Hey everyone, I'm back. Sorry that this chapter is a little late. I was on holiday visiting my brother at school, and with my schedule, I was too tired to write. I hope this makes up for it. I promise, I will be on time next week.
Disclaimer: The world and characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and I claim no ownership whatsoever. I only own my original characters and their names.
~HP~
Never in his life had Severus thought that he would wish that the Christmas holidays would never end. He loathed to look at the calendar and watch the days go by, getting closer and closer to the time when both he and Rose had to return to Hogwarts. Time alone was just too perfect for the happy couple for it to end. But alas, though they thought themselves to be quite powerful, neither of them had the ability to slow down time. Those short weeks flew by with the snowflakes on the wind, and Severus and Rose once again found themselves at point where they would have to say goodbye, even if it was only temporary. One of the saddest sights in Severus's recent memory was watching Rose wander around his home, picking up her various clothes and belongings to stow away in her trunk for the long journey back to school. Sadder still was standing on the pavement of those cobbled streets as he watched her board the early morning train that would take her back to King's Cross Station. Severus felt his heart aching when Rose turned to give him one last look before disappearing behind sliding metal doors. And with a great gust of freezing air, the train sped off into the distance.
Severus wasted no time before heading back to his little house to pack the last of his belongings before he too left for the castle. Even though Rose had left before him, he would still be arriving at Hogwarts ahead of her. Albus had suddenly decided that he didn't want the pregnant Potions master to make another extensive trip, and he arranged to open up the Floo network so that Severus could transport himself directly to the headmaster's office. Severus originally wanted to object, but once he thought about the other ways to get back to Scotland without Apparating, all of which were quite uncomfortable in nature and not very compatible with his pregnancy, he realized that he had no reason to complain.
"I say, don't you look well-rested," Albus commented as Severus stepped through his office fireplace, suitcase in hand. "Did you enjoy your holiday, Severus?"
"I did indeed," said Severus. He took a second to brush the soot off his robes before turning to face the older wizard behind the stately desk. "I hate to admit it, Albus, but you were right. It was nice to get away for a few weeks."
"I hope you have been well since the last time I saw you."
"Quite well," Severus nodded as he sat down in the visitor's chair, watching Albus stroll around his desk to sit nearer to the younger wizard. "If I'm honest, this is the best I've felt in years. It's a wonder what two weeks without stress can do. My pregnancy hardly irritated me at all. Of course, I did sometimes find myself missing the meals here of all things. Merlin save me from these blasted cravings!"
Albus smiled a twinkly smile, and he listen to Severus with immeasurable delight. There was something different about the Potions master, more than just the rounding belly visible just under folds of black fabric. The lines that had long been imprinted on Severus's forehead had gone, and his face bore a healthy glow. He was also much more casual in his conversations, or at least he was from Albus's viewpoint. If the elderly wizard had to take a guess, he would say that this pregnancy was starting to relax Severus, ease his mind finally. He seemed to be content with his life at last, and Albus could not have been any happier for that. "Didn't I tell you, Severus? I knew that a few weeks alone were exactly what you needed."
"Ah Albus, you know well that I was never alone." Severus glanced down at the bulge at his waist. "I was just fortunate that my future child already seems to be well-behaved." He went on to explain that he should be returning to his dungeon quarters and was starting to rise from his seat when Severus abruptly let out a quiet gasp. He settled back down, a hand coming up to rest on his stomach.
"What is it, Severus?" asked Albus, already moving to fly to the Potions professor's side. Severus however held up a hand to the headmaster, keeping him in his seat. "It's alright, Albus. The baby just kicked rather suddenly." He gently rubbed at the spot to soothe his restless unborn.
Albus's bushy white eyebrows arched up, and Severus noticed that curious glimmer behind his glasses. "Did it, now? Goodness, I do hope the little one isn't causing you too much trouble."
"Movement is often unexpected, but it is manageable for now," Severus explained.
Albus pulled his chair closer to Severus, glancing down at both the hand and the bump it protected. He allowed himself a moment to take in the sight of this suddenly parental Potions master, caressing his middle in a manner more affectionate than in recent weeks. The old wizard could feel the quiet bliss radiating from the younger, and his heart leapt when he saw the subtle smile that tugged at Severus's lips. The boy was definitely happier, at least at first glances.
There was another quick intake of breath from Severus, telling Albus that the baby must have given another kick. He carefully brought a hand up and let it hover slightly as he asked, "May I?"
Severus paused, not sure how to respond at first. He knew that pregnancy had a way of attracting unwanted attention that almost always ended in senseless touching. While he had been relieved that his colleagues had kept their hands to themselves, a small part of him never honestly thought that they would want to feel the little flutters going on inside him. A month ago, he would have jerked the hem of his robes around him to hide his stomach, but two weeks of Rose touching and caressing him had gotten him used to the feel of another person's hands on his child, someone other than Hogwarts' attentive Mediwitch. It couldn't hurt to allow his old headmaster get closer. If anything, Severus was just grateful that Dumbledore asked his permission first. With a reluctant sigh, he let his hands fall to his side, and he carefully parted his outer robes to better expose his belly.
