Would you believe that I'm nearly finished with this chapter??? Apologies in advance for all the angst though...
Anyway, here you go!!
Snape seemed frozen as he listened to Draco’s outburst, but after a moment, he took a deep breath and said, “Draco—”
He’d said it softly, and that alone seemed to be the last straw for the teenager. His voice was thick with emotion when he said, “I can handle it, alright. My parents didn’t want me and it’s fine. I can handle it, but you— I couldn’t…"
"Harry and Draco stood in opposite corners of the kitchen.
Rook paced back and forth between them. He would nudge first Harry’s hand, whining when he didn’t give him any attention, and then move on to repeat the process with Draco.
Snape was also pacing. In the parlor, back and forth in front of the fireplace. Every time he thought he was calm enough to face his two boys, he remembered the events of the last thirty minutes, and resumed his pacing once again.
Alan and Marie Dubois were thrilled to hear of Evelyn’s engagement. However, Marie was less than thrilled to hear about it only hours before meeting her new future brother-in-law. A meeting which started out perfectly fine, and ended in utter disaster."
Okay, so I have a character in one of my books who is a below the knee amputee, and since I really want to treat him with care and do him justice, I was hoping I could find someone to sensitivity read for him.
If anyone would be interested, you can dm me. I’d appreciate any and all help I can get :)
This is like a revenge on the Dursleys fic. I wrote it a few years ago, right after I rage quit my last job and wanted to take out my frustrations on something lol. Anyway, I thought I'd share it here. It is technically part of the As Potter is to Snape Universe, but to be clear, it doesn't ever actually happy. Snape promised to never actually hurt the Dursleys and he keeps his promises.
Word Count: About 3K
TW: Just because I kind of feel like this probably has some psychological torture in it. Please don't read if it could upset you!
Say His Name
“No! Please, no!”
The strangled cries caught the attention of Severus and Remus immediately. They had been talking in the living room but as soon as they heard the sound of Harry’s scream, they both leaped from their seats and ran upstairs.
Bursting into Harry’s room, Severus went to his bedside as Remus waved his wand so that the candles ignited, illuminating the room.
Harry didn’t even seem to notice they had come in. He was sitting up in bed, his knees were brought up near his chest and his hands were carded through his hair, pulling it tightly as his body was wracked with sobs. The blankets were in a tangled heap on the floor.
“Harry?” Severus said as he attempted to coax Harry into looking at him by putting his hand on his back; his shirt was soaked in a cold sweat. Harry jerked away violently and dug his heels into the mattress, pushing himself away from Severus and up against the wall.
“No! Don’t touch me!” Harry shouted. His breathing was erratic and shallow as if he couldn’t take in enough oxygen.
“Harry, it’s me., Severus said as gently as he knew how. “It’s Snape and Remus. No one’s going to hurt you, Harry. I promise. But you need to calm down, alright?”
The books on the shelves and the glass chess pieces that were laid out on the coffee table began to shake.
“Severus,” Remus said quietly as he watched a bishop come perilously close to falling off the table.
“I see it,” Severus replied, not taking his eyes off of Harry. He slowly reached over and picked up Harry’s glasses from where they sat on his nightstand. “Harry, how about you put your glasses on?” He laid them on the bed and pushed them over, careful not to startle him with any sudden movements. He knew all too well what this was like for him. He was sure that he wouldn’t even need to ask Harry what the nightmare had been about.
Even as tears still streamed down Harry’s face, he picked up the glasses and put them on his face. “Please,” Harry begged and Severus felt his heartbreak for the child.
“Harry, please calm down. Let’s take a breath. Can you do that for me?”
“I-I c-can’t,” Harry stuttered. He clutched at the sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“Yes, you can,” Severus nodded. “Just try. In your nose, out your mouth.” Harry closed his eyes and tried to take in a deep breath. It was ragged and unsteady but it was better than nothing. He let it out as slowly as he could. “Good job, Harry,” Severus praised him, “Now do it again. You can do this.”
