Special thanks to my new beta Lady_Destiny who has edited and provided ideas to make this story much better then it was originally!
Late August
The shrill cry of his new cousin penetrated through the thick wall, waking Harry up. Again.
Most unexpectedly, Aunt Petunia had conceived a year before when Harry had stayed at Hogwarts for Winter Break.. It had been quite an unexpected surprise when he came back for the summer and saw his aunt sporting a baby bump.
Through the next nine months, Harry had found extra chores heaped onto the ones he already had. Now he also had to wait on Petunia,hand and foot. Dudley flat out refused to help (small shock there!)and of course his parents found nothing wrong with that, dumping everything on Harry and forgetting that the child was Dudley's sister!
It was a month since the baby had been born. A daughter, named Ivy Rose. She was beautiful, but very vocal...as demonstrated by the fact that she had once again managed to wake him up.
“Boy, get up here!” came Uncle Vernon’s gruff voice.
Yawning, Harry got up and stumbled gracelessly up the stairs. When he reached the nursery Vernon grabbed him and shoved Harry harshly into the baby’s room.
“What have you done to her!” Vernon bellowed, pointing his fat grubby finger to the tiny crib.
Confused, Harry looked at his uncle and then to the crib. The baby girl had cute little curls of black hair gently framing her petite face. But that wasn’t what Harry noticed first. He gaped at the little cherub hovering above her pillow in a blissful sleep. Her little thumb was in her mouth and she was cooing softly.
Bugger!
“Well, boy, what did you do to her! I’ll have you out on your ear before you take your next breath you ungrateful wretch!"
“I haven’t done anything! I’m not allowed to do magic....outside school. You should know that already!”
"You better have a good explanation then!" he glared at the scrawny kid.
Thinking quickly, Harry replied, "Well maybe it's accidental magic. My mother Lilly and Aunt Petunia are related, and my mother and I have magic. It could be transferred through the Evans’ bloodline."
“That’s it! Boy get your clothes on. You’re gone tonight!”
"But what about Ivy?” Harry sputtered, disbelieving.
“Take the brat with you. I’ll not have a freak for a daughter! It's bad enough I've had to deal with you for so many years. I will not tolerate this any longer. Enough is enough!”
"She’s my daughter too Vernon, and she’s not going anywhere. "Aunt Petunia said, steadily looking at her husband. She’d just arrived in the doorway and had heard everything.
"It's a freak! I won’t have such abnormalities in my house. Get rid of it ,Tuney, or I’ll do it for you!” With that said, he shoved his massive bulky body and passed the both of them as he went back to the room. A moment later they heard the closet door being opened and then the ominous sound of a gun being cocked.
Petunia’s eyes went wide and she hurriedly picked her daughter up from the crib, shoving it in Harry’s arms. "Go! Take care of your cousin. Vernon’s drunk, he’ll not hesitate to shoot her." she whispered hurriedly while shooting anxious glances towards the door.
"But I don’t know anything about babies." Harry protested.
But Petunia was already throwing things in the diaper bag, zipping it up. "Go! You’re a wizard, she’s safer with you then she would be with us!"
"You could leave too. I can keep you both safe” he replied back, glancing at Aunt Petunia's whitened face, tight with fear and stress.
"I’d never make it on my own. My family is my life...even Vernon. Now get out of here and keep her safe. Go!” Aunt Petunia said, fretfully pushing him out the door.
Harry didn’t waste another moment as he quickly donned the sling and slipped the little infant into it. Then after shouldering the baby bag he tore down the stairs, stopping only to get his wand and worn book bag before sprinting to the door. He ran into the still inky night with the baby clutched to him.
He ran for as long as he could and then when he could go no longer,he rested against a tree before raising his wand in the air. In the distance, he heard a gun shot. His heart jumped in his chest, knowing the worst had happened.
He desperately held the little girl closer to him as the Knight Bus arrived with a bang and Harry jumped on, noticing that it was the same conductor that he had lied to back in his third year.
Stan looked at him wide eyed. “Wotcha got there?”
“Its a baby girl. My cousin...please take us to The Leaky Cauldron.”
Stan only shrugged as Harry paid the fare and took a seat on the nearest bed, making sure that Ivy was snuggled in securely.
