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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Harriet raced out of the castle with Ron and Hermione following closely behind as the Golden Trio scurried down to Hagrid's hut.
As soon as Harriet knocked on the door and heard no response, she nodded at her friends and said, "Right…..come on, then, Hagrid said it's alright if I feed him when he's away."
Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances as Harriet boldly opened the door to Hagrid's hut and stepped inside the gamekeeper's humble house.
Having visited Hagrid many times before, the Golden Trio knew their way around his home quite well, but it was Harriet who deliberately marched over to the small cage close to the hearth and crouched next to it.
Ron and Hermione followed her lead as they knelt at her sides and gazed at the small, red and yellow snake inside.
"Hello," Harriet hissed to Anuman in Parseltongue, "These are my friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They wanted to meet you."
"Why?" Anuman hissed back.
"Because that's what friends do." Harriet answered.
Hermione's amber eyes flickered warily from Harriet to the snake.
An expression of awe came across Ron's face as he watched their conversation and exclaimed, "Wicked!"
"What's it saying?" Hermione asked Harriet.
"He." Harriet corrected.
"Sorry." Hermione said quickly, "What's he saying?"
"He's asking questions." Harriet said with a smile as she gazed down at Anuman, "He usually does ask loads of questions."
Harriet was considerate enough not to impose on Hagrid or bother Anuman for too long.
A few moments later, she led Ron and Hermione out of Hagrid's Hut and back to the castle.
As they walked up the stone steps, they chatted with each other excitedly.
"It's really something to watch you speak Parseltongue!" Ron told Harriet, "I've never heard someone do it before!"
Harriet smiled proudly but Hermione frowned as she said, "The poor thing still looks rather bad."
"His injuries are much better than they were!" Harriet reassured her friend, "He's making progress every day."
"What are you going to do with him?" Ron asked.
"...What?" Harriet blinked.
"When he gets better……bigger." Ron shrugged, "You said Hagrid can't keep him and your parents won't let you have a snake……So what are you going to do with him?"
Harriet shook her head as she replied, "They might take him back to where he came from…If not, I'll……I'll probably just ask my parents' friend for help. He has a huge pet snake, you know, he'll understand."
"How huge?" Ron asked.
"HUGE." Harriet said as she widened her eyes for emphasis.
As they finished their walk, Harriet informed both of her friends in great detail about Nagini, although she omitted the name of the snake and her keeper.
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Mornings at the Snape family's home had become very different since Ellery had started attending Hogwarts.
Severus and Lily found themselves trapped between wistful longing and relieved bliss as they both lamented and enjoyed those extra moments of total privacy that had come to them each day.
One morning in October, Lily served herself and her husband breakfast as Severus scowled at the newspaper clutched firmly in his elegant hands.
Lily noticed the look of resolute concentration on his face before she asked, "Sweetheart…..what's the matter?"
Severus started as if her voice had called him out of a waking nightmare before his black eyes flickered up to her as he cleared his throat.
"I'm not fond of the day's main article." He cryptically replied.
"Oh?" Lily blinked, "...And why's that?"
"Do you remember, shortly after Potter's death….that they sent Sirius Black to Azkaban?" Severus asked.
"Well, of course I remember." Lily chuckled mirthlessly, "He deserved it for selling James out like he did, I heard Remus was devastated. That's very sad, but that's why your life and our daughter's were gambled that night. That's the real tragedy."
"I completely agree, my love….However...It seems that your old friend may not be finished with his wickedness yet." Severus scoffed.
"Sev….." Lily huffed as she stared at her husband.
Severus glanced up from his newspaper with a frown.
"They were all much more James's friends than mine." She scowled as her bright, green eyes bore into him, "Have you forgotten who stood in my corner when James left me, alone and abandoned, pregnant with Harriet?...Who was there when he tried to take everything from me?"
Severus's frown deepened.
"Not Sirius….." Lily began, "Not Remus…..and certainly not Peter."
Severus watched as Lily pointed at him and said, "You, Sev…..It was you….and I'll never forget that, sweetheart."
Severus stared at his wife as his black gaze softened with awed devotion while she took the newspaper from his hands and frowned down at the page.
Her emerald eyes narrowed as they scanned the text he had been reading in The Daily Prophet:
Notorious Mass Murderer Sirius Black Escapes From Azkaban
Below the title, centered within the words of the article, Lily stared at Sirius's prison picture, his hair wild, a manacial grin covering his face as he writhed and twisted violently with an evil laugh on his lips.
"Do you think he'll come here and try to hurt us?...Does he know about Harriet? Will he tell the Dark Lord?" She questioned Severus as her gaze snapped towards him.
