And we're done! Huge thank you for all of the reviews, I appreciate all of them!

"Cordelia Georgina Snape! For the love of Merlin, get down here now!"

Severus huffed out a laugh and moved to wrap his arms around his wife. "Breathe, witch. No student yet has missed the train."

Hermione turned in his arms and arched a brow in eerie mimicry of his own, "Please do remember who you are speaking about, Severus. It's Lia. She'll likely take that as a bloody challenge. And actually, Harry and Ron missed it in our second year if you recall."

Severus groaned at the reminder, "I admit to having deliberately forgotten that, however as Lia has no interfering house elves to worry about, I think she'll be fine."

Hermione nodded slowly, "I'm not ready for her to go."

"She will be fine," he reiterated gently, " as will you. It's not as if you do not visit the school. Think of all the other parents who won't see their children until Christmas."
"I honestly don't know how they do it." she admitted softly. "You'll keep an eye on her won't you?"

Severus snorted, "Despite the fact I'm sure she'll despise it, of course I will. What time are we meant to be meeting the Potters?"

"Quarter to. Gin says James is beyond hyper at the thought of going or he was until she reminded him that his dad and his Uncle were on staff and would therefore be watching him."

Severus scrunched his nose as he always did at being referred to as James' Uncle, making Hermione laugh. "Are the other two ready?"

"I think so, I left them on the sofa watching god only knows what on the Tv."

Severus snorted, "Perhaps go and get them into coats, I'll go and chase up Lia."

Hermione nodded, untangling herself from him and heading in search of her youngest children as Severus climbed the stairs. He found Lia sitting on her bed looking slightly lost.

"Lia?"

Her head snapped up, the worry clear on her face, "I don't think I want to go, Daddy." she admitted softly.

Severus moved to sit on the bed beside her, drawing her into a hug, "You're going to have so much fun, my girl. Less than your Mother, if you please, but still, so much fun."

Lia snorted, "Was Mum really that bad?"

"Worse." he deadpanned, making her giggle."She set my robes on fire, you know?"

Lia gasped, "She did not, Daddy!"

"Oh but she did, in her first year, too. Stole from me in her second. Helped an escaped convict in her third…." he trailed off not wanting to get into Hermione's latter years just yet, that delightful chat was due to happen over the Christmas holidays and he was already dreading it.

Lia was gaping at him. "Wow. She seems so boring now!"

Severus snorted, "Perhaps dont voice that particular sentiment to your Mother." he suggested, arching a brow at her.

Lia blushed, "I didn't mean it like that!" Lia paused, burrowing into his side. "I'm going to miss you all so much." she whispered.

"I'll be there, my girl. You'll see me every day and we both know your mother is going to visit as often as she can. You'll not get a chance to miss us."

Lia huffed out a laugh, "It won't be the same." she said softly, "At night you and Mum'll be here with Zander and Lena and I'll be at Hogwarts."

"With James, Aunt Min, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Neville, Aunt Hannah, Jasper, Alice and Rupert." Severus finished pointedly, "And that's without the friends you're going to make. It's alright to be nervous, my girl, all of us were."

"You were not nervous Daddy!" she cut in incredulously.

"I assure you I was."
"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" she asked in a small voice that made his heart hurt.

"No, my girl. Everyone going away to school for the first time is nervous. It's normal. Now come on, pick up Artemis' cadge and let's go before your mother works herself up even further and decides to keep you here."

She nodded, taking a deep breath before she stood, throwing her arms around his waist and squeezing him tight before picking up her owl cage and heading downstairs. Severus took a moment to get himself back under control. His first little girl was growing up and he wasn't ready for it any more than Hermione was. He wondered briefly if he could talk Hermione into another one, Lysander was six now, Helena four, seven years did not feel that long really now he thought about it and he wasn't ready to have none of his children in the house. Perhaps he should try and talk her into another two, that should give them at least thirteen years. That sounded far more reasonable.

"Severus!" he flinched slightly at the tone of his wife's voice. Perhaps the persuading her to add to the family could wait until their first born was safely on the train.

"Coming!"

"Jamie!" Lia's excited voice rang out across the platform as Harry Potter's miniature grinned at her before discussing all the mischief they could get up to once they were sorted in an excited monologue.

"Shall I remind you how many people will be watching you at school?" Ginny asked glaring pointedly at her son who deflated, muttering about how unfair it was his parents weren't staying at home.

The train whistle sounded giving the ten minute warning, both Hermione and Lia went pale.

"Let's get your trunk into a compartment and then you can come and say goodbye" he steered Lia towards the train, helping her stow her trunk in the first empty compartment before leading her back towards Hermione who was clearly trying not to cry.

Lia flung her arms around her mother, "I'm going to miss you."

Tightening her arms, Hermone whispered "You're not going to get the chance. I'll visit so often you'll be sick of the sight of me."
Lia gave a slightly watery giggle, "That's what Dad said."

Hermione pulled back, stroking her hand down either side of Lia's face, her own eyes suspiciously glassy, "Smart man, your dad. I love you so much, you're going to have a ball."

Lia smiled slightly before giving her another fierce hug, murmuring a soft, "I love you too" before moving to hug her siblings, promising to send them letters.

Severus snagged her just as the second whistle went, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you Daddy. I can come and see you, can't I?"

