Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

The reception was bustling and loud, the excitement in the Great Hall was palpable – each guest appeared to be having a good time, however, so it was a smashing success.

Severus had offered his wife assistance with decorating the hall for Potters' reception, and the result had been pleasant – even to him. Hermione had been in charge of coordinating the efforts of course, and his determined little wife was a force to be reckoned with when she had a project. The ceremony itself had been a solemn affair with neither Harry nor Luna's parents alive to attend and see their children happily married. But Severus had stood up for Harry, and Hermione had stood with Luna, and the Weasleys had been very supportive and kind as well as many of the other Order of the Phoenix members – the family they had created were there.

Not in a million years did he ever think that he would be in attendance at a Potter wedding, let alone a part of the wedding. Hermione and Ginny Weasley had helped to dress and prepare the bride's makeup and hair. She had a teeny tiny baby's breath woven through her long blonde hair, and she wore a very simple white dress which was accented with the tasteful jewellery Hermione had convinced her on instead of her usual peculiar pieces.

Iris was being cared for by the House Elves during the wedding and reception – an exception Severus had made for the occasion so he could give it due attention. The elves had been thrilled with a young baby to spoil.

'What a beautiful ceremony it was,' Ginny Weasley, the Charms Mistress and his colleague said to him with a bright smile.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye in surprise. At one point he had assumed, along with everyone else in the wizarding world, that Ginny Weasley would marry Harry Potter straight out of school and immediately start trying to repopulate his family tree. And yet there she stood, a confident and intelligent young woman in her own right, attending her former paramour's wedding, Severus found himself impressed by her for not conforming to the expectations that had been set for her when she had been a teenager.

'That it was,' he agreed quietly. 'Hermione really knows how to plan an event.'

'She missed her calling as a party planner,' Ginny replied, a hint of teasing in her tone.

'I think she rather misses working,' he said with a sigh. 'She took to the wedding planning with such eagerness, and while she loves Iris, I can't help but feel like she will get antsy to return to work sooner rather than later.'

'How are you both doing with Iris? I haven't been by lately.'

He shrugged and allowed a small smile. 'She is a wonderful baby – barely cries, and sleeps when she is supposed to, but I am afraid that is all going to come to an end soon when she begins teething and getting frustrated at herself while learning motor skills.'

Ginny chuckled. 'You've both been lucky to have such a docile new-born. Not a lot of babies like House Elves – mum would never have been able to leave us with one when we were kids.'

'Your mother was very indulgent and likely just told you that you didn't like the house else as much,' Severus told her.

'You're probably right.'

As she said that, the band struck up a tune again and the impromptu dance floor in the middle of the room was cleared so that the bride and groom could dance.

'You'd better run off and find Neville to dance with,' he suggested.

She nodded and smiled, waving her goodbye as she walked away to find her erstwhile boyfriend. Severus took this as his queue to seek out his wife somewhere in the room. He found her over by Pomona and Filius who had returned from South America for the wedding. Severus slid his hand down to rest on her lower back as he approached, and she looked up at him in surprise and smiled warmly.

'I apologise for the interruption, but I'm about to whisk my wife away for a dance,' he said smoothly, nodding at his two former colleagues.

'Oh yes, do excuse us,' she agreed and allowed him to lead her away and over to join the other dancing couples.

He held fast to one of her hands and slid the other to rest on her waist, moving them fluidly to the sound of the music. They'd been so busy that day taking care of the small wedding details, they'd barely spoken to one another. Severus found he wasn't really in the mood to speak, but he did want to hold Hermione close to him and enjoy just having her in his arms. She shuffled her body as close as she could without disrupting the flow of their movements, and rested her forehead against his shoulder, sighing softly – sleepily.

'You look and smell so good, love,' she whispered so that only he could hear. 'If I wasn't so exhausted I might suggest you whisk me up to your office for a little diversion.'

He chuckled at the suggestiveness in her tone. If he hadn't been so tired he might have already tried to do that himself rather than pulling her onto the dancefloor. Being parents was really putting a damper on any chance for a sex life. It didn't matter – they'd make time for it again when their daughter was a little older and could be away from them for longer periods of time. In the meantime, he was content to hold and touch and spoon against his lovely wife and cuddle with their sweet little bundle of literal joy.

