Loving Lily: A Snily Story

Chapter 47 - A Dangerous Flirtation

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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As the second year of Harriet's Hogwarts education began, Severus kept a close watch on his daughter.

Throughout her school day and Quidditch matches, Severus prided himself on having a decent idea about her usual activities.

He did not realize that most evenings, Harriet retired to her dormitory room early and wrote to her new pen pal.

It had surprised her when she had first found the diary and used a single line on one of its blank pages, only to have her handwriting erased and replaced with words scrawled on the page by a quill she could not see, from a person she did not know.

Harriet had not yet learned Tom Marvolo Riddle's real identity.

As her second year progressed, she knew him only as a thoughtful, funny boy trapped in a diary from long ago.

She laughed when he amused her during their writing sessions as they sent messages to and from each other.

She pitied him for his tragic past, an orphan, cast out alone into the world.

Harriet couldn't interpret Tom Riddle's emotions much beyond whatever clues he gave in his written replies, but most evenings after they wrote to each other, she went to bed with a pleasant smile on her face.

It was Harriet's whimsical dream that Tom Riddle would one day, somehow, join her and her friends at Hogwarts.

She fantasized about the laughter they would share together, side by side, and the adventures in which they would partake.

In her mind, she wondered what Tom looked like?

Was he black-headed?

Blonde?

.....Or did he have red hair like Ron?

She attempted to not entertain her musings beyond those few minutes that elapsed each night between when she laid down and when she drifted off to sleep.

It was no use in wishing for it to be true.

In the diary, Tom had made it very clear to Harriet that he could not be where she was, not without some help, at least.....

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After Harriet finished her dinner in the Great Hall one evening, instead of joining Ron and Hermione on one of the Gryffindor Common Room's plush, red sofas, she ascended the tower's staircase and marched into her dormitory room.

The hour was far too early for any of her roommates to join her.

Knowing that she had quite a while to converse with her new friend in peace, Harriet smiled in eager anticipation as she took the black diary out of her trunk, picked up a quill, and hurriedly began to write.

Hello, Tom

It's been a long day, but I'm glad I'm finally able to write you tonight.

Harriet tapped her foot on the floor as she waited impatiently for her words to disappear.

Slowly, her handwriting vanished from the page before new words of shiny, black ink appeared.

Good evening, Harriet Snape

What a pleasure it is to hear from you once more.

I'll gladly spend hours with you through the pages of this old book, if you'll allow it.