A/N: Just a few more chapters to go on this one. Thank you all for reading!

Hope Reawakened

-10-

Hermione startled awake at the sound of the Floo activating. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced behind her to ascertain that Severus was still asleep and then carefully disentangled herself from his arms. Silently, she crept to the fireplace just as Harry's head appeared in the grate.

"Shhh…" she cautioned, dropping to her knee. "Severus is sleeping."

"Okay," Harry nodded. "How is he?"

The woman briefly glanced over her shoulder and then shrugged. "I think he's improving. The Healer said he would feel far better tomorrow."

"Trust me, he will," the wizard nodded. "I felt like absolute shite for –"

"Harry James Potter!" came Ginny's muffled shout. "Your son repeats everything you say!"

"Sorry!" he called back before clearing his throat. "I meant, I felt like absolute rubbish until the next morning."

"Good," she murmured. "Well, not good that you felt that way, but that it passes soon."

"I knew what you meant," Harry chuckled. "Anyway, besides the fact that I have a rather jittery six year old wanting to go home, I have to tell you that I spoke to Kingsley again."

"Oh? Did you give him my message?"

"Erm, not exactly."

"Harry!" she hissed.

"You can tell him yourself," he suggested with a grin. "Tomorrow morning, eleven, at Grimmauld Place."

"What?"

"Kingsley's decided to convene an Order meeting. He thinks they ought to know that Professor Snape is alive before the rest of the Wizarding World does."

"Oh, how magnanimous of him," she sneered, settling back on her haunches.

"Merlin, the Professor's back amongst the living one day, and you're already sounding like him," the man teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Watch it, Potter."

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Now about this squirrelly child jumping up and down…"

"Send him through," she smiled.

"Mum! I –"

"Shhh," she warned, catching hold of her son by the shoulders. "Daddy's sleeping right now."

"But we just had supper. It can't be bedtime yet!"

His mother giggled softly and touched his face. "No, not yet. But, listen to me, Bren. Are you listening? Daddy doesn't feel very good right now. Do you remember when you had the Black Cat Flu last year?"

Brendan's face fell as he glanced over her head to the couch. "Daddy has the Kitty Flu?"

"No, no," she shook her head. "He just feels like you did then, but he'll be better tomorrow. Tonight, though, you need to be quiet and calm, alright? Just until he feels better."

"Oh-kay," he sighed glumly. "But can I stay down here?"

Hermione pressed her lips to his forehead and then patted him on the behind. "Of course you can, darling. Are you hungry?"

"Nah-uh. Aunt Ginny stuffed me up plenty!"

The witch snorted beneath her breath and hauled herself to her feet. "Remind me to thank Uncle Harry for teaching you to speak so eloquently."

"Okay, Mum," he nodded before moving toward the armchair and hauling himself onto the cushion.

She watched him in mild amusement for a moment and then whispered, "Are you just going to sit there, or would you like something to do?"

When Brendan simply shrugged, his mother sighed and retrieved two brightly-colored books from the nearest bookshelf. After handing them to her son, she hauled him up enough to sit beneath him on the chair and then placed him upon her lap. As the boy snuggled back against her, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose in his silky hair.

After half an hour passed in relative silence – punctuated with only the repetitive sounds of pages turning and Snape's deep breaths of slumber – the young wizard pressed his head back against his mother's chest and sighed, "Mum, I'm hungry."

"I thought Aunt Ginny stuffed you plenty," Hermione murmured, tickling his sides.

Squirming, Brendan giggled and shook his head. "Guess I found room."

"Oh, did you, now?" she teased. "And just how shall I fill it, hmm?"

"Cake!" he squealed amidst laughter.

The woman grimaced, realizing that she would wake up Severus if they continued, and then stilled her fingers. Quieting her son down, she kissed his temple and shook her head. "You finished your cake this morning, remember."

"Oh, yeah. Can you make another one?"

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not baking another cake. It would be bedtime before it was even ready."

"Okay," the boy sighed. "Then porridge."

"Porridge?" she repeated incredulously. "You want porridge before bed?"

"Well, I had cake for breakfast," he said pointedly.

"Fair enough," she snickered, pushing out of the chair. "Porridge, it is. And let your father sleep."

"Yes, Mum." Smiling when the witch ruffled his hair on her way into the kitchen, Brendan picked up his book again and settled back into the chair. Within a few minutes, he felt his eyelids beginning to droop.

"What are you reading?"

With a gasp, the boy glanced up to see that his somewhat rumpled-looking father was awake and blinking at him. Peering around the edge of his chair, he grinned at finding that his mother was still occupied, and then quickly scampered out of the chair and over to the sofa. As the former spy grimaced and slowly propped himself up, his son climbed onto the cushion beside him and then flattened out the book on his lap.

"It's called Denny the Dragon," he explained. "Denny's a dragon, but his mum loses him when he was still an egg, though, so when he hatches, he's all alone in the Enchanted Forest. Then he finds Henry, and they become friends. Henry's a hippogriff. The rest of the animals are scared of Denny, but Henry's not. They play together all the time, but then Henry's little sister Hillie gets lost in an ice storm and no one can find her. But Denny does, and he keeps her warm with fires until the ice stops. When they come home, everyone's happy and they don't care that Denny's a dragon anymore 'cause he's a hero."

