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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Severus stood next to Harriet while they stared down at their daughter and her unwelcome new friend.
Silently, Mr. and Mrs. Snape contemplated their next best course of action.
As Harriet shifted uneasily on her feet, she gasped when the rabbit's single eye snapped open at the slightest sound of motion.
The animal raised its head as a threatening scowl came over its haggard face.
As the rabbit lifted its head, its ears moved as well, and deprived of the weighty warmth they had provided, Maggie opened her eyes with a shiver.
Harriet glanced over at Severus questioningly.
He responded by throwing his wife a concerned frown as Maggie happily greeted her parents by informing them, "Rabbie!"
Harriet watched her daughter place one of her tiny hands fondly on the animal's back as the enormous rabbit lowered its head back to its original position.
Maggie began to cuddle the rabbit as gently and as lovingly as if it were her favorite plush toy while her mother and father looked on in baffled horror.
"...What shall we do, then?" Harriet asked Severus as Maggie yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"Perhaps we should try to learn more about the animal?...Its presence appears to be unavoidable." Severus grouched.
Harriet turned to stare at him incredulously as she asked, "Are you……Are you suggesting we just let it stay here?!"
"The creature could do with a bath and a brush." Severus drawled as he narrowed his eyes at the animal, "However……I fear that there may be a few…..details…..we've overlooked."
A frown of concentration formed on Harriet's fair face as Severus looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and mused, "...We have yet to learn how the creature entered our home."
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After Maggie woke fully, Harriet lifted her into her arms and began to ready her little girl for the day while Severus lingered to find out more about their mysterious visitor.
Harriet noticed that as she dressed Maggie, the massive rabbit watched her every move with intense scrutiny.
"She's my daughter, you know." Harriet quipped as she looked over at the scowling creature, "You don't have to worry, I won't harm her."
Maggie laughed as the large rabbit took a distrustful step towards Harriet, as if it prepared itself to intervene against some malicious action it expected Harriet to take, but Severus began his investigation.
While Harriet distracted Maggie, Severus slipped his wand out, pointed it at the large animal and murmured the Animagus reversal spell under his breath.
A quick burst of light flew from the tip of his wand and collided with the rabbit.
Maggie looked over when she heard its massive paws pound against the floor after the spell forced it backwards.
Severus clutched his wand as he took a defensive position, prepared to question the intruder and protect his family, but no such opportunity presented itself.
The rabbit scowled as it twitched its nose.
Harriet glanced at Severus.
"Daddy……….?" Maggie asked Severus with a pout as she blinked her large eyes at him.
"Daddy and Rabbie are playing, sweetheart." Harriet reassured her with a smile, "There's no need to worry! See? They're having fun!"
Severus grit his teeth as he flashed his daughter a terse smile and took his leave from the room, unsatisfied by what he had witnessed, but not willing to examine the rabbit further under Maggie's innocent, questioning gaze.
As he glided out of Maggie's nursery, a deep scowl creased his pale face.
Severus felt that he and the rabbit were indeed playing a game, although he was certainly not having any fun.
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It irritated Severus that his spell had offered no clues about the rabbit.
In the hallway, he scowled down at the dirt tracks on the floor for a long moment before he cleaned them with a wave of his wand.
It irritated him greatly that the rabbit's paw prints offered such little insight, but he left the hallway after he decided to next examine the front door.
Severus failed to find signs of forced entry, broken windows, or any other clues as to how the rabbit had gained access to the Snapes' home.
Frustrated, he approached Disencan while the house elf prepared breakfast for the family.
"How can Disencan help Severus Snape this morning?" Disencan asked with a pleasant smile as he stirred the pot of oatmeal, cinnamon, and apples that simmered on the stove.
"Last night….." Severus began in his low drawl, "Did you hear anything odd?"
Disencan blinked at Severus for a moment before he replied, "...Does Severus Snape have a certain sound in mind that he thinks Disencan should have heard?"
Severus growled in his throat as he asked, "Did you hear anything out of the ordinary at all…..a crack?...A snap?... A break?...Any slams or bangs?"
Disencan shook his head at Severus and shrugged as he replied, "Since Disencan came to the Snape family, he is no longer troubled in his rest, sir. Disencan heard nothing from the time he laid down to the minute his eyes opened…….he never does."
A frown of pure vexation crossed Severus's pale face.
Disencan sadly asked, "...May Disencan inquire about what's happened, sir? Disencan does not enjoy seeing Severus Snape look so distressed."
A pitcher of water on the table had its contents splashed around its sides as low thumps approached the kitchen.
Disencan blinked at Severus while the noise became louder and closer until Harriet appeared in the doorway.
She held Maggie on her hip, who beamed at her father and friend.
The huge, scarred rabbit stayed loyally beside Severus's wife and child as it peered into the kitchen.
Disencan gasped in horror when his gaze landed on the monster that had invaded his home.
"Disencan," Harriet said with a sweet smile as she nodded towards the rabbit, "...This is-"
"-RABBIE!" Maggie interrupted to proudly introduce her pet.
As the family sat down to eat breakfast that morning, Severus watched the newest member of his household devour its bowl full of gingleberries.
It was not in Severus Snape's nature to trust and the odd rabbit was certainly not immune to his paranoid suspicions.
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Kingsley gladly readied himself to leave office.
As the weeks until his departure passed, he tried his best to prepare Severus for his new role.
The current Minister for Magic knew that his successor despised being away from his little family.
To put Severus more at ease, Kingsley took thoughtful measures to remedy that situation.
It hadn't taken the magical architects long to build a hidden chamber in the Minister's office equipped with a soft bed, a safe cot, and a plush rug for Harriet and Maggie.
