I own nothing! I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters! I just own the Snape family members (except for Severus, of course), and the other OC's.
Chessie opened her eyes, startled at the sensation she was getting. Umbridge had reluctantly let her stay with Severus, but had sworn that the duo would once again separate once the child, or children as Trelawney, Kiru and Luna would admonish, was born. She sighed, recalling how it was now a month after Dumbledore had left Hogwarts, and two months after Umbridge had finally let her sleep with Severus. She felt the sensation again, and this time recognized the symptoms of childbirth that Madame Pomfrey had given her.
"Hey, Severus," Chessie whispered, looking at the clock to find that it was midnight. "What would you say if I told you I was in labor?"
"I'd say that was the worst April Fool's joke you've tried yet," he growled groggily. After a few seconds, however, he bolted upright, suddenly alert. "Oh, no. Now?"
"I think so," Chessie said nervously furrowing her brow. She winced, and Severus immediately knew what to do: get her walking just enough to get her to the Room of Requirement, or as close there as she could walk.
"Chessie, I want you to try to keep calm," he said calmly, but panicking on the inside, staying strong for his wife. "Do not scream, and whatever you do, don't panic – Poppy will be there in the room of requirement with us." He cast a silent Patronus to let Minerva know where he'd gone off to so late and on such little notice. He scrawled out a note, telling the students that classes were now cancelled until further notice, but that they could practice potions if they wanted to, so long as they never blew something up.
"Severus," Chessie whined, putting her hands on her swollen abdomen.
"Alright, let's go," he said, pulling her into the hallway. He looked around, wary of Umbridge, and led her up the first, then second, and third flight of stairs.
By the time they got to the Hospital Wing, she was panting and beginning to sweat and wince more in the pain. Severus knocked, and Poppy quickly answered. Her eyes widened in understanding, and he watched as she turned around to get the potions and equipment they would need for the day's long journey. Chessie, however, was whimpering in pain by the time they got to the sixth floor, and Severus was having to half-drag her to the room of requirement.
I need somewhere private for my wife to give birth. I need somewhere private for my wife to give birth, he kept thinking, and the door readily opened itself for the trio. Chessie was shocked as she looked at the simple, yet necessary, furnishings in the room.
In the center there was a bed that sat up so she would be able to feed the child once she was done, and even a nightstand next to it. On top of the nightstand was a large tub of boiling hot water, with towels right next to it. There were blankets, a couple chairs located in two spots near the bed, and one very large mirror located at the foot of the bed for hell-knew-why.
Chessie cried out in pain as Severus lowered her onto the bed just before her water broke. She stared into his eyes, panicking, and he put his hand on her head to let her know that he was staying right where he was for the day. He'd already given the Weasley Twins the list of questions, and had even let Kiru add the question of "what would you guys do if I told you that my step-mom was having twins right now?" he chuckled, amused, and explained it to Chessie, who laughed hysterically until another labor pain struck her violently.
"Oh, it hurts!" she wailed at about six in the morning. "How much longer, Poppy?"
"Just a second, dear," she soothed, pointing her wand at the woman. "Just a little longer, Chessie, you're doing just fine. Severus, go get some hot towels and lay them on her abdomen and waist. It will help soothe her muscles and loosen them up."
He nodded, and raced to perform whatever tasks the medic needed him to. Normally, he wouldn't do so, and both women knew it, but they also knew that this wasn't just to keep him calm. It was to keep him occupied so he didn't worry as much, and to help him feel like he'd helped out during the delivery and to let him feel like he was already a major part in his upcoming children's lives.
"Oh, dear," Poppy murmured as Severus arrived with the fourth batch of hot towels for Chessie. "Dears, I – I believe you're going to be the proud parents of two new bundles!"
"T-twins," Severus muttered. "Crap. Kiru, Luna, Trelawney – they were right. They were all correct, it is twins…."
