A/N: A bit of holiday fun and fluff here, and a special appearance from Voldie. Thanks to Amortentia in my Veins for the great beta work.

Chapter 21

The summer and fall passed by quickly, and December rolled in. Severus and Hermione were enjoying their specific work environments. They attended revels and entrenched themselves in the Death Eaters. They stayed out of the worst attacks and tried to do as little as possible in the attacks they were involved in. All in all, things were working out all right.

Hermione walked up the walk to the house, thinking of the past. The holidays were approaching, and she found she missed Ron, Harry, and her parents. She had missed them so much, she'd done something she now regretted. She fought back tears as she entered Spinners End. She tossed her bag on the side table and sat down next to Severus on the couch. Her arms wrapped around him, and she buried her head in his shoulder. His arm came around her, and he pulled her into him.

"I did a foolish thing," Hermione confessed to him.

"What did you do?"

She pulled back and looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Maia, what is it?"

"I saw them," she said.

Severus gave her a puzzled look.

"My parents," she said before letting out a huge gasp and burying her head into his shoulder again.

Severus' hand moved up and into her hair. He caressed her as she cried against him.

"Tell me."

"You know I've been missing them a lot, and with Christmas coming soon…"

"You wanted to see them."

She nodded into his shoulder.

"I was going to tell them about me." She gasped. "I was going to tell them they would have a baby who would be magical."

"What happened?" Severus asked.

"I knocked on the door, and my mum opened it. My dad had wandered up behind her. They looked so young." Hermione sobbed again.

"It's all right," Severus soothed.

"I couldn't do it. I just looked at them and marveled at how they looked. I couldn't burden them with the thought that they'd have a child that wasn't normal. I stuttered something about having the wrong address. They offered to help, but I told them I was on the wrong street, and I left."

Severus was quiet for a while. Hermione snuggled into his shoulder as he rubbed her arm and held her close. She felt him kiss the top of her head a couple of times as he soothed her.

"Perhaps that was for the best, Maia," he said finally.

Hermione pulled back and searched his face. "How do you mean?"

Severus shrugged. "What would knowing about magic and their future daughter do to them? Would their feelings toward you change knowing that you were different?"

Hermione sniffed. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about that. I just wanted to see them, you know?"

Severus nodded. "I understand, and you did see them. Maybe that can be enough."

Hermione snuggled into him again. "It will have to be. I knew when I left my time that I would never see them again. I thought I could handle that, but I miss them so much."

Severus was quiet again for a long time. Finally, he spoke again. "Do you regret leaving them?" he said tentatively.

Hermione lifted her head and reached out to Severus' chin. She pulled his face so that he was looking into her eyes. She looked seriously into Severus'. "I will never, ever regret coming here. It was the best decision I ever made, and it gave me you. I miss my parents, yes, but not having you would destroy me. Severus, I found so much more than I gave up."

Severus sighed and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Maia. You are everything to me."

She smiled then and moved her head up to meet his mouth. Her lips caressed his lovingly. "I love you too," she said between kisses. "I always will."

Severus pulled back. "I wish there were something I could do about your parents, Maia."

She sighed. "It is as it should be. You're right, if they knew about me being a witch, it might change my upbringing."

"Still…"

"Being here with me—loving me—Severus, I couldn't ask for anything more from you. You are wonderful."

They held each other closely for a long time in silence. Neither wanted to let the other go.

"I don't want to see you suffer, Maia," Severus said finally. "I understand how hard it is not to be able to interact with your parents anymore."

She pulled back and smiled sadly at him. "It is, and today was really upsetting, but even though I'm sad, I'm glad I saw them." Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "I think it's actually given me closure. I feel like I can go on in the future without feeling so bereft. It's sort of the good-bye that I didn't get when I left. They wouldn't have known it was me if I'd gone to them then, just like now."

"So, you're saying that seeing them should help you?"

Hermione nodded. "I think so. At least for a while. I hope so."

Severus kissed her cheek. "I am here for you always when it's too hard, Maia."

She turned her head and kissed him fully. "Thank you, my love."

oooOOOooo

Hermione awoke and raced to the bathroom, where she emptied her stomach into the toilet. Flushing it quickly, she gasped as she waited for the nausea to pass while staring into the toilet. Her stomach fought against her for a few moments before the feeling finally passed. She then put her arm across the toilet and rested her head on it as she caught her breath.

