Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—————————————————————
Severus held Lucius's frigid, grey gaze while the eerie light from Voldemort's wand circled their interlaced fingers.
Voldemort glanced between them both as he cast his spell and snapped, "Lucius! Severus! Take the vow! We don't have all day!"
Lucius eagerly spoke first in hopes of satisfying his dark master, "I, Lucius Malfoy, promise my son, Draco Malfoy, to your daughter, Harriet Snape, to be her husband and guide as long as the two remain living and their union pleases the Dark Lord."
Severus frowned at his old friend as Lucius flashed him the hint of a very snide sneer.
"Severus!" Voldemort hissed, "Go on!"
The eerie light glowed over the two men's clasped hands warningly while Severus barely moved his mouth and spoke, "I, Severus Snape, promise my daughter…….Harriet Snape…..to your son, Draco Malfoy, to be his wife and guide as long as the two remain living….and their union pleases…..the Dark Lord."
The light from Voldemort's wand changed its path and dove between the two men's hands.
Lucius and Severus both grimaced as that bright light placed a stinging mark on the insides of their palms.
With a great cry, Voldemort withdrew his wand and sneered at both of his followers as they scowled at each other and curled their fingers protectively around their smarting hands.
"You've both done well." Voldemort said with an emotionless smile before he went on, "Now that that's been taken care of, let's move on to the more pressing matters."
"More pressing matters, my lord?" Lucius asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, Lucius! Surely you don't think that my entire cause hinges on you and your family?!" Voldemort spat, "I'll beg you to remember, Lucius, my friend, that money doesn't buy your survival…. or your importance."
Lucius scowled at Voldemort while Severus shifted in his seat.
"Every day that passes is a day for him to grow stronger!" Voldemort hissed. He glanced over at Severus while he demanded, "Severus! I need your assistance!"
"With what, my lord?" Severus asked quietly, "Command me and it shall be done."
"James Potter's son is dead, that leaves only one other possibility……..." Voldemort hissed.
Severus felt his heart clench with dread as Voldemort ordered with a hateful sneer, "We must find the Longbottoms' boy!"
—————————————————————
The Snapes' morning at Malfoy manor turned into nearly a full day.
After they had spent several consecutive hours maintaining their ruse in front of Voldemort, Lucius, and Narcissa, Severus and Lily were exhausted by the time they finally made it back to their cottage that evening.
Harriet seemed to sense the strain on her parents and out of sympathy for their fatigue, took it upon herself to fall into a deep sleep in Lily's arms as soon as she noticed the familiar scent of her home.
"Is she……?" Severus asked as he scowled over at the baby in his lover's arms.
When Lily nodded, he carefully shut the front door to avoid making noise while she silently crept up the steps, placed Harriet in her cot, and quietly left the nursery.
Lily cracked Harriet's door before she snuck back down the stairs.
She joined Severus who sat on the sofa and stared into the licking flames inside of the lit fireplace.
He didn't look over at Lily when she sat next to him but in an effort to show his affection, he reached up and snaked an arm around her to pull her close.
Lily sighed and leaned her head against him.
"We won't have to honor that marriage contract, right Sev?" Lily asked as Severus gently rubbed her arm with his palm, which still bore the scar from Voldemort's binding spell.
"...When the Dark Lord dies, the vows made under his magic will die with him." Severus confirmed, "Have no fear, my love. The war will be over before Harriet comes of age."
Lily nodded silently but as Severus looked down at her, he narrowed his eyes at the frown that he found on her fair face.
"Besides their chosen ideology, marrying a Malfoy may offer some benefits. Their family is quite wealthy, she'd be well cared for." Severus reasoned with Lily.
"The Potters were quite wealthy too." Lily retorted with a hint of bitterness in her voice that Severus did not enjoy hearing.
He frowned for a moment before he added, "Considering what could have occurred, a marriage agreement isn't the worst thing that could have happened to our dau-, I mean…..your daughter."
Lily moved to look up at Severus and he frowned at the bright smile that he saw on her face.
"Sev…….?" Lily asked as she moved off of his shoulder and sat up.
"...Yes?" Severus answered as he stared into Lily's emerald eyes.
"She can be yours, you know, really yours...if you want her to be." Lily offered with a wry smile.
The fire crackled in the hearth.
Severus's black eyes were soft, molten pools of melted ore as he gazed back at Lily with true and deep devotion.
"Would that make you…...happy…..Lily?" He asked with a serious frown.
Lily laughed and took Severus's hand in hers as she held his gaze and smiled, "It would make us both very happy, Sev. Very happy, indeed."
Severus glanced down towards Lily's lips before they came together in one hurried rush, anxious to close the distance between them and find comfort in each other's kiss.
While he brought a hand up to cradle Lily's face as he devoured the sweetness of her lips, vague echoes of reason whispered in Severus's mind.
