A/N - And here we have it. The official final chapter, with an epilogue still to come. I have so many things to say, but I will leave them until you have read it.
I'm so nervous!
Chapter 14 - There's A Flaw In My Flue
Another week or so went by without further incident, the majority of the school forgetting about the juicy gossip that was Hermione and Draco's sex life when the couple had entered the Great Hall with their heads held high, behaving as though nothing was amiss. Any students that had sniggered or tried to re-stir the issue were met with very little reaction, which caused the entire situation to turn boring rather quickly. Having lost interest in the dramas of that particular niche of Seventh Years, the rumour mill turned its sights towards its next weekly target and life moved on.
And so it was that the nineteenth of September, Hermione's birthday, rapidly approached. Severus was anxious to make her first official birthday with he and Remus as enjoyable as possible, much to his lover's growing amusement.
"Aren't you the one who usually moans about parents spoiling their children?" Remus asked him over breakfast that day, after he'd posed the suggestion of removing her from the castle for the day to visit the Louvre.
His reply was a haughty "Forgive me if I'd like to compensate for eighteen years of missed birthdays, Lupin."
Remus sighed and shook his head with a fond smile. He doubted anyone –bar Hermione and Draco- would believe him if he was to start telling people what a sentimental man Severus Snape actually was. "Regardless," he said, feeling exceedingly strange that he was the voice of reason, "None of us can afford to miss an entire day of school simply because it's her birthday."
Severus frowned. "Perhaps just the evening? We can take her out to a nice restaurant after classes are done for the day. See the Eiffel Tower by night..." He was particularly hung up on the idea of visiting Paris and was forced to sheepishly admit that it was because Hermione had told him in one of their passing discussions that she'd never been. He wanted rather desperately to be the one to provide that experience for her.
Remus contemplated the idea and nodded. It would be nice to stroll by the Seine with Severus. He could imagine the lights reflecting off the water, stars shining in the night sky above them, the City Of Love living up to its moniker nicely in his mind's eye. "I think that could work out nicely," he replied, stifling a chuckle at the way Severus' expression lit up with a smug sort of happiness. "We'll make it a surprise and everything. I'm sure she'll love it."
"She'll want Draco to join us," Severus went on, cracking the shell of his boiled egg with satisfaction, "And possibly Potter and Weasley." He tried particularly valiantly to keep the distaste from his tone. "Which naturally means Goyle and Brown would invite themselves along."
Remus shook his head in the negative, setting down his cup of tea and reaching for his toast, buttering it lightly. "Why don't we arrange a small party in the Room of Requirement for Saturday so that she can share the occasion with her friends then instead? Like you, I'd like to keep tonight confined to family. Draco included, naturally."
Severus' shoulders almost sagged with relief and he leaned across the table to kiss his lover chastely, glad that they'd opted to take breakfast in his quarters rather than in the Great Hall. "Sometimes, Wolf, I quite like the way you think."
Remus' smile turned teasing. "Only sometimes?"
-?-
Hermione met Draco after their final classes for the day and together they made their way down to Severus' rooms as per the man's request. He and Remus had sent her a beautiful birthday card, which she'd received during the mail drop at breakfast, and a note that explained they would be celebrating the occasion together over dinner as a family (and that particular concept thrilled her more than words could possibly express, especially given the rocky nature of her fathers' relationship). When they got to the portrait that guarded her Dad's rooms, she said the password and entered, knowing that Severus would still be tidying up after his last class.
In the sitting room, she found a parcel with her name on it and she grinned, reaching immediately for the card. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the gift was from Draco and she unwrapped it at once. Beneath the gold wrapping paper she found an exquisite leather bound journal with gilded edges, her name embossed across the lower right hand corner, and a phoenix feather quill, as well as an expensive self-replenishing inkwell. "This is beautiful," she said, turning to kiss him by way of thanks, "But it's too much!"
Draco laughed and rolled his eyes. "I'm a Malfoy, Hermione; nothing is too much." Though he couldn't risk going home for fear of his father lurking on the expansive grounds, Draco had turned eighteen and, in the eyes of the law, was now the official head of the Malfoy household, giving him unlimited access to the vaults, amongst other things. "Besides, you deserve the best of everything."
She practically melted at that and pulled him in for a far less innocent kiss, which was broken by the clearing of her father's throat. Cheeks flushing pink, she turned to face Severus and held up Draco's present. "Dad, look at what Draco gave me. Isn't this just stunning?"
"It is quite nice," the man agreed, shooting his godson a warning glare when her attention was once again on the gift. He was nonplussed when Draco just shrugged and smirked at him. He cleared his throat and offered his daughter a soft smile when she looked back up from her prize. "Happy birthday, Hermione."
She carefully placed her newest possessions on the coffee table and closed the space between herself and her father, stepping into a warm hug. "Thanks, Dad." She grinned brightly as his arms tightened around her. "So, I assume we're having dinner here?"
"You'll have to guess again," Severus replied, and she pressed her cheek into his chest, enjoying the rumble of his baritone as he spoke.
"I doubt you'll guess correctly," Remus added, having just appeared in the flue behind them. He dusted off his robes and stepped into the room, stumbling a little and, waving off their concern, came to stand beside his lover, his eyes meeting his daughter's. "Happy birthday," he greeted.
She shifted into Remus' embrace with ease. "Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek and smiling at the delighted grin the action provoked. She'd been toying with how to address him, no longer comfortable with using his first name, but not certain as to which title suited him.
She'd narrowed her options to 'Papa' and 'Dad', but given that she'd already given 'Dad' to Severus and believed to call them both the same would be confusing, had pretty much decided that 'Papa' was her best option. However, she'd not actually felt compelled to say it yet. Draco had told her not to push herself too much; the endearment would come naturally when she felt comfortable enough to use it, else it might sound forced.
