Severus had been sleeping for four hours. At first he had thought that he would never drift off, worry filling his mind about his son and Hermione and threatening to ruin any chance of sleep, but exhaustion had overcome his weary body and he had drifted off into a restful slumber at just seven o clock in the evening. He would not have woken at all if he hadn't felt the bed move under the weight of another person and someone crawling into his arms.
"Hi." Came a tired and little voice from beside him.
Severus opened his eyes to see Hermione lying next to him, snuggled up with her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and rested his hands on the stomach which had so recently housed their now three month old son before worry filled him as to why she was here.
"Elijah..."
"Luna and Ron are with him. They wanted to sit with him so I could be here with you for a little while...just us."
Severus kissed the top of her head.
"Believe it or not it was even Ron's' idea. I must have looked pretty miserable." Hermione mused.
"Well then thank you Mr Weasley." Severus commented, breathing in the scent of Hermione's hair. "I've missed this. You have no idea how much." He whispered into the curls as he ran his hands over her curves.
Hermione turned so that they were facing each other and placed her hands on his hips.
"After three years of lying in bed with you by my side and then suddenly being left with no-one...I do have every idea." Hermione assured him as the shuffled up the bed and kissed Severus on the lips just before they both fell into a blissful and comfortable sleep.
Having meant to sleep just for a few hours Severus Snape was shocked to wake up and find that another seven hours had passed since he and Hermione had fallen asleep entwined in each other's arms. He didn't want to wake her. She looked so peaceful lying there but he knew that as it was she would never forgive herself for missing so much time she could have spent at her son's bedside. He could barely forgive himself.
He gently trailed kisses over her forehead, brown eyes fluttering open as his soft lips touched her skin.
"What time is it?" Hermione asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"It's six in the morning. We've been asleep all night." He told her calmly, hoping the calming tone of his voice would soothe her enough so that she didn't worry about the time she had spent asleep.
"Six? We've been here hours. We need to get to the infirmary." Hermione stated as she started rushing around the dungeons. "What if he's gotten worse and we weren't there?"
Severus walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, finally getting her to stand still.
"Calm down. If he had gotten any worse Ron or Luna would have come to find us. He's been in safe hands with his godparents..."
"Godparents...?" Hermione questioned remembering their conversation back when Elijah had been born about Ron being his godfather and Luna most certainly not being his godmother.
"I thought we'd ask Miss Lovegood if she would like to join Minerva as Godmother. What do you think?" Severus asked.
Hermione smiled thinking of her friend's utter devotion since Elijah had been in the infirmary.
"I think it's perfect." She agreed then sighing a little. "I wish he was home Severus. I can't bear seeing him that way anymore. I just want to hold him. I want our little boy back."
Severus rubbed her back in circular motions. He really did have a very gentle touch.
"As do I." Severus reassured her. "I also want you here. Both of you. Back in the place that was once our home together." He commented, watching her expression carefully.
She gave nothing away.
"Let's go and see Eli shall we." She replied clearing her throat uncomfortably, leaving Severus once again confused and broken, a state he no longer revelled in.
The pair entered the Infirmary and walked straight to their son's bedside where they were greeted by the sight they had been waiting for, for the previous couple of days. Lying there, gurgling happily yet sleepily was their drowsy little boy. Ron was asleep in the chair on one side of him with his mouth wide open and Luna was standing with her fingers clasped in the little boys grip chattering away to him about all kinds of magical creatures. Hermione sighed in relief.
"We decided Elijah was indeed strong enough to forgo the sleeping draught. We will carry on giving him medication to fight his infection but his temperature has decreased even more since yesterday. All signs are very good." A doctor told the pair as they stood by his bedside watching him in awe.
Severus nodded in thanks, a smile on his face as his son cooed happily as if to let them all know that he was on the mend.
"Can I hold him?" Hermione asked softly, stroking her sons face with her fingertips.
The Doctor nodded.
"I don't see why not. He is still ill and very drowsy but a cuddle from mummy would be much appreciated I'm sure. I'll be back to check on him in a little while. Poppy's here if you need anything."
Hermione nodded, smiling at the nurse who had been keeping watch over her little boy. She grinned at Luna who took her fingers out of Elijah's grip so that Hermione could pick the little boy up and hold him in her arms.
"Hey there little man, hi." She whispered, kissing her sons forehead and nose. "Are you feeling better? Mummy's so glad. She's missed you so much."
Hermione rocked him carefully in her arms. She'd known she'd missed holding her son but she hadn't known how much until he was in her arms again. For the first time in a long time she felt whole again, with him there and Severus.
She turned to look at the man who stood at her side and noticed how sad he looked. She knew she hadn't been very forthcoming that morning when he had asked for her and Elijah to come home, but all she could think of was how quickly everything was coming together after being such a mess for so long. She was terrified it was all going to disappear again and so scared she'd lose him again too.
"You're a handsome little boy aren't you? You look just like your daddy. I think you're going to be daddy's little boy, don't you Eli?"
"Most definitely. " Luna agreed with a smile. "You can just tell."
Severus felt a small smile appear on his lips, his heart bursting when he saw the woman he loved holding the little boy they created again, referring to him in front of her friends as the father. It seemed to cement things more somehow.
Elijah gurgled and Hermione kissed him again.
"I think he wants to see his daddy." She told Severus softly, holding out Eli to him carefully.
Severus took his son in his arms, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the black haired little boy. He too kissed his son tenderly on the forehead, the baby gurgling and cooing in his father's arms and trying to grab any strand of hair that his little fingers could reach.
"I don't think I've ever had anything more precious given to me by someone than this boy you have given me." Severus told Hermione honestly. He walked over to her, squatted down so that he was holding their baby boy at her chest, and kissed her full on the mouth for everybody to see. "You are both the most wonderful things to have happened to this old man. You are my family; and life without either of you is torture."
Hermione smiled and stroked his cheek, both of them gazing at their son.
"I'm so scared I'm going to lose all of this. I was so sure that if Eli died..."
Elijah grabbed hold of Hermione's fingers and made a fist around them, bringing her fingers to his mouth.
"You will never lose me. Never again I promise you that, and our boy is fine...look at him..."
"How can I do anything but? The pregnancy was such a shock but look at what we got Severus; our son, our beautiful son. He's perfect." Hermione told him, smiling contentedly as Severus put one arm around her and in the other held the little boy that was now gurgling and chattering away, his drowsy eyes the only sign he had been ill.
"As are you and I will forever be thankful for you and for our boy. I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused both you and him. I do not want him to have to miss me any longer and if you too miss me...I do not want that either." Severus told her, kissing the top of her hair. His gaze once again fell on to his little boy.
"Of course I miss you but let's leave this discussion for another time okay? Let's just concentrate on our son." Hermione said a little bit more sternly than she wanted to. She so wanted to be with Severus again as a family, she missed their home in the dungeons and now they had Eli it would make everything complete, but still her head was too muddled to truly consider being back there for good. She was just so relieved about Elijah that she could think of nothing else.
Severus nodded in understanding, his eyes falling to Hermione and then to their now heavy eye lidded little boy.
"Sleep now little man." Hermione whispered, kissing one of the black curls he'd inherited off his father, before watching Severus carefully lay the tired boy back on to his bed, with a single tear falling down his pale cheek.
