August 1992
Snapes' family home
It was a warm and sunny summer day, Florence was in the living room watching TV with Elizabeth, while Severus and the twins played tag with little Christopher in the backyard.
She caressed her daughter's long black wavy hair, not really paying attention to the movie on TV, but rather smiling at the laughter she could hear coming from outside.
She hadn't had the wedding in the backyard that she'd wanted, but she had laughter, a home filled with happiness, and a beautiful family with the love of her life.
However, since the scare they had had with Quirrell having hosted part of her father's soul for a year, her and Severus were being extra careful about letting the kids out of the house.
"You and dad look worried, mum," said Elizabeth, looking at her.
"That's because we are, sweetie. But it's nothing for you to worry about. Just know that we must be careful for now. You and your brothers must stay inside the house and most importantly: do not open the door. Let Tiffany, Mel or your dad and I do it."
"Ok, mum," the girl just agreed.
"That's it?" asked Florence, surprised, thinking that her daughter's reaction was very different than what she had been expecting. "Aren't you going to demand to know why you can't go shopping or have an ice cream at the village?"
"No. James and Nick told me that you and dad were involved in the war, fourteen years ago. They said all these new precautions have something to do with You-Know-Who returning."
"Yes, they do," she kissed her daughter's forehead, "Thanks for being so understanding, love."
Then they saw the backyard French-doors opening and Severus walked into the house, wiping the sweat off his face with the lower part of his very wet white sleeveless shirt.
Florence eyed him with clear interest.
Need help with all of that sweat, professor? She asked through their bond.
He silently arched an eyebrow at her on his way to the kitchen, "Tiffany, take some orange juice to the boys in the backyard, please," he asked their house-elf.
"Right away, Master!" Tiffany replied.
Then he walked back to the living room, but Florence wasn't on the sofa anymore, she was walking towards him, biting her bottom lip.
You didn't answer me, professor. She touched his hard chest through the wet shirt. Do you need help to wipe off all this sweat?
And how will you help me, assistant? he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his body, kissing her hard, a hand caressing one of her thighs.
"Come on, dad! We're waiting!" shouted Nicholas entering the house, then his eyes fell on them, "AAHRGH, GET A ROOM, PEOPLE!" he covered his face.
The couple stopped kissing, and Florence touched her head to her husband's chest, laughing.
"AHA!" shouted James walking right behind his brother, "At least this time it wasn't me who had to witness such depravity!"
Florence turned around to face them, "Oh, please! You're almost 14! You two know pretty well where you've all come from!"
"Lalalala!" said James, covering his ears with his hands and going back to the yard.
"We do know, mum... but you're mum!" said Nicholas, "We don't really want to think of dad doing THAT to you," he shivered in disgust and followed his brother outside.
Florence turned back to face her husband, who was laughing. Then he said: "Poor kids, they have no idea the kind of mum they have."
"Alright! That's it for me too!" shouted Elizabeth jumping off the sofa and walking to the backyard door, speaking: "Nick's right, you know. We do know how babies are made but you're mum." she stopped by the door, smiling, "However, I have to say I'm happy to see you two like that. I hope to have that, too, when I marry," then she left the house, going after her brothers.
Florence looked up at her husband, and he seemed suddenly upset, a frown marring his face.
"What is it, Sev?"
"Some little bastard will steal her from us someday."
"Oh, no," Florence rolled her eyes, "Not this again!"
"I don't want to think of any man doing to her what I do to you," said Severus.
"Why not? I really, really like what you do to me." Florence had her hands under his shirt aga,n. "Now, tell me, what kind of mum do they have, professor?" she kissed his neck, touching him through his shorts.
He quickly focused on her touches again, "The kind that wakes me up at 5 in the morning to do that to her and more."
"Complaining?" she bit his bottom lip.
"Never," Severus fisted his hand in her hair, taking her lips passionately and pushing her against the wall by the kitchen entrance.
"Homines occultare. Muffliato," he whispered.
Her eyes sparkled as she realised what was about to happen.
"Ooh, I remember one time, many many years ago, when you used those same spells while I was trapped between your body and a wall in the common room," she wrapped one leg around him.
"Yes, I thought that was my last chance to have you. To make you mine," he ran his hands down her body.
"Walk us to the library, husband," she ordered, her light-green eyes telling him he was in for a ride until her veela was satisfied.
Severus did as she ordered, entering the library with her in his arms and closing the door.
September 1st 1992
Hogwarts, welcoming feast
As the students walked into the Great Hall, Florence waited patiently to see her godson.
She knew Harry had spent a few days with the Weasleys during the school recess, after receiving a warning from the Improper Use of Magic Office for using a Hover Charm outside of school.
However, when Hermione Granger walked into the Great Hall alone, Florence knew something wasn't right.