After another moment of comfortable silence, she pulled back and eyed her parents curiously. Both were wearing quite nice attire -dress slacks and button down shirts beneath crisp black cloaks- and she doubted they'd opted to do so purely because it was her birthday. "Well," she mused aloud, "if we're not eating here, or in the Hall...am I to guess that we're going out?" They nodded in unison and she smiled, "Hogsmeade?"
"Another incorrect guess," Severus replied with a fond shake of his head. "Might I suggest you go change out of your uniforms? Hermione, you'll find a selection of suitable clothing laid out on your bed here in my rooms. Draco, I trust you can find something similar to Remus and I amongst your own wardrobe?"
The blond nodded and left for the nearby Slytherin dorms, while Hermione couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and raced to her room. There were three dresses spread out on her bed in various styles and she fingered the material of each in turn with a sort of reverence. Her father's voice at the doorway behind her caused her to jump, and she turned to find both men observing her.
"Once you have officially picked one, the other two will disappear back to the store. We didn't know which would suit you best..." he trailed off with a minute shrug.
"They're all lovely," she told him. "You've chosen well. I don't know how I'm going to decide."
Severus rolled his eyes, but she knew it was an affectionate gesture. "Try them all on. We'll be in the sitting room."
She did as she was told and settled on a dress in a topaz colour and A-line cut which she thought flattered her figure and complexion nicely. She paired it with her own black dress robe and spelled her hair and makeup. The other two dresses vanished as she nodded at her reflection in the mirror by her wardrobe.
When she stepped out into the sitting room, all three men rose to greet her, Draco having arrived a few minutes earlier. Upon a whim, she did a little spin for them.
"Wow," the blond said.
Severus and Remus had to agree. "You look beautiful, Hermione," the latter told her, "I knew that colour would complement you, your eyes especially."
"You chose extremely well, Wolf," Severus nodded, almost forgetting himself as he moved to give the man a kiss. They'd only been reconciled for little less than a month and he didn't want to overshadow his daughter's birthday, so he caught himself before doing anything that might alert her to their renewed relationship. "Shall we go?"
He'd arranged with Albus for their little group to travel via return portkey, so he held out the spelled object –a Muggle travel journal emblazoned with a photo of the Eiffel Tower- and, once they were all touching it, spoke the word that would take them to their destination. A few moments later and the four of them were standing in the very shadow of the icon in the picture.
Hermione gasped as she took in their location, before flinging her arms around both her parents, a huge grin stretching her face. "This is beyond perfect!" She enthused, landing kisses on both their cheeks. "Paris! Gods! I never would have guessed!"
Remus, who looked a little pale after the portkey to Severus' eye, shook his head. "It was all your father's idea," he confessed. "He said that you've never been and that you wanted to visit."
"Nevertheless, thank you both. Oh, I could stand here all night and it would be the best gift ever." She was looking towards the Tower, taking in the landmark with absolute awe. The sun was beginning to set and she reached for Draco's hand, drinking in the romance of it all, unaware that behind her Remus was doing the same.
Severus eventually pulled his hand from his lover's and cleared his throat. "I'm sure you would rather we move on," he prompted. "We have reservations at a small Wizarding bistro overlooking the Seine."
She all but squealed and nodded enthusiastically, gesturing for her parents to lead the way while she held her boyfriend's hand and took up a leisurely pace behind them.
Dinner was spectacular. The food was rich and practically melted in her mouth, and it thrilled her to no end to see three of the most important men in her life smiling and laughing together as they celebrated her birth. Mere months ago she never would have imagined being in such a position, and yet here she sat, listening to a man her peers called the greasy dungeon bat (but that she now called Dad) regale them all with a now humorous take on some of her most notable moments during the time he'd known her.
"And after my teeth looked absolutely hideous," she cut in with a laugh, "you had the gall to say-"
"I see no difference." Draco took over, attempting to imitate his Godfather as best possible, much to the man's bemusement.
"I can still take points for cheek, Malfoy," Severus threatened, but the smirk tugging at the corners of his lips gave him away.
Remus chuckled, glad that a once painful memory could suddenly be such a source of amusement. Feeling a little lightheaded, he declined the wine that Severus offered and sipped at his glass of water. The full moon was nearing and he was definitely feeling it, but he was determined not to let his condition get in the way of their first official family celebration. He felt that he'd ruined enough opportunities for their happiness after all.
-?-
When the following Saturday arrived, Hermione's parents informed her that, as an extension to her birthday celebrations, she was to invite a number of her friends and head up to the Room of Requirement. She thought it a bit of overkill given the effort they'd gone to just for dinner, but realised that her parents had missed the previous seventeen years of party throwing opportunities and didn't want to deny them the enjoyment they derived from seeing her happy.
So, together with Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Luna, Neville, Greg and Harry, she and Draco made their way to the Room of Requirement and entered, stopping short at the scene in front of them. Severus and Remus had truly outdone themselves, asking the room for a fairground theme complete with a small carousel, all because she'd recently told them that going to the fair had been some of her happiest memories with her Muggle parents as a child. They'd also invited the Weasleys –the twins, Molly and Arthur being the only ones who could make it- and an aristocratic blonde woman she instantly recognised as Narcissa Malfoy.
"Mother!" Draco surged forward, pulling Hermione along with him until they were standing directly in front of Narcissa. He pressed kisses to both his mum's cheeks and allowed her to return the gesture, before introducing the two women. "Mother, I'd like you to meet Hermione Lupin-Snape. Hermione, this is my mother."
"Lady Malfoy," Hermione nodded, extending her hand.
Narcissa smiled and pecked a kiss to each of the girl's cheeks. "You may call me Narcissa, Hermione. Severus and Remus have informed me that you will be, in all likelihood, my daughter in-law."
"Mother!" Draco chided, embarrassed, while Hermione blushed.
She shot a dark look at her parents, "Oh? I wasn't aware they wanted to marry me off so soon."