For three days now she'd awakened to this routine. As she slowly picked her head up from her arm, Hermione decided that it was time to see if her suspicions about the reasons for her nausea were correct. Getting up, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Tiptoeing silently so as not to wake Severus, she retrieved her wand from the bedside table. As she glanced at Severus, she admired him as he slept. Some of his hair had fallen across his face, but it didn't obscure it very much. He looked quite peaceful resting as he was. She admired his nose but fought the urge to lean over and kiss it. She didn't want to wake him yet. Maybe after she cast the spell, she would.

Quietly leaving the bedroom, she headed downstairs to the sitting room. She cast Muffliato and then pointed the wand at her abdomen.

"Natum Revelio," she said as she cast the spell. She wasn't very surprised when a green glow appeared around her abdomen. She was pregnant. She grinned and then frowned. Sitting down on the sofa, she tried to gauge her reaction. She was ecstatic, but she wasn't sure if Severus would be. They hadn't discussed having children, except for the fact that they eventually wanted a couple. She frowned as she rubbed her stomach. This really wasn't the best time to have a child. They were deep in espionage with Voldemort.

She bit her lower lip. They were awfully young to be starting a family. She thought back over the last couple of months. She was sure she'd taken her potion regularly. How could she be pregnant in that case? Shaking her head, she rose and headed back to the bedroom. She'd figure everything out later. She wanted to get a couple of extra minutes of snuggling next to Severus. It was Christmas Eve, so they had planned on having a lie in.

She eased back into bed and felt Severus' arms encircle her. She glanced at him, but he was still asleep. He pulled her to him and nuzzled her neck and mumbled something. She smirked. He was so affectionate; she loved that about him. No one else would suspect the serious man of it, so she felt special that he showered her with his love. Moving back, she kissed his nose, like she'd wanted to do earlier. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I thought we were going to sleep in," he said.

"That was the plan, but then I woke up."

"Silly woman, getting up before nine." He kissed her forehead. "And then waking me up so rudely."

She snorted. "I hardly think a kiss on the nose is a rude awakening."

"It's where you didn't kiss that was rude," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, do you mean here?" she asked as she kissed his cheek.

He scowled. "Hardly, witch."

She giggled at him. "Then you must mean here." She kissed his eyebrow.

"A bit lower, if you must know."

She kissed his chin.

"Up a titch," he said in mock exasperation.

She looked into his eyes lovingly before kissing him on the lips. His hand ran through her hair as his lips parted, and they enjoyed exploring each other. They did wind up having a lie-in, but there was no sleeping to be had.

oooOOOooo

"Severus, I need to go out for a little bit."

They were cuddling on the couch together, enjoying their afternoon.

Severus hugged her tightly. "Why would you want to venture out on Christmas eve?"

Hermione smiled. "I need to get one more present."

Severus scowled petulantly. "How long will you be?"

Hermione kissed his nose. "Now don't pout. I won't be more than half an hour."

He kissed her forehead reverently. "I'll be timing you. Now go, and hurry home."

She kissed him on the cheek. "I won't be very long."

Rising from the couch she squeezed his hand and turned to leave. As she exited their home, she Apparated to an alleyway at the local shopping center. She moved quickly into the shopping area. Hermione smiled as she saw the baby boutique and moved toward it. Entering, she gasped as she saw all the miniature clothing. It would be fun when the time came to shop for their new child. She was greeted by an attendant as she perused the sleepers.

"They're cute, aren't they?"

Hermione looked up to see a young girl with long dark hair standing by her. She nodded.

"They're darling."

"Can I help you find something?"

"Actually, yes. I just found out I'm expecting, and I wanted to find something special to announce it to my husband."

"Oh, I have a couple of options for you back here." She led Hermione to the back of the store. "You can choose something like a baby rattle, baby shoes, a baby bottle. The bottle is kind of fun because you can put a message in it."

Hermione thought about it for a minute, admiring the cute little shoes. She found a cute canvas pair in blue with a buckle.

Picking them up, she looked at the attendant. "I'll take these. Can you gift wrap them?"

"Of course. Do you have a color preference?"

"Anything green." She looked behind the attendant. "Oh, the one with the silver reindeer, actually."

