Chapter 25 – Adding to the Family

Harry approached his husband cautiously, checking to see if the man was in a good mood, which would increase his chances of being heard out. He had Salazar wrapped around his neck to scent the air and warn him if his mate became too agitated, as well as to provide moral support. After some small talk, which eased Harry's fears, he decided to get down to business.

He quickly and efficiently steered the topic to their careers and their soon-to-be-born children, wondering what they were going to do while school was in session. After all, they had classes to teach, and while Harry was willing to drop teaching to take care of his child full-time, he'd still need some time to himself.

Severus instantly became wary and stared at Harry through narrowed eyes. "You already have something in mind, don't you?" Harry shrugged and nodded sheepishly, and Severus sighed. "Why don't you just tell me what you're thinking, and I'll answer." Harry bit his lower lip nervously and asked, "Please, promise to hear me out and seriously consider this before you fly off the handle, all right?"

Obsidian eyes narrowed even further in suspicion, but the older wizard nodded, albeit rather reluctantly. "You know Nathan Schuyler, right?" When Severus nodded, realization of where this was going starting to shine in his eyes, Harry plunged ahead. "Well, I was thinking that we should, perhaps, adopt him." When Severus opened his mouth, no doubt to object, Harry shot him a pleading glance to remember his promise and the Potions Master subsided.

"He has no family, Sev. He is an orphan, like I am. His family was highly abusive, with his father being a Death Eater and constantly beating him and his mother. His mother, in turn, took out her anger and helplessness on Nathan, so both parents ended up thrashing the poor child. He now lives in an orphanage, and he's a lycanthrope, a panther twice a month, which causes him problems at the orphanage as well."

"Our children, both of them, will be born animagi. Is that even possible? It won't be lycanthropy, not even what I have, but Madame Pomfrey says that they're already showing shape-shifting capabilities before they're even born. Who better to help us with them than another lycanthrope? He will have classes next year, as well, I realized this, but I'm working on planning for at least one of us to be with them at all times. Sirius and Remus are, of course, willing to help, but they'll have Mitena to take care of, and I won't burden them with my own children."

"Then there's the subject of my connection with him." Severus looked up at him sharply and he hurried to reassure him, "No, Sev, not a bond like what I have with you, Remus, and Draco. We have another bond, a different and far more unique one. This is what Albus and Byron have been trying to figure out for a long while now."

Knowing that he had Severus' undivided attention, he breathed out, "Nathan Schuyler also survived the Killing Curse, although his own counter did not kill Voldemort. Of course, I don't know if it would have anyhow, since that bastard was inhabiting another's body, being as that it was three years after the destruction of his body."

Severus' wordless exclamation gave him pause, and he raised an eyebrow. Sighing, he made a hand gesture for Severus to ask his questions. He'd answer them all afterwards. "Who shot the Killing Curse at Nathan? How do you know that this is true, and it's not some sort of trick? How did you survive the Killing Curse, and if it's true, then how did he? And what do you mean about our children being born shape-shifters?" he asked, all in one breath.

Harry laughed at his husband's obvious anxiety and decided to answer his questions bluntly, rather than beating around the bush. "His own father shot the Killing Curse at Nathan. That's why he was taken away to an orphanage. It's true because I've seen the scar he bears, and it has the same… feeling, I guess… as mine. Also, I'm a were-Jachyra. I can tell when somebody's lying to me, although not necessarily if they're omitting information."

"I survived it through my own power and through my mother's sacrifice. Nathan survived it through his lycanthropy and a House Elf's sacrifice, surprisingly enough. Our children have already shown the unique magic that makes for an animagi, but also genes for lycanthropy. However, there is not a large enough quantity of the latter for them to become were-creatures, and they don't have enough power yet for the former, yet it's still there. They will likely be able to transform starting from birth."

Falling silent, Harry awaited Severus' verdict on the adoption. After several tense moments, his mate sighed and said, "I wish to speak with young Mr. Schuyler before we do anything. Also, I want to make sure that he'll be all right around our children. Oh, and one more thing. How do you plan on us both continuing to teach while still spending time with Aric and Ebon?"

Harry smiled at Severus. "I was wondering when you'd get back around to that." He gestured towards the cobra wrapped around his neck. "It was actually Salazar here who came up with both ideas; quite by accident, of course," he added with a pointed glare when Sal started preening from the acknowledgment. Salazar hissed at him angrily before settling down, but he didn't stop glaring until Harry promised him some live mice after dinner that night.

Turning back to Severus, who had been listening in obvious amusement, Harry continued, "He's been hanging around Nathan a lot, keeping hidden, of course, and he's seen how the boy interacts with others. He's perfectly capable of holding his own against all sorts of prejudice, and he's clever, naturally. Salazar also noticed that he sssseemsss to be very good with the young onessss in the Sssserpent Houssse" he hissed in imitation of his cobra, causing Severus to smile slightly and Sal to hiss once more in discontent.

Harry reached up and stroked along the smooth scales, soothing Salazar's injured pride and he continued. "I was thinking that I could teach both the lower levels of Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus is planning on taking over Magical Creatures from Hagrid, and Sirius will be busy between Mitena and his husband, so there's really no competition for the position. You could then take the older students in both classes."

"That would give us each a full day of classes, but if we arrange it properly with Albus, we should each be able to spend half the day with Aric and Ebon, since every level isn't taught every day and the double classes are only once a week. After classes, Nathan can help with them, and if he's part of the family, then he can live here with us as well."

