Fanfiction based in the world of Harry Potter, created by JKR. Her characters are hers. Original characters are mine. No pecuniary rewards. Please see first chapter for full disclaimers and description.

Thank you to my Betas, Elaine and JL. Any remaining errors are my own.

Chapter 57: Sabbatical and Homecoming

The honeymoon was glorious, but like all good things had to eventually come to an end. They returned to Hogwarts on the Saturday before the end of the Easter holiday and unpacked quickly. Rowena noticed her things from Grimmauld Place had now been brought here to Severus' quarters, making his shelves more crowded than ever, as well as necessitating an additional wardrobe and dresser to be placed in his bedroom for her clothing. He said nothing about the changes—though his raised brow when he caught sight of something new spoke volumes.

The house elves had out-done themselves, painting the 'spare' room for Katrina in a soft blue and then decorating the walls with a mural of flowering vines and trees, complete with enchanted painted butterflies which flitted from flower to flower. The dresser, wardrobe, and shelves were all painted white, with a matching pattern of flowers. The shelves were already half-full of toys, books and puzzles as the elves had clearly moved many of her belongings already.

"Henry is the artist," Severus said dryly when he opened the room to inspect it. "He tends to be a bit over-emotional, but he is quite creative. He was the one who helped with the garden when I lived with my mother."

"He's my favorite," she said. "Antoine is too bossy and Joseph is so serious. But Henry, he's sweet. I like him the best."

"You would," he said with fond annoyance. "Come, wife, let us go and retrieve our daughter."

"Mummy! Daddy! You're home! You're home!" The blonde ball of bouncing energy nearly knocked them flat as she raced up the hall to tackle them with her exuberance.

Severus picked her up first and hugged her, turning slightly so that his face was to the wall. The powerful emotion she felt through their Bond, even as he kept it mostly sealed from her, matched her own joy which was so overwhelming as to be painful. To hear her call them 'Mummy' and 'Daddy' and know that it was true at last brought her almost to tears of happiness again. She knew Severus would not want to be seen by Remus or Tonks as being overwhelmed with emotion of any sort and so she set off down the corridor to intercept them if they should be following behind their niece.

"I figured it must be you two," Remus said looking up from his book as Rowena poked her head into the drawing room. "Katrina's been bouncing on her toes all day waiting for you to get home."

He set his book down and came to greet her, hugging her warmly.

"Thank you, Remus," she said in a voice thick again with tears. "Thank you so much."

"Enough, honestly. You're welcome, say no more of it, okay?" he said tenderly. "How was your trip?"

"Wotcher, Rowena. Look what I found loitering in our entryway, love," said Tonks as she entered the room with Severus and Katrina close behind. "We've got her things all packed, though your house-elves moved a lot of if while you were gone. We've left a few things here for her to play with when she visits. She's always welcome for a sleep-over with Auntie Tonks and Uncle Remus any time, right poppet?"

Tonks pulled gently on a wild blonde curl and then released it so that it sprang back and Katrina giggled and nodded.

"The trip was lovely, of course, but it's wonderful to be home," Rowena said, beaming at her husband and daughter as she answered her brother's question.

"My wife tells me that I have you to thank for one of her wedding gifts?" Severus said, raising an amused brow at Tonks, who hooted with laughter.

"That's right—I said to tell you, if you liked it, you owed me one."

"Severus!" Rowena cried, blushing crimson as Remus laughed as well—clearly his wife had let him in on the 'joke'.

"Acceptable," he said, ignoring Rowena and her brother. "I 'owe' you, then."

He smirked haughtily at the Lupins as he took Rowena by the arm and left.

The final term of the year was the most pleasant Severus could ever recall spending in the school either as student or teacher. Granted, nothing could alter the fact the vast majority of his students were absolute dunderheads, nor could anything remove the tedious task of grading countless student papers and exams written by said dunderheads. There were still miscreants lurking in corridors past curfew or sneaking into the restricted section of the library or even trying to slip into the Forbidden Forest.

However, he was free. He no longer had to worry about his next summons, his next 'orders' from Voldemort. The war was over. He had a wife and daughter who seemed to go out of their way to make his life more pleasant whenever possible—even when that meant leaving him entirely alone.

