Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

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Chapter 4 - Ceremonial Robes

During the week after the trials at the Ministry, everyone in the castle was busy. Severus and Hermione, however, were not the only ones pressed for time. Everyone else that they had asked to be involved in the Naming Ceremony for the twins were also rushing around and helping the Headmaster and Hermione get things organized in the short amount of time that they had left. The day for the big event had finally arrived, and Hermione had been pacing around their chambers restlessly, waiting anxiously for the Potters, Bill, Julia and Minerva to arrive with the twins' robes for their ceremony.

Severus was currently in the other room with Megan, talking through with her the last details of what she would be required to do at the naming ceremony. He had been a little bit worried about the signs of stress Hermione had been showing, and so had their daughter. It was surprising how fast he had become accustomed to thinking of Megan as a true daughter of his.

'Your mother is terribly stressed and pacing it out in the other room. Do you think it would be possible for you to go and help the decoration coordination in the Great Hall for me until I can get back there?' he asked, running his fingers through his long hair as he pushed it back from his face.

'Sure, I'll take care of it,' she answered with a grin. 'Two words; Calming Draught.'

Severus chuckled, sending the girl on her way before heading back to the other room to see his wife. She had stopped pacing, and was now fiddling with the outfits that the twins would be wearing beneath their robes. The godparents were all running behind Hermione's schedule, and he knew it was beginning to get to her. He smiled, watching as she fixed the tiniest little creases in their clothing with her wand, smoothing soft baby hair and just generally fussing.

'Love, you need to calm yourself down a little,' he told her, walking into the room to join her.

'I would be calm if everyone would just stick to the schedule,' she snapped irritably, stuffing her wand up the sleeve of her robes.

Severus sighed and walked right up to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. 'Sweetheart, things never go totally according to plan. That would be like a world in disarray. Everything will be fine – I'm sure everyone will be here soon, and that they will have a perfectly legitimate reason for not sticking fastidiously to your very detailed plan,' he gently reassured her.

She sighed heavily and leaned back into him. 'I know this,' she said quietly. 'I just want everything to be perfect.'

'And it will be perfect,' he said gently. 'But perfect does not mean that everything will be exactly as you have planned it. Sometimes it's just best to go with the flow.'

Hermione turned in his arms and smiled, looking up at his face. 'You know, when I first started working here at Hogwarts, I would never have expected you to say anything like that ever,' she mused, grinning.

'Back then, I was a grumpy git who didn't have a beautiful, loving wife and a family,' he reminded her, tapping the end of her nose with a long finger.

Hermione smiled lovingly at him, and opened her mouth to reply, when they heard knocking on the back entrance door to their chambers. She quickly pulled out of his arms and immediately went to answer the door, suddenly reminded that crucial people had yet to arrive for the pre-ceremony planning. On opening the door, four of the five people suddenly rushed past her into the chambers, apologizing profusely as they did, and shedding their travelling cloaks.

'We're so sorry that we're late Hermione,' Ginny said as she removed her scarf and handed Hermione the box containing Sebastian's ceremonial robes. 'We met up with Julia and Bill at Madam Malkin's and it turns out she had a little bit of trouble with a break-in last night, so things were in disarray there.'

'Oh that's terrible!' Hermione exclaimed, ushering all four of them into the sitting room. 'Well, it's alright, but Minerva isn't here yet, so we're still going to have to wait a bit before we can dress the twins.'

Just as she said that, Severus came out of the twins' room, holding both of them in each of his arms. He silently allowed Ginny and Harry to relieve him of Sebastian to gush over, and then passed his little Luciana over to Julia and Bill.

'Minerva not here yet, my love?' he asked Hermione, who smiled tightly and shook her head in response. 'Well, I had better get back down to the Great Hall to make sure that Megan is handling things alright.'

'Please thank her for me, Sev,' Hermione said, kissing his cheek. 'And tell her that I love her and I'll see you both down there as soon as Minerva gets here and their in their robes.'

He nodded and left their chambers, leaving Hermione alone with the babies and their godparents. Minerva arrived a few minutes later via Floo, and stepped out with the small boxes that contained the slippers for the twins. Soon they were both dressed and ready for the ceremony, and everyone left the Snape's chambers and headed down to the Great Hall to join Severus and have a quick run-through of what was expected during the ceremony. They arrived, just as Filius Flitwick and Rolanda Hooch were leaving the hall, and stopped briefly to gush over the babies before moving on.

When they walked into the hall, they were all blown away. The entire hall had been decorated with white, silver and gold, and was simple, while being breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. There were rows upon rows of white chairs all set out and facing the stage where the main event would be taking place. Hermione smiled, and leaving the babies with the other adults, she went to Severus and Megan on the other side of the hall, and threw herself at them in a smothering hug.

