"Severus," Hermione acknowledged brightly, listening intently to the quiet shuffling her husband was making as he made his way to the kitchen.
"Morning." He muttered gruffly, reaching for his mug.
"Now, there's no need to be like that," She got up from her spot on the sofa, setting her book on the armrest. Hermione wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face into his dressing gown.
He only huffed and started to make coffee, but made no attempt at excusing himself from her embrace.
"I know what day it is, Severus, and I know what you're thinking. My Father's gone as well, you know that. Of course, for an entirely different reason…but that doesn't matter. Just forget about today, how hard can it be?" She brought him down and planted a soft kiss on his lips.
"Very." He scowled, turning his head to summon the coffee beans.
Hermione rolled her eyes and fiddled with her wedding ring. Of course, she knew that by the end of the day neither would be able to ever forget about it. It would change their lives, hopefully for the better. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he found out. She sighed, and looked up at him with hopeful eyes, resting her hand on his.
"Please, love? Please forget about it, for me?"
Severus sighed deeply, and his demeanour unstiffened slightly. "Fine. God, woman, the effect you have on me…"
She grinned and sauntered away to the fridge, taking out beans, bacon and eggs. "Fry up?"
"Please," He nodded, picking up the prophet. Severus would have very much desired to help his wife, but knew too well that the most he could do in a kitchen was make toast (even that he only just managed to muster). World-Renowned Potion's Master or not, although he easily perfected the subtly art of potion-making, he was useless at trying to cook. Both Hermione and Severus wouldn't –couldn't- forget about the first time he had invited her around for dinner. Hermione had turned up to a house full of black smoke and Severus in the kitchen coughing, looking dejectedly at the lasagne on the counter, burnt to a flimsy crisp. The oven looked like it had been on fire. Not to mention he had tried to blend the salad, thinking it would chop it up for him. He made the mistake of not putting the cap on the blender, and you could guess what happened next. The thing that made Hermione really laugh at him was that Severus had tried to use magic when cooking this meal. How things could go so utterly wrong he couldn't explain, or understand.
He rolled his eyes at the front cover, something about father's day written on it. Nobody, nobody except Hermione, would understand why he despised the day so much. It all went back to when he was a child, how Tobias would beat him and his mother, probably setting the worst example a father could possibly set. He hadn't grown up with anyone he would be happy to call dad, and to his day he hated thinking about fathers. Although Severus knew that not all fathers were like his (his wife's, for example, was the cheeriest, happiest, lovable man he had ever had the pleasure of meeting, although he was battling Cancer at the time), he didn't like to think about them.
Putting his thoughts to one side, he focused his attention on where his wife was waving her wand about so furiously it produced red sparks as she ranted about something to do with the Minister not paying close-enough attention to her department, the department for the regulation and control of Magical Creatures, or to the investigation of the lost Centaurs (which she was conducting). The day went by quite smoothly, with no mentions of Father's Day whatsoever, only light, needed banter between the couple.
Finally seven o'clock rolled round, much to Hermione's delight.
"Severus," She piped up, lifting her eyes from the book she was reading to look up at him.
He raised an eyebrow looking down at where his wife's head was situated in his lap.
"Can we go on a picnic for Dinner? It's really hot, and I know the perfect place in a forest,"
"As you wish, my dear, but I do hope you have this picnic prepared."
"You don't even need to ask," She summoned a picnic basket and stood up, stretching. Severus followed suit, and almost immediately she held her arm out for him. He took it and felt the all-too-familiar tug of apparation.
They landed exactly where Hermione had said, in a forest. It was a nice square, surrounded by trees but covered with luscious grass and a clear view of the sky. She breathed in and out deeply, taking in their surroundings whilst he spread the blanket out and took out the various foods she had taken. Sandwiches, meat, bread, cheese, (which he didn't quite understand as there were already sandwiches), the muggle crisps he had fallen in love with when she first made him try one and dessert, along with butterbeers.
"How long have you had this prepared?" He asked, amused. Severus knew all-too-well that his Hermione was always ahead of time, whether it by hours, days or months.
"This morning," She replied, sitting down and grabbing a sandwich.
The pair had rather intellectual, meaningful conversations ranging from why they should get a dog to the most complicated potion-making theory either had ever come across. It soon grew dark, yet still perfectly warm and humid, and Hermione snuggled down into Severus as they looked at the stars above, pointing out constellations to each other.
"Orion," Hermione said, pointing to the left.
"Your favourite," Severus nodded, kissing the crown of her head. "Cassiopeia,"
"Sagittarius,"
"Sirius,"
Hermione sniffed slightly at this, thinking about Harry's godfather, before spotting one they both knew well. "Eridanus!"
"My favourite," He smiled.
This continued for a little while until they had found all they could. Hermione sat up and stared at her husband seriously.
"Severus," She started, twisting her wedding ring. "There's something I need to tell you."
He sat up also and knitted his eyebrows together, rather afraid of what was coming next.
"Just, promise me you won't be mad, alright?"
"Hermione, of course I wouldn't be-"
"Promise me!" she said forcefully.
"Okay, I promise. What are you trying to say?"
"I-I think," She stammered, tucking a loose curl behind her ear and wringing her hands together. "I- I'm-"
"Out with it, Woman!"
"I'm Pregnant, Severus,"
His jaw dropped. Hermione was pregnant. Was it his? Of course it's yours, you dolt. He stared with wide eyes from her to her stomach. She bit her lip, anticipating what he was going to say.
"Are you sure?" He asked finally.
"Of course I'm sure! I took a muggle test and a contraceptive potion and even got Ginny to perform the spell. All positive." She said shakily.
Severus didn't know what to say. He was going to have a child, he was going to become a father. Words couldn't describe how happy he was, and Hermione must have noticed this as she let out breath and smiled excitedly. Instead he pulled his wife in for the most excited, loving, happy kiss they had shared in a little while.
"I'm going to be a father," He said in disbelief, making Hermione giggle against his lips.
"I wasn't entirely sure how well you'd respond," She pulled him down for a snog. As they parted Hermione stared into his black, excited, twinkling orbs and almost squealed.
"Happy Father's Day,"