Albus carefully reached out and laid his hand on the stretching fabric of Severus's frock coat. The pregnant Potions master sat uncomfortably for a moment, but he soon relaxed under the headmaster's harmless touch. And apparently, that was what the baby had been waiting for because it burst into a flurry of flips and turns. Albus let out a hearty chuckle as he gently rubbed at the spot.
"Oh, my dear boy," he said, his voice filled with some quiet awe. "That is simply wonderful! And such an active child too!" Severus said nothing, instead choosing to let Albus have his bonding moment with the baby. This man was no doubt going to play a big part in his child's life, and if Severus was ever going to get used to the constant fawning over himself and the little one he would bear, now seemed to be a good time to start.
After a few minutes of hapless stroking and witless giggles, Severus informed Albus that he really should be returning to the dungeons to get settled in again. Albus agreed and stood up to steady Severus in case he stumbled. Severus however had no such trouble, and he pulled out his wand to quickly cast a Glamour Charm over his abdomen before grabbing his suitcase and bidding Albus a good afternoon.
Albus watched him go with a warm smile, knowing that Severus was finally on the right track to happiness, though he might have already found that in his future child.
~HP~
Life at Hogwarts slowly returned to normal as students and staff resettled into their respective routines. Likewise, Rose and Severus returned to theirs, going back to the deeply guarded secrecy that their relationship was founded upon. The only difference was they began to take a bit more risk in their time together. Late evening encounters began to extend into the daylight hours, hidden behind tightly locked office doors. And now that they had consummated their relationship, they both wanted more. Rose now spent all of Friday and Saturday nights with Severus in his personal chambers, completely ignoring her eleven o'clock curfew. It was a daring move as far as Rose's living situation was concerned, given that her roommate was one of the most observant witches in the world, but as long as Rose was there in the dormitory when the sun came up, then Hermione shouldn't have much reason to be suspicious. After all, it wasn't that uncommon for Seventh years to be out of bed long into the night.
Getting reacquainted with her fellow Gryffindors proved to be a bigger challenge than Rose originally anticipated. She had left Hogwarts with a big secret, but she came back with an even bigger one. It suddenly got a tad bit more difficult to focus on her friends and whatever was going on in their lives when all that was on her mind was Severus and her special nights with him. But what made that nagging feeling worse was that they all seemed happy to have her back in their circles, especially Hermione, Ron, and Harry. How could she look them in the face and lie when she knew for sure that she had found the love of her life? The only comfort that Rose could take pleasure in was that while her comrades were great witches and wizards, they were not mind readers. So all Rose could do was the same thing she had been relying on since early December; separate the two big parts of her life, and just continue on acting as though such a division did not exist. She gossiped in the library with Parvati and Lavender over a copy of Witch Weekly. She brewed some extra Invigorating Draughts for her inept male friends. And when she disappeared after supper, Hermione thought that it was to sneak in some extra time with a certain professor she fancied. No one had a clue that Rose was breaking a multitude of rules right under their noses.
Life goes on as usual, Rose kept telling herself. Nobody had to know there was something up if she didn't want them to.
"I'm telling you guys, I think it's going to be a boy. The firstborns in my family have always been boys going back for decades." Ron paced around elatedly in front of the common room fire, Rose and Hermione watching him from their place on the couch. It was a little odd to see the ginger lad this enthusiastic so suddenly, but there wasn't a single soul in that tower that could blame him. Over the holidays, Bill Weasley and his wife Fleur announced that they were expecting their first child, and Ron could not have taken the thought of becoming an uncle any better.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," said Hermione. "I've heard stories about parents being convinced they were having one gender only to be surprised with the other."
"I don't know, Mione," Harry commented from a desk across the room, where he was working on the next day's Charms homework assignment. "Arthur and Molly had six boys before they had Ginny. I would wager that Bill and Fleur are having a boy."
Hermione giggled as she craned her head to look at the boy hero. "Did I ever tell you about my mother's friend who painted her whole nursery pink but ended up giving birth to a baby boy?"
"Ah, cut it out guys," Ron said with a wave of his hand, the light of the fire reflecting off the brand new leather watch Hermione had given him for Christmas. He went back to his proud pacing. "I still can't believe how bloody excited I am about this. I'm going to be an uncle before I leave school!"
"Well, you should be," Rose offered. "A new baby is something to get worked up about." She quietly got up and started making her way over to the portrait hole. It wasn't that she was bored with the conversation; it was just that it was Saturday. Not only that, it was a very special Saturday, and Rose had some things to tend to before the sun fell behind the mountains.
