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The girls in the lavatory said something about my glasses today, but I don't really care. Hermione and I told them off. I need my glasses to see, they can laugh if they like.
Harriet sat and stared down at the open diary in her hands as she watched her black ink disappear only to be slowly replaced by a new reply:
There's nothing wrong with wearing glasses. Those stupid girls are probably jealous of you.
Harriet smiled down at the reassuring words on the page.
She could always talk to Ron and Hermione about her troubles, and she had, earlier in the day, but there was something exciting about writing in a diary that responded.
Since she had started keeping a daily log of her life, Harriet understood why having a diary was a popular thing to do, although she didn't realize that most people's diaries did not write back.
When she heard footsteps coming up the stairs to her dormitory room, she quickly snapped the black book shut, stuffed it back under her bed, and glanced over towards the door.
She smiled politely at one of the other Gryffindor girls who walked in to retrieve a scarf out of her trunk.
Harriet sighed under her breath after the girl left the room.
She had come dangerously close to getting caught writing to her enchanted confidant.
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Across the castle, a sigh escaped Draco's lips too while he sat in the Slytherin common room yet again and stared down expectantly at the torn page in front of him.
It was always his least favorite part of the evening, whenever Harriet stopped writing back.
After several minutes had passed and no more letters of black ink had appeared on the diary page that he possessed, Draco folded the paper into his pocket with a frown.
Oh well.
Each night, Harriet wrote and Draco answered.
Their conversations were gradually gaining more depth and Severus's daughter had started to tell Lucius's son, well, the diary, many things.
Draco rose from his seat in the common room and stomped up to his dungeon dormitory with a pout.
As incredible as it was to write to Harriet, Draco longed for the day when he would earn the privilege to speak to her with his lips instead of his quill.
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Officially, Draco and Harriet remained bitter enemies.
Severus watched with a frown one morning as his daughter and Draco glared at each other across the Great Hall.
Slytherin had lost to Gryffindor in the Quidditch match two days prior.
Professor Snape's Hogwarts house was not known for its forgiving nature.
Marcus Flint threw Oliver Wood menacing glances while Draco and Harriet stared each other down.
Draco accepted her hatred.
A scornful glare from Harriet was better than nothing, at least she looked at him.
Everyone else seemed too busy to notice the animosity between the members of the two Quidditch teams.
All of Hogwarts' students chatted excitedly with one another while they ate their breakfast.
The day promised to be splendidly interesting.
Word had quickly spread that Professor Dumbledore had given Professor Lockhart his permission to start a dueling club, which had been very exhilarating news for the students.
The boys were eager to learn how to battle each other and the girls anxiously anticipated spending an extra hour staring at their handsome professor after classes ended for the afternoon.
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At the start of Hogwarts' lunch hour that day, Severus went to Dumbledore's office for a brief moment to bring the headmaster a potion that he had requested.
Unfortunately, Lily came by at that exact time to share a private lunch with her husband
She had thoughtfully packed their meal into a basket and worn the red robes that Severus liked best.
When she arrived at her mate's office and found it empty, she sat with a frown and placed her basket on his wooden desk.
Lily contemplated whether she should abandon her idea and leave or not when she heard footsteps echoing down the hall.
A smile brightened her face.
Ah, Severus was coming!
To prepare herself for her alpha's imminent arrival, Lily bit her lips to plump them up a bit and inhaled deeply so that her heavy breasts swelled alluringly against the confines of her elegant robes, though she hadn't come in hopes of a tryst with her husband that afternoon.
Lily had merely wanted to give Severus a platonic visit and an hour of fond company, but that didn't mean that she couldn't tease her lover by reminding him of what he had to look forward to when he came home that night.
There were two sudden, sharp knocks before the door to Severus's office swung open without a pause.
The surprise was plain on Lily's fair face as Gilderoy Lockhart stuck his head inside the room and called out loudly, "Professor Snape?!"
He started when he saw Lily, but his bright smile did not disappear as he exclaimed, "Oh! Mrs. Snape! Terribly sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't realize that Severus was out!"