"Where's Harry?" she whispered, "Most students have already arrived."
Severus looked up and tried to reassure her: "He must've gone to the Gryffindor Tower before coming for dinner. It's on the seventh floor... it takes a while to go all the way up there and back."
"Yes. But I'm going to check," she got up and walked to the Gryffindor table, "Excuse me, Miss Granger, but where are your friends, Potter and Weasley?"
"I don't really know, Madam Delacour," the girl sounded worried, "They weren't on the train. At least I haven't seen them."
"It's alright. I'm certain they're ok. I'll just check on their whereabouts."
Florence turned back to the high table and sent her husband: Harry and the Weasley boy weren't on the train.
I'm on it. Severus replied, standing up and walking out of the Great Hall through one of the side doors.
Florence returned to the high table, controlling her need to go after her husband to help him find Harry – doing so would only further fuel the already established gossip that she was fucking the Potions Master.
She used her wand to fill up her goblet with wine and looked at the double doors, wishing Harry would just appear alongside his redheaded friend, both unscathed.
As she worried about him, Florence felt someone sitting on Severus's chair on her left but she didn't look up, knowing for sure it wasn't her husband and not caring to check who it was.
"Who is this exceptional beauty that isn't me?" asked the man beside her, interrupting her thoughts.
She turned to face at him, quickly realising who he was: the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher – the book guy.
"Thank you for the compliment, Prof. Lockhart," she replied, as politely as she could.
"Oh, please, call me Gil, or Roy," he smiled and winked at her, "And what precious name should I call for when I'm in need of medical attention?"
"I'm Florence Delacour," she forced herself to remain civil.
"Ooh, what a sweet name for such a gorgeous lady. And by the surname I can assume that the rumours I've heard have a chance of being nothing more than just that: rumours," Lockhart moved his hand closer to hers on the table.
But before Florence could reply, her husband was back and leaning close to Lockhart's ear, whispering calmly: "I wouldn't be so fast on assuming anything, Lockhart."
And Gilderoy was startled by his sudden appearance, jumping up from the chair and looking from Severus to Florence, with a lopsided smile.
"You and her? You must be joking! I understand wanting to protect your colleague from a dangerously attractive man like me, but there's no need to make up stories, Prof. Snape! The rumours are most certainly no more than just-"
"Are they?" Severus whispered, looking deep into Gilderoy's eyes, sharing with the man one quick flash of a memory where Florence was moaning in pleasure as Severus moved between her legs.
Lockhart gulped and glanced from him to her again, looking suddenly hot and bothered, "I-I'll be on my way," he stuttered before walking to the other end of the high table, putting some distance between them, going to sit between Trelawney and Hagrid.
"Was that necessary?" Florence asked as her husband sat beside her.
"Don't worry, he didn't actually see your body," Severus discreetly replied.
"You know I have no issues with people looking at my body, Severus. But what if he gets even more interested now? He is full of himself enough to believe he could do better," she looked at him with an arched eyebrow.
Severus glanced at Lockhart and the man seemed completely absorbed by a thought, his eyes unfocused as he ran his finger along the rim of his cup.
"Fuck," muttered Severus.
"Forget about him. Where's Harry?" Florence asked, ignoring the situation her husband had created.
"Apparently," he explained, still angry at Lockhart, "the portal at platform 9 ¾ sealed itself when he and Ronald Weasley tried to go through it. So they took Arthur Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia and flew here all the way from London."
What? Why didn't they wait for Mr and Mrs Weasley to return to the platform? She sent him, too surprised to ask that out loud.
"Because they are twelve and dumb?" he arched his signature eyebrow at her.
"Shit. Yes. I know very well how dumb twelve-year-olds can be," Florence sighed, remembering all they had gone through with the twins two years ago, "Is he ok?"
"Yes. The Whomping Willow helped them land," said Severus, nonchalantly.
She looked at him, knowing he was taking his time to tell her all that had happened just to make her nervous.
Severus. She growled at him.
"He and the Weasley boy are fine, Flor," he continued with a chuckle, "McGonagall is just giving them detention for a month."
Florence frowned, "What can possibly be funny in that story? They could've died!" she whisper-shouted.
"I'm just remembering their faces when I threatened to expel them if they were in Slytherin," he said.
"Right. They wouldn't even be getting detention if they were in Slytherin," she said, rolling her eyes.
"True," Severus shrugged.
"Why do you think the portal closed?" she asked, concerned.
"Dumbledore will look into it."
She just nodded, fearing it could have something to do with her father.
As Florence had predicted, Lockhart did believe he could do better and began visiting the hospital wing daily, trying to charm her with his obnoxious smiles and winks as he told her the stories of his many heroics.
All bollocks!