By the end of the ride, strangely enough, Ivy was still asleep. Harry warily departed the bus and headed for the Wizarding pub. He stopped short, realizing that he couldn’t just walk into the Leaky Cauldron with a baby. He’d never get away with it. There would be a million questions....
But he also didn’t have any Muggle money to use...there was nothing for it. He could only disguise himself and his voice and pray that no one recognized him.
After mussing his hair, making sure his bangs covered his dreadful scar, he took off his glasses before walking into the door.
He was half blind now but thank Merlin he remembered where everything was.
Gathering his Gryffindor courage, he took a deep breath and approached the bar. Thankfully Tom didn’t approach him. Instead an older witch that had to be at least 30 years old queried, "What can I do for you young man. Oh, that’s a pretty daughter you have there. May I assume you need a room for the night?"
Harry could only nod. “Yes, please.” he answered, a moment later in soft voice.
The witch favored him with a smile and led him up the stairs. Once he was alone, he put his glasses back on and looked about him. This room was very much like the one he’d had before only it had a bigger bed. Sighing he set down the diaper bag and his own book bag. Then he took his baby cousin out of the sling and lay her on the bed. She had been quiet as a mouse until then but suddenly woke up, fussing and waving her chubby arms around.
With a shock he realized he didn’t have anything to feed her, she was only a month old...he didn’t have the equipment to feed her. And what of his Aunt? What the bloody hell was he to do now?
He thought for another moment and then remembered seeing his aunt pace the floor with Ivy in her arms, bouncing the little girl as she walked around. Maybe that could work!
So he copied his Aunt's gestures, something he though he'd ever do.
It worked for a bit.
But then she got fussy again.
Frustrated. Harry put her down again and Ivy continue to bawl, fat tears leaking out of her pretty eyes and marring her baby face, red from all the shouting and screaming.
Frantically, he checked the diaper bag . Lucky for him, there was some infant formula. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks as he summoned room service.
Minutes later, someone knocked impatiently on the door. Thinking nothing of it, he opened the door expecting to see the same witch as before....but instead it was a furious looking adult with long black hair and a slightly crooked nose.
The man didn’t give him time to react. Instead, he forcefully pushed Harry aside and swept into his room.
“Professor, what are you doing here?”Harry stared, stunned to see his loathsome teacher show up at the most importunate time.
Severus whirled around, his infamous robes flying creepily behind him.
"What do you think Potter? You’ve run away again...and I have been sent after you...what could possibly be wrong this time you annoying brat. Did the Muggles not give you....what the bloody hell are you doing with a baby? Did you get some girl knocked up?”Severus's cold black eyes glared at him, watching suspiciously.
"No sir, she’s my cousin...Ivy Rose. she’s a witch...Uncle Vernon was going to kill her so my aunt ordered me to take her away and protect her. I think my uncle shot her. I heard a gun go off just as I boarded the Knight Bus. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m trying to care of my month-old cousin. I have to keep her safe from my uncle. She doesn’t deserve the life I had", Harry said bitterly, thinking about this shameful past.
Severus listened with a hitched breath as Potter rambled. Yet, the last part caught his attention and he furrowed his brows. Potter? he thought. Surely not, he cannot possibly been abused....not the Golden Boy of the Wizarding World.
"What was that, Potter," Snape asked sharply. "The life you had? You? The pampered prince of Gryffindor?”
Harry said nothing for a moment, thinking that maybe it was time to let someone know. Besides, what difference could it possibly make? He was away from his hated relatives and there was a slim to none chance that he would be able to go back. He sighed and let out the truth.
“More like a punching bag. I was their house elf. After she was born I was shoved back in to my cupboard under the stairs. Hardly the life of a celebrity."
Harry didn’t stop talking as he began to check Ivy’s diaper. Thankfully, it hadn't been soiled yet.
Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow, still trying to process Potter's mini rant. But perhaps no one had ever really listened to Potter. Himself included, he thought ruefully. But Harry's past life could be discussed later. Right now, he needed to get things straight,
"So you raced out into the night with an infant who is magical."Snape stated.
"My uncle was drunk and he was going to kill Ivy! The Knight bus was the fastest way to safety. And I think Aunt Petunia’s dead.", Harry shot a troubled glance at his Potions Professor.
