Fidelis in the Family
by Yolanda
Fidelis belongs to Catherine Cook. Fidelis
is found in the Library under Catherine Cook.
You can read the complete Fidelis
Chronicles at Witchfics.org or ff.net under Catherine Cook. Thanks for letting me borrow Fidelis! Everything else is J.K. Rowling’s, of course,
except Alexandra and the Snape children.
Alexandra had been home from St. Mungo’s for two weeks. The soreness from the bruises had worn off and she was no longer dealing with the aftereffects of the beating she took. She was now dealing with her sadness at the loss of her sister and her friend, Colin Murphy, and Severus was completely stumped when it came to helping her. It was not as if he hadn’t had his own share of sorrow, but he was once again faced with the frustration of watching her suffer. He was not patient, nor was he particularly empathetic, but he was not heartless and he did love her. What could he do other than simply stand beside her? He certainly didn’t know.
Severus looked up from the papers on his desk to the cloth form of the little dog that had been his companion for a few months before he married Alexandra. Fidelis was his secret, even from Alexandra. At first it was more a matter of not wanting to be thought of as weak. Later, it was a matter of preserving the little dog after it had been hurt on one of Severus’ spying excursions. Maybe now the presence of something small and lovable would help Alexandra. Fidelis had been a great source of comfort to him at one time.
He took the dog off the shelf and touched it with his wand. Fidelis came life, licking Severus’ fingers. “There, you might be able to make her feel better. If I know Alexandra, she’ll be completely taken with you the minute she sees you.”
Severus took the
little dog back to their quarters. He
opened the door and put Fidelis on the floor.
“Go on and find her, boy.” Fidelis
ran into the study and Severus waited to hear the expected squeal of delight. He was not disappointed. Women
are so predictable when it comes to small creatures. Alexandra’s voice drifted in from the sitting room.
“Oh, my what a sweet little boy you are. Who are you? Why haven’t I seen you before? Come on and sit up here with me. Yes, that’s it. You are so precious.” When he walked in he saw Alexandra rub her nose against Fidelis’ nose. The tiny King Charles Spaniel sneezed and then ran back and forth on the sofa.
“Severus, where did you get him? Is he ours? Did you get him for me?” She asked him several questions all at once and Severus was delighted to see a smile on her thin, tired face. She had had trouble sleeping and hadn’t been eating well since returning home.
“Read his tag, Alexandra.” She picked up the small spaniel and looked at his tag:
FIDELIS
I belong to Severus Snape
Hogwarts Professor
Abuse me at your peril
“Severus, why didn’t you tell me you had him? We’ve been married almost a year and you never said a word about having a dog.” Then she cocked her head to one side. “Wait a minute. Didn’t you have a little toy dog buried on a back shelf in your office?”
“Once an Auror, always an Auror. Yes, my dear. That is where Fidelis has been this past year. On occasion I would revive him to keep me company, but he was harmed during one of my missions last year and I didn’t want him to be at risk any longer, so I returned him to his original form.”
“You mean he was a stuffed toy to start with? How on earth did he become a live dog?”
Severus sat next to her and explained the story of the little dog Alexandra held in her lap. “I was hoping that he could be a companion to you and possibly give you some cheer during the day.”
“Oh, Severus, you’re amazingly sweet at times,” she said leaning over to kiss him. As she did, Fidelis began to growl. “Oh, you darling little thing, you get a kiss too.” She held him up and rubbed noses with him again, kissing him on top of the head. Fidelis studied her for a minute and then wagged his tail tentatively. Severus laughed and turned her face to his for a kiss. The dog growled again.
“Severus, I think he’s jealous of me. You need to reassure him that he’s still your pet, although I’m not sure how I feel about being thought of as a competing pet.”
Fidelis jumped on his master’s
lap and began licking his hands.
Severus held him up and looked him in the eye. “It’s all right, Fidelis.
She’s my wife. I’ve told you
about her many times. I want you to
take care of her when I’m away.” Out of
the corner of his eye, he saw Alexandra get up. Leaving us alone? I wonder
why?
***
Alex came out of the study and
smiled to herself. That old softie, who would have thought he’d love a little dog. I’ll get Fidelis something to eat. After all, what’s good for the master is
good for the dog. If I hadn’t taken
Severus on a picnic, I might still be single!
***
Alexandra came back into the study carrying two small bowls. “Here you are, Fidelis. How about a nice lunch for you? I hope you like it. I’m going to get you the best dog food I can find, even if I have to order it from the States.” She patted him on the head and he allowed her to lower him to the floor to eat. She looked up at Severus. “Is he trained, dear?”