Harry did his best to breathe evenly for the next few moments and Remus watched as slowly the books and chess pieces began to stop shaking. He also breathed a sigh of relief.
Severus continued to talk to Harry in quiet tones that he hoped were calming enough to help Harry relax. He figured he must be doing something right because, after a while, Harry opened his eyes and released his grip on the sheets.
“Snape?” Harry said suddenly.
“Yes?” But Harry didn’t say anything else; he simply launched himself into Severus’s arms and held on tightly to his robes. Severus sighed. “It’s alright, Harry. I’m here.”
It took a while, but eventually, Harry had fallen back to sleep and Severus and Remus went back downstairs. As they retook their seats in the living room, Remus sighed.
“How often does that happen?” he asked.
Severus reached over to the table between their chairs and opened the bottle of firewhiskey he had there before pouring two glasses, passing one to Remus.
“Not as often anymore as it used to,” Severus replied before taking a drink and relishing the way the amber liquid burned his throat on the way down.
“Do they often involve him making things shake?” Remus was staring resolutely at the flames in the hearth, his own glass resting on the table beside him.
“Sometimes, though he’s never actually broken anything yet.”
“Yet,” Remus spat the word as if it were something that tasted awful in his mouth. “I don’t want to imagine how bad it would need to be before he broke something. He’s thirteen years old, Severus! He shouldn’t be having nightmares like this in the first place.”
“I know, Remus,” Severus said quietly. “You have no idea how badly I would like to make them suffer for what they did to him. How much delight I would take in watching them beg for mercy.” He shook his head, “But that only happens in my dreams.” Severus froze, his glass halfway to his lips. “That’s it,” he murmured before replacing his glass on the table. “Jenka,” he called and immediately the small elf appeared.
“Yes, Master Snape?”
“Jenka, please watch over Harry for a little while. If he wakes up, come and find me, alright?”
Jenka nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Master Snape. Jenka will be watching Master Harry Potter very closely.”
“Where are you going?” Remus asked when Jenka disappeared and Severus stood up.
“Little Whinging. Would you like to come?”
“Sev?” Remus was already on his feet and following Severus towards the front door. Once out on the front porch, Severus disapparated on the spot and Remus followed suit a second later.
Severus and Remus apparated to a spot just down the street from the Dursleys’ house. The houses on Privet Drive were mostly dark at this time of night, but that didn’t deter Severus in the slightest. His robes billowed like a cape behind him as he stalked up the street to Number Four.
Remus kept pace beside him, though he still had no idea what they were doing here.
Severus raised his fist and knocked loudly on the front door as Remus eyed him in confusion. “Severus, it’s late, no one is awake. What are we doing?”
Severus paid him no mind and knocked again. This time he rang the doorbell for good measure, and sure enough, a moment later a light flicked on upstairs followed by the sounds of very heavy footsteps coming towards them. Severus pulled out his wand and Remus did the same, ready to back up his brother in whatever plan he had concocted.
“Who in the devil is it at this hour?!” Vernon Dursley growled just before opening the door.
“Evening, Dursley,” Severus said, his tone dripping with disdain as he pointed his wand at the whale of a man in front of him.
“W-who are you?!” Vernon spluttered as he backed away into the house, nearly knocking over the small table that sat just inside the hall. “You-you’ve no right to be here!”
“Vernon!”
Remus cut his eyes to the stairs where Petunia was now standing, peering down at the scene in front of her. He pointed his own wand at her.
“Do come and join us, Mrs. Dursley,” Remus said pleasantly, “We were just about to start the introductions.”
Petunia tried to back away but Remus simply flicked his wand lazily at her and she levitated down beside her husband, screaming the entire way.
“Now see, if you’d just come down when I asked, I wouldn’t have had to do that,” Remus said with a small grin. He turned to Severus, “Perhaps we should put up a silencing spell?”
