Severus woke his daughter up around 8:30, trying to get an early start on breakfast seeing as there was a Quidditch game at 11. Normally Severus would wait last minute before going down, but this year Lucius was on the team and wanted Severus there early with Elizabeth so the two could sit with Narcissa and Bellatrix. The girls had made a giant Slytherin banner with a moving snake on it. Narcissa and Bella had decided to dip Elizabeth's hands in paint and use the tiny hands to make a border. Bella then removed her 'niece's' shoes and socks so they could alternate between silver hands and green feet. It had taken a while but they thought it was worth it as it was the last game of the season.
Now Severus realized why the girls had made Elizabeth a summer outfit all slytherin colors. He had received it that morning, and on the back in silver writing it read MALFOY. Below the name the number 35 stood out in bold green. The girls were going all out making tee shirts and face paint was always a must.
Severus was shaking his head as he dressed Elizabeth in the shirt-skirt combo and when he read the note again to ensure he didn't forget anything, he found he needed to put her hair in pigtails using green and silver ribbon so everyone could see the name and number on her back.
"These girls are bloody crazy," he muttered as he did their bidding. Picking Elizabeth up and putting her in the warded high chair, he began to feed her the oatmeal the house elves had brought; he had asked them to prepare it for the baby.
Elizabeth, though clearly hating where she was, ate obediently and then raised her arms to be picked up and out of the high chair. She was shifted to Severus's hip as he cleaned her up and packed the diaper bag that was under the side table next to the door.
If you looked in the black diaper bag that was carried everywhere by the young Slytherin boy, you would be surprised that it wasn't neat and orderly. It looked as though things were hastily shoved in like pacifiers and Elizabeth's blanket that went everywhere with her. There were also diapers and wipes, creams and powders, fresh clothes, bibs, a spare pair of shoes, and now he stuffed in the snake toy Bella had gotten Elizabeth for Christmas. The snake was made up of mismatched fabrics and different patterns, with two sewn on eyes and a sewn on smile with a cute little forked pink tongue poking out the mouth.
It was Elizabeth's prized possession and she dragged it around by the tail everywhere she went. Severus had to take it away at night every few weeks to wash it. But whenever she was crying or upset, Snakey, as she called it, would cheer her up almost immediately.
Severus adjusted Elizabeth to his other hip and swung the bag up and on his shoulder. He walked to the door quickly and stepped out into the cool hallway, walking briskly to the stairs that led the Slytherins out of the dungeons and to the rest of the school.
Even though it was a warm summer day, the dungeons were cool and in the winter you need a scarf and jacket to get from the common room to the stairs. In the summer, it was comfortable to wear a tee shirt and jeans in the corridor. When the pair reached the main floor, the temperature rose a noticeable ten degrees.
Severus went with the rest of the school out the door, walking alone to the Quidditch pitch. When they were halfway there, Narcissa and Bellatrix came sprinting up behind them, green and silver face paint on their cheeks and a large rolled up banner between them.
"Elizabeth looks so cute!" Narcissa squealed, thrusting her end of the banner into his free hand and took Elizabeth.
"She's adorable! I love how this fits on her, Bella. I didn't think it would fit, seeing as every time we turn our backs she grows ten inches."
Severus smiled fondly and rubbed his daughter's head gently. The child giggled and leaned toward Bellatrix, hoping for a form of affection from the dark gothic girl in the group. Bellatrix was taken aback; her "niece" never came to her willingly. Often Severus placed Elizabeth in her lap and everyone prayed she wouldn't scream. But the other night and now today, the younger Snape wanted Bella. Narcissa took the banner and handed her goddaughter over to her sister.
Bellatrix was obviously shocked and she didn't know how to hold the child correctly. Severus bent the banner gently and handed his side to Narcissa before moving to Bellatrix and moving one of the girl's hands to the child's back and one to her bottom.
"There. Now you won't drop her." He smiled and took the banner back, sending a subtle smile Narcissa's way.
The four made their way to the Quidditch Pitch and wedged their way through the crowd to find three seats free. They plopped down into them and unrolled the banner, revealing the slytherin symbol. Severus charmed it to float above the stands, high enough for everyone to see, but not high enough for a player to get hurt.