"I love you too, my girl. And anytime, now let's get you on that train before it leaves without you. I'll see you at the feast."

"Dad? What if I'm not a Slytherin?"
Severus snorted, letting out a long suffering sigh, "Lia, if you are in Slytherin I'll lose the bet."
"What bet!"

"Never you mind. You're too like your mother to be a snake, my girl. It doesn't matter what house you're in, all of them would be lucky to have you."

"Even Gryffindor?"

"Your mother is a Gryffindor," he replied blandly before grinning at her, "Turns out some of the best women are, although if you repeat that in front of your Aunt Min, I'll deny it."

Lia's shoulders dropped whatever tension she'd been holding.

"Lia come on! Let's go!" James Potter's excited voice rang out from the door of a carriage.

"Coming!" Lia turned to leave before pivoting and squeezing him tight then running to meet her friend.

Severus sat up at the high table surveying the room, he had barely refrained from rolling his eyes when Hermione had turned up for dinner. He didn't refrain when Minerva gave her an indulgent smile and called for another chair. Neville had laughed, pointing out that she'd set the precedent now and to expect Hannah in two years time for Jaspers sorting. Minerva had merely laughed.

A hush fell over the Head table as Flitwick led in the group of first years, Lia's eyes immediately sought him out, doing a slight double take before rolling her eyes at the sight of her mother.

Severus barely heard the sorting hats song, he registered somewhere that 'Potter, James', went to Gryffindor as expected but all in, it had been the longest sorting of his life. He felt Hermione grip his hand tightly as Filius called, 'Snape, Cordelia', Lia froze for a moment before squaring her shoulders in a manner so reminiscent of Hermione that he smiled. The hat seemed to take forever to decide before it screamed "Gryffindor!", and Lia scampered off to sit beside James.

"Don't worry, Lena is yours." Hermione muttered in his ear.

Severus snorted, unable to contradict her, his youngest daughter was almost guaranteed to be in his House. "And Zander?"

"Hmmmm undecided. Ravenclaw, maybe or Gryffindor." she grinned impishly, "I imagine Rupert's sorting might have some bearing on it and well…..Hannah was a Hufflepuff."

Severus groaned, "Perhaps we need another one, just in case."

Hermione snorted, "Stop it! I wouldn't cross a 'Puff! They're bloody terrifying." she paused looking at him intently, "Wait….you're serious about another one."

"I…well I was thinking. Seven years doesn't really seem long enough to prepare for an empty house but thirteen seems much more manageable," he replied, aware there was a definite note of pleading in his voice.

"Thirteen?"

"Well yes, we'd need to have another two, obviously, but thirteen years definitely sounds better than seven."

Hermione gaped at him slightly, Neville reached over Severus to push her jaw back up with what could only be described as a giggle.

"Two more children, Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Wonderful," Neville cut in, "Hannah's pregnant again so if you could get a move on with that it'd be much appreciated. Rupert's pregnancy was so much easier when she had Hermione to commiserate with rather than her expecting me to understand what was going on in her head."

Severus paused, about to berate the man when he remembered how challenging Lena's pregnancy had been compared to Zanders.

He nodded shortly, "Congratulations Longbottom, I agree."

Hermione hit him, "I don't!"
"Seven years, Witch and then an empty house." he looked meaningfully over to where Lia was chatting to her new housemates.

Hermione stilled. "Fine. One. I'm not agreeing to two until I see who this one takes after. I swear Zander is more George's child than ours."

"Which is ironic given that he is not the child named after him."

"To be fair love, Kings isn't exactly without mischief."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Indeed. We're naming the next one something reasonable"

Neville snorted, "I think Lysander Kingsley has a certain amount of gravitas."

"So does Kingsley." Severus replied wryly.

"Neville Snape has a lovely ring to it you know and fairs fair, Rupert is named after you."

"Neville snape!" Severus spluttered, his face showing his clear horror.

"Minerva is a strong name for a girl." Minerva cut in pointedly.

"Good Gods, we want the next child to be calm, not a bloody sword wielding, armour mobilising hellion!"

The entire Great Hall stilled as the staff table erupted into laughter, with a horrified Professor Snape staring at the Headmistress as if she'd sprouted horns.

Nine months later, Isabella Minerva Snape arrived, turning out to be every bit as fierce as her Aunt Min. Her twin, Eleanor Ginevra, succeeded in turning Severus' hair grey as she matched her sister's fierceness and combined it with a recklessness and thorough disregard for the rules that would have made Sirius Black look tame but just made her Uncle George, very, very proud..

Their brother Cassius Neville took them all by surprise three years later. At which point, even Severus was willing to admit that a child free, quiet house sounded lovely.

"Seven years," Hermione whispered, looking down at her youngest son curled into his covers with something akin to awe, a small smile on her face, possibly because after four years he had finally learned to sleep in his own bed.

"Seven years," Severus agreed, running a hand over his son's head as he pulled her close.

"I love you, you know? Even though you are responsible for us being hopelessly outnumbered by our children.

Severus snorted, kissing the top of her head "I love you too my witch. I wouldn't change any of it for all the gold in Gringotts. Even if we are hopelessly outnumbered"

"I can't wait until it's grandchildren we can hand back." Hermione grinned, ignoring Severus' horrified spluttering as she laughed into his chest.