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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"I'm waiting, omega." Severus drawled as he watched Harriet pause once she stood in front of his desk.
"So am I." She quipped as she raised her hands, deftly unfastened her robes, and let them fall to the floor.
Severus's dark eyes glimmered with lust as he stepped towards her while his gaze flickered over her body.
His mate made him hungry.
The creamy hints of her swollen cleavage taunted him from the restrictive confines of her bra.
The slight, barely noticeable swell of her belly that held his child made him want to grind his teeth in anxious possessiveness.
The creamy curves of her legs………Severus watched in fascination as the lean muscles that lined her thighs and calves flexed while she climbed onto his desk and beckoned him closer.
He took a reluctant step forward as he crossed his arms and scowled down at Harriet.
"Disobedient this evening, aren't you?" He purred, "You're still wearing clothing. I remember requesting to see you bare."
Harriet held his black gaze as she reached behind herself, unhooked her bra, and pulled the garment off her body.
Severus's black stare visibly smouldered while he gazed at his wife's naked breasts once they were exposed to his view.
It fascinated him to think of how sensitive her nipples would be as he noticed how they had darkened as a result of her carrying his next child.
His attention was called away as Harriet wriggled out of her panties and purposely draped them over a nearby, open book.
She intentionally moved so he caught a glimpse of her wet center.
The view caused him to clench his jaw as he commanded in a low growl, "Lie back."
"Not yet." Harriet obstinately replied with a smirk.
"I beg your pardon?" Severus scowled.
Harriet kept her smirk as she bent forward, unfastened Severus's trousers, and gently freed his growing arousal from its prison.
Severus's eyes widened as he felt the blood rush to his groin while Harriet held him in her warm grasp.
She moved her fingers just enough to let her hot breath fall over him as she exhaled.
The mere sight was enough to drive him mad.
Severus swallowed to keep himself calm while he started to repeat, "I said-"
His voice cut off as Harriet parted her lips and took what she could fit of her alpha into her mouth.
His dark eyes widened as he watched his mate start to suck his manhood while she let her tongue explore his tip.
Harriet had been unsure of how Severus would respond to her stealing a bit of control, but as she felt him tangle his hands in her hair and heard the low groan that issued from his chest, she knew her husband enjoyed her thoughtful affections.
Severus held his darling in place while his mind turned to mush as she threatened to send him to oblivion with her wicked mouth.
He expected Harriet to stop, to give up, to abandon the torment she forced him through, but he had to break the contact himself by prying her off once he came dangerously close to spilling over the edge.
Harriet had the audacity to look at him and laugh as she licked him off of her lips, but her laughter soon died away.
Severus pushed her back onto the desk with a primal growl as she instinctively widened her knees and gladly let her alpha slide into her.
He placed hot, wet kisses over her throat and breasts while he held her hip in one hand and her bottom in his other as they coupled there, on the place he would be performing a large part of his duties as Minister.
The Silencing Charm was more than useful to conceal the noise Mr. and Mrs. Snape made as they roared through their mutual pleasure.
Afterwards, as Severus gently eased himself from Harriet's body, she smiled in satisfaction.
Silently, Harriet batted away a pang of disappointment that their tryst had already ended.
She blinked as her alpha extended a hand and helped her stand to her feet.
A squeal issued from her lips as she watched his manhood proudly protrude from his hips once more as he bent her over and guided her to place her palms on his desk.
Harriet widened her stance as she cried out while Severus entered her again.
Anyone would have felt lucky to be the Minister's wife no matter who was in office, but as Harriet soared over another blissful peak while her cheeks flushed red, it was an undeniable fact…….Mrs. Snape was a particularly spoiled omega.
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If it hadn't been for Maggie, Harriet and Severus would have spent the night cuddling and kissing in Mrs. Snape's secondary nest.
Reluctantly, they returned to their home and landed in a patch of tall flonenweed stalks.
The papery shoots of green rustled around them as a night breeze blew past while they shared one last, intimate kiss.
"I love you, Sev." Harriet whispered to her alpha as he slowly pulled away.
"My heart feels the same for you, my love." Severus replied in a low purr as he kissed Harriet's forehead.
After the wind gradually ended, Harriet took Severus's arm.
She yawned as he led her out of the thick patch of stalks and down the dirt path towards their house.
They both squinted in confusion when they noticed a large cauldron ahead that stood on top of a huge bonfire.
Disencan sat on a log next to the bubbling cauldron while he ate what looked like some sort of glazed meat.
Harriet and Severus glanced at each other with incredulous stares before Maggie's pet hopped into view.
The odd scene spurred Harriet and Severus to hasten their pace as they approached, but when they finally came close to the cauldron, the rabbit leapt into the air.
They both watched as the animal in front of them morphed into a human form.
The form stood…….
And stood……
And……..stood…….
Severus's eyes widened as he took a protective step in front of Harriet to face the person Maggie knew as Rabbie.