"The Dark Lord has always been vague about Black." Severus replied as he took the paper back from Lily, "Since his brother's betrayal, I don't believe he's placed much trust in him……Though I must say that on every single occasion when I've tried to extract the exact details about what happened with Black and Potter that night, the Dark Lord has declined to reveal……anything significant."
"Has he ever spoken about it at all?" Lily asked.
"He's only confided in me that Black's punishment was less severe than it should have been." Severus replied, "I'm not certain what that means."
As Lily glanced down, Severus saw the deep veil of worry that creased her fair face.
He ignored the plates of warm food his wife had placed on the table as he rose from his seat and took her hand.
He raised his other to gently tilt her head so their eyes could meet as he gazed at her and spoke, "Lily, my love, you have no cause for worry…...especially with Black being against the Dark Lord and out of his favour."
"Severus, I'm surprised at you." Lily chuckled as she squeezed his hand.
Severus frowned as she went on, "I have so many causes for worry every second of every day that I can hardly keep up sometimes!"
"Oh, Lily……" Severus whispered as she moved forward to cuddle against him.
He wrapped his beloved flower in his arms as if he guarded his precious blossom from certain destruction.
As Lily pressed her cheek to Severus's chest, she felt the familiar, heavy fabric of his black robes against her skin while the steady beating of his heart echoed in her ears.
Lily closed her eyes as she hugged Severus tightly and wished all of the pesky threats that plagued their family could just…..disappear.
While Severus held Lily close, full of the desire to watch over her, what he still didn't realize was that Lily wanted to protect him as well.
Lily raised her head and pressed her lips against Severus's in a deep, loving kiss.
His hands splayed over her hips as hers came up to cup his face while their show of affection deepened.
A soft little sigh of happy acceptance escaped Lily's throat as Severus reached under her bottom and lifted her to sit on the kitchen table.
Mr. and Mrs. Snape could only offer each other valiant promises and steadfast commitments to vigilance against the many uncertainties their family faced.
As Severus continued their kiss while Lily spread her legs to welcome him closer, their breakfast waited on the table, forgotten and abandoned in light of the loving tenderness they prepared to share.
It was only in those quiet moments, held in each other's arms, while their bodies expressed the touching depth of the feelings they held for each other that Mr. and Mrs. Snape ever truly found peace.
Severus closed his eyes as he clutched Lily against him while they coupled there on the kitchen table.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck and breathed in the sweet scent of her scarlet hair as he sought to drown himself in her, inside her, surrounded by her.
If Severus could only escape the uncertain blackness of the frightening forest in which he had found himself entrapped and join Lily in a field of bright meadows, where their happiness existed as kisses and smiles, then the anguish would vanish from his life, once and for all.
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Voldemort came to the Snapes' cottage for a meeting with Severus the weekend before All Hallows' Eve.
Harriet and Ellery had been brought home by their father for an impromptu visit with their mother.
It greatly irritated Severus that the Dark Lord had unintentionally cut their family time short by gracing them with his grim presence.
Lily waited upstairs with the children while Voldemort and Severus conversed in the living room, but Harriet refused to be held back from making her happy announcement to her friend.
Before Lily could stop her, Harriet skidded down the steps and came to an undignified halt in front of Severus and Voldemort.
Severus's pale face narrowed into an angry scowl as fear bloomed in his heart.
The Dark Lord was not a leader who rewarded blatant disobedience or showed mercy, at least, not usually.
He blinked at Harriet in surprise before she opened her mouth and blurted out, "Sorry to interrupt! It's just…..I haven't seen you in a while and I wanted to tell you something important!"
Voldemort's shocked expression vanished as an amused smile cracked across his thin lips while he spoke in his eerily smooth voice, "Very well, then…..little one….What have you come to tell me?"
"I've met a snake!" Harriet exclaimed, "A real snake! I'm very proud of it. I see him every day…..We'll be the best of friends soon!"
Voldemort threw Harriet a knowing grin as he nodded at her and said, "Congratulations, little one. That makes me very glad to know."
"Go…..back….up…stairs." Severus glowered as he glared at Harriet with a stare so menacing that first year students would have melted into the floor underneath it.
"Sorry, Dad!" Harriet carelessly cried before she turned around and scampered out of the room to join her mother and brother on the second level.
"Please, my lord, forgive her, she is still rather capricious, though we are trying our best to keep her under control," Severus quickly apologized to Voldemort.
"Nonsense, Severus." Voldemort chuckled, "I admire her courage to approach me so easily……She's using her gift as a Parselmouth well….In fact, if I were you, I'd be rather concerned…She may replace you one day!"
As Voldemort threw his head back and laughed, Severus forced a chuckle from his own throat to allay suspicion.
While Harriet's news had indeed pleased Voldemort, he silently contemplated how having another follower who also spoke to snakes could be as dangerous as it was useful….