Of Blood And Serpents

Part One.

Chapter One.

-Green eyed Forget-me-not

The news had hit Severus like a physical blow. Of course it was not the Dark lords falling that shook Severus it was her death that reduced him to trembling in a way that the dark lord could never inspire in him even with fear. It was the trembling of heartbreak.

Lily was dead. Sweet kind lily, whose green eyes sparkled as she smiled and who was intelligent and dazzling.. Only her son had lived... and Severus was at a complete loss and grievance. He found himself in Dumbledore's office at once, and Dumbledore seemed as if he was ready for him.

Severus made a sound like a wounded animal from Dumbledore's armchair. The green eyed child hovered awkwardly and silently as ever in front of the fire place, pallor waxen and eyes weepy as she stared emptily into the crackling flames warming her. She didn't seem to be noticed by the other two.

"I thought you... were going to keep ... her safe."

"Lily and James put there faith in the wrong person.. Much like you Severus, did you not request the Dark Lord spare her?" Severus made no response but his breathing was clearly pained and shallow. "Her boy survives." Dumbledore told him curtly and Severus jerked as If being stung. "The boy lives, he has her eyes, precisely the colour of Lily Evans eyes.. You remember I'm sure the exact colour and shape?"

"DON'T!" He bellowed in anguish, crumpling further into the armrest.. "Gone... dead."

"Is this remorse Severus?"

"I wish... I wish I were dead."

"And what use would that be to anyone?" He said coldly. "If you loved her, If you truly loved Lily Evans your way forward is clear.." Severus seemed for a moment to not understand, the words sinking in without meaning, through his pain he could derive nothing.

"What.. what do you mean?"

"You know how, and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain, Help me protect Lily's son."

"He does not need protection, the dark lord has gone-." Severus murmured slowly, The small child behind him suddenly whimpering, Dumbledore then seemed to notice her and he gazed at her as he spoke.

"-The dark lord will return and when he does Harry potter will be in terrible danger." Severus took control of himself before he spoke. His breathing smoothed, and he seemed to have straightened a little from his slump. "Very well.. Very well. But never- Never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it! I cannot bear... especially potters son... I want your word!"

"My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?" Dumbledore sighed, looking away from Severus's anguished and ferocious face. "If you insist..." He nodded dryly again looking at the girl's small still form in front of the fire place. "And the child," Dumbledore began. "The child the dark lord left in your care.. surely upon his return he should expect her to still be with you..." Severus seemed alarmed by that what Dumbledore was beginning to hint at.

"To remain with me? I can hardly care for the girl." He objected and Dumbledore nodded stepping beside the silent unmoving girl.

"Yes I must agree you would be a most inadequate form of parentage for the her." He sighed reluctantly. "But I see no other options."

"But-" Dumbledore cut him off sharply.

"What was Voldemort's last orders to you concerning the girl?" Severus's head drooped.

"He ordered me to keep her until he returns." Dumbledore smiled sadly looking at the young girl beside him.

"And so it must be."

At this the girl looked up sharply, her green eyes regarding him with curious exhaustion.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice unlike it was before, now it was simply childlike and quiet.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, head master of Hogwarts and who, young lady, are you?" upon the question the girl tore her eyes away from Dumbledore's bright blue ones and looked at Severus expression blanking for a moment as if in distant thought. Severus stared back and then after a moment the girl tore her gaze back to Dumbledore.

"Lily, I like the name Lily." She told him, Severus very visibly jerked but Dumbledore simply smiled down at the girl in quiet contemplation.

"It is a very nice name." He agreed nodding his head. "Do you have any objections Lily, in staying with Severus?" They regarded each other unflinchingly, Bright blue eyes kindly and delicate, Green eyes reserved and unsure. Then slowly the girls head turned into a shake and she lowered her gaze back to the flames.

"Very well then."