"I see," Severus murmured, glancing down at the colorful page. "It sounds... like a good story."

Brendan nodded as he closed the book. "It's my favorite."

"Ah." The man paused for a moment to push off some of the blankets that Hermione had piled on top of him. "Did you know that your mother once flew on a hippogriff?"

"Oh, yeah!" the boy exclaimed with a smile. "She flew on a dragon, too!"

"She did?"

"Mmm-hmm. Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry told me that like three times, I think. Mum flew on a lot of things, but actually she doesn't like flying."

Snape smirked. "No, she certainly does not."

"Do you like flying?"

"I do, yes."

Brendan's eyes widened noticeably as he looked up at him. "Can you fly like Uncle Harry does?"

"I'm not certain that I can fly as well as that anymore," the Slytherin sighed, "but I believe that I could still manage a broom."

"And you can take me flying?"

His father chuckled softly and nodded. "I'll have to purchase a new broom first, but yes, I could do that."

"And can you teach me how to fly?" he pressed. "Uncle Harry won't because he's scared of Mum."

"As well he should be," Severus remarked before raising one eyebrow. "Does your mother not want you learning how to fly?"

Brendan blew out a sad breath. "She says not until Hogwarts."

The former professor snorted and shook his head. "Well, I most certainly cannot allow my son to attend his first flying lesson without proper preparation on commanding a broom."

"Does that mean you'll teach me?"

He flicked his eyes quickly toward doorway to the kitchen to ensure that it was still empty. With a mischievous grin, he bent down and whispered in his son's ear. "Just as long as you don't tell your mother."

Without warning, the little wizard launched himself forward, wrapping his arms about the man's neck. Squeezing as tightly as he could, the boy murmured, "I'm glad you came back, Daddy."

"So I could teach you how to fly?" he questioned in an amused tone while tentatively touching the back of the boy's head.

"Uh-huh," Brendan nodded against his shoulder, "and so Mummy won't have to be sad anymore."

Snape stiffened at the quiet statement and pulled back enough to be able to look down at the boy's face. "What?"

His son shrugged his shoulders. "Mummy always cried a lot 'cause you went away, but now you came back, so she'll be happy and not sad."

The ex-spy drew in a pained breath as he listened. He remembered just how quickly the boy had tried to comfort Hermione after had she briefly broken down at the museum. "Brendan, look at me. I want to thank you for taking care of your mother while I was gone. You have been a very good boy. Now that I'm here, though, you don't need to do so much of it anymore. Understand?"

"'Cause it's your job now?"

The tall wizard nodded. "It's my job now."

"Good," Brendan replied, sagging slightly in relief. "'Cause I don't do a very good job. She was sad a lot."

Straightening his spine, Severus cupped the child's face with one hand and stroked his thumb over the child's cheek. "I don't believe that that is true at all. You have done an excellent job of it, and... I am proud of you."

"Really?" When he received an emphatic nod in response, the boy again pressed himself tightly around his father's chest.

The man closed his eyes briefly as he fully returned the embrace, and then whispered, "Brendan."

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I want you to know," he breathed, "that had I been able to, I would never have left the two of you alone. I would have been here... for you... and for your mother."

"I know, Daddy," Brendan replied, squeezing him tighter. "Mummy said you would."

Swallowing slowly, Snape looked toward the kitchen. His heart skipped at seeing Hermione standing in the doorway with tears glistening on her cheeks.

Upon realizing that she had been caught eavesdropping, the witch swallowed heavily and wiped at her eyes. Clearing her throat, she mumbled, "I was just coming to tell him that the food was ready, but... erm... Would you like some more tea? I can put some..."

She trailed off when he shook his head. Inhaling deeply, she nervously clasped her hands in front of her. "Do you want some broth? Or... can I get you anything else?"

"Hermione," he stated softly.

"Yes?"

"I would prefer it if you would stop fussing and take a bloody seat." When Brendan giggled against his chest, the wizard winced.

"Don't worry. He's heard worse," Hermione smirked as she stepped toward the sofa. Perching beside her two wizards, she quickly touched her wrist to Snape's forehead before he had the chance to complain. "Fever's broken, then? Good. Are you feeling a bit better?"

Severus nodded and then cleared his throat. "I can honestly say that I've never felt better."

His witch grinned brightly and leaned forward, bringing her lips to his. "Nor have I."

After a chaste kiss, she nestled into his side and placed one hand upon their child's backside.

"I didn't wake him up, Mum," Brendan exclaimed, turning his head so that he faced her but still kept one cheek against his father's robes.

The woman chuckled and gently touched his cheek. "I know, baby. It's okay. Now, are you going to eat your porridge?"

The boy scrunched up his face in consideration before slowly blinking and letting out a big yawn. "I dunno..."

"You're that tired, huh?" she murmured in disbelief, watching as his eyelids fell shut. "After all that work I put in to make you food?"

