The days were going by too fast. Helpless was how Hermione felt all the time, especially if it had been a day where she tested another ancient potion or spell to no avail. Increasingly, she found herself sequestered away at Malfoy Manor.

After the initial days of bitter moping around the house, Severus had come around and humored Bryan with his request that they go to a railroad park. Severus himself had never heard of such a thing—evidently, Bryan had picked it up from a classmate at school and was waiting for the right time to ask. All four of them went, and though Hermione enjoyed herself immensely, she could not help but feel guilty at the thought that she'd spent precious time that could've been utilized to find a cure.

With the railroad park as the opener, Severus began taking his boys to more and more spontaneous outings that would've previously taken a lot more convincing. Hermione gently declined each time, and by the third refusal, the ailing man no longer made the effort to floo over to the manor and invite her. It was driving a wedge between the couple.

It was another month before Hermione found it. In a tattered old healing book buried deep within the confines of the Malfoy library, they discovered the spell: consistit servare. Rather than treat any injuries outright, it was used to temporarily freeze an open wound as was. From extensive reading, Hermione gathered that it was used in the olden days before more sophisticated spells such as episkey or Severus's vulnera sanentur had been developed to easily heal. Instead of fixing the problem, consistit servare merely delayed the inevitable by not letting the problem become worse, or rather, letting it become worse at a much slower rate. The footnote warned that it wouldn't solve the problem and could only be used once in the victim's life—a second time would be escaping death and lead to 'unfortunate consequences.' She wasn't sure if that was just the tome exercising creative license or a legitimate warning, but she wasn't taking any chances.

There were so many unknown factors, the biggest being not knowing whether it would work or not. Snake venom was nowhere near mentioned in the tome, and even if it were, Nagini was no regular snake. Hermione had no idea how long or short the holdoff would be if it actually did as it said. If it simply gave him an extra week—well, she'd be thankful, but that hardly counted for anything, did it?

"I think you're onto something, Hermione. We can't stop the venom from spreading, we can't remove the venom from his bloodstream without killing him, and we can't give him more of the Healers' potion as the venom has already been weakening its effects. Your spell sounds like it'll do what the potion currently has been doing, and unlike potions, a stronger spell poses no dangers the way ingesting more potion than recommended does."

"Stronger? You mean—"

"Yes. We can all cast it together, making sure that it joins as one before it hits him so that it's not three."

"Also, Astoria, did you have any luck asking around?"

"I didn't find any trained healer who'd even heard of the spell."

Hermione slumped.

"That could very well be a good thing! Think about it this way—if the spell were actually horrible and killed when it intended to treat, don't you think people would've remembered it more than a spell that worked?"

"No, I rather think the opposite."

"That came out wrong, I'm sorry! I only meant—"

"No, it's alright. It's our last hope, isn't it? After all the wrong ends and false leads… We haven't got more time to make sure that this spell works. We just have to assume it does." She wrung her hands.

"Severus's asked me to be godfather," Draco blurted, trying to calm her.

"Without consulting me?" She frowned. It was just another on a growing list of grievances. "No offense, Draco, because I know you'd make a wonderful godfather. Severus and I just haven't been seeing eye to eye lately."

"I told him I'd accept if he really wanted me to, but that Astoria and I would be there for you whether officially a guardian or not. He seemed pretty insistent."

"Was he, now," she muttered, her voice betraying her annoyance.

"Where is he?" Astoria asked. "You mentioned earlier that he was out again."

"Oh, he's taken the boys fishing. Of all things! Yesterday, it was the park. Apparently, they saw a fish jump out of the pond and Bryan asked if they could do the real deal."

"Fishing? Didn't you say that he hated it after he was pants when he went with your father?"

"Yes. Last week, he took them to the carnival and the day before that they went to a farm. The boys think they have the coolest dad right now." She closed the book in her hand, the bitterness threatening to overwhelm her.

"Hermione! You never said. You should be out there with them, not trapped here. You love farms and the countryside!"

