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He had failed Lily. Severus thought about it every day. When he told Albus instead of the Dark Lord of the Prophecy, he thought that that meant she was safe. But her death was already sealed.
Pettigrew had gotten the Kiss, but the damage was already done. They had trusted him. Even Black, who trusted no one, and switched Secret Keepers without telling even Dumbledore. For the longest time, Severus had blamed him, along with himself.
But now, the Dark Lord was gone. Now there was nothing. Lily would’ve wanted him to still have a life, but what was left?
He opened an apothecary. Black paid him handsomely for Lupin’s wolfsbane, and he used that money to open it. He might as well do some good with the rest of his life. Lily would’ve wanted that.
Severus raised his eyebrows when he saw a young woman obnoxiously peering in the window as he opened up the shop. When they made eye contact, she froze as he went to unlock the door and opened it. There was still half an hour before opening…
"Are you here for the apprenticeship position?” he asked, thinking that was the only reason one would arrive so early. He had no urgent orders, currently.
The woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, opened and closed her mouth several times before saying, “Yes...”
She was beautiful, not in a striking or conventional way. Her beauty was in her kind face, her goofy, awkward smile. Something about her was rather familiar. She had messy auburn hair and hazel eyes that regarded him nervously as she followed him to his office.
He sat at his desk, and she sat at the chair in front of it. She bit her lip while Severus waited. “Well?” he asked. She raised her eyebrows. “Where’s your resume?”
“I don’t have one,” she said slowly.
“Why not?” Because of his stellar personality, no one had applied for the position. And because of his talent, he was overrun with orders. So this was just great.
The woman straightened up and said with an infuriating amount of confidence, “Because I am impulsively applying for this job.”
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where did you go to school?” She had an odd accent. It was similar to his, but at the same time it wasn’t. “What credentials do you have?”
“Ilvermorny,” she said. That was an American school. She perked up. “I got the Excellence in Potions Cup! For my last three years in a row. I was homeschooled before that and—”
“That means nothing to me.” Severus was sure it was some sort of an award, but he was annoyed at her lack of preparation. She deflated at that, and Severus tried not to feel bad. She was not cute, and he certainly did not care about her feelings. He sighed. “What’s your name?”
“Harriet!” she said excitedly. She frowned when Severus waited her last name. “Well… my last name is Stevens, but...”
Of course the only person who would want to be his apprentice would be a cracked nut. Severus took a deep breath, causing her to clamp her mouth shut. She was already hired, but she didn’t need to know that. “I want you to prove yourself. Brew Felix Felicis.” Draco Malfoy had ordered some for his upcoming wedding day. “If you can brew that, the job is yours.”
Harriet smiled, looking like a satisfied, overfed cat. “If my dad was here, he would say that I shouldn’t work for free.”
“Okay…” She was so fucking weird.
She tilted her chin up, still smiling. Severus looked away. She was charming, he’d give her that. If anything, she’d work with the customers while he brewed. “If I brew it correctly, you’ll have dinner with me to tonight.”
“What am I a courtesan?” Severus snapped before he could stop himself. Harriet turned scarlet.
But still, she was infuriatingly stubborn. Harriet held her head up high yet again, after fumbling for a moment. “You can pick the restaurant since I just moved here.”
Severus narrowed his eyes at her. Harriet did her best to look innocent. He should say no. It was beyond inappropriate. Still… In his head, Lily was laughing at him. She would want him to move on from her death. From Potter’s and her son’s death. “Let’s see what you can manage, Stevens.”
She leaned closer over the desk, as if he would have trouble hearing her. “Call me Harri.”
“Harriet,” he compromised.
She brewed like he did, down to the small changes he made to the textbook instructions. Severus wasn’t sure if that was an odd coincidence or creepy. She was obviously infatuated with him. He was a war hero. Did he have a stalker?
He checked on her throughout the day between his own brewing and meeting with customers. At this point, Severus didn’t know whether he wanted her to fail or not. He knew it would be perfect, but still scowled at her overly proud expression. It reminded him of someone.
“I like pizza,” she said as he inspected her work. “It’s my parents date day, and they said they have loads to do too, so they won’t be expecting me home. They want me to explore the city. Get out there. Be social.” She rolled her eyes at that, as if they were the ridiculous ones.
“Fascinating,” he drawled. He looked at her. She looked at him. She was hopeful. He was uneasy. “One hour.”