So she avoided staying much time in there if she weren't needed, otherwise she might kill the stupid man – if her husband didn't get to him first.
October 1992
Severus walked into his private quarters and closed the door behind him – feeling tired and homesick.
In the last five days he had been unable to go home to spend time with his wife and their younger kids.
He saw Florence in the castle every day, but the hospital wing was always busy since Dumbledore had had the amazing idea of hiring a complete imbecile to teach Defence Against Dark Arts; every single day a student – or ten – needed medical attention from things going wrong in Lockhart's classes.
Severus sighed and walked into his bedroom, unbuttoning his waistcoat.
"Evening, Severus," he suddenly heard Florence's voice.
He stopped, whispering: "Are you a dream?"
"Really? A dream?" she smiled and he watched her get up from the bed wearing one of his long-sleeved white undershirts that looked like a dress in her smaller frame.
"I don't think I've ever been called that," she chuckled, going to him and taking over unbuttoning his waistcoat.
"I'm sure I've mentioned in the past that you fuck like a dream," he replied, making her laugh.
"I'm so glad you're here, love," he continued, before wrapping her in his arms and kissing her lips – tenderly at first, but quickly becoming more demanding, "I thought you had gone home earlier."
"And I did. But after putting the kids to bed, I lay down on that big bed of ours and I missed you..." she kissed down his neck, running her hands down his chest.
"Just give me a minute to jump in the shower, then I'll join you in the bed," Severus said, kissing her once more.
"Sure. Have you had dinner already?" Florence asked.
"Yes. But haven't had dessert!" he exclaimed from the bathroom, "Couldn't stand another minute at the same table as that moron- Lockhart," he finished in a growl.
Florence chuckled, saying: "I'll order something from the kitchens."
Then she walked out of the bedroom, going to the living room fireplace, where she called the kitchens and asked for some cherry-filled bonbons.
Florence was walking back to the bedroom when she heard:
"Ashta sif."
"What?" she asked out loud, stopping by the bedroom door, as she heard it again:
"Siif asshe ashta phieef."
Severus walked back into his room expecting to see his wife sprawled naked on the bed, but Florence was nowhere to be seen.
"Flor? Where are you?"
"Here," he heard her voice from the living room.
He walked there only to find her in a strange position: a hand on the wall, a worried look on her face.
"What happened?" he asked, "Are you all right, love?"
"Parseltongue," she whispered, "I heard someone speaking Parseltongue."
"What?" he frowned, "That's not possible. No one in this castle can do that."
"And yet I heard it! They were talking, but now... they stopped," she continued, "Someone was ordering something around..."
"To do what?" he worried.
"I don't know!" Florence looked at him with apprehension, "They were moving away and I lost them..." her voice depicting her concern.
"Maybe it was just a snake in the pipes, Flor. It couldn't have been a person, nobody in this castle is a Parselmouth."
But she didn't say anything.
"I need some dessert," Severus said, sitting at the table where the bonbons had showed up, "I swear I'm going to strangle Lockhart until the end of the term."
But Florence was only half-listening to him.
They went to bed after eating all the bonbons.
"Have I told you already how happy I am that you're here?" Severus said, kissing her lips while his hands played with her hair, "I wish I could go home to see the children..."
"Liz and Chris miss you. You've never spent five days away from home before. They make me promise that if you get home after they've gone to bed that I'll wake them up so they can kiss you good night."
"They understand-?"
"Yes, Sev. They know you're needed here in the castle, but they want you home."
"I want myself home too," he sighed.
"Shhs kst shta."
"Again!" Florence exclaimed, jumping out of the bed and running her hand along the wall, "I heard Parseltongue again! And I think it's going to kill!"
They both got dressed as fast as they could and Severus followed her out of the door and down the corridors, Florence touching the wall and translating:
"Kill. See blood. It wants to kill someone!"
When they reached the second floor, the stone floor was covered in water, and the whispers had stopped.
"I can't hear them anymore," Florence whispered.
"Where's all this water coming from?" asked Severus.
"It seems to be coming from Myrtle's bathroom," she said, confused.
But when they turned left on the flooded corridor, they saw the last three students they wanted to find standing there: Harry, Ronald and Hermione.
Oh, no. Why are they here? Florence asked her husband as they walked towards the students.
"Wait. Is that... Mrs Norris?" she whispered, looking at the cat that was hanging upside down by its tail from an unlit torch; then she noticed the writings on the wall next to the cat: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the Heir beware."
Shit. Was that written in blood? She looked at Severus and he nodded.
The trio turned to look at her and Severus, but before any of them could speak, lots of students appeared in the corridor – and Draco Malfoy was reading the words in the wall out loud:
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the Heir beware," and then he looked at Hermione, gleefully, "You'll be next, mudbloods."
Lucius managed to ruin his sweet son. Said Florence to her husband, shaking her head.