"Severus, I've told Katrina she's not to come into your lab unless it's an absolute emergency," Rowena said to him one night after Katrina was in bed, two weeks after classes had resumed. He set down the papers he was grading irritably, chaffing at the interruption.

"What?" he snapped.

The honeymoon had been bliss, a slice of heaven he had never thought to have or deserve. The first few days back at the castle had been pleasant, if disconcerting. He was finding the transition from reclusive bachelor to husband and father complicated and arduous.

Katrina was a very early riser and often woke in the wee hours of the night. She thought nothing of bounding into their room, regardless of the hour, as though to check that they were really there and asking every morning, "You're my mummy and daddy forever now, right?" –apparently needing the reassurance that this was not another 'temporary' arrangement.

She and Rowena spent a great deal of time in the library pouring over books and maps as they talked about the places they would go over the course of the next year. Often they would stop by his office or lab if they knew he had a free period, bringing tea or biscuits or yet another crayon drawing, 'just for you, daddy', so he was starting to feel very short-tempered and jumpy, without realizing why.

This was what he wanted; why did it make him so irritable?

It was his beloved wife, who seemed even now to understand him better than he understood himself, who provided the answer.

"Well, you're a very private person. You've been almost entirely alone most of your life. I can tell you're getting short tempered with us and I realized we haven't been allowing you any time to yourself.

"Katrina and I have talked about it, so I don't want you to be upset or worry that she's upset. I've told her we have a new rule—we don't go into your lab at all and if you want to be alone here in our rooms, or wherever we end up staying next year as we travel around, then a closed door is off-limits except in an emergency.

"I even carefully defined what counted as an emergency," she added with a cheeky grin.

He snorted, "I am certain she can grasp the concept with more ease than many of my students."

"Maybe, but she did ask me if Joseph's fresh-baked chocolate-chip biscuits counted as an emergency."

"No," he said, smirking now with amusement, "However, his lemon tarts do if they are still warm."

She laughed. "Okay then, duly noted."

She picked up her book and bent to kiss him chastely on the cheek before turning to go into their bedroom to read. When the door was shut, he sent her a strong sense of gratitude and affection through their bond and resumed his marking in solitude.

None of which had any effect whatsoever on the severity of his expectations for his students.

The rumor mill at Hogwarts churned inexorably onward, always providing the 'newest' information with varying degrees of accuracy. By spending so much time in the Library, Rowena and Katrina were often 'in the know'.

The Burrow was being rebuilt with funds provided by the Ministry out of war compensation fines they had extracted from the Lestranges, the Malfoys, the Parkinsons, and a number of other convicted and incarcerated Death Eaters. This was of course true of many of the Wizarding families who had suffered property damage during the war. The Ministry did seem to be putting forth concerted effort to ensure that victims were compensated as much as possible.

Albus' protection, whatever he had done to the castle, seemed to still be going strong, though no one could guess how long it would last. The students who had been injured in the battle—or even who acquired injuries by other means—healed faster and more thoroughly under Poppy's care than ever before. She went the entire spring flu season without once asking Severus for another batch of Pepper-Up potion.

This seemed to be magnified for Severus and Rowena. Severus noticed since the wedding that his chronic aches, which he had used to tease Rowena on their honeymoon but were nonetheless real—were gone. He wondered if the Phoenix tear which was part of Albus' last 'goodbye' had somehow served to increase the effect of—whatever it was about the castle which made the inhabitants within it heal faster.

Regardless of the cause, the result was the thin white lines of Rowena's scars, which had caused him so much remorse, had completely vanished since their honeymoon. His scars were fading as well, even the deep, angry scar on his back from the fire and the small puckered scar on his forearm which was all that remained of his Dark Mark—both all but gone by the end of term.

There was much more chatter and talk than usual at the meal tables during the last weeks of term, even in spite of the exams. Everyone received their traditional Hogwarts autograph book concealed inside a stuffed animal of their House emblem and passed these about among their friends, getting names and making promises to 'keep in touch'.

