Snape swallowed thickly, realizing too late that he might have made a terrible mistake.
Snape shifted nervously, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable under the intense gazes from both Dumbledore and the stunning woman named Serafall. He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down at the floor as he muttered, "I... I figured it out last night. It just became clear to me after thinking it over carefully."
Dumbledore gave a long, weary sigh, looking at Snape with an expression that bordered on pity. "And were you perhaps drinking when you reached this rather unique conclusion, Severus?"
Snape sputtered indignantly, heat rising to his pale cheeks. "That-that has nothing to do with it!" he protested weakly. But as he spoke, he realized with sinking embarrassment that yes, he had been drinking-quite heavily, in fact.
He quickly diverted his gaze from Dumbledore's knowing eyes, turning instead to face the strangely dressed yet undeniably attractive woman who was still glaring at him.
Snape scowled slightly, his voice sharp with suspicion as he finally addressed her directly. "And who exactly are you? How in Merlin's name could you possibly be Harry's mother? Lily Evans was obviously his mother!"
For a moment, the fierce anger on Serafall's beautiful face seemed to pause. "Magic makes all things possible, dear professor," she said with a playful lilt in her voice, leaning forward slightly with an enticing smirk. "One of my very favorite spells, for example, allows me to grow a certain delightful tool between my legs, making all sorts of fun activities possible. You see, Lily discovered she rather enjoyed when I-"
"Please stop!" Dumbledore interrupted hastily, holding up a hand in a desperate bid for decorum. "We do not need any graphic explanations!"
Serafall pouted adorably at the interruption, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest with a disappointed sigh. "Spoilsports," she muttered playfully, sticking her tongue out briefly at the Headmaster.
Snape felt his face heat even further, thoroughly mortified and astonished by this revelation. "I-I had no idea Lily was... inclined towards women like that," he mumbled weakly, his voice faint with a mix of embarrassment and disbelief. His heart twisted painfully at the thought of Lily keeping such an important part of herself hidden from him for so long. "How did the two of you even meet?" Snape finally demanded, bitterness seeping into his tone as he asked the question that gnawed unpleasantly at his mind.
Serafall shrugged lightly, her expression carefree yet teasing. "It was just a one-night stand, honestly," she explained casually. "But from what Lily told me that night, she'd been secretly involved with a girl named Marlene during her school years, long before she ended up marrying that cheating husband of hers, James Potter."
Snape felt as though he'd been punched squarely in the gut. The room seemed to spin around him, his mind struggling to accept the painful truth of what he'd just heard. Lily had been in a long-term relationship with someone else all those years at school, and she'd never trusted him enough to confide in him. Or perhaps, a darker part of his mind whispered bitterly, she'd always known he was hopelessly in love with her and had deliberately kept him at arm's length, afraid to hurt him even further.
Dumbledore cleared his throat pointedly, clearly uncomfortable with the current topic, and swiftly changed the subject. "Now, Severus, what exactly is the issue you mentioned regarding young Harry Sitri? Did something unusual occur in potions class today?"
Snape scowled, feeling the sting of humiliation again as he recalled the incident clearly.
He took a deep breath, struggling to regain some composure before responding. "Yes, Headmaster," he muttered bitterly, his voice strained with disbelief. "Mr. Sitri did something completely impossible. He managed to produce today's assigned potion-a perfect sleeping draught-in less than five seconds. All he did was fill his cauldron with water and then carelessly dump in every single ingredient at once. No cutting, no stirring, no precise timing-nothing. Yet somehow, the potion came out flawless!"
It was impossible!
Dumbledore's face showed genuine intrigue. Slowly, he turned toward Serafall, whose confident smirk deepened, clearly pleased at the astonished reactions.
"Do you perhaps have an explanation for this remarkable phenomenon, Miss Sitri?" Dumbledore asked, carefully studying her expression.
Serafall lifted her chin slightly, her vivid blue eyes sparkling with pride. "That's simply the magic of the Sitri family at work," she said confidently. "We've always been master potion makers, able to effortlessly do what others deem impossible. Our affinity with water magic grants us a natural control and instinctive understanding of all water-based potions!"
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully, nodding in apparent understanding. "Family magic can indeed be both fascinating and extraordinary," he remarked. "Throughout wizarding history, there have been many such cases of unique inherited abilities."