“Well, not exactly. I’ll have to run him outside as soon as he’s done. Then, I’ll bring him back here to you before the next class.”
“Oh, don’t bother. He and I will have to be friends from now on, so let me take him. Poor little dear, it’s so cold. I should get him a sweater in Hogsmeade.” She looked down at Fidelis who was gobbling up the chicken she had brought him and wagging his tail. “Oh, Fidelis, there are so many toys to buy you at the magical pet store. I can hardly wait to take you there. I think since you’re a sporting dog, I’ll get you an enchanted rubber quail and lots of enchanted rubber balls that throw themselves!”
“I see I’ve created a monster. Please, Alexandra, don’t dress him in undignified outfits and buy him poofy toys. He’s not a poodle. He’s a spaniel.”
“Darling, he needs a sweater, and I promise it will be a proper manly color. I will not, however, dress that dear little baby in a black sweater. As for toys, I want him to have chew toys and other playthings so he won’t destroy your slippers.”
“Oh, very well,” he said with a sigh. “I am so much the downtrodden husband these days, I suppose one more thing won’t matter.”
She sat in his lap and gave him a long passionate kiss. He hadn’t had one of those in a while. “You see, my lord and master, you can have anything you want anytime you want it. What is your desire?” Fidelis was running around his feet barking.
“Never mind my desires. For now, wench, see to the royal spaniel and I will see to the village idiots I have to teach this afternoon.”
“Very well, Master, I will do your bidding, but I beg you to tell me my reward.”
“Alexandra, hush, he’ll hear you.”
“You don’t think he really understands what you’re saying, do you?”
“Oh, he is quite clever,” he replied and looked down at Fidelis. “Fidelis, who is this?” he asked pointing at Alexandra.
“R-r-r-exy.”
“And Lexy is my what, Fidelis?”
The little dog looked up at them and seemed to be thinking of the appropriate answer. “R-r-rife!”
“Correct! And what does that mean she is to you?”
This really puzzled Fidelis. He tilted his head to one side and studied Alexandra for a moment. “R-r-r-ummy!”
“That’s correct again, Fidelis. Lexy is your mummy. You must do as she says while I am gone and take good care of her.” The little dog looked up at her with a sweet expression in his brown eyes, his little tongue hanging out.
Alexandra applauded. “Oh, my, Severus, he’s wonderful. Come on, Fidelis, let’s go outside. You need to be a big boy now.”
Severus shook his head. Just
as I thought, he will do her some good.
It took some weeks before the Snapes fully adjusted to having a pet. At times, Fidelis ended up locked in the closet or the bathroom because he was being inquisitive. He especially liked to hide in Alexandra’s shoes. She soon learned not to stick her foot in a shoe before looking for what could be sitting in it. The pet reluctantly adjusted to having a mistress. He appeared to be most affronted by the fact that she slept in bed with Severus and he wasn’t allowed, although he heard her begging to have him in bed with them one night. He was also jealous of the fact that the master was affectionate to her. After relieving himself on her robes a few times, Fidelis decided that Alexandra was there to stay and he would have to make the best of it. Besides, she gave him lots of love, many treats for being good, and he understood that she seemed to “belong” to Severus Snape too.
One afternoon, Alexandra was gone for a while. She came back and ran to the study to talk to her little dog. Fidelis had seen her happy before, but not this happy. She scooped him up into her lap and held him close.
“Oh, Fidelis, I’m so excited. I just saw Madam Pomfrey. Fidelis, I’m going to have a baby. I’m ready to burst from the excitement. It’s a boy, Fidelis. You’ll have a little boy to play with. Do you understand?”
He looked at her, not really understanding what she said, and shook his head.
She put him down on the sofa and got up, going to a shelf to retrieve a square piece of wood with a picture inside. “Fidelis, here’s a picture of my niece when she was a baby. I’m going to have one of those. In six months I’m going to have a baby, not this one, but one that looks like Severus, I hope. My baby will be a boy, like you.”
Fidelis licked her face. He knew that there was something to be happy about because the mistress looked so happy. Little Snape, he thought. He looked up at her and said,
“S-s-s-nnape R-r-ruppy
“Yes, dear, I think you have it. A Snape puppy.” Alexandra laughed and picked him up, dancing around the room with him. Then she sat back down, breathing hard.
“Fidelis, I think I need a nap. Would you like to join me?”
