Chapter 37
The recent information visibly troubled Harry for quite some time. That night, Harry woke up sweating and panting from a nightmare. He dreamt about being chained up, pregnant, inside the Malfoy Manor dungeon. He dreamt of getting to hold his son for a mere minute before being hit with the same green light he was all too familiar with, before waking up, thanking all the gods for a tightly wrapped arm around his waist. Harry didn't see why he had to be afraid. It was not like it happened.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depends on how one looks at it, Harry was always strong-willed and had gotten so used to being hurt and used that what he learned from Malfoy's journal was soon locked deep in his mind, choosing again to forget it altogether. This isn't new to you, Harry, he thought.
While Severus had not shown his emotions the same with his husband, he too was uneasy. He feared someone out there would take his family away.
Severus was not one to dwell on such useless information given it was in the past and can no longer harm them, but it opened the thought of possibilities in his mind. There was always a possibility Harry would be taken from him. They weren't immortal.
Nevertheless, the two wizards chose not to discuss any of what they have learned to their friends. They chose not to dwell anymore. It was in the past. The man was dead. That was what they kept telling themselves over and over again until they believed it.
Instead of thinking of the 'what ifs', they focused on the present. They were married. They have Sebastian. They have a family. That was all that mattered.
A few weeks later, Harry woke up feeling fatigued and worn-out. When he glanced beside him, Severus wasn't in bed. Checking the time, he realized it was almost noon. Harry never over-slept that late, especially not on a weekday.
With all the strength he could gather, Harry slowly rose out of bed to wash his face and brush his teeth. He probably won't be able to go to work at all and decided to owl Dennis instead. Harry didn't know where Severus was or why he hadn't woken him up earlier.
Harry grudgingly headed down to the Severus' office hoping to find his husband. He wasn't there. Cursing his own stupidity, he called for Dippy.
"Yes, Master Harry?"
Harry leaned back on the wall, suddenly feeling a little dizzy. "Have you seen Severus or Sebastian?" he asked.
"Young Master is getting his hair cut, Master Harry," replied the elf, wondering why her master forgot. After all, he was the one to ask Master Severus to take the young master.
"Oh? That's today?" pondered Harry before giving the elf a tired smile. "Thank you, Dippy."
The house elf gazed Harry for a minute before brightening and popping out of his presence. With a sigh, Harry dragged himself back to bed. He was way too tired to move about. He must have caught the flu. It was rather a bad side-effect of working at an apothecary. Sick people usually come and go, and it was technically a flu season.
The moment Harry was back in bed, he instantly dozed off.
Meanwhile, on Harry's orders, Severus took Sebastian out to get his haircut. The three-year-old had extremely fast growing hair. It used to not bother him but Sebastian currently liked his hair short so the parents had to get his hair cut quarterly.
"Alright, young man. Sit straight," instructed Mr. Striver, the barber. Mr. Striver had been Severus' barber for many years and he trusted the man enough to let him cut his son's hair as well.
Sebastian followed the instruction to stride. He liked Mr. Striver very much because he had good stories and made funny noises when he cuts his hair.
As soon as his hair was done, Severus paid the man and carried Sebastian out the shop. He planned for a father-son day with Sebastian and wanted to bring his son out to get ice-cream. He and Harry tend to avoid feeding the boy too much sweets and junk food not only because they wanted Seb to eat healthier but also because Sebastian's sugar rush was a storm.
When Sebastian realized where his papa was taking him, he immediately cheered, getting the attention of a few bystanders. Even after a year back in the UK, people still find their family a good topic for gossip. How could they not? Two war heroes: one who slayed the Dark Lord and another a Death Eater spy, having a miracle child together.
Still, it annoyed Severus to no ends. Tucking Sebastian safely in his arms, Severus strolled inside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.
"If it isn't little Sebastian," smiled Florean towards the boy earning him a grin and an enthusiastic wave. "What can I get you?"
Sebastian glanced at his papa for approval which he got in the form of a single nod. "Raspberry Chocolate!" he cheered.
Severus' lip curled to a half-smile before ordering himself an Earl Grey Lavender ice cream scoop.
Every now and then, an old student would pass by and gawk at the ex-Potions Professor with a little boy sitting on top of the table, facing Severus. Even if it was public knowledge that he had a son, the sight of him as a doting father, wiping his son's messy face and hands, never failed to stun people.
"Papa, can we go see the snakes?" asked the boy adorably as he allowed Severus to wipe a tissue around his mouth.
Severus hummed. Though Sebastian's favorite animal had become a turtle, he was still very interested in snakes. Add to the fact that menageries do not usually house turtles, Seb only had snakes to visit.
"We may, but only for a little while. Your daddy will worry we're out for too long."
