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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"You're really not angry that the Hat placed me into Gryffindor?" Harriet asked Voldemort one early January evening.

The snow flurried down outside as she sat on the floor with a book open in front of herself while she looked up at her eerie friend.

The Dark Lord sat in the best armchair of the Snapes' cottage while Severus and Lily watched nervously from the sofa.

Upstairs, Ellery slept peacefully as he laid in his bed.

"And why would I be angry with you, little one?" Voldemort asked with a wicked smirk, "That old hat's mistake is no fault of yours, though I will admit that Slytherin is worse off without you in its noble house."

Severus and Lily glanced at each other for a moment as Harriet shrugged, "Draco's there……I suppose it's just as well that I'm not."

"An interesting topic for those older than you." Voldemort said as he gazed down at Harriet, "Leave your parents and I to discuss such matters. In the meantime, perhaps you can use this unfortunate error to a great advantage."

"What do you mean?" Harriet asked with a frown, "I've already made several friends in Gryffindor……Is that the advantage?"

A grin of pure malice cracked across Voldemort's pale lips as a noise between a chuckle and a hiss came from his throat, half from amusement, half from irritation at his favourite child's youthful naivety.

"I hardly think so, little one." Voldemort laughed ominously, "I will only reveal to you this…There is someone who seeks to destroy me, your mother, your father, your brother…..you…..and everything we hold dear….."

Harriet's eyes widened in shock as she listened to Voldemort.

On the sofa, Lily squeezed Severus's hand.

"...W-Who?!" Harriet gasped incredulously.

"The son of a man named James Potter." Voldemort snarled as he coldly sneered at Harriet, "You two share a birth year….I had expected the boy would show himself at the castle with your incoming class. However, thus far, my assumption has been frustratingly incorrect."

"B-But….W-Why would he….Why would anyone want to hurt you?" Harriet frowned innocently at Voldemort.

Lily bit her lip.

Severus let a breathless sigh of agitation escape as he contemplated the veiled innocence of his young daughter.

"That is not for you to understand yet." Voldemort told Harriet with an eerie grin, "Know only that I fully believe our enemy will enter into the wretched house of Godric Gryffindor, when and if he shows his face at Hogwarts…….Don't you see, my dear, sweet Harriet? With you in your current position, you will have a prime opportunity to tell me all about the boy and his doings."

"You……You'd count on me for that?!" Harriet asked as a smile brightened her face.

Lily squeezed Severus's hand as he concentrated on shielding their thoughts from Voldemort's prying mind while the Dark Lord grinned at Harriet and laughed, "Well, of course, I would! You are the most promising witch of your age. I would trust no other besides you with such a monumental task."

Honoured beyond comprehension that her esteemed friend would grant her such a privilege, Harriet leapt to her feet and threw her arms around Voldemort in a grateful hug.

Lily covered her mouth with her free hand as a gasp left her throat.

Severus's dark eyes widened.

Voldemort himself looked taken aback for a moment, but he stiffly accepted his young follower's affectionate show of loyalty as he raised one of his pale hands and patted Harriet's shoulder.

As his hand moved, his long nails slid ominously over the soft fabric of her robes.

Severus felt his anxiety momentarily lessen once Harriet let go a second later.

Although Voldemort detested touch of any kind, he smirked at Severus's daughter, pleased with the look of adoration in her emerald eyes as he nodded, "Go on, little one, leave your parents and I to speak privately while you seek your bed."

Harriet turned to tell Severus and Lily goodnight before she promptly walked up the stairs and retired to her room.

Lily wanted to scream.

Severus pushed aside the urge to frown as he held a stoic expression on his face and asked Voldemort, "In what way may we be of service, my lord?"

"The two of you are doing a fine job." Voldemort replied with an unsettling smile. He glanced at Lily as he nodded, "Laima, you very well may have mothered my most two loyal followers of the next generation…For that, I hold you in the highest regard."

"Thank you…..my lord." Lily said quietly as she respectfully nodded.

"...But Severus!" Voldemort snapped as he turned towards his loyal spy, "Your current position is far too important for me to gamble! I hope you can understand why I've chosen to give the next assignment to someone much more….expendable."

