March 19th, 1989
Grace Eileen McGowan was born in the early hours of Palm Sunday. Mrs McGowan and a local midwife were present, but the birth went smoothly. When Valerie had started to clean the kitchen cupboards on Saturday afternoon Severus had phoned his father. Toby took Harry for a sleep-over.
The master bedroom at Spinner's End was too small for walking up and down, therefore Val stayed downstairs as long as possible. In the end her labour progressed rather quickly, very nearly Grace would have been born in the bathtub. The little girl had a shock of black hair and long limbs at 22 inches and 7 pounds. The midwife pronounced her hale and healthy but promised to send a doctor round in a few days. Severus had a few hours of cuddling and admiring his wife and new daughter before Harry and Toby arrived. They had told the boy that he would not have a playmate right from the start but he still was a bit disappointed that Grace only slept and nursed. Toby managed to distract Harry for now. During the next few days the child would help Severus change and bath the baby who by then had opened her eyes and was at least trying to look at her parents and brother.
Mrs McGowan and her friends had a rota of keeping the young family fed and the first week passed in a truly enchanted way. Severus had to fight tears of joy ever so often and most of the time he just let them flow. Val teased him that mothers were prone to the "Baby Blues", but she cried too.
Now Val was catching up on sleep while Severus was downstairs, walking around with his daughter. The baby had woken up a few minutes ago but did not yet seem hungry. Grace's eyes were fixated on her father's face while he slowly passed along the bookshelves, commenting now and then on this text or that potions manual or pointing out one of Harry's numerous drawings pinned to every available surface. When the doorbell rang the Potions master, expecting yet another delivery of food, did not for a second think of a potential danger to his family.
Whatever Narcissa Malfoy expected behind Snape's door it was not that. Her old friend was opening the door dressed in jeans and a jumper, holding a new-born cradled against his chest. The babe's dark eyes and shock of black hair made the question of paternity redundant.
Severus stiffened and his whole demeanour changed. Narcissa wanted to reassure him as quickly as possible.
"Hello Severus, I am going to give my wand to you and I will swear any vow you demand of me. Please believe me, I do not mean you any harm."
The new father exhaled slowly.
"Come in, Narcissa. I do not need to hold on to your wand but a vow might make me feel better."
Narcissa Malfoy knew that moment that she had to get rid of Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord had already cost her a sister and she felt that he was a threat to her husband and son as well if – when – he returned. She had watched Severus Snape grow from an abused and underfed eleven-year-old to an unhappy teenager and lately to a man who had come into his own. A respected Potions master, a powerful wizard and a witty and sardonic friend. Narcissa suspected some deeply hidden grief and guilt about his role in Lily Evan's death and had long suspected that the wizard might not be as loyal to the cause any longer as he seemed.
Lucius rarely talked about his time as a Death Eater but his wife had held him often enough after a meeting. Family was everything to the Malfoy patriarch, Narcissa expected no resistance from her husband for her chosen path. While raised with the usual Pureblood values of an old family she had long since stopped believing that Muggleborns were stealing magic. Her own research into bloodlines had suggested that there were in fact no true Muggleborns but rather descendants of Squibs, often many generations later. Severus once had explained to her the Muggle theory of recessive genes. The Blacks had prided themselves on absolute pureness, the last possible Muggleborn or Half-blood had married into the family over three hundred years back. That might be a factor in the feared Black madness and also in their female's troubles to conceive and bear magical children. Bellatrix had miscarried three times and once had vanished for several months, coming back the mad and hard woman she was now. Narcissa suspected that her sister had born a child. She only hoped that Rodolphus had brought it to an orphanage rather than killing it outright for being a Squib. She herself had only managed to carry Draco to term with the best healers and lots of tailored potions from Severus and even so her darling boy was born way too early. If he had born closer to his due date he might even have been a child of prophecy!
"Whenever you are ready, Severus. Who will bind us?"
"An oath will have to do, there is no one to bind us." Narcissa nodded and proceeded.
"I, Narcissa Black Malfoy, swear on my magic that I will never voluntarily do anything to endanger Severus Snape's family, be they Muggle or magic."
The wizard relaxed further and finally led his guest into the kitchen, flicking his wand towards the kettle. Narcissa could not contain herself any longer, cooing, "And who might this lovely young lady be, mhm?"
Grace's eyes fixated on the strange, sweet-smelling woman.
"Meet Grace Eileen, born a week ago."
"Will you let me hold her or should I make tea?"
With infinite care the Potions master settled his daughter in the crook of Mrs Malfoy's arm and then busied himself with brewing tea, glancing ever so often at the two of them.
"Relax, Severus. I haven't forgotten how to hold a new-born. Draco was much smaller."
"You are the first outside her closest family to hold her. While I trust you not to drop her it still feels strange."