“R-r-rifff!”
“Good,” she said, grabbing
Severus’ cloak and settling into the comfortable chair in the study. “Come on up. I wanted to bundle up with something of his, and my other choice
is dirty socks, so I’ll take the cloak.”
Fidelis wagged his tail and lay down in her lap. He didn’t fall asleep right away, but
studied the face of his master’s wife, his mummy. She looked much happier than when he first met her. He sighed and fell asleep, thinking to
himself, Little puppy Snape . . . feed
Fidelis.
~ *~*~*~
Fidelis sat in Albus Dumbledore’s lap and everyone could tell he was not happy. The little dog just lay still, only twitching his ear a bit when he heard noises from the other room. Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter, and Sirius Black were all sitting together looking tense. Dumbledore watched, amused, at the expressions on the faces of the group assembled. What in the world would Severus have thought a few years ago if I had told him that this particular group would be assembled to wait for the birth of his first child? Come to think of it, would he have believed he would be having a child? He began to chuckle to himself and Fidelis lifted his head, an ear bobbing up.
“It would be like Alexandra to want to go through this the natural way,” said Minerva with a mixture of impatience and admiration in her voice. “How much longer is this going to take?”
“Minerva, it took Remus and Laura twelve hours to get through it. They’ve only been in there six. I say the longer the better, in Snape’s case.” Sirius Black responded with a smile.
“Now, now, Sirius,” said Dumbledore, “you may someday be in the same position and I doubt that you would want anyone to be wishing a long labor on you and your spouse.”
Dumbledore looked at Harry who had an odd little grin on his face. Was he trying to imagine Sirius as a father? “Professor, has Fidelis eaten this evening? He looks like he could use some food,” Harry asked, looking at the little bundle on Dumbledore’s lap.
“Come to think of it, Harry, he hasn’t. Why don’t you take him to the kitchens and get him something to eat. Winky is probably beside herself with worry, and you can tell her that Madam Pomfrey has come out to tell us that things are going slowly, but well. I take it she is anxious to begin her duties as the Snape’s nanny.”
“All right, Professor,” said Harry, taking the little dog from Dumbledore. He actually looked a bit relieved to have something to do.
When Harry returned with Fidelis, he brought Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with him, as well as Professors Merriweather and Flitwick. Two hours later, they heard a tiny cry and knew that the wait was over. Madam Pomfrey came out and told the assembled that everything was fine. She said that as soon as the baby was ready, Professor Snape would be bringing him out. Everyone stood and shuffled about for a few minutes while Fidelis ran through their legs barking softly.
Severus Snape opened the door of
the hospital wing and came out into the enchanted waiting area that Dumbledore
had made just for this evening. He was
holding a tiny bundle in his arms, and in all the years Dumbledore had known
Snape, he had never seen this particular look on his face. He had seen him look
confident, cold, self-assured, resolute, sometimes even frightened. Tonight,
there was true awe in the glittering dark eyes that met his. So he
finally knows what it is to witness the start of a new life.
“Professor, he’s beautiful,” Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley exclaimed at the same time.
“Boys aren’t beautiful,” said Ron correcting them immediately. “They’re handsome.”
To Dumbledore’s amusement Snape said nothing. He was completely stunned. He just stood quietly holding the baby and taking in everyone’s comments and exclamations. Harry predicted that he might make a good Seeker because he already seemed drawn to shiny objects. Snape allowed Minerva to take the child for a moment. She proclaimed in a voice both austere and tender that he looked exactly like his father and that there would be a new name in the book for Hogwarts that night. The rest took turns getting a peek at Gareth Michael Snape.
Impatient and frustrated, Fidelis whined a little and Ginny picked him up. “Professor, I think he wants to see the baby.”
“Very well, Miss Weasley,” said Snape, “bring him over.”
Fidelis looked at the baby and his tail started to wag. It seemed that he knew this was a good thing. He looked around Snape, as if searching for someone.
“Ah,” said Severus, “you’re looking for your mother. She’s resting. You can see her later.” The little dog barked softly. “R-r-riiff!”
Madam Pomfrey came out and shooed everyone off. Severus took the baby back in and Dumbledore let Fidelis in with him. It is right that the family should be together, thought Dumbledore.
~*~*~*~
“Little master, you is ought to slow down. You is going to fall!” Alex heard Winky running down the hall after
Gareth. They had just moved into a
house in Hogsmeade and Gareth was finding the new corridor an inviting place to
crawl very fast after Fidelis. That dog is always leading Gareth on to
greater mischief and Gareth is only ten months old.