The attendant smiled. In a few minutes, the small box was ready to go.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she took the box. She left the shop, but not before admiring some baby dresses and suits that were displayed in the front of the store. She smiled to herself. Having a baby to dress would be fun. Rubbing her abdomen fondly, she left the store and Apparated home once she'd turned the corner.

Hermione entered the house, put the small box under the tree, and sat beside Severus. Her arms went around him, and she kissed him lovingly.

"You've been gone for hours," Severus whined.

She laughed. "I've been gone for thirty minutes!"

"Oh," he said with a frown. "Well, it seemed like hours." He kissed her soundly. "Did you find your gift?" he murmured between kisses.

"I did," she answered.

"Who is it for?"

Hermione grinned slyly. "For you, of course."

Severus leaned back and looked at her. "May I open it?"

"Yes, tomorrow."

"Haven't you ever heard of the tradition of opening a present on Christmas eve?"

"I can't say that I have," she said with an arched brow.

"Oh, yes. It's well known. Each person gets to open a present on Christmas eve." His eyebrows rose on his forehead. "You can open one too," he added graciously.

"I see. What if I don't want to open a gift tonight?"

Severus' face fell. "Why wouldn't you want to open one?"

"Because, my love, I am patient."

Severus huffed. "I believe I, too, am patient."

She smiled then. "Not patient enough!"

"Maia," he growled.

Hermione looked at Severus. She'd been having fun with him. She would never deny him anything, especially the ability to open a gift early. He'd had such horrible holidays in years past, she wanted him to always see the magic of this holiday and all the ones to come. She reached up and caressed his cheek.

"If it excites you so much, then yes, let's open a gift each," she said as she grinned at him.

Severus bounded up to the tree and grabbed a gift for her. He looked back at her with a questioning gaze.

"The small green one," she directed.

He nabbed it and rushed back to her on the couch.

"You first," he said as he gave her the long thin box wrapped in silver. She unwrapped the package and lifted the lid. Inside lay a raven's feather quill. She lifted it out of the box and looked at it.

"Oh, Severus, it's beautiful!"

"There's something else in there," Severus urged.

She looked again and found a parchment hiding in the box. She looked up at Severus as she removed the letter and opened it up.

My dearest Maia,

These last six months of being married to you have been the best of my life. You came here for me, to save my life. I know I have said this before, but I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you did that.

I love you, my Maia… eternally.

Hermione looked up to Severus with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Severus! I love you!" She reached out and hugged him furiously. His arms came around her, and he kissed her lovingly. After a long while, they separated, and Severus placed his forehead on hers.

"I can't imagine being happier, Maia," Severus whispered to her.

She pulled back and grinned shyly at him. "Open your present."

He grinned at her. "All right."

He ripped the paper off the small box and lifted the lid. His eyebrows knit together when he saw the tiny shoes. He lifted them up and arched his eyebrow at Hermione.

"These are a bit small, don't you think, Maia? And besides, blue is not my color."

She chuckled at him as he looked at her in exasperation.

"Am I missing something?" he asked.

Hermione looked at him shyly and placed her hand over her abdomen. "I'm pregnant, Severus," she explained.

His eyes grew wide as he looked from her belly to the shoes and back again. As her words dawned on him, the little shoes slipped from his hand, and he drew near to her. Carefully he placed his hand over hers on her stomach.

"We're having a baby?" he asked in awe.

"Yes," she said with a laugh.

"When?" he asked.

"Probably in July, but the Healer will have a better idea once we visit them."

"Maia, are you feeling all right? Do you need anything? You should sit back." He eased her against the back of the couch.

"Severus, I'm fine." She became serious. "Are… are you okay with this?" she asked tentatively.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we never discussed it, and we're in the middle of fighting the Dark Lord."

Severus sobered. "That's true." His eyes closed, and he sighed. Opening them, he looked at Hermione.

"Maia." He placed his hand on her stomach. "This is our child. Ours." He rubbed her stomach lightly as his face filled with joy. "We created it. I couldn't be more excited."

Hermione's hand came up and twined through his hair. "Me too."

Their lips met. Hermione's heart skipped a beat as Severus kissed her. He groaned as his lips caressed hers, and she felt fulfilled. He pulled back and gazed into her eyes. "Merlin, Maia, I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

Severus' hand came up, and he took his finger and caressed Hermione's cheek.