"That's alright!" Lily said quickly as she rose from her seat with a nod, "The fault is mine, Professor Lockhart! I didn't mean to startle you...I've come to bring my husband some lunch, but I didn't know that he was going to be busy either. Silly me!"
Lily laughed and Professor Lockhart laughed along with her, but she didn't miss the way that his eyes roamed over her while they shared their customary pleasantries.
Something about Mrs. Snape had aggravated Professor Lockhart when he had met her in Flourish & Blotts.
Perhaps it had been the fact that Lily had seemed immune to his overwhelming charms while she had stood next to her husband......her pale, frowning, awkward husband who didn't have a shred of the grand notoriety or wealth that Gilderoy Lockhart possessed........
Yes, that was it, Lily's reluctance to swoon at Professor Lockhart's feet had bruised the proud, pompous alpha's ego.
While they lingered in Severus's office, Professor Lockhart gazed at Lily's beautiful, red hair, her deep, green eyes, the delicate features of her face and the gorgeous voluptuousness of her figure that was only found among omegas who had borne pups.
Jealousy surged in Gilderoy's heart.
What did Mrs. Snape see in Mr. Snape that she didn't see in him?
Lily should have been climbing over Severus to get to him, to beg him to be with her!
......Why wasn't she?
"I must say, Mrs. Snape, those are some very lovely robes." Gilderoy commented as his eyes moved over Lily's form unashamedly.
"Oh.....thank you." Lily said with a nod and a smile, "That's very kind of you to say....Severus gave them to me for my birthday three years ago."
Severus did very much enjoy seeing his wife in those elegant robes.
After Lily had first modeled them for him, Draven and Brendan had been conceived moments later.
"How very curious." Gilderoy commented as he took a step towards Lily and smiled, "Severus hasn't struck me as much of a giver!"
Gilderoy took another step towards his colleague's mate.
Lily felt that her privacy had been invaded and she took a hesitant step backwards as she cleared her throat.
"Oh, he's actually very sweet with me and the children. Severus is just sort of......quiet." Lily defended her alpha with a tense smile.
Gilderoy took one more step forward and in response, Lily took one more step backwards.
She hadn't been terribly far from the wall when Gilderoy had first approached her, but as he continued on his path, her back came too close to touching the stone for her comfort.
Outside in the hallway, Severus glided down the corridor, completely unaware of the events that were unfolding in his office.
During the lull between classes, he had busied himself daydreaming of Lily laughing in the nursery with their little ones until he came closer to his office door and heard a voice.......
Lily.......!
Severus's mouth fell open in happy surprise.
He would know her sound anywhere.
His darling had come to visit him again!
But......?
Severus stopped suddenly and scowled while he listened to verify that his ears hadn't deceived him.
Was that.......was that another alpha that he heard speaking?
......To......his......Lily?
There was another alpha that had dared to approach his wife without her in his protective sights?
Severus's black eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he rushed towards his office door when he recognized the other alpha's voice.
He knew that his coworker was daft, but Severus wondered if Gilderoy Lockhart was really stupid enough to chat with his Lily behind his back?!?!
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"Do you like quiet men, Mrs. Snape?" Gilderoy asked in a husky purr as he stood in front of Lily.
Her back was fully against the wall by then and the words that fell from his lips were as lecherous as the look in his shining eyes while he stared down at her.
Lily wasn't frightened, but she was extremely annoyed.
"I-......" She started to respond.
Gilderoy watched her cherry lips start to move.
However, before she could speak, the door to Severus's office flew open as he flustered into the room like an angry bat ready to rampage.
"Severus!" Lockhart greeted him jovially as he immediately turned, stepped away from Lily, and slapped a friendly smile on his face, "Mrs. Snape and I have been waiting for you!"
Lily shook her head at Severus to indicate that she was alright in an attempt to quell the burning rage that she saw dancing in his dark eyes.
Severus would lose his job if he murdered a coworker and as the family's only source of income, that was something that the Snapes couldn't afford.
"I'll thank you to leave my wife alone, Professor Lockhart." Severus spat. His low voice held a threatening growl that sent thrilling shivers down Lily's spine as he hissed, "I hardly think it necessary to keep a woman edged against a prison of stone in order to carry on a conversation........I beg your pardon....Professor.......but I am a married man and my bride is an honest woman. If I ever catch you harassing my bride again, you'll find yourself in a duel."
