When he reached 8 months, Severus wondered if the baby was going through a growth spurt.
"You've never grown this fast before." He ran a hand over his very pronounced belly, seeing his increased girth in the mirror. It seemed he was expanding overnight, growing heavier by the day. He critically eyed the stretch marks running across his sides. There was nothing for it now; not even magic would make those disappear.
Pomfrey noticed his increased size as well when she examined him.
"They seem to be shooting up lately." She patted his belly after measuring his height.
"Really, I hadn't noticed."
"Babies gain most of their weight in the 3rd trimester, so it's not so surprising, but you're measuring ahead. I would say they're about 7 pounds now, and probably bigger by the time they're born."
"Is that bad?"
"No, but it may mean more discomfort in the meantime. So long as they don't jump to, say, 10 lbs, you'll be fine. And even if they did, we'd make it work. Since they are part werewolf, however, it may very well be normal for them to come out large. It's unfamiliar territory."
Severus sighed, gazing at the large bump in front of him. He was already uncomfortable, and he had 2 more months before he reached 40 weeks, unless he went into labor first.
"But they're alright?" he asked.
"Yes, they're just fine. You're both doing well. Now, about the full moon…"
Ah yes, the erumpent in the room. "I will be here the evening before."
"Good. I was trying to think if there's anything we could do to ease the baby's discomfort, and yours by extension. I thought about a diluted version of wolfsbane, but…"
Severus was already shaking his head. "It contains aconite, harmful in any dose. It doesn't work without it."
"Right. Everything I've thought of might cause more harm than good. Even a mild sedative might prove too much."
"Why?"
"Because babies are fragile, Severus, especially before they're born. I'll keep looking, but for now I'm afraid we just have to let them thrash it out."
He looked to his belly again. She saw his concerned expression.
"We'll do all we can to keep them safe, Severus. I promise."
The day of the full moon, Lupin spoke to Severus before they went to their separate accommodations for the night.
"Good luck to you both," said Lupin. "I hope it's not too rough on you."
"That remains to be seen."
"You're worried, aren't you."
It wasn't a question. He saw Severus' hand pressed against his stomach.
"Each month, it gets worse."
"I'm sorry, Severus."
"... Is there anything that helps calm you, during the process?" He wouldn't have cared two straws, not for Lupin's sake, but for the sake of his child he needed to know.
"You might think this silly, but a little lavender helped, back in the day. Lily would pick it for me. Course, after she was gone…" Both men drifted in memories for a minute before Lupin went on. "But mostly, having my friends there helped. So I didn't feel alone."
Severus scoffed. "How terribly soppy."
"Yes, I figured you'd think so." Lupin smiled. "See you after, then."
"Hmph."
Severus wasn't even sure why he was doing it, but he found himself waddling outside to pick some wild lavender. Of course, the tricky part was how to reach the plants on the ground without falling over. He slowly managed an awkward, wide squat he knew must look hysterically undignified, but he was finding out there really wasn't anything dignified about pregnancy to begin with. After plenty of huffs and puffs and a few close calls of losing his balance, he gradually staggered up to his full height again and rubbed his back with a groan, a bunch of fresh lavender in hand.
"The things I do for you, child." But he was tenderly stroking his stomach as he waddled back, feeling the baby move and kick as they should.
After dinner he went to the infirmary and Pomfrey led him into the private room. He conjured a little vase for the lavender, ignoring Pomfrey's look as he arranged the stalks.
"Lupin said it helped."
"I didn't say anything."
He took an experimental sniff - it was a bit soothing - then removed the glamor and prepared to go to bed, hoping to get some rest before the moon rose. He fell asleep holding his belly.
Hours later he was jolted awake as the baby started thrashing. He grit his teeth, seething at the discomfort of a little body fighting inside him.
"Poppy!"
She was already there, setting up monitoring spells. "Does it feel worse, Severus?"
"Yes! Ouch!" He leaned over and made himself take deep breaths to inhale the scent of the lavender, gripping the bed and wincing at the strong kicks of his cub.
Pomfrey watched the image of the cub as it slowed down a little, though still wrestling with itself. "I think it's making a difference, Severus. Try to keep yourself calm."
He could feel the effects for himself and kept inhaling the plant slowly and deeply, willing his heart rate not to spike and worry his cub. They kept up their kicking and poking and twisting all night, but it was less frantic.
When the moon set, the kicking stopped. They watched as the cub in his womb morphed into human form and went to sleep. Pomfrey double checked their vitals.
"They're alright for now. The lavender helped somewhat, but not as much as I'd hoped. It still took a lot out of them. We may need to discuss inducing labor."
"What? Why?" Severus was rubbing his sore belly.
"Even with the lavender, if it gets more intense each month, it could become more than they can handle. If they go into distress, an immediate delivery is the only option, so it might be better to deliver the usual way before the full moon, before you're officially due."
Severus had been keeping track, and knew there was a full moon just before he hit 40 weeks. Ordinarily he would be waiting it out by then for labor to happen on its own, but it might not be feasible in this case.
"When you say immediate delivery, rather than the usual way…?"
"I mean having to cut you open, instead of you laboring and pushing like normal."
Severus gulped. Even labor sounded better than being sliced open. "Would delivering early hurt them, with less time to develop?"