Severus rolled his eyes, while internally something seized at the thought of his daughter becoming a married woman when he'd only just learned of her existence. "Hardly. However, given how close you and Draco have become, and your sickeningly sweet declarations of love, I thought it best that we at least warn Narcissa."
"How thoughtful of you," she snarked back at him, much to his amusement.
The party was soon in full swing, and Hermione had to admit that the small carousel was a marvellous –if extraordinarily lavish- touch. She snacked on fairground themed food and opened even more gifts from her parents and friends, feeling thoroughly spoilt by the close of the day. After everyone had left, Severus and Draco escorted Narcissa back to the entrance hall, leaving Hermione alone with Remus.
She hugged him and thanked him again for the magical birthday treatment, and prepared to part ways but watched in concern as he appeared to stumble and lean against the wall for support. "Are you alright?" she asked, realising that he'd looked pallid and shaky on and off for a few days now.
He mustered a smile and waved off her concern. "The moon will be full soon," he explained, closing his eyes and waiting for the dizziness he'd experienced to pass. "I'm perfectly fine."
She made a non-committal sound and observed him a little longer. "I don't think I've ever seen it affect you quite this poorly. Even after you got back from that last stupid Order mission."
He shrugged, "I'm trying another experimental batch of Wolfsbane. I suspect this one is less effective than the last. I assure you, Hermione, there's nothing to be concerned about."
"If you're sure," she still wasn't convinced, but moved as if to part ways anyway, before her anxiety had her turning back around. "Perhaps I should walk you ba...Papa!"
He'd collapsed.
-?-
Remus awoke groggily to the too-familiar ceiling of the hospital wing. The last thing he recalled was reassuring Hermione that he was just a little under the weather due to the closeness of the full moon...then nothingness. He surmised that he must have fainted and frowned. He also imagined that he'd heard her call him 'Papa', but surely that had been a hallucination.
"Good, you're awake." Poppy said by way of greeting as she peered into his cubicle.
"Have I been out long?"
She sighed, bustling in and fussing with his bedding, "I deemed it necessary to place you into a light sleep. You were physically exhausted. It has been roughly four hours since Hermione brought you to me. I sent her and Severus away to allow you time to rest without interruption."
He scrubbed his hands over his face. That explained why he felt so rough. "I see. I can't say I'm surprised. You know how the lunar cycle affects me."
Poppy arched an eyebrow at him and set up the complex silencing and privacy wards she used whenever treating a staff member. "Remus," she began in a gentle tone that sent alarm bells chiming in his head, "Your body is not responding to the moon right now."
"Of course it is," he told her, "It's only a few days away, and-"
"You're pregnant."
He gaped at her, his eyes wide. "Pregnant? No. That's...no. For what I've been feeling to be symptomatic of pregnancy, I'd have to be at least-"
"A little shy of a month."
He frowned. "Impossible." He shook his head in emphatic denial. "I turned last moon, Poppy. That was over three weeks ago. I wouldn't have turned if I was pregnant."
Poppy gave him an empathetic smile. "If you had conceived so close to the moon, the embryo might not have implanted by the time of your change, meaning that your magic wouldn't have registered the pregnancy yet."
His heart rate was beginning to pick up as reality settled in. "I...I've been taking a potion," he protested weakly. She gave him a look.
How many times had he told Hermione that no contraceptive was foolproof? Not to mention that he'd begun taking the potion after he and Severus had spent a night -and the next morning- getting reacquainted without once thinking to use a contraceptive charm. There had always been a chance that it wouldn't be as effective that way, but he'd assumed that between Severus' brewing and their age, their luck might play in their favour. Obviously that wasn't the case. And, really, he and Severus were only in their late thirties; a prime time for most magical couples to start a family. But he and Severus already had a family -a grown up daughter at that- and they had barely restarted their relationship...
He shut his eyes and fought against the bubbling panic inside him. He wasn't nineteen anymore, and Severus wasn't a spy. And, alright, they had only been secretly back together again for a month, and he was already month pregnant, but...oh, who was he kidding? Severus was not going to take this news well at all.
With a deep sigh, he tried to summon a smile for his Mediwitch. "Well, congratulations to me then, I suppose. Can I use your fireplace?"
-?-
Remus flooed directly to Severus' rooms, not wanting to delay the inevitable and especially not wanting to be accused of concealing yet another pregnancy from his lover. When he arrived he found Hermione and Severus sitting together in the lounge, heads bowed as they discussed something –likely him- with utter seriousness. They both turned their concerned attention to him as the fireplace roared to life, standing up to greet him as he materialised.
"Papa!" Hermione cried as he stumbled into the room, racing forward to help. Though he had a singular objective in mind for this visit, he felt his eyes well with tears at the way she addressed him.
"So I didn't imagine it," he mused, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You've no idea how much that means to me right now, Hermione." He ignored the way sharp onyx eyes narrowed at his quiet admission, choosing to focus on their daughter for the moment instead.
"Are you alright? You collapsed and I levitated you directly to the Hospital Wing, but then Madame Pomfrey chased us away..." She hugged him to her. "You had both Dad and I quite worried."
Despite himself, his eyes sought Severus' over the top of her head and their situation was once again at the forefront of his thoughts. He swallowed roughly and, with his eyes still locked firmly on his lover's, answered, "I'm fine, Hermione. Thank you for taking me to Poppy. Now, if I could request that you return to your Heads rooms and to your friends? I have some things I need to discuss with Severus."
She pulled back and looked at him curiously, surprised and troubled by how serious he sounded. She wondered if there were issues with the experimental Wolfsbane he'd said he was taking but knew better than to push the issue just yet. Instead she kissed his cheek and nodded, bidding both her parents goodnight before disappearing into the fireplace.
In addition to Remus' uncharacteristically sombre tone, Severus couldn't help but notice the look in his lover's eyes. They were almost wild with confusion and worry. Once Hermione was gone he closed the gap between them, drawing the other man into his embrace, horrified to feel his lover shaking in his arms.
