The rest of May passed quickly, as did the majority of June. Hermione was
finally free of school, having finished with honors - if not at the top of
her class. Her book had a solid three chapters completed already and the
outline seemed to change and improve daily. Her marriage was finally the
happy one she had dreamed of, only marred by an occasional nightmare or
spat. The squid had gotten used to their regular visits to his lake as of
late. Hermione had been shocked and Severus thrilled to discover her desire
and libido only increased as she neared her delivery date. Life was turmoil
free and happy - if a bit wet.
But she was weighted down. It wasn't just the baby, who was near term and causing every part of her body to ache. It was also the new knowledge of the circumstances of her disappearance. It was hard to accept. So, in typical Hermione fashion, she threw herself into research of time traveling spells and charms. Thus far, she hadn't managed to find a powerful enough spell to send anyone that far back in time, nor had she found a spell that could be so time specific as to send her to an exact moment in time. She just had to find it, she just had to. In an unspoken agreement, she and Albus had decided not to tell Snape about her discovery. Perhaps someday, he would be ready to hear it. Perhaps someday she would be ready to tell him. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it would have to always be her little secret.
She was sitting in Snape's office one afternoon in late June when their quiet new world of books, long walks around the lake and soft talks at midnight was shattered forever.
Faith gave a mighty kick. And her water broke.
She had been uncomfortable all day, but since her due date was still three weeks away, she hadn't considered she might be in labor. Apparently, she was, she thought wryly. She was suddenly hit by a violent fit of shaking, which drew her husband's attention. He stood abruptly and rushed to her side, appalled at the shuddering and looking at the rapidly seeping fluid on her robes and his chair in horror.
"Hermione! What is it? Are you all right?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.
She couldn't answer for a moment, but as the shaking subsided, she gave him a beatific smile. "I'm fine, Severus. Never better. But I think our little girl wants to meet us today, so I think we should head for the Hospital Wing."
Snape grinned and pulled her into his arms for a tight hug and a long, passionate kiss. Breaking the kiss after a contraction hit her and she began to pant a bit, he looked into her eyes reassuringly.
"I'll be there the whole time, Hermione. I promise, you will be all right and get through this. Gods, I had no idea how excited I would be," he was grinning like an idiot, he knew, but he couldn't help it. "I can't believe I am going to be a father, finally. Thank you, Angel."
"Thank me when it's over," said Hermione, grinning up at him as they slowly made their way to the Hospital Wing. "If you still have your manhood intact, then you can thank me."
"I love you, Hermione," he said.
"I love you, too, Severus," she replied, stopping as a contraction hit her and she needed to lean upon him for support. "Whew, I can't believe how quickly I just went from 'backache' to 'serious pain.' It doesn't get that much worse, does it?"
Snape just smiled reassuringly and kissed her forehead. He put his arm around her waist and gently guided her to the Hospital Wing. There, she was ensconced in a bed and fed ice chips while Snape wiped her forehead with a damp cloth as she labored for what seemed like days on end.
Around midnight, Snape left Hermione's side briefly to down a cup of coffee and a sandwich -- and to plead with Madam Pomfrey.
"Please, Poppy, isn't there anything you can do? She's in so much pain. I can't stand to see her like this," he begged. "Please tell me you can do something for her."
Pomfrey chuckled at his distress. "Severus, you know she didn't want to have any potions or Muggle painkillers during delivery and labor. Charms aren't effective and most spells aren't safe. It shouldn't be much longer, she'll be fine, I promise. As soon as she has that baby in her arms, she'll forget she was ever in pain."
He didn't look convinced.
"I was prepared for her to threaten to castrate me and fully prepared for her to swear we'd never have sex again," he whined. "But she's so quiet, she just grits her teeth and --- she doesn't seem to want my help much. She just wants me to hold her hand, I think."
"Sounds like a stoic and brave spy I used to treat for a myriad of injuries in this very room," she said, smiling. "Go, hold your wife's hand and tell her how much you love her. It won't be long before your daughter is here."
