November 2nd 1991

Hogwarts' dungeons

Early evening

"Did you find out who let the troll loose inside the castle two days ago?" asked Florence, as she lay in bed with her husband, her head on his chest, her legs entwined with his.

"Yes." Severus replied, lazily caressing her naked body. "Quirrell did it."

"Why would he do that?" she lifted her head from his chest to look at his face.

"My guess is he was looking for the philosopher's stone, but Dumbledore disagrees; he says it was an accident."

"So you think Quirrell wants the stone. What for?"

"I don't know. But he's changed, Quirrell is not the same this year..."

"There's definitely something off with him," Florence said, sitting up on the bed.

"What do you mean, love?" he frowned.

"He looks at me... weirdly."

"Every man with eyes looks at you, Flor." Severus chuckled, pulling her back to his chest, touching her naked back, just enjoying how relaxed he felt after a long round of passionate sex.

"No, Sev... this is different; he looks at me with something akin to curiosity and not desire."

"I'll make him stop looking at you, don't worry," he said, a little angry.

"Oh, will you now?" she smiled, kissing upwards from his chest to his lips.

"You can be sure of it; you're mine – everyone knows that by now! And I agree that he's weird, Flor, but he won't be here much longer. After all, DADA teachers only last a year."

"Thanks to daddy-dearest cursing the position," she said, biting his bottom lip.

"Yes," Severus paused, "I can only imagine the kind of teacher your father would be... hexing the students and letting them struggle to get rid of them. Just like he did with you," he caressed her face, lovingly.

"Can't say his methods don't work," she shrugged, "I learned."

"Sure, under torture," he brushed her hair away from her cheek and kissed her deeply, making her sigh, "Last week I talked to Dumbledore about Quirrell, but he just said the man is eccentric."

Florence laid her head on his chest and entwined her left hand with his right one, "Maybe I'm seeing things... it's been so long since we had to worry about the war... and we've become careless as the years went by."

"Careless is an understatement," Severus snorted, "The whole wizarding world has heard about the twins and knows of at least one of the many theories about us."

"I like the vampire one," she chuckled, "The whole being locked up in the dungeons and bitten thing... sounds naughty and sexy."

"And not very far from the truth."

She laughed, but he could tell she was still concerned.

"We'll be fine, love. When he returns, we'll know, the Mark-"

"I know. I know. The Mark will darken and we will know. And we will be ready."

"Yes, Flor, we will," he kissed her wedding ring, hearing her stomach rumble and using that to change the subject: "Now, I can see that someone is hungry, how about you stay here and we ask for dinner?"

"Mm, I see what you're doing... distracting me with food and a quiet dinner."

"Is it working?" He held her close and kissed her again, tongues lazily caressing each other, "Are you staying the night here, love?"

"Yes, your mother is home with the kids," she laid a kiss on his jaw, silently thanking him for stopping her distressing thoughts.

"Is fish, wine and salad alright?" Severus asked, even though he made no move to get out of bed to floo-call the kitchens.

"Perfect," Florence nodded, lying again on his chest, "After a nap," she whispered.

"Absolutely, princess."

December 1991

Snapes' family home

Severus woke up feeling warm and relaxed, the soft sunlight entering the room, the comfort of the mattress under him and the beautiful woman lying naked on his chest made that a perfect start of the day.

He folded an arm behind his head and caressed Florence's back with the other hand, staring at the vaulted ceiling above the bed and sighing contently.

"Mmm, don't you look happy this morning," whispered Florence, rubbing her nose on his chest.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Severus replied, "All our kids are home for the Holidays, and I had a great night with a gorgeous woman."

"Really? Who is she?" she asked jokingly, kissing down his chest.

"Oh, she's a sexy witch I'm lucky to have married - ten years ago."

She looked at him with a soft and sweet smile, "Good morning, husband," he whispered, kissing her lips again.

"Good morning, princess," he replied, "I wish we could just stay in bed the rest of the day."

