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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As the second year of Harriet's Hogwarts education began, Severus kept a close watch on his daughter.

Throughout her school day and Quidditch matches, Severus prided himself on having a decent idea about her usual activities.

He did not realize that most evenings, Harriet retired to her dormitory room early and wrote to her new pen pal.

It had surprised her when she had first found the diary and used a single line on one of its blank pages, only to have her handwriting erased and replaced with words scrawled on the page by a quill she could not see, from a person she did not know.

Harriet had not yet learned Tom Marvolo Riddle's real identity.

As her second year progressed, she knew him only as a thoughtful, funny boy trapped in a diary from long ago.

She laughed when he amused her during their writing sessions as they sent messages to and from each other.

She pitied him for his tragic past, an orphan, cast out alone into the world.

Harriet couldn't interpret Tom Riddle's emotions much beyond whatever clues he gave in his written replies, but most evenings after they wrote to each other, she went to bed with a pleasant smile on her face.

It was Harriet's whimsical dream that Tom Riddle would one day, somehow, join her and her friends at Hogwarts.

She fantasized about the laughter they would share together, side by side, and the adventures in which they would partake.

In her mind, she wondered what Tom looked like?

Was he black-headed?

Blonde?

…..Or did he have red hair like Ron?

She attempted to not entertain her musings beyond those few minutes that elapsed each night between when she laid down and when she drifted off to sleep.

It was no use in wishing for it to be true.

In the diary, Tom had made it very clear to Harriet that he could not be where she was, not without some help, at least…..

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After Harriet finished her dinner in the Great Hall one evening, instead of joining Ron and Hermione on one of the Gryffindor Common Room's plush, red sofas, she ascended the tower's staircase and marched into her dormitory room.

The hour was far too early for any of her roommates to join her.

Knowing that she had quite a while to converse with her new friend in peace, Harriet smiled in eager anticipation as she took the black diary out of her trunk, picked up a quill, and hurriedly began to write.

Hello, Tom

It's been a long day, but I'm glad I'm finally able to write you tonight.

Harriet tapped her foot on the floor as she waited impatiently for her words to disappear.

Slowly, her handwriting vanished from the page before new words of shiny, black ink appeared.

Good evening, Harriet Snape

What a pleasure it is to hear from you once more.

I'll gladly spend hours with you through the pages of this old book, if you'll allow it.

Harriet smiled as the next line appeared before her eyes:

Though it remains my greatest hope that one day, you and I may discover a way to meet in person.

Harriet's eyes widened as she sighed softly while she waited for the letters to fade away, pressed the quill to the paper, and began to pen her response.

Downstairs, Ron and Hermione frowned as they paused in their separate conversations with their classmates to speak to each other.

"Where did Harriet run off to?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno." Ron shrugged, "She does that all the time now."

Hermione narrowed her eyes as she glanced towards the stone steps of Gryffindor Tower and mused, "That's what bothers me, Ron….."

Ron mirrored her expression as he followed Hermione's gaze and pondered her solemn words.

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Severus stared at Dumbledore with his brow furrowed and his mouth open in shock.

"Don't be alarmed, Severus. Rest assured that I'm keeping my eye on the girl." Dumbledore blinked as he stared at his employee from behind his desk while they spoke privately in his office.

Severus let out a deep breath as he struggled to quell his anger at his leader's perceived negligence.

"Headmaster…." Severus began.

"You do trust me, don't you, Severus?" Dumbledore blinked, "Have I not stayed true to my word?"

"Headmaster……" Severus repeated, "Do not mistake me for rude or doubtful, but I must express my concern……You believe that Harriet possesses Tom Riddle's diary, a known Horcrux of the Dark Lord……in which he may possibly communicate or manipulate any amount of dark magic he sees fit and your only response is to……allow her…..to keep it amongst her belongings?"

"For several reasons, Severus…" Dumbledore nodded, "I believe that is currently our best course of action. You've mentioned many times before that Tom favors the girl. Suppose his younger self opens up to her and leads her to the Chamber…..we may gain a very real advantage in that instance."

"Is it not possible to destroy the diary now?" Severus brooded.

"Not without raising suspicion." Dumbledore shrugged, "And perhaps, not without losing whatever vital information Tom may very well reveal about himself."

"So you're willing to purposely put my daughter in danger?!" Severus snapped.