'It's perfect!' she exclaimed. 'It is exactly what I would have wanted for the ceremony!'

Severus smiled and hugged his wife fondly. 'Well you have Megan to thank for the coordination of all of it,' he informed her proudly, putting a warm hand on the young girls' shoulder.

Hermione beamed and grabbed the girl, hugging her tightly. 'You truly are a delight!' she exclaimed excitedly, kissing her on the forehead.

Megan smiled. 'Well I was told to do my best,' she replied simply. 'I wanted it all to be perfect for you and the babies, Mum.'

'Oh, Megan! I don't know what I would do without you,' Hermione said, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to cry softly.

'The same goes for me,' Severus added. 'You do a lot for your mother and me, and take care of the twins and do well at everything you put your mind to. We are both grateful to have you as a part of our little family.'

By this point, Hermione was openly sobbing her eyes out. She was directed over to the chairs by Megan, before Severus went over to their friends to inform them all the fuss was about. Ginny Potter began to sniff first as she watched the crying increase until she too, went over to join the ladies and cry with them. Severus looked at Harry, who simply rolled his eyes as if to say "women".

'Where are you're two children at present?' Severus asked the younger wizard thoughtfully.

'We've left them with Charlie back at our house,' Harry answered. 'He's taking care of them there until they have to be here for the ceremony. Ginny and I figured it would be easier that way, and it was lucky we did, what with all the commotion getting the robes and then finding our way here was.'

Severus nodded in understanding. An hour later, the invited guests were starting to arrive. Apparently Hermione had not been joking about the number of friends she had made over the years that she had been out of school. Not to mention the number of Order Members and Ministry officials who were there to witness the event also. His mind was ticking over the number of seats that had been set up according to Hermione's R.S.V.P. numbers, and he guessed that if they were mostly filled, there would be approximately 350 guests at the twins' Naming.

At exactly two p.m., a balding wizard in high priest robes, swept in. He was obviously the officiating Wizard, so everyone got ready to take their places, and silence fell over the crowd of friends and family. Severus found himself at the opposite end of the aisle from the Potters, Bill, Julia and Minerva, wearing his black dress robes, and holding both of the twins. It was a practice in Magical society that the father of the children would be the one involved in the ceremony, and that the mother would sit and the front and watch. It was a very old, chauvinist tradition, but it was what it was. Hermione, while being slightly miffed that she could only be involved to a certain point, understood that this was a special moment for Severus.

Severus began to walk down the center of the aisle between the rows of people, heading toward the Official. He arrived and immediately dropped to his knees, bowing his head, while still holding his two children.

'I, Severus Aurelius Snape, humbly ask that you bless my two children, and bind them to me as their father and protector for all time,' Severus said immediately.

'I ask you this day, what names do you give to these two children that you present as your own?' the official replied in kind.

'My wife and I give our girl the name Luciana Iris Snape, and our boy Sebastian Alexander Snape,' he answered. 'I give them both godparents; three apiece.'

'Name the godparents that you give to your eldest child.'

'I give Luciana Iris to Julia Crittenden-Ainsworth, William Weasley, and Minerva McGonagall, for them to provide her with love, care and an upbringing worthy of her should I and her mother come to harm,' Severus answered solemnly.

'And who do you give your youngest child to?'

'I give Sebastian Alexander to Ginevra Potter, Harry Potter, and Minerva McGonagall, for them to provide him with love, care, and an upbringing worthy of him should I and his mother come to harm,' he replied.

'I bind you to these two children, Severus Aurelius Snape, and bless you to provide and care for them until and beyond the time that they should come of age,' the official said seriously, casting a web of charms over the three of them.

Severus stood once that was over and then handed the twins to their godparents, with Minerva in the middle, binding them all together. 'I ask that these friends are bound to our children in the same way as I was bound,' he said softly.

'The Elemental Magic's approve of this choice, and I now bind you all to these children,' the man said seriously, casting a different coloured web of charms over them all.

After that, there was a moment where the godparents gifted the babies each with their own protective charm, before they were handed back to Severus, and the formal ceremony concluded. The rows of chairs were then magically removed, and the Great Hall turned into a giant banquet, with round tables, similarly decorated in white, gold and silver. Hermione immediately rushed to her husband and relieved him of her little boy, cuddling him close and kissing all three of them. Megan joined them, then, and everyone in the hall would have agreed that they all looked perfect together.

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A/N – Sorry for the wait. I have exams, and they take up quite a lot of time to study for. No promises for the next update. Thanks.