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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Despite Harriet's delay, the Snapes arrived outside of Malfoy Manor exactly on time.
Severus proudly stood with his family as he reached out and knocked on the door.
Little Sev blinked but Maggie fidgeted in her chair while she waited.
She hid it well from her parents as she struggled not to burst with excitement.
A moment later, the massive front door opened as a small, cowering house elf peered out.
"Finanns, away from there!" The Snapes heard a voice hiss as someone shoved the house elf aside.
Harriet took a deep breath as the door opened wider and she found herself staring at Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Scorpius.
"Good evening, Severus." Lucius greeted his old friend with a fond smile before he turned to nod at Harriet, "..........And Mrs. Snape."
"Good evening, Lucius." Severus drawled.
"Good evening." Harriet said with forced politeness as she glanced at each of the Malfoys, "These are our children, Maggie and Little Sev. Maggie, Little Sev, this is Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.....and Mr. Malfoy"
"How do you do?" Maggie asked the three adults before her bright, emerald eyes settled on Scorpius.
"Hello!" Little Sev chirped with a happy smile.
"So good of you all to accept our invitation, won't you come in?" Lucius asked as he gestured welcomingly to the inside of his large estate.
Harriet and Severus exchanged brief glances before the Snape family entered Malfoy Manor.
While Harriet tried to ignore the traumatic memories invoked by walking through the house, she couldn't help but notice the Snapes appeared to be the Malfoys' only guests for the evening.
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The children followed the adults as Lucius led the way to the parlor.
Draco remained silent.
Narcissa chatted politely with Harriet, but Lucius gladly took the opportunity to reconnect with his old friend as he asked, "I trust you and your family are doing well, Severus?"
"I have no complaints." Severus replied, "And yourself? It's been several years, Lucius....Forgive me, I should have written."
"The true fault lies with me." Lucius responded, "We have been rather busy these last years.......for various reasons, though I should have reached out to you sooner."
Severus had always respected Lucius for his skill and wealth.
While they walked, he remembered more than one occasion during which Lucius had defended him from the Marauders.
It seemed odd to Severus to think he had managed to achieve a fragment of his friend's prestige.
Harriet's fortunes combined with Severus's earned savings were at least equal to the Malfoys' money.
Although their many different companies continued to be successful, the Malfoy name had suffered a serious popularity hit after the war had exposed them for openly supporting fascism.
While Lucius had fallen from grace, Severus had become Minister for Magic.
Behind the adults, Little Sev kept to himself as Scorpius and Maggie eagerly chatted.
"It's so good to see you again!" Maggie smiled at her friend.
"It's really good to see you too." Scorpius smiled kindly, "......Are those new robes?"
"Yeah, they are!" Maggie nodded, "Do you like them?"
"They make your eyes look bright." Scorpius nodded, "You, er, I mean, your robes....are very pretty."
Maggie's cheeks blushed at Scorpius's slip of tongue.
He changed the subject before she could comment on his unfortunate mishap, "I'm excited that you've come tonight."
"I am too." Maggie nodded as she glanced around at the mansion's elegant walls, "You have a beautiful house."
Scorpius flung a startling bit of news at her as he smiled and added, "Thanks........Just think, in a few minutes, you'll get to meet my Mum!"
Maggie's heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.
"Your.......Mum?" She asked.
"Yeah, the house elves said they'll bring her down." Scorpius nodded, "Don't worry, she'll love you! She told me she can't wait to meet my best friend."
Maggie's throat went dry as an inexplicable wave of staggering nervousness swept over her.
It would be fine, Scorpius had met her parents, what did it matter?
Why should the idea of introducing herself to his mother make her anxious at all?
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As the two families gathered in the mansion's vast parlor for refreshments and conversation, Harriet tried to avoid Draco as much as possible.
It relieved her to notice he seemed eager to ignore the party as he lurked in the corner with a frown.
While she held onto Severus's arm as she sipped her drink, she shot Draco scowl after disapproving scowl.
Pathetic and sniveling, just as he had been in the war.
Harriet supposed some people never changed.
Lucius and Narcissa were seasoned hosts and had no trouble involving Harriet and Severus in engaging conversation while the families waited for midnight.
At first, little Sev had been disappointed no other children were there, but to his delight, Scorpius warmly drew him into his chat with Maggie.
Already well-acquainted with the sting of loneliness himself, Scorpius didn't want his darling's younger brother to feel isolated or ignored.
Ten minutes until midnight, the party changed.
A clattering from the hallway caught everyone's attention.
As each person in the parlor blinked and looked over, a house elf appeared in the entryway as it pulled a chair much like Maggie's into the room.
Harriet frowned at the very slight woman who was revealed to the party once the house elf swung the chair around.