“Why didn’t you call for help, or use that wand of yours?”
“Because the Ministry would snap my wand in half! Or have you forgotten about the law that states underage students can't use magic outside school? I didn’t want to get expelled!”
Snape eyed the infant again. “There’s an exception to every rule, Potter. If your life is in danger then you can use magic to protect yourself. This situation would warrant a breach of the law." Bloody Gryffindor, never using his head!
Harry looked at Snape defiantly. "Professor, I didn’t have time to think ahead, I had a drunken abusive uncle with a gun threatening our lives. I had to run away, to protect us, and Ivy needs to eat, so unless you're going to help me, leave us alone!”
Ivy’s cry split the silence again.
Severus stopped his ranting and then sighed, summoning a bottle of water to the room. He handed it to Harry who went about the task of making the bottle.
Harry was about give it to the infant when Severus stopped him. He took out his wand and tapped the side of the bottle warming it up perfectly. “Babies usually prefer it warm. See to the child and then we’re going to have a long talk.”
Harry could only nod as he looked into his cousin’s eyes. Blue eyes met green and in that instant, Harry felt like they bonded. She kicked her legs at him and he grinned.
“Don’t worry Ivy, we’ll get through this. I promise," a determined look in his emerald eyes.
To be continued...
Beta credit goes to the brilliant Lady Destiny for being able to improve the chapter.
I can't beieve I forgot to do this: We don't own anything except for all ocs and the plot. We're not making a single knutt of this story! HP belongs to JK Rowling!
Half an hour later, Ivy finally fell asleep. Harry’s eyes widened as he watched his professor conjure a baby bassinet out of thin air. It was dark mahogany with green bumpers, accompanied by silver sheets.
Typical Slytherin, Harry though ruefully.
Snape sat on a chair at the little table as his student settled the infant in. As Harry laid the baby on her back, the potion master mused that he was seeing a new side of his most hated student for the first time.
This Harry and the Gryffindor Harry were two different people....at least from what he could tell. This Harry had really matured over the summer....where had he come from?
Harry yawned softly as he turned around to see Snape looking at him. He sucked in a deep breath and sat down on the bed. A moment later he looked at his professor. “I hate it when people stare,” he murmured softly. “What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“I should think you would know the answer to that, Potter. I would like to fully comprehend exactly what occured tonight. From the beginning to the end...and mind you don’t leave anything out…unless you’d like to me attain the knowledge through more…painful means.”
Harry glared but gave in and sighed. “When I got home at the beginning of Summer Break, I found out my aunt was pregnant...”
And so it continued. Harry tried to tell it in a matter of fact tone, he hardly wanted his teacher’s pity after all. As the tale grew in lenght, he witnessed several facial expressions pass over his normally stoic and emotionless professor’s face.
“I heard a gunshot as I got on the bus. My Uncle Vernon was cocking his gun just as I ran out the door. I don’t know if he hit anyone though. The only thing on my mind was to get out as fast as I could.”
Severus thought hard for a few seconds more. Then he leveled his penetrating stare at the boy.
“How long have you been abused?” came the toneless question.
“Sir?” Harry looked around, taken aback at the abrupt change in subject.
“Your uncle was drunk...and he had a gun. That spineless whale has no respect for anyone’s life save his own. I want the the truth, Potter. How long has this been going on?”
Harry stared down at the ugly bed sheet, fiddling around with a loose thread. He had already spilled his guts out to this man. He supposed it wouldn’t make a difference…Snape would either laugh at his pathetic weak student or curse him thoroughly for not telling the truth. He steeled his resolve and blurted out,
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in a cupboard. The only reason I moved into Dudley’s second room was because my aunt and uncle were scared the wizards would come check up on me. I have at least 10 locks on my door and a cat flap that my meals come through. The only time I get a chance come out of the room is to make everyone’s meals and to do chores.”
Eyes cast down, Harry didn’t see Snape’s obsidian eyes flash with fury.
“Mr. Potter,” Snape’s dangerously soft voice startled Harry into glancing up at his teacher. “What possible reason did you have for withholding such crucial information?”
“Because I’d get in trouble, that’s why.” Came Harry’s swift reply.
