Chapter Ten: The Princes' Tale:

Severus Snape sat down with a sigh, another year over and the children had survived. Harry Potter was nothing like he had expected, he was polite and studious as was Phin. Ah Phin, Severus knew who he was alright, how could he not? He had been at the double wedding of James and Lily and Sirius and Mary. How could he not after what they had done for him after the tragic event that fully changed his life. Sure Charity really helped him in school but he was so close, so very close to joining Voldemort when his family was murdered. He had been home when death eaters attacked his father had helped fight back, even shot a few dead but in the end no matter how hard his parents and he fought they were too powerful and killed his parents. He was captured, only seventeen he was taken and tortured for being what the death eaters thought as an "abomination".

It had been James' father who had led a group to rescue him, and he had woke several days later in St. Mungos. He had nearly died and the news had spread through Hogwarts. It had not helped Voldemort's cause at all, he was suppose to bring one such as Severus into the fold not torture him! No matter that Voldemort had tried to get a letter to Severus stating he had not meant what his death eaters had done Severus would never join him now. He had been shocked when James, Sirius and Remus showed up at his hospital bed pale and worried. He went for his wand, the three stood looking shamed and stunned, no more were they little bullying boys, Slytherin or no Severus did not deserve what had been done to him.

"I am so very sorry for your loss." James said, "you did not deserve that."

"What do you want?" Severus snarled.

"To apologize." Sirius said, "I mean it, I mean they are evil and I was evil, I don't want to be like them! I am sorry, though you are still ugly…"

"And you are brainless, if this is a prank…"

"No! We swear it is not, in fact I James Charlus Potter do swear never to harm, prank or hurt Severus Tobias Snape in any way ever again, so be it."

"I Sirius Orion Black do swear never to harm, prank or hurt Severus Tobias Snape in any way ever again, so be it." Sirius said.

"You really are an SOB." Severus smirked.

"I Remus John Lupin do swear never to harm, prank or hurt Severus Tobias Snape in any way ever again, so be it." Remus said.

"So where is Pettigrew?" Severus asked.

"With his mother, this really shook him up, he would have been here and he agrees with us." James said, "look I mean what I say, you know that now, I will not ever hurt you again."

"Thank you, but I still don't like you." Severus snarled.

"Yea, we kind of deserve that." Sirius said, "me mostly, I am sorry for everything."

"Well, when I am fully healed I am going to knock you down." Severus said.

"Let's go mates, he needs his rest." James said.

They had left and Severus ended up if not friends with them at least allies. Severus had been a great help in the war against Voldemort. He had lost quite a few followers due to Severus who used more than magic to get his point across. A muggle gun could cause quite a bit of terror and he had no problem using one to make sure many a death eater never rose again. Yet in the end the Potters and Blacks were dead, Harry Potter was hidden away until this year. Severus had started teaching in 1982 and a year later he married Charity Burbage and two years later they had a son and had tried so hard to give him a sibling, a wish that was finally coming true. In fact that was why Severus was glad school was out, as Charity had gone into labor to give birth to their triplet girls.

"She will be fine you know." Flitwick said watching him pace back and forth in the waiting room of St. Mungos.

"I want to be there with her." Severus said.

"Well you know the ancient customs, only witches can tend witches at birth, we just would be in the way of the magic and the bonding." Flitwick replied, "she will be fine."

"Professor Snape?" A young healer witch in the lime green robes said from the doorway, "you can come in now."

"Are they alright?" Severus asked.

"Yes, all are doing well, they are beautiful little girls, but not identical." The healer said, "that is rare you know, for you to have two sets in Hogwarts right now, well that is a great thing."

"If you say so, the Weasley twins are a handful!" Severus growled.

He walked down the hall and into a comfortable room cleared of all signs of the birth with Charity looking very tired but pleased with three tiny bundles with her. Severus walked up and took a look at his daughters and smiled, he was a very lucky man to have such beautiful children. He took them one by one and named them, Charity had picked the names but as custom Severus would officially name them as the head of the house. So it was that Violet, Rose and Daisy were named and each looked a bit like their namesake. Violet had a tuft of black hair and blue-violet eyes, Rose had rosy cheeks and a tuft of red hair and Daisy had blue eyes and a tuft of blond hair.

"Such lovely girls." Severus said smiling softly at them, "I am doomed."

"Yes my dear, they already have you wrapped tightly around their little fingers." Charity said smiling.

"I don't mind, and Alex, well he will love his sisters, I am sure of it."

"That he will." Charity said, "you did well my prince."