"That would be amazing but... we'd better clean up before the kids wake up, Sev, you know how they like to complain about having seen enough of us snogging," she stood up naked beside the bed, turning to ask him over her shoulder: "Meet me in the shower?"

And he ran after her.

After a long love-making session under the shower spray, Severus walked back into the bedroom, fully dressed in jeans and a jumper.

"You do it!" he heard Nicholas' voice from the other side of the door, "You're the oldest, James. You see if they're awake!"

Severus approached the door, hearing next:

"I'm not getting in there!" exclaimed James, "I've been traumatised enough! Elizabeth, you go!"

"Why me?" the girl asked, outraged, "Chris go! He's four, he hasn't caught them snogging yet."

Severus laughed and decided to scare them; opening the door all of a sudden, he glared at his kids, saying in his most menacing teacher-voice: "What are children such as yourselves doing in the corridor at this hour?"

He heard a scoff and then Elizabeth asking in a bored tone: "Does that door-opening scare work with your students?" the girl flipped her hair back and crossed her arms, "Cause it's lame," then she suddenly smiled and threw herself on him, getting caught in a warm hug, "'Morning, dad."

"Good morning, baby-girl."

"Daddy!" exclaimed Chris, the only brown-haired kid in the corridor.

"'Morning, Chris," Severus picked the boy up and took two steps back to let the kids enter the room, but none of them moved.

"Is mum dressed?" asked James, his arched eyebrow copying his father's signature move.

"Would I be here at the door if she weren't?" asked Severus with the same arched eyebrow.

"Uugh!" James made a face, rolling his eyes, "We get it, dad! Geez! Good morning."

And the three of them entered their parents' bedroom.

"Good morning, dad," said Nick, hugging his father.

Florence laughed, walking out of the bathroom in a long-sleeved fluffy white cashmere dress, "I can't believe I'll say this but: I missed this stupid argument of yours."

She pulled James into a tight hug, kissing his cheek, "Look at you two," she hugged Nicholas next, "My babies," she gave them a teary smile, "Not really my babies anymore though, you're almost my height already!"

"Don't start, mum," James rolled his eyes again.

But Florence ignored his complaint and hugged them both at the same time, "I love you, boys."

"We love you, mum," the twins said in unison, knowing she loved when they did that.

Florence sniffed against their shoulders.

"You're crying, mum?" asked Nick, looking at her.

"You two are so tall and handsome..." She touched their cheeks, "I'm so glad you're home."

Nick kissed her cheek and Liz walked to Florence, hugging her. Then Severus walked close to her and Chris gave his mother a kiss too.

James glanced at his father, motioning his mother's emotional state, but Severus pointed a finger at him, "She birthed and raised you; you hug her and make her happy."

Florence laughed and kissed James's cheek again.

Then they heard from downstairs: "Where are my boys?"

"Grandma is here!" shouted Chris, jumping from his father's arms and running downstairs; James, Nicholas and Elizabeth followed him.

Severus turned to Florence, wrapping his arms around his wife: "You look beautiful this morning, love," he whispered before kissing her lips.

"I'm so happy, Sev. Waking up, making love, seeing the children... can you believe the twins are thirteen? And how tall they are?" she kissed him again, "They'll be as tall as you."

He hoisted her up, making her wrap her legs around his waist, and deepened the kiss, "I think we'll be late for breakfast," he said, kissing down her neck.

"And why is that?" she whispered, already pulling his shirt upwards.

"OH C'MON!" they heard James shouting from the door, "Can't you two just stop? Ughh! I knew I should've asked Tiffany to come get you!"

"Once you have a girlfriend, you'll see how difficult it is to keep your hands off her, James."

The teen shook his head, "You're married, dad! Ten years! It shouldn't be like that anymore."

"It's not my fault you have a hot mum," Severus replied, winking at Florence.

"AARGH! That's it, dad! Gross!" James shouted, going back downstairs.

Florence laughed hard and they followed their son.

March 1992

Hogwarts

Florence walked one morning into the lab to brew some potions to the infirmary and was surprised to find her husband there - talking to Hagrid.

"Hello, Florence," greeted the half-giant.

