The love of a child

Chapter twenty two - It started off normally enough!

A month past by in a flash, with two twins and a eleven month old baby, Harry had quit his teaching post finding that trying to mark papers and feed three children while Severus was teaching potions was a little too much for one person to handle. He was now what muggles called a stay at home dad or househusband.

Harry however didn't mind in the slightest however he thought it a good idea to wait to have another child until the twins were at least a year old making Bonnie about two. With the cold month of December came snow, it covered the ground and refused to move, Christmas cheer was already going around the staff and students as was a nasty flu bug which Harry had somehow managed to avoid as had the three little ones.

It was nearing a Hogsmead weekend, just the thought of a weekend was music to Harry's ears, the added bonus that the majority of the students would be out of the castle was just pure bliss. At the start Harry had been worried that he wouldn't be able to tell the different between the twins who were identical in every detail except for the eyes. Phoebe had chocolate brown where as Paige had emerald green.

Severus had been horrified to see vivid red hair beginning to show, Harry knew it had come from his mother but Severus had been all jealous for an entire month as he thought that one of the Weasly brothers until Harry quickly quelled this idea.

On Friday evening Severus had disappeared into his study, thankfully the twins were sleeping and Harry was playing with Bonnie who was almost walking now and was able to say simple words, he got the surprise of his life when Severus burst out grinning from ear to ear.

"And what are you so happy about?" Harry asked as he picked up his eldest daughter who had been waving her hands around in the air saying 'up, up.'

"I have just finished arranging our weekend break to visit our new home." Snape said happily. "The headmaster has just agreed, although it took some convincing."

"And how do you propose that we get there, we can't apperate with three kids or floo for that matter and I know you hate the knight bus so much you refuse to travel on it."

"That was the hard part, but we have a luxury carriage waiting for us in an hour to take us all the way there and back on the Sunday evening." He said this with such pride in having arranged everything single-handed. Harry however really didn't feel like going, it had been a busy week, all he wanted to do was curl up in front of the fire with his husband.

However not wanting to burst Sev's bubble he nodded. "Alright, if I get Bonnie ready will you get everything we need for the twins ok."

It was a massive job getting all three children ready for the weekend away but Severus was confident that it would be worth it. Finally the finishing touches had been made on the house and he was eager for Harry to see it. What the younger wizard also did not know was that Severus had applied for a job at the ministry of magic as a potion maker so that Snape Manor could be their permanent home.

Dumbledore was in the entrance hall ready to wave them off, he was looking a bit worse for wear, as if he were about to drop any second would have been a more accurate way to describe it. Harry hugged him while thanking him for the opportunity to take the children away from the castle. It was a little scary to think of all the things that could go wrong so harry pushed them to the back of his mind as he aided his husband he securing all of the children into their car seats.

Harry was a nervous wreck as they pulled out of the castle grounds, it felt as if they were on their own now, they no longer had the magic of the castle to protect them. Severus put his arm around Harry and held him close.

The road they had to take was a bumpy one, Bonnie did not much like it and Harry had to put her in his lap after a few minutes as she was about to cry and he didn't want the twins to awaken.

A storm started outside as they past through a small town, the wind was howling and thunder rumbled while lightening flashed. Ever since he was a child harry had been terrified of storms such as these and snuggled closer into Severus embrace, a sleeping Bonnie on his lap.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked sensing fear through the bond.

"When I was three my uncle locked me in the garden shed, there was a storm like this, ever since I couldn't stand being outside in storms, it doesn't feel safe."

"Well now my dearest Harry you have me to protect you, don't worry everything is going to be alright."

Just at that moment there was a blinding flash that could in no way have been caused by Mother Nature and the coach came to a halt in the middle of the road. Harry looked up at his husband in fear.

"Sev, what's going on?"

"I don't know, here put this under your jumper." Severus handed Harry a cushion. "It's charmed to absorb any spell, leave the twins here with Bonnie, here shield will protect them. Bonnie, danger."

Even though the child was sleeping her shield was put up surrounding her and her two sisters. Severus got out of the carriage first and then helped Harry down who looked as if he were pregnant again.

As Severus had expected deatheaters were pointing their wands at them. "the Dark Lord has ordered us to bring you to him Snape."

"I'm not leaving Harry." Severus said defiantly.

"We thought that you wouldn't. Avada Kedavera!" The spell was hot straight at Harry, the charmed cushion did its job but Harry fell to the ground to fake his own death. Severus played the aggrieved husband of course as he was taken away by some of the deatheaters. Before leaving they set the carriage alight, Harry dared not move until he had heard them apperate away.

Well, what can I say except review. I'm working on the next chapter, don't worry you won't have to wait that lond, it depends how evil I feel like being. xxx