Surprise
Severus had returned to Hogwarts along with Lily, Twinkle and the newest addition to the family, the small black kitten that had been dubbed Xander. Sure Severus still had reservations about keeping his teaching post even once they were back in their dungeon quarters, but Lily had insisted it was fine, that she just had to make it through the next year and then she would be allowed to be around kids her own age. Something that surprised Severus. All due to how his daughter was oddly strong despite her only being ten years old. So during the week before the term started, he had gone to the staff meetings only for Filius, Pomona, and Minerva to start an interesting topic of discussion.
"So Severus." Filius said as he was sitting on a few books that he had placed on his seat so he could see over the table and easily take part in the discussions that had taken part during the meeting that had ended only moments before.
"Yes?" Severus asked as he had hoped his colleagues would not hold him up due to how Lily had been alone for the whole day and he had promised he would be back in their quarters to eat dinner with her and to spend time with her before and after.
"Which house do you think your daughter will be in next year?" Filius asked with a smile due to how he had not seen much of Lily but he had at times apparently asked Tonks about the child to find out how things were going. "She seems to be a sure one for Ravenclaw next term." He said as he chuckled even more so when the dark haired younger professor gave him a startled look. Though before Severus could speak, Minerva put in her own opinion.
"She could also easily end up in my house. From what I have seen the child seldom fears very much." Minerva said as she had her usual stern look on her face as she thought that it was amusing how she was not the only one out of the four heads who had wondered at least on occasion where the daughter of Severus would be sorted to.
At that point Severus shook his head. "I highly doubt that my daughter will be in Gryffindor, Minerva." He said with a slight smirk. Before the head of Gryffindor house could say anything back, the head of Hufflepuff house, Pomona, spoke up.
"I think she is a sure one for my house." Pomona said with a smile towards her colleagues. "She seems to be one from what I have seen and heard to be a perfect fit." She said as Severus brought his face down into his palm and shook his head.
Truth be told he had no idea which house his daughter would be going to. He found he did not care because of how no matter the house she got into, he just wanted her to be happy and not have to go through anything due to her condition. Though he knew full well that it may lead to trouble. Sure he knew the old fool, Dumbledore, had at one point hinted that he thought Lily would be too dangerous to be in the general public of the school with other students. Something that Severus was determined to prove wrong. For if there was one thing he knew without a doubt, it was that his daughter was a gentle child.
With that thought Severus stood from the table, having gathered his things as he spoke. "As much as I would like to stay and continue to debate on which house my daughter will be in next term, I must get going." Severus said only for Filius to stand on his stack of books and reach into his cloak.
"One moment, Severus." The tiny professor said as he seemed to dig in his pocket for something before pulling out a large bag from inside his cloak. "Can you take this to Lily? I thought that since Miss Tonks told me that your daughter loves to read that she might enjoy some of these." He said with a smile as Severus sighed and went to take the bag from the tiny professor.
"I had hoped to get her to not read as much this year because at the rate she is going she will want to read course books designated to prepare one for their O.W.L. exams." He said but he took the bag only for in that moment two more stacks of books to be presented to him. "Did you all not hear what I just said?!" Severus asked in a slightly frazzled tone but even with him trying to turn down the other two stacks of books, he ended up shrinking them with a simple charm and tucking them away promising to give them to his daughter to read.
'They do not listen!' Severus thought in frustration as he walked out of the staff room where they had all been. 'At this rate, Lily will be able to graduate by the end of her third or fourth year if it were allowed.' He thought to himself thinking that the other professors had wanted to give Lily books on their specific subjects in order to try and draw her interest to those classes instead of potions, where Lily seemed to excel. Even with the other professors claiming it was because she was the daughter of the Potions Master and how that was the subject that did not require as much magic or a wand like so many other of the classes.
Forcing that from his mind, Severus continued down the corridor soon getting to the Entrance Hall and then making his way to the dungeons. 'Just one more year of Lily being locked away down in these dungeons.' He thought to himself as he was hopeful that would be the case. His daughter deserved so much more than what he was able to give her at the moment.
