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Severus accepted McGongagall's wise advice.

Dumbledore's anger quelled surprisingly quickly once Severus informed him that Harriet had been registered at the Ministry with his last name.

Harriet Snape, daughter of Severus Snape.

Voldemort cared little about what his most loyal servant chose to do in his limited spare time.

He understood the child's mother to be a pure blood wench Severus had spent a season with, before she abandoned the newborn on his doorstep.

Voldemort had become too consumed by greed to ask the right questions.

In between conducting his classes and working as a spy for the Order, Severus somehow managed to raise Harriet, albeit clumsily.

With McGonagall always eager to help, Severus did his best to see that his adopted daughter was warm, fed, clean, and happy, simple luxuries he himself had not always received as a child.

There were times when Harriet frowned and in her tiny face, he saw James.

Those moments quickly left, however, as soon as she turned towards him and flashed Lily's bright smile.

Each time, Severus hurriedly looked away.

He desired Harriet to think of him as strong.

How could she respect a guardian who wept so easily?

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As the conclusion of Harriet's infancy gradually ushered in her toddler years, Severus often found himself and his patience greatly challenged.

Harriet staggered around, curious to touch and taste everything in her path.

Severus began to understand a parents' struggle to keep their child safe and healthy.

Despite his best efforts, every once in a while, some hideous germ managed to get hold of his little girl and give her immune system a necessary workout.

One night, he gently held Harriet's dark red hair back while she wretched over and over in the castle's Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey rubbed her pulse points with Healing Tonic to bring down her fever as Severus sat vigilantly by her side.

The frown that marred his face as he watched his little one sleep appeared painfully tight with worry.

Close to dawn, he dozed off in his chair next to Harriet's bed until he heard a light-hearted giggle ring out.

He blinked as he opened his eyes to find his daughter smiling up at him, her face still damp from her fever.

"Why are you smiling?" Severus asked as he furrowed his brow.

"Because I love you so much, Daddy!" Harriet exclaimed in a happy little sigh.

As she slowly slipped back into a needed sleep, Severus tensed his spine.

He hunched over slightly as if he had been struck in the gut while tears watered in his black eyes.

An unusual softness shimmered in his dark gaze as he watched Harriet rest peacefully.

"Severus!" Madam Pomfrey called as she approached, "Let's wake her and I'll give-"

"Lower your voice, Madam Pomfrey." Severus drawled as he glanced at Hogwarts' healer, "My daughter is sleeping."

Madam Pomfrey blinked at the seriousness of Severus's low warning before her eyes moved over to Harriet.

She wore a small smile as she went to tend her next patient with the intent on returning to care for the little girl afterwards.

It touched her heart to see that the scowling Potions Master had found value in fatherhood.

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Between the humdrum buzz of daily life, somewhere in between classes and Death Eater meetings, Harriet grew up.

The passage of time amazed Severus as he watched helplessly.

One moment, she had been a babe in his arms, and the next, he walked down Diagon Alley with her to shop for her first year at Hogwarts.

Severus's role as Harriet's father only became more difficult as she aged.

Each parent he had known had lodged their complaints about their children's early years but as Harriet grew from a sweet, innocent little girl into a rebellious teenager with limited foresight and short patience, he felt that her earlier days had been simple and easy in comparison.

No matter how loud their arguments became or how much they disagreed on something, every night, Severus recieved a small compensation for his struggle.

After one particularly nasty spat about which dress Harriet would be allowed to wear to the Yule Ball, Severus sat by his fireplace in his home at Spinner's End.

They had returned for the winter recess, content to spend time away from the castle, although he had vowed to bring Harriet back specifically for the event, especially since he had to attend anyway.

Harriet sighed as she leaned on the wall that opened into the living room.

Still irritated by her sarcasm earlier, Severus refused to look at her.

"I really want to wear the strapless one, Dad." Harriet sighed.

"You're far too young." Severus asserted in a voice barely above a whisper, "...My conviction on the matter will not change."

"But I'm a Triwizard Champion!" Harriet huffed, "And I'll be dancing with all the seventh years! Hermione's dress hardly has any straps, they're really thin with fluttery…..sleeves. Mine wouldn't be that much different!"