'There will be time for it later,' he told her, pulling her so that they were flush and simply swaying with her to the music instead, moving in a small circle.

As the party started to wind down a couple of hours later, the bride and groom waved cheerfully at their send-off. Harry had booked a holiday in Romania for them so that Luna could spend some time with the dragons at the sanctuary, and so they could do some historical touring.

Severus was tired, but determined to remain at the castle until all the guests had left and help Minerva restore the Great Hall to normal and assist with the clean-up efforts. He saw Hermione over near the doorway bidding Ronald Weasley and his wife Rose goodbye, and he strode over to join her as the couple turned to leave.

'You should go home now with Iris,' he told her, cupping her cheek and swiping a thumb over the top of her cheekbone. 'You look tired, pet.'

'I should stay to help…' she argued feebly.

'Go,' he said encouragingly. 'She'll need a bath and you'll probably want to clean up yourself before bed. I'll follow along in a while once Minerva and I have cleared it up with the elves.'

'If you're sure, then okay,' she said with a small, tired smile that stretched into a yawn. She reached up to hastily cover her mouth. 'Perhaps I am more tired than I thought.'

He chuckled and leaned down a little to press a kiss to the end of her nose affectionately. 'Iris is waiting. See you at home, pet.'

She nodded and disappeared up the stairs, heading to his office where their daughter was likely napping under the supervision of one of the House Elves. He turned back to the Great Hall and sighed tiredly before striding back in to aid in the cleaning efforts.

Much later than he anticipated, Severus returned home via the floo connection in his office, and made his way up to the bedroom, unbuttoning his coat, shirt and cuffs as he went. He toed off his boots as he walked into the bedroom and was immediately entranced by the sight of his wife curled up around their sleeping daughter in the middle of the bed protectively. He couldn't prevent the smile from creeping onto his features, still unable to believe that his life had turned around so dramatically.

He walked over to the edge of the bed and craned over so he could press a kiss to Hermione's sleepy lips, and then drop a kiss to the top of his daughter's soft shock of black hair. His wife stirred a little and opened one sleepy eye to peer up at him.

'Shhhh, go back to sleep,' he whispered as she opened her mouth to speak. 'I'll clean up and be in bed shortly.

She nodded and mumbled 'love you' before closing her eyes once more and snuggling back into a slumbering state. He stripped, showered and put on sleep pants before returning to the bed and gently lifting Iris into his arms. She barely stirred except to fist a bunch of his hair in her little hand, and he moved around their bed to settle her down in her cot, gently prying his hair away but still losing a couple of strands anyway. Once he was certain she was okay, he returned to his side and crawled into bed with his wife, moulding himself around her to spoon comfortably.

As he closed his eyes, exhausted from the day, he thought to himself that it was all worth it just to see her smile.

Severus bobbed his foot up and down as he sat in the armchair, staring out the window at the ocean. He was always appreciative that his in-laws had such a nice view from their home in Sydney.

It was winter in Australia, and while it didn't hold a candle to winter in the UK, there was a little crisp nip in the air. This later in the season there were fewer chilly days, and more mild ones, but there was no snow, sleet or sludge from ice melting, and the evergreen trees were still lush with foliage rather than brown-grey and stripped bare while awaiting the spring to arrive. He found that he understood their reasons for wanting to live there – the lifestyle was comparatively laid back. Severus found himself wondering if Hermione would want to live there one day – maybe they could retire there.

Snorting at the thought, he looked down at the baby in his arms sucking on her fist as she looked up at him with dark eyes. It would be many years yet until they would be starting to plan for that chapter of their life. They still had a daughter to raise and careers to manage.

'Love, it's time for lunch,' Hermione announced, snapping him out of his reverie. 'And it looks like little miss is ready for a snack as well.'

He looked down and saw the saliva coating her little hand and chuckled, shaking his head. Hermione walked over and plucked Iris from his arms, efficiently sorting out her shirt and bra before latching the hungry baby onto her breast for a feed. He was amazed by how seamlessly she managed to do it each time. Standing from the chair, he followed her as she wound her way back through the house to the kitchen and took a seat at the table with Robert on one side, and Hermione to his right. Jean brought over a large tray of sandwiches and there was tea.

