A/N: I know this has been a very late update, and that I haven't been active in the past months. The year had tested us all, and it had been very hectic, but it became worse for our family when we lost my grandpa this year. I did try to get back to my writing, but I couldn't. I admit that I lost my biggest supporter and motivation. I'm back for now, and I hope to not keep you guys waiting too much for the updates. Thank you soo much for all the love and support you guys have shown me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys. MUCH LOVE! 3
A/N 2: 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 own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!
Warnings: Mentions of abuse and rape (nothing graphic), drama, angst.
Her feet landed on the floor with a thump. Harriet bent with her knees on the ground, with Lily still in the security of her arms. Tears were streaming down her face as the severity of the situation came crashing down upon her. What if everything went wrong? What if he decided to take her daughter away from her?
Oh god! She couldn't let that happen.
The little one too, was utterly lost and scared after seeing her mother in such a vulnerable position. She was shaking, but didn't say anything even when she heard her mother mumble something under her breath.
The sound of their arrival must have alerted Remus because, the next second, he entered the living room to greet them. The sight he was met with, though, made him stop in his tracks.
"Harriet! What happened?"
"Gwanpa Moony!" A terrified Lily freed herself from her mother's tight embrace and rushed towards him. She held him so tightly as if afraid to let go of him. Seeing them both teary-eyed, worried him to no end.
"Lils, what's wrong, sweetheart? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?" He tried to understand what Lily babbled between hiccups, but he couldn't. He watched as Harriet rushed past them, hiding her face, and towards her bedroom.
Remus sighed heavily, knowing he couldn't do anything at the moment. He knew Harriet. He knew that she would come out only when she wanted to, knew that she still had a hard time letting people in and trusting them. It had taken a whole lot of courage and time from her side, to tell him about the abuse she'd suffered for all those years. So, the best way to deal with the situation was patience.
He rubbed Lily's back soothingly to calm her down. "It's okay, little fawn. Everything's okay. I'm right here, okay. You don't have to worry."
"Mama?" Of course, she would be concerned about her mum first. It was in her genes, after all, being so kind and thoughtful. Always thinking about others first.
"Harriet is a little tired now, sweetheart. But she'll be okay. She's super mama, right?" He got a tiny nod in affirmation. "Then you don't worry about her. I'll talk to her in a while."
He placed a kiss on her head in assurance. "Let's get something in this little tummy first, okay?"
Lily's stomach growled in response, making her giggle. "What do you wanna have?"
"Pizza!"
"Pizza it is." He nodded in equal enthusiasm.
Remus watched Lily's chest rising and falling in even breaths as she finally grew tired enough to sleep. He shouldn't have given her ice cream after dinner, but in his defence, he couldn't resist that adorable puppy look she had given to him when he denied her anything sweet. It was the same look which she had inherited from her grandfather, James. Gosh, she looked so similar to James in that very moment that Moony was left awestruck.
Then, came the guilt. Did Harriet share her father's pout too? Did she sulk, like Lily, when she couldn't get her favourite chocolate or cake? Did she even get the chance to have a normal childhood, similar to her daughter?
Things could have been so different had Remus not listened to Albus Dumbledore.
Sirius would have been released from that dread hole a long time ago, he would have gotten justice for all the wrongs against him. Peter, that bastard traitor, would have been in Azkaban. Remus and Sirius would have raised Harriet, they would have showered her with love, just like her own parents would have wanted. She would have grown up a mischief maker just like her father, he was sure. She wouldn't have to live with those horrible muggles, those pathetic inhuman creatures.
She shouldn't have lived with them! She shouldn't have been left on their doorstep like a piece of rag.
Remus' shoulder slumped in heaviness; hand clenched tightly in a fist. Only, if hadn't been trusting towards Dumbledore, all of this could have been avoided. Harriet's horrible fate could have been avoided, only if he had questioned Dumbeldore once. But he didn't. And his sweet goddaughter paid the price for all of their mistakes.
No, he wouldn't leave her alone this time. He wouldn't let her suffer all alone.
"You do know it's not your fault, right?" Hermione's voice broke his chain of thoughts, and he jerked his head in her direction. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her standing in the doorway, not even with his werewolf hearing.
"And neither does she think so." Hermione continued.
"But it is." Remus insisted. "Had I been more thoughtful about her well-being rather than spiralling down in my own wallowing, things would have been different. Very different."