Harriet nearly got a cramp in her neck as she struggled to look up and meet the witch's gaze.
The woman towered over Severus.
She seemed not quite tall or stocky enough to be from giant heritage, but she stood well over seven feet.
A multitude of braids held her long, silky, black hair behind her head in a tight knot, with many elegantly woven strands spilling down her back and over her chest.
Her face was fair and free from the wrinkles that came with age, but one side was riddled with deep, horizontal scars left by what could have been muggle knives.
Her eyes were as black as Severus's, although one had no visible white left at all.
As Harriet gazed at the woman, she noticed her scars continued down her throat, over the exposed parts of one arm and even across what was visible of her torso through the layers of red linen and brown leather that clothed her.
Over her shoulders, a heavy cloak of patchy fur fell to the ground in an intimidating wall of dated, but enviable craftsmanship that had shouldered the burden of passing centuries.
As the woman raised one of her large hands, the shadow created by the flames showed the tribal tattoos under her scars from wrist to shoulder on her olive-coloured flesh as she spread her fingers, looked at Severus, and spoke.
"Son of my son and blood of my blood, I have come to seek refuge in your home and secure my right to die. Will you allow the mother of your mother to seek her own grave or will you spur me and shun me, like the two fools before you?" The woman asked.
Harriet felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle as she listened to the witch's voice.
Somewhat a whisper and somewhat a song, the spoken, low rhythm made Harriet forget the differences between comfort and fear.
Severus seemed to be less impressed than his wife as he scowled and prepared to draw his wand.
"Who are you?" He demanded.
"I am Ingrid." The witch replied.
"Ingrid what?" Severus pressed as he kept Harriet behind him while she curiously tried to peer over his shoulder, "Are you a member of the Prince family?"
While he waited on a response, Severus scrutinized the strange witch closely.
Her skin seemed out of place but he recognized her black hair and eyes as familiar, familial traits.
"I know myself as Ingrid, but I have been called Ingrid, the Strong……..I began the Prince family. That is of little matter though, I am only here for the child." The witch, Ingrid, nodded, "It is my wish to look after the girl and by doing so, earn my peace at last."
Harriet thought she could feel the blood in her veins vanish only to be replaced by a thousand screaming questions, but Severus did not allow her the luxury of indulging her wonderings as he spat, "If you've truly come to watch over my daughter, then why did you not say that in the first place?"
"It was important to learn first if you were as daft as your mother and grandmother." Ingrid frowned, "A wise person knows what to say before they speak."
"No potion, no healer, no elixir, no spell, no charm…." Severus growled, "There is nothing that can help my daughter. Her legs were cruelly taken from her due to the circumstances of her birth………What can you possibly offer her that others cannot?"
"I have not come to erase tragedies or heal the child's injuries." The witch said as she raised her chin and looked down at Severus, "I have come to guide her towards her future."
Ingrid's black eyes flickered to Harriet who continued to peep over Severus's shoulder as she whispered, "One woman should not fear another……No quarrel exists between us, mate of my son's son."
Harriet managed to wrestle free from Severus's shielding hold as she stepped out from his black wall of protection which his cloak offered.
Severus shot her an angry scowl, but Ingrid stared down at Harriet as if she were looking at a little girl and surmised, "...There is much you wish to ask me."
"Yes." Harriet nodded.
"...If you'll allow me to remain with the child, I will answer your questions." Ingrid promised.
Harriet glanced over at Severus before he furrowed his brow in consternation as Ingrid walked over, sat down next to Disencan, and sighed, "Accept this food as a gift……and let me receive mine, if you will."
Severus and Harriet glanced at each other as the witch in front of them resumed her rabbit form.
They both blinked while the hefty animal scowled up at them from the ground with its single eye.
"Disencan!" Harriet called over as the noises of greedy chewing reminded her that the elf sat nearby, "Did you cook that?"
"No, Ingrid the Strong cooked this, Harriet Snape." Disencan informed Harriet after he swallowed his mouthful.
"Are you sure it's safe, Disencan?" Harriet asked as Severus frowned.
"Safe?! It is the most delicious food that Disencan has ever eaten!" Disencan exclaimed, "Reach into the cauldron and taste something for yourself, Harriet Snape, you won't regret it!"
Harriet took a step forward but Severus stopped her with a firm glare.
He strode over to the huge, bubbling cauldron and unfastened one of his sleeves up to the elbow.
"Sev, let me do it." Harriet whispered to her alpha while the rabbit watched them closely.
"Stay back, my love." Severus murmured with a concentrated frown as he reached into the cauldron, "I've never seen a brew quite like this…….your safety and the child's remains my top priority."
Harriet frowned at Severus, but she clutched onto him anxiously as his pale hand dipped past the surface layer of the thick mixture the cauldron held.
Shimmering and swirling, the substance itself appeared to be a tangible bit of the night sky rather than a potion or an elixir.
Although it was heated by flame, Severus marveled at how cool and soothing the concoction felt against his skin.