Lily slept in the castle that night, having fallen asleep in one of Dumbledore's armchairs the two men allowed it. Severus disappeared of course, time was necessary in mourning Dumbledore knew. He too disappeared, as arrangements were being made, the child Harry would be taken to his only living relatives. He would be the safest there, despite the objections he was sure to come across he was absolute in his decision as he went to meet Hagrid.

When the small child woke, the morning broke purple and pink softly, emerging slowly over the hillside. It was as if a shy animal was returning after a long absence and needed to be reintroduced to its master. She sat upright and looked around herself, slightly perplexed by her own surroundings. She was in the office of Albus Dumbledore, a man named Severus had taken her there after... A frown pinched between her brows as she recalled nothing before that moment but instead felt a shadow of discomfort and the feeling that the memories were unhappy. Decidedly pushing the thoughts aside she stood up from the chair and began wandering the room marvelling at the contraptions and gadgets around her.

"I hope I have not kept you waiting long." The voice made her jump and she turned quickly to see who the speaker was. It was the old white bearded man, Dumbledore. They're eyes connected and Lily felt a searching in them that she found uncomfortable so she looked away.

"I just woke up... where is the other one?" She asked quietly, thinking of the man with the black hair parted in the centre and even darker eyes which peered out from beneath.

"Severus," She recognized the name and nodded, remembering that he was the man who brought her here. For some reason she felt unsettled being away from him as if she was supposed to remain with him and she was doing something very terrible by not being with him now. "Severus will return in time, for now I've arranged for you to stay with the groundskeeper Hagrid." She hardly understood anything of what was happening but her stomach gnawed in hunger and she felt no will to ask anything further. Instead she nodded dumbly, careful to avoid the old man Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes.

"May I have some breakfast please?"

Dumbledore smiled at her, though she seemed uncomfortable beneath his gaze he watched her intently before flourishing his wand to summon the child's breakfast on the table beside the arm chair. She sat quietly and ate it, doing her best to ignore Dumbledore who she felt was staring at her all the while. He wasn't of course,but it didn't alter the discomfort the thought gave.

It was around noon that she was finally taken down to the grounds to meet the person whom she'd be living with until Severus 'returned' as Dumbledore said. Lily stood beside Dumbledore, feeling impatient as he knocked three times outside the hovel. Lily glanced around curiously, there was a pumpkin garden and beyond that she could see the front of a thick forest, like an ominous black wall. The door opened and Lily's head snapped up, without thinking she took a step back anxiety passing through her making her mouth go dry as she stared up at the Giant of a man.

"No need to be shy my dear." Dumbledore murmured, nudging her forward. She sent him a aghast glance 'no need to be shy!' She swallowed realizing Dumbledore was expecting her to introduce herself.

"I'm L-Lily." She muttered staring up at him, and as she did she looked closely to see that the mans cheeks were slightly blotchy, as was his nose red and his eyes teary. He'd been crying. That realization eased Lily making her a little bold. "Are you very sad?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Hagrid gave a breathy chuckle with a sniff.

"Observational little mite eh? Well, better come on in and make yer self at home." He smiled despite the sadness in his eyes. Dumbledore caused Lily to pause momentarily, stopping her with a gentle touch, she turned and looked at him expectantly.

"I trust you'll be on your best behaviour for Hagrid?" He asked her kindly and she had to blink beneath his unrelenting gaze before giving a small nod. He beamed at her over his half moon spectacles and pushed her forward, there was just barely enough room for her to squeeze in beside the half giant named Hagrid. Just as Dumbledore turned to leave he paused looking back.

"Be sure Rubeus not to accidentally give the girl Fire whiskey." He added with a small chuckle before continuing on his way. Shifting back into the small home Lily wondered what Fire whiskey was as she idly began exploring her surroundings.

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Weeks passed since the child had been left with Hagrid, a situation which was quite agreeable to Severus, if only she would remain there he would not have thought twice of her. That was not to be though, Severus would be taking her for the Christmas holiday's which were approaching then later, the summer holidays. As the days and weeks stretched, and crept closer to Christmas his disposition did not lighten, rather it grew considerably worse. Though it may have been a mixture of reasons why.