When only silence met her teasing, she sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. When she noticed Severus frowning at her in confusion, she stretched up to whisper in his ear. "He tends to feign sleep when he thinks he might get in trouble... thinks I'll take pity on him."

The man snorted softly, and she could see that there was a look of pride in his eyes as he murmured, "Seems you've raised yourself a Slytherin."

"Yeah? And whose fault is that, love?"

"Oh, I think you have more than your fair share of cunning," he replied.

"Is that so?" Hermione smirked, pressing her lips against his once more. He made an affirmative groan as he returned her kiss, and when they separated, she returned her head to his shoulder. After a few minutes, she whispered, "I could stay like this forever."

"Mmm," he grunted. "I suppose we'd have to turn over every so often, though, so as to avoid bedsores."

The witch laughed in spite of herself and then slapped his arm. "Yes, well, as charming a picture as you've painted... Kingsley's scheduled an Order meeting for tomorrow morning, so we'll have to venture away from the sofa."

"Is it absolutely necessary that you attend?"

"Considering it's entire purpose is to announce your return, I would say so."

The man groaned and rolled his eyes. "They all read the Prophet."

Hermione snorted. "Kingsley's holding back the hounds for another day, and we've only been to St. Mungo's, which is magically bound to maintain confidentiality."

When he did not say anything in return, she ran her fingertips through the shorter hairs on the side of his head. "We don't have to stay terribly long. Maybe an hour or so, and then come back home."

"I suppose," he shrugged, staring into the fire.

"It will be alright, love," she assured him with a small smile. "I know that Arthur and Molly would love to see you... and George, of course."

Snape shook his head in disbelief. "I'm the reason he lost his ear."

"And kept the rest of him," the witch chided, tugging gently on his hair. "He's been exceptionally grateful to you ever since Harry explained what he had seen in your memories of that night. He's even tried to honor you, you know... in his own way."

"Oh, don't tell me there's a Whiz-bang named after me."

"Not that I'm aware of," the woman giggled. "However, Skiving Snackboxes are half-price on your birthday."

The man raised one eyebrow. "There are no words to express how flattered I am."

"Oh, I'm sure there are. You're just not trying hard enough."

"Indeed," he grunted.

"But seriously," the woman murmured, "He's told me several times how thankful he is. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be here... wouldn't have gotten married... wouldn't have become a father."

"Weasley?" he scoffed.

"Mmm," she nodded. "Little Freddie's almost three now, and Angelina is due in a few months with their second. A girl, they think. He's still George Weasley, of course, but he's become rather responsible since... since the War ended."

"Well, wonders never cease."

Hermione bore a small smile and briefly pressed her forehead against his shoulder. "You shouldn't worry about it, Sev. They'll all want to see you. They know how much there is for which they need to thank you."

"It's not that I think they'll be ungrateful," the wizard replied before taking in a deep breath. "It's just... you don't know what it was like at Hogwarts that year. It was... I allowed things to happen that were..."

"I know," she whispered gently. "I know what you had to do, darling. We all do."

Severus closed his eyes and slowly smoothed one hand along his son's spine. "I just don't want you to be surprised if things don't go well."

"I think you might be the one surprised, then," the woman smiled before adjusting her position on the couch. "If anyone is going to have to beat a hasty retreat, it's going to be Kingsley. I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with his testicles after I relieve him of them. I'm sure George will have a few solid suggestions."

"Hermione," he grunted, glancing pointedly down at their son's head.

"What?" she shrugged. "He's asleep. It usually happens within a few minutes whenever he tries to pretend."

"Hmmm," he rumbled with a smirk. "Slytherin in theory, Gryffindor in practice, then."

"Oh, stuff it," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Bren'll want to introduce you to Teddy, by the way. He asked me this morning if he could share us."

"Share us?"

She nodded as she pushed into an upright position. "You know, since he has two parents, and Teddy doesn't have either of his. He really astounds me sometimes."

The man noticed her blink back a few tears and caught hold of her hand when she began to stand. "Takes after his mother."

Hermione gave a quiet laugh and wiped her eyes with her free hand. Leaning down, she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips and then straightened to her full height. "I can take him up to bed now. I know he gets rather heavy after a while."

When he swallowed hesitantly and glanced down at the sleeping child, she grinned and shook her head. "If you'd like to keep him, you can! He can even sleep down here with us tonight if you're not ready to give him up."

"Well... I..."

She snorted softly. "I'll fetch his pajamas in a minute, then."

Severus watched her pick up the discarded book beside him and then set it on a nearby end table. "He said that was his favorite book."

"Oh yeah," his lover smirked. "We visit Denny the Dragon at least twice a week. He told me once that he liked it because it reminded him of you."

His eyebrows rose at the comment. "What?"

"Well, you do have to admit - there are some parallels there." A mischievous glint was in her eye as she folded her arms. "I believe I may have likened you to a dragon once or twice upon a time."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Speaking of dragons, what is this I hear of you -"

"Oh, of course he told you that!"

"Was it Potter or Weasley who came up with that hare-brained scheme?"

The witch shifted awkwardly and scrunched up her face before answering, "Actually, it was sort of my idea."