"Hi, Hagrid," she smiled, "How's Norbert? I believe he must've hatched by now."

"Oh, yes, he did! A couple of weeks ago, actually," he spoke proudly, "And he's three times his size already!"

"And have you told Dumbledore about him?" she asked, having already told him that raising a dragon in a school wasn't a good idea.

"Yea', I have. And the Headmaster won't let me keep 'im," Hagrid sounded truly upset, "It's like you said, Florence: Dumbledore agrees it's too dangerous for the students."

Florence touched his arm, "I'm sorry to hear that, but it's for the best."

"I do, yeah."

She was about to ask what he was doing in the potions lab, when her eyes fell on three vials on her husband's desk and she froze, "Severus, what the hell are those?"

"They're exactly what you think they are," he replied.

"Unicorn blood," Florence whispered, carefully picking up one of the crystal vials and observing the beautiful silver liquid inside, "What happened, Hagrid? What killed a unicorn?" she glanced at her husband in apprehension.

Hagrid hesitated, then he whispered: "The centaurs have a theory," he paused, "Firenze says it was... You-Know-Who."

"What? How?" asked Florence, her heart pounding.

"Firenze says he saw a dark hooded creature hunt down a unicorn," Hagrid explained, "but before they could do anythin' to protect it, the thin' killed it. And then Harry..."

"Harry? You mean Potter? What does he have to do with this?" she exclaimed, even more concerned.

"Well, Florence..." Hagrid looked from her to Severus, seeming a bit uneasy, "Harry saw this dark creature leanin' over the unicorn's corpse and... drinkin' its blood."

Florence inhaled sharply and put the crystal vial back on the table beside the other two, glancing at her husband.

"Anyway," continued Hagrid, "I'll be goin' now. Dumbledore helped me harvest the blood and asked me to deliver those for yeh."

"Thank you again, Hagrid," said Severus.

Florence forced a smile and waved Hagrid goodbye and, when the door closed behind him, she whispered: "Unicorn blood, Severus. He's drinking unicorn blood."

"No, Florence," he shook his head, "We don't know if it is your-"

"Yes! We do know!" she interrupted, looking at him with fear in her eyes, "I know Firenze, he is a very wise centaur. If he says it's my father, then it is him!"

"Flor, think about what you're saying," Severus tried to calm her down, "How would your father be strong enough to kill a unicorn?"

"He could have possessed someone," she quickly replied, looking at him with intent.

"And you think that someone is Quirrell," he said, understanding, "But it doesn't make any sense. Quirrell used to teach Muggle Studies! He was a Ravenclaw student, he's not the kind of person that would follow your father-"

"Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and a Marauder and yet-"

"Alright. I get it, Florence," Severus interrupted, letting out a sigh, "Look, I'll try talking to Quirrell again, see if I can make him tell me something," he pulled her closer, feeling her fear and nervousness, "Hey, love. The Mark is still grey. He's not back."

"Yet, Severus- he's not back yet," she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"You know we have a plan-"

"I know. But I can't stop fearing for you, for our kids. We are so happy, we have such a beautiful family..."

"We are and we absolutely do. And we'll fight for them, Flor," he pulled her chin up and kissed her softly, "Together."

"Together," she replied, before kissing him again.

June 1992

Snapes' family home

It was very late and Florence couldn't sleep or read or pay attention to whatever was playing on TV.

Something's not right. She thought repeatedly, her heart telling her that something bad had happened – she could feel it.

Severus had said he was going to go home for dinner that night, and then he didn't show up – without telling her why.

I'm going to Hogwarts. She decided. At least to check if he is fine.

Decision made, she went upstairs and changed her clothes, quickly going back downstairs, and calling Tiffany.

"Keep an eye on Liz and Chris, Tiff. I have to go to Hogwarts, but it, hopefully, won't take me long to come back."

Then she entered the fireplace with some Floo powder, calling: "Severus' quarters."

When she opened her eyes and walked into her husband's empty living room, she called his name, but it was clear that he wasn't there.

Florence then walked out of his quarters, going towards the third floor, looking for either him or Dumbledore.