It was odd to be leaving the castle. Severus would not permit anyone but himself or Antoine to pack his own belongings. Minerva insisted she would not give his quarters to anyone else while he was away. But, as he would not be returning to live there regardless of what decision he made at the end of the year, he was determined to remove everything now. He did leave his lab as it was—there was too much to move and no place yet to move it to. He moved Albus' portraits to the door to his lab rather than his barren quarters on the day they departed.

Most of the things which would not be needed in their travels were carefully packed into heavily charmed and warded chests, precisely labeled and stored in the barn on their property. Already the debris from the former building had been removed and a skeletal framework of the ground floor was erected and partially covered with walls and windows.

Joseph would travel with them, while Henry and Antoine would return to the homestead to oversee the building process.

On the last day of term, after the last student was seen off and good-byes were said to the seventh-year students who would not be returning, the Snape family climbed into their carriage and set off.

They started their adventure by leaving England behind altogether as they traveled at a leisurely pace around Germany. Severus and Katrina were greatly amused, often to the point of laughter, at Rowena's attempt to speak the language.

They did it all, wherever they went. Splashed in the ocean, visited major tourist attractions and sleepy little villages, Muggle and Wizarding alike. They routinely sent home souvenirs and occasionally Portkeyed home to leave Katrina with Becky and John for a weekend while Severus and Rowena had some time on their own. He even routinely took her dancing on these occasions if she asked—for no other reason than she wanted to go.

He was pleased enough with her collection of lingerie he made a point to buy her something new to add to it in every country they visited; Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, so many it soon became a blur.

Sometimes Severus would stop into an Apothecary and begin a conversation with the proprietor. On these occasions, Rowena was forced to concede perhaps Caitlin Garvey had had a point—they were invariably rude and condescending until Severus' intelligence and snark made it clear they were not dealing with a dunderhead. As soon as it was obvious the conversation would be a lengthy one, Rowena would discreetly disappear with Katrina to go sightseeing or shopping. They would return hours later to find him still conversing with the individual, often with a 'closed' sign on the door, in some semblance of professional camaraderie.

Five months into their travels found them in America at last, though it was November, so he started them in South America to avoid anything approaching winter. He even swam in the ocean in Cancun, though it was mostly to prevent Katrina from being washed away in the undertow—there was no way they'd keep her OUT of the water.

So close to Texas, it was obligatory they visit the 'cowboys' and indeed, Dylan was expecting them.

The ranch was beautiful; the house on it enormous and well kept. They would be staying at the ranch house itself, which for Rowena was a pleasant change from the constant hotels. The traveling was exciting, but she found herself becoming fatigued with it and longed for the stability of home.

"Well, here yah are, it's right grand to see yah again," Dylan said, greeting them warmly. Katrina beamed at him, wearing the huge hat he had given her when he left Hogwarts. Only the fact that Rowena put her hair into two fluffy ponytails prevented the thing from falling down to her chin, but Dylan was delighted.

When rooms had been arranged and baggage distributed, Rowena and Dylan found time to visit while Severus put Katrina down for her nap.

"I never had time to ask you while you were at Hogwarts—what happened? Obviously Josh didn't marry the girl?"

"Nope. But don' yah go thinkin' that Josh ain't an honorable man, now, 'cause he is. Fact o'the matter is the gal up and run off with his younger brother, day b'fore the weddin'."

"NO!" Rowena said, aghast.

"Yup. 'S'alright, though. His family's happy 'cause the two ranches are connected now. They split the place right in half, gave Josh the half that borders mine and gave his brother the half that borders hers," Dylan said, beaming.

"Oh, but wasn't he angry?" Rowena asked. Dylan shrugged.

"More over the thought o'splittin' up the ranch, right? He loved that place and his brother's none too good with managin' stuff. Always callin' over here for advice."

"But you're happy," Rowena said, smiling.

"Right' yah are there," he answered, beaming. "Josh is, too. He never fancied the gal anyway."

Josh entered from the rear door of the house then, taking off muddy boots and washing his hands at a sink by the door. Severus came down the stairs from Katrina's room at the same time.

"Howdy," said Josh with a tip of his head and a polite smile. "Made the trip all right, then?"

"Little Katrina's all tuckered out," Dylan said, grinning. "Sev… erus' just put her t'bed for a nap. We'll have ta wait 'til later to take them 'round the place."