Bellatrix settled with Elizabeth on her lap, with Severus on her right and Narcissa on her left. The Slytherin team had taken the air with the Gryffindors behind them. Even though not all the players on the Slytherin team were chasers, they organized themselves in a circle and tossed the Quaffle back and forth to all seven players.
Elizabeth giggled and bounced on her Aunt's knees, clapping her hands, occasionally missing. The teens laughed at the child's actions, as this was her first Quidditch game. Severus had never taken her when she was a baby because the noise would have bothered her sensitive ears. Now Elizabeth loved loud things like fireworks, thunder, and now Quidditch games.
Narcissa unscrewed the cover to the face paint, and with the OK from Elizabeth's father drew lines of green and silver on the toddler's face. Elizabeth squealed as the cool paint made contact with her cheeks and was spread out with the warm fingers of her godmother. Severus dipped the tip of his finger in the green side of the face paint container and tapped the finger on his daughter's nose.
She widened her eyes and touched the paint that was on the tip of her nose. The paint had been charmed beforehand so if one touched it while it was on their skin, it wouldn't come off. It was perfect for the Snape family because of Elizabeth and there was no chance of her eating the paint.
She repeatedly touched the spot but none came off so she pouted against her aunt's chest. Severus waved off the pot of paint that was offered to him. He didn't paint his face or wave flags like the others in his house. His daughter could do it for whichever house she was sorted into, but he wouldn't. He applauded for a job well done, maybe with not as much enthusiasm as the rest of the Slytherins, but he supported the team far more this season as Lucius was on the team. He had been to every game instead of camping out in the library by himself. Before Elizabeth was born, he always stayed in the potions and defense sections which was where he met Miranda.
The game started with a loud roar from the crowd. Michael Pollard was commentating the game and was keeping the people in the stands aware of what was going on up in the sky. Even with binoculars, it was still hard to see sometimes.
"Black has the quaffle, tosses to Smith. Smith dodges the bludger aimed by Nott and-GRIFFNDOR SCORES! It's now ten- zip Gryffindor and the Slytherins do not sound happy.
"Speeding down the pitch is none other than Slytherin seeker Lucius Malfoy! He's going into a suicide dive and Gryffindor seeker James Potter is close to follow! Oh damn! Malfoy pulls up at the last second and Potter slams hard into the ground! Brilliant move by Malfoy! Slytherins are in position to score and- SLYTHERIN SCORE! It's now Ten-Ten and the tension is in the air."
Narcissa was biting her nails like she always did when Lucius was playing. She was always afraid he would get hurt and be seriously injured, like over the summer when he fell off his Lightning Bolt 7500 and broke his back. He couldn't move for days and had to wear a brace for a month.
The action was picking up at an alarming rate as Lucius spotted the snitch and went on a straight downward dive for the snitch.
"Oh I think Malfoy has the snitch!"
The crowd watched as Lucius preformed a suicide dive and made a wild swipe threw the air. He rolled off his broom onto the ground before landing onto his knees. Standing shakily, he held the snitch above his head and let out a triumphant cry.
"LUCIUS MALFOY HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! SLYTHERIN WINS THE QUDDITCH CUP!"
The Slytherins cheered so loud, the ground under them shook. But the joy was short lived when Lucius, in a daze of happiness, was hit in the back of the head with a bludger, rendering him unconscious on the ground. To the Slytherins horror, they watched blood ooze out of his head under his hairline. Severus and the Black sisters looked at each other in shock.
They suspected foul play, but who hated Lucius enough to do it?
Sorry this took so long to post, but school has taken over my life entirely. I barely have time to eat and sleep, let alone have time for the story that is slowly progressing. I know that doesn't seem much of a cliffhanger but I plan on making something super major happen during Lucius' time in the hospital wing. Don't ask what yet, cause frankly, I don't even know. It's gonna be BIG though and maybe life altering….. But the next post may take longer to post, but I won't forget about the story. It will be finished eventually. (But not anytime soon. So much more has to happen and Elizabeth has to grow up and stuff. It's almost all planned out. Except of next chapter! Anywho, favorite, review, follow, send this to your friends, whatever you wanna do. But remember, reviews make me update faster.