Not long after he had entered the dungeons he found himself approaching the secret entrance to his quarters as he did not even stop, not even to utter the password as the portrait opened revealing the door as he walked through it to find Lily sitting on the couch with Xander curled up beside her purring. At least until he closed the door drawing the attention of the two.
"Welcome home, dad!" Lily said as she jumped up and rushed over only to throw herself against Severus in a hug. "The meeting wasn't too boring was it?" Lily asked as she knew at times her father found the staff meetings to be boring. However, that was not the only reason she was acting overly cheerful. Part of it was because since the morning of her birthday she kept seeing the hooded figure wherever she was. No matter how she ignored it or even when she was alone repeating over and over that they were not really there, the figure never went away.
While Severus did not know about the figure due to how Lily had not brought the figure up in a few weeks, he thought she was just being overly happy to hide that she was starting to grow weak again very slowly. 'Right after the first of the term, she will fall ill due to the wolf in her…' he thought only to return her hug for a brief moment before smiling down at her. "Actually after the meeting was very interesting." He said as Lily looked up giving him a curious look. "Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout were discussing with house they think you will go into next term." He said as Lily tilted her head to the side.
Sure she knew of the four different houses, but she had never once given it any thought on which house she would be going into. "And each of them thinks I will be in their house?" she asked as Severus nodded. "Though I don't think I could end up in your house." Lily said in a sad tone. "Because of how I do not wish to have power, I just want to live a happy and peaceful life." She said hugging Severus again for all she was worth. "And to always be with you, dad."
/
The first of September had come, and the Weasley family along with Harry had taken the elder children, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, to Kings Cross Station so that they could leave for the start of the new term. Harry had actually had a plan in place with Fred and George that even Charlie had been in on, to sneak him onto the train and to Hogwarts so that he could see Lily. However, Percy and Ron ratted them out so that Harry was not allowed to sneak on.
So now he sat out in the garden fuming. All due to how Mrs. Weasley kept insisting that he try to get along with Ron, only for Harry to declare he would rather eat dirt than to be friends with the youngest boy of the Weasley family. More so since Ron still kept saying his views of Lily when he had never met her, saying she would surely become a dark witch because she was being raised by someone like Severus.
'He knows nothing!' Harry thought venomously. Though as the sun began to set, Harry looked toward the horizon knowing that any time now, the elder Weasley children would be reaching Hogwarts. 'I have to get out of here, and back to Lily and Severus.' Harry thought as he knew he had to risk sending a letter since it was the only way he could try to communicate. All due to how each time he had tried any other method, the Weasley's had stopped him.
"Harry?" a voice called as he turned to see the youngest Weasley, Ginny. She was the only one in the house at the moment that he felt any connection toward. Sure at first she had been really shy around him but in the last two years she had gotten more used to him.
"Yeah, Gin?" he asked since he had taken to calling her that instead of her full name, more so when it was just the two of them. An occurrence that seemed more common in recent months. Not that Harry minded in the slightest. All due to how it meant that he could use her to excuse himself from being around the others who he despised to an extent. But none of the children had earned his hatred more than Percy and Ron.
Ginny walked over and sat down on the bench beside Harry looking toward the horizon as it had turned to a deep hue of red and orange. Something that made it almost look as though it were on fire. "You are thinking about her again, aren't you?" Ginny asked looking away from the sky that was matching her long flaming red hair as her bright brown eyes were on Harry.
"Yes, because I can't shake this feeling that something is about to happen to her." He said shaking his head. "It is the same feeling I have been getting since her birthday." He said shaking his head after a moment.
"Why not write to her?"
"I tried that…hundreds of times but your parents always find out and confiscate the letter." He said he hung his head. "I just feel like there is something I have to do, to insure that she remains as she is, and safe." He said as he actually did not understand the feelings he had at the moment.
"Then write one, address it to Charlie, ask him to get it to Professor Snape." Ginny said as Harry looked at her in shock before throwing his arms around her pulling her close into a near bone crushing hug.
"Thanks, Gin!" Harry whispered with an urgent tone and with extreme relief. "You are a life saver!" he said before he let go of her only to stand and race back toward the house to head to the room he was staying in. Since the twins were at Hogwarts, to avoid any more fights, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had moved him into their room until the holiday. Once in the room Harry raced over to the bed as he knelt beside it only to dig out some parchment along with his quill and ink, and even a book to allow himself a hard surface to write on.