'What do you say to a round of golf tomorrow, Severus?' Robert said with a broad smile. Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his father-in-law's enthusiasm for the game.

'How could I say no?' he drawled, earning himself a small prod in the side from Hermione. 'I'd be happy to accompany you.'

His wife switched to a smile at his change in tune. Several hours of walking around in the sun chasing after badly hit golf balls was worth the happy twinkle in her brown eyes.

'We were thinking we might take Iris off your hands this afternoon and take her for a walk to the local park so that you two can catch up on some sleep for a while?' Jean offered, changing the subject seamlessly. He admired his mother-in-law very much.

Hermione nodded gratefully as she shoved a triangle of sandwich into her mouth, trying not to get any crumbs on their daughter as she suckled away below. 'I'd love a nap. I'm exhausted.'

'Then it's settled,' the older woman announced with a chuffed look. She loved being a grandmother, and it showed in how she doted over Iris.

And so, later that afternoon, when the sun had started to descend a little, Robert and Jean loaded Iris into the pram they had thought to acquire for their visit, and once they had her settled, went on their merry way. Severus looked down at his wife, and noted the dark circles under her eyes that had been very present for the past four months. He took her hand and led her up to the guest room they were occupying during their stay, and gently nudged her to sit on the bed. He kneeled down and wordlessly slipped off her shoes, kicking off his own and arranging them by the door.

He slid onto the bed beside her, and she spun around to face him, tucking herself against his front as his arms encircled her.

'Hi,' she whispered against the skin of his throat, her petal soft lips pressing into the pink scars that marred his neck.

His breath quavered in his throat as her lips made contact with the flesh behind his ear, and he could feel the all-too familiar burn of desire beginning to pool in his stomach, sending a jolt to his groin. His lovely wife knew exactly how to stir the beast within him. Just as he moved to capture her lips with his own, he felt her needy little hand slide down to the front of his pants and gently grip his rapidly inflating prick, rubbing her palm against him enticingly. He groaned into her mouth and sucked her tongue into his to tangle.

He rolled them over so that she was beneath him and slid his hands up her body to gently massage the swollen globes of her breasts. She made a small mew of approval and parted her thighs so that he could rest between them and grind his cloth-covered erection into her mons. Impatient to feel her skin against his, he waved a hand over them and their clothing disappeared, relocating in a neatly folded pile on the dresser. Hermione gasped in surprise as his cock slid through her wet folds and his warm hands pinched her nipples.

She normally didn't enjoy having her breasts exposed during sex because they would leak, but he didn't give a fig – he was going to enjoy all of her that afternoon.

'Please, Severus,' she moaned desperately. 'Do something.'

He chuckled darkly as he remained still, his cock just barely brushing her, holding himself over her. 'What do you want from me, my love?' he murmured, ghosting his lips over her collarbone.

She huffed in frustration. 'Touch me – my breasts, my clit – anything!'

He allowed one hand to just barely brush her nipple, tearing a choked sob of desire from her. Smiling, pleased that she was well and truly primed and ready for him, he pushed his glans into her, sliding into her warm, welcoming heat. She was snug around him, and her body arched up into his. He dipped his head down and lapped at her nipple, not minding the tiny bit of milk that had pooled on the tip of the hard little bud. She moaned at that, and he did it again until he was swapping back and forth, suckling her nipples nipping along the curve of her breasts.

He drove into her hard, and when he pulled back to gaze at her, he enjoyed the way her full breasts would jostle with each heavy thrust. Her hands were everywhere – on his shoulders, at his hips gripping him firmly, grasping and squeezing her own breasts. That image drove him on further, and he snuck a hand down to fondle her clit, circling and rubbing in the way he knew she liked. Soon enough she shattered around him, her channel gripping his cock, milking him for all he was worth. He came with a hoarse shout, his body spasmodically jerking into her.

Panting and sweaty, he pulled out and cast the charms to clean them up and prevent another pregnancy, collapsing beside her exhausted.

