NB: This is set in an alternative universe where Lily Evans never married James Potter and turned him down for that 'one fateful' date. As a result, Snape never became a death eater, Voldemort chose Neville Longbottom as the chosen one, and Hogwarts is a much different place…

Intrigued? Read on….

All characters, concepts and situation belong to JK Rowling and all rights remain hers at all times. Please do not reproduce this story without express consent of myself, if you do, i will find you, then transfigure your eyebrows into caterpillars and your nose into lettuce. Then you will look like Voldemort, and that would be a bloody shame now, wouldn't it?

Chapter 1

Snape rubbed his hands down the smooth, sensual curve of Lily's back.

She groaned in approval.

Snape felt his mouth twist into a smile, something he was getting more used to now.

He watched her perfectly toned skin smooth out under his pliant fingers as she writhed a little on the bed.

She was beautiful.

The natural curls of her hair that cascaded beautifully down her back, the flecks of red, and ginger, occasional blonde that made up the palate of her hair. Thick and sweet smelling, he buried his nose in it and inhaled its heady scent. It intoxicated him.

Her beautiful pale skin that seemed to glow as if she had magic beneath her very skin, its soft, tender texture that felt like silk under his fingertips. The few freckles that were scattered over her skin.

The beautiful curves of her naked body. They drove him wild.

Running his hands over her beautiful hips, he silently worshiped them, running his hands down her perfect bottom, stroking down her perfect thighs, and back up again, running his hands back over those hips, to her hips, up her rib cage, and round.

Cupping those beautiful, full breasts very gently.

She rejoiced with a soft moan, her hands on his suddenly as she appreciated his tenderness.

He leaned in, from behind as he rubbed her skin and kissed at her neck. Planting soft, sucking kisses before whispering:

"Has that done the trick?"

Lily paused, ran her hands down to her abdomen and waited before nodding.

"He's fast asleep."

Snape gave a soft chuckle and ran his hands down to her swollen stomach and felt for himself.

Yes, she had definitely stopped using Lily as a kick pad.

"Works every time." he smiled and continued to kiss her neck slowly.

"Sev…" she groaned, nestling into the bed sheets more. "You're going to be late…"

Snape closed his eyes tight.

"Really Lily, must I go?"

"It's your Stag party. And besides, you can't see me before the wedding." She chuckled.

Snape took out his frustration at being ousted out of his comfortable nest by savaging Lily's shoulder with sensual bites which she giggled at.

"Severus Snape! You have a perfectly good Stag party going on at the Hogshead and you are expected to attend. Similarly, I have a hen party going on here in…" she checked the clock. "Twenty five minutes. So you need to get ready, and so do I!"

Snape sighed and kissed her shoulder, then her cheek again.

"Right you are."

With that he got up and smoothed down his waistcoat and rolled down his sleeves that he had rolled up to give Lily her massage.

Lily rolled onto her back, her magnificent stomach round and proud.

"A little help?" she asked.

Snape finished buttoning his cuff and walked over to her, extending his arms to her. She reached up for him and he helped her up, stroking her back.

"Can I trust you and several possibly tipsy witches to leave most of my chambers in tact?" he asked with an inclined eyebrow.

She playfully slapped his chest before waddling to the bathroom.

Snape watched her go before turning back to the room.

As Snape pulled on his usual jacket and did up the buttons carefully, only glancing in the mirror briefly to check on appearance. Something he did more frequently now.

"Sev?"

"Yes darling."

"Can you do this clasp for me?"

Snape wandered over, warming his hands as he did and looked to Lily.

Lily was wearing a magnificent green maternity gown with a silver clasp at the neck and some sequinned detail at the front, just above her bump.

"This is pretty." he complimented smoothly as he reached for the silver clasp. "Is it new?"

She nodded.

"For our Hen night."

"Who is coming then? Who will I have to blame for broken bottles, ripped up books and trashed bathrooms?" Snape teased softly.

"Tonks, I think Minerva said she was popping in, but I think that was an Idle threat." Lily grinned. "Molly Weasley…"

"Molly Weasley?" Snape exclaimed.

"She and I became pen pals at the end of last term. She wrote to me to thank me for looking after Ron and Ginny and congratulated me on the pregnancy and we started chatting."

"Just promise me I won't find her stockings hung over my lamp after too many drinks."

"I promise." Lily grinned.

"Anyone else?" he asked, turning her around and stroking the fabric of the dress down over her bump.

