A/N: Thank you soo much for the amazing love you've shown to this fic. It warmed my heart truly! Here is the next chapter for you awesome guys, and I sincerely hope that you like it. I do not won Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!

A/N 1: "Bold and italics is conversation in Parseltongue."

A/N 2: Italics is conversation in the past.

Warnings: Mentions of rape and abuse. Nothing graphic (I didn't want to indulge in all that stuff), but still a warning.


CHAPTER 3

Marvolo reached his manor in absolute fury, seething in rage - no one had ever dared to dismiss him, no one told him to leave, but that Potter brat! Who did she think she was? First, she invited him to her daughter's birthday party and then insulted him. How dare she? Did she have a death wish? Had she forgotten who he was or what all was he capable of?

Salazar, that woman was infuriating and always got on his nerves. Perhaps he should have killed her instead of letting her get away - instead of listening to her request to leave the war and Magical Britain. He shouldn't have shown any mercy to her.

Anger wasn't the only emotion he was feeling though - he was also feeling guilty. He was regretting of not bidding a proper farewell to Lily. It was her birthday and he had made her upset by the sudden departure - had been able to sense it in the tone of her voice when he was about to leave. However, Marvolo was also feeling guilty of making Harriet cry and he didn't know the reason behind it.

He had never seen her in such a vulnerable position - not even when she'd faced him multiple times. She was a strong and brave woman, yet his words had acted like a piercing sword that had split her heart into pieces, enough to make her cry.

Marvolo sighed and slumped in his chair, leviating a bottle of strong Firewhisky and a glass from the cabinet. He really needed a drink. All these emotions were sending his mind into a frenzy and he did not know how to handle them. He had never been good in handling emotions in the first place.

Pouring himself a generous amount, his mind reeled with the events of the day. The image of Lily smiling and cooing after receiving her present had melted his cold heart; the little one had been so happy. Marvolo didn't think he was someone who could give that kind of happiness to anyone, let alone a child. Yet, there was Lily, who was steadily bringing out a part of Marvolo's personality he never knew he had. To her he wasn't the Dark Lord or the powerful and influential Minister of Magic. To her he was simply 'Mista Mawolo' - the man who'd helped her find her mum when she'd gotten lost, and the one who'd bought her a princess dress. And that was the most amazing role he'd experienced in his entire life.

His hand brushed against his robe pocket, and Marvolo frowned when he found something tucked in there. He slipped the hand in his pocket and found it was the small, blue-flower tiara that Lily had been persistent to make him wear. He smiled unconsciously; couldn't believe that he'd actually listened to her and even had tea with Mr Snuggabear.

Morgana, he'd been so stupid to question her lineage. As much as he hated to admit it, Potter had been right in defending her daughter and herself; Harriet had late Lily Potter's blood running in her veins after all.

He wouldn't tell another soul, but he agreed that he had crossed the line today. That he had no right to ask such personal questions to Lady Potter - it was informal and uncalled for. He could have asked it in a more dignified way or perhaps without insulting her.

But, in his defence, the way he'd spoken to her was merely on instinct - she'd been his arch nemesis and the person fated to bring his doom, he didn't know how else was he supposed to talk to her?

He took another sip of the fine-aged Firewhisky, relishing in the burning sensation on his throat, when a slithering and hissy noise caught his ears. Marvolo allowed himself to smile in relief - Nagini was his only companion and family over all these years. He didn't know what he'd do without her or her mother hen attitude.

"Tommy, you're back! Where did you go anyway? I tried to find you everywhere in the Manor, but your weren't there," Nagini hissed as she steadily climbed up, and rested herself on his shoulders.

"My apologies, dear. I had some prior arrangements and I forgot to tell you about them," Marvolo apologise, stroking her head lightly that made the giant snake hum.

"What prior arrangements?" she asked until her slit eyes landed on the blue-tiara resting safely on his desk, "And what is that thing on your desk, Tommy?"

He followed her gaze and said, "That is a tiara, my dear."

