Title: Honor, Chapter 25, Sunday Afternoons and Family
Status: WIP
Fandom: Harry Potter
Author: morganlefay1958 and calanor
Main Characters or Pairings: SS/RL, more pairings as the story progresses
Rating: G up to NC-17, depending on the chapter.
Setting/s: AU, Marauder- Era Post-Hogwarts, flashbacks to student years
Warnings: Vary from chapter to chapter. Slash, Mpreg, Adolescent Abuse, Violence, Graphic man sex, Het and Femslash in later chapters.
Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling is the creator and true owner of the characters of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World, and no infringement of copyright is intended. We're just playing with them for our own amusement and that of our readers; no money is being made. But we do subsist very well on reviews!
Beta: calanor , who keeps me on track, and Jagged Angel, who has kindly agreed to Brit-pick the chapters for me.
Honor
Chapter 25:: Sunday Afternoons and Family
Shadows were starting to creep across the walls and the sunset was reflecting through the window across the room, highlighting the four professors and friends, as they shared a drink and good company. Minerva's rooms were a favorite choice, since she had extra wards and monitoring spells surrounding them to keep out prying eyes.
After so many years at the school, stepping into those rooms was like stepping into her family home on the Moors. Spending so much time out of the year at the school had prompted Minerva to make her personal space as homey as possible. Deep rich aged wood, heavy woven fabrics, family and homeland paintings, rich rugs, lots of stitched pillows and knitted throws. Every surface showcased a few pictures or family heirloom pieces. Books were prominent on several tables and there was a large carved wizards chess set on a table near the fire, just begging for a game to begin. Minerva had purposely chosen rich earthy tones, with just a touch of gold and red, here and there, so it still had a relaxed welcoming feeling.
The chess set had been relocated temporarily, so the four could partake of the warmth of the blazing fireplace while they talked. The last several days and nights had been very cold. But, the nearby warmth of the fire, coupled with the inner warm of the aged scotch whiskey currently being enjoyed, had chased all the chills away—at least for the time being.
"Màthair, you've brought out the good scotch!" Remus smiled widely at Minerva, as he sipped from the heavy crystal tumbler she had just added two fingers of the amber liquid to, from a newly opened bottle, bearing an ornate label. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm burn as the liquid traveled to his stomach. "Mmmm. That is excellent!"
Smirking at him, she turned and offered some to Severus, then to Poppy, who each slid their tumblers in her direction on the table. "Only the best for my Little Wolfe."
"Oh, Kitten, that IS good!" added Poppy, after she tasted it and licked her lips, savoring the aged flavor. She flicked her wand and a platter of biscuits and fine chocolates floated in and settled in the center of the table. She eyed both of the 'boys', watching their reactions, knowing they each had a sweet tooth. "I thought after that kidney pie earlier, we needed a bit of pudding now."
Remus and Severus perused the tray with great interest, until they noticed a few chocolate dipped berries nestled amid the magic-dipped chocolates. Their eyes locked and both sets of cheeks flushed. Poppy's eyebrows raised and she fixed Min with a questioning gaze. Minerva shook her head in the negative, but she was smiling and looking intrigued.
"Pops, that was a splendid idea. Everything looks…absolutely sinful." Minerva reached over the tray, letting her hand hover for a moment as she decided what to try first. Letting out an 'ah' of decision, she plucked one of the dipped berries from the tray, and bit into it slowly, savoring the explosion of fruit juice and dark chocolate across her palate. She closed her eyes and hummed in delight. Poppy watched, then snickered, completely missing the look exchanged on the other side of the table, as Severus and Remus, coughed and cleared their throats.
"They're delicious, boys. What are you waiting for?" Poppy turned an amused gaze on them, and picked up a caramel nut biscuit. "I'm going to call for some tea. It will go much better with this."
"Or some fine dessert wine," Remus whispered under his breath. Severus rolled his eyes.
"Tea. That sounds like a find idea." Minerva delicately licked the remnants of chocolate from her fingertips as she looked across the table. "Are you two feeling well? You look a bit flushed. Shall I open a window then?" She started to pull her wand.
"We are fine, Auntie." Severus replied, quickly, as he removed his outer robe and folded it over the back of his chair. Remus only nodded and undid his tie and top shirt button. He had removed his outer robe earlier. "We just need to get more comfortable, is all."
"By all means! Today is our day to relax after all." Poppy poured four cups of tea, placing them in front of everyone, then set the pot back down on the tray, passing the cream and sugar around. "There, that's much better."
Minerva summoned a deck of well-used cards, setting them on the table. "Anyone up for a bit of Clobyosh? It's been a few weeks since our last game." She raised an eyebrow and grinned wickedly, as she began shuffling the deck.
"Ah, I see, Màthair, you and Muime didn't learn your lesson, when we last played." Remus returned the wicked glare, as he heard Severus chuckling beside him. They looked forward to these afternoons with the only family they had here in Scotland. The four tried to get together at least two Sundays out of the month. Occasionally, they were able to slip in an extra Sunday or an evening during the week. It kept everyone close and tightly bonded.
Poppy cut the cards and Minerva dealt. Everyone sorted their hands and began to play.
The rivalry was fierce. They may as well have been on brooms over the Quidditch Pitch.
An occasional 'ha!' or burst of laughter could be heard. The tea, whiskey, and tray of sweets had been moved to a small table that sat adjacent to the larger table, easily accessible when needed. Noone noticed the house elves that lit the lamps and stoked the fire, nor the one that refreshed the tea.
It was well into the evening, when their rousing game was interrupted by a loud scratching at the large window. Poppy waved her wand and the window opened briefly, to admit a large and very familiar hawk.