Alex walked behind Winky. “Winky, he’s half American, remember? His motto is ‘Crawl Free or Die.’”
“There they is Mrs. Snape in the corner eating a biscuit. No, doggie! No biscuit!”
Alex pulled a treat out of her pocket just in time to distract the dog from the biscuit the baby held in his hand. “Here you go, Fidelis. I don’t think you want that biscuit after it’s been in Gareth’s mouth.” Fidelis took the treat and ran back to the baby. He seemed to genuinely like this “Snape puppy” because they were physically on the same level. “Be careful, Fidelis, Gareth doesn’t know that he might hurt you when he tries to touch you. Stay back or he might grab your tail.”
Fidelis never listened and so far things had worked out all right-almost. She looked at the two of them sitting together happily munching on their treats. Gareth really only gummed his a bit. He was slow to get his first teeth. Fidelis was definitely the beneficiary of Gareth’s inability to bite well. Whatever Gareth didn’t finish or whatever he dropped on the floor was fair game for Fidelis. She watched as the tiny dog wagged his tail and Gareth tried to grab it, leaving the biscuit on the floor in a mushy puddle. Fidelis took off for the other end of the corridor. He knew that biscuit was his the next time he came around.
Winky ran after them both and Alex decided she could write her brother and sister-in-law a note. She went into the study and took out her parchment and quill. She began writing her message letting them know that they had settled into the new home, although there was more unpacking to do. She shook her head and smiled as she heard barking, squeals, and giggles from the hallway. All of a sudden, though, she heard a loud yelp, followed by cries from the baby. She ran out and saw Winky holding Fidelis in one arm and the baby in the other.
“Oh, poor doggy. You is hurt. Mrs. Snape, you is having to fix his ear. Little Master tore it.”
“Here, let me fix him up. You go ahead and take Gareth back to his room. He needs to calm down,” Alex took the little dog from Winky. Fidelis was whimpering. He wasn’t bleeding, but she could see a small tear in his ear. “Fidelis, sweetheart, let me fix you up. You’ll be fine. Come on. She took him into the study and got her wand off the desk. She held it to the dog’s ear and muttered, “Reparo.” His ear fused together. Then she sat holding the little dog in her lap cooing soothingly at him.
“Fidelis, he didn’t mean it. He loves you. Please don’t be upset.” Alexandra knew that Severus was going to want to protect the dog by changing him back into his stuffed toy form and taking him to his office. This was, after all, the second time this had happened. Luckily, he hadn’t lost any stuffing either time. When she was sure that Fidelis was all right, Alex put him in his little bed and went to check on her son. Gareth had fallen asleep and was safely in his crib.
That evening, Alexandra was sitting in her chair reading, the baby was asleep in his crib and the dog was perched on her lap contentedly snoozing away. Severus had already made his decision. Fidelis was to return to the school with him the next day.
“Alexandra, don’t you think we should go to bed?” he asked her.
“Oh, I suppose. I just hate to wake the little thing up now that he’s so comfortable. I feel like I want to hold him all night.”
“You can visit him in my office and bring him treats on occasion. It’s really best for him to come back when the children are older.”
“I know, but I’m going to miss my little pal,” she said stroking his head softly. The dog stirred, yawning and stretching.
“Perhaps when we’ve got our brood-whatever number of children we end up having-to the stage where they can handle a pet, he can come back and live here again. I won’t have him destroyed by unknowing little hands. It’s bad enough that he could have been killed by a Death Eater.”
“All right, but he’s sleeping in bed with us tonight and no arguments!”
“Very well, we can put up a barrier so we won’t roll over onto him.”
So Fidelis took up his position on the shelf in Professor Snape’s office. Snape still commanded enough respect from his students that no one asked why there was a toy dog in a small case sitting on the shelf. Severus brought him to life many times over the years, but when he sat on the shelf, Fidelis watched his master, knowing that he would someday be with the family again.
Their world had changed from the time that the Snapes lived in the castle as newlyweds. Time seemed to go by quickly as their family grew. Soon, there were two children. Given the high spirits of the second boy, Colin, Severus rarely let Fidelis out, except to visit Dumbledore. Fidelis often begged to see Dumbledore when Severus would revive him. “R-r-r-albus!” he would proclaim.