The corridors were nearly empty at that time of night, only patrolling prefects and some snogging couples were around.

"Mediwitch Delacour!" she suddenly heard her name being called in that familiar voice and turned around quickly.

"Prof. Snape," she looked at both sides of the corridor before running to him.

"What are you doing here, Florence? Has Pomfrey called you?"

"No. I just had a bad feeling. Is everything all right? Why would she call me?" she frowned.

"Let's go to my quarters," his serious expression letting her know something had indeed happened.

They quickly walked into his living room. Severus locked the door and they sat on the sofa in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Severus, what's going on? What-?"

"I've found out how your father has killed the unicorn in the forbidden forest," Severus said, his voice heavy with worry.

"So it truly was him. How?"

"Quirrell. The stuttering lunatic was serving as a host for some part of your father's soul."

"Shit. So I was right to think there was something weird with him," she whispered, fear filling up her heart.

"Yes, but he's gone now- again," he took her left hand in his, looking at her wedding ring and knowing that what had happened that night could potentially affect their family.

"Gone? How?" she asked, frowning.

"Harry-"

"Oh, no," she exhaled.

"Yes. Well, he somehow, found out about the philosopher's stone and thought I was trying to steal it to give it to your father."

"So he believes you're not just an unfair teacher, but that you're actually evil?"

"Yes," Severus was visibly bothered by that, "I don't like it, but I know it's good for future plans. Anyway, Harry followed someone – who he thought was me – down to where we were hiding the stone. Granger and Ronald Weasley helped him pass the tests the other teachers and I had set to protect the stone. When he got to the last one, he found Quirrell and they had some sort of fight that Harry won, somehow."

"A fight? How is Harry?" she worried.

"He's fine. He'll spend the night in the hospital wing. We have Potions finals tomorrow morning and I used that as an excuse to ask Pomfrey about him. She assured me he'll be able to take the exam tomorrow."

"I could-"

"No. You know you cannot go there, Florence," Severus interrupted her, "The boy's fine."

She glared at him but scooted closer to him, looking at the empty fireplace.

"Do you think I did well by bringing Harry to Hogwarts?" she asked after a while, uncertain, "Wouldn't he be safer at Ilvermorny?"

"Flor, we both know this is what James and Lily would've wanted," Severus stopped her, "Seeing Harry in Gryffindor would make them very happy."

"Yes. I know. But it can't be a coincidence... my father appearing in Hogwarts right when Harry is here."

"Maybe it is... I believe the stone was what your father was after. And when he saw it would take a while to acquire it, he used his plan B to survive: the unicorn blood."

"So you believe Harry is safe here?" she asked, noticing her husband's hesitation, "Severus?"

"Well, yes. As long as Dumbledore starts being more careful when he hires his teachers."

He got up and so did Florence, helping him unbutton his vest, looking very worried.

"He saw us, Severus," she whispered in apprehension, "That's why he looked at me weirdly. It wasn't Quirrell looking at me – it was my father! He heard the rumours and he saw us!"

He sighed, "I know, love," puling her into a hug, smelling her hair and trying to be strong for the both of them, "We knew this would happen... we let the rumours run free..."

"I know," she whispered, rubbing her nose on his neck.

"We have our plan, and it hasn't changed: I'll talk to him when he returns. There's no denying it now that he's seen us..."

Florence closed her eyes, hating that she had to agree with him, but fearing about the outcome of that talk.

"What if he doesn't let you speak, Sev? What if he just-" she held his face with both hands, kissing him deeply, "I don't want to lose you," she whispered.

"You won't, love. We'll stand together," he touched her cheek, looking into her eyes, "Remember that I promised you that? At our home, the first night we were there as a family, with the twins asleep between us; I promised you that I wouldn't let anything destroy our family."

She nodded, but a tear fell from her eyes and he held her tightly against his chest.

"I love you," she said, "We'll stand together."

"Always," Severus replied, closing his eyes and focusing on the feeling of her body close to his, his fears mixing with hers as they silently comforted each other.