Thou Shalt Not!

Title: Thou Shalt Not!

Fandom: Harry Potter

Notes: Post-Battle of Hogwarts fic in part. Non-Epilogue compilent. AR/AU. Evil Dumbledore.

Summary: Severus Snape survives the war, only to realize he has nothing left to live for. While musing what he might have done differently, he is interrupted by the arrival of Dumbledore who is doing some 'housekeeping'. A duel begins and in an attempt to save himself, Severus does the unthinkable and breaks one of the greatest tenets of Magic!

What has he done and where has he gone?

The Past- Ch 35

Even with Alaric’s assistance, it took a few hours to complete three days’ worth of potion, let alone a week.

According to the recipe, the patient’s anaemia spell had to be quelled before a blood adoption could be considered.

This, of course, was bad news for Lily, Severus and Lucius.

Andromeda returned to Beauxbatons the morning after finishing the potion with Ted, thus she sent Lucius notes for their shared lessons. Despite her secrecy regarding her pregnancy and her status as Hogwarts’ Triwizard Champion, she was doing quite well academically.

Remus did the same for Lily and Severus, sending them notes and assignments that is…

Lucius was thought to be in France at Beauxbatons by much of the pureblood society that he inhabited, so his ‘doting’ on Aurelius went mostly unmarked. Healer Hyrum Smythe kept the current state of Aurelius’ health to himself and Lucius reluctantly made himself scarce when the healer was present going to bathe, while leaving Aurelius in Lily’s care.

It hadn’t been hard to assign a research project based on the potion they had been brewing at Aurelius’ collapse as well as one for his own Defence lessons. Leaving Potions as a ‘free period’ for the Hogwarts Triwizard Candidates and Champion.

Because he was a devious git, even if he was current a titled member of proper society rather a mere Dark Lord, Alaric had assigned his ‘students’ to compare Dementors to Inferi. They were intricately related after all and they would get bonus points for explaining what dementors ‘breeding’ really meant.

Alaric spent nights with Lady Cassie, he was not going to be in Britain and not visit. He was a bonded wizard, after all, having been previously bonded Lady Cassie was quite aware that certain matters were kept within the bedroom. Alaric was slowly getting used to having to share his innermost thoughts, after Lucius’ lecture to Aurelius, Alaric was more keen on being more open. A bonding was a partnership, they might be naturally reticent persons but they needed to share confidences.

XooooooX

Once Aurelius recovered from his anaemia spell, which only took five days after his collapse; luckily, Andromeda and Lolly had already brewed with Alaric’s assistance in speeding up the potion’s brewing time, they had the adoption potion already brewed.

With little fanfare, Alaric poured the potion and the necessary blood into two moon blessed silver chalices.

He had required Eileen’s blood but thankfully, Lolly fetched that.

Wearing similar expressions of discomfort, Aurelius and Severus drank the contents of the chalice.

The idea of drinking blood had a tendency to unnerve so-called Light Families and Dumbledore had attempted more than once to outlaw and even limit all blood magic including adoptions. Thankfully, Alaric had enough support to quash that even if some families like the House of Black had rules against fully blood adopted children from inheriting.

If conception proved impossible for a couple, a blind eye from both families was given while either or both spouses took lovers. Whichever spouse was ‘successful’ had the choice of convincing the unfertile spouse to adopt the child to make them their heir or severing the bonding to marry the pregnant bearer if they were worthy to ensure that the child became truly legitimate.

Lily and Alaric slowed Aurelius and Severus’ descent as they passed out while Mother Magic used both potion and freely offered blood to deal with Lord Prince, Duke of Shrewsbury and heir Lord Prince, Earl of Chester.

Not that Severus gave a knut about being Aurelius’ heir…

Lily and Lolly saw that the two were put in bed, Lily slept at Severus’ feet on a chaise to give her twin privacy while he was changed and hopefully, healed.

Lucius resumed his vigil and company of Lily’s guardian. The Malfoy heir genuinely cared for Aurelius, with his current betrothal scrapped due to Andromeda’s elopement, Lucius was free.

She knew that Lucius had been betrothed almost from the cradle to Andromeda but she was married to a Muggleborn and pregnant, all of which Lily was supposed to be oblivious to…

She wasn’t a fool, she just kept such knowledge to herself. If it was meant to be known then it would be…

Eventually…

Lily hoped that this was successful, while Aurelius might not ever be totally healed of his anaemia, if Severus was lucky his new ‘sire’ would erase his own lingering anaemia that she had not entirely forgiven him from keeping from her…

What do you think? Outstanding? Exceeds Expectations? Acceptable? Poor? Dreadful? Troll?