Severus smirked. “Already did. Thought we might need one.”
“Oh, good.” Remus smiled at the Dursleys. “So no one will hear any screams.”
“Not even their sleeping child upstairs. Tell me, Dursley.” Severus moved in close to Vernon, pointing his wand at his neck and pinning him with a look Remus had never seen before. It was so cold and malicious, he was sure only Death Eaters had ever witnessed it. In that moment, Remus knew why he’d been so good in his role as spy. He knew why he had been picked out by Voldemort himself. Severus Snape was not someone to be taken lightly.
“How does your son sleep? Like a baby? Is he plagued with nightmares, memories of being beaten and starved? Of being locked away in a closet not big enough for a dog?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Vernon insisted in a voice that he hoped sounded calmer than he felt.
“Do you hear that, Remus?” Severus asked as he stepped away, though keeping his wand raised. “He doesn’t know what I’m talking about. He must have a very short memory. I think it’s time he remembered, don’t you?”
“Definitely,” came Remus’s reply.
Severus waved his wand and suddenly an image appeared out of thin air. It was of Harry and Vernon but they appeared to be greyish-silver like the ghosts at Hogwarts. The scene began to play out and it was the same one that had played that day in the hospital wing when they finally learned the truth about what had been happening to Harry at the hands of his relatives.
Severus, having seen it before, didn’t watch, but Remus’s attention was caught and he found himself growing angrier with every crack of the belt that hit Harry’s skin, every scream that forced its way out of Harry’s mouth, every time he begged for this “man” to stop hurting him, Remus wanted to tear him apart limb by limb.
The video ended as it had the last time it was played, with Vernon breaking Harry’s ankle by stepping on it. Anger flowed from Remus in waves. His eyes flashed amber as he snarled at Vernon, a growl from deep in his chest growing louder as he took a step closer towards him.
“He deserved it!” Vernon clearly hadn’t taken any notice of the obvious change in Remus as he shouted at the two wizards in his house. “That freak was nothing but a menace and a burden! I’m glad to be shot of him!”
Remus’s wand was suddenly in Vernon’s face, a hex on the tip of his tongue, but suddenly Severus was in his peripheral vision, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back slightly.
“Not yet, Remus,” Severus said.
Severus turned back around, satisfied that Remus wouldn’t do anything yet. “Deserved it, did he? How so?”
“He was just dropped off here without even asking us if we would take him in, but we did it anyway. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we took that brat in. Clothed him, fed him, gave him a place to sleep. He should be bloody grateful we did as much as that! But what I wouldn’t do is take from Dudley to give to him! As far as I’m concerned, that boy was just fine with the scraps from the table. There was no need for him to go complaining because we asked him to do a few chores in return for our kindness. And he can’t even do those right!” Vernon pointed to where the screen had been, “I’m not about to stand around and let him disrespect me in my home! If he can’t obey me, he’ll take the consequences!”
Severus, though seething inside, simply turned to Petunia. “And is this how you feel as well?”
Petunia nodded. “Yes, the boy needed to learn some manners. You couldn’t take him anywhere without him showing his freakish ways everywhere we went. I didn’t want that around my Dudley. He’s perfectly normal! We all are. We are just a normal family, in a normal house on a normal street, living perfectly normal lives. Just as it should be! I’ll not have that boy come in here and mess that all up! If we couldn’t squash those abnormalities out of him, then he simply wouldn’t be allowed out.”
“So then you admit to keeping him locked up?” Severus asked. “Your own nephew. Your blood. Lily’s son?! You admit to neglecting and abusing Lily’s son?! Her child?! The very person she died to protect. You treated him like rubbish! And you have no remorse? None, whatsoever?”
“I do not,” Petunia replied, her head held high and her eyebrows raised. “My sister was nothing but a freak just like her husband and just like that boy.”