He got up, agitated, and started pacing a hole in the ground. He could feel an enormous tantrum coming on, one he felt was very well deserved after being treated like a bloody house-elf for all of his short life.
“I tried to get help before,” he whispered harshly. “But all that got me was extra chores and harsher punishments. I even tried to confess to Dumbledore-”
He was interrupted by a pointed reply, “That’s Professor Dumbledore to you.”
Harry went on as if Snape hadn’t spoken.
“But all he did was give me the same old speech. ‘The blood wards have to remain intact, my dear boy’.” Harry mimicked bitterly. “If they weren’t then bloody Voldemort would attack the house. Besides I’m the effing savior of the Wizarding World and I need to toughen up. So I come home to relatives that don’t give a bloody damn about me and then at the end of summer I come back to school where everyone thinks I’m a ‘celebrity’ and depending on the situation I’ve gotten into, they hate me or they like me, without even knowing the REAL ME!”
Harry stopped his ranting and looked down at the floor sadly before admitting, “ I don’t even have any friends, except Hermione.”
“What of your red-headed sidekick?”
“He abandoned me last year. You think you see everything but did you see abandoned me, the way he suddenly stopped talking to me and became Seamus’ best friend. Everyone hated me last year...until I won the bloody tournament that I never wanted to enter in the first place. Then all of the sudden, everyone was my biggest fan.” Harry glared viciously.
He began to wind down as he plopped heavily on the bed. “I hate being famous” he continued in a softer voice. “All I want is to go through a year where I’m completely normal and no one’s trying to kill me. And now I’ve got Ivy to look after on top of all of that. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her, I doubt I can take her to Hogwarts with me.”
After that startling discovery, Severus stood up, arms crossed, and walked to stand by the nearest window. He stared unseeingly at the heavy traffic below for several minutes. Just as Harry was about to get sink into the floor, Snape turned around to face him. He glanced at his student and then at the baby. “Oh hell, there’s nothing for it,” he muttered.
He pulled out a small bag out of his voluminous black robes and tossed some powder into the mini fireplace. When the flames turned green, in a clear voice, he called out “Prince Manor.”
When he stuck his head in, he was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “Isadora, where’s your mother? I see, well go get her and have her come through immediately. Bring a cloak with you, it’s cold tonight.”
A few minutes passed and then Severus pulled his head back and two females stepped through the flame. They were definitely related. The older woman was tall and lithe with thick back hair pulled back in a loose braid down her back, letting a few inky strands frame her pretty face, offsetting her deep blue eyes. Her long dark purple dress fluttered gracefully around the black cloak wrapped snugly around her. A confused look currently adorned her visage. The little girl with her, who looked to be Hogwarts age, had the same dignified features as her father but with the elder woman’s eyes....
wait.
“You have a family?” Harry blurted out, then blushed just a second later.
“Yes, Potter, contrary to popular belief I do have a personal life. This is my wife Brenna and our daughter Isadora. There’s no time to explain. There’s a lot to be taken care of tonight.”
With this, he turned to his wife. “I need to get back to the Dursley’s to find out what happened and to call the authorities if I have to. Harry and his cousin aren’t safe here. They need to be taken back to the manor.”
“Sev, shouldn’t the order have come by now?” Her soft trilling voice was a sharp contrast with her husband’s deep dark one.
“I was the one on guard duty,” Snape explained. “I followed Potter here and it is up to me to determine exactly what happened before I report to Dumbledore.”
Brenna smiled at her husband then pecked his lips (Harry quickly averted his eyes). “Alright then, be careful...and don’t accept any lemon drops.” She quirked an amused brow at him.
Severus chuckled quietly at the private joke before giving his daughter a brief hug and swept out the door.
Now that they were alone, Brenna walked over to shell-shocked Harry.
“I’m sure you’re very confused as to what’s going on but maybe you’ll have better luck with a full stomach.”
She walked over to the bed and picked up the sling. “I don’t trust anyone in this inn. The sooner we get back to the Manor, the better.”
As Harry put the sling on again, she walked over and delicately picked up Ivy before helping Harry put the infant in the sling.
