When they stepped out of the room, Snape's mouth was still tilted up at the corners. For a man whose default expression was "permanent thundercloud," the joy was impossible to hide.
"Congratulations," Arthur said. "You're finally a father."
"Thank you."
"What are you calling her?"
"Lillian. I'm going to name her Lillian."
…Yeah. Arthur didn't need Legilimency for that one.
Snape's heart still had Lily sitting in it.
Arthur didn't say anything. First love was first love; it carved the deepest groove. But he still clapped Snape on the shoulder and reminded him, "Don't forget everything Lia has done for you."
Snape nodded. "Relax. She agreed to the name."
Arthur rolled his eyes inwardly. Of course she agreed. The woman just carried your child—was she going to fight you over the name?
He let it drop. Two consenting adults, one willing to love, one willing to remember—he wasn't meddling.
"By the way," Snape said suddenly, "I want you to be her godfather."
Arthur: "You serious? I'm not even fourteen. Have you ever seen a teenager be someone's godfather?"
Snape gave him a look. "I've never seen a teenager with a fiancée either."
"That's because you've never been to the East. We used to do betrothals from the cradle."
"Then you being godfather is even less of a problem."
Arthur realized—he'd argued himself into a corner.
But looking at Snape's very un-Snape-like, please-don't-turn-me-down expression, he couldn't refuse.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Snape's eyes softened.
That night Snape invited the whole Granger family over.
Of course, the dinner was actually cooked by Lia and Mrs. Granger… and, to his own mild embarrassment, Arthur. He'd brought half a menagerie home (Hermione, Ranni, Radahn… Rya was practically furniture on his shoulder), so he couldn't just sit there and eat.
Lia wanted to cook herself—Snape's potion skills were ridiculous, so with a few recovery draughts she was already bustling around the kitchen like she hadn't just given birth.
Mrs. Granger came in to help, worried Lia hadn't fully recovered.
Arthur joined them because, one, it had been a while since he'd cooked, and two, his Eastern dishes were always a hit.
Snape considered fetching a couple of Hogwarts house-elves to help but Lia nixed the idea.
When dinner started, they all raised glasses—juice, wine, mead, whatever—and clinked.
Then the table split into three camps:
Mum Talk Camp: Mrs. Granger + Lia, chatting maternity, nutrition, postnatal care.
Bottomless Stomach Camp: Radahn, Ranni, Rya… especially Ranni, who basically siege-occupied every plate of Eastern food Arthur had made.
Plotting Camp: Arthur and Snape.
Snape leaned in, still a little sour. "I honestly don't know what miracle Lockhart ran into. Overnight he went from peacock to front-line duelist."
"Jealous?" Arthur asked.
Snape snorted. "Hmph. Who would be jealous of unknown power?"
"Relax," Arthur said, waving a hand. "That power's from a perfectly normal source."
"How do you kn—" Snape paused, narrowed his eyes. "You gave it to him."
Arthur didn't dodge. "Mhm. He paid with loyalty and I gave him strength."
He gave Snape a quick rundown of Lockhart's clogged channels, surgery, and rune-engraving.
"I didn't think he'd use his first proper duel to fry you," Arthur added.
Snape did not believe for a second that Arthur's appearance at Dueling Club that day was a coincidence. He'd skipped almost every session—yet the day Lockhart suddenly became strong, he "just happened" to show up.
"Those runes of yours," Snape said, "are they hard to inscribe?"
Arthur tilted his head. "What, you want a set too?"
Snape coughed. "You haven't given Lillian her godfather's gift yet."
Not the slightest shame.
Arthur clicked his tongue. "If you wanted it, just say so. I can give her something right now."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate necklace and handed it to Lia.
"Here. For Lillian. A birth present."
"Thank you," Lia said, taking it.
Snape's eyes flicked to the gem in the center—a deep, translucent red.
"That stone… that isn't a Philosopher's Stone, is it?"
He'd used one before. Arthur had given it to him.
So it wasn't strange for him to recognize it.
"Mhm. Same batch as yours," Arthur said openly.
He hadn't even finished before Hermione blurted, "Philosopher's Stone?!"
Every head at the table turned.
"Sweetheart, what about the Stone?" Mrs. Granger asked, curious why her daughter had reacted like a Muggle child seeing Santa.
"Mum, that's the Philosopher's Stone! You can turn anything into gold with it—AND brew the Elixir of Life!"
At that, both Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at the necklace in Lia's hand.
Lia hesitated. After a moment, she tried to hand it back. "Arthur, this is too precious."
Arthur didn't take it. "It's not as exaggerated as Hermione says. Look, it's just a shard. And you know Lillian's situation—her cellular lifespan is shorter than normal. I made the necklace so it will slowly feed the Stone's energy into her. If she wears it, it'll boost her constitution and help her live longer."
