The Princess and the Bloodstone

CH1: Grimmauld Place

Note: This is a femHarry adaptation where students graduate from Hogwarts University at 22. We're starting in Order of the Phoenix and branching into unchartered territories within the next few chapters. The full illustrated version is available on Archive 0f 0ur 0wn!

Professor Severus Snape was sitting in the dingy kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Breathing across the table from him was one of his absolute least favourite people on the Isles: Sirius Black.

They glared in opposite directions, Severus entertaining himself by mentally reviewing his vast archive of darkest hexes and nastiest curses, trying to choose one just for Black. Naturally, the silence between them was heavy with mutual dislike. Upon arrival, Severus had grudgingly handed him the letter from Dumbledore ordering Holly Potter to learn Occlumency – and he was still waiting for Miss Potter to 'grant him an audience.' It has already been five minutes since Molly Weasley left to call her to the kitchens.

The Potions Master studied his reflection in a polished silver goblet on the table; he was a thin man, broad but round-shouldered with pale skin, shoulder-length black hair framing his face and a prominent nose. He wore voluminous teaching robes over a frock coat with tight sleeves, a neat row of buttons, neatly pressed trousers and a pair of hard black oxfords. Severus considered himself so far out of fashion that he was in fact in fashion – a classic, fixed wardrobe that has proven practical and powerful on many occasions (and able to survive Scottish weather year-round). He stuck two fingers in his cravat and tugged it looser, ignoring Black's annoyed glance.

Muffled voices sounded above the kitchen and derailed his train of thought.

What in the seven hells is taking the witch this long?

There was no animosity between him and the girl. Outside the classroom and off the Quidditch pitch, he kept his distance from her. She would have been a perfect replica of Lily had it not been for her knack for making trouble (and the messy black hair) she shared with her dearest deceased father. And then of course there were the curious characteristics she shared with the Dark Lord himself...

He had only ever shared a single 'personal' moment with her years ago. It was in the winter of her first year, and, after much consideration during the sleepless nights that came with her showing up at Hogwarts, he had gifted her Lily's fifth-year Charms handbook; Charms of Defence and Deterrence by Professor Catullus Spangle. He remembered her hesitance when he first told her of his friendship with her mother and the unexpected smile she gave him before leaving the dungeons with the book clutched to her chest.

Severus was self-aware enough to know himself to be possessive and obsessive whenever it came to Lily Evans – and by extension, her daughter. Yet try as he might, he could not kill the foolish notion of a second chance at saving Lily.

Yes, this only hinted at the depth of his depravity and a wretched naivety on his part. But it was not something he had control over. It simply was. Like a thorn lodged in his flesh, it could never heal. He just got used to the ever-wound.

Of course, he would never consider himself a noble man. He has always been sincerely drawn to the Dark Arts, spending most of his waking hours in the company of often disreputable books and people. He joined the Death Eaters soon after graduation and was responsible for passing an incomplete version of Trelawney's prophecy to the Dark Lord, resulting in the death of Lily and the orphaning of Holly Potter. Severus Snape has never imagined himself as any sort of protagonist, because he was not a good man.

Being good meant believing in something like right or wrong. Severus knew better, to him, these were merely constructs, tools used to manipulate and control. Life was brutal. It was about survival and navigating the shades of grey. The only true belief that had ever been rooted in his heart was that he had lost his chance at redemption the day he unwittingly shared information that led to the death of Lily Evans. That singular act, born of misguided loyalty and ignorance, had cast a dark shadow over his life, casting his world into constant despair as he served a life sentence for his gravest mistake.