Taking out her wand she shrunk the bassinet into the size that it would fit into her wand pocket and walked back over to the fireplace. Taking out a powder bag that was identical to the one Snape carried, she threw some into the cheerfully waving fire.
“Prince Manor!”
#4 Privet Dr. Sirens filled the cool air as Snape appeared around the corner. Sparing a moment to transfigure his robes into a simple Muggle attire, he hurried around the corner to look around. Scotland Yard had been called in already and an inspector of Snape’s own age was kneeling over a prone form.
Severus walked right up to the man who was currently pulling off a pair of latex gloves, blowing brown hair off his sweaty forehead. His impressive mustache seemed to be drooping lightly as he stood up.
“Inspector?”
They looked each other over a second.
“That’s right, Inspector Matthew Forsyth of Scotland Yard at your service. What can I do for you?”
Severus took a moment to non-verbally cast a Veritas charm.
“I’m Severus Prince, a close friend to the Evans family, that’s Petunia Dursley’s maiden name. I was coming to visit them when I saw the sirens. Is everything okay?”
The inspector looked a little glazed. “I’m afraid not sir,” he replied regretfully. “Mrs. Dursley is dead, shot by her husband who fled the scene. From what the neighbors told us and the surrounding evidence.”
Severus nodded. “Vernon Dursley was always a drunk, I tried to tell Petunia not to marry him. He was dangerous, that one.” Severus paused a moment to soften his voice and add more grief to the tone. “I wish she’d listened to me. What of her children?”
“ I’m afraid Mr. Prince that Dursley took him as he left the house in a hurry. We’ve not seen the infant at all. We were told that Petunia had a child, we can only assume that she’s been taken with Dursley as well.
Severus sighed again. Could it be that Petunia had put up a fight over her baby?
“If Vernon was drunk, they could have gotten into a fight and he could have shot her.” Severus replied smoothly.
The inspector seemed to think this through. “It’s a possibility of course...I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Prince. If you don’t mind, I need to finish my inspection of the house.”
Severus nodded sadly. “Of course, thank you Inspector.”
When the inspector’s back was turned, Severus stalked away before disappearing into the night.
Harry looked about him; the room was amazing. He held Ivy closer as the same bassinet from before appeared in the room with several other pieces of nursery furniture. All were done in the same rich mahogany and seemed just as sturdy looking.
The walls around him were of a lighter wood he couldn’t identify but it gleamed and Harry could even see his reflection in it. The bassinet stood next to a full sized four poster bed with silvery hangings (Figures, Harry snorted). Off to the side was a fireplace burning brightly complete with a mesh screen of course.
Besides the bed there was a rocking chair, a changing table with small chest of drawers on it, carved with Isadora’s name in an elegant script. As he examined it, the name magically changed to say Ivy-Rose, Harry looked at Brenna again in gratitude.
“This is amazing,” he exclaimed. “It’s far more than I expected.”
Brenna smiled at him. “I fell in love with this room when I was carrying Isadora...Severus cast many child proofing spells on this room and though he’ll deny it to keep his foreboding image, he spent many a night in this room, rocking our daughter to sleep.”
“Hard to believe.” Harry muttered under his breath. But not wanting to seem obnoxious and unappreciative, he managed to nod at his professor’s wife.
“Indeed. I’ve spent a long time perfecting my sneer.”A new voice came through the door. It was so sudden that it caused Harry to startle and he turned around to see his teacher standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. But astonishingly the expression on his face was more wry then hateful.
Everyone was quiet for a moment until a soft snore broke the strained atmosphere. Harry looked down at his cousin, who was now fast asleep. He couldn’t help but chuckle, easing the tension.
Harry carefully placed his cousin into the bassinet and tenderly tucked the soft blanket around the infant. Then he turned around and asked, “What did you find out?”
Severus frowned. “Come with me Mr. Potter. We’ve a lot to discuss.”
Harry gave Brenna another thankful smile and then followed Severus to a room near the middle of the small mansion. He’d been given a brief tour of the house as they came in, but this wing had been glossed over.
He warily stepped into the room and quickly came to the conclusion that it was a massive office. Every wall but one was stocked with books. There was a fireplace that held a softly burning fire and a big curved desk sat in the very middle. In front of the desk was a very comfortable winged back chair made of very fine wood and upholstered in a rich green fabric (Really, he thought, this is getting to be a bit much!)