Sebastian beamed at being allowed to visit the animals. He really wanted his own pet. He had one before, a green snake named Medusa, but she's far away now. Sebastian really liked talking to the snakes. Daddy liked them too and he knew papa liked snakes even though he couldn't talk to them. Papa has dress robes and shirts with snakes on it.
But papa said he couldn't have his own pet until he's older. Sebastian couldn't wait until he's older. He really, really wanted one.
With one hand tightly holding his papa's, the two walked into the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley. Sebastian immediately dragged Severus to the reptiles. It wasn't crowded inside which Severus was thankful for. Usually, there were other children littering around the shop, like Sebastian, who wanted to peek at the animals.
Sebastian pulled away from Severus and dashed near the cages. The shop-keeper had already seen the boy enough that he simply gave the father-son duo a smile before going back to work.
"Hello, little one," hissed the large Burmese python happily. Many of the snakes adored the young speaker and very much liked it when he comes for a visit.
Sebastian giggled and began hissing. Severus had gotten used to the two men in his life having the ability to converse with snakes that he wasn't bothered at all. He was actually quite amazed. He, like many others, thought Harry had gotten the ability that fateful night. For Sebastian to have inherited the gift was a proof it wasn't what they thought. Somewhere along the Potter, most likely the Peverell line, there was a Parselmouth.
Severus let Sebastian enjoy a few minutes with the snakes before deciding it was time to head home. They left while Harry was asleep and it was already nearly lunchtime.
As soon as Severus and Sebastian arrived back, they were greeted, not by Harry, but by Dippy.
"Master Severus," cried the elf, "Master Harry is very warm."
Severus immediately put down his son and worriedly asked, "How long has it been?"
"Dippy does not know, Master Severus. Dippy only came to deliver his lunch and Master Harry was covered in blankets."
Severus nodded distractedly and went straight to their room, Sebastian right on his trail.
"Stay here, son. I don't want you to get caught on anything daddy has," instructed Severus. He quickly dashed on the bedside next to Harry.
His young husband was indeed sporting a fever which mildly worried Severus. Wandlessly, he summoned his potions kit and picked up a fever-reducing potion and some pepper-ups.
"Harry," whispered Severus softly, trying to wake his husband.
A sniffle came out of the man before burrowing himself deeper in bed. A few gentle shakes later, Harry finally opened his eyes, albeit grudgingly.
"Huh? Sev?" muttered the confused wizard.
"You're having a fever, you need to drink your potions," said Severus. He handed two potions to the man and helped him drink it down.
"Thank you. My body feels achy all over. I think I'm going to throw up," complained Harry with a scratchy voice.
"Do you want me to owl Poppy or Hermione?" asked Severus as he sat down next to Harry's head, carding his fingers through the man's hair.
Harry nodded once. "Hermione, please, Severus."
Severus did exactly that and within the next fifteen minutes, Hermione arrived. She wasn't working that day which was very fortunate for Harry.
"Hello, Severus," greeted the pregnant healer with a smile. "What happened to Harry?"
"His temperature is high and he's feeling nauseated," informed the older wizard grimly. They all know Harry wasn't one to get easily sick which was why Severus was concerned. It might be something contagious or worrisome.
Hermione went to check on Harry the moment she stepped inside the bedroom. Severus was patiently waiting by the door with Sebastian behind his legs.
"Papa?" called Sebastian in a small, worried voice. "Is daddy alright?"
Severus let his hand rest over his son's hair and looked down, schooling his expression so the boy won't notice his worry.
"Daddy's fine. Do not worry your little head."
Hermione had known about Severus' male pregnancy potion invention and knew the couple were trying for a child, so it wasn't exactly surprising when the results of her scan appeared.
St. Mungo's Experimental Research Department had been getting infinite funding since after the announcement of the organ-growing treatment and subsequently, the male pregnancy potion. Not to mention, both Severus and Healer Smythe were listed for many achievement awards. They were quite the talk of the whole Wizarding society.
Harry was the first one to have ever used the potion. And now, it seems like their wish had just been granted.
Harry was asleep when Hermione arrived, and still sleeping when the scan was done. Hermione wasn't sure if she should wake her best friend up or wait until he wakes up on his own to give him the news.
"Is there anything wrong?" asked a worried Severus from behind.
"No. Not really. There is something, though." Hermione replied with little to no concern.
Even though their healer friend had not found anything wrong, Severus was still bothered and worried. Come to think, he had noticed Harry was getting a few headaches recently. He was also easily irritated, perhaps due to over-working himself and not getting enough rest.
"I think Harry should hear what I have to say," continued Hermione. Without waiting for a reply from Severus, she tapped on Harry's knee, a trick she had learned that woke her friend up easily.
And it did. Immediately, Harry had woken up, still lethargic and half-asleep but awake nonetheless.
