A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a busy week. Thanks to Amortentia in my Veins for the great beta work. Enjoy!

Chapter 22

The next morning Hermione awoke to Severus' arms wrapped around her and his body spooned into her. She could hear his light breathing and knew he was still asleep. She slowly and carefully turned so he wouldn't wake up. She loved watching him sleep. She knew that could be creepy, but she just loved being able to watch him without him arching a brow at her or making her feel self-conscious for wanting to look at him.

She studied him carefully. He looked so peaceful when he slept, nothing concerning or worrying him. She admired his nose. Moving her eyes down, she traced his lips with her gaze. Those lips had set her body on fire. Her eyes then moved to his hair. She loved how black it was. Her hand reached out, and she ran it through his hair lightly, so as not to wake him. Oh, how she loved this man. Her heart exploded with love for him and all he'd done since they'd met. He was truly remarkable, and the fact that he loved her back amazed her.

She couldn't help herself anymore, she leaned in and kissed his nose. Pulling back, part of her hoped he wouldn't wake, but the other part wanted to see his black eyes studying her while filled with sleep. She got her wish when his eyes opened slowly, and he gazed at her.

"Good morning," he said softly.

"Merry Christmas, Severus," she said with a broad grin.

He reached up and cupped her cheek. Bringing her head slowly down to his, he kissed her lovingly. After a long while, he moved back.

"Merry Christmas, Maia," he replied. His eyes were filled with love for her, and she gasped as his gaze made her catch her breath. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him furiously. Severus' hand came down and lovingly caressed her abdomen.

"How's our little one?" he asked.

At that moment, she had evidently been awake long enough for her body to rebel against her. Her stomach turned, and she pulled away from him. Covering her mouth, she bounded from the bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

A few minutes later, she emerged, still looking a bit green. Severus gave her a worried look, arose from the bed, and rushed over to her.

"Are you all right?"

She shrugged. "This has happened for the last few mornings. It's how I suspected I might be pregnant."

He scowled. "I'm sorry. I will brew something right now for the nausea."

Her hands reached out and grabbed him by the arms. "No," she demanded.

He looked at her curiously.

"I'll be all right. It's Christmas, and I want to spend time with you. Usually, once I throw up I'm fine for the rest of the day. You can brew it later, or tomorrow."

He caressed her cheek. "I will brew it later, so you will have it and not be sick tomorrow."

She smiled at him. "Let's open presents," she said.

"Ok, then I'll cook up breakfast. Will you be able to eat by then?" he asked tentatively.

"I should," she said.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Ok, let's go!"

She giggled at him as he moved down the stairs to where the tree was. He settled her on the small sofa and brought her present to her. It wasn't big, but it was very flat and rectangular, which gave her no clue at all as to what it could be. He sat next to her and looked at her expectantly.

"Go ahead, open it," he demanded.

She gazed down at the present, and her smile disappeared. "Maybe you should open yours first," she said as she Accio'd his present to him. It landed on his lap.

Severus arched an eyebrow at her. "After all that begging yesterday, you're just going to wait to open that?" he asked with a nod to her present.

She sat up straighter. "I'm just as anxious as I was yesterday, but once we open this, it'll be all about the Horcrux again." She motioned to his present. "Open yours. It won't take long, then we can dig into the reality of the Horcrux. Five minutes isn't going to make much of a difference."

Severus studied her for a minute before nodding his head. His excitement returned as he began tearing into the wrapping paper. Opening the large box, his eyes grew wide as he lifted a heavy cloak out of it. He looked to Hermione before turning the cloak this way and that. It was black and flowing. It had reminded Hermione of the cloak he always wore while teaching, and she couldn't help buying it for him.

"Maia, this is lovely."

She smiled at him. "Put it on and walk around."

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"I miss the billowing of my old Potions master," she explained with a shrug.

He smirked. "Is it already charmed to billow, or is that something I need to add to it?"

"I left it for you to enhance however you'd like."

He nodded, pulled out his wand, and charmed it to his liking. Standing, he slung it around his shoulders and fastened it around him. He walked back and forth in front of her, the cloak billowing on its own. Hermione smiled.

"Lovely," she said with admiration.

He grinned at her. "Thank you," he said as he sat back down next to her, leaning in for a kiss. His hand came up and caressed her cheek. "It is a lovely gift."