"Severus Tobias Snape," Chessie growled, arching her back in pain. "Don't you dare doubt your daughter's musiclancer abilities ever again, understand? Aagh, now get over here and help me out! Do something, Severus! Poppy!"
"It's alright," the medic soothed them gently. "The first one's crowning. Get ready, Severus. You might want to cast a muffling or silencing spell."
"No," he said quickly, heading over to Poppy's side to watch his child come into the world. It was disturbing, even he wouldn't deny that, but well worth it in the end, he decided as Chessie struggled to complete her first task. "Come on, little one, just a little further. Just a little further, damn it."
"Severus," the two women scolded, Poppy's attention turned angrily towards him for mere seconds.
"Poppy!" Severus said angrily, catching his child just before it fell. It was wailing loudly, and he could have sworn he was going to drop it. "Holy Salazar Slytherin… a son… my son…. I mean, our, dearest. Our son…"
"Daemon," she moaned, clearly still in pain, "Daemon Severus Snape."
"Daemon Severus," the potions master whispered as he gingerly cut the umbilical cord and Poppy continued to administer to the tiny bundle in his arms. "I couldn't have chosen better myself."
"Thanks," Chessie panted, resting slightly from the first. "How much longer till the second one comes?"
"Who knows," Poppy said shrugging. "Maybe ten minutes, maybe ten hours. It's hard to tell. I do know this much, however: your son is perfectly healthy. Knowing you, Chessie, any woman with a good sense of humor would want to spread a rumor about you having a child on April fool's day, but only you could actually do so without causing a riot."
"Thanks," she laughed, before screaming in pain and lying back down. "Shit, she's coming!"
"Language, dearest," Severus scolded gently. "Poppy, is it safe to take him downstairs?"
"Yes," she breathed. "Just – make sure he doesn't get anything but the baby formula. It's in the bag, and whatever you do, don't mix it with the morning juice!"
"Right," Severus nodded. "Chessie, do you want me to stay or to leave?"
"Go," she groaned. "You deserve it, big guy. Let the school think Daemon's a loner and let me scare the shi- crap out of them later when I walk in the Great Hall carrying our next one in a few weeks."
"Be good for Poppy," Snape said, gingerly kissing her forehead. He let her have her bonding moments with her son just before another labor pain lashed at her. "I'll be back with him so he can feed later."
"Highly unlikely," Poppy corrected. "She'll be with me in the Hospital Wing before the day is out, rest assured, Severus."
"Thank you for helping us, Poppy," Severus said genuinely. "Chessie, I'll make it up to you for causing you so much pain with the babies. Maybe a nice trip to the beach, or…"
"Or," she gasped. "You could get out of here so I can't hurt my baby's ears!"
He nodded before leaving, stealing through the completely empty school. He knew by now that everyone was out at lunch, and that the school was eagerly awaiting the lunch and dinner jokes that the Weasley's would put on. He cast his patronus, letting it linger just long enough for the Weasley twins to get the message to ask the question that they thought was completely random and that Kiru had made up.
Severus got down to the Great Hall door for the teachers just as the twins were beginning. He smirked, and gently rocked the newborn in his arms back and forth. He smirked, looking down at the little crimson bundle that he'd wrapped inside a spare cloak he'd brought to keep Chessie warm should she get cold. Ironically, it was soft enough for him to use as the baby's blanket, so Poppy had allowed it as a backup blanket for the baby in case it was twins.
"Hey, Fred," Severus heard George say. "What would you say if I told you that Professor Chessie Snape was giving birth right now?"
"I don't know. Is that an April Fool's joke, or is it real? I don't want to get in trouble, in case the greasy bat of the dungeons shows up," George grinned, but stopped immediately at the look on his twin's face, realizing he was serious. "Although, if it were real, I'd say good luck to the two Professors and that I hope that they'll be happy and live long and prosper with the little bundle of snarkiness!"
"I should dock points for that, Mr. and Mr. Weasley," Severus grinned as he walked into the Great Hall with his son in his arms. "Although, my sincerest… interest… at your choice of words about my new son and daughter."
