Harriet Potter Year 1: Life, Death, and Rebirth
"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are".
~Bertolt Brecht
Lily and the Marauders, The Kitchen, Potter Manor-June 30, 1991
Leaving Harriet to explore her room for a bit, Lily, along with Remus, James, and Sirius, headed downstairs to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Lily didn't really know how much food was in the house, so she wasn't quite sure what she would make. However, Harriet had assured her that she would eat whatever was on her plate, so Lily didn't really have to worry about that. Reaching the kitchen, Lily headed straight for the various cabinets, opening and closing each of them in turn in order to gauge which foods she would be able to make. She was pleased to see that Remus had gone grocery shopping for them as well.
"I think that its safe to say that we won't be going hungry anytime soon," she chuckled, reaching into the refrigerator to get some slices of bread so that she could get started on sandwiches. "Does grilled cheese sound alright?"
"That sounds great," assured Remus. Sirius and her husband were oddly silent, though, so, once she had turned the stove on, she turned worriedly to them. They, along with Remus, were sitting on the stools pushed up to one of the kitchen counters. They were watching her expectantly.
"What?" she demanded, hands on her hips, waiting for the pan to be hot enough for her to grill the sandwiches.
"You never told us," said Sirius, never one for tact, especially when the case called for it, "what happened in the classroom between you and Snivellus."
"Snape," Lily stressed. "Say it with me, Sirius, 'Snape.'" Sirius rolled his eyes and gave her a pointed look, which she promptly ignored by turning around and getting started on the first sandwich. She heard a sigh behind her and the sound of a chair being pushed out. A few seconds later she felt hands wrap themselves tightly around her waist and a chin rest itself on her shoulder.
"Lily," murmured her husband voice next to her ear. She abandoned the sandwich and moved her body so that she was facing him. He looked down on her, face clouded with worry. "We just want to make sure you are okay."
"I am okay," she assured him, "Severus and I had a long conversation, the details of which you don't need to know," she gave him a pointed look, "and I've decided," she began a bit slowly, knowing her husband would not take too well to what she was about to say, "to give him another chance-"
"Lily!" sputtered not James, but Sirius. "Are you mental?" he demanded, glaring at her. "He's a Death Eater!"
"Was," corrected Lily, leaning slightly so she could face Sirius from around James, who was still holding her tightly. "He turned spy after we..." she trailed off. "He was my best friend for years. The least I can do is give him another chance."
"Lily," began James, hesitantly, but his wife stopped him.
"Don't try to change my mind," she snapped, glaring at him with a fire that instantly brought him back to their Hogwarts days, when they were young and she hated him. "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you," James was quick to assure her. "Its him I don't trust."
"Neither do I," scowled Sirius. He gave Lily a searching look. "It must have been some pretty convincing evidence to have you trust him like that."
"It was," she informed the room, ignoring Sirius's tone. "Although, I still don't trust him completely-"
"Then how can you ask us to?" James asked her.
"I'm not asking you to trust him," informed Lily, smiling at him and bringing her hands up over his shoulders to clasp around his neck. "I'm just asking you to give him a chance." James looked at his wife's face and caved, nodding a bit reluctantly. Sirus grumbled something incoherent and Remus, the one Marauder who held no personal grudge with Snape, simply nodded his assent. Lily smirked, knowing that her next conditions would be a bit harder for them to follow.
"That means no insults, no taunting, no pranks-"
"Aw, Lil's," pouted Sirius.
"Do it for Harriet, if for no other reason," beseeched Lily, knowing that asking the Marauders to be kind to Snape was as unlikely as Voldemort expressing the desire to be a ballerina, but knowing that they (the Marauders, that is, not Voldemort) would do it, given the proper incentive.
"What does this have to do with Harriet?" asked James, looking down at his wife.
"Harriet needs as many people bolstering her confidence as possible," said Lily. "You heard what Madam Pomfrey said. The last thing Harriet needs is to take Potions with Snape and have him hating her the entire time just for being associated with you three. Something that you know he will do if the things between you three stay the way they are." The three men in question looked sheepishly at each other. Lily took a deep breath, "If the prophecy is true, Harriet needs all the friends she can get and Snape is a powerful ally to have."
"Don't bring that blasted thing into this," snapped James. "It isn't going to happen. We won't let it!"
"You don't know that for sure," countered Lily, feeling her throat close and her heart beat hard against her chest at the thought of the fulfillment of the prophecy. "We can try, but there are no guarantees. Its better to be safe, rather than sorry."
The three men exchanged glances, silently communicating, something they had learned after years of knowing each other. Sirius and James seemed reluctant but Remus shrugged.
"I say its Lily's call. She knows Snape better than all of us. If she says he has changed, than I, for one, believe her." Sirius and James grimaced at their friend's careful logic, something that they normally enjoyed for getting them all out of trouble, but hated when it incriminated them or forced them into something they rather not do. Lily, sensing she had won, smiled at them.
"You may not like him, but if you can at the very least be cordial to him, it will make Harriet's days at school a lot easier, especially if she is sorted into Slytherin."