Lily was dead, and her death haunted his very soul. it did not comfort him to know that Sirius Black would remain in Azkaban until he died, though it wholly shocked him to find that Sirius was the traitor. It made his hatred for him stretch even further into his soul than his hatred for Potter reached.

That of course and the death eater trials began in the early days of December and though he was under Dumbledores protection it merely kept him from Azkaban. It did not stop him from being required within the trials, and so he was force through the wholly exhausting endevors of recounting his days as the Dark Lords servant and Lucius' Malfoy's underling.

Severus by that time was a little worse for wear and not just visually. He was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. He had no one to confide in, though Severus never really had anyone since Lily anyways, he now couldn't even bear to bring her to mind. The only thing that relieved him was his occupying days at Hogwarts. Finding he actually quite enjoyed being a Professor, the title suiting him nicely.

His general demeanour scaring the brats into being obedient little potion makers, not to mention the rumors of his death eater involvement circling the school. As much as he enjoyed the distractions of his classroom his thoughts would eventually fill with the coming Christmas where he would be forced into taking the dreadful child that bore Lily's name and such deep green eyes that made him hate her all the more.

Now though, he was off on a little excursion to his own home to prepare for the child's coming. He met Dumbledore at his office, promptly on a Saturday morning to ready the details of her stay and used Dumbledore's fireplace to floo to his home. It was a private floo network that Dumbledore had set up between them which had allowed Severus to travel very efficiently between.

His home, his childhood home, the sad and dreary place was as stagnant as ever. His eyes wandered the small sitting room and stepped into the murky grey lighting that was a constant attribute to the industrialized spinners end. He had not been in the room since he'd last left with the child and the air still felt heavy as if the dark lord had just swept out of the room. Shaking the feeling away Severus traced his way up the dusty staircase to a room he had not entered since he was seventeen, how was it that it had only been four years since his time at Hogwarts, and only two since he received the mark from the dark lord?

It seemed impossible as Severus stood at the threshold of a room which had served as his hide away as a boy, as his place of silence in a home he could barely stand. The scores of restless days and horrors the walls remembered when Severus refused to. With a sigh he entered the dusty room, the bed, its rusted gold frame sitting in the middle of the room, the sheets and bedding long overdue to be cleaned, the shelves around it stacked with ancient old school books waiting to be tucked away.

He worked as quickly as he could, using his wand to gather the books into a box neatly along with all the scraps of parchment, old ink and empty bottles. He paid no attention to the covers, not even noticing when a small old black bound book appeared from being carefully hidden away in the back. He was too busy wanting to get everything done to care.

He stripped the bedding and charmed a broom to the task of sweeping while he magically dusted, the sheer amount residue being tossed into the air forcing him to open the window letting the chilly outside air into the stagnant old house.

Once the bedding was laid back down he set to the task of his old bathroom giving it a brief magical clean with a flick of his wand, removing the soap scum from the shower and replacing the bar of soap as well as the hand soap with a new one and setting the fresh towels beneath the sink for the child's future use.

Though he tried not to think about it, for thinking about the little intruder staying in his old room would do nothing for his sour mood, he did anyways. Wishing he could clean his thoughts as easily as he could the dust from the air with his wand Severus struggled to finish the task, pacing the room wondering what else he could possibly do.

The day eventually began growing dimmer, or at least the clouds were thickening and obscuring the light in the room so that it was grey and shadowed and Severus's eyes fell on the side table where there was no candles to be found. She would need one if the day was to grow dim as it was now. He left briefly to retrieve an old candle and set it on the bedside table with matches. Looking around the room and finding it satisfactory he jerked the closet doors open with his wand and flicked the box containing his old school books inside to a corner before snapping the doors shut behind him.

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The forest was silent in the morning as it always was and the air was sharp with the winter. Rustling and crackling broke the serene cold silence of the morning as Hagrid made his way through the forbidden forest on a casual stroll which he made frequently. Lily was in the cottage eating breakfast which the house elf's of Hogwarts made a point of bringing every day along with the two other main meals for the girl.