"Well, a lot of people are either too afraid to travel into Hogwarts, or they're on the hiding…or…"

"Naturally." Nodded Snape and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure you'll all be rowdy enough for a full party in any case."

Lily smiled.

"And you?"

"Sirius Black has organized it. I expect anyone from Hagrid to the bass player of the weird sisters." Snape sighed. "If I'm honest, I'd be happy with a few butterbeers and getting to my bed, fresh for tomorrow."

Lily smiled.

"Try and enjoy it."

Snape nodded and sighed, looking at his pocket watch.

"I suppose I'd better go." he said morosely.

"Have fun." she smiled.

"I'll try." he repeated back to her, he turned to leave and then turned back before kneeling down so he was eye to eye with her bump.

"Now listen here, Madam. Daddy is going to go on his stag night. Please don't misbehave for mummy. And please don't get dramatic and make an entrance before tomorrow as we'd quite like to have you in wedlock."

Lily rapped Snape on the head lightly with her hairbrush.

"Ow!" Snape looked up at her, slightly smiling. "Well, we don't want her to arrive before the wedding do we? For a start, your dress won't fit!"

"I have no idea what has gotten into you recently, Severus Snape!" Lily chuckled.

Snape stood up and kissed her softly, slowly and passionately before stroking her luscious red hair.

"I think impending fatherhood is mellowing me, my dear."

And with that he turned around, blowing her a kiss and left.

Snape straightened his sleeves and began walking up the stone staircase that led to the Great hall and staircase.

He wondered what lay ahead.

Snape was thirty-five years old and had never attended a stag party. He had distanced himself from his school friends as they turned more and more towards the path of the dark arts and had never witnessed their stag nights, their marriages. And his sole invite to a wedding had consisted of Minerva's short, tragic marriage to her husband to which he declined under the statement that he didn't 'do weddings'.

He knew that stag parties usually involved large amounts of alcohol, singing, and doing foolish things.

Snape rarely drunk, and in doing so did it in moderation and did not plan to wake up in the morning of his wedding with a hangover.

However, he knew that James Potter may try and influence him to drink more than he was capable of holding and that Black and Lupin would certainly encourage him.

Snape had taken the step of making an alcoholic antidote and slipping it into his waistcoat pocket so that if he was tricked into drinking too much, he could take it and stay sober.

He did not plan on getting tricked tonight.

Walking through to the entrance hall, the corridors were oddly quiet, something he was getting used to lately.

He had never stayed in Hogwarts during the summer holidays and the school seemed to know that it was unnatural for anyone to dwell within its walls during this time as the halls seemed cold and distant, and even the portraits seemed less inclined to talk.

Making his way down the grassy slope towards the school gates, he began to think of the things that dominated his thoughts these days, a background noise, like a great creature breathing at the edge of his consciousness.

Lily, and their child within her.

He had watched Lily swell with the promise of new life these past few months and had studied relentlessly to prepare for the birth.

He had learned new spells designed for fatherhood, cleaning spells that got food out of hair and fabric, ways of cleaning a towelling nappy effectively and charms to entertain.

He felt certain Lily was carrying a girl. The author of the 'Magical pregnancy' series had written a whole chapter on 'gender identification' based on things such as the mothers skin tone, the size of her bump and how she carried it and Snape was fairly certain that they were to expect a daughter.

However Lily said that it was to be a boy and was so certain she had started to knit blue clothing with little blue owls on.

Lily had explained that in the muggle world, they used a special sort of wand to identify whether children were boys or girls in hospital.

Snape was confused over how a wand could identify that, but still insisted that Lily did not go to a Muggle hospital and let him deal with everything.

A few days ago, Poppy had come to examine Lily and insisted everything was going well and that she should try and rest as much as possible from now on to prepare for the birth. And then they discussed the birth.

Now Snape had studied birth extensively and was all prepared for the most exciting day of their lives, but as Poppy and Lily spoke plainly, Snape found himself feeling oddly queasy and realized that Fecunda Patience had been using a lot of metaphors.

He had shakily excused himself and went to the astronomy tower for some fresh air.

He had some fears that as soon as Lily's 'waters' broke, he would be next to useless and have to summon Molly Weasley to be by her side instead.

Swallowing a wave of queasiness as he recalled Poppy happily pronouncing the words: 'Dilating Cervix' he found himself outside of the gates at Hogwarts and within apparition territory.

Taking a deep breath. He disapparated.