"Harriet won't be sorted into Slytherin," scoffed James. "She'll be in Gryffindor." Seeing his wife's look he added, completely truthfully, "Not that it matters, of course. I'd love her no matter what."
"Right," agreed Sirius, taking a sip of the Firewhiskey he had taken from the fridge for himself and his friends; Remus had opened his, but was just running a finger idly up and down the glass and James had yet to even look at his, "but she'll be in Gryffindor."
"Are you sure?" asked Remus, raising an eyebrow at his friend. He seemed to have seen the same thing Lily had. "When was the last time you ever heard of a Parselmouth in Gryffindor?"
Dead silence filled the kitchen.
James let go of his wife and held out his hand. Sirius, understanding, reached out and managed to hand James his Firewhiskey. James took a large sip as he sat down.
"It doesn't make any sense," frowned James, trying to fit the facts together in a way that made sense, but failing every time. "There are no Parselmouths in the history of my family, nor," he said glancing at his wife, "I am assuming, yours." She shook her head.
"It isn't good." muttered Sirius.
"Are you saying it matters?" demanded Lily, hands on her hips. "That it will make you look at her differently? Love her differently? Think-"
"What?" gasped Sirius, "Of course not! I don't give a rat's hat about whether or not she can talk to snakes!" Lily tried to apologize, but Sirius cut her off. "You know how ridiculously prejudiced the wizarding world is, though! The minute they find out she can speak Parseltongue, they will label her as some sort of evil wizard! Next thing you know, they will be calling her the next Voldemort-!"
A small gasp cut of Sirius's rant far more effectively than any loud bang could. Every head in the room whipped around to the doorway of the kitchen where Harriet stood frozen, wide eyed and trembling.
"Harriet," began Lily, but Harriet interrupted, sounding slightly hysterical.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, terrified, "I didn't mean to overhear, I promise!"
"Harriet," said James this time, a bit more worried about his daughter.
"I just smelt something burning and I wanted to make sure everything was okay!"
"Burning?" frowned Lily. She whipped around to notice that the sandwich she had put on the stove was, indeed, burning. She worked quickly, turning off the stove and moving the pan to the sink, dousing it with water.
"Harriet," James said loudly, effectively startling her enough to calm her down. She blinked away her tears. "Come here," he beckoned to his lap, speaking firmly, but gently. Harriet walked over to him hesitantly. When she got close enough, James picked up his daughter, doing his best to ignore the way she flinched, and placed her on his lap. He put his arms firmly around her.
"Calm down, Prongslette," James ordered, but not raising his voice. "You aren't in trouble and we aren't mad." Harriet stopped squirming and looked up at him, green eyes shining more than usual.
"You aren't?"
"No," informed Lily as she walked closer to them and knelt down, so she was looking her daughter in the eyes. "We aren't. We just want to know how much you heard." James held his breath. The last thing any of them wanted was for her to have heard about the prophecy.
"Just the last bit," she whispered. "About how talking to snakes is bad." She shook her heard rapidly. "I'm sorry! I didn't know! I won't do it anymore, I swear!"
"Harriet," shushed Lily, "talking to snakes is not bad."
Harriet blinked. "But Sirius said-"
"You misunderstood, Prongslette," informed Sirius gently. "Talking to snakes is not bad. It just has a nasty reputation in the wizarding world." It was clear from Harriet's expression that she didn't quite see the distinction.
"Harriet," Remus began, speaking softly. Harriet turned to him expectantly. "What would you say if I told you that I was a werewolf?" Harriet gaped at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
"What?" she finally managed to get out. Remus chuckled as the others watched, curious as to where he was going.
"It's true. I'm a werewolf." At Harriet's wide eyes, Remus hastened to explain that he was perfectly normal every other day of the month, calming her down. "That being said," he told her firmly, "if you ever see me as a wolf on the full moon, get away as fast as you can. I would never hurt you intentionally, but I cannot control myself as a wolf. Are we clear?" Harriet nodded, then bit her lip.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Well, Harriet, I'm telling you this because the wizarding world doesn't have a very positive view of people with my...condition."
"Why not?"
"Because," the man sighed, looking tired, "in the past, werewolves haven't lived past their reputation and really proven themselves to be more than what people think they are: beasts. Many have been seen as cruel, bloodthirsty, and barbaric."
"But its not fair!" Harriet protested. "You aren't any of those things!"
"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Remus smiled at her, "but sadly the wizarding world isn't as accepting. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Harriet's face scrunched up in concentration.
"Wizards are idiots?" she asked, perfectly serious. James threw his head back and laughed loudly, making her jump, while Sirius snickered.
"Not exactly," Remus informed her, amusedly. "My point is that the wizarding world is a highly prejudiced place. Just because they view a certain ability as dark or evil, doesn't necessarily mean that the person who possesses that ability is. An ability is only as dark as the wizard who uses it, if that makes sense."