“Harry!” Snape thundered and for the second time that night, Remus watched as things began to shake, this time more violently. Books fell from their shelves and china rattled in the cabinet. The pictures that hung on the walls and sat atop the mantle were shaking as well, the frames in a few even cracked. “His name is Harry!” Severus pointed his wand at the locks that were still fastened onto the cupboard under the stairs and immediately the door flew off its hinges, making Petunia scream and cling to her husband. “Let me hear you!” Severus shouted, now standing so close to Vernon that the mustached man could feel his breath on him. “Let me hear you say his name!” Severus punctuated each of the last three words with a sharp wave of his wand and with each wave, a hole was busted into the wall above their heads.
“Harry!” Vernon and Petunia screamed at once.
“Again!” Severus demanded and they obliged once more.
Just like that, everything stilled. Remus stood quietly off to the side, and though he was no less angry than he’d been before, he was calmer now. He put a hand on Severus’s forearm and Severus glanced at him before taking a deep breath.
“Alright,” said Severus as he waved his wand in several complicated swirls around the house. “As far as I’m concerned, what you’ve done to Harry in this house is unforgivable and this is how we’re going to settle it.” He turned to Petunia. “You cared more for how the rest of the world saw you than you did for your own family. Because of that, the rest of the world will never see you as normal again. No matter what you do or how hard you try, they’ll always look at you as if there's something strange about you that they can’t quite put their fingers on. They’ll talk about you in whispers and whenever they see you walking up the street, they’ll close their doors and lower their blinds, not wanting to be seen talking to the freak in Number 4. And it won’t matter if you move, because it will be the same wherever you go. ‘Petunia Dursley, there is just something so abnormal about her.’”
Petunia didn’t speak. She wanted to, but suddenly found that she couldn’t open her mouth or even make a sound! Her eyes went wide with shock as she looked from her husband to Severus and back again.
“Oh, that’s from me,” Remus said with a smile, “I simply find the sound of your voices to be absolutely irritating. Like nails on a chalkboard, you know?” He gave a dismissive wave and said, “You don’t have to answer that; I know you’re a bit tongue-tied. But no worries, it should wear off an hour or so after we leave. And if it doesn’t, well, I’m sure Dudley wouldn’t mind it much if he never had to hear your voices again either.”
Inwardly, Severus was quite proud of Remus at that moment, though he tried not to smile too much. Instead, he turned back to Vernon and calmly said, “Now, what about you?” Severus twirled his wand between his fingers as he paced back and forth in front of Vernon for a moment before coming to a stop once more in front of him. “Do you know that I can break your legs with a quick wave of my wand?” Though he couldn’t speak, it was clear what Vernon thought of that! He seemed to be trying to press himself back against the wall in some feeble attempt to escape. “It wouldn’t even be hard,” Severus continued. “With another wave, I could charm that belt of yours to follow you around endlessly, beating you till you were a bloody mess on the floor, and even then, it wouldn’t stop. I could cut you without ever lifting a knife. Slice your body a thousand times and then heal those cuts just so that I could start over. I could make you feel pain beyond your comprehension. You would beg for death assuming you could stop writhing and convulsing on the floor long enough to get out the words. You would feel so much pain that you would wet yourself and not even notice or care.”
Severus moved away from Vernon and took a step towards the table where several framed photographs of Dudley sat proudly atop the rich mahogany. He picked one up and inspected it closely before walking back over to Vernon and holding the picture out to him.
“I could do all of that and more without even flinching. Fortunately for you, I’ll only be that monster in your nightmares. I hope you were sleeping well before I knocked on that door, Vernon Dursley, because you’ll never have another peaceful night's rest in your life. You’ll learn, and rather quickly, what it’s like for Harry, living with what you’ve done to him. Waking up panicked, unsure of where you are or if it was real or just another nightmare. And it won’t just be nightmares of how you treated Harry, though of course there will be a lot of those. No, Dursley, I suspect your nightmares will take a different shape entirely.” Severus gave a pointed look at the photograph before he turned on his heel and made his way to the door, Remus right beside him.