No, that's just for show. I still believe he hasn't changed his nature. Draco had a good heart, I know he still does. Replied Severus.
"What's going on here?" asked Filch coming through the corridor and stopping once he saw his cat, "You murdered my cat!" he pointed to a very scared Harry, "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YA!" the man screamed.
"Argus!" shouted Dumbledore appearing amongst the students with McGonagall, Sprout and Lockhart.
The Headmaster looked at the writing on the wall and then at Florence, struggling to hide his concern.
"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories, immediately. Everyone except you three," Dumbledore pointed to the three Gryffindors, "Now, Argus, she's not dead. Mrs Norris has only been petrified."
"Aah, so unlucky I wasn't around," Lockhart said, looking at Florence, "I know exactly the counter-course that could have spared her."
Florence tried not to smile at the anger she could suddenly feel coming from her husband.
"Now, how she's been petrified I cannot say," continued Dumbledore.
"Ask him!" Filch shouted pointing to Harry, "He's the one that's done it!"
"No, Headmaster," Harry tried to defend himself, "I didn't do anything. I've never touched Mrs Norris."
"If I might, Headmaster," Severus began, "Perhaps Potter and his friends were only in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The three Gryffindors were shocked to see him defending them.
Florence just looked at her husband, knowing nothing good was coming from that.
"However," Severus continued, "I don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."
"I believe that was my doing, Severus," said Lockhart, "Harry was in my office, sorting out my fan mail for me," he smiled and winked at Florence this time, "I have a lot of fans."
She wanted to laugh; clearly Lockhart had no idea the risk he was in right then.
"That's why Ron and I went looking for him, professor," said Hermione, "We'd just found him when he said-" she looked nervous and glanced at Harry.
Florence frowned as she discretely cast Legillimens and peeked into her thoughts: "When he said he'd heard a voice saying that it was going to kill."
"Yes, Miss Granger?" asked Severus.
"When I said I wasn't hungry," Harry replied instead, "We were going back to our common room, when we found Mrs Norris."
Severus looked at Dumbledore.
"They're innocent until proven guilty, Severus," said the Headmaster.
"My cat's been petrified!" shouted Filch, "I want to see some punishment!"
"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore, reassuringly, "Soon Prof. Sprout's Mandrakes will be old enough that a potion can be made from them and we can use it to unpetrify Mrs. Norris."
"Of course. And I'll make that potion myself!" exclaimed Lockhart, looking at Florence, "Perhaps you'd like to assist me, Mediwitch Delacour?"
"Should I remind you who the Potions Master of this school is, Lockhart?" Severus said between gritted teeth.
Florence smiled, glancing at Dumbledore, who watched Severus's jealousy fit with an amused smiled.
"So, now you believe me?" Florence asked her husband once they were back in his quarters.
"So you heard someone speaking Parseltongue, there's a ominous message written in blood on the wall, Mrs Norris is petrified and Myrtle flooded her bathroom," Severus quickly summarised it, "But why would anyone do all of that?" he was honestly intrigued, "Who would go to all that trouble just to petrify Filch's cat – what does it have to do with anything?"
Then Florence told him: "I heard someone speaking Parseltongue – and so did Harry."
"What?" he sat on the sofa to take off his shoes.
"I saw that on Granger's mind."
"Don't get inside Granger's mind too much, you might get lost in there," he joked and sighed, "What you're saying makes no sense, Flor. Harry can't be able to speak Parseltongue, he doesn't have Slytherin's blood."
"We don't know that. The Potters can be traced back to the Peverell brothers and you know it. Besides, James had that special invisibility cloak that proves the connection – to those who believe the tale."
"I know. But-"
"And Dumbledore always hides things from you – from both of us. He knows more than he tells. He must even know already that Harry is a Parselmouth," Florence sat on the sofa beside her husband, "What is this Chamber of Secrets anyway?"
"There's this legend that Salazar Slytherin, before leaving the school, built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. He sealed it and left. And only when his true heir returned to the castle, the Chamber would be opened and the monster within it unleashed. The monster would then purge the school of those who, in Slytherin's view were unworthy of studying magic."
"Muggleborns," said Florence, nodding, "You don't think this is my fault, do you? That just because I'm here, a muggleborn-eating monster is roaming the corridors and looking for kids to kill?"
Severus didn't reply right away, so she continued: "That's absurd! If my mere presence here is making the monster kill, why hasn't this happened before? I've been working here for a decade and this has never happened. I've never even heard about any Chamber of Secrets!"
"I really don't know what to say to you, love," he sounded worried, "But who else in this castle has Salazar Slytherin's blood besides you? Who else speaks Parseltongue?"
"I don't know any of those answers, Sev. But I bet Dumbledore does," she angrily replied.