"Ordinarily, I would agree that they should have all the time in there that they need, but these are special circumstances. Delivering right before your due date shouldn't harm them; babies born much earlier can still do fine. I just don't want to risk them getting so overwrought that they hurt themselves beyond repair."
A chill went up Severus' spine as her meaning sank in. He would much rather deliver a bit early than risk losing his baby. "Alright. How does it work?"
"The right potion will get labor started. I'm sure you can handle that part. I'll give you the recipe."
He felt a little more confident. He could brew the perfect potion, no problem.
"We'll play it by ear, depending on how it goes next month, but let's be prepared for all circumstances, so have it ready by then."
"Very well."
Lupin came to Severus' room that day, as both of them were recovering from the previous night. He pulled a chair up to the bed and weakly sat down, spotting the lavender still in the vase. "I see you tried my suggestion. How did it go?"
Severus was reclined with his arm over his belly, where the baby would be sleeping all day. "It had a mild effect over what would have been a worse fit than last month. Poppy is discussing inducing labor before my due date."
"Is that bad?" Lupin asked, genuinely unaware.
"It's not ideal, but preferable to the alternative. She said if this pattern continues… it may become too much for them."
Lupin's face fell. "I'm sorry, Severus. That's a frightening situation."
Severus wasn't in the mood for his pity. "I've been in frightening situations before. I will manage, and I will ensure that we both come out of this alive."
"I'm sure you will." Lupin didn't ask him to elaborate on his previous frightening experiences, assuming he meant the baby's conception. "I don't suppose there's anything you need me to do?"
"None whatsoever, besides taking your wolfsbane so this never happens again."
"Of course. I'll be more diligent from now on."
"You had better, or else."
Lupin didn't need to ask what Or Else meant.
Severus stood over his cauldron, stirring the required number of times, clockwise. The potion for inducing labor was almost ready. He had done his research on how it worked, how it would trigger contractions and cause his body to initiate the labor process. From there, he should be able to give birth the usual way. Naturally, he had taken one look at the recipe from Poppy and made some necessary alterations that would increase its effectiveness and safety.
There was a sudden kick, and he smiled. The increasing strength of the kicks was an uncomfortable yet welcome assurance that the baby was alive and well. He dreaded the day after full moons just as much as the night of, when he wouldn't feel anything all day; he always worried that this time the baby wouldn't bounce back. But they were proving to be hearty and resilient, and Severus knew they got that from him. They were both survivors, able to withstand whatever was thrown at them.
He added the last ingredient, stirred it in, and set the brew to simmer. In 6 hours, it would be ready.
"Now then. Let's see to your things." He left his lab and tried not to waddle as he went down the dungeon corridors towards the stairs. There was still a bit of shopping left to do.
He came across a few Slytherin students whispering to each other.
"For the past few months, they've missed classes on the same day! You really think it's a coincidence?"
"It's gotta be - There can't be anything between them."
"Maybe it's some teacher thing."
"But then all of them would be out and we'd have a free day!"
"Sometimes I see them talking to each other, all quiet. Like they're up to something."
"No way. You think?"
"I doubt it."
They flinched at the low drawl behind them, and whirled around to see their head of house with a scowl and his arms folded.
"Classes are over. Get to your common room before I take points. And I had better not hear you gossiping about the faculty again. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir."
They hurried off to the Slytherin dorms. Severus watched them go before he resumed walking, worried about his reputation. If people were noticing that he and Lupin were out of commission on the same days, it was inevitable that they would start theorizing as to why, and come up with all the wrong ideas. It wasn't desirable, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Not until the child was born and… he would still be out the same day, taking care of his exhausted baby and recovering from the birth. He sighed in frustration, unsure there was any way he could squash the rumors.
He reached the stairs and groaned with dread. He hated this part. Slowly, he lumbered his way up, knowing he would be exhausted by the time he reached the top, nevermind when he reached Hogsmeade.
A couple hours later back in his quarters, he removed the glamor, letting himself waddle and rub his back as much as he needed. A nap was needed, but there was still more to do. In his room, he set down his new purchases and glanced over the baby things he'd bought the previous weekend and hadn't done anything with yet. Only the basics - some nappies, bottles, clothes, blankets, a crib. It should be sufficient supplies for a newborn; if he needed anything else along the way, he'd get it then. For now he only needed the essentials on hand in case he did have to deliver early.
Of course, he wasn't sure what else one might need for a werewolf baby.
"Perhaps a dog collar with a little name tag for you to wear on full moons, in case you get out?"
He got a sharp kick in response.
"Oof! Bad joke, you are right. Let's start with the crib."
Severus spent the evening setting up the crib and deciding where to place it. It made him feel a bit more prepared, like he might actually be ready to have his baby soon. Physically he felt ready - despite his worries about the baby getting enough time to develop properly, he was tired and uncomfortable carrying around a child who was steadily growing heavier and stronger.
"Not that being strong is a bad thing." He patted his belly. "You're going to need it."
They would both need strength in the task ahead of them, and the years after. Severus wondered again if he had what it took. Despite knowing for most of his life that he was a bearer, he had never seriously thought he would be able to have a child. Not when everyone seemed to find him so disgusting (and him being disgusted with everyone). This pregnancy had taken him by surprise in so many ways, yet he was more determined than ever to make it work. Raising a lycanthrope would be challenging, to say the least, but Severus was not one to shy away from challenges simply because they were difficult. To have someone of his own, someone to love and protect, he would do whatever it took.