"S-sir?" they asked, taken aback. "Is – is this a joke, sir?"
"Does my son look like a joke to you, Weasley?" Snape snarled, immediately protective of his newborn son. At the feel of his father's wrath, Daemon began crying loudly, wanting food, and Severus hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do. "Shit… I really should've talked to Poppy about this…"
"Severus," Minerva said quickly as she went over to the Slytherin leader. "Is that-? What am I saying? Of course he is! May I hold him?"
"S-sure," he said hesitantly, and the Gryffindor leader gingerly took the hours-old infant into her arms. He smirked, petting his son's head and smirking. "He's already a little devil, aren't you, Daemon?"
"Daemon? You named him Daemon?" the Muggle Studies teacher shrieked, and the small infant began wailing louder at the sound of her aggravation. Immediately as he began crying, her cup began to boil ever so slightly. "Why the hell would you do that? Do you realize what you've done to that poor child just by naming him that, let alone having to have you for a father?"
"I had-!" Severus was cut off by the juice spraying into the Muggle Studies teacher, soaking her completely. "That, I had nothing to do with. On both the juice and the name, and for the record, Chessie named him, not me. I just couldn't think of a better name than she'd already given him."
"A likely sto-!" she was cut off again by bouts of accidental magic. Severus realized what was going on, Daemon's loud crying reaching his ears, and the deputy headmistress was struggling to soothe the infant.
"Hush, Daemon," Severus whispered as he took his child back into his arms. Gradually, the onslaught of pumpkin juice stopped, and Severus looked between the goblet and his son. He smirked, which scared the students more than just the very thought of a Snape Junior running around the place in diapers, and almost doubled over laughing if he hadn't been using his every ounce of self-control to keep it in and hide it with chuckling. "You little hellion, your mamma was right to name you that. Yes, yes she was."
"Severus," Dolores sneered. "My congratulations. I presume you and your wife will be sleeping separately now, then."
"You wish," Severus snarled. "It takes two parents to raise a child, Dolores, and it will most definitely take two parents to care for two infants." In an instant, a Pegasus appeared, and Severus' eyes widened in delight.
"I'm alright, Severus," the Pegasus spoke in Chessie's delighted, albeit exhausted, voice. "I'm tired, but our daughter is safe and sound. I hope you honestly didn't tell the pink menace, or else the twins will need to be watched over by a few aurors to protect them. I don't want my babies in danger because of some Ministry hag's incompetence with teenagers."
"You," Dolores spat. "Expelliarmus!"
Daemon was shot into the air, much to Severus' shock, and he silently thanked himself for casting a sticking charm to keep the cloaks folded over the newborn boy safely hiding his gender. In a mere second, Harry was off the ground, alight on his firebolt, and protecting the newborn Slytherin. Draco immediately brought out his wand, and the entirety of the Slytherin house followed suit. They were mad, all of them beyond mad for what she'd done to an infant. Much to Severus' shock, the entire school rallied behind him, bringing out their wands to the defense of his newborn son. Potter dodged one of Umbridge's curses, and Severus immediately seized his chance. He yanked the one potion he'd need on his flask at all times, and shoved it down the pink menace's throat. He latched onto the collar of her robes with his left hand, not even bothering to draw his wand with his right one, and began to pummel the woman viciously.
"Don't you ever hurt my son again," Severus roared as he hit her as hard as he could in between every word he said. "If you do I'll make sure you suffer permanent damage!"
"Cruccio!" she cast at the Potions Master, and he was forced onto the floor, writhing in pain rivaled only by one of Voldemort's own Cruciatus curses.
The entire school watched in horror as Dolores Jane Umbridge cast a killing curse at the small bundle in Harry's unsuspecting care.
*gasp* Will Daemon die? Will Harry? Okay, you know the answer to that last one.
But seriously, a review would be nice. If someone reviews I'll send Umbridge to Azkaban.