Everyone in the castle noted that Dumbledore seemed to be more contemplative and more willing to allow Minerva to direct matters at the school. He was preparing for something, and only Fidelis and one other person could tell what it was. Remus Lupin’s wife, Laura, had told Remus that he should spend as much time with Dumbledore as possible because Dumbledore would be leaving Hogwarts soon. Albus Dumbledore slipped away while napping one afternoon and Fidelis was with him. Minerva became Headmistress and Severus took up the duties of Deputy Headmaster. The Snapes had a third child, a girl they named Lily. The children grew to be eleven, eight, and seven months when it was time for Gareth to go to Hogwarts and time for Fidelis to become a part of the family again.
Because he lived in Hogsmeade, Gareth wouldn’t necessarily have had to take the Hogwarts Express, but his mother did not want him to be deprived of the experience. She borrowed an FBM car and drove him to London with his trunk and his new cat, a strange looking bald cat with tabby markings, and huge ears.
Severus stayed behind with Colin and Lily. The school year was about to start and Severus had to go to his office to do some work.
“Please, Father, may I come with you?” asked Colin as he saw his father getting ready to leave for the school.
“If you bring something to do and promise not to touch anything on the shelves. You’ve only just started coming into the lab again, Colin, and I don’t want the repeat of your Streeler Venom accident.”
“I promise I won’t touch anything and if I want to know what something is, I’ll ask you,” he said very earnestly.
I have grown old and soft, he thought. “Very well, Colin, get your
things together and let Winky know that you’re coming with me.” No
doubt he feels the absence of his brother now.
~*~*~*~
A couple of hours later, Colin had run out of games, puzzles, and reading material. His father was out of the room and he decided to take a quick look around his father’s office He was true to his word and didn’t touch anything, but something happened that he didn’t quite understand. There was a little dog on a shelf inside of a little case. He seemed to be watching Colin and once while Colin was looking at him, he could have sworn that his tail moved, just a little bit. Colin grabbed a chair and climbed up for a better look. I think I’ve been in here too long. Did that toy dog just blink?
“Son! What are you doing?” He heard a booming voice behind him that made him start.
“Uh… Uh… just looking at this little dog. Father, it seemed like he was staring at me, then he blinked, and then it looked like he wagged his tail a bit.”
His father came over and lifted
him off the chair, putting him down on the floor. Colin was a little frightened, but looked up and noticed that his
father was smiling. He took the little
dog out of the box and touched the dog with his wand. The little dog came to life and started licking his father’s
hand. He’s alive? He’s alive and he likes my dad?
“Colin, I would like for you to meet Fidelis. He’s our dog. I think it’s time you learned how to take care of a pet. You seem to have a way with animals according to Hagrid and now that Gareth is gone, I think you could use a companion.”
~*~*~*~
The stunned look on the boy’s face turned into a huge grin as he took the little dog from his hands. Severus was delighted to see that Colin was pleased to be getting a pet. “Now, Colin, be gentle with him. He is small and your brother managed to rip his ear twice when he was an infant. That’s why he’s been here all these years waiting for you to be old enough to take him. But don’t think that he can’t protect himself if he has to. I’ve seen that little dog take a bite out of a Death Eater before.”
“Wow, Father, is he really mine?” Colin asked holding the little dog as he wagged his tail and looked up at his little master.
“Yes, he is,” said Severus. “Why don’t the two of you go outside and play for a bit. I’m almost ready to go home.”
“All right, Father. Come on, Fidelis. Do you want to go play?”
“R-r-riff!” Fidelis ran a few circles around Colin and then followed him out the door.
Twenty minutes later, Severus and Minerva were watching Colin out of a window facing the front of the castle as he threw a twig for Fidelis to catch.
“Severus, there are going to be a lot of changes, I see. Tomorrow you will witness the Sorting of your first, as well as Remus Lupin’s daughter, Viviana,” Minerva remarked as they heard the little dog barking in the background.
“Yes, a milestone to be sure. Gareth is prepared. I’ve told him everything he needs to know for now.”
“And Colin now has Fidelis to keep him company. It couldn’t be better, really, Severus, even with Albus gone.”
“Our children will be in able hands here, Minerva. We’re both very happy they’ll be at Hogwarts.”
“We’ve always room for more Snapes here, Severus,” Minerva said, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes that was uncannily similar to Dumbledore’s.
“I’ve no plans to send anymore than the children currently listed in the book.”
“Oh, of course, that’s what I meant,” she said, but he didn’t believe it for a minute. They turned back to the window to see Colin rolling on the long summer grass with Fidelis running around him and barking. When Colin stopped the little dog licked his face over and over. It looks like Colin has found a true friend.