She actually squealed with excitement. What the bloody hell had he gotten himself into?
After ordering, they stared at each other. Severus was rather curious but didn’t want to show it. Harriet was rather excited and was doing a poor job of not showing it.
“What brings you to England?” he asked. Her answer would prove whether she was a stalker or not.
Harriet picked at a napkin, ripping it into tiny pieces. “My parents wanted to move back. And I don’t have any friends, so I figured I’d come too.”
She said that so nonchalantly. Severus didn’t have any friends either, but it wasn’t something he could speak so casually about. Maybe it was because his only friend was long dead.
“And what brought you to my shop?” he probed.
Harriet blinked. She looked like a student who had got caught cheating. “My mum went to school with you. And I was curious. And then you spoke of the job, and my dad said I need to stop doing contract work and actually socialize.”
It sounded like they wanted her to get the fuck out of their house. She dressed like a librarian thrice her age and seemed rather sheltered. At least she wasn’t as loud and immature as her peers. Speaking of which… “How old are you?”
“Twenty-three,” she said proudly. “We moved a lot, so I’ve been working as a travelling brewer, but Dad said we’re never moving again or he’s sticking a fork in his eye.”
“What a gentlemen,” Severus muttered.
“You wouldn’t say that if you knew him,” Harriet said lightly.
When the food arrived, Harriet nibbled at her pizza, watching him and not making a good case for herself. She could still be a stalker. Or perhaps her mother was the stalker. Her husband, Harriet’s father, sounded like a real wanker.
“Are your parents still alive?” she asked. Severus was beginning to see why she didn’t have any friends.
“My mother,” Severus said slowly. His father was dead to him, so… “What kind of question is that?”
Harriet thought for a moment, and then shrugged. “Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry at all. “Are you married?”
“Would I be here if I was?” he snapped.
She shrugged again. “If you were a bad husband, yes.”
The gall… Severus huffed and shook his head. She was not funny. He refused to acknowledge that she was funny. “No. I’m not cheating on my nonexistent partner.”
Harriet smirked. “Good. Because I fancy you.” Good God… “And you’re stuck with me because you hired me on the spot, which tells me you can’t find anyone better.”
No one had ever pursued him before. He had trysts here and there, but nothing serious. Now, he had a potential stalker half his age pining for his affections. Severus wasn’t sure how to react. He found her attractive, but that wasn’t the point. “You are insufferable.”
“You are going to fall in love with me,” she said with infuriating confidence. Severus just rolled his eyes.
Harriet looked at him expectantly when they walked back to his shop. He lived in the flat above. Severus stared at her. This was a terrible idea. He still did not rule out the stalker theory, and they would be working together. She smiled when she saw that he was considering, and it wasn’t her goofy smile either. It stirred something in him that it shouldn’t.
They barely made it through the door to his flat. As soon as he kissed her, they threw themselves at each other like animals, desperately ripping off their clothes.
“Why are you wearing so many fucking layers?” he growled as she tossed her cardigan to the side.
“It’s almost winter!” she panted with a laughed. As soon as her sweater was off, he had her pinned against the wall. He tore her stockings off like he was a hormonal teenager and didn’t even bother with her skirt as she slipped her underwear off.
Again, like a lovesick fool, he took her against the wall with her moaning as he drove into her. Harriet clung to him, digging her nails into his back. They both had lost all self-control.
Severus woke up the next morning to a note. She had to go to make sure that her parents didn’t think she was dead. She also wrote that she would be at work on Monday at 7am sharp, an hour before opening. The sheets smelled like her.
After his own shower, Severus started making himself coffee when his owl tapped at the window to deliver the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. He almost choked on his breakfast at the headline.
Lily. She’s alive!
Severus was at Godric’s Hollow within the hour. She and Potter had faked their deaths and ran, fearing for their child’s life. He couldn’t help but feel betrayed as he banged on the door. He had mourned her.
But, all was forgiven when she opened the door and hugged him fiercely. They both were crying.
“Come in! Come in,” she sobbed as she ushered for him to follow her. Severus’s heart was pounding. Could she forgive him? Could he forgive her?
“H-how?” he rasped.
