"Let's see then," Annalee murmured before casting a spell she had used several times during her career as a healer, and even more recently on Bellatrix. The light coming from her wand enveloped her, shining a light blue. "A boy," she murmured, putting a hand on her lightly rounded stomach and smiling up at her stunned husband.
"A boy?" he questioned, smiling when Annalee nodded. Neither particularly cared whether they were having a boy or a girl, but now they could begin to think of baby names and shop for essentials for their son.
"Sev Jr." Annalee joked, smirking. She could already picture the small dark haired, dark eyed boy with alabaster skin. She smiled as she felt him moving, something that had been happening off and on for the past week.
"Aren't all children in the Black family named after constellations?" Severus asked, teasing her back.
Annalee smirked as she replied, "Since when am I a normal Black? I hated how much importance was placed on astronomy when I was in school. My parents didn't care about any of my grades, except in that class."
"My father didn't care about my grades at all," Severus admitted softly, "Though my mother was happy that I did well in potions."
Alyssa hugged Severus closer, giving him the comfort she could tell he needed. "Your father sounds like an idiot."
Severus gave her a weak smile. "That's one word to describe him."
Annalee frowned; she could tell Severus was hiding something. "What are you not telling me?"
Severus sighed, looking at his wife's determined face. He knew she'd be angry when he told her, but he hated hiding things. "My father was abusive. He hated magic; well he hated a lot of things. He was drunk most of the time."
Annalee pressed a light kiss to his lips, pulling back to murmur, "I won't say something cliché like that's horrible, but I would like to know his address."
"He's dead; he died from liver failure a few years after I graduated from Hogwarts, why?" Severus asked, confused.
"Because there is a certain false Death Eater, who also happens to be your wife, who would gladly show him how a Death Eater tortures someone," Annalee replied, her eyes flashing at the thought of Severus as a child being beaten by his father.
"Hm," Severus replied, kissing the top of her head lightly. "Protective of your loved ones, isn't that a Gryffindor trait," he teased.
Annalee replied by sticking out her tongue, laughing with Severus at the absurdity of the conversation.
"I am a little protective of those I care for," Annalee admitted, "But I have good reason. On my fifth birthday, my father gave Bella and me a set of shrinking keys, for muggle baiting. Bella asked why they wanted to make fun of muggles, and mother got mad and cast the Cruciartus on her, saying that any respectable Black hated muggles," Annalee shuddered, "I can still hear her screams."
Severus held her tightly, humming slightly to try to help Annalee calm down. I knew the Blacks were crazy, but casting the Cruciartus on your five year old daughter? "They can't hurt you any longer Anna," he murmured.
Her head slowly nodded. "I know Sev, it's just…" she trailed off with a small sigh. "This baby will have all the love and affection we never did. And I love my sisters, but after the war I don't know if I'll want them around."
"Understandable," Severus nodded, "Bellatrix has seemed to become more unstable as the years passed, and if Narcissa was any more of a snob…"
Annalee chuckled. "Andromadea was nice, quiet but nice. Her daughter was in the Order."
Severus nodded again. "Yes, Nymphadora, though she preferred to be called Tonks," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Clumsy, but she seemed nice enough; a bit too Hufflepuff for my tastes. She's married to Remus Lupin."
"I know. When I spoke to Fleur Weasley at Shell cottage, one of the people she and her husband invited to hear my confession was my niece. Lupin was there too. Still making Wolfsbane and sending it to him anonymously?"
Severus laughed lightly. "Yes. It amazes me that no one has put two and two together yet."
"What can you expect from Gryffindors?" Annalee asked, yawning.
"Tired love?"
Annalee nodded, burrowing her face into Severus's neck. "Mm, a little. The nightmare have been getting worse. I keep seeing you, lying at the Dark Lord's feet, killed as a traitor. Or killed by one of the members of the Order, thinking that they were killing a Death Eater." She looked up and noticed bags under Severus's eyes. "You don't look like you've slept well either."
"I haven't," Severus admitted, "I keep worrying about whether or not the boy will be able to kill the bastard or not, and then my nightmares run along a similar vein as yours, showing you dead or dying with me helpless to do anything about it."
Annalee bit her lip in thought for a moment before she stood and held out her hand. Severus rose also and took her proffered hand, wondering what she was planning now.
"Since neither of us can sleep alone, the only solution I can see is that you will stay here tonight," Annalee said, smiling.
Severus said nothing, just followed his love as she led him to their room.
A/N: I know it's unusual for me to update this frequently, but I finally decided on the gender of the baby, so I had to post this. I know 4 months is a little early for finding out the gender, but that's what magic is for.