Setting down the tea things Snape sat down at the table, pushing Harry's crayons aside. Narcissa's eyes were suspiciously shiny.
"I have never seen you look so happy and content. How did this happen?"
"You are a married woman, you know perfectly well how babies happen."
"Don't be an oaf, Severus, who is the woman that has captured your heart enough to bear your child in this times?"
"Valerie. She is sleeping, but not for much longer I fear." Grace was trying to burrow into Narcissa's chest, looking for sustenance. The Malfoy matriarch cooed at her and very reluctantly handed her back to the Potions master.
"I will look after tea, bring her upstairs."
When Severus returned, having Val told of their guest, Narcissa had laid the kitchen table as if in her own dining room.
"While I am sure that Grace is a very accomplished new-born, she cannot have drawn that many pictures yet."
"Those are from our son. Harry is not biologically ours, officially he's Val's foster child. He's about a month younger than Draco."
Narcissa looked pensieve.
"Sev, I came to you to ask once again for your potion aiding fertility." They had had this conversation three times since Draco's birth. Every time Severus had brewed the potion and every time Lucius had managed to convince Narcissa that it was too dangerous to bring any more children into this world, as his Dark Mark was not gone completely.
"I know what happened the previous times. Seeing you with your daughter has only affirmed what I have known for a long time: the Dark Lord has to go permanently if we will ever be able to raise our families in peace."
"Narcissa!"
"Hush, Severus! With all your devotion to Lily Evans, do you really think that any of our friends, at least those who have loved, cannot guess your true loyalities? The Dark Lord does not understand love, but most of us do."
"Does Lucius know?"
"We do not talk about it, as you know his Occlumency is not very strong. I do know that he would do anything to protect his family. And he has often enough said that this family would not have been possible if not for your help. He will support us."
"Us? Did you just recruit me into a third camp? The two of us going against Dumbledore and the Dark Lord? Will you beat them with fashion magazines while I pour some potions over them?"
"That was an ungracious and sexist thing to say, Sev! I think you should apologize to our guest and all womankind!"
Val had made her way downstairs, a sated and sleepy Grace on her shoulder. She had donned a soft knit-dress and had put up her hair in a bun. Her husband thought she looked radiant, even as she made apologies about her appearance to Narcissa after introductions. Severus thought it sensible to do as she said.
"I am sorry, I do know that Narcissa is a formidable witch besides being the best dressed in the UK, but still, our enemies are numerous and well-connected."
Val accepted the apology with a gracious nod and answered, "That may be. But to be honest, I have been thinking about a way to rid you of your yoke, or rather yokes, too. I want you to be able to brew and research to your heart's content and come home in the evening to your family. I want Harry to grow up far from the clutches of Dumbledore. I had planned to talk to you about it all during summer, when Grace hopefully sleeps a few hours apiece."
Their guest was watching the interaction between husband and wife with interest. Severus was hanging on his wife's lips and never once did he seem to think the thought foremost in Narcissa's mind. She voiced it aloud.
"But you are a Muggle! How can you go against the most powerful wizards of our time?"
Severus laughed.
"Oh Cissy! Just watch. Val cannot do our kind of magic, but she is very good with numbers and she has done the equivalent of an O in her History exams. Warfare is warfare and strategy is strategy. They won't know what hit them."
"I apologize, Mrs Snape, I spoke without thinking. Your husband is one of the most intelligent and cunning people I know. If he is confident in your abilities than I am, too. I think I will have to mend bridges with my elder sister. She is a lawyer."
"Yes, Andromeda would definitely be an asset, if she can be convinced not to run to Dumbledore the moment we approach her."
"She is a Black and she is my sister. Family comes first. That daughter of hers is already talking of becoming an Auror. Trust me, Andi will be very interested in helping."
With a very heavy heart did Severus leave his family after the Easter holidays. Not being able to hold Grace felt like a missing limb. A week after the commencement of the school a package from the Malfoys arrived. It was one of two talking mirrors, a very ancient and rare artefact. Harry was enjoying it thoroughly, chattering away in front of the mirror every evening while Val sat in the background with Grace who was growing like a weed. The Potions master was quite sure that his precocious daughter already knew her daddy in the mirror. Detentions with Professor Snape dropped to an all-time low and Aurora Sinistra became more and more involved with running the House of Slytherin. Severus felt quite confident to leave the duties to her come September.
Together with a letter of thanks he sent a potion to Narcissa, still unsure whether she would use it this time.
