Disclaimer: Nothing so far is really mine. Not the Harry Potter Universe, not the plot, and not the triplets; only a few of my words and ideas have been added. This story originally belonged to Samira Granger and I have adopted it. It has also been adopted by debjunk with the permission of Samira Granger.

Flowers and Warriors

Chapter Eight

When Hermione asked her employer about the most unwanted presence of Harry Potter that morning, she received a cryptic remark from the mischievously twinkling wizard. He told her not to worry because he had full control of the situation and that it was all a "part of the plan." She had almost snorted in derision at his statement, but somehow managed not to. Instead, she shot him a piercing glare before leaving with her little ones. They would talk more later when she actually had time to argue with him.

Anthea was bouncing and skipping in excitement by her mothers side at the prospect of going down to the lake. Sebastian and Lucian were equally excited and were showing it by running in circles around her and their sister while chasing each other. Normally, Hermione would not allow them to run around like that, but they were just so excited. And also she felt rather guilty for snapping at them that morning and then leaving them with the headmaster for several hours as she tracked down and spoke - using that word rather loosely - to their father.

Their father. The thought of Severus Snape as a father was one she had dreamt about many times when they were together. Those dreams had died not long after she had left. Perhaps now those dreams would come to fruition, at least partially. If he hurt them though, she would kill him. Hermione highly doubted that he would, however. He was one of the best and most honorable men she had ever met.

Hermione sighed internally. She still needed to tell the triplets about the real reason for their little jaunt to the lake. She should have told them earlier, before they had stepped outside. She wasn't normally this disorganized, but with all that had happened that day she was just the slightest bit frazzled. Still, she need to work through it.

The curly haired witch watch as her children enjoyed themselves and smiled. They were so good. She knew that they had been wanting to asked her about what happened at breakfast. Though it now seemed that lessons learned earlier in their lives had taken effect.

On their fourth birthday, Lucian voiced the question she had dreaded hearing ever since they had learned how to talk: where was their daddy? That then was followed by a series of questions from all three that Hermione had been hard pressed to answer.

She eventually answered some of their questions, but her words were, more often than not, vague and just led to even more questions for the ever inquisitive threesome. Over time, they stopped asking her anything about their father. Hermione assumed that they had tired of her non answers. And they had, in fact, tired of their mothers elusiveness. However, they were still determined to get their answers, so they asked Darius whenever Hermione wasn't around to hear.

Darius had answered the majority of their questions to the best of his ability. A few of them, though, he point blank refused to give, such as the name and locations of Severus Snape. He also never exactly told them why they had never met the man. They would have to get the answers for those questions from their mother.

Of course, that morning had been quite informative for the ecstatic trio. After Hermione left them with the headmaster, they bombarded him with question after question about the man they had just learned was their father. Once they had exhausted their extensive supply of queries, Albus told a few little anecdotes about their parents while in school, and by the time his new Arithmancy professor had arrived, he had begun to inform the about all the wonders and differences between wizarding candies and Muggle candies.

There was an unspoken agreement amongst those four about that day. Hermione and Severus were never to know what their children truly discussed with the meddling headmaster. The six year old Snape's didn't have any problem with that; they were used to the secrecy in that regard. Albus had, unknowingly, become their new Darius.

If only Hermione knew what her children were up to behind her back. She wouldn't think that they were so good and innocent anymore, that's for certain. They weren't being patient little angels at all.

If the family walked any further, they would quite possibly be in Severus' line of vision. Temporarily calling a halt to their progress, Hermione gathered her children to her and began to catch them up to speed a bit. Well, the witch actually only told them that Severus was waiting for them down by the lake and that they would all be spending the afternoon with him.

Their excitement was now almost a tangible thing as they got closer and closer to the lakeside where their father was waiting. It was all they could do not to break away from their mother and make a run for it. She would be really upset if they did, and when Hermione was upset, she was scary.

Within moments the lake shore came into view and with it the dark figure waiting there. He stood, unmoving, waiting for them with a breeze making his roves billow and flow around him. It was almost as if he were frozen, completely statuesque, as he watched them. And as soon as Lucian, Anthea, and Sebastian had spotted him, they finally began to run, not paying any heed to their mother warning them to slow down so that they wouldn't hurt themselves.

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There were many thoughts rushing through Severus Snape's mind after Hermione had left his office. Chief among them was that he had a family. A family that he actually wanted.

Before Hermione, he had never thought of marrying, much less starting a family with another. Severus had been giving quite a lot of serious thought and consideration about asking the witch to marry him before she up and disappeared. He was going to wait a few months to do so, however, because he wanted to know how their relationship would fare once it became public knowledge. The Potions Master had every intention of proposing after that time, provided it all worked out well.