"Don't let it burn you!" Harriet cried.
"There is no heat in it." He drawled.
Harriet narrowed her eyes as she watched her alpha slowly withdraw his hand from the mixture once he felt something between his fingers.
As the cauldron's dark, starry mixture faded away from his hand and arm, Severus blinked as he found himself holding…..
"-Are those the chocolate chip cookies that I bake?!" Harriet asked incredulously.
Severus furrowed his brow as he stared at his hand.
In his grasp, he held two of the chocolate chip cookies that Harriet still made occasionally for him as a treat.
Harriet's cookies happened to be one of Severus's favourite foods.
As he remembered that Disencan enjoyed well-cooked meat, he glanced over at the rabbit with a suspicious scowl.
"What sort of magic is this?" Severus asked the animal as he opened his hand distrustfully and let the delicious-smelling cookies fall to the ground.
The rabbit remained silent while it twitched its nose.
"Sev," Harriet started to say as she gently held onto his arm.
Severus raised a hand to silence her as he pressed the Animagus, "If you refuse to communicate with me, I will have no choice but to send you away……Resume your human form and answer my questions or be banished from my house, the choice is ultimately yours."
The rabbit threw Severus a dangerous glare before it materialized into Ingrid once more.
She wore that same, ominous glare as she regarded Harriet and Severus from her imposing height.
"What sort of magic is this?" Severus demanded as he pointed to the cauldron.
"The sort of magic that was common in my time, but has long been forgotten." Ingrid snapped.
"Why did you hide from us?" Severus hissed.
"I already answered that." Ingrid quipped.
Severus's eyes narrowed to slits as he retorted, "My mother and grandmother are not fools…. However, I am no more them than they are me."
"...I also wanted to show you what I can provide for the girl, the daughter of my daughter, the blood of my blood." Ingrid explained as she lifted her hands again, "I have answered your inquiries. Now, will you allow me to stay or force me to go?"
"You have not answered my inquiries…..I have one last question." Severus corrected Ingrid, "Why did my grandmother and mother send you away?"
"...Because I committed an unthinkable act many ages ago." Ingrid explained as she lifted her hand to her completely black eye, "And they were frightened of me, but they should have been frightened instead by the men who shared their beds……I am no monster, I am merely a servant seeking my freedom by caring for the children of my children."
"...An unthinkable act?" Severus asked.
Harriet looked on in rapt interest.
"Yes." Ingrid replied, "I severed my own blood line."
Harriet and Severus blinked.
Ingrid frowned as she waited for their reaction, but when they gazed at her with looks of unphased confusion, she scowled and explained, "It is an abomination against nature! A cruel fracture in the cycle of life, punishable by unimaginable doom……..Have people forgotten the world itself and its ways?"
Severus and Harriet glanced at each other.
"Never mind……" Ingrid sighed, "If you allow me to aid your daughter, then I have assisted one hundred generations…..I can rest at last… I will devote myself entirely to serve as her guide….What is your decision, son of my son?...Wife of my son's son? Will you show mercy and allow me to stay?"
Harriet's burning questions threatened to burst out of her mouth as a curious grin spread across her lips.
Severus didn't care for the situation.
He had no intent to give a final answer until he learned more, but to his dismay, Harriet happily cried, "Of course you can stay!"
An expression similar to a smile passed over Ingrid's scarred face as she nodded at Harriet and replied, "Thank you, wife of my son's son. I shall trouble you little while I seek out my peace."
Without another word, Ingrid resumed her Animagus form and hopped away as she eagerly returned to Maggie.
"What have you done?!" Severus hissed at Harriet as he stared down at her with a terse scowl on his face.
"Probably a lot." Harriet shrugged.
"...Suppose she's not who she claims to be!" Severus spat.
"She is, though." Harriet nodded confidently, "I can tell."
"How?" Severus scowled.
"I dunno….." Harriet said as she shrugged, "Maybe it's my instincts, but I think it's brilliant that she's come! I have a really good feeling about it, Sev, you'll just have to trust me."
Severus straightened his spine, looked down at his lover, and heaved a great sigh.
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Trust was not in Severus Snape's nature.
Throughout the night, he rose every hour on the hour to leave his bed, glide down the hallway, and peer into Maggie's nursery.
Every time he checked, Rabbie slept peacefully next to his little girl.
By sunrise, Severus had abandoned all attempts at slumber while he looked over the lines of ink he had scrawled onto the parchment:
My Dearest Mother,
I apologize for staying away all these years. I've married and fathered two children during my absence. I'm certain that you've heard I am now the Minister for Magic as well. I hope you are healthy and happy……..Feel free to visit at any time. However, I find myself overcome with the urge to ask about my birth. What, if anything, can you tell me of Ingrid the Strong?
Your son,
Severus Snape
Severus crossed his arms as he watched an owl fly away with his letter a short while later.
As he waited on Harriet to wake, he couldn't rid himself of the jittery tension that settled in the pit of his stomach.