Loving Lily: A Snily Story

Chapter 44 - A Peaceful Summer

Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Harriet couldn't help the slight sadness she noticed as she watched the castle shrink into the distance while she sat on the Hogwarts Express, but as soon as she met her family at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a bright smile danced across her lips.

Ellery and Lily rushed forward to envelope her in a tight embrace while Severus kept a respectful distance.

"Good to see you too, Dad." Harriet whispered as she rushed over to hug his waist once her mother and brother had let her go.

"I just saw you this morning at breakfast." Severus frowned.

Regardless of his outward coldness, he raised a hand and gently patted Harriet's back as Lily and Ellery exchanged smiles.

"That doesn't mean it's not good to see you again." Harriet nodded as she let go of Severus and blinked up at him.

Severus glanced at Lily, who threw him a knowing grin before the Snape family walked away from the platform and headed home.

Home.......

As much fun as Harriet had enjoyed with her friends during the school year, it felt better than she could describe to be home again at last.

She had genuinely missed her mother, her brother, and those delicious lemon shrewsbury biscuits that Lily often baked.

The food in the Great Hall was widely-known to be delicious, but for Harriet, it just couldn't compare to the taste of her mother's cooking.

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That evening, Harriet and Ellery played together on the living room floor while Severus and Lily watched from the sofa.

Severus let his fingers trail through Lily's soft, crimson tresses as she laid against him with a hand on his chest.

The children had become lost in their own world, entangled in their conversation, which Severus and Lily observed as they spoke to each other.

"It's lovely to have her home again, Sev." Lily sighed as her daughter laughed and smiled with Ellery.

"Indeed......though I hardly endure the same struggle as you, my love. I see her throughout the school day, which is a respite beyond bitter absence." Severus mused.

"Don't make me jealous." Lily chuckled as she turned her head to gaze up at Severus.

The soft frown that formed on his face as he stared down into her bright, emerald eyes made her giggle at its deep seriousness.

"I was only joking, Sev." Lily chuckled, "It brings me comfort that you can be with her even when I can't."

Severus's frown deepened into a scowl as Lily pulled him down by the collar of his robes and pressed a quick, loving kiss to his lips before the children noticed.

She could have promised that she saw the slightest hint of a blush on her husband's cheeks as she pulled away, but Severus said nothing about it as he resumed his gentle stroking of Lily's crimson hair.

He knew his wife had meant it as a sign of the deep love and great affection she held for him, but Lily's kiss ignited a hungry fire in his heart.

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Although Harriet missed the grandeur of the castle and the companionship of her friends, she enjoyed each and every one of her languid, summer days.

Warm mornings were passed with lazy family breakfasts before the hours of outside play with her brother inevitably followed while Severus and Lily watched from the window.