Narcissa Malfoy became a frequent visitor at Spinner's End. Val and she hit it off, as unlikely that was. After a few weeks Andromeda Tonks joined them as well. The reconciliation of the Black sisters happened at first without their husbands' knowledge. But, vain as he was, Lucius Malfoy was by no means stupid. Of course he had noticed his wife's improved mood – since Draco was old enough to spend a lot of time with tutors Narcissa had become a bit despondent – and new purpose in life. He followed her one day and was surprised to find her having lunch with Mrs Tonks, in Muggle London no less! Lucius pondered not for long, he entered the trendy eatery with an air full of purpose. Neither women were surprised.
"Finally, Lucius. Will you join us for lunch?"
Hiding his bewilderment he kissed is wife and bowed to his sister in law.
"Andy, Narcissa, yes, I would like to join you."
After ordering he looked at the sisters questioningly. When neither fell for it – they were Slytherin alumnas after all – he gave in.
"All right, what did I miss? Beside that potion from Severus?"
"Took you three weeks! I have to put it in front of your favourite shaving cream for you to notice!"
"I noticed the bottle right away. I wanted to give you time to approach me with your wish."
"Pah. Do know that I won't be persuaded this time. I want another child, or children even. And for that the Half-blood-upstart has to be brought down for good!"
Lucius had not anticipated this turn of events, but he was leaning towards the same view. As a young man fresh out of Hogwarts the Knights of Walpurgis had sounded just right, the Malfoy heir had not needed much incentive to join. The escalation of violence, culminating in the attempted murder of a child only weeks younger than his own son, had never sat easy with Lucius. And now the years of peace and prosperity had given him a taste for it, rather than the cloak and dagger of the Death Eaters. Plus he did not think that anyone would believe him to be Imperiused a second time.
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
Andromeda looked at her brother-in-law shrewedly.
"I think you would be most suited to find out who, outside of Azkaban, is a true follower of You-know-who. And there is cousin Sirius. I was not practising then, but so far I haven't found any trial transcripts for him. If Dumbledore let him knowingly rot in prison – for I never believed him to be a Death Eater – that would minimize the headmaster's influence. I know for a fact that Sirius would be guardian of Harry Potter now, were he not in Azkaban. As it is now Dumbledore is sacrosanct because he is the only one with access to the boy."
Narcissa kept her eyes down. Contrary to her husband her sister was proficient in the mind arts. She knew very well where Harry Potter, or Peter H. Parker, was at the moment.
Dumbledore had grumbled and griped but Minerva and Poppy supported Severus in his claim that as resident Potions master he would brew emergency potions during the time school was in session but not an all year supply of Pepper-Up and Blemish-Be-Gone. The old man was a bit suspicious but when Severus talked his ear off about a research project he soon agreed to buy these potions rather than tie his youngest professor to the school labs for half the summer. And if the man wanted to spend more time with his Muggle father that was also in favour of the Greater Good because it bound him to the cause more firmly.
Coming home in the second week of July Severus was rather surprised with all the work towards the downfall of the Dark Lord Val and Narcissa had already accomplished. When he took the time to listen to his wife as Grace had grown a lot since Easter and took a lot of her father's attention.
Lucius so far did not know about Severus' family but he had tirelessly sounded out old sympathisers of the Dark Lord while Andromeda Tonks had, under the guise of seeking the Head of the Back family's approval for a marriage contract for her fifteen year old daughter, visited Sirius Black in Azkaban. She had come back with a most astonishing tale and had since worked tirelessly to get her cousin a long-overdue trial. Dumbledore's press coverage began to change in tune.
Val had asked Narcissa numerous questions about the financial system of the wizarding world and had been astonished by the backward ways of financing the wizarding world still employed. She put together a brief of how Gringotts could draw profit from adopting some Muggle methods like credit cards to be used in both worlds, shares and stocks, betting on the goblins being like other bankers and looking for profit first and foremost. The witches planned to use this knowledge to get the wizarding bank to cooperate in draining Voldemort's and the Order's flow of money. Severus advised them against it, fearing that the Goblins would somehow manage to reap all the benefits while doing nothing towards their cause. As the women could not be swayed he pleaded with them to get at least advice from someone more knowledgeable in the ways of the Goblins. More information combined with Lucius' sway with the bank due to the Malfoy's wealth just might make the plan work.
The Potions master presented his plan to draw Filius Flitwick into their confidence to the council of war of Val, Narcissa and Andromeda. His address might have been more intimidating had he not a cooing four-month old Grace in a buttercup yellow onesie grabbing for his nose and hair during his speech. Andromeda vouched for the part-goblin while Narcissa feared that the man might be too grateful to Dumbledore for giving him a teaching job during a time when beings of mixed blood were heavily discriminated. Severus offered his insight that he had never seen his colleague to be overly deferential to the Headmaster, not being afraid to voice different opinions than his boss. Val resolved the argument by reminding them of the possibility of a vow.