"Like me being a Parcel-Parsel-"
"Parselmouth," finished James. "and exactly. Just because you can talk to snakes, doesn't mean anything, as long as you use it well. Just be yourself and try your hardest. If people find out about your ability and start saying things, hold your head high and remember who you are."
Harriet nodded and James pressed a kiss to her head. "Now, lets go to the kitchen," he said, easily scooping her up and getting off his chair. "Its well past time for you to eat something."
Harriet Potter, Potter Manor- July 13, 1991
Since the few weeks that Harriet had arrived, life at Potter Manor had settled down into a comfortable rhythm. Both Sirius and her father had began working as Auror's for the Ministry. Since they had been away for so long, they would work for one year under a senior Auror on a trial basis, after which, if everything went well, they would be able to take on their proper titles as fully fledged dark wizard catchers.
As for her mum, she had gotten back her job at St. Mungo's, although she only worked part time, usually for a few hours after dinner, once her father had come home. Her mum planned on going back to work full time once Harriet was settled at Hogwarts. Harriet could tell that her mother loved her job and, currently, she worked at the Maternity ward of the hospital. However, she hoped to eventually be moved to where she had been working before: the "Emergency Room," of sorts.
Remus had managed to find a job at a small bookstore not to far from his house. When he had first begun looking, Sirius had offered to help him find a job at the Ministry, who was doing their best to keep him happy in hopes that he wouldn't sue them for wrongful imprisonment, but Remus declined. Less than a week later, Remus stumbled upon a tiny bookstore that dealt in the sales and restoration of rare books. The owner was an old wizard (Sirius speculated that he was older than Dumbledore himself, judging by the length of his beard) and his wife, both of whom were more than happy to hire Remus, even after learning of his condition. Remus's job was to catalog the books as they came, but the owner had assured him that, with some training, he would eventually be able to repair some of the damaged books as well. The pay was minimal, but it was more than enough for Remus.
As for Harriet, she found herself happier at Potter Manor than she ever had been at the Dursleys. Both of her parents cared attentively for her, making sure that she had all of the proper food, clothes, and even toys. They had gone on shopping trip the day after she had arrived,during which she had gotten plenty of new clothes, from shoes and socks to jeans skirts. Her father had wanted to take her to a place called "Diagon Alley," but Harriet's mum had suggested they wait until Harriet got settled in and her father agreed.
Harriet had yet to accept that the treatment was permanent and not just some elaborate trick, but her parents were patient, never getting angry with her when she did something wrong, such as ask questions. Nor did they get angry when she did something freaky (although it was one of the rules of the house that she was never to refer to herself or another wizard by that name again).When she had accidentally turned her father's knight into a brick while they were playing chess and it fell onto his finger, after the initial bout of swearing, punctuated by her mother's scolding (of him, not her!), her father had joined both Moony and Padfoot in laughter, while her mum waved her wand and transfigured the chess piece back to normal.
Magic was something else that Harriet was slowly getting used to. For the first few days at Potter Manor, her parents had tried to keep the magic to the minimum, letting her get used to the idea of being a witch, before they began showing her basic spells. Both of her parents had explained a bit more about magic, including some of the classes at Hogwarts, basic spells, means of transportation and communication, some basic wizarding etiquette, and (much to her mother's amusement) Quidditch. Her father had wanted to get her on a broom right away, but her mum convinced him that it would be better to wait until Hogwarts, where she could learn with the rest of her classmates, since first-years weren't allowed brooms, anyway.
Harriet had eventually stopped jumping every time somebody used magic, although she still couldn't get used to seeing somebody's head come out of her fireplace. Or using their new owl, Numair, to receive and deliver mail.
In all honesty, it was hard to get used to any aspect of her new life.
But things at Godric's Hollow were going well, until one day when Harriet's mum got a call from St. Mungo's.
"Is everything okay?" Harriet asked, looking up from her book (a biography detailing the lives of influential witches throughout history, it had been recommended by Remus, and Harriet found herself thoroughly enjoying it). Isaura, curled as usual around her ankle, hissed curiously.
"They need me at St. Mungo's," she sighed, passing her hand through her hair. "Apparently Cindy, who works the day shift, came down with a nasty cold and they can't find another replacement. The only problem is your father isn't back for another few hours."
Harriet looked down at her shoes. She hadn't meant to make things so difficult for her mother.
"Hey," her mother lifted Harriet's chin up with her finger. "It'll be okay. If I can't find anybody to watch you, I can just tell them no."
"You could leave me alone," pointed out Harriet. "Thats what the Dursleys did."
"I don't care what the Dursleys did," Lily informed her daughter, making her giggle. "I'm not going to leave you here on your own." She frowned for a minute, thinking, before snapping her fingers. "I know who might be free!"
Severus Snape, Spinner's End-July 13, 1991
Severus Snape stood hunched over the counter in his personal potions lab, carefully cutting up the ingredients for his next brew. This particular potion was delicate work, so he felt that his anger was justified when a small bell rang, signaling somebody calling him on the Floo, startling him, thus causing his finger to slip and for him to cut the piece of aconite far too short than what he needed.
