"George! Harry! I'm not going to tell you again!"
A thin woman wearing an apron stood on the back stoop of a small but comfortable house, hands on her hips as she surveyed the scene in her backyard. Two young boys of about six and three were squatting in the mud building fortresses. The older boy looked up at her; he had ragged black hair and eyes as blue as the woman's. His little brother kept his dark eyes on the lump of dirt he was shaping, staring through waves of brown hair. The woman had to hide her laugh at how hopelessly muddy they were.
"Come on, Harry, Mum says it's time to go in," coaxed the older boy. Harry just shook his head obstinately. George frowned, at a loss for what to do. Then, with a gleam strangely reminiscent of one his namesake was famous for, he glanced slyly at his brother and offered, "I'll race you for my last Chocolate Frog."
In a flash, Harry was on his feet and halfway to the house. "Never catch me, George!" he yelled back triumphantly. George immediately took off, but it was rather obvious to their mother that he purposely let the younger boy win. As Harry darted inside and began a victory dance in the kitchen, a surprised George received a warm hug and a kiss from his mother, who ignored the mud that was certainly now covering her, too.
"That was very smart and very kind of you, George," she whispered with a smile. The boy looked up and grinned. "Love you, Mum," he said as he planted a muddy kiss on her cheek. She laughed and shooed her sons out of the kitchen. "I love you too. Go clean yourselves up before your father sees you, you look as though you barely escaped a hippogriff attack! And don't you dare get mud stains on my towels!"
She stood listening to the two sets of footsteps recede up the staircase. Then she turned to the still-open back door and looked out at the sunset, a contented smile on her face. Suddenly a pair of arms caught her from behind, surprising a squeak out of her. A deep, quiet voice murmured in her ear, "Did you miss me?" She sighed and replied softly, "Well, I thought for a moment you were a werewolf or something, but you're not, so it's fine now. And yes, I did miss you."
She leaned her head back onto the man's shoulder and smiled. She watched as his onyx eyes took in her face and clothes, obviously noticing the mud splattered there, and an eyebrow was raised as he asked, "Had a little run-in with the boys, did we, Cassi dearest?" He brought his thumb to his tongue and proceeded to rub her cheek where George had kissed her. A tiny smirk played about his lips, which caused Cassi to move away from him suddenly. "Severus Snape, don't you dare smirk at me in that disrespectful manner!" she cried playfully. "We both know that I am ruler of this household, and I will not tolerate such insubordinance!" He just smiled wider, then gently pulled her into his arms. "And you rule with an iron fist," he agreed as he felt her melt into his arms. She just hummed in submission.
They spent a few minutes like that, Severus watching the sun set and Cassi burrowed comfortably into his chest. When the orange disc was completely gone, Severus shifted and whispered into his wife's ear, "You should get some sleep, my love; the party's tomorrow and we've got to be up early if we want to make it to the Weasleys' by 9." Cassi sighed but didn't move. Severus smiled into her hair. "Who's being insubordinate now?" he teased her, eliciting a chuckle. "I believe I am," she responded, raising her head to smile at him. Their lips met in a kiss until Cassi broke away, her face serious.
"What's wrong, love?" Severus asked gently. Cassi allowed herself to be distracted by a speck of lint on his shoulder before answering. "Well, dear," she began, "I have some news." She paused as he cocked his head to the side. Cassi waited as his eyes narrowed in concentration, then widened in realization as he figured it out. Cassi knew he had used a non-verbal Homenum Revelio. "Another one?" he asked despondently, and Cassi laughed at his response. "Yes, another one, and if you ask nicely, I'll even let you name him," she said sweetly. Despite their banter, they both felt the underlying current of fear - Cassi had never fully physically recovered after a life-threatening kidnapping many years ago, and her last two pregnancies has been difficult and frightening for both parents. Despite Severus' concerns, Cassi's resolute desire for children of her own prevailed, and despite all the worries and problems, they found the end result well worth it. So now, mixed with their fear, Severus and Cassi felt elation and peace. "Will I really get to name him?" asked Severus hopefully. Cassi swiftly replied, "No, but I figured if I told you that, you might behave yourself a little better." Severus swept his wife into his arms and asked innocently, "Now when have I ever misbehaved, dearest?" Cassi giggled at his antics, then rested her head on his shoulder as he carrived her toward their bedroom.
Cassi came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, having changed into her nightdress and prepared for bed, to find her husband standing at the window watching the moon. She padded up behind him and slid her arms around his waist, earning a silent sigh from him. A minute later she spoke up, "Do you think we should tell the family our news tomorrow?" Severus replied thoughtfully, "Probably not, because George and his family won't be there, and you know how he feels about being in on everything that happens around here. He would never let me rest if he wasn't the first to know." Cassi sensed his eyes roll and chuckled softly. "True...we can wait. It'll be our little secret for a while, then." Severus didn't respond, and Cassi got the feeling that he was worrying about her. After ten years of marriage she didn't pretend to know everything about her husband, but she had learned to tell when he was worrying. It happened a lot.
"Severus," she said gently as she let go of him and came to stand by his side, "please don't worry about me. I know we've had some trouble in the past, but it does no good to worry. I've got a whole host of Weasleys who love to take care of me. And you. You've been there for me through everything, Severus. I know you'll be there for me now."
Severus wanted to argue that nothing was certain, that the unexpected sneaks up on everyone, that bad things happen to good people. But with the love of his life standing in front of him, two wonderful sons asleep down the hall and a third on the way, he couldn't make himself be so pessimistic. All he could do was take Cassi in his arms, hold her close, and promise, "I will be there for you every time, my love - never doubt it."