He turned to Rowena.

"We figured it'd be fun ta saddle up some horses and take y'all 'round the ranch. We got a real tame old mare for Katrina to ride. Early mornin's best for that anyways—b'fore it gets too hot."

"That sounds fun, Dylan. I feel like all this traveling has tired me out, too. I think I might just go join Katrina for that nap," she glanced apologetically at Severus, hating to leave him alone with two people whose company he was unlikely to enjoy, but he was surprisingly solicitous of her.

"Aw, honey, you do look a bit like a wiltin' rose," said Dylan as Severus took her arm to take her upstairs. "Yah go on up an' have a nap and we'll let yah know when supper's on. Josh is a right fine chef, I can tell yah.

"Severus, if yah get bored, I took the liberty of stoppin' in the apothecary in town and picked up some of our Potions journals from over here. Didn't know if ours would be any differ'nt from yers there across the pond, but yah're welcome to have a look-see."

Severus paused on the bottom step, a bit taken aback by this hospitality—he had been used to considering the cowboy a barbarian.

"Thank you, Howard. I might do that when I am certain my wife is comfortable," he said before guiding her up the stairs.

Her fatigue lingered for the rest of the visit with Dylan and Josh. She did her best to conceal it so as not to spoil Katrina's fun or to leave Severus to the dubious enjoyment of their company without her. Unfortunately, by the end of the week, she was decidedly headachy and moody as a result of the fatigue. When they were packing to leave and discussing their next destination, she asked to go home, at least for a little while.

"I hate to be a drag, Severus, but I think all this travel is getting to me. I wondered if we couldn't just go home for a bit. There's plenty of room at Grimmauld place if our house isn't done enough, or we could stay with my parents," she said.

"We will go home," he said decisively. "I've had word from Antoine. The main portions of the house are essentially complete. You will want to assist with the decisions for the things yet to be done at any rate—draperies, paint, carpet and the like. If we wish to resume our travels, we can do so at any time.

"Besides," he added, casting her a sly glance, "I have not yet given you your wedding present, which is there."

"Oh really?" she asked in mock indignation. "Well, you're not the only one in this family capable of being sneaky you know. It just so happens that YOUR wedding present is there, too."

She stuck out her tongue at him playfully, which earned her a swat on her bottom and they finished packing.

"Oh!" she cried when they arrived at the house. For this first visit, they left Katrina with her grandparents until they could make certain it was suitable to live in while it was being finished. "I had no idea it would be so huge! Is this what it looked like before?"

"No, it is far better than what it looked like before, though not as large. Nothing on the third floor is complete at all, but then I have no idea what we would need all that space for, so it is of no import. I wanted to restore the house. If we do not have specific need for the rooms, we will at least not lack for storage."

The grounds around the stately building had been lovingly cleared of all signs of decay and neglect. Trees were pruned, hedges shaped, and fence line restored. It was winter, so the grass was buried beneath snow and the flowerbeds were covered with straw, but it was the barrenness of well-tended order, so one could imagine the flowers which would arise in the spring.

This was an image assisted by the cobblestone path, which started at the main gate and lead to the house, then around it and also branched off in several directions. The first branch went to the right to encircle the magnolia tree and rose bush and even a new wrought-iron bench there. The branch to the left led to the barn. Everywhere, the path was completely cleared of snow and ice.

The building was three stories tall; 'L' shaped, with Victorian style architecture, complete with a wrap-around porch. He had asked for her input on styles of houses, showing her various photos and floor plans from the builders. He had no preference, while she had strongly favored the Victorian, so the choice was easy.

"Well then, come on!" she said eagerly. "Henry's been helping me—your wedding present should be in back… though obviously I haven't seen it myself yet, so I hope it's okay."

She grabbed his hand and eagerly pulled him down the new cobblestone path, following it around to the back of the house.

"Yes, there!" she said, turning to watch his face expectantly, as eagerly as Katrina did when waiting for him to praise her crayon drawings. He blinked in surprise and stepped forward slowly.