She smiled back at him. "I'm glad you like it."

"Now, it's your turn."

She looked up at him before starting to open her gift. "How is this going to solve our Horcrux problem?" she asked as she tore into the paper.

"Just open it. You'll see."

She finished unwrapping the box and lifted the lid. Inside she found a somewhat thick packet. She lifted it out of the box and unfolded it. Reading it quickly, she found it was a deed to a house. She gasped and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Last month when my grandfather passed, the executor reached out to me after he had alerted us of his death. Because my mother chose to marry a Muggle, she was not eligible for any inheritance, however, my grandfather made it clear in his will that I was his heir. He left us the Prince estate, Maia, and quite a bit of money on top of it."

Hermione gaped at Severus. "We have an estate?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded.

"Well, bugger breakfast, let's go look at it! Have you seen it already?"

He shook his head. "I wanted this to be a surprise for you, and I wanted to wait to see it with you."

Her eyes grew misty at his declaration. "You waited to see it for me?"

"Yes."

She couldn't help the tears that came then. He quickly moved in and wiped them away with his kisses.

"Had I known you were going to blubber, I'd have gone to see it by myself," he told her.

Hermione giggled, but the tears kept coming. "I don't know what's wrong with me Severus. I can't stop crying."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "It's the baby. I've heard that pregnancy hormones are extremely severe."

She nodded, but couldn't say anything, as the tears kept coming. His arms came around her, and he held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder. He murmured to her as she cried, rubbing her back, and telling her it would be ok. At long last, the tears subsided, and she pulled away from him.

"I don't even know why I was crying," she said in frustration.

"It doesn't matter. Are you all right now?"

"Yes, yes. Let's go see your house!"

"Maia," he said to her sternly. "This is our house. You and I are husband and wife, and we share everything. It's ours. Besides, I just gave it to you as a Christmas present."

She smiled at him and nodded. She stood up quickly to try and keep more tears from falling. She was successful for the most part, wiping a couple from her eyes, trying not to let Severus see. He had, however. As he stood, he reached out to her and pulled her to him. He kissed her tears away and kissed her lovingly.

"Thank you," he said simply.

"For what?"

"For being everything. For carrying our child and dealing with upset stomachs and crazy hormones. I can't express to you how much you mean to me, Maia. I never thought I could be so content, even with all the turmoil in my life. Of course, it's all because of you."

"Silly man, I have little to do with it. You have worked hard to be different from what you saw in my memories. I love that you have succeeded."

"Come," he said as he grasped her hand. "Let's go see your new home."

Smiling at him, she shook her head. "Our new home, my love."

He nodded and spun them both quickly. They appeared outside a large home with a black iron fence surrounding it. Hermione's mouth dropped open as she viewed the size of the mansion.

"Wow, when you said it was an estate, I didn't really think it would be Malfoy Manor."

Severus scoffed. "It is much nicer than Malfoy Manor, Maia."

"No peacocks," Hermione countered with a smirk.

"That can be remedied," he said with a smirk back.

"Who knew there were such beautiful estates in this part of London. It's really too bad you didn't know your grandparents."

"They didn't want to know me. I'm surprised that my grandfather even spared me a thought in making me his heir after my grandmother died."

By this time they had gone through the gates and were standing at the door. Severus waved his wand and lowered the wards. They entered the home and took in the surroundings. The entry opened up with a high ceiling that spanned up to the roof two stories above. A great chandelier hung in the entryway and black rails edged a wide marble staircase that was at the end of the entryway.

They toured the house chatting about the rooms, the furniture in them, and what they might want to keep. Eventually, they wound up back in the grand entryway. Hermione shook her head.

"It's so big, Severus. How could we live here? We'd have to close off half the home."

Severus shrugged. "Maia, we could do that. The home is large and sterile, but I'm sure if we worked together, we could make a home of it. Another option would be to sell it."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "But that's not what you were planning."

"No, it's not. And to be honest, I think this would be a great place to hide the Dark Lord's Horcrux. The library at the far end of the mansion would be the perfect place to hide it. There was that secret bookcase with the hidden compartment behind it. It was nice of it to show itself to us. The house recognizes us as its owners."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. "That's actually a really good idea. The Dark Lord would see the value in it being here but being so well hidden."