Lily wiped her eyes. “We knew there was a traitor, but we just didn’t know who. And my baby! We just couldn’t let anything happen to our baby! So… we got cadavers… blew up half the house...” Lily wiped her eyes but was still crying. “Sirius fixed it up rather nice over the years! He and Jaime are arguing at his and Remus’s place…”
Severus nodded as he wiped away his own tears. He was angry and relieved at the same time. “How is he? Your son?”
Lily smiled at the mention of her child. They had ‘died’ before Severus had gotten a chance to visit. “My daughter. We figured it be harder to track us down if everyone thought she was a boy.”
“Oh—”
“Mummy, I can’t find my notebook, and I’m starting work tomorrow—” Harriet came bumbling down the stairs but stopped in her tracks at the sight of Severus. Her eyes popped out of her head.
Wild hair. Hazel eyes. Potter’s overinflated confidence. Well… my last name is Stevens. That’s why she had said it so oddly. That was probably the last name the Potters used while on the run. So all her legal documents probably said Stevens, but she knew she was a Potter.
“What?” Lily asked. Severus was sure that he was green. “Harri, this is Severus. My best mate from school!” She turned to Severus, awkwardly, probably wondering why the air was suddenly thick with tension. “I told her all about my best friend over the years.”
“N-nice to meet you,” Harriet said. She actually fucking curtsied, which made Lily look at her oddly.
Lily looked from Harriet to Severus, then back to Harriet. What the hell were they going to do?! But it was too late. Harriet had said she had no friends. Because she was so fucking demented. Her parents were her entire social life. She already knew. “Th-this is the smoldering older gentlemen that made your toes curl?!”
“I-I didn’t know!” Severus said in a panic.
“I know!” Lily thundered. “Because I raised a little snake!”
“Lily-flower!” Potter bellowed as he entered from what could only be the backdoor. He and Black appeared arm and arm. “Sirius and I made up! Now we just got to get Remus to cook for us to celebrate!”
They stopped at the sight of him. Potter nodded awkwardly until he saw the murderous look on Lily’s face. “What?”
“Nothing,” Severus said quickly.
“Ask Harri,” Lily seethed.
Potter frowned. He probably didn’t know. What daughter would gossip with her father about a one off? Then, he swelled with shock. “This is the smoldering older gentlemen that made your toes curl?!”
“What?” Black asked.
Potter shook his head. “Snape fucked my daughter last night!” Black’s jaw dropped. “Three times.”
“Harriet!” Severus hissed. She had to tell them every detail!
“Does this mean you don’t want to get breakfast?” Harriet asked innocently.
“No!” Severus yelled. His mind was currently spinning and all she could think about was weaseling her way into a second date.
Potter actually jabbed a finger at him. “So now you’re going to break her heart?! My daughter!”
“James!” Lily shrieked. “Harri obviously tricked him!”
“Tricked is a strong word,” Harriet said lightly as she twirled her finger in her wild hair. “I was just a little vague.”
“A little?!” Severus yelled. “I think you were more than a little vague Harriet Stevens.”
“That is my name!” Harriet defended. “And… I wanted to see if you would like me. For me. And not like me for my mum or hate me for my dad.”
“This is so fucked up,” Black muttered, finally catching up to the group.
“Of course he would!” Potter soothed. Now Severus could see who had spoiled Harriet. No wonder she was so weird. He glared at Severus. “You’re amazing Harri Berry.”
“Are we beating him up or not?” Black asked, ever the loyal dog. “Because Remus needs him.”
“No one is beating up anyone,” Lily said firmly. “Harri, how could you?”
Harriet just shrugged. That seemed to be her signature move when she was called out on her bullshit. Lily looked ready to throttle her, but she didn’t seem to care. “Does this mean I’m fired?”
“No,” Potter hollered before Severus had a chance to say yes. He folded his arms over his chest. “Because you’re talented, smart, and funny. He’d be an idiot to fire you. And while he is an idiot—”
“Actually…” Severus was still upset with Lily, and he already had enough of Potter. How could he still be a prick after all these years? “Breakfast sounds great, Harriet.”
Smoke was practically coming out of Potter’s ears. Lily saw right through him and groaned before chasing after Harriet as she ran upstairs to get ready with an excited squeak. Black looked so confused.
He would go on a couple dates just to piss Potter off, and then he would keep it professional until Harriet found herself a better job and they were done with all the orders that he was falling behind with. And she would find something better. Potter was right. She was rather talented.
In a few years, they would just pretend this never happened…
…Two years later, they were married and lived happily ever after.