Where the garden had been, there was a small greenhouse. Henry was inside, carefully tending the plants within. She followed him inside, still watching his reaction, smiling. Henry must have told her all of the varieties of plants in the original garden. If there had been one before which was not here now, Severus could not have named what it was. There were other rare plants which were entirely new.

"The greenhouse is portable. I thought you might like to be outside when the weather's nice, but it's too hard to maintain charms year-round for something this size. We can put it up in the winter and take it down when it's warm enough. I didn't think to ask you if you wanted it in the same place as before… I wanted it to be a surprise… I think it wouldn't be too hard to move the plants in the spring, if you don't like it here…" she said, babbling uncertainly in the face of his stoic silence.

"Are you mad? You can't move these, they'd never bloom again," he said, aghast at the very suggestion as he gingerly stroked the petals of a red flower blooming on a cactus-like plant.

He looked at her at last, finally paying enough attention to the Bond to sense her anxiety at his apparent ambivalence to her gift.

"This is exactly where I would have put it, Rowena. Where I intended to put it when I had time to address it. It is perfect. Thank you," he said, pulling her into his arms to kiss her warmly. She melted against him with a sweet sigh of happiness and he felt desire surge within him. No matter how many times he made love to her, he would never tire of it! He finally broke the kiss and stepped away, taking her by the hand.

"Come, I want to look inside the house now. I fear that my gift will pale in comparison," he said slyly, "but there is no use postponing the inevitable."

As far as she was concerned, the entire house was her gift!

The rooms were spacious and airy, with huge windows letting in light from every angle. A wide, open staircase descended in the center of the main floor, with a spacious sitting room on one side and a dining room and library to the other and additional doors leading to more rooms beyond what she could see from where she stood in the corridor. All the rooms were bare, awaiting their decisions on color schemes and furnishings, just as he had told her.

Up the stairs, their bedroom was the first room, large and bright with windows on two sides, a private bath with a sunken tub just like the one from their honeymoon, a large fireplace and a spacious closet. The room just across the hall from theirs was obviously Katrina's. This room was the only one she had seen so far which was remotely 'done'. It was painted in the same style as her room at Hogwarts had been, with thick green carpeting the color of grass to match the green of the flowering vines painted on the walls. Her bed was already here, a dresser, shelves with toys and a closet with most of her clothes.

"Now close your eyes," he said imperiously as they left this room to go to the one next to theirs. She cheerfully obeyed and he carefully led her to the door. She heard it open and felt soft carpet beneath her feet as he positioned her where he wanted her to be. She could hear him step away before he said, "You may open your eyes."

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, was the sardonic, amused smirk of her husband, who looked indecently pleased with himself. He was sitting in a chair directly in front of her. She smiled at him happily and then looked about the room.

She thought her heart would break.

It was a nursery, lovingly constructed down to the last detail.

Pale yellow walls had balloons in bright, primary colors floating across them as though on a gentle breeze. A white crib stood in one corner, the perfect distance away from the windows or dangerous drapery cords. A changing table was already stocked with tiny nappies and brand-new infant pajamas in neutral colors. Soft receiving blankets adorned the crib, as well as a magical mobile similar to what she had given to Elizabeth—except it was not based on Quidditch. These objects were cauldrons being stirred, a mortar and pestle grinding, a knife precisely chopping and a tiny pan-balance scale tipping slowly from side to side. The chair in which Severus was sitting was a cushioned rocker-recliner in the same soft blue as the carpet, situated near a sunny window, just waiting for use to rock a baby.

"Severus…," she croaked, hoarsely, fighting back tears. She shook her head, unable to speak.

"Do you not wish to have my child, Rowena?" he asked gently, still looking at her with that calm half-smirk.

"Oh yes," she said, and it was almost a sob, "but I can't… I thought my father told you… what… what He did…"

"What Voldemort did is nothing but a bad memory."

"No! It's not. Daddy couldn't heal…" she stopped short, gazing at him imploringly. She had wanted this so much—even when she pretended not to. She never thought he would want any other children besides Katrina and had determined to be happy—she WAS happy—this was a small price to pay considering what she could have lost. It was just so painful to be reminded of it in such a stark way. "Maybe we could adopt…"

"Rowena, how do you feel?" he said, his brow arched almost impatiently.