"Perhaps we could live in that wing and close off the rest of the house."

"I actually liked the east wing better. The rooms were more spacious, but not so stark. I also think the furnishings in there would be easier to update."

"If we explain to the Dark Lord that we're closing that area of the house off, then, it would be even less likely that his Horcrux would be found."

She nodded. "There's that large room in the east wing that could serve as a true library for us as well with a little modification."

"We can sell the place once the Dark Lord is vanquished," Severus added.

Hermione hugged him. "Maybe. We'll see when the time comes. It is a lovely place."

Severus kissed the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, Maia."

"Merry Christmas."

His lips touched hers reverently, and they enjoyed each other for a few minutes.

"Are you hungry?" he asked when he pulled away.

"Not really, except for you." She gave him a sultry look.

"Perhaps we should break in the new house," he said.

She smiled wickedly at him and grabbed his hand. Pulling at him she guided them upstairs to the master bedroom. Dragging him into the room, she threw her arms around him again and kissed him hungrily. The door magically closed on its own, and they celebrated Christmas in their new home in a very special way.

oooOOOooo

They had returned to Spinner's End late in the night and had immediately gone to bed. Hermione woke up in the morning to find Severus had risen before her. Her stomach turned, and she got up and went to the bathroom. She found a small vial on the counter and smiled to herself. Severus had remembered the potion. She downed it and felt her nausea slip away. Feeling better, she slipped on a robe and went down into the study to find Severus reading the Prophet.

"Anything interesting?" she asked.

Severus folded down the paper and gave her a cross look.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he snapped.

Hermione went over to the paper and looked at the headlines. Nothing seemed like it was anything to get upset about.

"Are you mad because someone broke into Honeydukes?"

Severus threw down the paper and stood, storming away. He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Hermione staring after him in puzzlement. She followed him into the kitchen and came up behind him. Her arms wrapped around him.

"Thank you for the potion."

He shook her off. Turning, he scowled at her. "Of course you had to get pregnant," he huffed.

Hermione looked stricken.

"Who says I want to be a father, anyway? Now you've saddled me with this… this… thing!"

Hermione gasped as tears formed in her eyes.

"Oh, don't start with the tears! I've had enough of your weeping for a lifetime!"

Anger and grief filled Hermione. She stepped up to Severus and glowered at him. "You're a bastard, Severus Snape!"

Reeling around, she quickly stormed out of the kitchen, through the study, and out the door. Slamming the door behind her, she heaved huge gulps of air as she tried to control her emotions. She stood in the snow and let the tears flow down her cheeks. The chill overcame her, and she squatted down with her head in her hands. She let the tears flow.

She was so absorbed in her grief she didn't hear Severus open the door and storm out as well. He glowered at her, his hands balled into fists. Breathing heavily, he opened his mouth to say something, but then paused, a puzzled look on his face. He stood there silently for a minute before his eyes grew wide. Reaching underneath his jumper, he pulled the Horcrux out and pulled it over his head. He leaned over and showed her the locket. She looked at it and then looked away. Severus straightened up quickly and disappeared into the house, he returned a couple of minutes later without the Horcrux.

"It was the Horcrux, Maia. I'm so sorry. Please, you must know I don't think those things about you." He gave her a worried look. "Maia, please. I shouldn't have come down and sat in that room. I didn't even think, I just wanted to have a little time to myself reading the paper. I didn't even feel it affecting me, but it called to me. I couldn't help myself, I removed it from the box and put it around my neck, hiding it under my jumper. I wore it for over an hour, then when you came down, I was filled with rage."

She leaned into him, gulping air in gasps as her tears continued to flow. She managed to nod at him while she cried miserably against him.

"Maia, you have to know that I love you, and I love this baby."

She nodded, but the tears kept flowing. He gingerly rose with her.

"Let's walk. We need to get away from that thing."

She said nothing as he pulled her along casting a warming charm over her, as she was shivering. They moved together about half a block away from the house until Severus stopped. He kissed the top of her head.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I couldn't understand how you could be so cruel. I thought you wanted to have this baby, then you were being a total git and yelling at me for becoming pregnant. I even began to question my ability to be a mother. I wondered if everything you said about me was been true."

He took her chin and turned her face to his.