Therefor a careful letter was drafted asking the Charms master for a meeting to discuss possible cooperation in Severus' research. A week later the two men were meeting in the "Hungry Hag", a less rowdy pub than the "Leaky Cauldron" despite its name. Flitwick smoothed his moustache after taking a draw from his ale.
"All right, Severus. I may not be as knowledgeable in Potions as I once was but nothing you told Albus about your research warrants a Charms master's expertise. That tells me that either you are pursuing a wholly different avenue of experiments or you want to see me for another reason. From your posture I conclude the second."
Severus smiled wrily.
"You are right on both accounts. I propose however to go somewhere more private that is not Hogwarts. Will you trust me to Side-Along? Once there I would need a vow as well."
"I do, Severus. Let's go."
The Potions master paid for their drinks and the two men went out the backdoor. Severus Apparated his colleague to the outskirts of a village in Yorkshire. Whilst behind some shrubs he demanded a specifically worded oath of Flitwick not to divulge anything he would tell him during the next hour. They made their way to the remotest outdoor table of the village pub. Sev fetched some more drinks and then cast a Muffliato. He proceeded to tell the Charms master everything safe himself being the foster father of Harry Potter. Flitwick listened without interruption and then thought for a long while. Just as Severus' patience was wearing thin he said, "We will need Antonin."
"Dolohov?" a flabbergasted Potions master exclaimed. He had met the Russian born wizard only rarely and hardly knew him, except what he had read about him.
"The very same. He was the most promising pupil I had ever had and was snatched up by Gringotts to train for a curse breaker even before his NEWTs. Unfortunately Voldemort was able to use his disenchantment with British wizarding society's prejudice and narrow-mindedness to draw him in. I believe he joined when he was persecuted for murdering the Prewett twins. A day before they died Antonin had contacted me, as a former duelling champion, about the role a second had in a formal duel. The Lestranges had chosen him while Moody was second for the Prewetts. To this day I believe that Antonin would not murder them. If he had any hand in their deaths it would be self defense. I tried to tell the Aurors this but Albus pressured me to let things lie as he wanted the Weasleys firmly on the side of the Order. To this day I rue my inaction. If Mrs Tonks is now looking for a trial for Sirius Black she can do the same for Antonin without raising suspicion. Antonin was the best curse breaker and wards master the goblins ever employed and he knows more about their way of life and about the rules of the bank than every other wizard alive. They will be grateful to us if we bring back their best man."
"It has been more than seven years. Most inmates lose their minds after two or three years in Azkaban."
"Antonin is an Occlumens as well as an Animagus. He should be sane enough. Whether he is willing to help I cannot say. I personally do not deserve it, I did not protect him enough. But he has a strong moral compass. You might be able to convince him."
"Do you have any sway with the Goblin nation?"
"No, Severus, I do not. They would have accepted me back into the fold after Hogwarts but I was a proud young man then, I wanted to be part of the professional duelling circus. My full goblin cousins viewed that as a betrayal for their way of life. You know that the history between the two races is fraught with injustice towards goblins. Their memory is long and they hold on to their grudges."
"Then Andromeda is who we need. I will put the case before her."
"Severus, you need not fear that I will blab to Albus. I have long since felt that he keeps his cards too close to his chest. I do not want to be uncharitable but I think that the headmaster's stance concerning Slytherins, or Purebloods as a whole even, is inconsistent with the tolerance and the need for unity he preaches otherwise. There are quite a lot of young men like Antonin, and you yourself even, that would not have gone near Voldemort if they had had other options. Albus means well, but I am sure you know about the saying of the road to hell being paved with good intentions."
"I am head of Slytherin, I am fully aware of the problem."
"That you are. Might I share one of my favourite imaginings with you?" At the Potions master's nod Flitwick continued, "I see little Harry Potter sitting on the stool in the Great Hall and the Sorting Hat puts him into Slytherin."
Severus snorted into his beer at this. The two men parted soon after, the younger making a call at the offices of Tonks, Pucey and Greengrass later.
July brought no news, as the Wizengamot was not in session over the summer. The conspirators were busy, though. Lucius had been buying shares of the "Daily Prophet" on the sly and public opinion was slowly changing. Narcissa sat down with genealogies of the Old Families and, after sending quite a few anonymous letters to French and German newspapers, got an article printed in France that detailed the family history of one Thomas Marvolo Riddle. Xenophilus Lovegood re-printed it in the "Quibbler", stating that Blibbering Humdiggers must have confounded the French journalists. But the seed was there and many a follower researched in private. The Dark Lord's ancestry was the hot topic on many a summer ball.
Peter Harrison Parker was enjoying his summer holidays. The new school was fine, but holidays were better now that he had friends, a bike and a family. Initially disappointed that Grace was too small to be of real use in playing he still got that very warm and fuzzy feeling whenever her eyes followed him around the room and when she brabbled at him as if she understood every word.