusted ally while spying for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.
Severus was no fool. He knew Voldemort would not be pleased to discover that he had married and fathered a child with someone like Lily……..someone Voldemort would consider a…...mudblood.
Not pleased at all….
One weekend morning, Severus's scowl was fixed firmly on his face when the sudden need arose for him to apparate to his office at Hogwarts and retrieve a few ingredients from his supply closet.
Walking through the stone hallways, Severus couldn't help but overhear Professor Trelawney's murmuring that came from the divination room.
"A child…..born at the end of July….."
Severus stopped for a moment and stood still as he crouched outside the door, listening intently with his eyes narrowed…….
"A male child……"
Severus furrowed his brow and drew closer to the door of the divination classroom, which was cracked open.
"The chosen one………..will destroy the dark lord…..."
Severus's black eyes widened.
Surely she couldn't mean…….
Surely it wasn't………
Severus suddenly forgot all about his original intention of gathering ingredients.
He was in too big of a rush to worry about such a trivial matter.
Severus needed to speak with Dumbledore immediately.
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Severus knocked frantically on Dumbledore's office and the rumbling voice of the headmaster called out, "Come in."
Severus opened the door and stepped inside, his face tight and gaunt with mortal dread.
"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore nodded, "Come in, come in. Is everything alright? You look ill."
"No...no….. I'm afraid everything is not alright at all." Severus replied cuttingly, shaking his head.
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Severus curiously, "...Have you come to bring me news?"
"I've come to ask for help!" Severus hissed, gritting his teeth.
Dumbledore blinked in surprise for a moment and then he made a gesture with his hand as he spoke, "...I'm listening, Severus."
"I've just overheard one of Trelawney's ridiculous prophecies…….I'm…..worried…...that it may apply to someone that I…..care about." Severus choked.
"If Professor Trelawney's prophecy is ridiculous, then why does it frighten you so?" Dumbledore asked shrewdly.
Severus grimaced at Dumbledore and sighed in exasperation.
Dumbledore apparated away for a moment, spoke with Professor Trelawney, and then quickly returned to his seat behind his desk.
"I was certain that this must involve Lily Evans somehow, to worry you to such an extent….." Dumbledore said with a shrug, "But now I'm afraid I'm more confused than ever. If you want my help, Severus, you can't keep me in the dark."
"Lily Evans is no more!" Severus said very seriously.
Dumbledore's eyebrows raised.
"Lily Evans…...has become….Lily Snape." Severus said quietly, his low voice ringing with subtle pride.
Dumbledore's eyebrows climbed even further.
"...Congratulations, Severus." Dumbledore said after a pause.
Severus nodded before he went on, "Lily and I…..we...we've had…..we have...a son."
Dumbledore blinked again, "...Then I must offer more congratulations, Severus."
Severus's face was so twisted with anguish that he looked like he was in great pain.
"The boy was born in July?" Dumbledore surmised.
"That's correct." Severus nodded.
"I see……." Dumbledore said with a scowl as he thought deeply about the situation.
"...How…...How am I to know if Trelawney speaks of him? What shall I do? What shall we do?" Severus beseeched Dumbledore.
"Let me think about it for a day or two, Severus. Another boy was born that month to a wizarding family. The boy Professor Trelawney is referring to may not be yours. Besides, Tom may never hear the prophecy." Dumbledore reassured Severus.
"...That's what I'm hoping." Severus replied sullenly.
Severus paid no attention to Dumbledore's last statement.
Severus wouldn't say anything about it, but he knew that Voldemort would somehow discover the grim warning Trelawney had given.
Of that, Severus was certain.
The other boy……...
Severus needed the prophecy to be about the other boy!
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Severus apparated home that evening with an invisible weight on his chest and his brows knitted together from the emotional burden he carried.
When Severus popped into the foyer of the house he now shared with Lily and Harry though, his black eyes widened.
Lily was sitting with Harry on her lap at the dining table. They both smiled widely when they saw Severus arrive.
"Harry, look!" Lily said to the baby with an excited gasp, "Daddy's home!"
Harry cracked a wide grin at Severus and made a sharp noise of pure elation.
Severus managed a bittersweet smile for his family as Lily slowly stood, taking Harry with her as she walked over to Severus.
"Hello, Daddy~." Lily smiled, giving Harry a voice as he reached his chubby arms out to Severus.
Harry spoke some words occasionally but as he slowly began to grow into a toddler, Lily and Severus had noticed he was a quiet child.
Although Harry could be a bit mischievous…...
Severus looked humbled by Harry's innocent display of love and he reached back to his infant son before he even thought about, allowing Harry to wiggle out of Lily's grasp and into his arms.
"We missed you today." Lily smiled at Severus as Harry cuddled against his chest.
Severus sighed and closed his eyes, folding his hand over Harry's small back as he replied, "I missed you both very much……..Very much, indeed."
Lily watched Severus closely as he kissed Harry's messy, fluffy, black hair and she frowned, sensing something wasn't right by Severus's tone and the tension in his face.
"What would you like first, darling?" Lily grinned at Severus, changing the subject, "Your gift or your dinner?"
"My…….gift?" Severus asked, watching as Harry cooed and pulled at the tight buttons that ran down the middle of his father's black robes.
"Have you forgotten, Sev?!" Lily asked as she walked into the kitchen and stirred a pot on the stove, "It's Father's Day!"
"Father's…….Day?" Severus asked.
Father's Day?
Was that another muggle tradition?
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Severus quickly discovered that Father's Day was indeed another muggle tradition, and yet another one that he liked.
Lily made his favorite meal for dinner and after which, she and Harry presented him with a gift.
"This wasn't necessary." Severus said in his low, slow voice as his fingers deftly unwrapped the package.
"We wanted to show you how much we love you." Lily said, holding Harry, who put his fist into his mouth and watched his father closely with curious eyes.
"You already do." Severus replied, his voice serious and his eyes filled with longing as he looked at Lily.
Severus pulled the paper off of his gift, opened the box inside, and pulled out a rolled piece of parchment.
Money was a scarcity for the young family. To conserve what little funds they had, Lily had chosen something homemade for her husband…….
Severus narrowed his eyes as he unrolled the paper and looked at it closely.
There were two figures drawn, a woman with red hair and green eyes, and a man standing beside her, with black hair and black eyes, presumably drawn by Lily.
At the bottom, between the man and the woman, there was a mass of random scribbles, presumably drawn by Harry.
Lily and Harry's homemade gift meant more to Severus than any store bought item ever could.
Severus tried not to let tears fill his eyes as he gazed at the picture.
"It's our first family portrait!" Lily beamed at Severus, bouncing Harry on her lap as he started to fuss, "Harry and I made it just for you, Sev!"
"Thank you, my loves." Severus mumbled under his breath, gliding a finger across the picture reverently.
"What's the matter, Sev?" Lily asked, narrowing her eyes when she saw the tortured look on Severus's face remained.
Harry whimpered as if he could sense his father's growing anxiety.
"I don't……..I can't bear to lose you two." Severus said with a labored sigh.
"You're not going to lose us, Sev." Lily said with a tense smile as she reached a hand out and laid it lovingly on his forearm, "We'll always be with you."
"If what I fear is true, Lily," Severus said very seriously as he looked into his wife's worried, emerald eyes, "...Then the safest thing for both of you will be to stay as far away from me as possible."