"I did well?" Severus said arching an eyebrow, "my dear it is you who did all the work, you carried them in your womb, and gave birth to them! All I did was provide the seed."

"Well your seed is very strong my love." Charity replied, "but this is the last children I can have, I know you…."

"Hush, you, we have plenty and I was jesting when I said we should match the Weasleys, I am pleased with all we have. We are very blessed." Severus said smiling at his lovely wife. "How will you nurse all the children though?"

"Well I will help." A young woman with bright red hair and baby on her hip said entering the room, "Martha Stone here to help, and no you don't get to pay me."

"I should, I feel I am taking advantage of you if I don't." Charity replied.

"Hardly, I am nursing already, another few is not going to matter. I have milk enough."

The magical world had their traditions, some like nursing your own child or having a wet nurse were still in full swing. No magical mother would ever use muggle formula, if she could not nurse herself she could buy fresh breast milk, or even goats milk and many a mother did that could not nurse went this route. So between Charity and Martha the four children would be well fed and Severus, being a man was very impressed by what his wife and other women could do. Not only have a child but fed it from themselves, that to him was amazing. Of course other things about women were amazing as well and, as soon as the children were weaned, well he would not think on that now. It was not fair to his wife. Yes Severus Snape was kept in line by his wife and he actually liked that thank you very much!

It was a month before he was able to get out, he did not have to stay by his wife's side but he wanted to. She knew how busy he normally was and it meant so much he actually cleared his schedule to help with the babies that first month. But she refused to let him take more than a month as he had so much work to do. Besides she had lots of help, between Martha, her own mother Faith who simply adored Severus and thought he was the perfect prince for her princess she had plenty of help. She was widowed from the last war and had never remarried but she would tease Severus mercilessly as she liked him. He knew she bragged about him to everyone, that he was the perfect son-in-law, smart enough to keep up with Charity. He simply thought all those horror tales of mother-in-laws were just that, tales. He got along well with Faith as she treated him very well and in fact sided with Charity when she said he needed to get back to his potions and the like.

So it was one could find him in his vast potions lab at Hogwarts. This was a bonus working at Hogwarts, as most potions in use today were created in two places, Hogwarts and Maiji Temple of Magical learning in China. Maiji was one of only three magical schools in China that had survived the so called cultural revolution. Mao had died of a curse placed on him by an unknown magical that had taken years to kill him. But that was a story for another day and age, China was having a golden age of magic now and Severus was well known there with his revolutionary potions. One was the vaccine that he had helped create with an American team against Lycanthropy. He had helped bring it to China as he was one of a few that could not only speak Mandarin but read and write it as well. He had been taken under the wing of Mary Woo, a fugitive fleeing from the wrath of Mao as she had put the curse on him. She had taught him not only potions but how to read and write in Chinese. She had been murdered in the war and Severus vowed revenge on those who did that.

"Ah there you are Severus." Lucius Malfoy said stepping into Severus's vast lab. "I thought Charity would kick you out sooner."

"As if, I wanted to help." Severus said, "they are my girls too, and I wanted to help."

"Wrapped." Lucius muttered.

"And I enjoy it very much." Severus replied, "I am sorry we failed to trap him."

"Well you did try." Lucius replied.

Severus remembered that the death of mistress Woo had hit Lucius hard. She was a light to the world, a great lady and Voldemort had killed her just because he could. No reason for that at all, he didn't even see her as a threat and just killed her for his amusement. This got Lucius to turn from Voldemort and turn spy against him, he had learned just who Voldemort really was as well. He was still a bigot but one that was on the side of light and good. Severus knew he had handed over a book that had something evil of Voldemort in it, if he was willing to do that then there was hope for him yet.

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Bill drew the hood over his head as the sun beat down on him. He had found something here that was amazing, far more than the library that housed scrolls upon scrolls of Egyptian history. There were scrolls that detailed the daily life of the Egyptians, from the average worker up to the scribes, nobles, priests and pharaohs that lived in that ancient time. Right now he was headed through the narrow crack that housed the library and other buildings to where a vast complex had been buried for thousands of years. Right now it was being cleared out and a vast temple complex was being unburied. Yet Bill was headed to what looked like an opening to a cave but was something far different. He headed in and down a set of stairs to a vast chamber that the muggles could not see. Here were was the ancient magical library of Egypt and one that could shed light on ancient days and maybe shed light on why magical Egypt fell long before the rest of Egypt did.

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So Severus and Charity have had triplet girls, Lucius had a reason to turn to the light and what will Bill find in Egypt?

Anyway, do review please!