"Remus, you're trembling!" he exclaimed, his concern growing. "What's happened?"
Remus pressed his face into Severus' solid chest, breathing in the man's scent, making the most of their last few moments before he uttered the words that would cause the bottom to fall out of Severus' world. "I love you," he murmured, feeling helpless. "I don't expect you to return the sentiment, not so soon after we..." he trailed off and swallowed again. "I just needed you to know."
Severus listened to the babbling and felt a coil of apprehension tighten in his gut.
"Severus, I think you'd best sit down."
Severus frowned at that. The last time he'd heard those words, Remus had been about to inform him that he'd fathered a child almost nineteen years prior. "Remus?" he questioned softly, a small degree of fearfulness seeping into his tone as he complied with the instruction, bracing himself for what he was sure to be bad news.
"I've come directly from Poppy," the other man said, fighting against the urge to wring his hands. "I...you have to know, this wasn't...I didn't...I wasn't expecting her diagnosis."
The apprehension in the Potions Master's belly churned away into a slow, cloying panic of his own. Was Remus ill? He did look pale, and his eyes were swimming with poorly concealed fear. Of course, the full moon was drawing nearer. There was a chance that the latest experimental potion was exacerbating his usual symptoms rather than easing them.
Perhaps Remus was merely afraid to tell him that his brewing this month had been subpar? Merlin knew his temper was legendary when it came to anyone questioning his potions.
"Is it my potion?" he found himself asking, a minute degree of hope lacing his tone. He'd rather hear that his brewing had failed than learn his lover had some serious malady. "Remus, this month was experimental. If you're afraid it hasn't worked, I can brew your standard-"
"I won't be needing any Wolfsbane." Remus answered with a shake of his head. And before Severus had a chance to even begin to question why, he continued speaking, forcing himself to make eye contact again despite not wanting to see the abject horror and rejection that was bound to reflect in those dark orbs. "Poppy said that I...th-that we..." He swallowed and reminded himself that he was an adult and a Gryffindor to boot. No more stammering, just say the words. "I'm pregnant. A month along."
Severus felt as though he'd taken a bludger to the stomach. He couldn't breathe. It was a good thing he was already seated because he was certain that his knees would have buckled. "What?" His voice was at least an octave higher than usual, but he was in too much shock to care. "You're...? No. No. Impossible."
Remus would have laughed about the nearly identical nature of their responses if he wasn't so afraid of how this situation was going to pan out. He dropped onto the couch opposite his lover. "Apparently not," he said, absently running his hand through his hair. "I told Poppy that I changed last moon, but she was pretty adamant that it's still possible."
He went on to repeat Poppy's words, watching Severus' expression become more and more closed off. Anxious, he continued to talk. "I just put my lethargy and frequent light-headedness of the last few days down to the moon. My magic has been a little off too but, again, I just assumed..."
All of a sudden Severus was up out of his seat and pacing the rug in front of the mantel. Remus had no idea what sort of things the Slytherin was thinking and his unease churned in his belly.
Severus' mind was whirling with thoughts. Pregnant. Remus was pregnant. He felt ill. That he'd apparently managed to impregnate the man on their first night (or subsequent morning) together after nineteen years apart made him feel like an irresponsible adolescent again; thinking with the head in his trousers rather than the one on his shoulders.
More importantly, and besides the bruised ego he would suffer when that little nugget of information came to light, he was stricken speechless by uncertainty. A month ago, he had sat by his newly reinstated lover's side and all but told the man that he wasn't interested in having another child. And nothing had occurred in the four short weeks that had passed to change that mindset. It was all well and good to play Daddy to an adult witch, but infants were a whole different ball game as the Muggles said.
They were loud and messy, consuming all one's time and attention. They required an abundance of patience (of which he was not in possession) and selflessness (which he didn't hold either). Babies were completely dependent on their parents and guardians, terrifyingly so. During their first pregnancy scare –when Remus had gone through his late onset puberty- Severus had been deluded and naive enough to think that he could weather the difficulties that raising a child from infancy presented. But he wasn't that irrational eighteen year old any longer. And he was, to put it quite frankly, shitting bricks over this news.
Severus cast a sidelong glance at his lover. Remus, aside from looking pale and drawn, appeared positively dejected, slumped in his seat, elbows on his knees and his head hung in his hands. Severus' first instinct had been to accuse the man of somehow sabotaging their contraceptive measures (he had said he'd imagined having more children, after all) but he knew the Gryffindor better than that. Not to mention, it was obvious that this revelation had taken him completely by surprise too.
His feet led him back to the oak coffee table in front of Remus and he sat heavily on its surface, frowning when the werewolf winced. His hands moved on their own accord, one to Remus' forearm and the other to cup his cheek, causing wide, suspiciously wet eyes –their daughter's eyes- to meet his in shock. Instead of the scathing barrage of blame and rejection that Remus anticipated (and, if he was being completely honest, that Severus also expected of himself when feeling backed into a corner), Severus' first words since his denial were: "Are you alright?"
Remus swallowed against the lump in his throat and attempted to smile and nod, but the question proved to be his undoing and all at once he was crying -silent tears sliding down his face as he tried, and failed, to rein them in- and Severus reacted intuitively in the way he'd only recently been reconditioned to do. He shifted to the space beside his lover and wrapped him in his arms, letting the man cry out his own shock, fear and panic. He was surprised to hear Remus voicing the same concerns that plagued him, the gnawing anxiety that he didn't think he could look after a baby echoing Severus' own.
"For a moment, just the briefest moment," the werewolf confessed, his voice wavering and his face pressed into Severus' chest, "I...I considered..." the next word was almost whispered, "termination."