"Nonsense," he hissed. "You are the epitome of perfection as a wife, and will be so as a mother."

"Severus, I'm hardly perfect."

"Ah, but Maia, you're perfect for me. Please forgive me for my outburst."

"It was the Horcrux like you said. There's no need to apologize."

He kissed her forehead. "Of course there is. You were right, I was a bastard."

She pulled away from him. "Severus, we need to get it out of our home. Let's hide it away in the mansion now. It seems to have more of an effect on us." She thought for a moment. "Maybe it's the Mark increasing the reaction. Usually, when Harry, Ron, or I took it off, that would be it. It wouldn't affect us afterward. But It seems to call to you... maybe because you're Slytherin. And I've never felt it affect me when I wasn't wearing it. It's got a pull on us that I haven't experienced with it before."

He kissed her forehead again. "Let's take it to the mansion right away. We can contact the Dark Lord tomorrow and show him what we've done."

She nodded and closed in on him, hugging him furiously. He hugged her just as tightly. Moving away slightly, his hand came down low, and he caressed her stomach. He looked down at her abdomen. "I love you, my wife, and you as well, my little one."

Hermione leaned up toward him and kissed him. He deepened the kiss, and soon they were deep into one another. At long last, they pulled away.

"Are you ready, Maia?" Severus asked.

"Yes. We'll go straight upstairs and get dressed, then we'll take the Horcrux out of the house."

Severus' arm wrapped around her, and he guided her back to the house. They paused at the door and looked at each other tentatively. Hermione got a determined look on her face and gave Severus a quick nod. Together, they opened the door and moved quickly through the study and up the stairs. Once they were upstairs in their room, both sighed.

Severus shook his head. "I can't believe we're hiding from an inanimate object."

"An inanimate object that is filled with evil."

Severus nodded as he changed from his pajamas into trousers and a dark grey jumper with a crisp white shirt underneath. Hermione quickly dressed in a navy dress and pulled her hair back into a ponytail set high atop her head. Severus looked appreciatively at her once he was fully dressed. He came up to her and caressed her cheek.

"You look beautiful, and being pregnant gives you a glow that makes you even more enchanting."

Hermione blushed. "You look incredibly handsome as well."

He smirked at her. "Are you ready?"

She gave him a tentative look but nodded.

"Let's go, then."

Severus led the way down the stairs. He grabbed the box with the locket in it, put his arm around Hermione, and Apparated away. Since they'd toured the home the previous day, they were able to Apparate straight into the Grand Entry. Moving quickly to the library, they were surprised to see the bookcase sliding open for them. It was as if the house were trying to help them get the locket hidden and warded as quickly as possible.

Severus placed the box on the center shelf of the hidden unit. He stepped back and brandished his wand. It took a little while, but finally, he felt the wards were enough to protect the Horcrux. He looked at Hermione. She removed her wand and placed one last charm on the box, Disillusioning it so that there seemed to be nothing on the shelf at all.

"Good idea," he said.

She nodded. "The only drawback to this plan is that we'll have to give away the location of this place to our mortal enemy."

Severus eyed the shelf before waving his wand to close the secret compartment.

"Hopefully, it won't be known to him for long," he mused.

Looking at the bookcase and around the room, Hermione decided to address the room. She bit her lip before looking toward the ceiling and speaking. "It seems that you have some sentience, new home of ours. We apologize for placing something so evil within these walls, but we have good reason. We hope this item will be removed from you and destroyed quickly."

The lights in the room dimmed briefly before returning to their previous brightness. Severus looked around the room before looking at Hermione proudly as they moved out of the library.

"Nicely done," he told her as he led her out of the room.

She looked over at him and shrugged. "I wasn't sure if the home was truly sentient, but I felt it would be wise to acknowledge that we suspected. This may be our home for a long time, and I want all of us to be happy."

His arms came around her. "You're brilliant, you know."

She blushed. "When was the last time I told you that I love you?"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "It has been quite some time, if I were to be honest."

"Oh, well, then, I apologize for my negligence. I love you with all my heart."

He grinned at her. "And I love you beyond reason, my beautiful wife."

She kissed him then. "Slytherin flatterer."

"Slytherin flatterer who adores you."

Smirking at him she said one more thing before kissing him senseless. "Then I'm the luckiest witch alive."