She chuckled softly, and turned over to face him again, her hand coming to rest on his chest. 'God I needed that,' she admitted sheepishly. 'Thanks for the good time, husband.'

He smirked, a little pleased with himself. 'My pleasure,' he said, glancing at her from under his lashes. 'But I am exhausted now you little succubus, so I'm going to have a nap.'

'Sounds like a plan.'

He closed his eyes, and the two of them wordlessly slid under the bedcovers and passed out from their passionate exertion.

When he woke up, the bed beside him was empty, and he could see that Hermione's clothes were no longer on the dresser. The sun had set already, so he got up, stretched and dressed himself before making his way down to the sitting room where he could hear his father-in-law chatting. He entered the room to see Hermione smiling and playing with Iris who was sitting up on Robert's lap being bounced. The sound of his daughter's laugh delighted him – she sounded like a wee little villain with her tiny cackle.

Smiling, he decided to head to the kitchen instead and saw Jean was peeling and cutting vegetables, and he sauntered over to help her.

'Let me do that,' he offered, holding out a hand for the peeler.

She quirked a brow at him in a way that reminded him of his wife, but handed it over to him anyway, and she turned her attention to dressing the chicken she was planning to roast for dinner that night.

'Did you have a good nap?' Jean asked with a grin.

'It was most satisfying, thank you,' he said, his voice remaining steady in spite of her prying question and cheek. Jean was far too perceptive for her own good.

'I can't believe how quickly this fortnight has passed,' she mused, stuffing lemons and a bundle of herbs inside the chicken. 'We'll miss having the three of you here.'

'It has certainly been a nice change of pace to visit as always,' Severus said, casting aside the peeler in favour of quartering the potatoes then.

'We can always come to visit at Christmas?' Jean offered. 'The practice will be closed for a little over two weeks anyway, and it'll give us an excuse to catch up with friends in London as well.'

Severus nodded. It was gratifying that his in-laws were so keen to visit and spend time with them – he was grateful that Hermione's parents had been so welcoming of him in her life given their age gap and how they had met. Every now and again the thought bothered him, but Hermione was mature beyond her years and never struck him as child-like at all. Her parents probably also recognised this and that their daughter was very single-minded.

'We would be happy to host you both for the holidays,' Severus replied.

'Good,' Jean said with a fond smile.

The two of them worked together in amiable silence then, and he couldn't remember that last time he'd had such a nice quiet moment with someone who wasn't Hermione or Minerva.

Leaving Australia and heading back to Scotland had been harder than Severus could have anticipated after two weeks of blissfully dry, mild weather – he'd even managed to get a little tanned from walks along the beach with Hermione, and the two games of golf he'd accompanied Robert to.

He was already back at the castle working every day and going home at night, busy preparing for the start of the school year. He'd been in more meetings than he could count, handled a lot of the correspondence from parents with their commentary and concerns, and he was already in a snit about how little time he was spending with his wife and child. He knew it would all settle a little once the students were actually back at the school, but he simply hated bureaucratic nonsense and dealing with parents.

Severus looked at the clock on the wall and noted the time. He had a meeting with Minerva shortly, so he tidied his desk and strode from his office, deciding to walk up to the Headmistress's office instead of using the floo to get in some exercise and clear his mind. He was concerned his sedentary lifestyle over the summer had left him feeling a little soft around the middle, though Hermione had not once mentioned it – the woman was a saint. It mattered little thought, as soon his patrols of the castle and lifting heavy cauldrons around combined neglecting to eat regular meals through the school year would turn him to a rake soon enough.

He arrived at the gargoyle, muttered 'Austen' and proceeded up the winding staircase when the statue began moving upwards and out of the way. At the top he wrapped his knuckles against the wooden door and listened for an invitation to enter.

'Come in!' Minerva's voice muffled by the door called out.

He walked through and strode to her desk, sweeping his robes aside so that he could take a seat comfortably. 'Good afternoon, Minerva,' he greeted.

'Hello, my dear,' she said with a fond smile.

'I hate to give you the bum's rush, Minerva, but I have quite a lot left to complete today so I'd like to get straight to it in lieu of observing pleasantries,' he said dryly.

