"There's still a little bit of your taste in my mouth.
There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt.
It's still a little hard to say what's going on."
Severus awoke to the sun shining in through his window. He twisted his neck against the annoying light and winced in pain. He was sore. He didn't know why though. He sat up in bed slowly, painfully, his arms shaking in protest and in weakness. He felt like he had been run over by a Hippogriff…Twice.
He ran a hand through his disaster of a hair as he reflected on recent events. Pregnant. His child, his Hermione. Remus. The nerve episodes. That was it. Poppy had given him a bitter potion and it had made everything worse. What the hell had that potion been?
He walked gingerly into his sitting room to find the Werewolf passed out on his couch. He was breathing heavily. Severus stared at him for a moment, relishing his friendship and loyalty. He returned to his leather chair and sat in it as he conjured up some warm tea.
It wasn't long before Remus began to shuffle in his sleep as the sunlight shone onto his scarred face. He rolled over onto his side and pulled the brilliant red blanket over his face and groaned, "God damn the sun," He mumbled angrily.
"Are you always this pleasant in the morning?" Severus chuckled softly.
Remus groaned again and muttered a brief, "Bugger off, Snape."
Severus smiled and remained quiet for a few moments until Remus sighed heavily and pulled the blanket away from his face and looked at Severus, "That tea smells disgusting."
"I apologize," Severus said sympathetically, "Brew your own damn cup to your liking and smell that, then," He mumbled.
"Bastard."
"Git."
"Slimeball."
"Werewolf."
"Stupid Slytherin," Remus' childlike taunts worsened when he stuck his tongue out.
"Gaudy Gryffindor," Severus teased back.
"Bat."
"Arrogant Toe-Rag!"
"Hey, I'm not James!" Remus laughed and put his hands up in mock-defeat.
"Thank you," Severus said quietly.
"For not being James?"
"Well, for that too I suppose, but for…For staying last night," Severus said seriously.
"Severus, you're not alone anymore," Remus assured him.
"What happened last night?" Severus narrowed his eyes at his friend.
"Hermione…She found a way to heal your nerve damage…"
"How?"
"Severus, you know I failed potions, I don't know what the bloody hell she did I just hope to Merlin above us that it worked!" Remus smirked at him.
"I had no idea she was trying to find a cure…" Misery painted the creases by his mouth.
"You need to speak with her, Severus."
"I know… I just have no idea what to say," He looked desperately at Remus.
"Tell me what you think about having a child."
"I do not know what to think. I'd never truly considered it. I had never even considered I'd be in a position to love again. Hermione was…A gift, a light in all of my darkness. I never thought that I would fall in love. I never thought that I would buy an engagement ring. I never thought that I would procreate," Severus stared off past Remus' head.
"Is the idea of a child with Hermione appalling? That child, that tiny human being, is a half of you and half of Hermione. That child is yours. That child is hers. That child is the product of the love that you two share with each other," Remus watched as a few emotions flitted quickly over his friend's face.
"The idea is not appalling in the slightest. I do not think you understand my position though, Remus. I would not make a good father. I did not have a good example of a father in whose footsteps I could follow and I've never had a 'father figure'," Severus said, his lips barely forming the words.
"Last night, before the fit, you said that you were afraid. You're afraid of being like your own father?" Remus questioned him.
"Yes," Severus' answer was firm.
"I think that it's safe to assume that, because you worry about it and because you so openly do not want to be like you're father, that you will not be anything like your dad. Severus, personally, I never saw you as a father. Not until recently. I never saw you as affectionate and then you fell in love with Hermione. Everything changed after that. To be honest, I feel you would be a great father," Remus said, his voice still gruff from his sleep.
"I think I will go speak with her. You can stay here if you so choose to. You need a damn bath, dog," Severus said with a slight smirk on his face.
"Shut up you slimy git!" Remus threw his pillow at Severus roughly, which Severus dodged easily.
He looked down at his feet and Remus watched as uncertainty filled his features, "Go get your woman, mate."