"Stop blaming yourself!" Hermione pleaded. She had seen the guilt weighing him down for years, now. And she couldn't see it anymore. Remus wasn't just her Professor, he was more like a father figure to her, along with Harriet's. He was the one who supported her decision when she moved in with Harriet, he was the one who understood her dilemma of leaving her muggle parents behind to protect her friend. He was there for all of them—Harriet, Lily and Hermione—supporting his three girls with all his might. Supporting them against the world, even when it seemed impossible.
They might not show it often, but he was a part of this family, and he needed to know it.
"Please, Moony. The only one to blame in all of this is Albus Dumbledore." At the mention of the Headmaster, confusion flashed through Remus' mind. What had the old man done now?
Then, came the fear, gripping Remus' heart in tight knuckles. Did Dumbledore find out about Harriet and Lily? Did he know where they all were? Was the safety of his children compromised?
"What happened?!" He demanded in a cold voice. His eyes started turning gold, telling Hermione that his wolf was claiming to be let out at the thought of his pups in danger.
"Moony, calm down please," Hermione spoke carefully. Losing control to his wolf wouldn't be the best alternative right now. "Let Remus have control back, please."
"Save pups," Moony growled lowly, but Hermione didn't move an inch. "Please Moony, for Harriet. She needs our help."
At the sound of his pup needing his help, the wolf whimpered softly and slumped forward. Hermione waited with patience as he took deep breaths, and was relieved to see Remus' warm brown eyes staring back at her, instead of Moony's golden orbs.
"I'm sorry I lost control," he apologized. "I...I just." He couldn't form words.
"It's okay," Hermione assured him. "I think we should move this conversation to the living room, though."
Remus nodded at her suggestion, and with one final glance at Lily's peaceful sleeping form, they exited her room.
He sat on the couch with head in his hands. He was tired, all the energy draining from him when his wolf had suddenly taken over. There weren't many things that ticked his wolf off, but Dumbledore was one of them. The old man had suddenly changed his mind about the war, after Harriet's disappearance. He hadn't wanted to fight, either, and officially disbanded the Order of the Phoenix too. Furthermore, he hadn't protested when Lord Slytherin had stood for the position of Minister of Magic.
He'd been silent for all these past years, much too calm for his liking. Thus, Remus had always kept a discrete eye on him.
Remus looked up when a glass of water appeared in his sight and thanked Hermione with a grateful smile.
"Tell me what happened. From the beginning, do not leave anything."
Hermione started from their arrival at Malfoy Manor, telling him how Lord and Lady Malfoy behaved, and how nicely they behaved with all of them. It was as if they had never been enemies in the first place. She told him how quickly they took a liking to Lily, and how Professor Snape still held a grudge against Harriet, which made Remus frown.
"I do not understand that man," Remus spoke. "I mean...I understand what we did to him, back at Hogwarts, was unfair. But why doesn't he realise that Harriet wasn't a part of it? Why does he hate her so much, for something she didn't do?"
Neither of them had the answer to it.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, please continue."
Hermione continued, telling him about Marvolo's arrival and how guilty he looked whenever he looked at Harriet. Remus was surprised to hear that. From what he'd heard about the Dark Lord over all these years, and from what Harriet had told him about their last encounter, the man didn't seem like someone to show his emotions this easily.
But then again, Lord Slytherin had been really unexpected in his behaviour when interacting with Lily.
"His familiar, Nagini, arrived, and in her excitement, Lily started petting the snake while speaking in Parseltongue."
"Lily spoke in Parseltongue in front of him, and also pet that large snake?" Remus' heart thundered.
What if something had happened to Lily? What if Nagini had bitten her off or something?
"That is what is bothering me. Lord Slytherin looked surprised when Harriet spoke Parseltongue. It seemed as if he didn't know about it," Hermione said, and Remus matched her confusing stare.
"He didn't know? Didn't Snape tell him?" Remus inquired further, and got a 'no' in response.
"Why, though?"
"I don't know. And when Harriet asked him the same, Snape looked hesitant to be questioned. That's why Lord Slytherin wanted to get an inheritance test done for both Harriet and Lily."
Remus sat quietly, taking in all the information.
"It made sense though, seeing how he is the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin's lineage, so Harriet agreed. We went to Gringotts and..." Hermione stopped suddenly, a little nervous about how she should tell Remus anything further. To be honest, she was really scared if he lost his control to his wolf again.
She took out the two parchment rolls from her robe and handed them to him. Remus was careful to take the parchments from her when he saw the hesitant look upon her face.
But he wasn't prepared for what he read next. A heavy weight settled on his chest, as his eyes darted from one word to another.