"What?" The question startled her—wasn't it obvious? How did he think she felt?

"How – do – you – feel?" he said again, enunciating every word. "Physically, not emotionally."

"Fine. A little tired from so much traveling but…" Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him, unwilling to give voice to the question which suddenly sprang into her head.

There was no possible way she could be pregnant! Even if by some miracle she wasn't sterile from what You-Know-Who had done to her, Severus used a contraceptive charm on himself ages ago, when they were married the first time. That had to be consciously cancelled with a counter-charm to negate it….

"Oh…!"

"Yes, 'oh'," he said and the far-too-pleased-with-himself smirk increased ten-fold. "Perhaps you should pay closer attention to your cycles? Or bother to run a diagnostic on yourself when you are feeling out of sorts?"

She couldn't stand it any longer; she pulled out her wand and did the diagnostic.

She was pregnant.

"You knew! Why didn't you say something?" she asked, her mind still reeling in surprise.

"I did not know, I suspected. I believe it was the Phoenix tear, or the residual effects of Albus' meddling with the school, or perhaps both. I do not believe it was the castle alone, because you still had visible scars on our honeymoon, which were gone by the time term ended. If external scars could heal so completely, why not internal ones as well?"

"Don't you think you should have said something to me? What if I had wanted to wait a while before having children?" she said, smiling teasingly. When she had gotten over the initial shock, she came and sat on his lap. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and her head rested on his shoulder.

"I did not want to get your hopes up if I was wrong. I have seen you with infants and children often enough, I was confident you would not be disappointed." He tilted his head so he could look into her eyes. "You are not disappointed I trust?"

"No," she said emphatically. "How long have you known?"

"I've suspected for over a month. I was not certain until we arrived at the cowboy's ranch. You have not taken an afternoon nap in all the time I have known you."

"I might have just been tired from traveling!" she said indignantly.

"Yes, but you were also over six weeks late on your cycle. That was why he gave you that old nag to ride when we examined his property, in spite of your insistence you could manage a more spirited animal. I informed him of my suspicion and asked him to take that into consideration as he planned your activities."

"You told Dylan Howard that you thought I was pregnant before you told ME?" she said in mock outrage.

"Yes," he said unrepentantly.

"You are positively… " she sputtered, unable to think of a word to describe what he was.

"Devious? Cunning? Duplicitous? Wily?" he supplied.

"Sneaky!" she exclaimed.

"I believe the word you are looking for is 'Slytherin'," he said, haughtily.

"No, the word I'm looking for is 'wonderful'. I love you," she said, giving up all pretense of outrage and kissing him tenderly.

"This is, perhaps, as good as a fully restored rare magical plant garden and accompanying greenhouse?" he asked, breaking off the kiss to trail tasting kisses down her jaw.

"I don't know about that. I think I went to a lot more work on the greenhouse than you did for the baby," she said, laughing, tilting her head back to allow him freer access.

"Mmmm, true," he said, nuzzling the sensitive flesh behind her ear. "Perhaps I should continue my 'work' just to make certain it is done properly."

"I think maybe you should," she agreed.

He stood with her in his arms and went back to their room. With a negligent wave of his wand, he conjured a large, thick sheepskin rug onto the bare floor in front of the fireplace. Another wave lit the fire and a final wave warmed the room. He laid her gently onto the rug and joined her there with a dry smirk.

"I believe this is one of the typical romantic fantasies of most women—to be intimate with their lover on a soft rug before a roaring fire, is it not? It is one of my obligations as your husband to answer these fantasies, no matter how nonsensical, since you have no other recourse."

She couldn't suppress a giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I have no idea if this is a 'typical' fantasy. You're here with me, we have Katrina and soon we'll have a baby together. I can't imagine wanting anything more."

She had to admit, however that this was quite nice… the fire was warm, the thick, plush rug beneath her was very, very soft; and Severus' body lying hard and firm over hers was incredibly stimulating.

He was staring at her and she again felt as though he was reading every thought of her soul. His fathomless black eyes bored into hers, his black hair falling forwards to curtain their faces. Her heart pounded against his chest as he lowered his mouth to kiss her.

As their bodies united, so did their souls through the Bond. They were Home.