She was beginning to become listless and irritable in the cottage which she'd been virtually confined to since her arrival. Only being privy to the garden hutch and some of the other cold desolate grounds she was not to go out when Hagrid was away, which was often in his work. The great man pondered the situation as he walked, his black eyes distant with it as he distractedly made his way down the trail he knew so well that he needn't have looked up from his thoughts at all to find his way. He was considering asking Dumbledore if he'd let the girl come with in on trips into the Dark forest where she could help him with some of menial tasks to keep her occupied. It seemed like a fine idea to Hagrid, who, though his intentions were good in essence he lacked the foresight to realize that it would also be reckless and dangerous request.

A small cry gave him pause and took him from his thoughts and stopped the quiet and gruff hum beneath his breath as he gave pause to listen again. After a moment of silence other than the brittle rustlings of the dried leaves on the ground he heard the cry again. The sound was faint on the wind but sharp enough to leave the impression of desperation in Hagrid's well trained ear.

The thought never occurred to Hagrid to ignore the sound and continue along the silent path, very simply because that was not Hagrid's way. Instead he followed the small little cries to their source, what looked like a fox den where the cries emerged from. Getting down on his belly Hagrid brushed back his wild hair to see into the hole where the cries so desperately came.

"Oh, will you look at tha'" Hagrid stared into the little dark cave that was nearly perfectly black but the three sets of wide glowing eyes from within.

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"Ha-grid!" Lily called impatiently towards the forest, her arms crossed around her chest to keep the cold from seeping in. Hagrid had returned home from his morning walk with a gleam in his eye and had told her he had found something to keep her occupied through the long winter days. He left soon after that with a basket without so much as hinting at what it could be. Normally full of quiet focus Lily had been reduced to fits of impatience and spells of listlessness from the seemingly eternal weeks she had lived with Hagrid.

"Alrigh', alrigh'! Hold yer hippogriff's now, I'm comin'." Hagrid's voice boomed from the cusp of the forest and Lily huffed, scuffing her foot at the ground feeling her impatience was justified. Hagrid emerged from the forest, his great shaggy head was slightly tangled and had a few sticks poking out of it, he held something as well, a large basket which he half rested against his large belly. Her eyes instantly fell to it and her curiosity deepened. She could see something moving in the basket and though she hadn't really guessed it was going to be anything in particular, to see something was alive and moving in the basket surprised her.

"Come on, best we move on inside now." He said gently waving her towards the house, relenting Lily waited impatiently for him on the step before ducking in, holding the door open for him. The house was warm and cozy in comparison to the chill autumn outside, setting the basket on the table Hagrid took his time taking off his great furry coat and getting himself a mug of brandy to warm his bones. Lily knelt on a chair in order to peer into the basket and blinked in surprise at what she saw.

"What are they?" she asked, staring at the slightly ugly, yet similarly quite cute (in a gangly way) creatures. There were three of them, all small and slightly malformed looking with extremely large ears and eyes that were wide and staring. She supposed they were catlike, or rather kittens, with large messy spots and awkward tufts of fur. A pair of Silver, Blue and Gold eyes stared at her without so much as moving or even mewling as most kittens did.

"These li'l brutes are called kneazles." Hagrid told her after a warming gulp of his favourite brandy before putting a kettle of water on the fire for Lily who had taken a fond liking to the special tea Hagrid received from the Herbology professor. "Its unusual having kits near winter, these little mites mum must have passed.. They'll be needen nursing, If yer willing." He finished and she let a smile slip at the request. Smiling was not something Lily did often but the prospect of actually having an activity to keep her occupied lured the smile out, and her eyes glowed excitedly as she looked at Hagrid.

"How?"