Though he wasn't certain how he felt, Severus tightened his hold on Remus and bit his tongue. Termination? He was surprisingly relieved that Remus hadn't done so. At least not without talking it through with him first. He supposed that the other man had any number of reasons for not immediately aborting their progeny: wanting to be in a more rational state of mind, not wanting to keep yet another accidentally conceived child secret from his lover, perhaps even knowing that Severus himself would be the person responsible for brewing the abortifacient. Whatever the reason, he found that he was glad that Remus had done little more than entertain the idea as a potential option.
Remus continued to speak, his words quiet but somehow loud in the morose silence of Severus' rooms. "But I couldn't. I mean, I just can't. I'm not against a person's right to choose, but...I can't do that to our b-baby, Sev." Stumbling over the word, he shed a few more tears. "I'm sorry. I know that I only just found out, that it would make things simpler, easier...but I just...I love you and I love Hermione and I-"
"Love it already." Severus surmised with a nod. "That is not unheard of, Remus, and a perfectly acceptable response."
Seriously, they both wondered, who was he and what had he done with the real Severus Snape?
Severus cleared his throat and shrugged at the unasked question. "I will not forsake you for having a heart, Wolf." In fact, without Remus and Hermione's mutual capacity to both forgive and love on a large scale, Severus knew that he would still be a miserable, lonely git, left to his own devices in the bowels of Hogwarts, destined to an obscenely isolated life and death: a concept that no longer held any appeal at all.
But where did that leave him now? He could admit to himself that he cared deeply for Remus Lupin, even going so far as to silently forgive the mistakes of the last two decades, but they were both different people to the teenagers that had fallen in love and he worried that what they had now would not last. Adding the stresses of a pregnancy and then a baby to the mix could very well end in disaster. But did that mean it wasn't even worth trying?
"I'm sorry, Severus. Had I suspected..."
"It wouldn't have changed anything," Severus found himself replying softly, unconsciously smoothing Remus' hair. He generally hated to speak of hypothetical 'what ifs', but some circumstances warranted a brief discussion laced liberally with hindsight. "And you are hardly to blame. If anything, I should have thought clearly enough to at least cast a bloody charm, especially given the circumstances that led us back into bed with one another. As teenagers...well, one could understand a slip up and one unexpected pregnancy. But we are thirty-seven years old, for Merlin's sake, and we apparently didn't learn a damn thing from the last time."
This elicited a watery chuckle from the other man. "You're taking this remarkably well," he observed.
"Make no mistake; I am finding the news very difficult to process. A child...another child," Severus amended, "changes everything. It's the most permanent commitment a person can make, and I am including the Mark and Unbreakable Vows in my assessment." He took a breath and pushed his lover back into a seated position so he could look him in the eye as he admitted, "I am terrified, Remus. I don't even like children, and I wouldn't have the first idea on how to behave with an infant, or a toddler, or a five year old, or-"
"Love, you're rambling," Remus interrupted quietly, not even realising the epithet he'd used, too awed by seeing his oh-so-composed lover babble as he himself was prone to do. "I feel the same way. I have the same concerns. But I can't abort it and I won't give another baby away. So, if...if you don't want...What I mean to say is, I won't force you-"
"Oh, do shut up." Instead of being insulted by the implications of Remus' stammering, Severus only felt a fond sort of frustration at the other man's self-sacrificing blathering. He'd committed himself the second Remus had dropped the bombshell on him, even if he hadn't realised it.
The timing was absolutely revolting of course, and he still wasn't certain he'd be any good at all at coping with an infant, but he and the man he -Dear Gods- loved had conceived again and he wouldn't stand idly by on the sidelines of its life. It wasn't even obligation driving him, nor did he feel trapped or pressured (and Remus' babbling helped ease any lingering doubt of that) but a tiny spark of something intangible and hard to define; a hidden desire to experience parenthood in all its exhausting, messy, sleepless glory, to shape and mould a child from infancy into adulthood. He had missed that opportunity with Hermione and, he found as he thought upon it, he couldn't bring himself to miss it with another, unplanned or otherwise.
"Severus?" Remus asked with a modicum of concern.
"I am not naive enough to promise you that our relationship will last forever, Remus, nor am I going to get down on bended knee and propose. I certainly can't promise that everything will be sunshine and roses, but I have every intention of being here for you and," he placed his palm over his lover's taut abdomen, feeling only a little ridiculous as he did so, "this child."
It took the Gryffindor less than a second to understand what he was being told, and Remus launched himself at his lover, instigating a passionate kiss that spoke of his myriad feelings. Relief, love, amazement, pride, more love...he kissed Severus as though this was his only chance. Within moments the kiss turned into something more: something less innocent and more desperate.
Severus' fingers wound into Remus' hair and soon enough the Gryffindor was straddling the Slytherin, moaning into his mouth. Remus was surprised to realise that Severus was allowing him to take the lead in this encounter, but took up the opportunity without hesitance. He pulled away from the kiss to lave his tongue down the long, pale column of Sev's neck, his fingers undoing the buttons of the man's black shirt deftly and with a quickness that surprised them both.
He pushed the offending material from his lover's shoulders and ran his hands down the torso littered with faded, silvery scars, watching as skin twitched over sinew and muscle. "I can never get enough of this view," he muttered, stealing another kiss before sliding off Severus' lap and onto his knees in front of him. "Or this one," he added, peering up into lust-addled dark eyes.
Severus arched his hips from the couch impatiently, and Remus took the cue, undoing the man's belt and trousers and sliding them and Severus' underwear down the pair of long legs. He spread Severus' thighs and leaned forward, taking the waiting erection into his mouth without preamble, moaning a little with his enjoyment of the act, distantly aware of Severus doing the same.
Hands wound into his hair again, silently directing the movement of his head. His own hands explored the familiar landscape of his lover's thighs before one grasped the base of Severus' shaft and the other fondled him in the way he knew drove the man wild. Remus smirked around the organ in his mouth when Severus' hips bucked tellingly.
