Lupin, standing outside the door, was the first to notice Harley inside the house. He couldn't help but gape in surprise and shout:
"Merlin's pointed boots—your child is already this big?"
Hearing this, Sirius and James, who hadn't noticed Harley yet, also turned their gazes toward the girl in the living room who was quietly eating ice cream.
On her angel-like little face was a head of vibrant red hair and a pair of emerald-green eyes like gemstones. Except for her high-bridged nose, which was slightly different from Lily's when she was young, Harley was practically a carbon copy of Lily.
James was immediately captivated by the cute little girl before him. Ignoring the furious Severus beside him, he rushed straight into the room, squatted down, and looked at Harley with a smile, asking:
"Beautiful little princess, what's your name?"
Severus, his face ashen, barked from the side, "Stay away from my daughter! Don't infect her with your Gryffindor stupidity!"
Facing Severus's warning, James shot back provocatively, "In my opinion, it's you, with your gloomy face all day long, who should stay away from Lily's child! This child clearly takes after her mother's temperament; she'll definitely be a brave and fearless Gryffindor in the future!"
Severus gritted his teeth in anger, but there was nothing he could do about James. Harley indeed resembled Lily more.
He could only mutter indignantly, "Hmph! She is my biological daughter!"
James didn't care and continued to tease, "Fortunately, she didn't inherit her father's unpopular looks."
After a chaotic scramble, the three troublesome Marauders were "invited" into the living room as guests.
"James, you shouldn't have come uninvited like this. You should have sent an owl to communicate at least a day in advance so we could prepare."
Lily was quite helpless, silently taking Harley into her arms to keep her away from the clash between the lion and the snake in the living room.
"Lily, you're being too hard on them. How could these fellows, with IQs comparable to Trolls, understand anything about social etiquette?"
Severus seized the opportunity to sneer.
"Hmph, I can't be bothered to talk about etiquette with someone who doesn't even know how to say hello and kidnaps someone else's best friend without a word. You're a flat-out kidnapper!"
Severus's voice was even colder than a frozen fish in a refrigerator: "Potter, where I take my wife is the business of the Snape Family and has nothing to do with you—furthermore, you are not welcome here."
Facing Severus's cold and hostile attitude, James acted as if he hadn't noticed at all.
"Oh, come off it. We didn't come here for you; we came specifically to visit my beautiful, gentle, and kind friend Lily—and now, Lily's adorable daughter. This beautiful little princess should be named Harley, right?"
James waved to Harley with a smile.
"By the way, who is Harley's godfather? I bet you haven't decided yet! In that case, why don't I just be Harley's godfather? Hehe, I think a handsome and dashing guy like me is the most suitable to be Harley's godfather!"
After saying this, James intentionally glanced at Severus with a look that was a mix of provocation and smugness.
Severus's low blood pressure was instantly cured by James—how did this guy have the nerve to suggest being his daughter's godfather, and with such a matter-of-fact attitude!
"Before I splash a lethal poison on that annoying face of yours, get out of my house with your two lackey friends, or face the consequences, Potter!"
Severus immediately issued an order for them to leave.
"Hey, you've got no right to tell us what to do!"
Sirius, who had been watching the drama, darkened his expression immediately upon hearing Severus call him James's lackey.
The naturally gentle Lupin sighed helplessly. Everyone hadn't seen each other in a long time and finally managed to get together; there was really no need for the atmosphere to be so tense.
In this world, Severus didn't hang out with those pure-blood Slytherins who studied the Dark Arts and discriminated against Muggle-borns during his school days, nor did he join the Death Eaters after graduation.
Although Severus, from Slytherin, and the Marauders from Gryffindor still argued frequently due to clashing temperaments, their animosity was largely just a conflict between competitors Severus and James for Lily's affection. It didn't involve fundamental issues, so their relationship wasn't as bad as in the original work.
Severus's dissatisfaction with James was because this black-haired brat who appeared out of nowhere wanted to steal his childhood sweetheart. James's dissatisfaction with Severus was because a Slytherin "cow dung" dared to try and take away Gryffindor's most beautiful flower. Sirius, out of loyalty to James, brainlessly supported his brother against Severus.
"Alright, alright, Prongs and Padfoot, both of you pipe down. This is the Snape Family's home, after all. Severus, I also hope you can be a bit friendlier. After all, everyone is still friends, and it's been so long since we last met."
Lupin tried to persuade his friends to set aside their prejudices and have a good gathering. He personally didn't dislike Severus that much; after all, the other man hadn't discriminated against him after learning he was a Werewolf. Lupin felt that, aside from a somewhat awkward personality, Severus was quite easy to get along with.
Unfortunately, the three men in the living room did not heed Lupin's persuasion. They stared each other down, hands moving to the wands at their waists. Seeing that a violent conflict was about to erupt, Lily finally couldn't take it anymore.
Lily set her daughter aside, put her hands on her hips, and roared angrily, "Sev, control your temper, or you're sleeping in the basement tonight! As for James and Sirius, you two behave yourselves, too. Don't force me to pull out my wand!"
As Gryffindor's fiercest lioness, did they think she was just a decoration because she hadn't shown her claws?
With Lily asserting her authority, the tense atmosphere in the living room first froze, then instantly became harmonious.
"Heh, hehe, Lily, you've misunderstood. Severus and I actually have a very good relationship."
Seeing Lily reaching for her wand with a dark expression, James's face changed drastically as certain painful memories from his school days instantly flooded back.
"...Yes, it's just that we haven't seen each other for a long time and are a bit out of practice. Our relationship is still very good."
Severus quietly stepped back a few paces. It was one thing to annoy Lily and sleep in the basement, but the most terrifying part was that Lily's talent in Potions was no less than his own. If he didn't want to be on edge during every meal for the next few days, he'd better behave.
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