Loving Lily: A Snily Story

Chapter 37 - The Coming Years

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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Slowly, the years began to pass.

Severus managed to keep his little piece of happiness concealed from Voldemort's evil by following Dumbledore's radical plan of action and hiding his family in plain sight.

Death Eaters became a known threat around the wizarding world, although they largely remained a shadow organization.

People joined their ranks in secret.

Bodies were found of murders carried out under the dark cover of night.

Items were stolen and lives were ruined under the covert operations that Voldemort ran.

In addition to being a father, a spy, a teacher, and a husband, Severus was also largely a strategist when it came to inventing new ways of thwarting Voldemort and the villainy he often put Srverus in charge of undertaking.

The farm hadn't been the only sly attempt made by Voldemort's second in command to prohibit the devastation the Dark Lord sought to cause.

Harriet and Draco saw less and less of each other.

Once the Auror Department began to take serious measures on cracking down against the unseen wickedness that permeated the wizarding world, Voldemort all but stopped his large gatherings of his most elite officers.

The Malfoys and Snapes grew apart as each family became absorbed in their own survival, desperate to see their children grow to adulthood.

Lucius loved his offspring, but his disappointment in Draco was constantly expressed through the sneers and disapproving looks he cast his son.

Voldemort was not pleased with the Malfoy family's heir.

The Dark Lord saw Draco as lacking and as weak as his father.

Lucius wasn't sure which part of his dark master's opinion embarrassed him more.

Harriet, on the other hand, much to Severus and Lily's dismay, became a shining star in Voldemort's eyes.

Strong-willed, prone to anger, and quick to react, by the age of nine, Harriet wore glasses and had already demonstrated what Voldemort deemed to be a great aptitude for the Dark Arts.

Although Ellery was quiet and shy, he was as craftily cunning as his father, not to mention respectful, loyal......

Voldemort's hopes for Severus's children were much higher than his dreams for Draco.

Lily had learned to deal with the mind-numbing terror of watching her little girl linger at Voldemort's side over the years.

One afternoon, while Ellery sat at the table with her and read from the book in his hands, Lily nervously sipped her tea while she watched from the window as Voldemort and Harriet stepped through the piles of crunchy, fallen leaves that the recent rain had soiled.

The autumn afternoon was unseasonably warm.

Lily glanced at the clock and counted exactly how many minutes she had until Severus returned from his day of teaching.

It bothered her to contemplate why Voldemort had bothered to come when he knew well enough that his general would not be home yet.

Regardless, Voldemort seemed to enjoy his walk with Harriet as he watched her push her feet through the leaves.

"Mum and Dad told me I have two more years until I can go to Hogwarts." Harriet told Voldemort.

"Your mother and father are correct, little one." Voldemort chuckled as he watched Harriet pick up a leaf she found interesting, "....Though I may have another option for them to consider."