Severus and Lily: The Snape Family

Chapter 15 - The Dreadful Mistake

Chapter Text
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Severus and Lily stood staring at that corpse-like creature until they heard the gentle padding of steps coming down the hallway from behind them.

They both turned around to look and saw Zinnia standing there, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Go back to bed, you're ill!" Severus snapped.

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't be up!" Lily said quickly. With her own body, Lily tried to block Zinnia's view of the creature so her daughter wouldn't be frightened, but Zinnia's green eyes landed on the thing petting Severus's patronus and the little girl blinked nonchalantly.

"Dad?" Zinnia asked.

"It's alright, there's no reason to be afraid." Severus reassured her quickly.

"I told you not to close the window." Zinnia sighed, "Now Shadow's had to walk all the way around the house to come in."

Severus and Lily glanced at each other.

"This......thing.......this is you friend? 'Shadow'?" Severus asked his daughter as he pointed to the creature.

"Well, what else would it be?" Zinnia replied with a shrug.

Severus glanced back over at the creature and reflected on all of its gory horror.

No distinct layers of skin, no eyes, teeth and bone showing through the decrepit layers of rot.

Regardless, it wasn't the creature that Severus found unsettling, it was his daughter's eerie tranquility about it.

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That was a very restless night in the Snape house. With a strictly watchful eye, in order to investigate the creature more, Severus allowed Zinnia to interact with the thing as she claimed to have done many times before.

Severus and Lily watched as Zinnia took the thing by its skeletal, decaying hand and led it into the house, back to her room.

Severus and Lily both noticed the wooden boards on the floor where it had stepped were smeared with the bits of festering filth that fell off of its feet, which made the sounds of its bones clicking as it walked along even more disturbing.

Severus and Lily stood in the doorway all night while Zinnia sat and talked to the creature, even though the creature offered no discourse in return.

Zinnia laughed and giggled and the thing stared back at her with its tongueless mouth and eyeless sockets.

"I don't like this, Severus." Lily whispered, "I don't want that thing in our house."

"I don't even know what it is." Severus replied, he glanced over at Lily as he added, "But in the morning, I'm going to find out."

Lily blinked at her husband and Severus turned back to his observation of Zinnia and the creature.

Yes, Severus knew just who to consult about their mysterious visitor.

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As soon as morning arrived, Severus went over to Ginny and Harry's house and knocked on the door.

Harry was still half asleep when he answered but he narrowed his eyes in concern when he saw Severus standing on his doorstep.

".......Dad? Is something wrong?" Harry asked.