/
Severus had reluctantly gone to teach his classes during the first week of the term, all due to how Lily was steadily getting worse until it was to the point she was bedridden even with her being given the wolfsbane potion. 'It does not seem to help near as well since she gets worse with each full moon. Though on the morning of the fifth, shortly after breakfast, he had seventh years for his first class of potions. So he had instructed them on how they would be working on the Polyjuice Potion, one that would be a month long project for them before they could test it to see if it was done properly. Once he had finished explaining the properties of the potion and stating that their homework was to research the potion and be ready to start the first step at the next class session, it was time to dismiss them. So he had gone to leave the classroom since he had a free period to go check on his daughter, only for a certain red headed seventh year to approach him.
"Professor Snape!" a voice called as Severus stopped and looked back to see that it was the eldest Weasley enrolled in Hogwarts at the moment. Charlie. He looked every bit a Weasley except unlike his other siblings in the school, he was not tall or lanky like the others were in their own right, he was the opposite.
"What is it, Mr. Weasley? I have pressing matters to tend to." Severus said in a low tone since he did not appreciate being held up when he was wishing to get to his daughter.
"I have something that Harry asked me to give to you." Charlie said reaching into his cloak only to pull out a folded up piece of parchment. "It came with a letter he sent to me with a request that I give it to you, sir." Charlie said as he held out the parchment as Severus took it. "He said it is a letter for Lily." Charlie said not expecting the shocked look he received from his professor before the older man regained his composure.
"Thank you. I will give it to her." Severus said turning on his heel and rushing from the room toward his quarters as he got there uttering the password in a whisper before he walked through the door behind the portrait. Before he could go very far into the room there was a faint pop to his right as he glanced to see that it was a terrified looking Twinkle. "What happened?" he asked since he had never seen her look more shook up than the memory he had seen of when her former master had given her clothes trying to separate her from the child she cared for.
"It is Mistress!" Twinkle cried in a frantic tone. "She was screaming in pain. Twinkle was doing as Master commanded but she got worse."
By the time Twinkle finished, Severus was rushing across the living room to the hallway that led to his daughter's room as he rushed into see she was laying on her bed, deathly still. All color gone from her skin. Severus began to fear that the strain had been too much for her small body but that was proven to not be the case when he saw the hesitant shuttering rise and fall of her chest. 'She is getting worse with each passing month…' he thought as it seemed that the wolf in her was fighting harder than ever to come out. "Twinkle." Severus said knowing the small elf had followed him to his daughter's room. "Watch her for a moment, I am going to go and put up a notice that classes for the rest of the week are canceled." He said as he turned and raced from his quarters back to the classroom only to do a simple spell to place a sign on the door saying that class was canceled until the following Monday.
/
For the next two days, Severus refused to sleep or leave his daughter's side besides when absolutely necessary, but even then it was brief. As even when he ate, Twinkle would bring his meals to Lily's room without question to allow him to stay with his child. Though by Friday morning, Lily was starting to slowly recover from the whole ordeal, as she even started to weakly insist that her dad not worry about her that she would be fine.
"Lily, this time Twinkle and I thought we were going to lose you." He admitted as he was holding his daughters small hand clutched between both of his hands as he sat beside her bed.
Lily gave her father a sad look and shook her head. "It won't, because I won't let it. That way you are never left alone." She said as Severus shifted and lifted Lily up ever so slightly pulling her into a hug.
"I will always be here for you." He whispered as he remembered he had something for her as he leaned back only to let Lily lay back down as she looked at him with a confused look as he reached over to her night stand and opened the door on it only to pull out a piece of folded parchment. "This was given to me by the eldest Weasley on Wednesday." He said unfolding it. "It is a letter from Harry." He said as he saw a light return to his daughter's eyes. Holding the letter so she could see it as well to know that it was actually from Harry as he read it aloud to her.
Lily,
I hope that you are doing okay. For some reason since the date of your tenth birthday I have been having an odd feeling that something is wrong. I wish I was there with you and Severus to help make sure you are safe! I even tried to stow away on the Hogwarts Express to try and get there to see you. Sadly, I got caught before I could even board the train. Though I am sure had I actually managed it that I would have been sent back to this place. The only good thing right now is the youngest Weasley, Ginny, is actually nice.