"Where did you get this abomination from anyway?"

Marvolo frowned a bit - Lily had gotten the tiara especially for him, and to call it 'horrid' meant an insult to the little one, that he didn't like one bit.

"What are you hiding from me, Tommy? Speak!" There it was, her overprotective mother hen attitude.

"I'm not hiding anything from you. You weren't in the manor that day, had gone for hunting, so I never got the chance to tell you." He was about to tell her what all had happened that day in Diagon Alley, and the events at the party today, when his office door suddenly opened. Lucius and Severus stood in the doorway seeking for permission to enter. Marvolo nodded, allowing them in.

"My Lord," Lucius bowed in greeting.

"What are you two doing here, Lucius?" Marvolo asked confusingly. He'd cancelled all the meetings for today after receiving Lily's party invitation.

"Nothing serious, my Lord. I just needed your signature on some important Ministry papers. Severus suggested for a round of drinks as well," Lucius replied.

"I see," Marvolo gestured them to have a seat, and started rifling and reading through the papers before signing them. Lucius could sense something was off. Though his Lord smiled a little at the drinks suggestion, he didn't seem too happy to have guests at the moment. He seemed as if he wanted to be left alone.

Severus must have sensed his displeasure too because he quickly spoke up, "We can have those drinks later, my Lord. We didn't know that you were busy."

"No, it's nothing like that. I was only a bit tired," Marvolo gave the papers back to Lucius, then conjured two more glasses, pouring drinks to them as well.

"Well when are you going to tell me?" Nagini spoke apparently still waiting for his answer. Meanwhile, Severus nudged Lucius slightly, titling his head towards the tiara sitting on their Lord's table. Lucius narrowed his eyes at it.

"My Lord, did the little one like the gift that you got for her?" Lucius questioned and saw Marvolo's worries fading slightly.

"What little one?" Nagini slithered from his shoulders to the desk, looking him straight in the eyes. Lucius and Severus remained unaffected by the sudden action; they were now used to it. Marvolo looked at the three curious faces staring at him, unblinkingly. He sighed - guess he couldn't get away without telling them.

"When I was on my way to Diagon Alley earlier this week, I found a little girl sitting on the stairs of the bank. The child was lost, and her parents were nowhere in sight. Needless to say, I couldn't leave her alone there. So, I helped her in finding her mum."

"Was she okay, my Lord?" Lucius asked instinctively. Being a father he was well-versed in the 'being protective' department. Marvolo smiled at the genuine concern in Lucius' voice.

"She was indeed fine, Lucius. We did find her mum easily; she had already been looking for her daughter," Marvolo told further and Lucius sighed in relief. Severus though could easily tell that this wasn't what his Lord was concerned about.

"Then, my Lord?" Severus questioned cautiously.

"The child I helped out that day was Lady Potter's daughter."

Lucius' eyes widened and Severus was left speechless for a moment. Did they hear correctly or were they imagining things?

"Lady Potter? As in Harriet Potter?" Lucius asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Marvolo's answer was a quite mumble.

"The little hatchling you wanted to kill, for all those years, has her own hatchling?" Nagini hissed.

"Yes, she has her own hatchling, but I didn't know that. I came to know only when I asked Lily what her mother's name was."

"Lily?" Severus whispered, and Marvolo only nodded.

"Lily Hermione Potter, daughter of Harriet Lillian Potter."

"Potter? The child's father?" Severus asked a bit confused. The frown on Marvolo's face returned and they knew had been the cause for his trouble.

"I don't know," Marvolo replied. He told them everything - the invitation to Lily's birthday party; him going shopping for the little one's present (which shocked Severus and Nagini to no end); his visit to Potter's cottage near Port Issac, earlier that day and the time he spent with Lily. He told them how in fit of stupidity he'd questioned Lily's lineage that had made Lady Potter angry with him, causing him to be thrown out.