Severus just nodded and murmured noncommittally, but Harry knew that the older wizard had taken him seriously and would think it through before giving him an answer. Smiling, Harry moved forward and kissed Severus chastely on the lips, eyes lighting in triumph when Severus pushed firmly against his mouth and turned it quickly into a display of heated passion, tongues dueling for possession. Harry, feeling generous this day in light of what he had just asked of his husband, quickly let Severus take control of the kiss and the subsequent activities.

Severus reached down and placed his right hand over Harry's abdomen, feeling the children kicking a steady beat against their father's ribs. His other hand tangled itself in his young husband's raven tresses as he explored the other man's mouth thoroughly, reacquainting himself with a taste that he'd never tire of.

Harry moaned lightly and shifted until he was straddling Severus' hips, albeit a bit awkwardly with his protruding stomach. Fortunately, in Harry's perspective, men didn't show nearly as much as women did. Of course, his children would also have to be cut out of him, having no natural channel to be born through on their own.

Severus smiled against his husband's mouth and moved the hand that had been on Harry's stomach down lower, to another bulge. Harry's gasp of delight and mewls of pleasures urged him on as he reached for his wand and divested his mate of his clothing, not bothering to remove his own in the process. With Harry's pregnancy, they were not able to do very much in the way of sexual adventures, but they could still do this. It may have been something small, but it conveyed all the love and tenderness that bound them; a physical manifestation of what their minds and hearts already knew.

The older wizard bucked his hips upwards, grinding their arousals together, and Harry cried out in pleasure, pressing downwards, seeking more of that hot friction. Severus' pants, while comfortable, scraped harshly over Harry's raw nerves, sparking pleasure that traveled up his spine. He loved his husband, more than he would have ever dreamed possible, and he opened their bonds, both the Unity Mark and their mind-link, wide; allowing the two of them to share their emotions and thoughts back and forth, at points unable to tell where one ended and the other began, so closely did they meld together. As he reached climax, the children inside of him kicked solidly against his rib cage and Harry groaned, flushing in embarrassment. It didn't matter that Aric and Ebon hadn't been born yet, they had still been there while their father got off rubbing up against their other daddy.

Severus just chuckled and buried his face in Harry's hair as the young man calmed down. "We're going to need to be very careful about when and how we… indulge… after our sons are born. Not to mention having to be careful if young Mr. Schuyler joins us as well." Harry lifted his head and looked at Severus inquiringly, but the Potions Master just shrugged. "I told you I'd think about it, and I am. I haven't decided yet, but I have to think in terms of him being a part of the family as well, or else I won't think it through properly and may end up doing something I'd regret."

Harry frowned at him as he dressed, "Something you'd regret, huh? You mean like taking in a little orphaned lycanthrope who survived the killing curse, had an abusive home life until he went to the orphanage, and who considers Hogwarts to be his first true home?" Severus almost nodded by instinct, but then caught himself, realizing that Harry had described not only Nathan, but himself as well.

Smirking up at his lover, he complimented, "That was rather… Slytherin of you, Harry. You almost trapped me in that comparison, since I never saw it coming." Harry just nodded in acknowledgment of the compliment, but continued to stare at Severus seriously. "What?!" the Potions professor demanded, exasperated. "I told you I'd think about it, and I will! I'll give you my answer before the school year ends, all right?"

Harry frowned and shook his head. "Before Aric and Ebon, and Mitena are born." Severus narrowed his eyes, but nodded reluctantly in acquiescence when he saw that familiar defiance in Harry's eyes, the one that said he wasn't backing down unless you had a damn good reason for him to do so that didn't involve his own personal safety, which it appeared at times that he could care less about.

Then Severus grinned wickedly, going back to a previous statement. "Besides, if I start including him in my thinking now, then perhaps I'll actually manage to wrap my mind around the fact that you want another Slytherin in the family. I would think that myself, Draco, Lucius, Albus, and the impending twins would be enough to scar you for life."

Harry's eyes widened and he swatted his husband playfully on the arm, crying, "You git!" Then he smirked, "You don't even know that. Don't forget that you'll still be outnumbered. After all, there's me, Remus, Sirius, Mitena, Byron, Fred, and George. And you mustn't forget their Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, as well as the rest of the Weasleys." Severus cringed, just then realizing that he was surrounded by Gryffindors with no way out.

Reading his thoughts, the were-Jachyra curled up against him laughed. "Just now dawning, eh, Sev? That's right, you're outnumbered by Gryffindors, and don't you ever forget that. Of course, it's a little more even when you consider that the Sorting Hat originally wanted to put me in Slytherin, and that if Draco, Fred and George ever have kids, they might end up in Slytherin. After all, they'll have Draco's cunning and the twins' knack for pranks, I'm sure."

Although, Ron and Hermione's kids are a dead ringer for Gryffindor, unless they wind up in Ravenclaw, which is possibly, I suppose," he commented, tilting his head slightly to the side in consideration. Grinning, he turned back to his husband and kissed him thoroughly before sliding off the older wizard's lap and turning around, heading out of the room. He planned to spend the day with Sirius, while Draco went to help the twins. Remus was coming to talk to Severus later. About what, Harry had no idea, but he figured that if it was important, they'd tell him.

Everything was going very well, and Harry couldn't help but pray that it stayed that way. Shaking off his dark thoughts, Harry whistled merrily as he left to go find Sirius, leaving a breathless Potions Master behind him.