"Say, what advice do you think you can you give me, Rose?" Ron asked, almost making Rose scratch her heels across the wood floor. Her turned back hid the look of slight panic in her face. She hadn't really given too much commentary on the impending Weasley birth only because of her involvement in Severus's pregnancy. Frankly, Rose didn't know whether it was the secret of her relationship with him or that of his delicate condition that was the higher priority in terms of protection. Either way, Rose benefited from her relative silence. She turned carefully back to look at Ron.
"Advice?" she asked back, wanting to get an idea about exactly what he was referring to.
"Didn't you say that you had what, ten cousins? You're the eldest one, right?"
"Second eldest, my cousin Roger is the eldest of us."
"Oh, well you're the eldest girl. That means you must have done a lot of babysitting. Got any pointers for us?" Ron nodded his head in Hermione's direction, and the Head Girl's cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink.
Rose smiled at her friends, and she let her stance relax as she rested a hand on her hip. "Well, that's true. I have had my share of babysitting duties over the years, but all I can really say is that every child is different. I come from a family with children that range in age from twenty-one years to fourteen months, and every one of us has a different personality and temperament. You just have to do what is right for that particular child, and roll with the punches they throw at you. Besides, the really little ones are easy. It's when they start walking and talking that they get to be hard to handle. Take my cousins for example. The fourteen month-old is a little angel compared to the two four year-olds."
Ron's grin suddenly went slightly wonky, imagining all the scenarios that could prompt Rose to say that. The red-haired girl started laughing internally. If that was his reaction to her kinder description of her little relatives, she would love to see what he would do if she called them by their proper titles of little monsters. Her fellow ginger shifted where he stood, apparently thinking ahead of himself. "You wouldn't mind a few desperate owl posts in a few years, would you?"
"From you, asking for help?" Rose laughed. "Don't be silly, that's what your mother's for. Just relax, Ron, you'll be fine. Just let your brother have his baby, and enjoy it while you can. They don't stay that small forever." She once again turned to leave.
"Where are you going, Rose?" asked Harry, and Rose again came to an abrupt halt. She quickly rummaged through her mind to come up with a suitable excuse. "I was just going to run down to the Muggle Studies classroom. I need to speak with Professor Wicker about something."
"But you and I were supposed to study for the Transfiguration quiz on Monday," Hermione spoke up. "Don't you remember?"
"I know, Hermione," said Rose, waving a slender hand at her. "Just meet me in the library in half an hour, near the Charms section." Rose flashed them all a bright smile before finally crawling through the portrait hole, exiting out into the halls. She briefly worried if she came across as suspicious, but Rose quickly dismissed her concerns. Right now, the only thing on her mind was dashing down to the kitchens as fast as possible. She would have to find what she needed quickly if she wanted to meet Hermione on time.
~HP~
One would have thought he was being followed the way Severus walked through the halls. Rounding the corner as he came out of the hospital wing and slowly descending the stairs, the Potions master's onyx eyes kept shifting around the halls, as though he were searching for something. Each time a student happened to turn into the corridor, Severus nearly flinched. True, he was never at his most relaxed after Poppy's checkups. And this one in particular had carried a little extra weight than in previous weeks.
Poppy had sent him a message that morning, telling him that she needed to speak to him at earliest convenience. Concerned for his health and that of his unborn child, Severus made the trek up to the infirmary around midday, and the Mediwitch ushered him into his private, soundproof room. She sat him down on the bed, but instead of whipping out her wand to begin her usual assortment of diagnostic charms, she pulled up the nearby visitor's chair and sat down across from him. She told him that she had used her holiday to completely comb through the library, and rummage through the seemingly endless stream of papers and files in the St. Mungo's archives. And after months of tireless research, she finally found what she was looking for. At last, she found the spell that caused Severus to become pregnant.
It was simply titled the Conceptus Masculinus Spell. It was a little-known bit of magic, with only a handful of documented cases in recorded history. The way it worked was that the wizard wielding the wand would cast the nonverbal charm, and the inflicted male would be magically, permanently imbedded with the necessary parts for childbearing. Those parts would then lay dormant until the first sexual contact with another male, and it only took one shot for conception to take place. Once pregnancy was established, the spell would gradually change the male's body to adapt to gestation and eventually birth.
To Poppy, it seemed fairly simplistic; it was male pregnancy that progressed much like a female one. Why had it been so difficult to find? The truth lay in some deeper research in the Restricted Section. The spell was considered a curse because of the complications that could and had occurred in those documented cases. Of the few unlucky wizards who fell victim to this dark spell, only two had survived to tell about it. Whoever the dark witch or wizard who created the spell was, they obviously did so with the intention of causing great pain and long suffering to its victims.