Hagrid taught her the basics of nursing the kits and gave her a bottle to hand feed them. Simple in theory, the kits were actually quite wild and Lily was soon covered in tiny kitten scratches from their struggling. Dumbledore (for the similar blue eyes shared with a certain old man) was the most resistant of the kits, hissing and scratching he was nearly impossible to feed. The the other, Bee golden eyed as he was, often nipped her, the sensation not unlike a bee sting. The last kit was the runt of the litter and had pretty silver eyes and a frail little body. She named him Mooney. He died the next morning and Lily buried her in the vegetable patch, sad that she couldn't have done more for the runt, though she wasn't about to give up nursing the other two.

It was near the end of November when Lily took the kits on as her full time project, by the time December rolled in to near the middle of the month it brought silent blankets of snow with it and dry icy air. The kits had grown fat by that time, both had become moderately tame and now left the basket to explore Hagrid's cottage as Lily had done nearly two months before.

The bitter cold winter outside was still save a few icy gushes of air which moaned against the window and the door of the cottage as Dumbledore came to Hagrid's door his beard blowing softly on the cold breeze as his robes rustled against the ground. Lily was laying on Hagrid's couch, grazing through one of Hagrid's creature manuals that she had finished reading some time ago, the knock bringing her sharply back to the present, the sound almost alarming her as she was beginning to grow used to the near silent winter days when Hagrid was out gathering Christmas decorations for the school.

As she opened the door a wicked cold breeze licked her arms and her cheeks which where pink with the warmth of the hearth inside, the brutal cold biting into her skin sending chills down her spine. Dumbledore stood outside the door, his robes long and white with silk lavender trimmings and red embellishments on his sleeves, around his beard a cord was wrapped hanging several silver and blue baubles. The beard itself was long enough to reach his knee's though Lily didn't notice as her gaze was immediately drawn upwards to his penetrating blue eyes that weren't unlike the kits in the next room.

"Are you here for Hagrid?" She asked even though she felt the faintest premonition that he wasn't here for Hagrid but was in fact here for her. She wasn't wrong.

"No my dear, but I think that the chilly winter air begs to reason that this conversation would be much better held beside a warm fire and perhaps with a mug of Hagrid's brandy." the skin around his eyes crinkled in playful mirth which made Lily embarrassed about the rude lapse. She stepped back from the door quickly to usher the Headmaster in and left him to stem the icy brutish wind by closing the door behind him while Lily stood upon a chair to reach Hagrid's mugs and his Brandy. Gathering the two (very large) items in her arms she dropped back down and uncorked the brandy's lid, finding it necessary to use both of her arms to heft the bottle up to pour it into the glass.

"Thank you my dear." Dumbledore said as she offered him the glass and resumed her seat on the couch, picking up the kit Bee and putting it on her lap to stroke it. Dumbledore looked at the kit with an astute look in his eye. "That, if I am not mistaken, is a kneazle is it not?" Lily nodded, patting the drowsy golden eyed creature which curled easily on her lap. "I have it from several wizards that they make extraordinary pets. They are quite intelligent creatures and are known to be incredibly perceptive.." His eyes seemed to catch a the book she was reading which still lay open beside her lap and he smiled seeming pleased at the sight of it. "Are you very interesting the the care of magical creatures?" Lily shook her head, her black hair tickling her cheeks.

"I like to read, Hagrid doesn't have any other books."

"Ah," Dumbledore's blue eyes sparkled over the half moon glasses. "I too have a great love of books, as does Severus." Very smoothly Dumbledore had coerced the conversation towards the potions master, very quickly Lily understood why the headmaster had come.

"You've come to take me to Severus's." She said and the old man nodded.

"Today the students are returning to their homes for Christmas holiday's, as is arranged you will return home with Severus for the holiday period." Lily frowned slightly an odd feeling pinching her chest at realizing she would be leaving Hagrids.

"For how long?"

"Sixteen days." It seemed like a terribly long time to be away, Lily found herself looking at the kit on her lap wondering if they'd do well without her, though she supposed Hagrid would be able to take care of them.

"Am I to go now?" She asked looking up, the warm flames crackling beside her in the fireplace no longer seemed as warm.

"As soon as your ready, Severus will be awaiting our arrival in my office." Lily felt a pang in her gut but nodded obediently.

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