I GOT A BETA. YEAH. Many thanks to my new beta Asorel
Aftereffects and Sisters
Severus was in the kitchen, when Tobias came in at about nine 'o' clock. Seeing his youngest son staring at the table Tobias knew he had finished punishing the girls.
"Where's everyone else?" Severus asked quietly, never looking up from the table.
"Eileen's taking the boys riding," replied Tobias, just as quietly.
Severus just nodded.
"It's not as easy as you thought, huh?"
"They're not even my kids and I feel… not guilty for doing it because they, without a doubt, deserved it but…"
"Empathic?"
"Yes," Severus finally looked up from the table at his father who was coming across the kitchen to sit down beside him. "I hurt them; granted it was just a spanking and most of the sting is probably gone by now, but still…I hurt them."
"True, but think of what could have happened to them Sev, by causing them a little sting in their backsides your keeping them from causing more damage to themselves latter."
"I know, but still…"
"It hurts you here," Tobias said placing a hand over his heart.
"Yes."
Tobias was quiet for a moment as he watched his son, his youngest child, his boy; well he wasn't much of a boy any more. He was a grown man with a life all his own. "It's worth it. All the heart ache, fighting, punishing, and tears. Its worth all of it and a thousand times more to see them grow up into good people with bright futures and to see just how good of people they've become: it's worth every painful moment. You see them as adults, watch as they overcome everything that life throws at them and it fills you with an unimaginable amount of pride to know you had a small part in making them who they are. You watch when they make mistakes some they can fix others they can't and watch as they grow and learn. And it hurts, sometimes it's like having your heart ripped out and put through a cheese grinder, but in the end it's worth it. All of it."
"All of it?" asked Severus with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The same twinkle that had given Tobias many of his gray hairs.
Tobias laughed. It was a sound that Severus didn't even realize he had been missing all the time he had been away.
"Yes, boy, every bit of it. Though you couldn't pay me to do it again."
"Wonderful! Thanks, dad!" responded Severus sarcastically.
"You're welcome, boy."
They were silent for a moment before Severus spoke once more, "Thanks dad, really."
Tobias raised his eyebrow, "For what?"
Severus shrugged and that damned twinkle came back before he answered, "All of it."
"Ah…your welcome,"
Just then Tobias and Severus heard the sound of a car door slam. Curious, they got up and headed to the door. Tobias opened it just as a tall, very pregnant women with slightly longer than shoulder length black hair was about to knock.
She looked surprised for a moment before smiling, "Hi dad, hi Sev, how've been?"
Tobias swore that his heart stopped; his little girl, his oldest child was on his doorstep; pregnant, without a wedding ring or even a boyfriend on her arm.
Severus merely raised an eyebrow before responding, "Why am I not surprised?"
"Watch it, bro; I can still kick your butt."
"True, but if I start running and you gave chase in your condition, you would never be able to catch me."
The woman sent Severus a glare to rival his own, but before either could say anything else Tobias found his voice.
"You're pregnant." It was a statement.
"That's what it is," said Severus snapping his fingers, "I knew something was different but it couldn't put my finger on it."
Without tearing his eyes off his daughter, Tobias smacked Severus upside his head.
"Oww,"
"Dad, please let me explain," implored Becka.
With a sigh Tobias gestured for her to come inside while Severus grabbed her two suitcases.
"Where's mum?" asked Becka, sitting down on the sofa.
"Riding with Harry and Ron," answered Severus.
"Who?"
"It's a long story, Becka; I'll go explain, then, so we don't have to do it later."
And explain Severus did, he told his big sister everything that had happened, starting at the beginning of the triwizard tournament up to the spanking he gave the girls earlier that day. He had just finish when Eileen and the boys came in.
"Hi mum," said Becka, slightly startled Eileen looked over at her daughter and smiled, then her smile faded slightly and her eyes grew wide.
"Becka?" was all that she said as she walked over to hug her daughter.
"She'll explain after lunch mum," said Severus, "but I for one am hungry and I'm sure the kids are to, so we should eat first."
Tobias and Eileen agreed and Tobias went to make sandwiches while Severus got the girls. Becka was introduced to the four teenagers at lunch and entertained them with stories of Severus when he was a kid. After lunch Harry and Ron went into the town while Hermione and Ginny whitewashed the fence.
Once the four adults where all sitting comfortably in the living room Beck finally explained, "I met a guy and we went out a few times; I really, really, liked him, and one thing led to another and we moved in together. Several months ago when I had just I found out I was pregnant, he came home and … he hit me." At this statement Becka look around at her family to see their reactions, before she continued. As she expected her mother was looking at her sympathetically, her dad still had a shocked look on his face, and Severus looked like he was about to go hunt the bastard down and kill him in the most painful way possible. "I walked out right then and stayed at the Leaky Caldron for the night; I went back the next morning to get my things and told him I was leaving. He said 'good', and started screaming at me and calling me names and saying that the baby wasn't his. He finally calmed down long enough for me to get an oath that would extinguish his parental rights to my baby. I've been staying with friends since then, but I just recently found a little cottage outside of London and I'm looking into buying it, but the baby's due next month and I thought you all should know and I really wanted to be here with you when it's born. If you'll have me, that is?"
"Of course, baby girl," her father finally seemed to overcome his shock. "After all we let Severus back in and your not nearly as much trouble as he is."
Everyone chuckled a bit at this except Severus who had a look of pure fury on his face. "His name?"
"Severus…" began Becka but Severus interrupted her.
"His name, I'm going to kill the son of a bitch! So give me his name, now!"
"No, its over Sev, he's gone, he'll never hurt me or the baby, but I promise that if I ever see him again I'll call you and you can give the word torture a whole new meaning. Deal?"
"Fine, deal," said Severus grudgingly as he shook hands with his sister.
"Well," began Eileen, "now that that's settled we need to figure out where everyone is going to sleep."
One of the 'projects' that Tobias had put on the list for his son to do while they were on holiday was to add an extra room to the house. Seeing as the barn roof was done Tobias couldn't see a better time to start on the extra room. Becka would be staying in the room as soon as it was built. Until then it was decided that unless Severus wanted to sleep in the attic he would have to share a room with his sister; neither brother nor sister were pleased with this. Tobias had told them to think of it as motivation. With a scowl on his face and a finial glare at his sister Severus followed his father out to the truck so they could go buy two beds that would fit in the small room and move the bigger one to the attic.
Becka was a Wizarding Architect, so she was able to draw up some plans for the house while Tobias and Severus where gone. With her mother, the two decided that instead of adding a single room they could add three by extending the hall and it wouldn't be much more difficult then adding a single room; of course, they would also need another bathroom. Now, the family wouldn't be doing all the work themselves, but the good thing about living in a small town was that you could be good friends with an electrician and a plumber; with their help and the help of others it would only take about two weeks to add the rooms.
A/N: Yeah, good news i got a beta. many many many thanks to Asorel.
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