“Oh,” Severus turned back around, “and you can’t have a father like mine without believing in second chances, so the spells can be broken of course, as most spells can, but I won’t tell you how. Let’s just say, that if and when it ever happens, you’ll know.”
Severus opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Remus nodded to the Dursleys and followed him. A moment later, they disapparated from the street, leaving the residents of Privet Drive in their peaceful slumber.
I technically wrote this a few years ago, but I modified it a bit so that it fit within my As Potter is to Snape universe.
"We'll meet beyond the shore. We'll kiss just as before. Happy we'll be, beyond the sea. And never again, I'll go sailing."
Minerva McGonagall was no longer able to leave her bed. She simply lay there with the warmth of the heavy quilt draped across her, watching the sun begin to set from her bedroom window at Hogwarts.
She had turned one hundred years old in October, and as far as she was concerned, it was time. Time for her to leave behind all that she was and all that she had ever known. Time to take the journey to the other side and to all that awaited her there.
"It won't be long now." That is what Hannah Longbottom had said when she had last come to check up on her.
Minerva smiled. Sweet, quiet, Hannah Abbott had grown up to become a rather gifted healer, and much to Minerva's surprise had fallen in love with Neville Longbottom. When Poppy had passed some ten years ago, Hannah took over for her.
Everything was in order and exactly how it should be. Minerva had retired from Hogwarts, and her successor was doing an admirable job in her place. Her students, those children that she had put her heart and soul into, had all gone on to lives and careers of their own, taking a little piece of her with them as they did.
How many children had passed through her classes? How many had she kept over for tea and biscuits when they had needed someone to talk to? To confide in? How many lives had she had a part in shaping over her sixty-five years as a Professor and as Headmistress?
Minerva thought of them often and was proud of each and every one of them. Most sent her an owl from time to time, letting her know how they were doing and keeping her up-to-date on the latest happenings in their lives.
She turned her head towards the door that Hannah had left cracked open and she could hear the quiet sounds of her family in the living room. She had expected to never have children, and yet, somehow her home was filled with them.
The days they had adopted Severus and Remus were among the happiest of her long life, and to know they'd both grown into wonderful men with families of their own was icing on the cake.
They had hardly left her side over the last few weeks and it was only at Minerva's insistence that they were in the living room at all. Harry and Draco were also there with their families, who by now were growing up, soon to start families of their own. And Teddy! Well, he and Victoire were already expecting their third child!
Her gaze wandered to the rows and rows of shelves that lined her back wall. Instead of books, they were filled to the brim with photographs of her family. Pictures of her students and friends. Oliver Wood had sent her a picture of him and his team from when they won the Quidditch World Cup back in 2005 and she proudly showed it to everyone who came to visit!
Poppy was there. As was Hagrid, and Filius. They all waved at her happily from their frames. She missed them all, and couldn't wait to see them again.
And then there was Albus. His portrait wasn't on the shelves with the rest. Instead, it sat on her bedside table where she could easily reach for it. She did so now and slowly ran her fingers over the frame as she smiled down at him.
"Soon, my love," she whispered.
She thought of all the times they'd had together. The family they'd been given, and the life they had lived.
A tear slid down her cheek though she didn't bother to brush it away. It had been years since she had cried for her husband. Oh, she had missed him terribly and thought of him every day, but she did not often allow herself to grieve so openly for him. The years that they had shared together had been the very best of her life. Her only regret was one that was out of her control in the first place; that she would have gone first so that she wouldn't have to live a day without him.
She was ready to see him now. It was almost time.
Minerva could hear his joyous laughter and she could see the way his eyes lit up when he was happy. She could remember so perfectly the way that her hand fit in his. The way he would trace the back of her hand with his thumb as they sat together in the evenings to talk about their days.
Minerva had spent the majority of her life with Albus, but it wasn't enough.
It would never be enough.