The others listened with patience, aware that Marvolo truly felt regretful and ashamed of the way he'd spoken to Harriet and indirectly insulted the little one. And to be honest, they were shocked - the Dark Lord wasn't someone to show emotions this openly, and yet, here he was, accepting his mistakes.

"The little hatchling gave you this flower headband then?" Nagini asked, her hissing a bit softly now.

"She did," Marvolo said picking his tiara, "Bought it specially for me as a thank you gift for helping her." A smile graced his face and his two followers exchanged glances at the fondness in his voice.

"What now then? What are you going to do because it's clear that whatever happened today is bugging you greatly."

"I don't know. I don't know what am I going to do or rather I should do," he sighed tiredly, getting up from his seat and walking towards the window.

"Apologise to Lady Potter," Nagini spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Apologise?" Marvolo narrowed his eyes at her and Lucius looked scared. The Dark Lord never apologised to anyone.

"Why not? From what you have told me, I don't think it is her fault. She was merely defending her daughter as any mother would do. As I would defend you."

And then it struck Marvolo - the reason behind Harriet's sudden change in demeanor upon calling her daughter a bastard. Salazar, what had he done!

"But, how do I apologise to her, Nagini? I'm sure she wouldn't even want to see my face," he easily slipped into Parseltongue, asking her frantically for any kind of solution; an unknown fear of what Harriet would be thinking about him, gripped his heart.

"The way you've insulted her, a formal apology wouldn't do," Nagini slithered across the room as if in deep thought. "Invite her and the little hatchling to the Manor for lunch. As soon as you get the chance to talk to her, say your sorries and whatever that had been on your mind."

"She would never accept my invitation, Nagini." Marvolo ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"My Lord, if I may," Lucius interrupted when he guessed that Nagini had given the solution to invite Potter to Riddle Manor. "We could invite Lady Potter and her daughter to Malfoy Manor, instead of here. She wouldn't be able to refuse i, and there you could get the chance to talk to her."

"Would she bring Lily though?"

"She would if she knows that it's only a luncheon invite and perfectly safe for her daughter. Invite Miss Granger as well," Severus piqued in. He too was curious about Harriet's past now.

"That could be done." Marvolo mumbled thinking to himself; a flare of hope rising in his heart that Harriet would accept the invitation and his apology. "Very well then, Lucius. Do it and inform me as soon as you get a response from her."

"Of course, my Lord." Lucius bowed and left in a hurry, wanting to get this task done as soon as possible. Marvolo was a bit relieved and Nagini was happy - she was excited to meet the little hatchling that had captured Tommy's heart.

Marvolo wasn't the only one in deep thought though, Severus too was tensed. He bowed and took his leave, only one question swirling in his mind - 'Did Dumbledore know anything about Harriet's child? And if he did, why didn't he inform Severus about it? Why did the girl choose to leave the war and everything behind?'


Harriet moved towards Professor Dumbledore's office with shaky legs. She was afraid, so very much. What would happen now? How would he react?

She muttered the password with a slight whisper, making the Gargoyle to spring to life and start moving. She knocked on the large wooden door and entered hesitantly when a muffled 'come in' was heard.

"Ah, Harrie, my girl," Dumbledore spoke with the usual twinkle in his eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Professor, I…" Harriet stumbled through words, not knowing where to start. "Professor, I don't know what to do. I'm...I'm pregnant," her voice was a bare whisper but it still rang through the eerily silent room.

"I beg your pardon?" the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was no longer present.

"I'm pregnant," Harriet managed to speak between the thick tears rolling down her eyes. She dared to peek at him from puffy eyes, and could easily read the disbelief and disappointment clear on his face. It scared her - petrified her to no end.

"But how is this possible?" he scrambled from his seat frantically and marched towards her, making Harriet back away in fear. She didn't dare to say another word seeing the sudden change in his usually composed behaviour.

"I'm so sorry, Professor, but I swear it's not my fault." He must have sensed that she was speaking the truth because the grip on her shoulders loosened.