Growling, he quickly wiped his hands before storming out the lab (although not slamming the door since that was never a good thing to do in a room full of delicate and highly volatile potions ingredients), ready to give the person on the other end of the Floo a piece of his mind.
"What?" he barked, as he approached, not bothering to see who it was.
"Severus," he blanched when he saw that it was Lily. "I've interrupted you brewing, I see." Snape attempted to apologize, but Lily wouldn't let him. "Its fine," she interrupted. "I know how testy you get when you are brewing. May I step through for minute, though?"
Resisting the urge to tell her that he did not get testy, he stepped aside and, a few seconds later, Lily Potter stood in front of him, brushing some soot off of her robes. She looked up at him and smiled, although her hair was a bit ruffled, as though she had run her hand through it a few times, worriedly.
"How are you?" she asked politely. He couldn't help but ponder that question. It had been awhile somebody had asked it of him.
"As well as could be expected," he informed her. "And yourself?"
"Fine," she assured him. "How is your potions work coming?
"I assume you didn't Floo here to make inquiries about my work," he remarked dryly, choosing not to tell her about the very difficult potion she had interrupted. Had it been anybody else, he would have railed at them for hours and taken the grudge to his grave, but with Lily, it didn't matter.
"No," Lily's expression turned sheepish. "I was hoping that you wouldn't mind doing me a favor?"
Snape's first reaction would be to agree immediately, but he forced it down. He was, after all, a Slytherin and it would be rather foolish of him to agree to something before he found what he was agreeing to.
"It depends on the favor," he replied smoothly, "but I will see what I can do."
"St. Mungo's just Floo called me," she began, "apparently they are short a healer."
"And they have asked you to fill in their position."
"Exactly." Lily nodded, tucking a wayward strand of her red hair behind her ear. "The only problem is that I can't leave Harriet home alone, but James, Sirius, and Remus are all working and won't be home for another few hours-"
"You are asking me to babysit?" he drawled. He didn't know whether or not he should be insulted.
"Not babysit," she protested. "Just watch her!" Personally, Snape didn't see the distinction, but nodded politely, as if he did. "I can't leave her home on her own!"
"She's eleven, Lily," retorted Snape, suddenly remembering how much he had missed bickering with Lily. He had yet to find a verbal sparring partner on par with her level. "I spent more than my fair share of days home alone at that age."
"Are you saying that Harriet should be brought up in the way you were?" Lily snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. Snape opened and closed his mouth, speechless for a moment, before settling on a scowl. As much as he disliked the Potter brat (no doubt she was as arrogant as her father was at her age), no child deserved the upbringing he did. Not even the spawn of his most hated enemy.
"Please, Sev!" continued Lily, when she saw that her once best friend was breaking down a bit. "Only for a few hours! I promise she won't be any trouble!"
Maybe it was the fact that Lily's words had brought up unwanted memories of his parents. Maybe it was her large, green eyes looking imploringly at him. But must likely it was the use of his old nickname. If she noticed the effect it had on him, she made no comment.
"Very well," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm brewing though, so don't expect me to entertain her."
"You won't even know she is here," Lily sighed, relieved. "Let me go get her."
Snape gave her his best glare, which she ignored, as she stepped calmly through the Floo. As he was pondering the power Lily's eyes had over him, the woman in question stepped through the Floo, her daughter in tow.
At Hogwarts, Snape had not gotten a very good look at the brat (he was too busy staring at Lily and glaring at the idiots who called themselves the Marauders), so he allowed himself the opportunity to do so now.
She was small, he noted, smaller than either of her parents had been at that age, and not just in height. It was clear she was woefully thin as well. She had inherited her father's hair (for this, Snape allowed himself to feel a bit of sympathy for the girl) and his...face, albeit more feminine. There were traces of Lily in the lips though, along with a bit in her nose and cheeks; and maybe a drop of it in her chin. Her eyes, though, were the most Lily part of her; just as green as her mother's.
Snape was brought out of his reverie by Lily introducing them to each other.
"Harriet," she began, "this is my friend, Professor Severus Snape. He works at Hogwarts remember?"
The girl nodded, looking up at him curiously. He met her gaze with a sneer, making her blush and look to her shoes.
"Hello, sir," she murmured, surprisingly shy. He had expected her to flout all authority by calling him by his first name, maybe even giving him a hard kick in the shins for good measure.
"Hello, Miss. Potter," he drawled, trying to keep his tone as civil as possible. It would do no good for him if he managed to make the brat cry within her first minute of knowing him. Lily kneeled next to her daughter.
"Severus is going to watch you while I go to work for a bit," she informed her daughter, who nodded. "Be good," she instructed. "He was working, so it was very nice of him to offer-" Severus snorted, at which Lily glared. He schooled his features back into their passive mask. "-to offer to watch you. Do as he says and read your book, okay."
"Yes, mum." Harriet nodded. Lily smiled and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"I love you."
Harriet beamed. "I love you, too!"
"I appreciate this," said Lily, after giving her daughter one last hug and walking over to him. Snape merely glared at her, annoyed at her having gotten him in this position. She laughed at him.