Those words had been the most polite that Severus could manage under the circumstances.
His usual controlled demeanor had come undone by the fearful protectiveness that Lockhart's one-sided flirtation with his darling Lily had aroused.
"Of course, Professor Snape!" Gilderoy declared with a joyful laugh as if his behavior hadn't been inappropriate in any way, "That's why I've dropped by, you see! Dumbledore's given me permission to start a dueling club and I was hoping that you'd be willing to give me a hand in a little demonstration for the interested students this afternoon?"
Behind Gilderoy, Lily smirked as she saw Severus's dark eyes glimmer while he contemplated what a marvelous opportunity his foe had unwittingly presented to him.
Severus gave his answer in a low drawl, "The pleasure will be all mine......Professor Lockhart."
"Excellent! I'll see you then, Severus?" Gilderoy asked.
Severus.
The casual way that Gilderoy suddenly used his first name was an entirely new irritation to the Potions Master.
Severus replied with a silent, terse nod, but before Gilderoy turned to make his exit from the room, he had the audacity to look back at Lily and wave, "Mrs. Snape!"
Severus slammed the door shut so quickly after his enemy had gone that the heavy piece of antique wood rattled on its hinges.
He rushed over to Lily so hastily that he surprised her as he took her head into his hands and looked over her while he asked, "Lily? Are you hurt? Did he touch you? Did he-"
"No! No, Sev, I'm fine. I'm fine, really! He was just chatty, that's all." Lily reassured her alpha as she looked into his dark eyes.
Severus moved forward and Lily sighed as their lips met in a loving kiss.
"........It's my fault." Severus declared in an anguished voice once he pulled back and frowned at his wife, "Dumbledore called me to his office......If I had known that you planned on coming, I could have-"
"-It's not your fault, Sev!" Lily laughed, "It's alright......I'm alright! Don't worry!...Here...let's eat!" She said as she shrugged his worry aside with a giggle.
Lily took her alpha by the hand and led him over to his desk where the basket sat, full of the lunch that she had lovingly packed for them both.
"I just wanted to spend some time with you." Lily explained with a smile.
"And the children.....?" Severus asked.
"Your mother agreed to watch them for an hour." Lily nodded.
There was a hidden softness in Severus's black stare that only Lily could see as he sat down in his chair, wrapped his slender hands around her waist, and pulled her onto his lap.
She giggled as she fell, but Severus held her there, on him, while they ate their meal together and chatted.
He gladly spoke with his precious blossom, although he found it difficult to concentrate on their conversation.
Lily sweetly fed Severus and the tender care that she showed him, combined with the soft feeling of her gentle fingertips against his lips threatened to drive him insane.
Not to mention that visions of blasting Gilderoy Lockhart across the castle in the coming dueling demonstration kept playing through his mind....
Severus knew that he couldn't use the Cruciatus Curse in front of Hogwarts' students, but that didn't make the image of Professor Lockhart writhing on the floor any less satisfying to him.
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After classes concluded that day, nearly every student in the castle migrated towards the room where the first meeting of Lockhart's dueling club had been slated to take place.
Harriet, Hermione, and Ron were fortunate enough to be close to the front of the teeming crowd that soon formed.
Behind them, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle slyly succeeded in pushing and shoving their way through the throngs of people until they were next to the trio of Gryffindors.
"Hurry up, you lot!" Draco shouted towards the students at the very front of the group that led the way as they walked at a safe pace.
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy! They can't run, there'll be a stampede!" Harriet called as she turned around and glared at Draco.
"No one asked your opinion, Snape!" Draco hissed in retort with an evil sneer.
"No one asked you to come!" Hermione snapped back as she turned her head sharply to scowl at Draco.
The double doors to the dueling club room had just started to open as the hordes of students arrived.
Boys and girls anxiously squirmed against each other as the leaders in the front took a few steps back.
Draco sucked in a silent breath of delight when he felt Harriet's robes barely brush against his.
In the chaos of that moment, Draco wished that he had the courage to reach out and grab his beloved's hand.