"Tell me what happened, child." Though he spoke in an affectionate way, Harrie could see that he wasn't happy in the least about receiving this information.

"He, he…" Harrie started in a shaky breath and fear in her eyes. The Headmaster led a frightened Harriet to his desk and handed her a glass of water.

"He who, Harriet?"

"I was alone that day, at home, and he… Dudley's Muggle friend Piers, came asking about him. I told him that Dudley wasn't home...but," she gulped, "but he barged inside and." Her body raked with sobs.

"Harriet, did that Muggle boy force himself upon you?" Dumbledore asked in a cautious tone and only got a slight nod from her, making him sigh. This wasn't part of his plan - Harriet being abused by her relatives was one thing, but her getting pregnant, especially at this time during the war. No, this wasn't supposed to happen; he would have to find a solution.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. I can't participate in the war like this," Harriet said. "I can't risk my baby's safety." She knew that she never wanted a child or a family of her own for that matter, seeing how her life was always full of danger. But she also knew that whatever happened with Harriet, wasn't her baby's fault. And she would not let any harm come to it.

Professor Dumbledore's features hardened and instinctively, Harriet put a arm around her stomach.

"I'm afraid that is not possible, Miss Potter."

"Wha...what?" Harriet stared at him wide-eyed. "But why, Professor?"

"The Prophecy, my dear girl. It's all because of the Prophecy. You are the only one who could kill Voldemort and we know that…"

"I can't, Professor. I can't kill him!" Harriet exclaimed, interrupting him mid-sentence, "He's powerful and strong and the greatest practitioner of Dark Magic. He's only afraid of you. You're the only one who can defeat him not I."

Dumbledore moved from his seat with a sigh and moved towards the window, "I wish I could, Harriet. But I can't. When he chose you as the Prophesied child, he unintentionally bound your faiths together. Only you have the power to defeat him - the power of love and your mother's sacrifice."

She wanted to say something but he continued anyway, "You can't keep the child, Harriet. I'm really sorry. This child would prove to be a hurdle in your task and we can't have that."

"Please don't do this, Professor. Please don't take my child away from me. It's not my baby's fault," she begged for her child's life without any sense of her pride or dignity.

"Don't be to me, dear girl. I'm not saying this because I have any grudges towards this thing."

'Thing?' Was her child only a thing to him?

"It's for the Greater Good, Harriet. You can't compare one life to the million others that would suffer because of your selfish attitude, can you? Just imagine it's life as a sacrifice for other people." The twinkle in his eyes this time was not one of gentleness. It gave her a clear warning to do as he was saying or else she would have to pay the price.

She swallowed thickly, the tears not stopping at all.

"Go to your dormitory and get some rest, Miss Potter. I would inform Madame Pomfrey about your condition so that she could prepare for the abortion procedure as soon as possible."

All breath left her - it felt that he world had stopped spinning or perhaps she'd simply stopped breathing. He wanted to kill her child. He wanted Harrie to kill her baby. No, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't do that. Her child's life wouldn't be sacrificed in the name of Greater God as Harriet's had been ruined. Harriet would have to think of something, and that too very soon.

Without another word, she left the Headmaster's office and all but ran back to her dormitory where Hermione was already waiting for her anxiously. As soon as Harrie entered the room, she all but launched herself into Hermione's arms and crying heartedly.

Hermione drew her in, quickly throwing silencing wards around them so as to not wake Lavender and Parvati. She rubbed her back, hushed her, but nothing seemed to work, and she immediately understood the reason behind Harriet's tears when she heard what Dumbledore was planning.

"No, no, don't worry, darling. Don't worry. We won't let him take your child away from you," Hermione assured her. She was the only one who knew about the abuse Harriet had suffered at the hands of those pathetic human beings.

"Okay, Harrie, look at me," Hermione was greeted with her sister's puffy eyes and she hated to Harriet in such a vulnerable position. "You go and get changed. I'll pack our things. We'll leave Hogwarts tonight itself."