But it doesn't make things any better with how the Weasley that is our age is nothing but a prat! I wish they would let me visit you and Severus! I miss both of you! Is there any way for Severus to try and arrange to retake custody of me as my legal guardian like he did when we were five? I am going insane in this place with how they keep saying that there is no way because of how Severus is a bad man which I know he isn't!
If nothing changes, I may just go through the Floo Network this summer just to see you and Severus. Especially for your birthday since I have missed the last two now and I feel horrible for that, more so since the last memory of you I have isn't of your smile. But instead of you screaming and crying my name when I was taken away from you and Severus.
I cannot wait to see you! Please say it is okay with you and Severus if I slip away and visit on your next birthday at the latest! I would really like to visit for Christmas but I doubt I will be able to get away then. If you send a response, please send it through Charlie and I think we will be able to communicate with one another, even if only this way. Oh and I hope that mean boy, Levi Lupin, is leaving you alone! Charlie, Fred and George only said that they see him in the common room hanging around Percy, but that they never see you around the castle anymore. What is going on?!
Harry
As Severus finished reading the letter aloud, he could not help but wonder if the boy's mind had been going all over the place with how the letter seemed to skip around a little. He was tempted to write a letter himself, but that thought was discarded the moment he glanced over and saw that Lily had tears in her eyes while looking at the letter. 'I thought so…the seeds have been planted and the two deeply care for one another…' he thought as he knew that would make his life hell in a matter of years because he had seen how Draco looked at his daughter.
"Why don't you write a letter back to him once you are a little better and I will hand it off to the eldest Weasley to have it sent to Harry." Severus asked as Lily nodded, reaching up to wipe away the tears from her eyes.
/
By Sunday, Lily was recovered enough to write her letter. She knew her father was busy figuring out the schedule for what all his classes would be doing and how to handle a few of the classes being missed because of how by mid-week he had canceled them until Monday. So once she was done she looked over the letter to be sure it came out okay.
Harry,
I wish you were here too! So much has happened, some of it I cannot even begin to explain. Where I tried to send you a letter before the end of the term two years ago right after you were taken but someone posing as a professor approached me. It is weird, I can only remember bits and pieces of what happened but since then dad has been stressing for me to be more careful about who I am around.
And to answer what you asked with Levi Lupin, I have not even seen him in the last year. All due to how last term Dumbledore ordered father to keep me locked up in our dungeon quarters. So I can't even see my new friend Tonks who is in her final term here. But dad is doing his best to try and make my time locked away not as bad. For my last birthday he got me a black kitten that I named Xander. I will have to show him to you when I get to see you even if it is from when you have to sneak away from those people.
I would love for you to be able to come to my next birthday! Only thing is that you wouldn't be able to stay by that evening you would have to go back to the ones that are taking care of you now. I cannot say why, just that it would be for the best. If you are not able to, I will get to see you when we start school next September. Something that I am eagerly counting down the days until because of how as said at times I feel like I am a prisoner while we are here at Hogwarts. More so when dad took me down to Hogsmeade last term to spend the day with Tonks, Dumbledore tried to stop us insisting that my dad take me back to the dungeons.
Lily
As Lily looked over the letter one final time, she smiled finding it to be good as she folded it up only to put it on her nightstand as she laid back down to rest. All due to how she was still recovering her strength from the full moon that had passed earlier in the past week.
A/N: Well here is the new chapter. I have been having odd bouts of extreme muse, only thing is that my work schedule keeps me from being able to write as much as I would like to. Though I am hoping to be able to do updates fairly often from here on out. I am aiming to write at least one chapter ahead on all of my stories or on ones that my muse is motivated by at the moment before I do updates. That way should I be slow finishing the new chapters, I can still post updates for when I am slow with being able to write. I want to dedicate this chapter to IvaCat2439 for reviewing the last chapter and following this story. I hope you like a little part of this chapter I put in for you with what you mentioned in your review of the last chapter. I also want to thank everyone who has read, favorited, and followed this story. Until the next chapter!