"My duty as your father," Severus drawled as he gazed into the flames, "...Does not include bowing to your every whim. What you want does not take precedence over what you need…..and no daughter of mine needs to attract young men to fawn over her by dressing vulgarly."

Severus could hear the strangled groan that Harriet let out under her breath.

The sound deepened his frown.

"Goodnight, Dad." She whispered sullenly.

"Sleep well." Severus answered.

"...Love you." Harriet whispered back before she turned and walked up to her room.

Love you.

Severus's dark eyes widened as he breathed in a sigh while Harriet's simple words refreshed his tired soul.

He had no idea where she'd picked up the habit.

He had never said the words to her, nor had he ever replied to her declaration, yet each night since she had been three years old, she had told him the same thing………Love you.

Harriet spoke to him as a sign of her affection.

Her father was the only living family that she had.

If she lost Severus, she would be completely and utterly alone.

Her friends all had their families.

While the Weasleys would almost certainly take her in, it just wouldn't be the same.

Severus saw James in Harriet's hair and glasses, but in her heart, he saw Lily.

The knowledge that his flower's last petal had been preserved to live a full life made the entirety of his strife worthwhile.

As the flames crackled in the hearth, he pressed a hand over his heart and closed his eyes.

Raising Harriet had been one challenge, but winning the war would be another monster entirely.

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It started quietly before crescendoing into a loud roar.

First there were disappearances.

Murders.

Spies, many more than Severus.

………A planted instructor came to Hogwarts to oversee and command.

Before Severus knew it, Harriet went into hiding, eager to fulfill the role Dumbledore had assigned her in secret while he stayed behind as the new headmaster.

His only respite came from Dumbledore being kind enough to beg Harriet for his forgiveness in a letter she received after his murder.

She didn't understand why, she didn't understand how, but as she, Ron, and Hermione spent the next year hunting and destroying their greatest enemy, she longed to go home and see her father.

Severus often spent the early mornings at Hogwarts gazing out the window at the lines of students who marched together in militaristic rows.

A morose frown marred his pale face as he wondered about Harriet while he pined for the days of her early childhood when she had been under his watchful care.

The constant, dark cloud that hovered over the castle since Dumbledore's death seemed to mimic Severus's unchanging mood.

How could he protect his darling's darling if he could not see her?

There were many sleepless nights that Severus spent staring up at the ceiling while his racing heart refused to slow.

Where was she?

Had she had enough to eat that night?

That day?

Was she cold?

Was she frightened?

As he turned over in bed and gazed at the wall on those miserable evenings, another horror kept his racing mind running full speed.

Would Harriet survive the battle to come?

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The moment that Severus realized Voldemort and Nagini were with him in the boathouse, he knew his time to die had arrived.

He braced himself to suffer the Killing Curse, knowing he would see Lily again soon.

Instead of a burst of green light, the last thing he saw was Nagini's cold eyes as she lunged for his throat…….

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Severus groaned as he slowly returned to consciousness.

Not quite sure if he was yet ready to know what the afterlife looked like, he slowly cracked his black eyes open.

He squinted at the brightness in the room.

His body seemed weak and tired.

Was Lily nearby?

Where could he find her in that blinding light?

"Hey, Dad……." A voice called softly.

Severus started slightly and turned to see Harriet sitting at his bedside.

His eyes widened as another groan left his lips.

No.

No…….if Harriet had followed him into death, then that meant-

"We won." She nodded as the corners of her lips twitched into a smile, "Voldemort was defeated, but I could have never done it without you."

As Severus glanced around, Harriet recognized his confusion and promptly explained, "I found you and brought you back. You're in the hospital at St. Mungo's, it's alright! The healers said you'll make a full recovery."

Severus swallowed thickly as he closed his eyes and sighed.

A part of him had wished for death, even silently begged for it.

Should he have gone to his grave, then he would have been reunited with his darling Lily.

"I love you, Dad." Harriet whispered as she slipped her hand into his.

Severus opened his eyes again to find Harriet giving him a soft smile.

A frown settled into his features, unhampered by the thick bandages around his throat.

Although he desperately wanted to see his beloved once more, he knew in his heart that he would have to find the courage to keep living.

He couldn't leave Lily's legacy behind quite yet.