Dumbledore's eyes were as cold as his voice as he met his guest's gaze and stated, "Now, now, Severus…….She's not really your daughter, is she?"

A dark scowl crossed Severus's pale face as he glared at Dumbledore.

"With all due respect, headmaster, all legal records state otherwise….I humbly beg you to remember that." Severus snapped before he turned on his heel and swiftly took his leave of his true commander's office.

Severus felt an unusually strong current of rage as he stalked down the stone corridor with his long, black robes trailing behind himself.

He felt glad to be useful, to fight for the greater good, to protect Lily, Harriet, and Ellery, but as the years went on, Dumbledore began to irritate him more and more.

Severus had noticed a disturbing trend.

Its horror had kept him up at night more than once as he considered how the situation may possibly evolve in the future…..

As Harriet grew older, Dumbledore seemed to become more willing to risk her safety.

Severus understood he couldn't protect his darling forever, the day would come when she would recognize Voldemort as her true enemy.

Soon after, her ultimate battle would begin.

However, until that time arrived, Severus saw no reason to jeopardize Harriet's health and happiness.

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Later that evening, Lily regarded him with a worried frown after he related what he had learned that day.

"Forgive me, my love, if what I've said upsets you." Severus spoke in a voice barely above a whisper as he sat beside her on their bed.

Ellery slept in his room down the hallway, unaware of the grave truth that Severus had just revealed.

"N-No, Sev……" Lily said after a moment as she raised a hand and tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear, "I-I mean, yes, of course it upsets me, but I'm glad you mentioned it."

Severus frowned at his wife as he gazed at her worried expression and contemplated whether or not he had indeed made the wrong decision.

"Lily……" He spoke in a low whisper while he reached out and grasped her hand, "Although Tom Riddle's diary is with Harriet now, I'll be monitoring her closely. Don't fret, Dumbledore is watching as well."

"But….." Lily sighed as she glanced up at Severus, "You said Lucius was given a special mission! You told me he was supposed to deliver that diary to…to….someone you could help! You said Voldemort wanted to open the Chamber of Secrets and….and……!"

Tears clouded Lily's emerald eyes as she lamented what she feared would be her daughter's eventual fate.

"And the Dark Lord is changing his plans……..Though it does frighten me to think how Lucius may end up paying for his mistake." Severus said as he took Lily into his arms and let her lay her head on his chest.

"What do you mean he's changing his plans?" Lily asked.

Severus kissed Lily's forehead as he nuzzled her and spoke, "The Dark Lord sought a victim to control, someone he could use to open the Chamber, free the Basilisk, and use the slaughter he would wreak upon the castle to free the piece of himself locked away there…..Now that Harriet has his diary, for the time being, he's revealed to me that he's content to let his past self….cultivate…..a bond….with her."

"A bond?" Lily asked Severus as she sat up and scowled.

"The Dark Lord informed me that his school age self and Harriet are fast becoming the best of friends." Severus explained.

Lily's brow furrowed as she let out a weighty sigh of worried consternation.

"My love…." Severus began as he squeezed her hand and frowned, "The Dark Lord seeks to use this new development to his advantage. While Dumbledore is content to watch the situation unfold, I think that we should follow Voldemort's example and utilize every available resource so that these….interactions…..Harriet is engaging in…..may one day assist in her victory."

Lily laughed mirthlessly as she asked, "And how are we supposed to do that? Do you have any ideas, Sev?"

"I have quite a few, yes." Severus replied in a voice barely above a whisper.

A grin of eager relief spread across Lily's face as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

Severus made a noise in his throat somewhere between a sigh and a groan as he reached out and pulled Lily close for a deep, passionate kiss.

They murmured to each other in the dark privacy of their room while they rocked back and forth, kissing and touching as they coupled on their bed.

Lily lay peacefully in Severus's arms afterwards.

She sighed as she closed her eyes and listened to the strong, steady rhythm of his beating heart.

Mrs. Snape found comfort there in Severus's embrace, knowing full well that she could depend on him, confide in him, and look to him for protection.

Severus stared up at the ceiling as he held Lily tightly in his possessive embrace.

Lily, Harriet, Ellery, all safe and guarded, that was his goal and that would be his outcome.

Severus Snape never broke his promises, especially not to his darling flower.