Her skin had lost most of its colour, her face was gaunt, and her thin hair had been gently combed.
Although the shadow of sickness lingered on her face, Harriet could easily see she had once been beautiful.
Lucius and Narcissa exchanged disapproving glances as if they were embarrassed by the woman's presence, but to Harriet's surprise, Draco rushed to her.
"Darling...." He spoke as he bent down to the woman in the chair, "Darling, are you alright? Are you too cold? You really shouldn't be out of bed."
Her robes were thin and wrinkled.
A flannel blanket lay over her legs and a pillow padded her back.
"I'm alright, Draco." Harriet heard the woman's trembling whisper as she and Draco kissed sweetly before he pulled away, "I wanted to come down and at least meet Scorpius's new friend."
Harriet glanced at Severus, but his dark eyes remained focused on Draco and the woman in the chair.
"This is my wife, Astoria." Draco announced as he straightened his back, "My darling, you remember Professor Snape...This is his wife, Harriet, their son....also named Severus....and their daughter, Maggie."
Severus frowned as he nodded at his former student.
He remembered Astoria Greengrass well, a quiet girl who constantly seemed to be in poor health.
There had been many times her assignments had been sent to her bed in the Hospital Wing, where she had spent a regrettably large number of her Hogwarts days.
"How do you do?" Astoria asked her guests as she nodded at each one with a warm smile.
Harriet was humbled.
She watched the loving way Draco laid a hand gently on his wife's shoulder and stood beside her as if he braced to protect her from imminent danger.
Harriet couldn't help but marvel at the surprising amount of humanity Draco modeled before she remembered herself and smiled at the kind, ill woman, ".......It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And you as well." Astoria smiled back at Harriet, "I've heard so much about your daughter! She's been very sweet to my son.....You must be a wonderful mother to have raised such a darling child."
Harriet beamed, grateful for the compliment, but Scorpius interrupted the adults as he stepped forward and motioned for Maggie to follow him.
Maggie wheeled her chair over to Astoria's, who gazed into her eyes with a smile and spoke, "Aren't you lovely, my dear? It's no wonder my son is fond of you, you have very kind eyes."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy." Maggie nodded as she echoed her mother.
Scorpius watched his mother and Maggie exchange smiles.
The moment was a happy one, but he still could not stop the bitter tears that gathered in his grey eyes.
Harriet's gaze flickered from the trio to Draco, who looked on with a frown so melancholy it could have wilted followers.
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Midnight was welcomed by a round of happy cheers and a toast shared by both families with butterbeer-filled goblets.
Astoria, Scorpius, and Maggie continued their chat.
While Severus spoke with Lucius and Narcissa, Harriet walked over to Draco as he stood next to the massive hearth.
"It's been quite some time." She said as she took a sip of her drink.
"It has been, yes." Draco frowned.
"I had hoped we would never see each other again, but if our children continue their relationship, we may have more inconvenient encounters." Harriet chuckled.
"Perhaps." Draco whispered as he stared at his wife.
Harriet frowned as silence settled between them for a moment before she spoke quietly, "You know, as the Minister for Magic's wife, Malfoy, I have access to healers all over the world. Surely I could find someone who could come and help-"
"-Do you honestly believe I haven't already tried every available avenue?" Draco snapped as he turned to look at Harriet.
In the glow of the flames, she could see the broken-hearted sadness in his hollow face as he spoke, "There's nothing anyone can do for her.......A blood curse, that's what they say it is. She was born with it, apparently."
"Does Scorpius know?" Harriet frowned.
"He knows what I tell him." Draco sniffed, "But I haven't told him everything.....I can't."
"........Oh?" Harriet asked.
She didn't want to pry, but Draco's tone had almost invited her to ask more questions.
"She won't last the year." He confessed with an anguished sigh.
Harriet's frown deepened into an expression of woe as she frowned.
"Please, Po-.....er, Snape...." Draco begged as he corrected himself to use Harriet's updated last name, "Don't tell my son. I know our old hatred has never died, but have mercy on him, won't you? He's just a boy, he didn't ask for this. Wouldn't you want me to do the same for your children?"
"Yeah....." Harriet said as she furrowed her brow, "Yeah, no, of course.....I won't say a word."
"Thank you." Draco nodded.
As he walked away, Harriet was struck by the pain in his voice.
She took another sip of her drink and began to contemplate how she could possibly help the Malfoy family.
Her desperate desire to once again do something heroic for the good of others gnawed at her as the next hours wore on.
If she hadn't taken the fertility potion, her thoughts would have been focused purely on Astoria and Draco's plight for the rest of the evening.
By the time the Snapes returned home though, it was difficult for Harriet to tell what bothered her more; the urgent need to help the suffering family or the primal impulse that urged her to drag Severus into her nest and climb on top of him.....