"Chin up, Sev! I know children aren't your strong suit, but who knows! You might get along." She gave her daughter, who hadn't moved from her spot, although was looking around the house curiously, a sidelong glance. "You have more in common than you think you do."
Before Snape could ask what that meant, Lily placed a kiss on his cheek, making him incapable of any coherent thought.
"Thank you," she told him, but before he could make any response, she was gone through the Floo.
Harriet Potter, Spinner's End-July 13, 1991
Harriet stood in the middle of Professor Snape's living room, having just seen her mother disappear through the floo. She didn't quite know what to make of him, because, on one hand, he hadn't seemed very pleasant when she met him at Hogwarts. On the other hand, her mother wouldn't have left her here is she didn't like him.
"Well?" snapped Snape, making Harriet jump. She looked up at him. "Do you have something to keep you busy? Or will you be staring at the floor all day?"
Harriet couldn't tell if her was being sarcastic or not, but, judging by his expression, felt it would be prudent of her to answer.
"I have a book," she informed him, before adding, for good measure, "sir."
"Good," nodded the professor, before walking swiftly from the living room towards a door at the end of the hall, opening it to reveal stairs that lead downward into what looked like a basement. She had to yet to move from her spot, unsure if she should follow.
"Are you waiting for a personalized invitation?" asked Snape, rather bitingly. Harriet all but sprinted to the steps where he was waiting. She looked down at them hesitantly, as they were rather old looking, but nevertheless followed him down into the darkness, closing the door gently behind her.
When the duo finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Harriet found herself standing in one of the most interesting places she had ever seen. There were shelves stacked with different vials and bottles, large cupboards labeled with names such as Boomslang Skin and Bezoars were pushed against the wall. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the basement, though, were the several cauldrons in the room, bubbling and simmering, letting out different colored wisps of steam occasionally.
"You," Professor Snape drew her attention back to him, as he rolled up the sleeves of his black robes, "will sit in that chair," he gestured to a small chair in a corner of the room. "and read quietly, something that I am sure will be very difficult for you," he scowled as Harriet clambered obediently onto the chair. "Make one sound and I'll pickle you into six jars, understood?"
Harriet nodded once, wondering how serious he was about the threat. He turned and began to move about the room, taking things from one cupboard, throwing something else into another. Harriet did her best to focus on her book, but it was incredibly difficult to do so with Snape brewing a potion in front of her. It was taking all of her self control, honed from years of living with the Dursleys, not to ask him what he was making.
She had yet to get in trouble with her parents for asking them something, but she didn't think it would go down well with Snape. He was definitely not the nicest man Harriet had met, having already made several threats and insults towards her since she had been here, but for some reason she didn't find herself afraid of him. Despite the fact that he didn't seem to like her much, she didn't think he would hurt her in any way (her mother wouldn't have left her here if she thought he would).
His insults were actually a bit funny, Harriet mused, if you stopped to think about it. Not to mention that they were much more clever than the ones the Dursleys had concocted. If Harriet was going to be insulted by somebody, she decided, she rather the person have the decency to come up with an original insult, as opposed to using the same old material every time.
Once again, she found herself watching Snape curiously as he worked. Whatever he did, he did it quickly and efficiently, giving Harriet the impression that he had been doing this for a long time.
"Is there something interesting you, Potter?" Harriet's eyes widened, realizing that the professor had caught her staring.
"I was just-," she stuttered unsure of whether or not he was being serious or not.
"You were what?" he said impatiently.
"I was wondering what you were making," she finished in a rush.
"I am making a potion," he said briskly, adding something to his cauldron and stirring slowly, "or did it completely escape your notice that we were in a potions lab?"
"I've never been in a potions lab before, sir," Harriet pointed out, not unreasonably, she thought. Snape thought otherwise and frowned at her.
"And it is not easy to deduce your location by examining your surroundings?" Harriet looked at him and shrugged. "Don't shrug," he ordered, "if you have something to say, say it!"
"I suppose it isn't, sir," gulped Harriet, eyes wide. "But, in all honesty, the only experience I've had with potions were the ones Madam Pomfrey gave me a few weeks ago." Harriet cocked her head to the side. "They tasted like mud."
"Am I supposed to believe that you actually tasted mud, Potter?" Harriet couldn't help but blush. She supposed, when she put it like that, it did sound like a rather foolish thing to do.
"Not on purpose, sir," she said, quickly. "Dudley-thats my cousin-made me do it. I wouldn't have done it, but he threatened to sit on me and...well, he's about the size of a young killer whale, you see."
Snape looked as though he was resisting the urge to smirk, instead focusing on mixing the rest of the ingredients together. Harriet continued to watch him, not even bothering to hide her fascination. The professor gave an exasperated sigh.
"Get up here, Potter." Harriet jumped, before realizing what he had said, and hurrying up to where he was working. She looked into the cauldron and saw what looked to be a thick, green, sludge.
"That looks disgusting," Harriet wrinkled her nose. Snape gave her a pointed look.