"Leave?" Harriet asked in a confused tone. "Where would we go, Hermione?"

"You don't worry about that. I have some money and if luck is on our side, then we'll manage to escape from this war as well," she spoke in such cryptic words that Harriet couldn't understand. But she knew that Hermione had a plan in mind. She nodded and quickly got up to get ready.

By the time Harriet returned, Hermione had already packed everything. She had put all their belongings in a small pouch with Undetectable Extension Charm. The Marauders Map and Invisibility Cloak were in her hand. Without wasting any more of their precious time, Hermione threw the Invisibility Cloak around Harriet and herself, and slipped out of the room making sure that their roommates were still asleep.

They reached the entrance of the Hogwarts castle without any problems. Harriet and Hermione turned around, throwing one final time at Hogwarts - the place that has become their home - and continued on their way to never return.


Harriet sat on the couch silently, watching from afar as Lily laughed heartily whilst watching cartoons and enjoying her ice-cream. Hermione came and sat beside her; she'd decided to spend the weekend with Harriet and Lily in honour of Lily's birthday.

"She really likes him," Hermione said, making Harriet break her gaze from her daughter and towards her. The 'him' in her sentence being pretty obvious to Harriet.

"I know, but the way he talked about her, I couldn't control myself," Harriet said, not regretting the way she'd talked to Marvolo.

"But you couldn't deny that he cares about Lily too. Their interactions spoke of the fondness he holds for her."

"Are you defending him?"

"Not defending, merely saying that his curiosity was genuine even though his behaviour wasn't. After all, we left Hogwarts without informing anyone," Hermione pointed out and Harriet looked at Lily again. She was yawning widely; the day's exhaustion finally catching up with her.

"I'm saying this because Lily is attached to him, and not seeing him may upset her. She would start asking questions soon."

"I know. I just don't understand how can he be a completely different person around her; it really baffles me," Harriet spoke with a tired sigh. She moved from her comfy position to pick Lily up and get her ready for bed, when a grey owl came swooping in through the window.

Harriet exchanged a worried glance with Hermione. It couldn't be Remus and no one else knew where she lived anymore, except him. Him; of course, it's got to be Marvolo!

Harriet understood and nodded, signalling Hermione to take the letter.

"It's from Lady Malfoy,' Hermione spoke with furrowed brows.

"What?" Harriet got confused. She came back with Lily passed out in her arms, and seated herself beside Hermione again. "What does it say?"

"It's a luncheon invite, for you, Lily and me. Why me?" Hermione passed the letter to Harriet. She saw her expressions change from confusion to understanding to frustrated, all at once. "What happened, Harrie?"

"That sneaky Lord Slytherin," Harriet whispered. "It's all his doing. Who else knows where we live?"

"He must have asked Malfoy to send the letter in his behalf because he knew that I wouldn't respond to his personal letter." Understanding dawned on Hermione's face.

"But why would he want to meet you anyway?"

"Not me, Lily. He would want to meet Lily and I don't want that. As for your invitation, they want to convey that they don't mean any harm. Atleast, this is what I think."

"Can't we ignore the letter then?" Hermione asked. She too didn't want Lily in any kind of danger.

"No, we can't. They have been very careful while writing the letter. It could have been avoided, but they have specifically used our titles here - Lady and Heiress Potter. If I ignore it, Lord Malfoy would take it as an insult to his house and wife which would cause ruckus. And I'm still not ready for others to find about Lily."

"Means we have to attend it then?"

"Unfortunately yes. I'm concerned about Lily's safety though," Harriet said looking at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully in her arms.

"We can make her flower necklace into a Portkey, just to be safe and also inform Mr Lupin about the same," Hermione suggested and Harriet couldn't help but agree.

Soon enough, Hermione bid her good night but Harriet remained seated in her place, holding Lily close to her and wondering what this luncheon had in store for all of them.


A/N: Let me know what you guys think about this one! Reads, followers, favorites and reviews are always appreciated! Good day to all! :)