"SEVERUS!" came the cry from Hermione's bed. Snape bolted for his wife and took her hand, muttering what comforts he could and feeling stupid and helpless.
Not much time had passed before Hermione was ready to push. Snape remembered a cousin that had spoken of pushing for two hours before becoming so exhausted that she had to have a Caesarian section. Magical or Muggle, that surgery wasn't something he wanted Hermione to have to go through. He shuddered and sent a silent prayer up to whatever deity might be listening, that Faith would make her debut quickly.
She did. Hermione was fortunate and after only 15 minutes of hard pushing, she let out a great scream and Faith entered their world. She fell back onto the pillows of her bed as Poppy checked the baby quickly. Scant seconds later, squirming, red and angrily crying - Faith was laid on her mother's stomach. Poppy moved to the side of the bed and handed Snape a surigical wand. He cut the cord, shaking, and then reached down to touch Faith's tiny hand. Her fingers immediately curled around his index finger in a tight grip.
And Severus Snape was immediately enchanted.
He took a deep breath and looked back at Hermione through tear filled eyes. She was beaming back at him as Poppy assisted her with bringing Faith to her breast for her first feeding. Vaguely, Snape remembered reading in one of their many childbirth books that nursing right after the baby was born promoted a stronger bond between the mother and child. However, looking at his newborn daughter, he couldn't imagine a bond stronger than the one he was currently feeling and attempting to comprehend.
"She's so perfect," whispered Hermione to the mediwitch. "Everything is perfect, right?"
The mediwitch smiled reassuringly at the two new parents and Snape realized a small part of him had been anxiously awaiting that pronouncement. He thought his heart would burst, then, as he saw Faith's tiny rosebud lips seek out and awkwardly clamp down on Hermione's nipple. Hermione winced slightly, but then she turned to give him yet another beaming smile. She held her hand out for him once more and he took it, squeezing.
"Hermione, I don't know what to say," he said, awe filling his voice. "I never thought I deserved to be this happy - and I certainly never thought I would ever feel this way. Thank you. She's so beautiful."
"I love you," she said.
"And I love the two of you so much," he whispered as he lowered his lips to Hermione's and captured them in a passionate and demanding kiss. "Thank you so much for giving me Faith."
But she was weighted down. It wasn't just the baby, who was near term and causing every part of her body to ache. It was also the new knowledge of the circumstances of her disappearance. It was hard to accept. So, in typical Hermione fashion, she threw herself into research of time traveling spells and charms. Thus far, she hadn't managed to find a powerful enough spell to send anyone that far back in time, nor had she found a spell that could be so time specific as to send her to an exact moment in time. She just had to find it, she just had to. In an unspoken agreement, she and Albus had decided not to tell Snape about her discovery. Perhaps someday, he would be ready to hear it. Perhaps someday she would be ready to tell him. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it would have to always be her little secret.
She was sitting in Snape's office one afternoon in late June when their quiet new world of books, long walks around the lake and soft talks at midnight was shattered forever.
Faith gave a mighty kick. And her water broke.
She had been uncomfortable all day, but since her due date was still three weeks away, she hadn't considered she might be in labor. Apparently, she was, she thought wryly. She was suddenly hit by a violent fit of shaking, which drew her husband's attention. He stood abruptly and rushed to her side, appalled at the shuddering and looking at the rapidly seeping fluid on her robes and his chair in horror.
"Hermione! What is it? Are you all right?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.
She couldn't answer for a moment, but as the shaking subsided, she gave him a beatific smile. "I'm fine, Severus. Never better. But I think our little girl wants to meet us today, so I think we should head for the Hospital Wing."
Snape grinned and pulled her into his arms for a tight hug and a long, passionate kiss. Breaking the kiss after a contraction hit her and she began to pant a bit, he looked into her eyes reassuringly.
"I'll be there the whole time, Hermione. I promise, you will be all right and get through this. Gods, I had no idea how excited I would be," he was grinning like an idiot, he knew, but he couldn't help it. "I can't believe I am going to be a father, finally. Thank you, Angel."