But regardless of the spell's dark history, Poppy was not shaken. Many of those records were dated during the fifteenth to sixteenth century, and the earliest known case occurred back in the 1450s. Medicine and magic had both come in leaps and bounds since those days, and though Severus had his troubles in his first trimester, he was still in relatively good health, and he was improving with each passing day. If he continued on the same track he was on, Poppy was quite confident in a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
The Mediwitch then carried on with her usual checkup on Severus's condition, and was pleased to see not only that he was in good shape, but also how relaxed his demeanor had become. He was still the same biting, sarcastic Potions master, but he was much calmer. She also got a great kick out of feeling the baby moving under her professional hands for the first time, coaxing a gentle giggle out of the aging witch. Poppy reminded Severus that at nearly five months pregnant, he was approaching the time when they could cast a Paternal-detection Spell to find out who his child's other father was. But Severus just shook his head, still not willing to entertain the idea. Poppy nodded her understanding, and she finished her examination swiftly. As Severus rose to leave, he noticed that Poppy gave him a very suspicious smile as wished him a relaxing afternoon. He however gave her a stern look of distain as he left.
There was no way he could have a relaxing afternoon on this particular day.
It was thirty-ninth birthday. If Severus could have things the way he wanted, he would gladly forget the occasion even existed. Birthdays to him were nothing more to him than a grim reminder of one's mortality, and he never made a spectacle out of his own. After all, no one else did in the past. His birthdays largely went unnoticed when he was a child, save for a few small presents from his mother. Lily had given some solace as he got older, and there had been some very thoughtful presents from her while they were at school. But then their friendship fell out, and his mother died, leaving that cold January day as just another day of brooding and slight depression. It was better to ignore it than to attempt at celebrating privately.
Of course, that didn't stop his colleagues from trying to perk him up year after year. Every year, he was pestered with well wishes, sometimes the odd gift here and there. And Severus had the sense that his approaching fatherhood would cause an additional stir that year from a few certain people. He knew they would be looking for him as he made his way through the castle. He had already done a fine job at avoiding them, using his work as an excuse. All he had to do now was to get back to the safety of his quarters, where he could shut himself away from the world and await the arrival of his redheaded princess.
He was in a deserted hall, just a few steps away from the main stairwell when he was suddenly stopped by a voice calling out, "Severus, hello there!" Severus came to a sudden stop, grinding his teeth. Knowing that he couldn't slink away now that he had been caught, he turned around and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Remus approaching him with a relaxed smile.
"Oh, it's only you," he said, letting the werewolf get closer.
"I hear you were just up in the hospital wing," Remus mentioned. He quickly showed Severus the vials of Invigoration Draughts and Pain Potions in his breast pocket, letting the other wizard he had just come from Poppy's himself. Remus looked around briefly before continuing in a lower register. "How are you feeling today? How's the baby doing?"
"Both of us are faring quite well," said Severus, nodding his head. It seemed that the mangy mutt had finally worn him down because Severus no longer fought to push him away or snapped at him for the slightest bit of talk. It had taken twenty-five years, but the two of them were finally able to speak to each other as the equals that they really were.
"That's good to hear," Remus smiled. "By the way, happy birthday. I know you're not very fond of the day, but I thought I should say it anyway."
"Thank you," Severus spoke in a low grumble, trying to restrain himself in the open. "Remus, I don't mean to be rude, but I really must be getting back to the dungeons."
"Are you sure? It's almost time for tea in the staffroom. I was just heading there myself if you would like to come with me."
Severus shook his head. "A lot of people like to be social on their birthdays, but I'm not one of them. I would prefer to stay out of the line of fire while I can."
"Oh, I think you're overreacting a little," said Remus, walking beside Severus as they started down the hall together. "Most of the professors know how much you don't like your birthday, so they'll likely want to leave you alone today."
"Do you want to bet on that?" Severus asked with a cocked black brow, but Remus chuckled. "It will be fine. One cup of tea can't hurt."
The two wizards slowly made their casual way through the halls, bypassing the main stairwell and heading for the staffroom. As they approached the gargoyle-guarded door, Severus couldn't hear much commotion on the other side. But naturally, just because he couldn't hear his annoying colleagues didn't mean they were not in there. Remus seemed to understand his hesitation because he stepped up to enter first, pushing the door open with a keening squeak.
"Ah Severus, there you are! I've been looking for you all day!" Cassandra came bounding up to them, just about backing them into the wall as they entered the staffroom. Severus pulled his face as far away from the Muggle Studies professor as humanly possible, and Remus stuck out a hand to block her from getting any closer.
"Ai Cassie, no need to jump into his lap!" he said in a slightly hitched voice. Upon hearing his voice, Cassandra seemed to almost instantly settle down, and she smoothed out the bodice and skirt of her white and lilac colored dress. "Oh yes, of course. Quite right, Remus. So sorry, Severus."
