Chapter 26

Lily had been released from the hospital wing late on the same day. Poppy had denied her all visitors for at least 12 hours after Pius and Dumbledore's verbal altercation so she could get some decent rest and had sent Severus to get some sleep.

But sleep was the very last thing on Snape's mind.

His head was buzzing with the thought of Lily's body bearing a new life. His child, their child was developing within her body right this moment.

After eventually falling into a dreamless, sweet sleep. He showered, changed into fresh clothes and walked down to collect his girlfriend from the hospital wing.

Naturally, the school was in a state of frozen normality. Students gossiped as he walked by. Teachers seemed to be in their own confused states. Ushering students to their next classes with a sort of preoccupied concern.

He found Lily talking with Poppy in her office. Poppy was going over a few pamphlets with Lily when Snape walked in.

Poppy smiled at Lily who got off the desk she was perched on and wrapped her arms around him.

He buried his head in her red hair and embraced her as carefully as if she were made of glass.

Lily smiled and looked back at Poppy.

"Told you, he's treating me weird already."

"Severus, you can still treat her the same." began Poppy "Be cautious with her…No midnight raids at the ministry. Lily, remember…hand in your letter today. No more missions."

"I don't think I'm welcome back at the ministry any way, Poppy. Not after last night." Lily smiled. "Not that I'm sad."

"I think here is the safest place for us." Snape replied coolly. He could not stop his eyes from straying to her abdomen where the slightest suggestion of a bump was now protruding from her green cardigan.

"Poppy has decided to try and take care of my healthcare here, rather than risking St. Mungo's. I think she'll do great." smiled Lily.

"I'm going to write to Molly Weasley." Poppy explained. "I am sure she knows more than I do."

Lily smiled at Snape.

Snape knew he should probably ask something related to the pregnancy or birth but in all honesty, the whole thing eluded him.

He had never really had to deal with pregnant women before. Having had no siblings, no close female relatives or friends. None of his students had ever become pregnant during his time at the school (he was relieved to say!) and very rarely did they need to address pregnancy in potion making (with the exception of NEWT level 'cramp easing tonic' in which the suggestions for use included pregnancy in the third trimester).

All he knew was that Lily was pregnant, probably in the earlier stages judging by her size and was suffering from morning sickness.

"When…When do we expect…When…" Snape cleared his throat, somehow ashamed by his lack of diplomacy in discussing something that should be relatively simple for someone of his age and intelligence. "…When should I prepare the nursery for?"

Lily smiled.

"Poppy thinks that I am about Ten weeks gone."

"Oh!" Snape replied, nodding. "I see."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?" smiled Lily sweetly.

"…Teach me." Snape finally said.

Poppy chuckled.

"Don't worry, she'll teach you."

Lily took his hand and led him from Poppy's office and down through the corridors.

Snape's desperation to explore Lily's new figure was too much as they walked down to the dungeons. He longed to run his hands across her stomach and waist and stroke her growing bosom. He was desperate to kiss her stomach and show his excitement openly without the prying eyes of students and staff.

Walking ahead of her down the tight spiral steps to the dungeon, he looked back at her, his one hand in hers and his other ready to catch her should she fall.

She found it hilarious that he was being so cautious.

Finally they found their way back to their quarters they had abandoned a few months earlier.

Snape was relieved to find their luggage had been brought from Spinners end, and that the house elves had made the place comfortable again. Dumbledore had struck again.

Closing the door behind her, Lily smiled at Snape who gave her a mischievous grin.

"…What?" she smiled.

Scooping her up, she squealed, laughing as he gently laid her on the bed and kissed her passionately.

Kissing him back, his hands found their way to her blouse and instead of unbuttoning the delicate pearl buttons, they slipped under the tails of it and moulded around the bulge that strained at her skirt waist.

She paused kissing him and pulled away as he looked at her, his hands sculpting the miracle inside her.

She gave him a smile, her cheeks glowing with a self-awareness as he looked back at her with wonder in his black eyes.

"…Do you want to see it?"

She slipped her zip down and gently shuffled the brown skirt down so that her abdomen was fully exposed.

The smooth, white skin was swollen into what looked perfectly natural. For some reason he had imagined being slightly frightened by the look of it. After all, he had not seen Lily naked for some months…She had always hidden her body from him, he put down to her no longer feeling as attracted to him at Spinners end.

She was hiding her secret from him instead.

But the shape of her body was beautiful.

Running his hand over the curve of it, then the other…cupping it in his warm hands, he looked at her.

"…Poppy said that she's been looking into it, and the baby is around the size of an Olive."

"…How could anything so small survive?" Snape asked in a whisper.

"Because it has an Auror for a mother and a potions expert as a father." Lily smiled.

Snape smiled weakly before leaning in to kiss her softly. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately back.

Two weeks later. The school was ablaze with scandal.

Apparently, Seamus had heard from Hannah Abbot who heard from Padma Patil who heard from Nearly headless nick who had been told by Ernie Macmillan who was sworn to secrecy by Michael Corner that Professor Umbridge had been drawn away by a magic cart in the dead of night on the 15th with all of her bags surrounding her. Her sobs were heard as far up as Ravenclaw tower.

Dean had been told by Colin who had it on good authority from Ginny Weasley that The Minister for Magic had come up to the school with Ministry Officials only to leave less than 15 minutes later swearing and demanding his advisors be waiting in his office immediately.