Harriet Lillian Potter
Soul Bond: Present (Through Horcrux Link)
Soul Bonded to: Tom Marvolo Riddle (unconsummated)
Lily Hermione Potter:
Father (Through soulbond): Tom Marvolo Riddle
"How?" Remus' voice was just a whisper. The 'how' part was explainable as stated in the inheritance test—through the Horcrux link. More importantly, though, why weren't they aware of it?
"Harriet had never gotten her inheritance test done before, so her managers couldn't inform her about any changes in her title status. The same goes for Lily. But..."
"But what?"
"The current bank manager said that Lord Slytherin's letter had been sent out the same day these changes had appeared in his inheritance test. But he never received any of those. Not when Harriet came-of-age and was mentioned as his soulmate, not when Lily was born and the Horcrux link identified him as her father. He didn't receive a single one of them."
"Do you think someone stole them?" Remus asked. The situation had really gotten out of their hands. No wonder his pup was a sobbing mess when she arrived back home.
"There is a very high possibility. The question is who would have done it?"
"There were many who didn't agree with the peace treaty. Think of it, just as the Light side had thought that their saviour had abandoned them, the Dark Lord's followers must have felt betrayed too. And to top it all off, Harriet and Lord Slytherin are soulmates. The one who stole these letters wanted to keep them apart, they didn't want the Dark Lord to be aware of the connection he shares with her."
"But why? What would they possibly achieve through all of this scheming?"
"Hate is a very strong emotion, Hermione," Remus answered simply. "Whoever it is, hates Harrier very much, that is all I know."
"What if Dumbledore?" Hermione didn't need to voice her thoughts any further.
"It means that both their lives are in danger."
Just as he uttered those words, Harriet's shrill scream echoed through the silence of the house, causing Remus and Hermione to run into a sprint.
"LILY!" The scream reverberated again.
Remus threw open Harriet's bedroom door with a loud bang. From the desperate plea in her voice, he'd thought that someone had attacked her. He relaxed the slightest to see that she was having a nightmare—
there was no one else to hurt them.
But, reality kicked in.
With lightning speed, he moved towards her thrashing form to stop her before she hurt herself.
"Harriet, wake up. It's just a nightmare," Remus pleaded.
"Please don't take away my baby." Tears streamed down Harriet's face as she kept mumbling in her sleep. "NO!"
Meanwhile, Hermione came back just in time, after checking up on Lily. Her eyes widened at the sight before her—it had been a long time since Harriet had a nightmare.
Hermione pushed Remus away and climbed in the bed beside Harriet, holding her hands tightly to stop her thrashing. She then pulled her head to her won chest and started running hands through her hair in a soothing manner.
Remus gladly let Hermione take charge of the situation. He didn't want to know how many nights Hermione had to face a similar position like this.
"Shush, Harriet. It's okay. Lily is okay."
At the sound of her child's name, Harriet relaxed a bit. Hermione continued to stroke her head for a few minutes until her eyes opened slowly.
It broke their hearts to see her eyes all red and puffy from crying—hadn't she suffered enough already?!
"Lily." Her voice was desperate. She only wanted to hold her baby girl and never let her go.
"She is okay, sweetheart. I checked on her," Hermione cooed.
"NO!" Harriet exclaimed. "I want to see her." Moving out of Hermione's grasp, she all but ran towards her daughter's bedroom.
Remus sighed and followed her, the view in front of him broke his heart—Harriet was curled around Lily protectively, clutching her so tightly as if she would vanish any second.
His eyes met Hermione's across the hallway, his other pup looking equally tired.
He had to do something, and quickly at that.
Hermione's nerves were jittery as her eyes swept over the surroundings. It had been four years since she had come that day, to ask for the Dark Lord's help, and not a single thing had changed in here. Everything was the same—the office, the sofa, the cabinets. the lights, even the curtains. The familiarity of the place should have eased her worries somewhat, but it didn't.
It had been two days since the incident at the bank, and Harriet had been a mess. She had refused to let Lily out of her sight, taking measures to even sleep in her room. She didn't laugh, didn't smile, didn't eat or sleep properly. And, the worst of all, were the nightmares which were becoming a regular occurrence.
Even little Lily could tell something was wrong, but she was the only person who could soothe Harriet's pain. Still, it was taking a huge toll on all of them.
Thus, Remus and Hermione had decided to take matters into their own hands. Which brought them here—at Riddle Manor—waiting for the Dark Lord.
They had not informed Harriet about their impromptu visit, knowing she would protest about it. She wanted nothing to do with him, she was too scared that he would take her little angel away.
"My apologies to keep you waiting for so long." Both the guests straightened up at the sound of Lord Slytherin's voice.
Hermione was surprised to see his dishevelled appearance—his usually styled hair was messed up, there were bags under his eyes, his skin had lost its colour. It was clear that he was hurting as much as Harriet.