Minerva gave him a haughty look at this and huffed. 'Well, alright you old grouch,' she teased. 'I asked to see you to speak about your wife actually.'

Severus shot her a sharp look. 'What about my wife?'

'I want to offer Hermione a part-time position in the Infirmary actually,' she said matter-of-factly. 'And I thought I should run this past you as my Deputy before I made any sort of firm offer to her. Poppy needs someone who understands the work, and who can brew and take some of the burden away from your own heavy schedule. It worked well when she was apprenticing here, did it not?'

He nodded hesitantly. It had indeed worked surprisingly well when Hermione had completed the second year of her apprenticeship under Poppy's supervision. It had actually been the only year he could remember not being overwhelmed and stressed. But he didn't want that to have any bearing on whether Hermione would accept the role or not. She had a job after all – though with their young child, he wasn't sure what her career aspirations were any longer. He immediately felt like a terrible husband for not knowing.

'I suppose you could offer. The main issue would be Iris,' he replied.

'Iris would be welcome at the school while she worked, Severus, of course,' Minerva rushed to reassure him. 'In fact, Poppy and I are rather excited by the potential of seeing her more often, you know.'

He snorted at that admission. 'Would the elves be willing to assist when Hermione needed it?'

'Naturally.'

He paused and sighed heavily before nodding. 'I don't know for certain that Hermione would agree to it, but you can make the offer to her at the very least. She might say yes, but it is up to her and I will not lean on or pressure her in any way, no matter the benefit to myself.'

'Of course. I would never expect you to be responsible for this at all,' she said with a sniff. 'In fact, I would prefer you said nothing to her at all about it until I have time to make an offer myself. I know how proper and above board you like to run things, Severus.'

He nodded and relaxed a little. 'So, is there anything else you'd like to see me about?'

'No you great pillock,' Minerva said with a chuckle. 'Off with you. Go and finish all of your busywork and I'll see you on Friday for the pre-term staff meeting.'

He nodded at her and flashed a small smile of apology before sweeping out of the office and making his way back down to the third floor where his office now resided. Now that he was no longer the head of Slytherin, there was no need for his quarters or office to remain down there, and he'd relocated to a more central location in the castle. It did mean having to leave a little earlier from his office to teach his classes in the Dungeon's, but if he was completely honest with himself, having an office with windows that overlooked the grounds was a pleasant change of pace.

He arrived at his office and sat down at his desk to work, reading through correspondence from parents – queries mostly – until he felt as though he was going cross-eyed. He took a break to order tea from the kitchens, and contemplated Minerva's intended offer to Hermione. It certainly was going to be of benefit to him if she was to take over the brewing portion of his workload. But mostly it meant that he would get to see his wife and child a little more often than he was, and he desperately wanted that.

He shook his head. Severus was not a man who would cajole or manipulate his wife into doing something that she was not inclined to. He could – but he wouldn't.

That evening when his work schedule for the day was cleared, he tidied, sent his tea tray back to the kitchen and used the floo to return home. Going home for him was the best part of his day as the two females in his life were often clean from their bath and smelling fresh with their skin flushed and clean. He loved to inhale Hermione's natural perfume – even without heady perfume or fragrant bath products her skin smelled like a peach so ripe he wanted to bite down on her juice flesh.

Since returning from Australia, and establishing a better routine with Iris and her nap times, the two of them had hardly been able to keep their hands off each other. He had never felt so alive and virile in all his life as he had with Hermione. She brought out the very best in him, and he sought out the most secret and depraved desires of her heart, and they were just so good together. It was no wonder his seed took to her egg so quickly and gave them a beautiful, gentle little daughter to love.

That night was no exception, and he found them up in the nursery, Hermione wrapped in a towel as she wrestled their baby into her little pyjamas. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the back of her neck that was exposed from her hair being pinned to the top of her head with a large clip. She made a small happy sound in the back of her throat, humming softly as she finished dressing Iris.

'Let me take her so you can dress, pet,' he told her.

She acquiesced and he claimed their child, holding her against his chest so that she could peer over his shoulder. He followed her to the bedroom and sat on the bed with their daughter, watching appreciatively when she dropped the towel and hunted for some clothes to put on. He gestured for her to join him at the bed then, and smiled when she didn't question it, and slid down to sit beside him with not a single stitch of clothing on still.