“Have a seat.” Snape ordered curtly as he sat in a matching chair behind the desk. He took a moment to get comfortable and called for tea and biscuits. Almost immediately, a diminutive elf that Harry instantly recognized as Winky appeared wearing a deep blue tea towel.
He shot his professor a surprised look.
After Winky bowed out, Severus poured the both of them a cup of tea. “The elf was drinking herself to death and her work was less than exemplary. So I bound her to me. Kindly do not tell your bushy haired friend but she is a lot happier since her freedom has been terminated.”
Harry couldn’t help but grin at the image of Hermione’s horrified face if she ever heard what their teacher had just said.
As Harry fixed his tea, Severus regarded his student with a thoughtful expression. When the boy settled back into the chair, Harry fixed expressionless stare at his teacher before he spoke.
“Aunt Petunia...she’s dead, isn’t she?”
Severus considered over his words before replying.
“Yes, Mr. Potter. I got to the crime scene as the Inspector was outlining her body with white chalk. Your Uncle is gone and so is Dudley. Most likely he took his idiotic offspring and ran. The police believe the same thing as well.”
“What about Ivy?”
“They hypothesize that she was taken with Vernon. I let them believe that. At least until we figure out what our next move is. That is something to talk about once we’ve both had a decent night’s sleep. But for now, seeing as you’ll most likely be staying here indefinitely, we need to, as the Muggles say, ‘bury the hatchet’.”
“I’m not my father sir...those memories I saw, I didn’t like seeing what the Marauders did...they remind me of my relatives.” Harry spoke freely, no longer hesitating after experiencing all that his teacher had done to keep him and his sister safe.
“After witnessing you take care of your cousin, I must agree and also apologize for treating yourself as such. You have more of your mother than you do James. Your mother and I grew up together. We both attended Hogwarts as you well know but we were best of friends until the day of the fight. I do not believe she ever really forgave me for what happened. But I hope to atone for my mistakes by keeping you alive...and helping you out.”
Harry was very quiet as he processed the information. “I don’t know much about my parents, I wasn’t allowed to ask questions at the Dursley’s. All I have of my parents is a photo album.”
Severus took another slow sip of his tea. “Perhaps I may give you a few memories to view...once everything is straightened out. There’s still much to discuss, however.”
Wide eyed, Harry quickly nodded. “Sir, consider the hatchet buried. I’m not going to hold anything against you.”
“Indeed. From now on I’ll strive to treat you better...like I said before, you have a place to stay from now on. We have plenty of room here. Once we’re at Hogwarts, be warned that though I must take up my surly and detestable persona, I want you to know that nothing I will say is to be taken seriously...unless of course it has to do with your abysmal potion skills.”
Harry chuckled, startling himself. Hmm, maybe the dour Potions Master has a sense of humor after all.
Severus was quiet for a moment and then looked at Harry.” I think it’s time we both got some sleep. Tomorrow will be a full day. My wife usually cooks breakfast around 9. Our appointment with the headmaster is at twelve. We’ll be meeting him at his office for lunch.”
Harry nodded. “But I haven’t got anything to wear...all my clothes are at the house.”
Severus nodded. “Yes. I remember. Tomorrow we were planning a trip to Diagon Alley for Isadora’s school supplies. We can get you some proper clothes while we’re there. As for your trunk, I can send Winky to retrieve it. I trust you got your summer homework completed?
Harry looked down at his lap, ashamed. “No sir, the moment I got into the house, my trunk was locked away. I was only able to keep my wand because I had it in my back pocket.”
“And so we shall also get you a wand holster, the last place you should keep your wand is your back pocket...unless you’d like to blow up your arse.”
Harry winced at the thought of his wand going off so close to his man parts.
“Sounds good Professor. Thank you...for everything.”
Severus inclined his head. "Sleep well Po-Harry… I had my wife put a vial of dreamless sleep potion onto the bedside table.”
Harry looked confused. “How?”
His teacher smirked and uttered one word.
“Slytherin.”
To be continued...
Special thanks to my beta and co author Lady Destiney for her help!
We don't own anything but OCs and the Plot. everything else belongs to JK Rowling!
