Half-Blood Princess Book One

Chapter 2 - From Potter to Snape

Third Person POV

January 31st, 1981

"Lily!" Snape exclaimed, breathing out. He hadn't seen her after so long, and yet she had barely changed. She is as beautiful as the first and last time he saw her.

"Sev, um...Good to see you?" She meant it sincerely, but it came out as a question instead. "What are you doing here, and why are you holding Tilly?" Lily inquires, somewhat confused as to why the old friend was in her children's nursery.

"It's good to see you as well, Lily," Severus states as he lifts himself and the girl off the chair and places Tilly back in her crib. "To answer your other question, you will have to ask your husband." Turning back to her husband to give him a questioning look. However, Snape shoos them out before either can say a thing, lightly closing the door behind them. James looks to the scowling man for a reason for his behaviour. Snape lifts an eyebrow at the look thrown at him by Potter.

"Based on what I saw earlier, Tilly would not go to sleep for you. And I, for one, do not wish to wake her." Snape draws out his words, emphasising a few to hurt James.

James looks the other way regarding the insults Snivellus sent him. 'God, that was a good insult, Snivellus. Ha.' James laughed in his head. Lily walks ahead of the men to see Harry. "Potter, remember, I am here at your request." James frowned, unsure what Snape was speaking about, then remembered that Snape could read minds. James nods his head once and walks over to his wife and son. Harry looks up to his Dad, and everything besides his eyes mirrors James. It feels like a punch to the gut for Snape, seeing how happy the family of three was together, but it hurts more knowing that there was another child who seemed to get less love just because she is different. It made him think of his life with his father, the pain he went through, and what he couldn't protect his sister from. If there were one right thing he would do in his life, it would be to protect Matilda, as she deserved so much more than her life right now.

The married couple sat opposite Snape as an awkward silence set in. Realising neither Lily nor Potter would speak, Severus spoke up in a calm and, for once, gentle voice. Unsure how the two would react to what he was going to say. "I have to ask what has your daughter done that has stood out to you or maybe different?" James and Lily look at each other, having a silent conversation, as if trying to decide if they should tell the man. In the end, Lily is the one with the guts.

"You've seen how Tilly is with James; she isn't much warmer with me. Aside from that, she seems to have extreme powers..." Lily trails off, looking down at her feet, not wanting to finish explaining but her husband continues for her.

"When Tilly's emotions become too much, things start to happen. Items might float around her, and lights flicker or blow. We've guessed that she's powerful, even at her age, but she has no control." 

Severus was unsure what this meant for Tilly, but he knew it would cause him a lot of trouble in the future. He replied to the parents with a single nod, keeping his stone-cold face on.

"Is that all?" The two parents exchanged one more glance, James lowering his head as Lily spoke hushedly.

"One day, the four of us were sitting outside, and Tilly stumbled upon a...garden snake. I rushed to get her, but the snake...didn't harm her, as she mumbled things to it." Lily slowly spoke. Tilly, being a Parselmouth, changed everything. It was rare for people to be a Parselmouth now; the two most known Parselmouths weren't precisely favourable either. Lord Voldemort and Salazar Slytherin. Two of the most hated and despised wizards ever to grace this world. Nagini always terrified Severus, and the way the Dark Lord could communicate with her just made it worse.