"Do you think…"

Hermione raised her eyebrow for him to continue.

"Do you think I can be a good father?"

She closed the gap between them and kissed him reverently. "You will be a wonderful father."

His arm came around her and pulled her close. Resting his chin on her head, he continued. "What if I become like my father? What if I can't control myself and beat our child?"

Hermione rubbed Severus' chest. "My love, do you beat me? Do you drink?"

"No."

"Then why would you do that to our child? You are not your father, Severus. You have nothing to worry about."

He squeezed her tightly before pulling back and tilting her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "I will never be like him. I promise you."

"Severus, I know you won't. You don't need to swear it to me."

"Nonetheless."

Her hand came up to his cheek. "You are not your father, and never will be, my love. You are so much more honorable and caring than him. I love you, Severus… forever."

"This is the most wonderful gift you could have ever given me, Maia. I love you." His lips came down on hers, and they languished in each other, all the while whispering of their love for one another.

At that point, their Dark Marks burned. Hermione pulled away from Severus and scowled down at her arm. "Merlin, it's Christmas Eve. Can't we take a holiday from mayhem for a day or so?"

Severus rose and grabbed their Death Eater robes. "Evidently not," he said dourly.

They appeared before Voldemort. Hermione was surprised to see it was just the two of them.

"Severus, Maia, welcome!" Voldemort crooned.

They both bowed low. "My Lord," they said in unison.

"Rise," he demanded.

They moved up and stood before him.

"As it is Christmas Eve, I wanted to bestow a gift on both of you."

"My Lord, that is much appreciated, but not necessary," Severus said with a slight bow of his head.

"Nonsense, Severus. I am just… getting into the spirit of things."

With that, he waved his wand. A flash of light burst in front of Hermione and Severus and a golden locket appeared, floating in front of them. Hermione stifled a gasp because before them, turning in a circle, was Slytherin's locket.

Severus only gazed at the locket as Voldemort began to explain what was floating before them.

"I had other plans for this locket, but I have decided that both of you have proven your worth to me greatly, and so I would like to reward you greatly. Do either of you know what this item is?"

Hermione answered. "Salazar Slytherin's locket."

"Yes, Maia, very good. This locket is very important to me. It is a symbol of Slytherin's beginnings, and it is very precious. I am entrusting it to the both of you to keep it safe. Hide it away where only you know its location. Guard it with your lives!"

Both Severus and Hermione bowed low to Voldemort. Severus spoke then.

"My Lord, we are honored to have such a task given to us. We will never let you down."

"Quite right, Severus, because if you do, it will mean a fate worse than death."

Neither Severus nor Hermione lifted their heads to look at the Dark Lord. They held their positions until he snarled at them.

"Take it and go! You will tell me where you hide it so I can retrieve it if it is ever needed."

Severus snatched the locket out of the air and placed it around his neck. Hermione shielded her mind so her disgust wouldn't be known.

"Thank you, my Lord," Severus said reverently.

The couple turned and left the room. They quickly moved out of the mansion and past its gates. In a flash, they had both Apparated back to their home. Severus looked to Hermione and grinned.

"Can you believe it?" he asked her.

"Take it off, Severus," she demanded.

He rubbed the locket around his neck. "It's fine for now. I rather like it." Looking down at it, he smiled wickedly.

"Severus, take it off."

He looked back up at her and scowled. "Oh, come, Maia, there's no harm done," he snapped back accusingly.

"Severus," she whispered. "Please."

He looked from her to the locket, and then back to her. He shook his head roughly, and his face seemed to clear. Looking back down at the locket, he sneered and pulled it over his head. He walked over to the mantle and pulled a box off it. He placed the locket into the box and put it back on the mantlepiece.

"What the hell was that?" he asked finally as he glared at the box on the mantle.

"It's the Horcrux. It's the most evil one. It seems to have an affinity for you."

"I felt like I needed to keep it around my neck. That it was vital that it didn't come off. I was beginning to get angry with you for asking me to remove it."

"You saw my memories of having it in our possession. It's evil and does nothing but strike up bad feelings. We should destroy it now."

Severus shook his head.

"Is it still affecting you, love?" Hermione asked as she went up to him and placed her hand on his arm.

"No, Maia. We need to copy it, spell the copy to give off that evil feeling, and convince the Dark Lord that it is safely hidden. Only then can we destroy the real one."