Snape felt a bitter jealousy rising within him. As Hogwarts' potions master, the idea of someone performing effortlessly what he had spent DECADES painstakingly perfecting was deeply unsettling and irritating.
Yet he knew family magic was undeniably real. His mind flashed briefly to the Black family-particularly the irritatingly gifted Nymphadora Tonks, who had attended Hogwarts only a few years prior. Tonks' complete control over her appearance had been a constant source of annoyance, particularly when she used her ability for childish pranks.
Snape suddenly realized something else. His eyes narrowed as he turned sharply toward Serafall. "Wait a moment-there's another new student here named Sitri. Sona Sitri, isn't she?" he asked accusingly, his tone edged with dread and irritation. "Will she have the same ridiculous, unfair ability as Harry?"
Serafall grinned even wider, clearly amused by his obvious discomfort. She nodded proudly, leaning forward with an annoyingly cheerful expression. "Absolutely! Sona is my adorable younger sister! Naturally, she shares the same wonderful family talent!"
Snape groaned internally. He remembered Sona Sitri was a Ravenclaw student. He would have her in his afternoon potions class, meaning he would once again be forced to watch as another Sitri effortlessly mocked his carefully crafted curriculum.
Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Serafall, finally pushing aside his shock and discomfort to confront the unexpected visitor directly. He squared his shoulders. "If I might ask, Miss Sitri, what exactly brings you here?"
Dumbledore gently cleared his throat, nodding in agreement as he fixed his curious gaze on Serafall. "Indeed, Miss Sitri, we were just about to discuss the reason for your visit before Professor Snape's rather dramatic entrance..."
Snape felt a hot flush rise in his cheeks once more and quickly turned his head slightly away, scowling fiercely in embarrassment at the Headmaster's gentle rebuke.
Serafall, however, stood confidently with a dazzling smile on her lips. "I'm here to discuss the upcoming school tournament!" she announced cheerfully, clasping her hands excitedly in front of her.
Dumbledore looked mildly puzzled, stroking his long white beard thoughtfully. "Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament. Did you perhaps have any concerns about its arrangements? Would you prefer we reconsider or perhaps stop the tournament altogether?"
Serafall shook her head quickly, her eyes wide and horrified at the mere suggestion. "Of course not! A year-long school tournament sounds super-duper fun! I'm absolutely certain that my beloved son Harry and my darling sister Sona will have an amazing time participating!"
Snape inwardly groaned again, wondering how many more headaches these two particular students were going to cause him. And why was she so CERTAIN that her family members were going to be picked as Hogwarts' champions?
"My main issue, though," she declared pointedly, her voice firm but still cheerful, "is that the tournament ONLY has three events spread out over the whole year! That sounds incredibly BORING, don't you think? And worse yet, it doesn't even start for another whole month! Completely unacceptable! I want to cheer for my Harry-kun and So-tan NOW!" She leaned forward dramatically, pointing directly at Dumbledore, clearly serious. "You need to start the tournament sooner. Tomorrow, if possible! Get all the schools here immediately. And announce that there will be many more thrilling and fun events throughout the entire year!"
Dumbledore exhaled slowly, clearly struggling with how to address Serafall's enthusiasm diplomatically. "Miss Sitri, while your excitement and your incredibly generous donation to Hogwarts are both deeply appreciated, I'm afraid we simply don't have the resources to-"
"No!" Serafall interrupted swiftly. Leaving no room for argument. "If the problem is money, then let's solve that! I will gladly donate another ten million Galleons to Hogwarts today, right now!"
Snape's jaw dropped open, his eyes widening in disbelief at the staggering sum she casually mentioned. The sheer absurdity of donating what was essentially equivalent to a hundred million British pounds was completely overwhelming. Even Dumbledore momentarily lost his composure, coughing and sputtering in shocked disbelief before hastily composing himself.
Quickly regaining his poise, Dumbledore straightened in his chair, his expression shifting shamelessly to eager enthusiasm. "Well, you know what? Starting the tournament earlier certainly sounds like an absolutely fantastic idea!" he declared, nodding his head vigorously. "And I believe our students would genuinely enjoy having a variety of exciting new events throughout the year! Yes, indeed, a splendid idea! You are truly a woman of innovation and great ideas, Lady Serafall!"