Severus carefully peeled himself off the wall and straightened his back. "Since you seem so eager, what could I possibly do for you, Cassandra?"
"Absolutely nothing," said Cassandra. "You should be asking what I could do for you. It is your birthday, after all."
"Everyone else will want to leave me alone, huh?" Severus sneered, craning his neck slowly to the slightly rattled lycanthrope beside him. Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, so I was wrong. But don't blame me. I didn't know that she knew it was your birthday." Over at the table across the room, Pomona and Filius were laughing behind their hands.
"Well, you know what they say. There are no secrets at Hogwarts." Cassandra somehow got an arm around Severus, and she led him over to the couch. She then hustled back to the table. "You just have a seat, lad, and I'll fix you a cup of tea. You take it with two sugars, no cream, correct?"
"Cassandra, considering the fact that I am older than you are by nearly five years, it makes absolutely no sense for you to insist on calling me lad."
"I'm sorry, it's a force of habit," said Cassandra, as chipper as she ever was. She handed Severus a steaming cup of tea. "I tell you, I have never heard of anyone making themselves so scarce on their birthday."
'Oh, just let it go, you daft dimbo,' Severus thought rather irritably to himself. He took a sip, and wasn't terribly surprised to find Cassandra had deliberately made his tea a little too sweet. "If you knew me for longer than a day, you would realize that I'm not fond of celebrating."
"Really? Well, when I saw the gifts that Filius and Pomona had gotten you, I thought that I should get in on the fun."
What was that? There were gifts? Suppressing the imminent desire to growl, Severus whipped his head around to his fellow Heads of House. Sure enough, the pair of them had already risen from their seats, each of them with a suspicious package in their hands. "For Prospero's sake!" Severus grounded against his Adam's apple. "Eighteen years! How many more will convince you to put an end to this nonsense?"
"Enough with you, Severus," said Pomona. "As much as you would like for us to ignore your birthday, I'm afraid to say we cannot."
"She's right," Filius chirpily agreed. "You don't have to be so miserable every day, and everyone deserves one day in the spotlight."
"Is a dim spotlight too much to ask for?" Severus asked, more to himself than his companions. Cassandra giggled. "You know, I never will understand your desire to play the constant martyr." Remus flinched and made a move to shut the woman up, but Severus held a hand to him, thoroughly stopping him in his tracks. Lucky enough for them, the flippant brunette witch excused herself from the group, saying that she had to check on the chocolate cake she and the House-elves were baking down in the kitchens, her contribution to the unwanted celebratory efforts. Severus rolled his eyes as the door swung closed behind her.
Filius was the first to step forward with his present. Severus initially wanted to refuse it, but he realized that no good would come from that. He would offend his colleagues, get a stern talking-to from Albus and Minerva, and end up feeling lousy at the end of the day. So he reluctantly took the small package, trying not to hold his breath as he pried open the box. His eyebrows nearly met his hairline when he saw the black diamond cufflinks resting against red velvet.
"Rolanda brought us the idea," Filius told him. "We thought it was such a good idea that we all decided to chip in for them."
"And this is from Filius and myself," said Pomona, her voice uncharacteristically impish. Severus only had to take one look at the bottle-shaped parcel she held for him to know what it was. Now he was annoyed, greatly annoyed in fact. This to him was a case example of hitting him where it hurts. These two knew how much he enjoyed a stiff drink at the end of a long day's work. They also knew damn well that he was forbidden from taking part in that until at least May, and they were rubbing it in his face by gifting him with a bottle of liquor. Really, giving alcohol to a pregnant man, that's just cruel! Severus's jaw was firmly locked as he tore off the wrapping and read the label on that bottle of eighteen-year-old scotch.
"We know you can't enjoy that tonight as you would like," Pomona started, holding back a laugh. "But trust me, Severus. When you get your first taste after you have the little tyke, you be thanking us for weeks." Severus just sneered, shooting a misguided glare at Remus, who was letting his eyes drift to the ceiling in an attempt to stop a chuckle from escaping.
Much to Severus's relief, the conversation turned to much more mundane topics, mostly about the rumored cuts in funding that could be hitting the school within a few months if Albus and Minerva could not negotiate a deal with the Ministry. It was a rather dispiriting discussion, but Severus was glad that the attention was not solely on him. And Remus was a godsend of a colleague. He kept the talk strictly on business, effortlessly diverting any questions about Severus or his unborn child. Once Severus had finished his tea, Remus offered to walk back down to the dungeons with him, and much to his utter surprise, the Potions master did not refuse. The two of them left in silence.