Luna Lovegood found herself followed by gaggles of Ravenclaws desperate for a first hand account of what REALLY happened that night for weeks. Naturally, anything that Luna said was taken with a pinch of salt and treated as inadmissible.

And Neville Longbottom was encouraged to not speak about what happened in the Ministry, to which he agreed solemnly.

Somehow, as these things tend to do, word slipped out and wild rumours flew around the school about what had actually happened in the Ministry.

Apparently, Neville duelled the dark lord and a basilisk that lived in the department of mysteries came out and tried to kill Neville but he managed to blind it with the glare of a light on his wrist watch and it was dead.

Apparently, the DA broke out of school for the night, and spent it in the Hogs head pub and made up the story to cover themselves.

Apparently, several Death Eaters had been rounded up and were now in Azkaban.

But a lot of parents had made arrangements to collect their children from the school citing 'politics' and Dumbledore announced in a special assembly that Professor Umbridge had been removed from the school, Professor Lupin was to return as the DADA teacher and Professors Evans and Snape were also set to return after being unfairly fired. He also informed the students that the Ministry had no further part in the running of Hogwarts and that this may change the curriculum, but that Hogwarts would always be safe for them.

A lot of the students seemed unsettled, and a few started to shed some tears, particularly two Ravenclaw girls who were in turn embraced by their friends.

But amongst the truths and amongst the falsities.

Was one explosive rumour…

Professor Evans is pregnant.

And Professor Snape is the father!

It was all the school could discuss…it was more salacious than anything else that had happened or anything that the Daily Prophet had printed about James Potter, the Quidditch player or Wizarding playboy Sirius Black or even what they said about Dumbledore.

No doubt, those who took Muggle studies tried to divine the presence of a tell-tale weight gain in their Professor, who kept them guessing with an endless parade of baggy cardigans and layers. And the potions master was walking around with a definite spring in his step. His homework load lessened just ever so slightly. He seemed less quick to remove points from houses that weren't Slytherin. And more so, he and Professor Evans were actually holding hands in the corridors.

It was just a wild rumour. But it certainly kept people busy.

That afternoon, Lily and Snape found that they had a free afternoon and arranged to meet Sirius and James Potter to say thank you for their help at the Ministry. Lupin had declined the invite. Apparently, he had a prior engagement.

With Tonks.

At the three broomsticks, Potter had decided to get to the bottom of it once and for all.

Slamming down his Butterbeer he wiped the foam from his lips and stared at Snape as though he had just challenged him to a duel.

"Well? Is it true?"

Snape lowered his glass of Butterbeer and dabbed at his mouth with his own napkin eloquently before replying:

"…Is what true?"

"Have you got the divine and virginal Lily Evans pregnant?!" he asked, slamming his fist down on the sticky wooden table and quaking everyone's drinks.

Snape looked to Lily who just started shaking her head with a smile.

"Honesty, Prongs." scoffed Sirius. "You live in a fantasy world. But nevertheless, the question stands, Snape."

Snape looked to Lily who smiled and squeezed his hand under the table.

Snape cleared his throat awkwardly, looked towards the window and permitted himself a smile.

"Oh My God. Snape's balls work!" Sirius laughed.

Lily leaned across the table and gave him a playful shove as Potter put his hands on the top of his head and shook his head wildly.

"No, no way. No way! You did not get Evans pregnant!" Potter groaned.

Snape sighed hopelessly.

"Keep it down. We don't want it splashed all over the Prophet. You know how much Rita is having a field day with us recently." Snape whispered, leaning across the table to hush him.

"Screw her. Snape, you old dog! I had no idea you had it in you!" Sirius grinned. "I say I get you a fire whiskey, not that you need it!"

Sirius stood up.

"Lils, you fancy another Butterbeer?"

"Better not. I don't want to spend half of today in the little witches room." Lily smiled.

Potter was still shaking his head in frozen disgust.

"I can't believe you let Snivellus get you up the duff."

"Get over it Potter." sneered Snape and leaned in to kiss Lily's cheek.

"Ugh. That's gross." Potter scoffed, looking away.

"Be an adult Potter." sighed Lily, inclining her head.

Potter swallowed a few times, reached over for the rest of Sirius' fire whiskey and choked it back before wiping his mouth on his sleeve. After a few moments, he thrust his hand out to Snape and nodded to his hand to indicate he was prepared to shake.

Snape took it with caution, knowing that under Lily's eyes, Potter couldn't do anything untoward.

Potter shook it.

"Granted, I always thought I'd be the one to plant my seed in Lily Evans' fertile pastures. But good for you, I guess."

Snape saw Lily shake her head in an amused fashion before tending to the last of her Butterbeer.

Sirius came back and put the drink in front of Snape and sat down.

"I keep thinking about that Mirror in the Department of Mysteries." Potter sighed. "If it's a fortune telling mirror it's going to have a hard time making it happen with all of this crap going on. My own team have benched me for the time being."

"What did you see in the mirror Lils? You never told us." Sirius asked going to pick up his drink and then realizing it was empty.

"Oh. I…Well, I saw this…" she replied, patting her abdomen. "I saw myself pregnant."

"So, it is a future telling mirror?" Potter smiled.

Snape nodded.

"Well, I certainly hope so…" he said and reaching inside his robes, he retrieved a small wooden box. Intricately carved.

Getting to his feet, he dropped to one knee and opened the box to reveal a exquisite silver ring with a beautiful round emerald set in it.

"Lily Evans, Will you marry me?"

The End.