"Yeah, and he was even kind enough to bring me back a baby goat."

"No way. Really?"

"Of course not!" Her lips quivered. "He wishes I were out there with him, and I can tell he's upset that I'm not. I wish I were too, obviously, but I can't—I can't sit back and watch him wither away. I don't want to have three months of paradise and regret it for the rest of my life with what-ifs."

No one mentioned their chance of failure and that she could very likely end up regretting not snapping up those three months.

"Honey, we're home!"

"You've never called me honey before." He looked so out of character, covered in mud up to his waist and wearing fishing gear that looked so utterly muggle. The boys were similarly coated in brown. At least it was all dried and unlikely to track on the carpet. She managed to catch Johnny before he could run off and began stripping him of his dirty clothing.

"I'm aware, and it sounded odd on my lips. I was just trying it out. I think I'll stick to your name."

"Catch anything?" she asked casually.

"You would know if you'd been there with us."

"Please don't do this to me."

Unaware of the tension between his parents, Johnny answered. "Daddy catch two! They big." He held up his hands to gesture about their size, except it was undoubtedly exaggerated.

"And the mud?" Though she was looking at her son, she clearly was expecting her husband to answer. In the second of silence, they could hear Bryan's heavy footsteps upstairs.

"We got a boat at first, but all the people who knew what they were doing were standing knee deep in the water. So we did, too."

"How? Johnny is three."

"I'm aware." His voice was distant, and Hermione was cognizantly aware of the fact that he had, for the second time, made it seem that whatever she said was superfluous.

Said boy was squirming in her arms, and she loosened them, letting him go. They watched him run off in just his boxers.

"Well, I'll just—"

"Don't go, Severus." Whether that meant now, or in a couple months… Their eyes met, and his were as equally pained as hers were wet. "I miss you. I need you. I—"

And then his lips were on hers—when had he taken the steps over?—and they were kissing with such ferocity, such need, that she suddenly found her back roughly pushed against the wall. He was tearing at her clothes, and she at his, and she went for his middle in search of a belt to undo until she realized that he was in fishing overalls—how outlandish—

He, as if sensing her unfamiliarity with his outfit, undid his buttons to free his armstraps, and Hermione couldn't even be bothered to yell at him for the dried specks of mud that fell off and stuck onto the floor. There was no foreplay, unless her declaration of need could be counted, and he didn't even move them to the couch nearby. He lifted her up and then cursed loudly, dropping her like hot coal when he didn't have the strength he was accustomed to.

"Shh!" she hissed, not so far gone that she wasn't aware of two small children, awake and currently under the same roof. Flicking her wand out of her sleeve, she cast a quick silencing and disillusionment spell, hoping to Merlin that neither of the two needed her now.

Without being able to hold her up higher, his member poked upwards toward her protruding belly. Emitting a split second of tenderness, he put his hand on where his third son rested while bending his knees to lower himself, all while Hermione strained on her tiptoes until they were in prime position. He thrust, grabbing a handful of her arse to anchor himself before he really went at it, pounding into her with quick, frenzied actions. She whimpered and moaned, though her sounds were overshadowed by his loud groans.

He fucked her like a man who'd never get the chance to do so again, and she clung to him, fucking him like a woman who'd never get the chance to do so again.

"You've really jostled Julien around now," Hermione joked, her voice still labored as they came off of their high.

"Put on your clothes."

The smile fell of her face. "What?"

He softened. "I heard footsteps, that's all."

Her eyes widened comically, and they dove behind the nearby couch with just enough time to accio their discarded clothing before Bryan strolled in.

"Mum? Mummy! Where are you? I can't find my shirt!"

Hermione slipped on her clothes as quickly as she could before canceling the spells. She popped out from behind the couch, as if that were a normal occurrence. "Which one are you talking about?"

He looked at her oddly. "What are you doing there?" Bryan began walking over, and Hermione frantically glanced at Severus, who was still pulling on his fishing overalls.