Only then did Lia keep it.
In truth, it was stronger than he'd said. That piece could easily let her reach two hundred.
This was his goddaughter. He was going to do it properly.
Hermione, however, was no longer interested in dinner. "Cousin, where did you get that Philosopher's Stone? Did you… swap Dumbledore's out last term?"
"Just assume I found the formula by accident and made it myself," Arthur said.
That was the "I'm not telling" tone. Hermione knew him well enough to drop it.
Mrs. Granger cleared her throat. "So… Arthur, would you happen to have another one of those necklaces?"
Women. Age. Eternal topic.
Mr. Granger coughed too. "A… men's version, maybe?"
Arthur had not expected his casual godfather gift to become the hottest item at the table.
He laughed helplessly. "I only made this one. If you want, I can make a few more when I get back, with the leftover Stone."
Both Grangers nodded quickly.
The others didn't care as much.
Snape had already hoarded enough Stone from Arthur last time to live hundreds of years.
Ranni and Radahn didn't need it—one was a demigod, one was a soul.
Even Rya could live millennia now—Arthur had resurrected her with a magic crystal that had gulped part of Rennala/Radahn's lifeforce.
Topic done, they kept eating.
Arthur remembered something and picked up the earlier thread. "By the way—Lucius invited me to inscribe runes on Draco. I'm going tomorrow. Want to come?"
"You told him about the runes?" Snape asked.
"No. I only told Draco I have a way to get strong fast, and told him to go home and ask his dad."
"What's the price?"
"Not much. One hundred thousand Galleons plus every unique book in the Malfoy library."
Snape sucked in a breath.
Not much?!
He'd have to brew potions for years to make that.
It also made him think very seriously about what he could offer to get himself runed…
In the end, he agreed to go with Arthur. He wanted to see the process before deciding.
The next morning, a little after nine, Snape took Arthur and Apparated straight to the gates of Malfoy Manor.
(Arthur had totally invited him along because he didn't feel like figuring out the coordinates. Snape had been here; he could drive.)
The moment they appeared, the Malfoys' house-elf popped into existence.
"Professor Snape, sir! Oh! And—Harry Potter's—friend!"
Snape squinted. "And how does a Malfoy house-elf know he's Harry Potter's friend?"
Before Dobby could panic, Arthur said lazily, "Because Dobby has been hovering around Harry all year… to 'protect' him."
Arthur gave Snape the short version—Dobby's warnings, the blocked entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the rogue Bludger… all of it.
Snape, hearing the Chamber business was resolved, didn't pursue it.
Dobby, on the other hand, looked at Arthur with shining eyes. "Thank you for explaining for Dobby, sir! You really are Mr. Potter's good friend!"
Arthur had long since given up trying to understand house-elf brain circuits.
He waved. "Alright, Dobby. We're here to visit the Malfoys. Here's the invitation."
He passed Draco's card over.
Dobby opened it, checked, then bowed. "Yes, honoured guests. Please come in. Dobby will tell Master."
Pop. Gone.
Arthur stared at the empty spot. "So he's just… leaving us here?"
"Come on," Snape said. "I'll take you in."
Clearly, he was used to the Malfoys' weird house-elf.
They walked through the grounds.
"Grand" didn't do it justice.
A delicate front garden in full spring bloom.
Behind it, a three-storey, classic, pale stone manor, elegant and rich without being gaudy.
Arthur admired it—and was already thinking: Should I get one? I've got money. Would make a nice holiday place.
…Yeah. Let's do it.
He'd ask Lockhart later if he knew any real estate people. He wanted to get something near Ottery St. Catchpole—a wizarding village, so casual magic use wouldn't raise eyebrows.
At the front steps, Lucius Malfoy was already waiting, Draco at his side.
"Welcome, Arthur. And you as well, Severus. I wasn't expecting you."
"I came to observe," Snape said.
Draco greeted them both.
"And the lady isn't with you?" Lucius asked—he obviously meant Ranni. That first impression had gone deep.
"Ranni doesn't like showing herself. I can call her out if you really want to meet her," Arthur said, amused. She was in his Zen Garden right now anyway.
"No, no—that won't be necessary," Lucius said quickly. He did not want to see that terrifying witch again.
"Father, shall we go in?" Draco prompted.
"Yes. Come in."
He ushered them into the grand hall.
Dobby reappeared with tea and snacks.
Lucius didn't dive straight into "Make my son strong." Instead, he chatted—politics, school, small talk with Arthur and Snape.
Arthur could tell: he was building rapport.
Which was fine. Arthur needed to learn how these pure-blood nobles moved anyway.
And tomorrow… he'd be inscribing a Malfoy. That alone was going to ripple through wizarding high society.
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