Letting go of the man's balls, Remus' hand travelled unconsciously lower still, his fingers teasing at Severus' entrance. Severus stilled and Remus pulled away quickly, halting all of his actions to meet his lover's gaze apologetically.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, "I didn't mean...I wasn't thinking." He'd never touched Severus in such a way, not since a fumbled attempt during their teenage years when they'd still been at school. Teenaged Severus hadn't enjoyed the intrusion at all, and it had become an unspoken agreement between them that it not happen again. Remus hadn't minded: he enjoyed it when Severus did those things to him, and he'd later enjoyed bottoming for the other young man, and neither had felt as though their sex lives were lacking anything.
Severus licked his lips as he looked down at his lover, his recent (and now all-too-frequent) fantasies of allowing the man to top him at the forefront of his thoughts. "Actually," he spoke, his hands still cupping the back of Remus' head, "Have you considered..." he hesitated over his phrasing, "switching our usual positions?"
Remus' eyes widened. "You want me to...take you?" The idea of being inside Severus made his already painful arousal strain harder against the confines of his trousers. Had two decades changed the man that much? "Really?"
A light blush worked its way up the pale, exposed skin of Severus' chest, neck and face as he answered, "I have been entertaining the thought since we reunited. However, you should know that I have never..." he trailed off, looking away from Remus' surprised gaze. He gasped as he was taken back into the other man's mouth again, this time with barely contained vigour.
"Gods, Sev," Remus breathed, breaking away to collect himself for a moment, his hand replacing his mouth, "you've no idea how arousing that is."
Severus could only moan as the other man continued his ministrations.
"To the bedroom, I think," Remus decided a few moments later.
Disappointed that Remus had stopped, but keen to take things further, Severus nodded and allowed Remus to pull him from the couch and flush against him, pressing their bodies together as he dove in for another kiss.
Severus pushed the robes from Remus' shoulders, complaining, "You're wearing too many layers, Wolf, and I'm completely naked. This is hardly acceptable."
Remus chuckled and helped as Severus undressed him, interrupting the process every few moments to kiss and nip at his lover's lips. Soon enough they were in bed, and Remus reached into the bedside table drawer for the ever present container of lubricant. After placing one last kiss to Severus' lips, he shuffled down the bed and stroked his lover, parting his thighs and peering up at those dark eyes once more.
"Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that this was a huge decision for the Potions Master, and not something either man took lightly. Remus was well aware of the trust it took to submit to one's lover like that, and, for a control freak like Severus Snape, he knew it was the ultimate act of vulnerability.
Severus nodded and, after a moment more of silence, huffed and canted his hips. "Just get on with it."
Remus chuckled and nodded, reaching for the lubricant and preparing his lover while his tongue distracted him from the awkwardness and burn of the intrusion. He had only been with a few other partners in the twenty years they'd been apart, but he had, on those occasions, more frequently topped than bottomed. This was partially because he was a carrier and didn't want to risk pregnancy (and the irony of thinking that now wasn't lost on him), and also partially because he neither loved nor trusted those other men enough to bottom for them. That Severus had admitted to fantasising about switching their usual roles in bed meant more to him than just spicing up their sex lives.
Severus closed his eyes and gave himself over to the sensations of having Remus lips wrapped around him and his fingers inside him, slowly stretching him and preparing him with a confidence he knew could only have come from practice. Loathe though he was to think of his Wolf fucking other men, Severus was relieved that Remus knew what he was doing, that he wasn't repeating the painful, hesitant fumbling of their youth. His thoughts ground to a halt and he gasped as Remus brushed over his prostate, a jolt of indescribable pleasure rendering him momentarily incoherent, causing him to completely disregard the burn and vague discomfort of being filled. Yes, he decided, Remus' experience in this arena was a boon indeed.
He was vaguely aware of making a sound of disappointment when Remus withdrew, and opened his eyes to watch his lover reaching for his wand. "What-"
"Call me paranoid," Remus answered before he could finish, "but, given the circumstances and our track record, I don't think a contraceptive charm could hurt at this point."
Severus bit back the snarky retort that lingered on his lips. He'd been about to say that, even if he (against all odds) had been able to carry, he doubted he'd be anything other than barren after so many years suffering the Cruciatus at Voldemort's hand, but realised that if he could still father children, anything was possible. And Remus was right: given their current situation, it was best to not tempt fate. He felt the magic flow through him and then Remus' lips were on his, his lubricated hand snaking between them, stroking them together, and he groaned into the other man's mouth.
"Ready?" Remus asked, shuffling back down the bed a little, kneeling and lifting Severus' hips up to rest against his thighs.
Severus swept his gaze downwards and nodded, a thrill of anticipation shooting through him. Those surprisingly muscular thighs... They were the catalyst of all of his recent recurring fantasies: fantasies -he was suddenly hyper aware- which were about to become reality.
Remus entered him slowly, giving him time to adjust, to memorise the moment, only moving once Severus gave him the go ahead, though it didn't take long for the Slytherin to demand his lover thrust harder and faster.
Severus couldn't help but stare towards the place where they were joined, his hand stroking himself while Remus' were clutched tightly at his hips. Once the pain began to recede and they started moving, he pulsed with each thrust, mesmerised by the ripple of his lover's muscles, watching as they strained and pulled taut under the werewolf's skin. Then Remus shifted his angle, hitting that spot inside him that had him seeing stars, and a gasp of pleasure escaped him without warning.
"Merlin," Remus breathed, angling for that reaction again, silently crowing at the expression that flitted over Severus face each time he managed to aim his thrust just so, "You feel amazing. You are amazing."
Severus could only muster a grunt by way of reply, his hand picking up pace. "Fuck," he managed when Remus brushed his prostate again. "Faster. More. I...Gods..."
Remus shifted his weight onto his knees and hoisted Severus' hips higher, ploughing into him now with near-abandon. The show of strength was all it took to send Severus over the precipice and he came with a guttural moan, causing him to tighten around Remus and milk out his lover's orgasm.
They collapsed in a sweaty, sticky heap, utterly sated, and Remus' last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep in his lover's arms were that he never would have anticipated that chain of events happening.
