Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Lily didn't think twice about Narcissa's jealousy.
Anyone could be as envious of her relationship with Severus as they chose to be, but nothing could take Professor Snape's attention off of his darling flower.
………...And Lily's condition only amplified his affections.
Through the hormones, the aches, the pains, the joys, and the fears that came with pregnancy, Severus was by his wife's side, as completely devoted to her every breath as he had been during the months that she had carried Harriet.
By the time that Lily finished her second trimester, both her and Severus, along with little Harriet, were anxious to meet the new life that would soon join them.
It was Severus's great pleasure to be a constant, soothing comfort to his wife.
He waited on Lily hand and foot, rubbed her belly, massaged her back, and kissed her heavy breasts, which often led to his tongue finding her sensitive nipples….
It amazed Lily how much patience her husband displayed.
She never once saw Severus visibly show that he was frustrated, annoyed, or angered by looking after her or Harriet.
Lily never saw Severus show those emotions because truthfully, he never felt any of those things.
Severus Snape was genuinely joyful to be needed by his little family.
In the middle of a chilly night, Severus found himself walking quickly down the lonely, abandoned street of Diagon Alley as he headed towards the only shop with a light still burning in its window.
Severus reached the door to the shop and pushed it open as he heard the bells attached around the handle chime to announce his arrival.
Ring, Ring.
"Hello, sir." A pleasant, elderly shop clerk greeted him, "Welcome to Nocturnal Nook. How can I help you this fine evening?"
The unforgiving wind that blew outside made the night anything but a fine evening.
Nocturnal Nook was a small market that sold a variety of food, snacks, trinkets, and basic magical supplies.
It wasn't all that different from a muggle sundry shop or a convenience store.
Similar to such establishments, Nocturnal Nook continued to operate during the hours after the other shops in the wizarding world had closed.
Prices on the shop's items were high, but so was customer gratification.
As Severus spoke to the clerk, the moon shone high in the sky as its silver rays gleamed through the store's window.
"I need three chocolate frogs, two spicy gonzko sticks, and a box of pistachio macaroons." Severus nodded at the clerk.
The clerk asked no questions as he gathered the odd assortment of items that Severus requested, placed them all in a small bag, and nodded at his lone customer, "Ten Galleons, sir."
Severus slipped a small velvet pouch out of his pocket, paid for his order, and swept out of the shop with the bag of goods in his hand.
He could have purchased the same items for five Galleons if he had bought them after sunrise at other stores, but Lily needed those things right then, at exactly four in the morning.
An expectant mother's cravings couldn't wait.
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Severus fought off his tiredness to bask in the grateful glow of Lily's smile as she sat up in bed a few moments later while she happily devoured the treats that her husband had brought her.
Severus watched her crimson hair spill over her shoulder as she greedily gobbled down the chocolate frogs and spicy gonzko sticks.
He tried to keep his dark eyes from wandering down to the swells of her breasts but that was difficult to do when their tempting peaks poked through her nightgown to cruelly tease him.
"Thank you so much, Sev." Lily sighed as she finished the last of her macaroons, "You have no idea how-Oh!"
Lily's emerald eyes widened as her hand flew to her side.
"What's the matter?" Severus asked urgently as his brow furrowed in concern, "Lily!...What's wrong?"
Lily blew out a happy breath in a gasp of joy as she smiled at Severus, grabbed his hand, and placed it on her rounded belly.
He frowned as he felt the torrent of motion that came from within and landed underneath his fingers.
"I think someone else is grateful to Daddy too!" Lily laughed as she laid her hand over Severus's.
His black eyes softened before they drifted from her face down to her belly as he stared in awed wonder at the swell.
Severus couldn't fathom the amazing feeling of his son or daughter moving.
As close as he had become to Harriet since her birth, he had never kept his hands on Lily's belly during her first pregnancy for obvious reasons.
However, as she carried his biological child, that was where Severus constantly wanted his hands to be……..on her womb.
Lily tasted of chocolate and pistachio as Severus bent forward and kissed her lips.
His hands stayed protectively on her belly while she wrapped her arms around him as they enjoyed a cozy, private moment together.
Mr. and Mrs. Snape had been delighted to survive the war, free to live their lives and share the coming years with their growing family.
Severus was incredibly gentle with Lily while he made love to her, there in the middle of their bed, with the food wrappers still on the blankets until they were tossed onto the floor by the amorous couples' motions
His hands, his mouth, his manhood, Severus used his entire body to convey his enduring love for Lily as he held her in his arms.
She barely comprehended it, that feeling of trust and vulnerability that she could only give to Severus as she laid there on the bed in eager acceptance of her husband's deep kisses and tender touches.