"Wha- Oh! Hi, Mione," said Harry as he pushed himself to sit. He was actually feeling better after being fed potions by his husband.
Before Harry could even open his mouth again, Severus already appeared beside him and asked, "So, what does Harry have? Should I be worried?"
Hermione sent Harry a smile when she saw him roll his eyes at Severus' protectiveness.
"I am just going to say it directly. You're pregnant, Harry." At Harry's gobsmacked expression and Severus' smug look, Hermione continued, "Now, I do not know anything yet but I am pretty sure you are a few weeks on. My guess? Your wedding night. I suggest getting checked in St. Mungo's as soon as possible. I am not able to cast more than the basic scans. Aside from the little one, it's just the flu. It'll go in two to three days but you should be careful more than anything."
Harry was still shocked that he had not fully comprehended what his best friend had been saying. Thankfully, Severus was on his right mind and actually listened.
It wasn't surprising that Harry was more surprised than Severus. Even with the potion, Harry had not expected he'd get pregnant that soon. Severus, on the other hand, fully believed in his capabilities as a Potions Master. It was the most potent he could ever give Harry without compromising his body's natural functions.
Severus was indeed overjoyed of the news that he forgot they were not alone. The little boy with auburn hair and emerald eyes in his dreams might actually come true now. He was so engrosed in his imagination that he had not seen Hermione sporting an amused look as he knelt next to the bed and took Harry's hand in his, peppering it with kisses all over. He hadn't even noticed Sebastian still peeking from the door, staying put just like what his papa told him to.
It was an overwhelming situation. It wasn't until Hermione leaned and kissed Harry on the cheek that Harry finally shook out from his unfocused thoughts.
"I should go. I have the afternoon shift in St. Mungo's today. Congratulations again, Harry, Severus." Hermione bid her goodbyes to the men, passing by her godson and giving him a big hug and a kiss on his temple, before leaving for work.
All the while, Harry couldn't keep the smile of his face as a few tears rolled over his cheeks. It didn't matter that he was feeling worn out and tired. It didn't matter that he had to go through the pains all over again. He and Severus will finally get their second child.
Remembering their first born, Harry called for Sebastian to come closer. In a flash, Sebastian was climbing up the bed next to his daddy, worry written all over his face.
"Daddy, why you crying? Are you sad?" asked the boy with deep concern. Sebastian took Harry's other hand and placed it over his heart, an act the three-year-old had seen his papa do many times for his daddy.
"No, darling. I am not sad. Daddy is very happy right now," said Harry. He wanted to kiss his son badly but he feared Sebastian might get sick. It was already a risk sitting next to him. It was just a flu, but Harry never want Sebastian to get sick at all.
"Then why you crying?" Sebastian titled his head to the side in confusion. He noticed his papa was also crying quietly next to daddy and he was even more confused. Papa never cries, but if daddy wasn't sad then it must be papa who's sad. "Papa? Are you sad?"
"I am very happy, little prince. Very happy indeed," replied Severus softly as he brushed the escaped tears away. He stood and sat on the bed, pulling their son to sit on his lap. "Sometimes, when people get very happy, they cry. It's called tears of joy, son."
The boy peered at him, brows furrowed, but then nodded. "Then why are you happy, papa? Is daddy not sick anymore? I want to play now."
It was Harry who answered, "I am still a little sick, love. But that's not why papa and I are happy..." Harry stared at Severus, a silent conversation going between them whether they tell their son of his new brother or sister.
Understanding the younger wizard's wishes, Severus held Sebastian's chin on his palms and tilted his head up to look at him. "Do you remember your Christmas wish last year?" At the boy's nod, Severus smiled warmly and continued, "You're getting your wish, my love."
Sebastian gasped audibly, both hands covering his mouth in emphasis to his surprise. "Papa! Daddy! Really? There's a baby in there?!" He cried, crawling onto Harry's lap and placing both hands over his daddy's stomach, eyes full of wonder and amazement.
Harry arched an eyebrow towards his husband, not knowing exactly what Sebastian had wished last Christmas, but had a very good guess what it had been. He looked down on his son who was still preoccupied with his stomach. It warmed his heart to see Sebastian getting excited for the new baby. He was initially afraid Sebastian might not like a brother or sister as he was very much used to being an only child.
It was a wonderful feeling. He had the most caring partner in the world, the sweetest little boy, and now expecting another child at the end of the year. He was happy.
A/N: I actually do wake up easily when someone taps on my knee so, yeah. My dad used to do that to me every morning when I was younger to wake me up for school.Anyway, sorry for not updating as much as I used to. I've been awfully busy with school work, and probably will get busier. I've had exams last week, and a whole lot of revisions for my technical drafting class. I won't be able to update as fast as before.