Severus decided to allow Remus into his quarters for a moment, wishing to continue the conversation they had carried on through the halls. He also allowed him to watch as he took the Glamour Charm off his body, letting the werewolf fully see the curve of his abdomen. Perhaps it was because he knew Remus would not irritate him the way their fellow professors insisted upon. Or perhaps it was because, whether Severus cared to admit it or not, he was starting to get used to the werewolf's presence, and quite possibly enjoying it. Sweet Merlin, he really must be going soft if he was actually enjoying Lupin's company!
But either way, Severus didn't mind it so much. Since returning to Hogwarts, he had been in a much more pleasant mindset, and his mood and temperament had eased. He was happy to be in love, and there was no point in trying to fight off those good feelings. Besides, it wasn't like anyone else was complaining now that he wasn't so angry all the time. Severus almost couldn't wait to tell Rose how trouble-free she had helped his life to become. Oh, she would be so pleased, and ultimately, so would he.
A House-elf popped into the sitting room, and it presented Severus with a chocolate layer cake iced with a thick coating of fudge. The Potions master rolled his eyes with a sigh; he honestly had no idea why Cassandra felt the need to put so much effort into pleasing people. But even if she was trying too hard, he had to admit a very slight appreciation for the gesture, especially when Remus pointed out how much trouble she had to have gone to that afternoon. He of course helped himself to a set of plates from the cupboard, cut out a small sliver for each of them, and sat down on the sofa beside Severus's armchair.
After what felt like a few minutes of casual chatting, which actually turned out to be close to an hour, Remus rose to make his way back up to his own quarters. But before he bid Severus a good afternoon, he reached into his robe pocket, pulled out three tiny packages, and rested them on the table in front of the sofa. A light tap of his wand transfigured them to what appeared to be their proper sizes. Severus let out a long sigh; three more unnecessary presents to top off an overly long birthday.
"Minerva told me to give you her best wishes," said Remus. "She also said that she would have delivered those herself if she and Albus hadn't got caught up in Ministry negotiations."
Severus rolled his eyes as he undid the twine and package wrapping of the largest parcel, and he raised his eyebrows upon peering inside. After weeks of offering, Minerva had finally taken it upon herself to buy Severus a whole new set of robes to better suit his pregnancy. There were six frock coats, six pairs of trousers, a number of shirts, two nightshirts, and a dozen pairs of boxer shorts. All of them were laced with charms that would allow them to grow with his belly. Severus sighed with a careful smirk. He knew that this wouldn't come cheap, and he felt guilty that Minerva had spent that much on him. But he was still touched by her generosity. That at least was one thing he wouldn't have to worry about for a while.
The second package was obviously from Albus, if the purple ink on the note attached was any indication.
I hope this will tickle your interests when you are unwinding in the evenings. As much as you might want to ignore it, I do hope that you enjoy your birthday.
Severus could feel the corners of his mouth twitching up at the sight of the untouched cover of Clearing the fog: An intense inquiry into Memory Restorative Draughts. He had half-expected to receive a guide to infant care for desperate wizards that could not be called intellectual in any sense of the word. As smothering as Albus could be, he knew that Severus needed some time for to pursue his own interests as well as his child's. He was not going to let Severus be forgotten in the fuss over the coming birth.
He looked up to see that Remus was still standing by the sofa, holding the last package, which was a simple white box. "This is a little something I wanted to give you. It's actually more for the baby than for you personally, but I thought it seemed appropriate for the occasion. I hope you don't mind." He held the gift out to Severus, who took it from him very slowly. Severus looked at him with a hint of hesitance, but after a brief moment, he pried off the delicate lid and peeled back the flimsy paper shelling inside.
It was a blanket, a pale green swaddling blanket. Severus gently ran his fingers over the smooth, untouched, feather-soft fabric before lifting it out of the box. He was astonished by how light it was. He might not have realized he was actually holding anything if he hadn't felt the warmth of it against his skin. It was then that Severus got a better look and noticed the silver Slytherin crest embroidered into the corner, and he felt his breath deepen. He could almost see the image of a tiny, dark-haired baby wrapped up in this blanket as it slept in his arms.
"The first thing that Dora and I received before Teddy was born was a swaddling blanket," Remus told him, not gloomily, but still reminiscing. "She once told me that what she would have liked to do was to start a tradition of sorts, give a blanket to each of our friends when they had their babies. I thought that now would be a really good time to start. If Dora were still with us now, I'm sure that she would feel much the same way."
Severus didn't speak, still too dazed by this intensely personal gift. He didn't think that Remus considered him a friend so much that he would personally have a baby's blanket customized for his child, and more so, use him to honor his late wife's wishes. He knew that they were on considerably better terms as of late, but it suddenly became clear to Severus that Remus valued him as more than just a colleague close in age. He really did want their budding friendship to extend beyond their work.