"Waaaaaa! Waaaaaaa!"
Harry started awake an it took a second for him to remember where he was...Ivy was up again. Harry had to blink several times before he was fully awake. Yawning widely, he put his glasses back on and stumbled out of bed, walking over to the bassinet.
“What is it this time, Ivy?” he asked the infant, albeit knowing that the little girl would not reply.
With great care he picked her up and began to check for anything that could be bothering her but finding nothing amiss, he came to the conclusion that she must be hungry.
As he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her tiny form, he spoke, "Shall we head to the kitchen then?” It was oddly soothing talking to a little baby and Harry found that he rather enjoyed it.
"No need Harry, I’ve got the bottle for you.” Brenna said, walking into the room. Her hair was braided down this time and she wore a deep green robe with matching slippers. Her hand held the already warmed bottle.
Harry turned to her, “How did you know?”
"Call it Mum’s instinct," she replied wryly. "It's like a sixth sense that alerts me when a baby awakes. It's the same way how I found out you've not been sleeping very well."
She handed the bottle over to Harry after he had taken a seat in the rocking chair. While he fed Ivy, she sat on the bed.
“So, want to talk about it?”
Harry pretended to focus on the baby, ignoring the question. He had never admitted weakness to anyone (well, not counting Snape because really, one did not say no to the ferocious Potions Master), and especially not Snape’s wife. After several moments, he looked up at her but avoided direct eye contact.
"How did you and the professor meet?” he asked, mindlessly fiddling with Ivy's blanket.
Brenna sighed at the attempt to change the subject. For now, she’d let it go. She didn't really have any other option, seeing as she wasn't all that close to the boy to begin with. Not that she wouldn't try. Though for now, it seemed like this was the better way to go.
"Severus an I were betrothed from birth actually," she admitted. "It's a tradition in pure-blooded families.” Brenna scoffed for a moment then continued. "It is to preserve the bloodlines and unite our families. Not all Slytherins are stuck up, like the Malfoy prodigy. Neither Severus nor I liked the idea of it, and all throughout our Hogwarts years, we were bitter rivals. Not to the point hating each other, but hardly on civil terms.”
"We were always trying to out do the other, in Defense and Potions mostly. We bickered and we fought...and shared several detentions together, truth be told. Professor Slughorn, who was the head of house at the time, constantly had to separate the pair of us.”
"It was during our fifth year that we finally became allies, against the Marauders. They were always picking on Severus and for no good reason too!" Brenna looked furious, thinking about past injustices done to her husband. "He told me you saw the memories at the end of your Occulumency lessons.”
Harry nodded. “I never should have seen those memories. I wanted to apologize, but every time I tried to, Professor Snape always glared and walked away. He wouldn't even let me get my words out.”
Brenna sighed. "Yes, he vented to me all about it too. But the memories missed a key part. After he called Lily that...horrid name, I intervened."
"James still had him dangling in the air and he was so focused on Lily that I got my chance to hex him and it caused him to lose concentration and drop Severus, letting him get his clothes back in the right place. Black tried to intimidate me calling me an evil wench and I punched his face....It wasn't the same for a good couple of months," Brenna smirked, Snape-style.
"Severus wasn’t happy that I stepped in either. We argued about it once everyone had left and it ended with an agreement to be allies at least. Little did we know that it was the first step towards our future together.”
She paused to hand Harry a cloth so he could burp Ivy.
"Things went on pretty well, as far as I could tell. But then something happened to him in his sixth year that turned him anger and bitter against the world. He snapped at me a lot and in his turmoil said many things that a well raised wizard would never utter.”
"We fought again and again and then one day I finally retorted back, having enough of his selfishness. He was really shocked for a minute but it seemed like the breaking point for him. He was like a wounded cobra and only I could help him. Severus eventually told me what had happened. That was the turning point in our relationship. We stuck to each other, like glue on paper. And of course, like any other couple, we were gossiped about endlessly. I was never seen with Severus nor he without me.”
"Not that we really cared. We were both from old magical families. We’d been subjected to rumors from the moment we entered Hogwarts. The only students who dared to bully us were the Marauders but Severus was no longer one man against four. I suppose being there with him brought a lot of moral support and together we were definitely able to stand up against them. After that, sixth year was okay and studies took up all our times. We worked together this time around instead of trying to outdo the other and it benefited us both.”