"No, don't come over here! I'm—I'm hiding from Daddy."

"Okay. I won't tell him you're here." He continued walking. Severus rolled his eyes at her lack of thinking and easily disillusioned himself.

"Where's Dad?"

"Shhhh. If you speak that loudly, he'll find us!" There was a loud snort behind her.

"Did you hear that, Mum?"

"No. What did you hear?"

"It sounded like Dad."

"I hope it wasn't. That would mean he's nearby, and I don't want him to find me."

Bryan, however, was looking intently at her. "Why are you all sweaty? It's not that hot."

"I'm, erm, just—"

Fortunately, Severus took that moment to walk into the room with Johnny in his arms. Hermione hadn't even heard him leave his spot from behind the couch. He must have silently apparated. She could see that he'd misaligned his side buttons in his haste to get dressed, and it make her chuckle softly. She quickly put her finger to her lips, saving her from answering Bryan. Together, they watched as the man pretended to pace.

"Now, Johnny, do you have any idea where Mummy could be?"

The little boy strained his neck. "Behind the curtain?"

"Let's check." They went toward the curtain, and Severus let Johnny do the honors. He eagerly flung open the curtains and was disappointed to not find his mother.

"She not there." He frowned.

"She's not there," he corrected. "What about behind that couch? Do you want to check there?"

"Mum, hide us!" Bryan whispered. "They're going to find us!"

"I can't do that. That's cheating."

"Found her!" Johnny shouted. "Bryan there too!"

"You found her indeed. Good job." This time, Hermione had to hide a snort.

Hermione told him about the spell that night, but it didn't seem to affect Severus all that much. She knew it was because he didn't want to hold out hope and become disappointed. The last three experiments had, after all, been useless.

"I really think it'll work, Severus. Or rather, I'm trying my best to not think about what would happen if it didn't." Unconsciously, she leaned closer into him.

He was silent.

"Severus?"

"If it doesn't work, you're naming him Roman."

"I'm not doing anything on my own. We're doing this."

"I said if it doesn't work. I'm not going to be there for his birth, aren't I?"

"Severus."

He looked at her, his expression tight.

"I don't hate the name Roman as much as I seem. I did at first, but it's really grown on me. I still bring up 'Julien' just because I like the verbal spar that follows."

There was a brief silence as Severus stared at her in astonishment. "Are you telling me that I didn't have to worry about him being named Julien for the last couple months?"

"Do you hate that name so much?"

"I don't like your adoration of that book character," he admitted gruffly. "And it sounds too close to Johnny. Just listen to it. Bryan, Johnny, and Julien. Johnny and Julien sound like twins, though I wouldn't have liked it even if they were."

"We wouldn't have this problem if we hadn't nicknamed him," she pointed out. "Bryan, Sydney, and Julien."

"You mean Bryan, Sydney John, and Julien. See? We would've had to have nicknamed him. He stands out like a sore thumb with a double name."

"I hate when you're right."

"If this new spell of yours works, you can have your Julien. It'll be my punishment for not believing in you. I'll suffer with it for the rest of my existence. Deal?"

"Now wait a second. Don't be like that! I just said that I didn't hate the idea of naming him Roman. This is where you push your luck."

"Push my luck? You mean?" He sat up, looking at her intently.

"Yeah. Ask."

She had decided weeks ago that she honestly wouldn't mind naming him Roman, and after making that decision, she had been growing more and more fond of the idea. 'Roman' wasn't just any adjective, after all. 'Italian' sounded ridiculous, but Roman? Less so. She would have told Severus earlier, but they'd been cross with each other lately.

"Can we name him Roman whether your latest experiment works or not?" He paused. "That is the question you want me to ask, right?"

"Yes, you silly old man!"

"Yes, as in yes that is the question, or yes, as in we're naming him Roman?"

"Well, that depends."

"On?"

"On whether you're willing to get me that baby goat."

"What baby goat? What are you talking about?"

"You went to a farm without me! You know how much I love farms."