Once all his initial investigations had turned up nothing and she sent that letter to Albus saying that she didn't want to be found, Severus abandoned the idea. Instead, he put nearly all his thoughts and energy toward raising Alexander. That little boy was the closest thing to family he had until Hermione came back. Now, it seemed that the two families might be merging somewhat.

Of course, nothing would change his relationship with Alexander. He was a son to Severus in all but blood. Not even the presence of three biological children could, or would, change that. But what Severus wanted to know was how all four of them would react to this sudden change in circumstance.

No matter that Severus had already raised a child - predominantly by himself - he was now being barraged by all manner of insecurities about being a father. He wanted to be one yes; there was no question of that. But could he be one? A good one? And would Hermione let him?

She had said that she would not keep them from him. She said that it was agreeable for him to be a father to his children. But what if the amber-eyed witch had lied to him? What if she ran away again? No, Severus didn't really think that. Those were his insecurities talking.

He seriously doubted that Hermione Granger had lost much, if any, of the honor that had been ingrained within her very soul when they had been together and even before that. When she said something, she almost always meant it.

By this time, the brooding man had arrived - quite a few minutes early - at his destination, the lake shore. Severus began to pace while waiting. Hopefully, this action would help him to focus and mentally prepare himself for the upcoming meeting and also enable him to take control of his insecurities and doubtful thoughts. He refused to be unsettled by this!

And yet…what if Severus became his father? Would he? He didn't have the greatest temper and was already very strict and controlling, and somewhat degrading, toward his students. Although, he had lightened up a bit since the war ended, but not overly much; it was necessary after all. But would he be like that with his children? Could he be trusted with them? These were all thoughts he had only briefly considered years ago when he first thought about proposing to Hermione and how that would affect his future.

No, no! It was ridiculous! Absurd even! He was nothing like his father. He would never be anything like the bastard. The wizard point blank refused! Had he not already proved that with Alexander anyway?

Severus had raised the young boy with little issue and doted upon him. Not once had Severus behaved as his own father had, but would the addition of three more children drive him to it? He didn't think it would, just so long as he remained aware of the possibility and took precautions. It helped to know that Hermione was nothing like his mother and would never allow anything to happen to them.

This, however, brought up another question that weighed heavily upon his mind. How much would Hermione allow him into their lives? Would Severus get to be a full-time father, or would he only be a father when it was convenient for the witch?

Severus shook his head as though to dislodge those thoughts. Hermione wasn't like that; he needed to stop worrying so much. It make him insane. Calm. He need to calm down. Breathe. He hadn't gotten this worked up in years, and it wouldn't do him any good now.

Hermione had come back into his life, he found out that he had three children, and revealed to his former lover that she had a younger brother she hadn't known existed. Severus was unsure if that was the happiest day of his life or the most emotionally stressful. Possibly a bit of both. Deep breath. Relax. He needed to be in full control of himself, especially because Hermione's presence had the oddest effect on him. Not to mention he didn't want to scare his children away before they really got a chance to get to know each other.

As Severus turned to pace in the opposite direction, some movement caught his attention. He turned his head toward it before completely freezing. There they were, three small figures each with coal black hair, rushing toward him. The dour wizard stood completely unmoving in shock. Were they really calling for him? Were those truly shouts of 'Daddy'?

They were.

And he was so consumed with shock at their actions and joy and elation at their words that he failed to notice their mother trailing after them.

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The first one hit, and Severus just managed to brace himself. The second hit, and he staggered. But when the third hit, he finally toppled over with all three of his children clinging to him and actually laughing. Being tackled had seemed to jolt him out of his shocked, frozen state.

Moments later, Hermione arrived at the scene and paused, astonished at the sight before her. All four Snape's were on the ground laughing and happy. Her heart melted, especially for Severus, and all thought of rebuking her little ones flew out of her head. They all looked thrilled, ecstatic, euphoric, elated, what have you.

It was that one instance, that one moment, in time that unlocked something inside, broke something, that she hadn't thought existed. A barrier within her suddenly gave way and bubbled up from deep inside, passed through her throat, and finally burst forth from her mouth in cascades and peals of joyous laughter. Hermione hadn't felt that way in a very long time, not since before she left, such true and unequivocal happiness.

She had hardly laughed and only sometimes smiled before then. The barrier - comprised of her fear of Harry Potter and longing for Severus Snape - held her back from any true happiness. Even when her children were born, which was one of the happiest days of her life, that barrier was there. The witch was so afraid that Harry would find and kill them.