"Tha…thank you," he managed to mutter, just loud enough for the other wizard to hear. Remus smiled warmly, his amber eyes shimmering in the dim light. "Don't mention it, it was my pleasure. I must be off now, so I hope you enjoy the remainder of your birthday." He turned and laid a hand on the door handle. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I'm telling Cassandra that the cake was just delightful." He then disappeared into the dark dungeon halls, leaving Severus to his reverted silence, that delicate blanket sitting in his lap.
~HP~
"I didn't know what to say to him," Severus said, pacing around his bedchamber. His dressing gown hung off his shoulders as he crossed his arms over his bulging middle. "What could I say to him when he had such a personal reason behind it? I mean, this should have been something for Potter's first child, not mine."
He looked back to his unmade canopied bed, where Rose laid and listened. Stretched out across the mattress, she lay on her front with her chin resting on dainty knuckles. Her crossed ankles hovered over her bare arse, as pale and unmarked as the day she was born. Her matted red hair stuck to her back with the sweat she had worked up in the last hour. And the only thing that hid her breasts was the rumpled duvet. She was the perfect picture of a young woman just sexually satisfied.
"I don't know why you're bothered about this," she said. "It's a beautiful baby blanket he gave you."
"It's not so much about the blanket as it is about the gesture." Severus walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed by Rose's head. His hand came to rest on his stomach. "Lupin has been trying to work his way into my good graces since the war ended, but I never saw him doing something like this. Rose, the only reason why I talk to Lupin in the first place is because I was forced to. We work together on a near daily basis, and he is one of those responsible for keeping my pregnancy safe. Giving a gift like that seems to call for more than just the basic relationship between colleagues. And to bring up Tonks like that…I repeat, Rose. What do you say to that?"
Rose tenderly touched his arm. "Why is it so hard for you to accept Lupin as a friend? He's a good man, and he would do anything for those he cared for. He obviously cares about you enough to protect you and the baby from harm. If you ask me, you couldn't ask for a better comrade than him."
"It might not be so difficult if we didn't have such a miserable history," said Severus. "It was one thing that he hung around with three painful little shits who sought to make my life a living hell. But it's even harder to forgive someone after staring down a tunnel, thinking you'll find one of your classmates, only to see a fully transformed werewolf instead."
"It wasn't Lupin's fault that happened," Rose reminded him, causing Severus to glance down at her. He briefly wondered how she had come to know that, and whether Potter had anything to do with it. "And even so, that was years ago. Both of you have come a long way in your lives, and it's time to put the past behind you. Besides, you two are a lot more similar than you think, or at least in my opinion. If you two let go of whatever discrepancies you have left, I think you could get on extremely well."
Severus reached out to run his fingers through Rose's hair, carefully sweeping the long tresses over her shoulder. "I wish it were that simple, love. I suppose I just should have been better prepared for such a gift."
"Tell me the truth, Sev," said Rose as she slowly pushed herself up to sit beside Severus. She did nothing to hide her gritty nakedness from him. "Is it Lupin giving you the gift that's bothering you, or is it the gift itself?"
"A little bit of both," Severus reluctantly admitted, looking her straight in the eye. Rose gave him a look of loving sympathy, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. She then slipped her hands inside Severus's dressing gown and wrapped her arms around his unclothed torso. The pregnant Potions master pulled her in tighter as he continued. "I have done a great deal of thinking about the logistics of bringing up this child. But up until now, it didn't seem to really sink in. Funny how something as small as a child's blanket can change that."
"Have you thought about what you're going to do after the baby is born?" asked Rose, her fingers brushing over her lover's belly. "I mean, all you have here are these three rooms. Will you move into larger quarters?"
"I would prefer that the child stay here with me for the first few weeks, so these rooms will suffice well until the school term ends. Once I return to Spinner's End, I can easily convert the old guest room into a nursery."
"But what about when you return to teaching?"
"I am not leaving my post, and I am not leaving these quarters. Rose, I have lived in these rooms for eighteen years, my entire career, and a child is not going to change that. I plan on speaking to the headmaster about the possibility of adding on another room for the baby."
Rose nuzzled into the crook of Severus's neck briefly before placing another peck on the pale skin. "Sounds to me like you have this worked out," she said, but Severus gently shook his head. "Nothing is completely set in stone. And that's only the matter of housing. I haven't thought much about setting up a nursery, buying the all the necessary merchandise, how I'm even going to balance my teaching duties with raising a child."
"Well, maybe it's time that you start thinking about it," said Rose. "You're five months pregnant now; it'll be over before you know it. I know it's a lot that you have to consider, but you have people who are willing to help you. You have Lupin, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and I'm here to do whatever I can."
"I can't exactly take you shopping for baby clothes," Severus reminded, but Rose just giggled. She slowly started to tug him further back onto the mattress. "I'll be your support then. I told you already, Sev. Whatever it is I can do for you, I will. I'll support you through the stress, massage away your aches and pains…pleasure you when you get overly randy."