"Oh." He looked properly chastised. "I can't get you a goat, though. They're not up for grabs. Even if I did manage to steal one, how would we raise it here?"

"It was a symbol, you dolt! Will you take the boys to the farm again, but this time, without leaving me behind?"

In response, Severus smiled widely and lifted up the covers. "Hi, Roman. Daddy saved you from a horrible name."

Hermione lightly slapped his shoulder as she burrowed into his warm chest. "I ought to thank Nagini for making you so out of character."

SIX MONTHS LATER

"And then Berthold said—"

"You really have someone in your class named Berthold?"

"No, that's just what we call him. His real name is Jonas. Mum, you're interrupting the story! Stop making faces at Roman and look at me!"

"Sorry, sorry! What did Berthold say?" She didn't even bother asking how the kids in his class got Berthold out of Jonas.

"He said Hausaufgaben!" He waited for his parents to laugh, but neither did. "Mum? Dad? Why aren't you laughing? It's funny!"

"Can you tell the joke again? I might have missed it."

"You were too busy staring at Roman," Bryan complained. "He doesn't even know what you're saying to him!"

"Just tell it again. We'll listen this time, I promise."

"I'm going to get Johnny. He listens better than you two these days." He angrily hopped off his seat at the kitchen table to fetch Johnny, who was pushing a toy train back and forth on the couch in the next room. "Hey! That's my train!"

"Bryan!" Hermione hollered from where she was, making sure to cover Roman's little eardrums first. "What did I say about sharing?"

There was no response, but the two came in, with the younger being dragged none too gently by the elder. Though no one prompted him to, Bryan started retelling the story.

"So Frau Kremer said, 'Was erhaltet ihr vom Huhn?' And we said Eier. Then she said, 'Was erhaltet ihr von der Kuh?' And we said Milch. But when she said, 'Was erhaltet ihr von dem Schwein?', Berthold answered Hausaufgaben before anyone else said anything. I just about died!"

Hermione and Severus both cracked a smile, having heard that one before, though not from Bryan. "Serves her right," she laughed. "What was she expecting the answer to be? Bacon?"

"Methinks she was trying to see if any of her students knew the joke," Severus whispered to her. "No schoolteacher is that thick. That's just asking to be made fun of."

Raising a two-month old could be hard, but it was made much easier by the fact that both Severus and Hermione were at home, the latter having closed her bookshop again to go on maternity leave after just reopening it months ago. Still, Astoria insisted that she and Draco could watch over the kids while the couple enjoyed some off-time. Hermione had hesitated, citing Astoria's condition and saying that her own parents would be happy to do it, but she lost the battle.

That was how she found herself sipping on a dry martini—in broad daylight—with Severus, at a local restaurant.

"More proof that money doesn't buy taste. I'd take my Taylor Lake over this anytime."

"There's just more—more pizazz in saying 'I sipped on a dry martini' over 'I sipped on a Taylor Lake.' I get a vision of myself face down over a lake and engulfing it dry."

"You are one odd witch."

"Anytime." She beamed at him. "Did you hear? They've named her Aquila. She's still months from being born, of course, but still. Reckon we can pull up a marriage contract between her and Roman?"

"Her own godbrother?"

"Good point. Nevermind."

"If he's anything like me, then Draco would punch you a new one for suggesting anything of the sort for his little girl."

"One, Draco would never 'punch me a new one,' and two, you don't have a little girl."

"I have boys. I'd do the same to any girl who looks at my boys."

"What, you'd punch them? You're really in for it. Bryan told me just the other day about this girl who stepped on his foot because he pulled her hair. It's just beginning. I better not lose you to the authorities for beating up a young girl."

Severus glanced at his wife for just a second too long, and it caused him to dissolve into guffaws.

"Eyes up, mister."

"It's not that. It's your necklace. I can't take you seriously with it. Somehow I've gotten used to the sight of it around your neck, but it still never fails to humor me."

She was stopped short from retorting by a middle-aged woman who hesitantly hovered by their table.

