AN: Thanks for all the reviews, for reading, and the support in general! It really means a lot to me. I know that these next two chapters are kind of short, but when they were one chapter it didn't flow well and I thought that it was confusing. I'll probably post the next chapter tonight since I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, but please don't be upset if I don't. At the moment I am sicker than a dog. Anyway, enjoy!
Hermione opened the door and chuckled as she entered. The dinner with Severus had been much less dramatic than the one with Ron, and far more enjoyable. They had talked for hours about potions, the school, and life in general. When they were done, they went to the dungeons to talk some more, where her favorite part occurred. She'd mentioned their Blackjack tournament, and he'd pulled out the cards and asked her for a hand. They had played for hours, laughing and talking the whole time.
It was overall a wonderful evening.
She got changed and finished getting ready for bed. Then, she lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling until sleep overtook her.
"Mummy! Mummy!"
Hermione looked over at the boy. He looked to be the same boy that she'd seen with Severus earlier, only he seemed now to be a toddler, and a very curious one at that. He was running to meet her. She was sitting on a bench near Hogwarts, enjoying the summer day.
"Yes sweetie?" she asked.
He ran closer to her, holding some daisies, some with the dirty roots dangling from the bottom. "Newille helped me pick these!" he announced proudly.
"Neville," Hermione corrected him.
He rolled his eyes. She chuckled. On her lap, she felt something move. She looked down and saw a little girl of no more than a year old looking up at her. Like the boy she had black hair, but unlike her brother's curly hair, hers was straight and black, though not greasy. Her eyes were dark brown, though not as dark as Severus', and she had inherited Hermione's nose. Hermione began stroking her hair. The girl gave her a playful and shy smile and buried her face into Hermione's robes.
"Mummy! I wanna see the unicorns!" the boy began as he waved the flowers in Hermione's face.
She smiled and took the flowers. Before she could answer the boy's questions though a baritone voice behind her answered, "This is Mummy's birthday, not yours. We're going to do what she wants today."
Hermione smiled as Severus sat beside her on the bench. The boy sighed. "Mummy, do you want to see the unicorns?"
"Maybe we can later," she replied as the girl unburied herself form Hermione's robes and looked up at Snape. The girl gave him a smile, and he gave her one in return.
"Dada," she muttered.
Hermione sighed and let her crawl onto Severus' lap. The boy took the opportunity to sit on Hermione's lap. "Did you like the flowers?" he asked.
"I loved them," she answered.
"Happy birthday," Snape began as he pulled out a velvet box.
She looked at it and smiled. She opened it to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with a green stone in the middle. "It's gorgeous," she gasped. "Thank you so much Severus."
"I'm glad you like it," he answered.
He kissed her on the lips, but broke it off when the boy yelled, "Mummy stop being gross with Daddy!"
Snape looked down at him. "When you're older and you love some one as much as I love your mother, you won't find it so gross."
"Yes I will," he muttered before he got up.
"Where are you going?" Hermione demanded.
"To find more daisies. You two are too gross for me."
"You stay within eyesight," Snape ordered.
"Yes Dad," he answered.
Hermione watched her boy pick the flowers. She felt Severus' arms wrap around her. She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.
"No, thank you," he answered. "I love you."
They kissed again. Before they could deepen the kiss, she awoke.
She looked around. The first rays of light were coming through her window, illuminating her room. She stretched, got out of the bed, and began double checking her bags. In the midst of her preparations, her mind returned to Severus and the dream children. As much as she hated to admit it, she was happier in those dreams than she was in the dreams where she was surrounded by Ron's eight screaming kids. She leaned her head against her bags.
I need to stop dreaming about Severus, she thought. This is getting ridiculous! He'd rather throw himself off the astronomy tower than ever consider having a child, much less having two. He'd really freak out if their mother was a Gryffindor that a year ago he could barely tolerate.
She finished checking her bags and then showered, almost wishing that dream would come true.