-?-
The next morning, Severus found himself allowing his lover to cut his hair. It was something they'd jokingly spoken of as teenagers, and then a few times over the last month, but, when he'd woken somewhat sore yet sated, Remus' arms wrapped possessively around him, Severus had felt like a new man, cliché and maudlin though it sounded. So he had mentioned it to Remus and had been surprised when the Gryffindor volunteered to be the one to bring about the physical manifestation of his revelation.
With great concentration, Remus used a combination of magic and Muggle scissors to cut and style Severus' hair, and he beamed at the finished product. The style was rather Muggle by nature, trimmed quite close to the head and textured, but it took years off the man. He summoned a mirror and handed it to his lover for the official verdict.
"Merlin's beard..." Severus said, reaching up to touch what little remained. "I don't recognise myself." He turned this way and that, examining the angles of his face and nose, made to appear more striking without a curtain of hair to hide behind.
"I can reverse it if you want..." Remus had been careful to make sure he could undo it if the change was too drastic, not wanting Severus to be uncomfortable. "But, for what it's worth, I think you look delicious." His tone lowered seductively.
Severus smirked, and he shook his head. "It stays as is. It may take some getting used to...but I am impressed."
Remus beamed at the compliment. "I'm glad to hear it. It really suits you." He admired his handiwork a little while longer, before ushering Severus into the shower and setting about ordering breakfast from the kitchens.
When he had a steaming plate of food in front of him, and another set aside for Severus, he reached for his cup of herbal tea with a sigh.
"Oh," Hermione's surprised voice said as she came into the room, having entered Severus' quarters via the portrait entrance instead of the floo. "Papa. Hello."
He turned in his seat to face her, cup still midway to his lips, suddenly all too aware that he was sitting at Severus' table wearing little more than Severus' bathrobe. His blushed deepened when he found Harry by her side. "Good morning," he greeted, pulling the robe closed tighter.
Harry's lips quirked into a knowing smirk. "Hi Remus," he greeted, thankfully not making a big deal of the situation, "'Mione said you took ill yesterday. You're feeling better now, I hope."
Remus nodded and smile at his honorary Godson's concern. "Thank you, Harry. The nature of my...er...condition dictates that I'll probably be shaky on and off for a while." And if Harry thought he was speaking of his lycanthropy, it wasn't his fault. He hadn't lied.
Merlin, Severus' Slytherin way of thinking really was rubbing off on him.
As if on cue, Severus strode into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hands, rubbing his now extremely short hair dry. Because his vision was obscured by a towel, the former spy had no idea that he was parading around practically naked in front of his daughter and her best friend – both of whom looked more than a little stunned at the domestic display.
"Severus," Remus started to warn him before he could speak, "We have company."
The teenagers watched as surprisingly broad shoulders tensed before Severus lowered the towel at his head and held it limply by his side, his other hand clutching at the towel at his waist.
Hermione's eyes –wide with shock- flickered over the startling new hairstyle before taking in Severus' state of undress, then flying over to Remus and the black bathrobe (emblazoned on the pocket with the looping silver initials 'SS'). She was rendered speechless.
Harry, meanwhile, couldn't help noticing how surprisingly attractive his best friend's Dad was without the obstruction of voluminous robes and lank hair. His eyes took their time sweeping upwards from long, pale, strong calves, past the towel on to a lean, sinewy abdomen and chest that extended to broad shoulders, to an angular face that, devoid of a curtain of lifeless hair, appeared aristocratic and much, much younger than it ever had before; a combination of good grooming and post-coital afterglow. He met obsidian eyes that seemed equal parts amused and horrified.
"Perhaps you should have Creevey take a picture, Potter," Severus sneered, calling the boy out on his obvious appraisal.
Harry, instead of giving in to his embarrassment, only grinned. "Perhaps I should. Looking good, Professor."
"Harry!" Hermione snapped out of her stupor, disgust lacing her tone. "You...you can't...he's my Dad. And your Professor. And...and..." She found herself glancing between her parents in their states of undress, easily able to deduce that Remus had stayed the night and not at all platonically. "Oh, God."
"Sorry, 'Mione. I was only joking. Well," he looked over at Snape again, "to a point. The new look definitely suits, Sir. You certainly don't look old enough to be Hermione's Dad." And then, when he caught Remus' eye, gestured over at Snape and gave his honorary Godfather a wink and a thumbs up.
Hermione scowled. "I saw that, Harry James Potter!"
Remus sighed and set his cup down on the table. "Look, you two sit. We'll get dressed and then discuss...er...everything when we're a bit more comfortable."
"After breakfast." Severus added, not even bothering to argue over Potter's presence. He was aware that Remus thought the boy family, and Hermione considered him almost as a brother, therefore it seemed only fitting that both teenagers hear the news together.
Merlin's balls, Severus realised with a jolt, that made Potter essentially part of his family. The only thought that kept him sane was the notion that James would be turning in his grave at the revelation.
"Food can wa-"
"Lupin." His tone brokered no arguments. "You skipped dinner last night. It is imperative, particularly in your condition, that you eat."
Seeing Severus' thinly veiled concern for what it was, Remus fought the urge to touch his abdomen and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." He turned back to the teenagers. "Join us for breakfast? Or," he glanced at the clock and flushed when he saw the time, "brunch, as it may be?"
They agreed and soon enough the two adults returned to sit beside one another at the table across from Harry and Hermione. The latter two picked and nibbled at the food that the house elves had provided, quietly observing Hermione's parents silently interact, passing each other condiments without prompting and filling cups of tea and glasses of juice for one another when they noticed them getting low. If she'd seen any other couple doing it, Hermione would have labelled the behaviour 'sweet' and indicative of a lot of time spent together in such a way.