"The aesthetics of a potion are unimportant, so long as it works."
"But that smells worse than Aunt Petunia's cooking!" Harriet defended. Snape allowed himself a snort this time.
"Your Aunt's cooking must have improved from since the last time I saw her, then." Harriet jerked her head, turning her eyes from the bubbling potion to Snape.
"You knew my Aunt Petunia?" Snape scowled. At first, Harriet thought he wasn't going to answer, but finally, he did.
"Yes," he reached for a cup of roots and poured it into the cauldron. "I grew up down the street from her."
"Thats how you know my mom." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. The three of us were friends for a while."
"But Aunt Petunia hate wizards!"
"This was before that," Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, giving Harriet the feeling that he really did not want to be talking about this particular subject. "and I was closer to your mother, anyways."
Harriet, against her better judgement, decided to risk asking another question.
"There was a time when Aunt Petunia didn't hate magic?" Snape didn't give an answer, but Harriet took that as a "Yes." Harriet recognized the warning signs of having taken something too far, but her curiosity overpowered her caution, a trait that often lead to nothing but trouble at the Dursleys'.
"What happened?"
"Enough questions," he snapped. He stirred in silence for a few minutes, Harriet trying to figure out what to say.
"Aunt Petunia never liked me much," she said, finally. "Uncle Vernon didn't, either." Snape said nothing. "They always used to tell me that I was a freak and that I needed "it" stamped out of me." Snape turned to meet her gaze, stopping his work for a moment.
"I never understood what "it" was," mused Harriet, making a sudden realization in the stuffiness of the potions lab. It was an odd place to haven an epiphany, for sure, but ten year olds weren't known to be picky about that sort of thing. "but, now, I'm pretty sure it was magic."
Once again, Snape didn't say anything, but she thought he saw his knuckles, clutching the stirring stick, whiten and his jaw clench. She watched him carefully as he reached and touched a small, round scar on the back of his hand, which Harriet thought looked a bit like a burn.
"I'm glad it didn't work." Harriet's decided. Snape looked down at her with his dark eyes as black as ever, evidently confused.
"You are glad what didn't work, Potter?"
"Stamping out the magic," she said it as if it was obvious, which it was, to her. "The Dursley's always thought that it was bad thing and that I should be ashamed of it, but they were wrong, weren't they?" She looked up at Professor Snape, anxiously. "I should be proud of it?"
"Yes, Potter," he said, his voice sounding odd, "You should be very proud of it." Then, in an obvious attempt to change the subject, he jerked his head, oily black hair swinging limply. "Hand me the aconite."
Harriet looked at him, unsure of which ingredient on the counter that was.
"The little, yellow, flower," Professor Snape sighed. Harriet took the small bundle of flowers and held them uncertainly. "Now put them in the cauldron," he told her slowly. "or does the fact that we are making a potion still elude you?"
Harriet blushed at her momentary lapse in intelligence and dropped the flowers into the cauldron. As Snape stirred the sludge slowly, the potion changed from a green sludge into a slightly more grey slime. It was still disgusting, but it looked a bit better.
"Wow," grinned Harriet. "Is making potions always this wicked?" Snape gave her an indecipherable look and raised an eyebrow at her.
"I may have misjudged you, Potter." Harriet looked at him curiously. "There may be hope for you, yet."
James Potter, Potter Manor- July 13, 1991
James Potter stepped into his living room after work, expecting the smell of his wife's delicious food and the sound of his daughter's delighted laughter. Instead, he was met with a deafening silence that told him that nobody was home. Confused, he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, Prongs," called Sirius's voice, as he too stepped into the living room. "Where is everybody?"
"I don't know," he called back, as he reached the kitchen. Looking around, he saw a piece of parchment resting on the table and he recognized Lily's handwriting. He picked up the parchment.
Dear James,
I got an urgent call from St. Mungo's saying that they urgently need my assistance. I'm sorry, but I had mo way of contacting you, or else I would have let you know.
I had nobody to watch Harriet, but Severus agreed to watch her until you get back. I know you still don't trust him, but I assure you Harriet will be fine with him for a few hours and that he will take good care of her.
When you do go to pick her up, REMEMBER WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!
If you, Harriet, Sirius, or Remus get hungry before I get back, get take-out. We don't need to risk having you cook.
All my love,
Lily
James reread the letter, sure that he had somehow misinterpreted his wife's neat script. She left their daughter with Snape? The Death Eater? Sure, he conceded when she said to give the man a chance, but that did not mean he was comfortable leaving his daughter with him!
"Prongs?" asked Padfoot, walking into the house. "Where is everybody?"
"Lily was called into St. Mungo's," James ran a hand over his face. "She couldn't find anybody, so apparently she left Harriet with Snape."
"Snape?" Sirius questioned. "Are you sure?"
James handed him the note.
"I'm going to go pick her up," he sighed. "Wait here for Remus, would ya'? Maybe order some dinner for us?"
Sirius nodded. "Sure, mate. Whatever you need."