Severus felt overwhelmingly grateful towards the current Minister that he would be allowed to bring his family with him to work as often as possible, which meant every day.
While Harriet readied a secondary nest in that hidden room one morning, Maggie and Rabbie played on the floor.
In the main area of the Minister's office, Kingsley chatted with Severus.
"You'll want to familiarize yourself with the differences in international magical law and their implications." Kingsley nodded.
Severus hurriedly scribbled down those instructions in a leather-bound book filled with blank parchment.
"Meeting with the other heads of state is also a part of the job." Kingsley chuckled, "Although it's one I never cared for very much."
"...I doubt I will either." Severus dryly replied as he looked up from his notebook.
"I think your charming wife will be able to help with that, Severus!" Kingsley laughed.
"Perhaps……" Severus said with a scowl as he glanced back down at his notes.
Kingsley's smile faded as he noticed the subtle lines of stress that creased Severus's face.
He cleared his throat before he spoke encouraging words to his successor, "Don't let it overwhelm you…….You've been a headmaster before, this isn't all that different, really. Imagine you have your old job back, except the school you'll oversee is much larger."
Kingsley failed to interpret Severus's thoughts correctly.
Severus nodded politely at his mentor before he asked, "Is there any way I may visit the Ministry's library soon?"
"Sure." Kingsley shrugged, "Whenever you wish."
Severus dipped his quill into the inkwell on the desk and prepared to take more notes as he drawled, "After lunch, if possible?...I'd prefer to continue my training until then."
Kingsley smiled, genuinely glad that Severus had won the election.
It was obvious how seriously the new Minister intended to take his job.
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After lunch, while Kingsley went to meet with one of his officials and Harriet took a nap beside Maggie, Severus went to complete his errand.
The Ministry of Magic boasted an even larger library than Hogwarts, filled with volumes dated before the establishment of the muggle British monarchy.
Beyond books on instruction and education, the Ministry's library focused extensively on bindings of record groups and accounts of history.
Severus searched the plethora of mahogany shelves with his dark eyes narrowed.
After patient perusing, he managed to locate a book that he thought may prove useful to his quest:
Histories of Registered Animagi
He quickly carried the ancient volume back to the Minister's office, sat down, and scowled at its tattered pages which displayed centuries' worth of Animagi records on numerous witches and wizards.
Their names, their forms, their year of registry, all the information was there in plain print.
Severus's attention was called away from his book when he heard Harriet whimper in the adjacent room.
A scowl of concern danced across his face as he rose from his chair, sat the old volume on the desk, and swept towards the hidden room.
Regardless of what else went on in the world, his darling wife would always be his top priority.
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Severus glided into the small room as Harriet blinked her eyes open from where she lay in her newly constructed nest.
He glanced over and noticed that Maggie continued to sleep peacefully in her cot.
The sight itself helped him to relax, but that didn't slow his pace as he rushed over and sat down on Harriet's bed.
"My love?" He asked in a gentle whisper as he laid a comforting hand on his bride, "What's the matter?...I heard a sound, are you alright?"
"I'm alright, Sev." Harriet yawned as she put a hand to her face and rubbed her forehead, "I had a bad dream, that's all……Sorry."
"There's no need to apologize, my love." Severus whispered as Harriet cuddled against him.
He blinked as she pulled him into her nest, ready to be held.
Although Severus scowled, he gladly slipped off his shoes as he let his pregnant mate take him under the covers with her.
"I don't have long." He whispered in a low purr, "Kingsley will be back shortly."
"I know." Harriet sighed as she closed her eyes and let her head rest on Severus's chest, "...But we have a moment until then and I'll be happy with that."
Severus's black gaze softened as he watched Harriet snuggle him.
His arms wrapped protectively around her as he bent his head and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips.
A smile threatened to cross his face when Harriet kissed him back and wriggled against him.
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While Mr. and Mrs. Snape focused on each other as they shared that tender moment, neither of them noticed that the rabbit slyly slipped through the side room's cracked door.
Steps taken on its heavy paws were usually devastatingly audible, but as the rabbit crept away, it moved with the stealth of a mouse.
The animal entered the main room of the Minister's office and padded over to the desk in front of the lit fireplace.
It stretched its long body and easily climbed onto the desktop in one smooth leap.
The rabbit angrily narrowed its only eye at the title of the book that Severus had left abandoned.
The title had been written in English, but underneath it, the same words had been emblazoned in obsolete runes.
Movement came from behind the front door to the Minister's office.
Before anyone could enter, the rabbit acted quickly.
One devastating kick from its powerful back leg was all it took to send the book flying off of the Minister's desk and into the flames of the fireplace.
As the door opened and Kingsley stepped into the room, the rabbit kept its usual glare on its face while it sprawled across the desk and twitched its nose.
Kingsley's mouth fell open as he slowly pieced together what had happened.
He peered curiously behind the animal to stare into the fireplace that crackled violently as it consumed the brittle, aged parchment.
His eyes widened in shock as he spied the burning book and called out, "Severus?! Severus!"
A shuffle came from the adjacent room as Severus left Harriet's side and rushed out to address Kingsley.
"What book is that?!" Kingsley asked as he pointed to the fire, "Did that come from the library?! I think your rabbit knocked it into the fire!"
Severus's dark eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed to slits as he glared over at the mangled animal.
The rabbit held his gaze as it returned his threatening look with one of its own.
It was very important to the rabbit that the book's destruction appeared to be an accident.
Kingsley would believe such a notion, but the creature underestimated the shrewdness of Severus Snape.