"It was in seventh year that things took a turn for the worse. The Dark Lord was getting stronger and Lucius Malfoy was pestering us more then ever. The Dark Lord thought to recruit both of us so we could produce pureblood heirs for him.”
"We simply tried ignored him the best we could. Severus officially proposed to me, and I happily agreed. We were to be married a month after graduating. We used to have meetings with our parents every weekend to discuss wedding arrangements.”
There was a moment of silence where Harry tried to process all this new knowledge that had been revealed about the snarky Professor. Then he spoke,
"It's hard to imagine Snape like that. He’s always been this ruthless unforgiving git when I’m around.” Harry blushed, realizing that he was bad-mouthing his teacher to said teacher's wife! But it looked like there was nothing to worry about.
Brenna looked amused.
"He’s a potions professor, and when you teach it, especially to a class of dunderheads, you’ve got to be alert and tough on everyone to make sure nothing happens. Terrible accidents can occur when you aren’t careful and don’t pay attention, you know.”
Harry looked up as Ivy let out a big burp. He wiped her tiny mouth and held her in in his arm rocking her slowly.
"So I suppose he really does care then. It's just not as easy to realize. I guess that makes sense.”
The older lady smiled at him. “He does have a heart, but he’s been through a lot in his life. His mum, Eileen died during a potion’s accident. She was very angry when she brewed and in her anger and resentment, she added more ingredients then necessary. The cauldron blew up and critically injured her.”
"She was a very vindictive woman, who couldn't care that she was leaving her defenseless son to face the cruel world without a mother's love and instead of calling for help, she lay there and died. It devastated Severus and his father. Tobias turned to drink and had it not been for Severus, the dear man would have drank himself to death. Severus turned to me instead of Fire Whiskey and that night we cemented our relationship. Severus admitted everything, leaving nothing out. We went to my parents and they were able to help Tobias to give up drinking.”
"By the time we walked down the isle, he was almost himself again. Eileen’s death marked my husband forever and he’ll never be the same, but things could have ended much worse. His father is still alive and so are Lord and Lady Prince. Actually, they'll coming to our house in a few days for a little get together. It's a tradition in my family that we’ve kept to all these years.”
Brenna gazed at Harry as stood up and placed his sleeping cousin in the bassinet. He turned to her then and graced her with a small smile. “Thanks for telling me everything. It’s given me a lot to think about.”
Sensing that the teen needed to be left alone for the night, she rose to her feet and collected the baby bottle. “I’ll be expecting you to join us, we always have a good time. I imagine after the Summer you’ve had, this will be a breath of fresh air.”
Saying this she turned and left leaving Harry looking stunned. Could the Lady Snape have read his mind? He didn’t feel any different....
Shaking his head, he climbed back in to bed and fell asleep instantly.
Outside the door Brenna closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Harry didn’t know everything, such as the fact that she was a natural empath. She didn’t have to invade minds, people projected their thoughts without even realizing it. And young Mr Potter was no different.
"Need another headache drought, my Dark Angel?” Severus asked, handing her a vial of the remedy. He had been awake when Ivy and Harry woke up. She’d told him what she meant to do and though he didn’t like the idea of her letting down her mental shields, he knew that it was necessary. And now as they headed back to bed she could ‘unload on him’ and he would be able to help the troubled teenager. It was something he felt that he needed to do, after unjustly being cruel to the young boy. He was not James, Severus decided. At Harry's age, James would never have taken up the responsibility of an infant. He was forgiving in nature as well, the way Lily was. No, Harry was neither Lily nor James but his own person. For even Lily had not had to go through the same trials and sorrows that Harry had suffered through. It firmed Severus's resolve to do whatever he could to heal the broken burdened boy. He would do his best but in the end, the decision was in Harry's hands. But no matter what, Severus simply couldn't turn his back on a boy that so reminded him of a similar child, lost, alone and desperate for comfort...
Shaking himself out of morbid thoughts, he dressed for bed and pulled Brenna close, relishing in her soft comfort. Soon, all occupants of the house drifted into Morpheus's domain.
To be continued...