Adoption…….
Adoption………
Yes, they would need to register Harriet as Severus's baby, especially if they wanted to spend a lifetime living a lie.
Harriet's fabricated paternity may have been false, but as Lily climbed on top of Severus and began to grind against him while he deepened their kiss, he was certain………...the love that he held for Lily and her baby was the absolute truth.
—————————————————————-
Severus jumped through the legal obstacles that stood between him and Lily…..or Laima…building a believable life together.
He registered Harriet's birth with the Ministry and signed next to Lily under the blank space that read "Father's Name".
The secretary that processed the paperwork didn't question the happy couple as Severus stood loyally beside his love, who smiled down at the woman behind the desk while she cradled a cooing Harriet in her arms.
Severus taught his classes, met with Dumbledore, pacified Voldemort, all of the things that he used to do before Lily had stepped back into his life, however, with his flower at his side, he found a new sense of joy in his onerous responsibilities.
After a lifetime of loneliness and bitter rejection, with few rewards and many perils, Severus Snape had a prize waiting for him at the end of each day.
After his classes had finished and his meetings with Dumbledore and Voldemort had concluded, he was allowed to go home.
Home, not to his chambers, not to the dingy place that he had spent his childhood in which only held grim reminders of the abuse that he had endured there, but to a real home.
A home where the love of his life was waiting to greet him with a smile and a warm meal, a home where a happy baby reached out for him, a home with soft pillows and a cozy bed.
Severus Snape didn't feel that he deserved such a precious reward and he certainly didn't imagine that he would ever have the privilege of receiving anything remotely like it, but he was indescribably glad.
Despite the dangers of the ongoing war, Severus was determined to enjoy his paradise for however long it may last…….
The academic day had concluded one Thursday afternoon when Severus stood in his largely empty chambers as he prepared to reunite with Lily and Harriet by leaving the castle.
An unexpected knock came on his door and he looked up with a scowl.
Severus had made it abundantly clear to his students that he only held office hours Monday through Wednesday.
Dumbledore would have sent for him directly.
Who could that be…….?
Severus walked over and cautiously opened his door.
Although he skillfully kept the expression on his face calm, his heart trembled in distraught anxiety when he saw James Potter standing in the corridor.
"Hello, Snivelly." James said with a tense grimace, "Mind if I come in?"
Before Severus could protest, James put his hand on the door and in one rough push of his shoulder, brushed past Severus and into his rooms.
"What are you doing here, Potter?!" Severus snapped as an angry scowl marred his face, "You have no business in my personal chambers! Get out!"
James looked at Severus.
The intention in his enemy's gaze made Severus furrow his brow as James spoke, "...You loved her, Snivelly...I know that you loved her."
Severus kept his scowl as James went on, "Don't you want to know what happened to her? How it happened?"
"What are you talking about, Potter?" Severus hissed as if James had spoken to him in ridiculous gibberish.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Snivelly." James spat as he walked over to the small window in Severus's living area and stared down at the potted lily on the table that had managed to bloom in the small amount of light it received, "You've probably mourned her more than I have."
Severus calmed himself when he realized that no matter the reason for his reappearance, James still believed the lie that he had been fed.
"Her death was a true tragedy." Severus agreed as he stared at James while he began to rummage around the room, "However...that does not explain you barging in here and touching my things, Potter!"
Severus took out his wand and knocked an empty vial out of James's hand with a single burst of light.
James scowled over at Severus and threw his palms up as he exclaimed, "I would think that you of all people would want to help me with this!"
"...Help you with what?" Severus asked suspiciously as he kept his wand pointed at James and narrowed his black eyes.
"I need to know the exact time and place that my son was born. Surely those are details you are aware of, Snivelly! She was here with you.. I'm no fool! She was in the castle, at least!" James exclaimed.
Severus had never seen his nemesis's eyes look so wild.
For a moment, James Potter's arrogance disappeared and Severus lowered his wand.
"The dead can never be awakened, Potter." He said in his low drawl, "It is meaningless to dwell on those details of the past. They are unimportant now."
"Someone needs to be held responsible!" James countered, "That's why I need you to tell me those things….and who delivered my son? Tell me so I can sue that incompetent midwife!"
Severus blinked at James.
He threw him an unreadable stare as he spoke, "Do you think that after our friendship ended your wife would allow me near her birthing bed? Accompanying someone to court under the orders of the headmaster is one matter, Potter. I know no details about your son's few seconds in this world or your spurned wife's gory demise. Don't trouble me with such worthless issues."
The coldness that Severus with which Severus was able to enunciate his words was terrifying to hear.
James's face fell into a frown as he rubbed his mouth, looked down at his shoes, and nodded, "Fine…….Fine, then. I should have asked Peter for more help. I'll speak to Dumbledore directly. I thought you may have been of better assistance, Snivelly."