Her pleasure was increased by the physical changes in her body, but her bliss was doubled by the fact that it was ultimately an expression of true love.
As morning came, Lily slept curled on her side while Severus slumbered with his face smushed into her breasts.
His arms stayed wrapped around what they could reach of her hips and belly, like a dragon protecting its treasure.
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While the last chill of fading winter began to dissipate into the welcoming warmth of spring, Severus found himself called to an event he had no desire to participate in…...a Death Eater meeting.
Severus arrived with his usual stoic frown on his face, in the middle of Malfoy Manor's foyer, ready to face whatever awaited him.
Lucius and Yaxley were the only other people in the room and that put Severus's mind at ease.
Perhaps his comrades wanted to discuss something simple or trade gossip about how they may liberate someone from Azkaban.
If their meeting was quick enough, Severus could make it home in time to read Harriet a story before she went to sleep.
He would cuddle Lily and then they would-
"I have great news to share with you, my friends!" Yaxley declared with a grin that seemed too gleeful for Severus's comfort.
"Do tell us, Yaxley." Lucius said as he regarded his excited ally with a steely gaze, "Severus and I can hardly wait to hear."
"The Dark Lord lives!" Yaxley proudly proclaimed.
Severus's mouth fell open as his heart slid into the soles of his feet.
Lucius narrowed his grey eyes incredulously, but Yaxley went on with his claim, "He's weak, but he lives! The one we serve has far too much power to be destroyed by a babe, let alone a filthy half-blood!"
"If what you say is true, Yaxley, then where is he?" Lucius snapped.
"I've heard that he's sought respite deep in the forests of Albania…..He's exiled for now, until he gets his strength back, but don't you two understand?!" Yaxley exclaimed. His yellowed teeth seemed as horrifying as his wild eyes while he cried, "The Dark Lord will return!"
As Yaxley pressed his hands to his eyes and laughed, Severus and Lucius exchanged nervous glances.
Severus didn't expect to see it, but it was obviously visible…….the look of mortal dread that marred Lucius Malfoy's handsome face.
It made Severus feel less alone to know that ultimately, he wasn't the only one who regretted joining forces with Voldemort.
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An hour later, Severus got his wish.
His meeting had swiftly concluded after Yaxley had no other news to share.
Severus sat in the rocking chair beside of Harriet's little bed, with her snuggled against his chest as he read to her from her favourite book:
One crow flew across the lane
Two icicles frosted the pane
An eagle came to break the glass
But the wizard's spell was surely cast
Severus turned the page when he noticed a soft sound.
He glanced down at Harriet and frowned when he realized that she had already fallen asleep.
Severus set the book down on a nearby table and looked at her for a long moment, the child whom he had taken in as his own daughter.
Harriet Potter, no, Harriet Snape.
As Harriet kicked her little foot while she tumbled through her dreams, Severus carefully brushed a wisp of her hair away from her face, her tiny face, so young and innocent.
A child, she was only a child.
His frown deepened as he contemplated the unavoidable trials and battles that Harriet would face.
Severus silently hoped that Voldemort would remain weak and fragile until she reached adulthood.
Perhaps by then, he could find a better way to hide them all, or at least, prepare Harriet for what she would inevitably have to do.
Severus wrapped his arms around his little girl and let his black robes fold over her in a protective embrace akin to that of a father bat's wings.
He thought to himself as he felt her little heart beat under his palms…...
"Sev……….?" A voice whispered out.
Severus almost started and woke Harriet as he turned to see Lily standing in the doorway.
The tie of her night robe had been fastened in a bow on top of her belly, which to him, made her rounded womb seem like a wrapped gift.
"Are you coming to bed, love?" Lily asked tiredly as she placed a hand on her lower back, "You've been in here for over an hour…….She's asleep, you know."
"I can't have been here that long…..." Severus replied as he blinked at Lily incredulously.
"It's nearly eleven, Sev." Lily yawned as she covered her mouth with a hand.
The time shocked him.
Severus stood to his feet without another word, frightened that he would wake Harriet.
He glided over and placed her down in her little bed as he frowned at her in sympathy.
Lily didn't yet understand why his brow was creased with worry as they turned out the lamp in Harriet's nursery and left the room together.
Severus took a new vow that night.
Protecting his family wasn't going to be enough, as strong as his desire was to eliminate the threat of the Dark Lord on his own, he was not the child of the prophecy.
When the time came, Severus would teach his little girl how to fight.
A different last name, a different father, a different home, none of that had changed Harriet Potter's destiny.
Harriet Potter, or Harriet Snape, was the Chosen One and one day, she would have to live up to her title.