But that couldn't apply to the men seated across from her, could it? They'd not spoken for almost nineteen years, and had barely been civil the last couple of months. And they would have told her if they'd reconciled, being her parents and all. But, as she watched them, she couldn't help but feel a niggling doubt seep into her thoughts.
"H-how long?" she heard herself ask quietly, her brow furrowing at the startled, deer-in-headlights look Remus gave her.
He swallowed and shared a pointed glance with his lover. "Pardon?"
"How long have you been..." she gestured vaguely between them, not really wanting to think of her parents sleeping together, though it was painfully obvious that, as two still quite young male wizards with roaring libidos, they were, "reconciled?"
Severus set his cutlery down, a little wary of her tone. He met her gaze steadily. "We did not keep the information from you out of spite, Hermione. We...I wanted to be certain that our relationship would work before you became aware of it."
Her features pulled into a frown and she folded her arms across her chest. "You didn't want me to get my hopes up, I'm assuming? I'm hardly a child. I understand that not all relationships work out, regardless of good intentions. I'm aware that people change. That you've been together for some unknown amount of time and didn't think that your daughter deserved to know-"
"Hermione," Severus' tone morphed into one of warning. "It had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with my own insecurities. If you would like to be treated like an adult, I suggest you start acting like one."
Reeling back, she nodded and cast her gaze to her plate, suitably chastised. "Sorry, Dad," she eventually replied, "I just...you're my family and, well, I know it's silly but I've had hopes that you, Papa and I would be a real family unit..." She felt Harry give her hand a supportive squeeze and knew that he, better than anyone else, could understand her somewhat childish daydreaming.
Remus swallowed over a lump in his throat. "Oh, Hermione..."
Severus bit back a sigh. Gryffindors. He was surrounded by them. He shared a look with Remus, who nodded at him, and he turned back to their daughter and her thankfully silent friend. "A month," he said, finally answering her question. "Remus and I have been...seeing each other again for roughly a month."
She looked at Remus and then back to Severus, a genuine smile beginning to spread across her face. "Really? And you've not hexed each other?"
Harry coughed into his fist. "Oh, I think they've done something to each other..." he muttered.
Severus glowered in his direction while Remus and Hermione censured him.
"We...well, I think it's been going quite well," Remus informed their daughter, bringing the discussion back on topic. "Even with an...unexpected development or so..."
Severus couldn't contain his snort. Unexpected development. Lupin could say that again!
Hermione began to frown again, looking between them questioningly, unimpressed at being left out of the loop. "Unexpected development?"
Remus looked to Severus pleadingly and he sighed. "Poppy informed Remus yesterday that he is...that is to say, we are...expecting."
Hermione blinked, gaping at him. "I'm sorry. Did you just tell me that Papa's...that you're..." the words felt bizarre as they left her lips, "having a baby?"
Severus nodded.
Neither man expected Hermione to frown. "That's not even remotely funny."
"Did I intimate that I thought it was?"
Her expression slackened off into one of wordless surprise, even as Harry clutched at her forearm and said, "I don't think they're having you on, 'Mione."
"I...I don't know what to say," she found herself admitting, suddenly unable to meet her parents' eyes. "How, um, far along are you?"
Remus bit his lip. "About a month."
"Oh." She blinked. "That's...well, you, uh, you two don't muck around, do you?"
Severus frowned. "Hermione..."
"What I mean to say, of course, is congratulations," she continued to babble, pasting on an overly bright smile, trying her best to have it reach her eyes. "You'll make fantastic parents. I mean, you already are, of course, but..." she trailed off and her smile dimmed slightly. "I'm happy for you. Even if it is rather...sudden."
But was it really, she wondered. They had so much history together and it was obvious that they still hard spark between them, and they were in the prime of their lives...it made sense that they might start –or, rather, restart- a family. Do it right the second time around. That thought alone made her spirits dim.
"You cannot possibly think that we planned this," Severus responded, interrupting her musing.
"Well, no. Aside from saying that it was an unexpected development, you did say you've only been together a month, and if Papa's a month pregnant..." she blushed, considering the implications of that particular admission. "You have told me, time and time again, that no contraceptive measures are foolproof."
Unwilling to admit to their daughter –in front of Potter no less- that they'd neglected to consider contraception until after the fact, Severus merely cleared his throat. "Indeed."
"So..." she mused, catching Harry's eye and smiling a little awkwardly, knowing that things were likely going to become much more complicated in the coming months, "I'm going to be a sister."
She wasn't oblivious to the sigh of relief that escaped her maternal father, and she told herself that she would be happy and supportive, even while she struggled to get her mind around the latest turn of events.
Life was funny, she considered later on, after having left her parents to seek Draco and tell him the latest news (with their permission of course). Only a few months earlier she had been a ward of the Ministry -an orphan for all intents and purposes- sitting across from Albus Dumbledore unaware that she had any family left in the world. And now she had parents, a close boyfriend who knew her as well as her best friends did (and, if she was to be completely honest, possibly even more than they did), and a sibling on the way.
So, yes, life was funny. It was wild and unpredictable, but, at the end of the day, it was her life and she was content enough with it.
FIN
A/N- So...yep. That's the end. Well, there's an epilogue to come. This chapter wrote itself over the course of my editing and adding to the previous chapters. In MQIE's original plan -as many of you speculated- Hermione was originally going to suspect that she was pregnant...and then she was going to have to tell her parents (she was going to go to Remus and confess and that was what was going to cement their relationship) but I felt that the drama inherent in that would have opened up more plot than it would have closed.
I personally never intended for anyone beyond Lavender to be pregnant by the close of this fic (and I promise her story will be properly resolved in the epilogue), but then Remus happened and I felt it tied everything back to the beginning and really showed the full-circle way the characters -in particular, Severus- had developed. In my mind, it was always a Severus/Remus plot first and foremost, with Hermione & her issues tying it all together.
I would love know if you think I achieved that, or if this was more contrived than anything. The epilogue is proving to be really difficult to write, but I hope that it'll be finished by this time next week.