James walked back into the living room and grabbed some Floo powder. He grimaced. This was not going to be fun.
Severus Snape, Spinner's End- July 13, 1991
For the second time that day, Snape's brewing was disturbed by the sound of somebody in the Floo.
Probably Potter here to pick up his brat, the professor scowled, wiping off his hands. The brat in question was currently mixing the solution in one of his cauldrons; three stirs to the right, then four to the left, just as he had instructed. For the daughter of James Potter, Snape had noted early on that the girl had quite an aptitude for potions.
No doubt something she inherited from Lily, he mused. He snapped his fingers and she looked up.
"That was no doubt you're father, here to pick you up." The girl looked dejectedly at her uncompleted potion. "I'll finish brewing after you leave."
"Oh," she said, disappointed. "Okay." She obediently followed him up the stairs and into the living room, where, in the fireplace, her father's head was waiting patiently. Hearing them enter the room, his eyes turned to follow them.
"Snape," he said calmly. "May I enter?"
Snape gave a simple nod. He had not expected Potter to be so cordial. Lily had no doubt asked (read ordered) him to be on his best behavior around Snape. Potter disappeared for a moment, only to step through the Floo a few seconds later. He had barely had a minute to catch his balance when the girl launched herself at him.
"Dad!" she cried, running up to him and flinging her arms around him. He chuckled and scooped her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Hello, Prongslette," he greeted cheerfully. "Miss me?" Harriet nodded.
"Yea," she affirmed. "but I had lots of fun with Professor Snape!"
"Is that so?" he asked, shooting Snape a cautious look. Snape glared at him in return. Honestly! What had Potter expected? For him to use his daughter as a potion tester? Even he had enough morals not to use an innocent child as a guinea pig. A marauder on the other hand, he mused, now that idea had possibilities.
"He was teaching me how to make potions," the girl informed her father cheerfully. "He says I'm really good!"
Snape scowled. He had said no such thing! It seemed Potter was disbelieving, as well.
"He did?" he asked his daughter, doubtful.
"Actually," the brat admitted, "he said that I'm not nearly as dunderheaded as the other imbeciles he has to teach." Potter snorted.
"That sounds more like the Snape I knew." Snape resisted the urge to roll his eyes, a habit he had picked up from the kids he taught. Despite the seven years they had gone to school together, and the amount of times Potter and his friends had taunted him, he doubted very much that Potter knew anything about him.
"But I think," the brat whispered to her father, although not quietly enough for Snape not to hear, "that coming from Professor Snape, thats like an "I love you."
If Snape could say anything good about Potter, it was that, in that moment, he really did try his best not to laugh. His best wasn't good enough, but he at least had the decency to disguise it as a cough.
"Well," he said, once he had calmed himself down. "Thank-you, Snape, for watching my daughter." Snape could detect no hint of a lie in Potter's face. Then again, the man could lie as well as some Death Eaters, if the occasion called for it. Snape once again nodded.
"Can I come back again?" the brat asked her father.
"I suppose," said Potter, carefully, eying him with distrust, "if Snape says its okay-"
"Please, Uncle Severus?" Not even Snape's years of spying were able to keep him from visibly blanching. Potter, too, was shocked and, for a moment, Snape actually thought he was going to drop his daughter. Snape was faster at regaining his composer than his school-boy rival, was, however.
"We'll see," he said smoothly. If he didn't promise the brat anything, he rationalized, he would not have any reason to babysit her next time.
"Alright," said Potter, awkwardly. "We need to get home, Prongslette. Its almost time for dinner."
The girl nodded sadly as she and her father stepped through the Floo, Potter making sure to maintain a firm hold on her.
"By, Uncle Sev!" She smiled, waving happily at him until and then, a few moments later, they were gone. Snape stood staring at the fireplace for a few seconds longer than he should have, before shaking his head rapidly, trying to clear it of his thoughts, and heading back downstairs to his lab.
Harriet Potter, Potter Manor- July 13, 1991
Harriet sat at the dining room table, happily eating the chinese food ordered by her godfather. Her mother had arrived home just in time so now everybody (that is, her parents, Sirius, and Remus) were all eating their food and chatting idly about their day. Naturally, conversation soon turned to Harriet's day with Snape.
"It was great," Harriet said, brushing a strand of black hair away from her face. "Uncle Severus let me help him brew a potion."
"Uncle Severus?" Sirius demanded, sounded a bit startled. He shot a look to her father, who shrugged, helplessly.
"Yea," confirmed Harriet. "At least, he didn't seem to have any problems with me calling him that earlier."
"Of course he didn't," her mum said, an odd note to her voice. Looking up from her plate, Harriet saw an odd glint in her eyes. It wasn't unlike the proud look that Aunt Petunia got every time she saw her "Precious popkin."
"Do you think I could go back again?" she asked.
"You mean you want to spend more time with Snivel-" Sirius was cut short by a loud bang underneath the table. "I mean," he gasped, sounding as though somebody had kicked him hard in the shin, "Snape?"