That fear haunted her every waking minute. It was present in her nightmares, paralyzing her as she watched her babies being murdered, unable to save them from the Chosen One. And she couldn't bear to lose them, it would kill her. They were her life and the only remaining tangible reminder of the love she had once shared with Severus. Some days, they would be her only reason for living, her sole source of comfort.

Now the barrier had vanished, and Hermione felt free. She was safe. They were all safe. He couldn't get them here, here where Severus was. The only thing that might possibly have tainted that moment was her remorse for denying all of them this for so long, whatever this was. Well, she would enjoy it for now. It was time for each of them to live their lives and not hold back. It was time for Hermione to let go of her fear. And that was just what she was going to do. She was in control of her life from this moment forward, not Harry Potter.

Slowly, she calmed her laughter, but a brilliant smile twisted her lips and uncontrollable mirth was apparent in her amber orbs. "Have you three quite finished assaulting your poor father? He might just become a permanent fixture in the ground if you continue to sit on him like that."

The already wide-eyed expressions of Lucian, Sebastian, and Anthea were now accompanied by gaping mouths as the trio stared at their mother, clearly surprised by her behavior. They had never seen her this happy or laughing so long and with such abandon. The children of Severus Snape already had a pretty good idea as to why this was though.

Why did Mummy almost never laugh was one of the many questions they had asked their cousin, Darius, within the past two years. He had told them that it was mostly because she missed their daddy so much. There were other reasons, but he said that they were much too young to know yet.

Darius didn't care for the idea of telling his younger cousin's that their lives had been threatened before they were even born, and that their mother worried every day that she might lose them. He had absolutely no desire to scare them.

Now that Hermione was around their father, she suddenly seemed incredibly happy. They had heard her laugh before, but never like this. The laughter had completely transformed her, and that shocked the triplets. Their mother seemed to be a different person. What Darius told them must have been true.

Lucian was the first to recover. He stood up and - with a mischievous glint in his eye - tugged on his mother's wrist, hard. Hermione, caught unawares, lost her balance and landed rather gracelessly beside the pile of Snape's. Anthea and Sebastian began to snicker at their brother's antics, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. It was the first part of the plan they and Albus Dumbledore had come up with that morning to get their parents back together.

Quickly, in order to distract the two adults, all three began to fire off question after question, mostly toward Severus, and made it known that they wanted him to play with them. And the now smiling wizard was more than happy to comply with their wishes. Neither Severus nor Hermione had any idea that their children were up to something.

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A few hours later, Severus tiredly sat down near Hermione, each of them with their eyes on the children. Lucian was skipping rocks across the lake's surface while Sebastian and Anthea were making pyramids out of stones and mud. They sat there for several minutes just watching their little ones, all the while feeling more content than they had in years.

"Hermione," Severus said, breaking the peaceful silence, "I need to know. Just how involved am I allowed to be in their lives?"

She turned toward him slowly and looked him straight in the eye. What was he getting at? Warily she said, "It depends. How involved do you want to be?

"Completely. I've already told you, I want to be a father to them. I meant it, I still mean it, and I will always mean it. But I need to know if you will let me."

Relief flooded through her. For a moment, Hermione had thought that Severus was going to reject them and was trying to find a way to bow out as gracefully as possible despite what he had said in his office that morning. "Of course I will. I meant what I said too."

Hermione almost wanted to be angry with him, but decided against it. He was just being cautious, afraid of being rejected. She really couldn't blame him for it.

Severus was incredibly relieved. After meeting with his children properly, he never wanted to let them go. They were his, a part of him, and he loved them already.

They continued to sit there in silence for awhile longer. Neither of them knew what to say before Hermione stood, unable to stand anymore of the tension filled silence. The sense of peace had worn off while they spoke.

"We have to leave soon. I need to get them all cleaned up before we eat.

"Of course. I need to prepare for Alexander's arrival. Please allow me to escort the four of you to the castle."

Hermione nodded her acquiescence, and the two of them gathered up their triplets and headed toward the castle. Once there, they parted ways. Hermione and Severus knew that they would be seeing each other again quite soon, and neither were entirely sure what to make of it. Although, they were both certain that it was one of the longest days of their lives.

A/N: Hello everyone. I hoped you liked my longest chapter yet. I would have had it out Wednesday morning, but I've been rather busy taking care of a seven year old with the stomach flu while also trying to recover from a cold myself. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. Please continue to do so. Now, I need to go update another one of my stories considering I neglected to do so while I wrote out this chapter. Ta.