Chapter Twenty Three; Oh, Baby, Baby
Evelyn woke in the middle of the night. This was the third time in a row she had felt queer. The first night she felt ill, the next night she had cramps; but no period, and tonight her breasts hurt. As stealthy as she could she got out of bed and crept to the dresser. Slipping on her oldest, most comfortable night shirt, she found no comfort in it. Even the petal soft fabric hurt her nipples. Evelyn cringed and yawned. Absently she looked at the calendar. She blinked and stared. It was the fifteenth. She was due the second. Before she could think too deeply Severus called to her.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes dear, I just couldn't sleep."
"Come back to bed."
The next morning Evelyn rushed to the bathroom to wrench over the toilet. Severus was by her side in a second holding back her hair. He rubbed her back as she gagged and convulsed but brought nothing forth.
"Evelyn, I want you to go see Poppy today. This is the fourth time you've had something. I think you've come down with a bug." Evelyn couldn't argue.
That evening, right after dinner Evelyn went to see her good friend and mediwitch.
"Poppy, do you have a second?" Evelyn asked knocking on the open office door.
"Of course dear, what is it?" Poppy asked offering up a chair.
"I don't know Severus is worried that I've come down with something." Poppy nodded.
"I see. What are your symptoms?"
"This morning I couldn't throw up, even though I was doing the motions, last night my boobs hurt – especially my uh, yha, the night before that I felt ill. And threw all this I've been really tired." Poppy had been scribbling down some notes.
"Are you on or just completing your cycle?" Poppy asked.
"No, in fact I was due the second."
"I want to take a look at you. If you'd change and wait for me in the last screen." Poppy said, Evelyn nodded. Giving Evie time to change gave Poppy time to think. Ill, sour breasts, late cycle… Could Evelyn be pregnant? The thought delighted her, Severus had proven that he was a good husband; he and Evelyn deserved a child.
"Are you ready?" Poppy asked before entering with Evelyn's
"Yes, come in." Evelyn sat in the gown on the bed swinging her legs absent mindedly.
After Poppy took her basics she took a deep breath.
"Do your breasts still hurt?"
"A bit."
"May I examine?" Normally both women would've blushed and laughed but Poppy was in full nurse mode. Evelyn undid the top of the gown reveling darkened areolas. Poppy was as good as convinced.
"Evelyn, if you would lie down on your back, knees apart and bent." Poppy said, slightly confused Evelyn did as she was told. Poppy extracted her wand and leaned forward muttering a charm. Evelyn felt the sensation of magic and was curious. Poppy watched as the aura went from a natural white to a violent blue. Poppy omitted a brief squeal in spite of her efforts to be silent.
"What! What is it?" Evelyn asked head snapping up.
"I'll tell you after you get dressed. See me in my office." Poppy said before returning to her office to rejoice in private. Before she knew it Evelyn was in her office, the girl must've ripped her clothes on and off. Amazingly she looked good.
"What is it Poppy?" Evelyn asked.
"Sit down dear." Poppy said. Evelyn looked worried but sat.
"Evelyn, I don't know how to say this…" Evelyn gasped. "You're pregnant." She let the air out in a whoosh before jumping up and squealing. She gave Poppy a big hug.
"You mean I'm going to be a mommy!"
"Yes," Poppy said chuckling, "You're going to be a mommy!"
Evelyn sat on the coach reading as Severus entered the room after his detention duty. Charming husband that he was after a wonderful greeting's kiss he immediately asked,
"What did Poppy say?"
"Severus, set down." She said motioning to the space beside her.
"Ohmigod, you're dieing." He was being unreasonable and if he didn't look like he believed it Evelyn would've laughed out loud.
"No dear, I am not dieing." Evelyn said taking his hand and making him sit beside her.
"Then why do I have to sit down to hear about what Poppy said?" He asked.
"Because what she said may cause you to "freak out" as Tessa would say. Severus, uh Severus… SeverusI'mpregnent." Evelyn said rushing her words perhaps it wasn't the most eloquent way of telling him but the look on his face was priceless.
"You're what?" He asked her.
"Severus, I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby." Evelyn said. She had been right; the news caused him to faint dead away.
Nine months later
Evelyn Snape leaned heavily on her desk, her newly acquired girth made it extremely hard for her to sit and be able to get up, thus the mother to be had taken to standing through all of her classes. This was hard on her feet and back, consequently she spent a lot of time leaning on things. Almost exactly nine months pregnant Evelyn Snape was quite large through the stomach and breast, there was no hiding the fact she was to be a mother. Almost twice as obvious was who was to be the father. It wasn't just that all of a sudden there was no Miss Blair, but a Madam Snape. Severus had taken to escorting his wife where ever possible, he was always there to help her with her load, however he could, and the smile so firm on his face was confirmation to even the most cynical that Severus Snape was to be a father.