"Muahahah! Of course I am!" she cheered happily alongside him.
Snape stood silently, struggling not to openly roll his eyes at Dumbledore's absolute shamelessness! But at the same time, he wondered if he could finally ask for a raise? Fuck it, he might even consider openly apologizing to the arrogant Harry Sitri if he got one!
— Sona —
Sona could admit that she had been incredibly distracted all day, her mind constantly wandering back to yesterday's events in the Forbidden Forest.
Her heart still fluttered wildly every time she thought about the soft, electrifying moment when she had leaned up and kissed Harry! It wasn't just a simple kiss either right in every way imaginable.
Internally, she was squealing and bouncing around with giddy excitement, exactly like one of those overly dramatic protagonists in the shoujo manga her friend Rias always shoved at her. Externally, however, she had merely been staring blankly into space, cheeks flushed pink and eyes distant, replaying the scene over and over again in her head.
She had barely touched her lunch, pushing food around aimlessly on her plate as her mind vividly replayed the gentle brush of Harry's lips.
"Okay, Sona, seriously," came Tsubaki's amused voice, breaking through her dreamy haze. Her best friend and queen nudged her playfully with an elbow, leaning closer. "You've been in another world since this morning. Did something happen yesterday? Did you and Harry finally have sex-?"
Sona's face immediately heated up even further, and she turned sharply toward Tsubaki, eyes widening slightly. "Tsubaki!" she hissed quietly, glancing around quickly to make sure no one else had overheard. "Do you always have to be so blunt? And of course not!"
Tsubaki merely raised an eyebrow, smirking knowingly. "I know, I was just teasing. I know you, my king is too shy to go all the way so fast. But you still have that dreamy, love-struck look you usually mock Rias for having. Did you two finally kiss or what?"
Sona hesitated briefly, biting her lower lip nervously, before finally letting out a soft sigh and nodding slowly. "Yes," she admitted quietly, feeling her heartbeat spike as she said it aloud. "We kissed, Tsubaki. It was... amazing."
"Finally!" Tsubaki whispered excitedly, clapping her hands softly. Her eyes were twinkling with playful amusement as she leaned closer, her voice teasing. "Honestly, I thought you'd never get around to it. You've been pining after him for weeks."
"Oh, shut up," Sona muttered, though a smile tugged at her lips despite herself. She glanced back down at her plate, her heart still racing. "But yeah, it happened. And now, I can't stop thinking about it..."
"I told you kissing Harry Sitri was very nice," Luna Lovegood chimed in dreamily from nearby.
Sona tensed up, immediately feeling a sharp pang of jealousy surge through her chest. She quickly swallowed it down, though she couldn't fully suppress the irritated sigh that escaped her lips. As much as she disliked admitting it, Luna was right-kissing Harry had been wonderful, but the fact that Luna had experienced it first rankled her nerves.
But at the same time, Luna was a nice girl, and Sona could see her future self getting along with the blonde much better than she had any of the girls in her old peerage. That is, unless Harry wanted to claim the girl for himself first. They hadn't discussed any of that yet. Sona wondered if Harry even remembered the fact that he had been gifted a set of evil pieces?
A flurry of curious whispers and excited murmurs broke out around their section of the Ravenclaw table. Luna's soft voice, had clearly carried further than she intended.
"Wait, did someone kiss Harry Sitri?" one girl asked eagerly, leaning forward so abruptly she nearly toppled over her plate.
Luna's usually distant gaze sharpened slightly. "I did," she announced.
Several Ravenclaw girls gasped dramatically, their expressions shifting quickly from surprise to admiration. "You're seriously lucky, Luna! Harry's so handsome," one girl gushed excitedly.
"When did Loony Lovegood suddenly get so cool?" another girl exclaimed, looking genuinely impressed.
Hearing the insulting nickname, Sona immediately straightened, her eyes flashing dangerously. She fixed the group of girls with an icy glare. The common room had been abuzz the previous night after she had bluntly stated that bullying or insults toward fellow housemates would not be tolerated, reinforcing her words with a clear display of her intimidating aura. According to Tsubaki, Sona could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be.
Under her intimidating stare, the girls quickly quieted down, looking slightly uncomfortable and shifting nervously in their seats. Satisfied, Sona was about to return to her thoughts when one girl hesitantly cleared her throat.