"I don't want it in our house."

Severus looked at her. "Should we give it to Dumbledore?"

Hermione chewed on her lower lip. "Not yet."

He nodded sharply. "Then it must stay here. We cannot let it out of our sight."

Hermione sighed and hugged him, burying her head in his chest. His arms surrounded her.

"It will be all right, love. This won't take too long."

"I wonder why he gave it to us instead of hiding it in the cave."

"Perhaps he wants it closer and more accessible?" Severus mused.

"What if it's some kind of test?" Hermione asked.

"I don't doubt that it is. That's why we cannot destroy it. We must hide it and take the Dark Lord to see it. Once he is satisfied, then we can destroy it and replace it with the duplicate."

"Do you have an idea where you would want to hide it?" Hermione asked him as she drew back and looked into his eyes.

"I do."

She arched an eyebrow at him, but he just smirked at her.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow," he confessed.

"Why?"

"Because one of your presents holds the answer to our dilemma."

"Then give it to me now!"

"Oh, but you've already opened a present. You're only allowed one."

"Severus! This isn't a game! Let me open the present so we can start to plan."

He kissed the corner of her mouth. "It can wait until tomorrow."

Pulling away from her, he removed his wand and placed several intense wards around the box with the locket in it.

"There. That isn't going anywhere until we decide to move it."

"Severus," she said as her eyes widened. "Please?"

He pulled her into his arms again. "No, my dear. You'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm not going to spoil Christmas or Christmas Eve. Let's get back to where we were before we were summoned."

"Severus, no! Give me that present! If it will help us with the Horcrux…"

"Maia…"

Hermione frowned and pushed him away. "You're holding out on me. I thought we shared everything, Severus. I don't appreciate you keeping secrets."

"Maia, it's your present. I'm not keeping secrets, I just want you to have something to open tomorrow that's a surprise."

"But the Horcrux! Can't I just open the present tonight?"

"My love… whether you open the gift now or tomorrow, it really doesn't affect our plan for the Horcrux. We can't destroy it yet so it would be just a matter of having a different hiding place. A couple of hours difference in relocating the Horcrux won't matter in the long run." He frowned as he kissed her cheek. "I've been excited about giving you this gift on Christmas." His lips thinned slightly. "Do you trust me, Maia?"

Hermione softened. "Oh, Severus, of course I do. I shouldn't have accused you of keeping secrets."

"Will you humor me for a little longer and wait until tomorrow, then?"

Her eyes narrowed at him before she nodded. "If you say it won't affect the Horcrux's destruction, then yes. I'll wait."

He smiled at her then. "Thank you," he said simply. "Now, let's get back to our Christmas Eve celebration, shall we? For tonight, let's forget that the Dark Lord summoned us."

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'd like to forget he exists entirely, but just imagining it tonight will have to do."

"We've spent too much time thinking about him as it is." His hand reached down to her abdomen. "We're going to be parents!"

His grin took Hermione's breath away. It wasn't often that Severus let joy show in his demeanor, and two times in one night was a beauty that Hermione thrilled in beholding.

Kneeling down, Severus' arms wrapped around her. He kissed her stomach reverently. Looking directly at her abdomen, he began to speak.

"Little one, hopefully by the time you are ready to arrive, all of this evil will have been dealt with. It doesn't matter, though, we are anxiously awaiting your arrival." He kissed her stomach again.

Hermione slid down so they were both kneeling facing one another. She ran her fingers through his hair, fluffing it slightly as she did.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked.

"Not in a few minutes."

She smirked at him. "I love you, and I love that we are having a child. I love that I could tell you on Christmas Eve, and I love that tomorrow is Christmas."

He kissed her then, effectively stopping her from saying anything more. He continued to worship her mouth as he slowly rose from the ground, lifting her up with him. Her arms surrounded his neck, and she continued to deepen their kiss. He pulled back after slowly pulling away from her.

"Come," he said softly. "There is one gift I can give you this night that will not ruin Christmas."

"Oh?" she said with a saucy raise of her brow.

"I am yours to unwrap," he said with a devilish smirk.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the stairs and their bedroom. "Let's get started, then," she said excitedly as she dragged him willingly to their bedroom where she would slowly unwrap the best present she'd ever received.