"Hermione?"

She tried to place the woman, feeling sure that she'd seen her somewhere. The fact that Granger was not included relaxed her somewhat, but she still surreptitiously felt for her wand underneath her holster. "You look familiar. Where do I know you from, could you remind me, sorry?"

"Oh, gosh, I wasn't sure if I was just making things up! I only know your first name. I'm Elsie, Elsie Harrow. I'm on holiday, but I'm from Yorkshire—you know, where your bookstore is. I almost couldn't believe that you were here too!"

"Oh! Yes, I remember you! You got that book on Churchill, right? Along with a crocheting manual?"

"Goodness, you have a good memory! I just wanted to say hello and tell you that you look wonderful for someone on maternity leave. My husband was just telling me the other day how odd he found it for a small business owner to take such an extended break, but I think it's wonderful, spending those first few months with your baby."

"We are very thankful that it's an option," Severus put in diplomatically.

"Your husband?"

Hermione nodded, and Elsie stuck out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you. I've seen your children with your wife while I was in and I have often wondered whether they took after you or her more. Lovely babes."

Severus nodded, giving her an amused look and unknowingly backing away from her exuberant character.

"I was ever so put out when I read the sign about the family emergency," she continued. "My condolences to whomever it was that passed away."

Severus and Hermione shared a look. "Thank you. They're appreciated," he said before she could answer with something else.

"Elsie? There you are! I've been looking all around for you."

Elsie turned and waved the man over, presumably her husband. "Jack, you'll never guess who I bumped into!"

"Yes, well, let's get back to our table, alright? You've had a lot to drink." He put a hand on her shoulder and silently mouthed I'm sorry to Hermione and Severus.

You're fine, you're fine, Hermione mouthed back politely, flourishing it with a smile.

When she was out of sight, Hermione started giggling. "She never struck me as the talkative sort. I don't think I've ever heard her talk before today, actually."

"I bet she'll think we're horrible parents once she sets her mind to it. Just think about it—she believes we're from Yorkshire, which is only logical, and she knows you're on maternity leave. And yet, just two months later, you're spotted having a romantic afternoon with your husband all the way in Germany, sans baby?"

"And do family emergencies usually mean a death?"

"Beats me. I never had one."

"Well, I'm glad you're not dead."

Severus raised a brow at her blunt word choice. "Thank Merlin you think so. I'd hate to think the opposite." He gingerly touched his neck, the memories of the past months all a whirlwind. Consistit servare had done what it claimed to do, if not better. With the power of three casters, it really had frozen any sort of further harmful diffusion in his neck, though neither knew for how long. The Healers had scoffed openly at the unheard-of spell, only to gape when the results spoke for themselves. All diagnostics claimed that he was no longer at risk, and though the family never stopped looking into other methods to keep Severus safe, their sense of stability was strengthened as the years went on.

And so Severus Snape gratefully returned to his private, domestic existence with his family while the public could only continue to speculate as to why two famous war heroes opted to retreat from the public eye all those years ago, never once considering that their withdrawal was connected. It had already been fourteen years since the war, and the press had gotten tired of writing non-story after non-story, slowly phasing the past out in favor of newer gossip—just the way Hermione and Severus preferred. It would be another four years before one Bryan Snape reignited the flame upon the Sorting Hat's loud calling of his name.

But a lot could happen in four years.

Or nine.

Whew! As I said, less plot and more filling-in. Can't wait to hear your thoughts, and I'd love to know if there are any other questions / oneshots / short stories you guys would be interested in! I already have some ideas ;)

As for the joke Bryan was telling his parents:

"So Mrs. Kremer said, 'What do you get from chickens?' And we said eggs. Then she said, 'What do you get from cows?' And we said milk. But when she said, 'What do you get from pigs?' Berthold answered homework before anyone else said anything."

It's funnier in German, though, because Schwein for pig is also an insulting word for humans (differently than it is in English).

See y'all tomorrow for the FaF update! xxx