"Aremus!" Severus commanded, as he stood and held up his arm, toward the large bird flying directly to him. Strong talons grabbed his arm gently but securely, as the bird settled his weight, and folded his wings. Remus stood and removed the small package attached to Aremus' leg. While Remus and Severus were busy, Minerva had summoned a house elf to bring a small bowl of fresh meat and a dish of cool water. They were placed on the perch in the corner of the room. When his leg was freed, the hawk dipped his head to Severus for a scratch, before flying to the perch for a well-earned rest.
Severus and Remus seated themselves again, and Remus opened the package, as everyone looked on in anticipation, all praying it was good news. The outside was a letter written in Luisa's elegant hand. Remus held the small packet that had been enclosed in it, as he quickly read the letter. A smile broke out on his face as he reached the end, and he handed it to Severus. There were a couple more minutes of silence as Severus read.
"Well, Severus?" Poppy's voice reflected concern and anxiousness. She had recognized the hawk. It was one that Luisa often used.
Remus held up his hand as he smiled at her, communicating silently that there was no need for concern.
Severus suddenly threw back his head and laughed happily. Remus' eyes danced. Minerva and Poppy leaned forward, eager for news.
"Severus Valerio Bianci Snape…!" Minerva began.
He sat back up and looked at the women with tears in his eyes, and threw his arms wide. "Benedire la Dea! Più bambini di Bianci!!"
"Le congratulazioni!! I ringraziamenti sono alla Dea!!!" Remus exclaimed, as he reached over and hugged Severus.
The two witches sat quiet for only a moment while they mentally translated what they had just heard. Both looked up with wide smiles and everyone started laughing and talking at once.
Poppy jumped up and moved around the table quickly, to wrap her arms around both men. "Babies!! More babies for the Bianci family! How wonderful!"
"Congratulations, Severus! Blessings from the Goddess. How wonderful." Minerva pulled a lace handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. She walked to the other side of the hugging bodies and waited for them to separate, before she hugged each of her 'boys'. Poppy moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her waist as she kissed Minerva's cheek. Her eyes were watery as well.
"Oh! I almost forgot! Mama Luisa sent pictures as well!" Remus waved the small package, before spelling it open.
Everyone began speaking at once again, as they sat down at the table and started passing the pictures around. Wizarding pictures that showed two healthy babies, and a very happy family waving and blowing kisses. In one picture, Ettore, Severus' brother, held up his daughter as Annalisa looked over his shoulder, and their other three children surrounded them. Another showed Dona, his sister, holding up her daughter, surrounded by Michel and their four boys. Both babies had been born in the same night. The family Healer and his staff had been very busy that night. Luisa had included several pictures of Tori, Faegan, the workers, the house elves, all the pets, and the villa and vineyard, as well.
After several minutes, Minerva, Poppy, and Remus, all noticed Severus had gone quiet. He was sitting back in his chair, staring at one of the pictures, gently running his fingertips across the surface of it. His eyes were unfocused, as if he were thousands of miles away.
"Remus?" Minerva prompted gently.
The women leaned over to get a better look at his face, and Remus stood to look over his shoulder, wondering which picture he was holding. Leaning down, he recognized their son, Tori, smiling brightly and waving energetically from the picture in Severus' hands. His heart ached, as he realized what had to be going through his mate's mind.
Touching Severus' shoulder lightly, he looked up at Minerva and Poppy, and quickly mouthed, 'Tori.' Then he leaned down, near Severus' ear and quietly said, "Sev?"
The dark-haired wizard started slightly as he came back to himself. When he looked up, Remus noticed the tear tracking down Severus' cheek. He reached down with one hand to take the picture, as he wiped the tear away with the other.
"I miss him too, Sev." He handed the picture across the table, as he sat again, keeping one hand on Severus, to rub his back in comfort.
"My! He's grown so much, since the last pictures you received!" Poppy placed the picture with the others.
"Christmas Hols will be upon us shortly. I think it's time we discussed our plans for it."
Minerva banished the cards back to their drawer, and levitated the tea tray back to the table. Eyeing each of her companions, she poured fresh tea and passed teacups to each of them.
"Poppy and I have already discussed our plans. We both spent quite a bit of time with our families this year. Our children will be spending the Hols this year with the families of their spouses, so we thought we would take a trip together—to Italy."
"Really." Remus asked, as he gave Severus' shoulder a squeeze.
"We thought the four of us could travel together. I know you both want to spend Christmas with Tori, and see the new babies as well."
"And," Minerva added. "it would make the trip that much more pleasant."
A smile slowly formed on Severus' face. "I would like that very much." He replied, and reached for his tea.
"I do have one question though. Are we going to have difficulty getting away from the school, together?"
"No, Remi, I'm sure Auntie has already taken care of that," Severus looked at the Assistant Headmistress, with a knowing smirk, "haven't you, Auntie?"
"Of course." A look of feline cunning flashed in her eyes as she grinned.
Remus expression quickly changed to one of seriousness. "Màthair, is there any way we can go and visit Harry?" Severus sat forward, very interested and intent on hearing the reply. This concerned another child that was important to Remus, and thus to himself, as well.
"Actually, arrangements have been made with Arabella, to have Petunia and the boys spending the afternoon with her next week, so I could examine them. You can join me then." Poppy offered.
"I'd only received a message from her this morning. I will make sure you both are free that evening, so you may accompany Poppy."
"Splendid!" Remus exclaimed, as he reached across the table to grasp in each of his hands, the hand of each of the most important women in his life. Giving them a loving squeeze, the joy of the news was evident on his face.
Tbc…