"Rosie…" Severus said with a smirk, but he couldn't get much more out because Rose was already gnawing on his neck.
"Let's make love again, Sev," the young Gryffindor lioness purred. "Make love to me again."
"Now Rosie, I thought you said you wanted a bit of Wicker's chocolate cake?"
"Who needs cake when you could have me?" Rose giggled. "Come on Severus, this is enough pondering for one night. You should be enjoying yourself on your birthday."
"I can't say I have honestly enjoyed my birthday since I was a small child."
Rose looked up at him with a cocked flaxen brow, her mouth open a touch as though she were pondering a thought. But then she let go of Severus's body and shifted back up to the head of the bed. Severus watched as she reached over to the bedside table, where the jar of chocolate sauce she had brought to him rested. Rose dipped two thin fingers in, bringing up a large dollop of the dark, velvety sweetness, and then slowly smeared it down the center of her torso and above her breasts.
"That was before you had me," she said, an impish tweak to her normally controlled voice. Severus could already feel his mouth watering, among other things in the face of such an enticing image. He almost had to wonder why Rose would think to use sex as a distraction, but he quickly decided that it was a nice idea for the time being. It wasn't like he didn't want to sleep with her anyway. Rose gently cocked her head at Severus, her alluring smile not hidden by the dim light. She sucked the chocolate off her fingertips before crooning, "Come and get it, Professor…"
With a mischievous look of his own, Severus carefully crawled up the length of the mattress, propping himself over Rose, leaning down to slowly lick the chocolate off over her body, his tongue hugging her most intimate curves. Her soft, aroused laughter spurred him on, up her trim waist, around her delicate bosom. Severus eventually found Rose's ear, which he started nibbling without a hint of hesitation. Rose cried out with a grin as they collapsed across the bed together.
~HP~
Rose was awakened by the sound of a bell chiming, and she forced herself up in bed, reaching for her wand on the bedside table. A short flourish deactivated the Time-detection Charm she had set for herself. The room was so dark that Rose could barely see her hand in front of her face, so she silently lit the tip of her wand to get a better look at the clock. It was five in morning, a time when virtually no one in Hogwarts was awake. But it was exactly for that reason that Rose had to get up at this early hour. There was no better time for her to slink back up to her dormitory unseen.
Severus was still asleep in the bed beside her, locks of black hair falling over his face as he rested on his side. Not wanting to disturb him, Rose carefully slid off the bed and quietly gathered up her discarded clothes. Once she was dressed again, Rose came around the bed and knelt down by Severus's head. She gently brushed the hair out of his eyes, and she leaned in to place a kiss on his pale forehead.
"I love you," she whispered, lightly rubbing the blankets under which her lover's unborn child lay. She then lit the tip of her wand again, and very quietly left the bedchamber. She walked on her toes as she exited Severus's quarters into the cold, dark halls.
Rose crept through the halls as quietly as she could as she made her way up each floor of the castle. She was swift in her step, but careful not to let her shoes make noise. Every turn she took, he wand stuck out in front of her, checking for anyone that might see her. But Rose was lucky. Portraits snored around her, the ghosts obviously had better things to do at that hour, and even crotchety old Filch needed to get some sleep sometime. All in all, Hogwarts' hallowed halls were pretty desolate, and Rose's chances of being caught out of bed seemed pretty slim. But of course, being wary of their surroundings never hurt anyone.
Still tired and bleary-eyed from her too early rising, Rose was puffing for breath when she finally stumbled into the empty Gryffindor common room. But instead of laying herself out on the couch before the smoking ashes in the hearth, Rose sighed as she resigned to climbing one last set of stairs to reach her room. She could feel the tax on her legs, and her chest ached with bent up anxiety. But when she approached the door at the top of the girls' dormitories, Rose composed herself and cautiously turned the handle. She pushed the door open as slowly as possible to avoid any creaks and groans.
She walked in to find Hermione fast asleep in her bed, her covers tugged up to nearly cover her head. Rose carefully tip-toed over the old floorboards, and once she had stripped off her jeans and tossed them onto her trunk, she climbed into her own bed and buried herself under the sheets. She almost instantly fell back to sleep. It wouldn't be very long before she would have to get up again, and breakfast wouldn't be very fun, but Rose gladly surrendered to the slight sleep deprivation. It was a small sacrifice she had to pay to have her secret affair with her beloved Potions master.
~HP~
I have to say, the spell that enabled Severus's pregnancy was rather quickly created, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible for the situation. Let me know what you guys think about that. Also, this balance between interpersonal relations and sexy time is beginning to be the new normal, so let me know what you thought of that as well.
Keep up the good reading, and I can't wait to read your reviews. Thank you so much everyone!