"The next….assignment…..my lord?" Severus asked.

"Tell me, Severus, are you familiar with the old man's possessions? All of his possessions?" Voldemort asked Severus as a dangerous glare crossed his pale face.

"No, my lord, I do not pretend to know each item in Dumbledore's private collection. Although I am aware of several objects in his keep that may hold particular interest." Severus answered honestly.

"Do you realize that the old man possesses the Philosopher's Stone?! One of our most recent victims offered that information before I mercifully sent him to his grave!" Voldemort hissed.

Severus and Lily both blinked.

"No, my lord……I did not realize that, forgive me." Severus quietly replied.

Voldemort sat back in his chair with a dismissive gesture of his pale hand as he scoffed, "A tool I can use for my own protection against the Potter boy….While the search for the wretched child continues, I've brought in a new recruit to secure the stone's capture. You'll be working somewhat closely with him over the next few months, Severus."

"A new recruit, sir?" Severus asked, "...Entrusted with a task of this magnitude? Who can that possibly be?"

"A less than capable wizard who's expressed interest in joining our forces before." Voldemort explained as a malicious grin twisted his face, "I've never had any use for him until now, but given the nature of this particular job, I feel he's finally found a purpose in our regime."

"Who, my lord?" Severus pressed as he narrowed his eyes.

"Quirinus Quirrell." Voldemort smirked, "I've had a few of our contacts assist him with taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. Dumbledore will never suspect that bumbling buffoon! Brilliant idea, eh, Severus?"

Lily smiled sweetly while Severus nodded and held his stoic expression as he replied, "Yes, my lord…..A wonderful idea…..indeed."

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After Voldemort left, while Harriet and Ellery slumbered in their beds, Severus and Lily indulged in a few private moments of tranquil respite as they shared a bath together.

Severus sighed as he let his head rest against the back of the tub while Lily gently washed his black hair.

"I'm not looking forward to the new semester." Severus confessed as his wife's fingers soothingly massaged his scalp.

"You'll manage, Sev……We all will, don't worry." Lily said with a gentle smile as Severus opened his dark eyes to gaze up at her.

"I can't possibly allow Quirrell to acquire the stone." Severus frowned.

"Well, of course not, love." Lily nodded, "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

The water sloshed as Severus moved to sit up.

Lily slid back to let him get close to her until their bodies bumped together as she settled herself in his lap with her breasts smushed against his chest.

Severus leaned in and closed his eyes to capture her lips in a deep kiss as the warm water bobbed around them.

While they took a moment to express their love for each other, Severus and Lily held onto one another as if they were desperate not to become separated.

Kisses soon turned to touches which melted into soft groans before the two lovers guided each other into sublime states of bliss.

An hour later, as Mr. and Mrs. Snape lay down to sleep, Lily sighed with a soft smile on her face as she cuddled onto Severus's shoulder and listened to the strong rhythm of his steady pulse.

Severus glanced down at his darling as he pulled the blankets over them, but as Lily looked up to meet his gaze, her green eyes sparkled softly.

In the silence of their bedroom, Severus bent his head and stole another perfect kiss from his beloved flower's lips.

Their sentimental exchange of affection somehow meant more to the couple than any words could ever express.

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On the first morning after the cessation of Hogwarts' winter break, Severus sat at the Great Hall's High Table, next to his new coworker and accomplice, while Dumbledore stood at the podium as he made the opening announcements.

"I want to welcome you all back to Hogwarts for the second semester of our current academic year." Dumbledore nodded to all of the silent faces that stared at him.

He raised a hand to gesture back towards the castle's newest teacher as he announced, "Also, I want to announce that Professor Quirinus Quirrell will be replacing Professor Merrythought this term as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor. Let's give him a round of welcoming applause, shall we?"

Hogwarts' students and staff obediently clapped as Professor Quirrell rose from his seat and bowed with a nervous smile on his face.

From Gryffindor's table, Harriet frowned even while she joined her classmates in producing the polite noise.

She had no preconceived notions about her newest teacher, but she clearly saw the suspicious scowl on her father's face as his dark glare bore into Quirrell

If Severus distrusted someone, then Harriet felt inclined to do the same.