'I'm going to put Iris down to sleep in the other room and turn on the monitor,' he told her, leaning towards her and capturing her lips in a swift kiss. 'If you would like to arrange yourself on the bed, I will be back shortly, wife.'

She flushed, and her large brown eyes darkened immediately with lust. He was astounded at how quickly he could shift her from parent mode to full-blown desire. He chuckled darkly, and stood from the bed, gently bouncing Iris in his arms, rocking her as they went. Once in the nursery, he murmured soft words to her as they swayed lightly, as if dancing, until he felt her little head drop against his shoulder sleepily. He laid her down in the cot and turned on the monitor as promised, taking its pair with him back to the bedroom.

When he walked into the bedroom, his jaw went slack at the sight of the woman splayed on the bed before him. Hermione was propped against the pillows with her legs parted, one hand tweaking a pebbled nipple while the other drifted between her legs and was circling her clit. He could see she was already glistening with the evidence of her desire, and it made his nostrils flare and shot a bolt of desire straight to his semi-erect cock. She was a goddess.

'Fuck,' he breathed, quickly beginning to shed his layers of teaching attire. He'd never wished to be wearing Muggle clothing so much as he did in that moment.

'Hurry, my love,' Hermione whispered, gasping as she flicked a nail over her own nipple. 'I'm sorry I couldn't help myself.'

He growled at her words, kicking aside his trousers and underwear, uncaring that there were clothes strewn all over the floor. He crawled up the bed, and without any preamble, dove between her legs with his mouth, nudging aside her fingers and lapping at her, circling the hard bud of her clitoris with his tongue before suckling on it – hard. He plunged two fingers into her channel, pumping steadily as he drove her wild with his mouth. She softly moaned and keened above, her body writhing in response to his ministrations.

It wasn't long until her hips snapped upwards, and she came, her body clenching hard around his fingers. He continued to lick her gently as she came down from the high, and panted hard to regain her breath. He slithered up her body then, kissing her with her essence all over his mouth and chin. She didn't seem to mind, and kissed him back as hungrily as she ever did. She nudged him to roll onto his back, and he allowed her to take control now that he'd been able to pleasure her. She didn't mess around and soon his hard cock was engulfed in her enthusiastic mouth, and she sucked and licked him as though he was an especially tasty treat. He could feel his abdomen tense in warning, and he threaded his fingers into her hair and gently encouraged her to relinquish him. She did so, but only for long enough to crawl up onto him and take into her body, and he watched with bated breath as every inch was swallowed up by her.

He moaned as she rolled her hips with him inside her, the sensation almost too much for him. 'Fuck,' he said through gritted teeth. 'You are going to be the death of me.'

'Good,' she said with a predatory smile – a smile she had learned from him.

And then she proceeded to ride him, her bottom gently bouncing against his thighs and balls. He dug his heels into the bed and began meeting her thrust for thrust, filling her up as she took him to the hilt. His stomach began to clench, and he knew he was close then.

'Touch yourself,' he said hoarsely, and was pleased when she immediately complied.

Her fingers slid down to toy with her clit and he sped up to increase the friction. He felt her orgasm hit just moments before his own tore through him, and he jerked up into her until his body was spent and so was hers. She fell forwards onto him and his cock slid from her, his seed sliding down her legs and pooling on his stomach. He wordlessly cast his usual charms and held her body against his as they caught their breath.

'We get better and better at this every time,' she said with a giggle.

He laughed softly in response, but he couldn't deny she had a point. 'I think you're going to need another shower, pet,' he murmured, kissing her forehead.

'Let's go shower together so we can have dinner,' she said, sitting up and rolling off the bed. 'I'm suddenly ravenous.'

He smiled as he watched her sidle into the bathroom, appreciating her pert bottom as it swayed while she walked. Shaking his head at his wayward thoughts, he got up from the bed to follow her and bathe, wondering at his luck not for the first time. A very satisfying end to the day indeed.

To be continued.

A/N - Just one last little chapter to go after this one! Thank you to Aurora_Borealis3406 for editing this chapter! x