He was waiting for her now, and she couldn't bear to make him wait any longer. She longed to be in his arms again. To have him hold her as he had before. He was there, just on the other side, waiting for her on that lovely, golden shore. She would get to him, and then her heart would be whole once more.
The sky grew darker as the pinks and purples turned to dusky twilight.
The sun set. Minerva McGonagall smiled, and then she was gone.
Only the light from the lamp by her bed illuminated the room now, casting shadows along the walls and on the pictures of her students. The pictures of her family.
She had wondered how many of their lives she had helped shape. She imagined the number was higher than she could ever fathom. Minerva McGonagall had been a major part of thousands of lives, and she would continue to be so. Those children were her legacy and they would take her wherever they went. They would tell her story.
Days later at her funeral, there wouldn't be room enough to hold all the people who came to pay their respects. The Great Hall would be filled and current and former students alike would need to stand outside on the grounds, their wands raised high to celebrate a life well-lived. A woman well-loved.
Barely a second had passed from the moment she took her last breath to now. Minerva was there, standing on a sandy beach. Her hair was no longer in a tight bun but instead flowed in waves down her back. Her hands were no longer wrinkled but smooth with youth. She looked up, and there he was.
Maybe I'll have enough for a tiny sneak peak later lol.
Also, I really appreciate how patiently everyone waits for these chapters. I know they've been few and far between lately, but I'm trying really hard. I just don't want to put out terrible stuff lol. But you guys are awesome! There's only been a few people, (usually on wattpad lol) who ever say anything about how long it takes me to post. But I promise, I'm absolutely not abandoning this story! I have tons of ideas for it and things I want to see happen, but there's been so many life things going on lately that I just haven't gotten anything done.
Anyway!! All that to say, thank you so much for sticking around!!
Reblog this if you would not only accept, but welcome fan art, moodboards, etc. of your fics
All of these used to be so common for people to show their appreciation of different fics and authors, and I think it’s a shame people don’t do it anymore. I love seeing fan work for my fics!!
I wish I was writing the next chapter of And Then There Were Three
The next few chapters of the fic live rent free in my head now. (They always do, but especially lately) But I've only got 7 more chapters to edit of my book.
Only 7 more!!
And only about a month and a half until my Author Meet and Greet at my local library, and the book absolutely has to be done by then. Realistically, it needs to be done by the beginning of September if I have any hope of ordering copies to sell there. Which I desperately need to be able to do.
Bills, ya know?
Anyway, all that to say, I miss the fic and I wish I was working on it. When I'm done with this book, I seriously plan to spend a solid month on just the fic. I don't want to think about anything other than Snape, Harry, Draco, and Evelyn.
I can't wait for you all to read the things I have planned for them. Obvious things would be the four of them, plus Brielle, getting used to the newness of being in each others lives more. I'm still debating about having Evelyn move in with Snape before the wedding. What do y'all think about that?
Also, kind of spoiler-y, a potion mishap is coming, but that's all I'll say about that 😏 But I'd love to have questions about anything else you might want to know about for the fic!!
Anyway, in case anyone wants to read the book I'm writing, you can find it here.
I am editing chapter 9 out of 23 of my book. THE ONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY JUNE!
Anywho. I'm on chapter 9 and suddenly the muse has struck!
Except it's the fanfic muse 😓
And hey, I'm just as ready to get Harry's reaction to Snape and Evelyn's news as anyone else is, but I've got to get this book edited!!
I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!!
Should I even be making this post on Tumblr?? NO!!
So, I'm giving myself a little motivation. Hopefully. For every like this gets, I'll edit a paragraph. For every comment or reblog, I'll edit a scene. Then once this chapter is done, I'll write one, EXACTLY ONE, chapter of And Then There Were Three.
I have an extra long weekend coming up. I don't need to waste it lol.
Edit: I just spend an insane amount of time looking for a gif of Bugs Bunny in the first Space Jam where he screams "We need your help!!!" But I couldn't find it, so pretend it's there, okay?