Severus ignored James's insult and focused on one of the other names he had mentioned instead.
"...Peter…..Pettigrew?" Severus asked.
James snapped hatefully, "Yes, Peter Pettigrew! My friend?! Perhaps you remember him, Snivelly? I would think that you'd remember us all~. He's got himself a nice new job somewhere, apparently. He's investigating the death of Lily and my son."
Severus held eye contact with James as he locked him into his unreadable stare until James stepped out into the hallway.
Severus shut the door to his chambers in James's face to let him go and ask Dumbledore for answers to his questions.
His heart raced as he looked around his chambers and hastily thought of a plan.
Where could he find Peter?
Was he too late?
Did Peter already…...?
Severus grit his teeth as he thought about the rat in Harriet's cot that had taken her hairs into its mouth, but hadn't bitten.
He quickly owled Lily that he'd be home late.
As he signed his name on the parchment, his heart ached at the family evening that would be lost, but Severus had no other choice.
He could trust Dumbledore with James.
He could not trust Peter Pettigrew……..the rat.
—————————————————————
Severus combed every place that he could think to look.
He spoke to everyone in the Dark Lord's service that he could find that night, all of his colleagues, children passing in the street, everyone and anyone, but it seemed that Britain's wizarding world had no information on Peter Pettigrew's whereabouts.
Severus hunted through Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and every foul establishment in Knockturn Alley as well, but his search proved to be fruitless.
When he came to the inn where Peter had rented a room, his face fell in disappointment when the innkeeper informed him that Peter had checked out a week ago and left no forwarding address or means of contact.
Severus became so desperate that he lurked through the filthy alleys behind the shops and eateries, hoping to catch Peter in his animal form as he shifted through a rubbish bin for dinner.
The hour became late.
Severus would not rest until he found Peter, but he wondered how long that would take, or if there may be…….another way?
In one of those lonely, treacherous alleyways, while several ominous-looking witches and wizards crept past, Severus unfastened the buttons on his sleeves and pulled out his forearm.
He placed the tip of his wand to the Dark Mark on his skin and gnashed his teeth at the pain that burned from it while the tattooed snake began to move in the skull.
A quick pop later, Voldemort stood in front of him, masked by shadows and the black suit that he wore.
"Severus……." Voldemort greeted his spy in a tone that conveyed surprise, "You've never summoned me before…….This must be very important."
"Forgive me, but it is, my lord." Severus said through grit teeth, "Peter Pettigrew knows where the Longbottom boy is and he's purposely avoiding me. I fully believe that he intends to use that information against you and secure the boy's survival for your eventual downfall."
Even under the cloak of shadowy night, the grimace of pure rage on Voldemort's face was terrifying.
"How do you know that Peter Pettigrew is in my service, Severus?" Voldemort asked once he recovered himself.
"Is he, my lord?" Severus asked slyly, "I only know that he's been spotted in Knockturn Alley…..I overheard his best friend, James Potter, telling Dumbledore today that Pettigrew knows about the Longbottom boy. That's why I've taken it upon myself to find him, my lord, and fulfill my duty to you, as is my pleasure." Severus finished with a slight bow that flattered Voldemort's ego as much as his lie enraged him.
"Leave the rat to me, Severus." Voldemort hissed, "I'll let you serve me when I have him in my grasp."
Before Severus could respond, Voldemort vanished in a single blur.
—————————————————————
That night, hopeful relief coursed through Severus's veins as he cuddled Lily in their bed.
They hadn't made love and somehow, because of that, the moment felt all the more sweeter.
Lily had been waiting for him when he had returned home at last.
She had asked no questions when she had seen the exhausted look on his face.
She had kissed his lips softly over and over, as she undid the buttons and slipped his robes off to ready him for bed.
When they had laid down together, Lily had wrapped Severus in her arms and held him against her chest while she continued to place those gentle, sweet kisses on his lips, blotting away the nightmares with the blissful dream that everything would be alright.
"Lily…….." Severus murmured at last between their kisses.
"Yeah, Sev?" She asked as she pulled away and gave him a soft smile.
"...I love you." Severus replied.
It felt odd to him, to say the words out loud, the words that he felt more than most people could fathom.
Lily knew about the sincerity of his feelings, she would have been a fool to doubt, but still, hearing her stoic Severus finally speak the phrase made her lips curl and her eyes shine as a happy smile danced across her fair face.
"I love you too, Sev!" She exclaimed in a gasping whisper.
Lily's soft, sweet kisses disappeared as they were replaced by a single, loving expression of sentiment from Severus when he pulled her closer to him and let their mouths melt together.
Severus Snape had dared to do quite a bit that night, but his most daring deed of all was to put his trust in Voldemort and hope that by doing so, his rat problem would be eliminated.
Then he and Lily could give themselves to each other and together, they could give the world to little Harriet.