Sirius glared at Harriet's mum, but she smiled at him, looking completely innocent.
"Why wouldn't I?" Harriet asked, genuinely confused. Was there something that she didn't know? "He was nice. Plus," she added, after thinking for a second, "his insults were really funny."
"He insulted you?" her father asked sharply, eying her from across the table. Harriet was surprised at his sudden attention.
"Sometimes," she said carefully, before adding trying to reassure him, "but he didn't mean it! I know he didn't!"
"How do you know, love?" asked mum softly. Harriet ran a hand through her hair, a nervous habit she had picked up a few years ago.
"He didn't say it them same way the Dursleys did."
An awkward silence filled the table. There was nothing but the sound of silverware scraping across the plates, followed by the sound of chewing, and maybe somebody taking a sip of water. Harriet glanced around the table, feeling a bit guilty. For some reason, her parents didn't really like her talking about the Dursleys. She wasn't too sure why, but they always got angry whenever she brought them up. She decided to move the subject into safer waters.
"So can I go see Uncle Severus again?" She bit her lip, hesitantly. "Dad said I could, if its okay with Uncle Severus."
"Your dad is right," nodded her mother approvingly, her eyes lightening up considerably. She even smiled a bit. "If Severus says its okay, I don't see any problem with it at all."
"Did you ask him?" asked Sirus, curiously, as he added some soy sauce to his noodles far too casually.
"Yes," said Harriet glumly. "He didn't really say "yes.""
"But he didn't say "no," either," pointed out her father, seeing her slightly depressed expression. She perked up a bit, ignoring the tenseness of her father's posture.
"Thats right!" Harriet went back to chewing her food, seemingly in great though, for a moment. Her eyes had the same look that her mother's eyes got, when she was thinking carefully about something (not that Harriet realized this).
"Could we invite him to dinner?" Harriet wondered aloud, a few minutes later. Remus, in an attempt to calm his friends (and himself) down, had just been telling a rather interesting story about his and his boss's work on their newest acquisition, a small book that spit water at you anytime you tried to open it, ("You should have seen the poor man who brought it in," he joked, he was soaking wet). He stopped mid-sentence.
Harriet realized that she had interrupted. She paled. "Sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Its alright, Prongslette. Apology accepted." Harriet let out a sigh of relief. Remus used her nickname less so than the others at the table (except for her mother, who never used it, preferring to call her "love"), so Harriet knew he wasn't mad at her.
"Did you mean Severus, love?" her mum asked her, refocusing her attention. Harriet looked at her for a moment, trying to regain her train of thought.
"Oh, yea," she blushed, finally remembering. "I thought that it would be a nice thing to do. You know, as a way to thank Uncle Severus for watching me. Especially since he was really busy today"
"Thats not a bad idea," Remus said, sounding surprised. He stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork. "Did you come up with it all on your own?"
Harriet shrugged.
"At the Dursleys'," she said," Uncle Vernon always used to have people over for business, usually when he was trying to land a big deal at Grunnings."
"Sounds boring," Sirius made a face, making Harriet laugh. She nodded enthusiastically, in complete agreement with her godfather.
"Thankfully," she said, "the Dursleys didn't like me to be there. They'd lock me in my cupboard, because they were worried about what their friends would think if the saw me." Harriet took a moment to take a sip of her juice, not noticing the dark looks her parents exchanged.
"I was almost always blamed when Uncle Vernon didn't make the deal, but, personally," said Harriet conversationally, "I think it was because his potential clients just want to have to listen to Uncle Vernon's jokes anymore." Harriet made a face.
"Be glad that you never heard him tell the joke about the Japanese golfer."
Severus Snape, Spinner's End- July 15, 1991
A few days after the brat's visit, during which he was plagued by an onslaught of memories from his childhood, Snape received a letter during breakfast, delivered by a large, tawny colored owl, which he had never seen before. Carefully taking the parchment from the owl's foot, he unfurled it, almost choking on his tea when he saw who it was from.
Sev,
I don't know what you did, but you made quite an impression on Harriet. She seems to talk of nothing else but brewing a potion with her "Uncle Severus."
She has asked me to invite you to dinner with us, in a few days time. Don't worry! James, Sirius, and Remus all promise to be on their best behavior.
You have my word.
Send an answer soon,
Lily
Snape snarled. The last thing he wanted to do was spend an evening with that family. But, completely unbidden, he had a vision of the brat's green eyes filled with tears...Lily's green eyes. He slammed his chair into placed and slapped the letter on the table. The potions fumes were getting to his head. A few hours with a good book were all he needed.
Potter's book. He mentally face palmed. In all her excitement, the forgetful idiot had left her book here. No doubt, she would remember eventually and want to get it back. He'd have to see her soon or later.
Might as well get it over with, he decided reluctantly.
Sitting back down, he summoned a quill and some parchment. He began penning his reply to Lily.
Dear Lily,
I would be happy (as he wrote this, he had to force his food back down. No doubt vomit on parchment was a large indicator of the insincerity of one's letter) to join you and your family for dinner...
AN: As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Please review!