"Thank me when it's over," said Hermione, grinning up at him as they slowly made their way to the Hospital Wing. "If you still have your manhood intact, then you can thank me."
"I love you, Hermione," he said.
"I love you, too, Severus," she replied, stopping as a contraction hit her and she needed to lean upon him for support. "Whew, I can't believe how quickly I just went from 'backache' to 'serious pain.' It doesn't get that much worse, does it?"
Snape just smiled reassuringly and kissed her forehead. He put his arm around her waist and gently guided her to the Hospital Wing. There, she was ensconced in a bed and fed ice chips while Snape wiped her forehead with a damp cloth as she labored for what seemed like days on end.
Around midnight, Snape left Hermione's side briefly to down a cup of coffee and a sandwich -- and to plead with Madam Pomfrey.
"Please, Poppy, isn't there anything you can do? She's in so much pain. I can't stand to see her like this," he begged. "Please tell me you can do something for her."
Pomfrey chuckled at his distress. "Severus, you know she didn't want to have any potions or Muggle painkillers during delivery and labor. Charms aren't effective and most spells aren't safe. It shouldn't be much longer, she'll be fine, I promise. As soon as she has that baby in her arms, she'll forget she was ever in pain."
He didn't look convinced.
"I was prepared for her to threaten to castrate me and fully prepared for her to swear we'd never have sex again," he whined. "But she's so quiet, she just grits her teeth and --- she doesn't seem to want my help much. She just wants me to hold her hand, I think."
"Sounds like a stoic and brave spy I used to treat for a myriad of injuries in this very room," she said, smiling. "Go, hold your wife's hand and tell her how much you love her. It won't be long before your daughter is here."
"SEVERUS!" came the cry from Hermione's bed. Snape bolted for his wife and took her hand, muttering what comforts he could and feeling stupid and helpless.
Not much time had passed before Hermione was ready to push. Snape remembered a cousin that had spoken of pushing for two hours before becoming so exhausted that she had to have a Caesarian section. Magical or Muggle, that surgery wasn't something he wanted Hermione to have to go through. He shuddered and sent a silent prayer up to whatever deity might be listening, that Faith would make her debut quickly.
She did. Hermione was fortunate and after only 15 minutes of hard pushing, she let out a great scream and Faith entered their world. She fell back onto the pillows of her bed as Poppy checked the baby quickly. Scant seconds later, squirming, red and angrily crying - Faith was laid on her mother's stomach. Poppy moved to the side of the bed and handed Snape a surigical wand. He cut the cord, shaking, and then reached down to touch Faith's tiny hand. Her fingers immediately curled around his index finger in a tight grip.
And Severus Snape was immediately enchanted.
He took a deep breath and looked back at Hermione through tear filled eyes. She was beaming back at him as Poppy assisted her with bringing Faith to her breast for her first feeding. Vaguely, Snape remembered reading in one of their many childbirth books that nursing right after the baby was born promoted a stronger bond between the mother and child. However, looking at his newborn daughter, he couldn't imagine a bond stronger than the one he was currently feeling and attempting to comprehend.
"She's so perfect," whispered Hermione to the mediwitch. "Everything is perfect, right?"
The mediwitch smiled reassuringly at the two new parents and Snape realized a small part of him had been anxiously awaiting that pronouncement. He thought his heart would burst, then, as he saw Faith's tiny rosebud lips seek out and awkwardly clamp down on Hermione's nipple. Hermione winced slightly, but then she turned to give him yet another beaming smile. She held her hand out for him once more and he took it, squeezing.
"Hermione, I don't know what to say," he said, awe filling his voice. "I never thought I deserved to be this happy - and I certainly never thought I would ever feel this way. Thank you. She's so beautiful."
"I love you," she said.
"And I love the two of you so much," he whispered as he lowered his lips to Hermione's and captured them in a passionate and demanding kiss. "Thank you so much for giving me Faith."