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His name was Harry Severus Snape, and according to his entire family he was a perfect baby. Right up until he spit up on Sirius for the first time. After that James Potter proclaimed him an honorary Marauder- seeing as how James was Harry’s co-god father and all- and he and Harry played peek-a-boo with the Invisibility Cloak while Remus magicked away the mess on Sirius’ shirt.
With the others all suitably distracted, Severus motioned Peter Pettigrew towards the small kitchen of the flat. “I’ve been in contact with Regulus,” Severus spoke quietly. “He’s gotten his hands on a couple of the horcruxes but he can’t locate them all.”
“So what will that mean for us?” Peter asked. Sirius’ loud, barking laugh broke in from the other room and Severus watched Peter twitch nervously. “He’s been so on about the prophesy, and if he…”
“He won’t,” Severus cut him off. “From what anyone can tell it’s between the new Longbottom baby or, or Harry. I’ve spoken with Dumbledore and he’s put the Longbottoms somewhere safe.”
Peter looked up at Severus with wide eyes. “You think he’s coming here.”
“I know it. I was a part of the inner circle, and he’s frozen me out. I don’t know when, but it will happen.” Severus paused and listened to his wife’s voice from the next room. Her tone was teasing and light, happy as she spoke to their friends. Severus had never thought he’d consider the Marauders his friends, but Lily had turned that upside down, just like she did every other part of Severus’ life.
“If our plan works and we manage to defeat him, without taking out all the horcruxes, he’s going to come back,” Peter pointed out quietly.
Severus nodded. “I know, but we’ll have time. I think between the six of us and the rest of the Order we can make sure Harry knows everything he needs to for that eventuality.”
---
It was simple, dumb luck that Voldemort finally came for them on a full moon. As soon as the Dark Lord had arrived, Steverus knew the plan wasn’t going to work, but he would never have gotten as far as he had if Severus didn’t know how to improvise. Lily sent her Patronus for the Marauders, who were keeping Moony occupied in the nearby forest while Severus sent a Muggle hammer to Regulus by Floo. Once that was done, they raised the wards around their home, and waited. They could feel the house shake as Voldemort worked to take down the wards and when the wards flickered out Harry started crying from the bed room.
“See to him, I’ll stay here,” Severus said grimly and Lily nodded and squeezed his hand before disappearing down the hall.
Soft green light filtered through the key hole on the front door and Severus swallowed and raised his wand. Before the door opened all the way, there was a shout and a snarl so loud it made Severus’ chest rumble, and then a good portion of the front wall exploded inwards in a shower of splintering wood and glass.
Severus ducked, shielding his face from the shards before lowering his arm to find a very angry werewolf pinning Voldemort to his living room floor. Out in the front yard, the black shape of a large dog leaped away from a Death Eater as the man fell, clutching his throat. A stag kicked, toppling another man to the ground, only to be stomped on a moment later. Voldemort had not brought many Death Eaters with him; the last two were showering spells at the animagi, but both the dog and the stag were too quick.
A yelp brought his attention back to Moony and he saw that Voldemort had managed to get a spell off, but it was a glancing blow that only seemed to have torn the werewolf’s ear. The wolf snarled again and bit and Voldemort shouted as his wand went skittering away. Severus could not seem to look away, though he knew he should be doing something. Voldemort, for all his power, was no match against the werewolf. A moment later something touched Severus’ leg and he looked down to see Wormtail, who had drug Voldemort’s wand over to him.
He reached down and scooped the rat up before anything could happen to him and together they watched as Voldemort screamed and died, the werewolf at his throat.
There was a crack of air outside as someone apparated away, and then the only sounds were Harry’s distant crying and the wet, crunching sounds of the wolf eating his prey. Padfoot and Prongs both made their way carefully inside and took up positions between Moony and Severus, and then they waited for the wolf to finish.
Severus just knew Remus was going to be sick in the morning.
---
“I ate Voldemort?” Remus asked incredulously from where he was draped over the toilet.
Sirius nodded gleefully as Severus came in with a fresh potion to calm Remus’ stomach. “We weren’t about to try and stop you once you got started,” Sirius defended as he handed their friend a damp cloth.
Remus groaned and pressed the cloth over his eyes. “I suppose I can’t argue with you about that. I’m just glad I didn’t hurt anyone else.”
“After you were finished you were pretty full,” Lily piped up from her place in the bathroom doorway. Harry burbled and drooled as she bounced him on her hip. “You took over our couch and had a long nap.”
Remus accepted the potion from Severus gratefully and took a deep drink. “Thank you,” he murmured as he gave the empty cup back.
Severus patted his shoulder as he and Lily left the bathroom, leaving Sirius to keep an eye on their friend. “Regulus sent us an owl,” Lily told Severus as they sat in their newly repaired living room (it was times such as that that Severus especially loved magic). “He said he couldn’t destroy the horcruxes. He’s hidden them, though, and we can deal with that later.”
Severus nodded tiredly and wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders, drawing her and their son close. There would be time for that later. He knew this was just a reprieve, not the end yet, but they had some time.