Evelyn felt ill again. She was sure that the sickness was supposed to end after the first trimester. But it was back with vengeance. If she was in her rooms she would've been in the bathroom by now, but this class had already suffered from her lack of being there. They had put up with her morning sickness as well as her rapidly shrinking bladder. They had done quite well and she couldn't thank them enough for being so understanding. Okay, as she looked around the room, somewhat understanding. Most didn't mind that she was pregnant, however very few thought she was in her right mind by having Severus's child. Slytherins scorned her for being lady of their house without being its graduate. Gryffindors were amazed that someone could love Severus, and the fact that the potion's master had a heart. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were displaying mixtures of amazement that Snape could love and that someone could love Snape and that Snape could have sex. She smiled to herself as she thought about Snape sex, but the grin was soon wiped from her face as she felt an unstoppable trickle of water run down her leg. She was far too large for pantyhose so there was nothing to hide the water that was leaking from her body. It collected in a splash at her feet. Evelyn looked at the water, it didn't look like urine, it was clear. As the class looked at her another pain took her. She grasped her side. Poppy said, what did Poppy say?
"She's pissed herself." Pansy Parkinson said looking in disgust at her professor before turning to Draco for another biting dismissal of the un-rightful lady of Slytherin house. However Draco did not give her the support.
"Her water's braking!" he said. All Evelyn could think was "Ohhhh, shiiit." The advanced class erupted into chaos. She could do nothing to make herself heard; she couldn't gain control of the many things that needed order. Suddenly there was a shrill whistle; it was from Neville who was standing on a table.
"This isn't helping her at all. Someone needs to take care of the little stuff in the room, someone needs to inform the hospital wing, the headmaster needs to know, as does her husband, we also have to get Madam Snape to the hospital wing." Neville said authoritatively.
"I'll get Snape!" Tessa called and was off like a shot before someone else could take her job. Hermione volunteered to take care of the room. Harry took the responsibility of informing the headmaster and hospital. Neville himself took charge of helping Evelyn, and surprisingly so did Malfoy.
"You can't do it alone Longbottom." Draco said taking one of Evelyn's arms's while Neville took the other. The rest of the class left.
Severus glared around the room as the second year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students worked on their potions. Suddenly Tessa burst into the room out of breath. Severus knew that she was supposed to be in his wife's class. Not only was she skipping Evie's class but she was disrupting his own.
"Miss Melee!" He snapped at her, "Explain yourself, this better not be a joke, for the sake of your house points."
"Its time Professor." She said breathlessly, Severus stared at her blankly. "Her water just broke middle of class…" She continued. Severus instantly understood, he was on his feet and out the door faster than a snitch, shouting over his shoulder as he went,
"Class dismissed."
Thirteen hours later
Thirteen hours had passed from the time that Evelyn's water had broken to the moment that the room had all been waiting for. Exhausted mother and new born child were nestled together both looking a little pink. The scene was almost too much for him to bear; others hadn't been able to take it. Poppy, Minerva, and Dumbledore had all left, so had Neville and Draco, all had found the scene too intimate for them to handle. Yet here he was looking at the mother and child with tears shining in his eyes, he was unable to look away, unable to move. Evelyn looked up and smiled tiredly at him.
"Come here." She said to him softly, he slowly, as if walking through the lake did as he was told.
"Do you want to hold her?" Evelyn asked. Emotions reached a new high in Severus.
"Her…her… I'd drop her..." He began to speak incoherently. Evelyn smiled.
"No you won't drop her. She's our daughter, the gods won't allow you to." She said and presented the bundle of blankets to him. Severus felt his heart melt as the face of his baby girl peaked out from under the blanket. She looked exactly like her mother but she had his coloring. Already there was dark hair on her head. The babe's eyes fluttered open and she stared at him. For a second he was afraid she would cry, but she did not, instead she yawned and went back to sleep. She trusted him. His heart melted more, he hadn't thought it possible.
"What should we name her?" He asked.
"What about after your mother?" She asked.
"I love my mother dearly, but she was a weak woman. I want my girl to be strong and smart; her name should reflect that, what of your mother?" He replied.
"We are not naming her Fawn, we both know my grandparents we insane."
"So if we're not using our mother's names, what will we use?" Severus asked.
Two weeks later
Two weeks after her birth, Rosalind Ema Snape was presented to the school by headmaster Dumbledore. The parents of the health child had had a terrible time agreeing on a name, they wanted something not insanely common, but they also didn't want something insane. They wanted something with class, strength and reasonably intelligent sounding. Being a teacher the naming processes was difficult there were many names they could bring them selves to use because of past or present students. But eventually they settled on Rosalind, the main character from her mother's favorite Shakespearean play, As You Like It. The character was a strong woman and the name was literary, not to mention pretty. The school welcomed the child warmly and the parents were proud to see that everyone clapped.
The students were mixed in opinions, several were feeling maternal, some amazement at their potion's master's ability to get not only a wife but now a child, other were amazed at the joyful and proud smile that was on the potion's master's lips. He was genuinely happy. It was strange.
A/N: Snaps to the fic, "Family Man" for giving me a jumping off point. Rosalind was the name of a woman in the Shakespeare play As You Like It who dressed up as a guy to hide in the forest from this bad guy. A shepherdess falls in love with her and she falls in love with this other dude. Its one big love triangle, but Rosalind is still an awesome character. Ema is just an interesting name I like. Thanks for reading this far and thanks for the reviews…nudge, nudge, wink, wink.