"Please follow me." They were confused when Marvolo led them out of the office and into the living room. It was a pleasant surprise to see the Malfoys and Bellatrix be in attendance, as well.
"I thought you'd be more comfortable to talk in front of Lord and Lady Malfoy," Marvolo explained to them. '
"We appreciate your concern, Minister."
"Ooh, looky, the wolf has got a tongue of its own." Bellatrix mocked Remus. "Good doggy!"
"Keep your mouth shut, Lestrange!" Marvolo let out a quiet warning at her indecent behaviour. Though, she didn't flinch away in fear as Hermione had expected. She didn't even seem bothered. She simply rolled her eyes at the Dark Lord. If being honest, Bellatrix looked much better than she did years ago—a little saner, and a lot more confident.
"I apologise for her behaviour, please do ignore her."
They took a seat across from Bellatrix and the Malfoys, while Marvolo ordered tea and snacks for them.
"What did you want to talk about?" Remus blinked at the sudden bluntness of the question, guess Lord Slytherin wanted to talk business.
"We wanted to talk about what happened at Gringotts."
"She doesn't want me near Lily, does she?" Marvolo questioned. Hurt and anger were written all over his face, and Remus didn't dare lie to him.
"'No, she doesn't want you near her."
"I knew it," Marvolo's face hardened as he spoke. "That is why I have decided to file a lawsuit. I'm going to fight for my daughter."
Remus and Hermione panicked at what they were hearing. No, this couldn't be happening.
"What? You...you can't do that!" Hermine exclaimed.
"He can," Bellatrix interfered. "We have enough proof to get half the custody of the child. It is legal."
"And what about the mate bond?" Remus' gaze was accusing. He couldn't let his pup get hurt. "Are you just going to ignore it? Are you just going to pretend that she doesn't matter to you?"
"She hates me, both of us know it," Marvolo answered simply. He may have seemed indifferent, but on the inside, he was burning to be near his mate and child.
"You're' going to put her in the spotlight with all of this. She is going to be the centre of attention again, and..." Remus was rudely interrupted by Bellatrix.
"So? What is so wrong about it? I've heard that she was a spoiled little brat, and when her relatives stopped giving her attention, she decided to run away."
"What!?" Hermione was mortified. 'A spoilt brat?' Harriet wasn't like that, far for it actually. "That is not true."
"Mind your tone, mudblood." Bellatrix sneered.
"Enough!" Marvolo's voice boomed. He was already tired, he didn't want any fights in his house right now.
"You can't do that. You can't take Lily away from her. She is going to die."
Marvolo swallowed a lump in his throat. He did want to acknowledge Harriet as his mate, but he also knew that things weren't going to be easy between them. He knew she would hate him, and he wouldn't be able to handle that. He was scared that he would lash out at her or hurt her even further.
"Bella enough," Narcissa finally spoke. She had had enough of her sister's stupidity. She turned to her guests and continued," It will only be weekends. Heiress Potter would spend the weekdays with her and then..."
"And what about the time when Lily needs her mother? What about when she cries for her?" Remus asked her, receiving only a sympathetic look in response.
Remus looked at Marvolo directly because he was sure there was no reason to beat around the bush. "I'm not exaggerating when I said that she would die. You are putting their lives in danger. If you put this case out publicly, the world is going to know about her and Lily. He would kill her, he would kill them both.
Marvolo's eyes flashed crimson at the thought of any harm coming to either Harrie or Lily. The connection to both his girls was growing faster with each passing day.
"WHO?"
They all looked absolutely scared at the raging tone. Bowing their heads in submission, his followers sat up straight. Hermione paled and Remus was struggling to keep his wolf in check. His wolf wanted to be out and submit to the powerful man in front of them.
"Dumbledore," Hermione whispered. Now wasn't the time to be scared, she needed to be strong and reasonable.
"If he finds out where we are hiding, he would surely come after them."
"For abandoning the Light?" Lucius inquired.
"No. But for the fear of letting his secrets out." Hermione took a deep breath as she continued, "He wanted to kill Lily before she was born."
Marvolo led out a loud angry hiss, sending the table flying towards the wall. Bellatrix immediately pulled Draco and Cissa behind her, while Lucius did the same to Hermione. Remus couldn't take it anymore, and his eyes flashed golden, saying that Moony was in control now.
"Protect pup," Moony growled.
"Careful boy. Don't you dare growl at me!" This was the Dark Lord everyone feared. Moony whimpered, hearing his angry words and quickly exposed his neck in submission. "Sorry, Alpha!"
