LP HP: Second Dose- A Story in Twenty-Eight Snippets
by Tavalya Ra
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Rowling is a goddess; may she have mercy on my soul for writing this.
Author's Notes: Thank you to Mawkish for putting me up to the challenge of writing this and to everyone who read and commented upon the story in April- especially Skip, who never failed to make me laugh.
To Exwhyzed- yes, it is more amusing to make Snape the mother because it places him in an utterly absurd situation given his character. That fact, however, also makes a MPreg difficult to write without derailing into OOC-land. Hopefully, I can navigate my way through this story safely. To Alice- never fear, the gender will be revealed later. To Alla- agreed. I cannot stand slash stories in which Dumbledore thinks it's just wonderful that Severus is shagging a student- and I have encountered a few. To Achintya- thanks. I will. Thank you also to Vita brevis, miffi, and N Snape for reviewing.
If anyone wishes to archive this story on his or her site, please contact me at clearbluedelphia@yahoo.com.
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Story Note: This section occurs chronologically before the previous snippet. However, I felt it more appropriate to reveal these events to the reader afterwards. To say it succinctly, this is a flashback.
Snippet #3: Settled
After Severus fainted, Sirius immediately ran into the kitchen, grabbed the nastiest looking jar of disemboweled something-he-did-not-even-want-to-know, sprinted back to the living room, and held it under the Potions Master's sizeable nose. Severus awoke immediately.
"You know, an Enervate spell would have worked just as well!" he snapped as he sat up. With Sirius's aid, he rose to his feet.
"Are you alright?" Sirius asked.
"No," he groaned miserably. "I don't think I've ever been in a worse condition in my entire life."
Panic shot through Sirius's veins. "Oh my God. Severus, are you- you're not-" His mouth went dry. What had gone wrong? Had the transgendering potion poisoned Severus?
If that's what it is, I'll never forgive myself. Never-
"Stop being dramatic!" Severus barked. "I'm not going to die or anything nearly so glamorous."
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Severus- what am I supposed to think when you faint? What does pink mean?"
"Sit down," he ordered.
"Severus-"
"Sit!" he snapped.
Deciding it best not to argue, Sirius resumed his seat on the couch.
Severus looked at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but then, took a deep breath instead. His eyes darted around the room for about a minute; they were focused on the mantle when he finally spoke.
"Pink means I'm pregnant."
And with those words, the bottom fell out from under Sirius's world.
"Oh my God," he said. He did not feel happy or sad or afraid, only completely shocked. "Severus-"
"I need to be alone for awhile," Severus whispered.
With no further explanation, he turned and proceeded upstairs. Sirius heard the door to the bedroom open and softly click shut.
Sirius did not move. He stared down at his hands. At the floor. Knowing that no matter what happened or did not happen now, everything had changed.
Severus is pregnant. We're having a baby.
We're having a baby.
I'm a father.
Sirius wrapped his arms around himself as he felt warmth spread through his entire body.
I'm a father. We're having a baby. I'm a father.
He thought it would never happen. He had had such dreams for himself, dreams that had all been crushed by Azkaban. He was having a child with someone he loved, and it did not even matter that whom he loved was another man. It was happening anyway.
Except…
Severus?
What did Severus want? From everything he knew about the Potions Master, he could not believe it was a baby. If Severus did not want to keep it, what choice did Sirius have in the matter?
I don't know if I can live with that, he thought suddenly. I love him, but if he wants an abortion…
About an hour later, Severus emerged.
Sirius stood up and began to speak, "Severus, look. If you… Whatever you want to do-"
He held up his hand. "Shush," he replied softly. "Sirius…" He directed his eyes to the carpet. "Sirius, how do you feel about children?"
Honestly, he answered, "I've always wanted one." Or two. Or three. Maybe four…
Severus nodded. "Alright. Then it's settled."
"What's settled?" Sirius requested.
"This," Severus gestured towards his stomach, "is settled."
"You mean the baby?" he asked hopefully. "We're having a baby?"
"Yes."
Sirius looked at Severus's face. He saw no joy or even resolution there. His visage held anxiety mixed quite possibly with misery.
"Sev?" he called.
"Yes?" the Potions Master answered, refusing to look at him.
"You want this baby, then?" he asked directly. "Yes?"
"I said it's settled, Sirius."
"That doesn't answer my question-"
"I said," Severus snapped, then calmed his tone, "that it's settled."
Whatever was wrong, he refused to voice it. Sirius felt his stomach twist into a knot. There was an issue here that would have to be faced eventually- faced very soon- but tonight was not the time to force it.