Marvolo was satisfied. Good, everyone should know who was in charge here. Who owned them all.
"You're going to tell me everything, not a single trace of a lie. Do you understand, boy?"
Moony whimpered again—he was torn. He wanted to please his alpha, but he also didn't want to betray his pup by spilling her secrets, in front of everyone.
A hand on his shoulder made him look up.
"I'm sorry, pup," he apologised to Hermione. "We have to."
"She would understand." Hermione looked around the room as everyone waited with bated breath.
"That night when I came here four years ago, Harriet and I had decided to leave Hogwarts and Magical Britain, altogether. We didn't know where we were going to live or how we would survive, we just had to get out of there. She wasn't scared to fight the war." Bellatrix knew that the comment was meant for her, and she was impressed by Granger's bravery.
"She was sure that she didn't stand a chance against the Dark Lord, and that you would win. She knew she would die. A few days before that, she had found out that she was pregnant. Lily is…" Hermione could no longer hold back her tears. "Lily is a rape baby."
Marvolo felt as if someone had punched him hard in the gut and squeezed his intestines. He had often thought about Lily's biological father and why he was never in the picture. He had thought that, perhaps, she was a result of a one-night fling, but he'd never expected this.
How dare he blame his mate in all of this?!
"Harriet was so scared. She knew what happened to her wasn't her unborn child's fault, so she decided to keep the baby. She went to Dumbledore and told him about her condition, and also about the incident, but he was furious. Absolutely mad that things didn't go as he'd planned. He wanted her to abort the baby and keep fighting the war. He threatened her too. She didn't want to kill her child in the name of Greater Good."
Hermione stopped speaking; she couldn't do it anymore. She had first- hand witnessed how much Harriet had suffered, but she couldn't do it anymore. She knew that being away from Lily would break her forever.
Narcissa held Lucius' hand tightly, while Bellatrix wore an indifferent mask, but she was fuming on the inside.
As for Marvolo, it was getting difficult for him to control his emotions and wreak havoc.
"My pup had never been a spoiled brat, Mrs Lestrange. She had never experienced a normal childhood. Her relatives hated her, abused her, tortured her-both mentally and physically. She was told that her parents died in a car crash, that her father was a good-for-nothing drunkard."
"Oh, Morgana!" Lucius tried to breathe evenly. He wanted nothing more than to kill those muggles.
"She didn't even know anything about magic, until her Hogwarts letter arrived. She was a freak to them."
"As for fighting the war, she was never given a chance. She knew that was either her or thousands of other lives. She decided to sacrifice herself. The only time she cared selfishly was when she left Wizarding Britain, to save her child." Remus let his words sink in.
The air was tense in the room— Narcissa couldn't keep her tears to herself, Draco too felt guilty. He thought that he should have noticed those signs of abuse, at Hogwarts—how she kept her distance. How she flinched if anyone touched her, how she was always alert, her pale skin and baggy clothes. He chastised himself for acting like a bratty boy and making her school life difficult.
But, the worst of them was Marvolo. He was numb. His mate, his other half, had endured so much. And what had he done?
Added to her problems? Hurt her, and tried to kill her so many times?
"We wanted to request you to please be patient with her and not make a hasty decision, that's it," Hermione said in as gentle a voice as she could muster.
"Lily is your daughter, and it will be foolish of us to not acknowledge how much you care about her. But, she's her daughter too. Lily is Harriet's everything. You are Lily's family now, a chance for her to have loving parents and a normal childhood. We wouldn't even dare to take that chance away from her. But please, don't push Harriet away. I know she doesn't show it, but being away from you bothers her too. Please."
Remus wasn't ashamed that he was crying and begging for his pup's happiness, in front of so many people. He felt that he had to let it all out or else, he would burst into flames.
"I'm willing to wait an eternity for her. For my entire life, if that is what she wants. I would never reject her. She's my mate, my other half, the mother of my child. She and Lily are a part of me, and I understand they come in a package," Marvolo poured his heart out. "Buy the real question is, Mr Lupin, would Harriet ever accept me? Would she let me in her heart, in her and Lily's lives? Because if she didn't, I don't know what I would do."
That was the biggest problem.
"How would we convince Harrie?" Draco spoke for the first time. He wanted to make it right by her, for all those years of petty rivalry. He would stand by Hermione and Mr Lupin to help her.
"I would talk to her." Bellatrix's words left no room to question her authority or decision.
"Trust me." Those were directed towards Remus and Hermione, and surprisingly, they did believe her.
-A/N: Let me know what you guys think about this one! Reads, followers, favorites and reviews are always appreciated! Good day to all! :)
