Word spread quickly around the school, Professor Dumbledore made sure of that.
Professor Snape had had a daughter.
The newest Slytherin.
The newest Gryffindor, her father's a Gryffindor.
Six pounds and seven ounces.
Oh my, she must be so tiny.
Do you think she has his nose?
That would be so cruel.
She didn't get the nose.
You grow into a nose.
Both doing well.
She has black hair.
Is she a werewolf?
You can't be born a werewolf.
In the medical wing Severus was finding out that he had to (and could) breastfeed. He was horrified, until the baby latched on. At least it wouldn't be too visible.
Nobody talked about anything else that night and in the morning lessons were cancelled in honour of "Hogwarts newest addition", as Dumbledore kept repeating.
Poppy Pomfrey wasn't sure whether or not she should keep Professor Snape in, but she could find no reason why he couldn't leave. He was healthy. The baby was healthy. He wanted, no demanded, to leave and Remus was with them, fussing appropriately over them both. She let them leave.
"Shall we go back to our quarters?" Remus asked.
Severus was soothing the baby. They couldn't keep calling her "the baby".
"What are we going to call her? I can't remember any of the names we came up with, can you?"
Severus stopped walking and looked at Remus, then at their daughter.
"Top of the list for girls were Kali, Kiera, Jetta, Keena and Leoma."
Remus thought for a moment, "Leoma is nice, but..."
Severus smiled, "it doesn't quite seem right?"
Remus nodded.
"How about Mirari? It means Miracle"
Remus smiled and nodded, "Mirari" he tested the sound. Taking his daughter in his arms he asked her, "Are you Mirari? I think your mother is right. Mirari it is!" Looking hesitantly at his partner he asked, "Snape or Lupin?"
"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about that. We are both the last of our families." He stopped talking to think.
"How about both? Snape-Lupin or Lupin-Snape?"
"Snape-Lupin sounds a bit better."
"For all of us?" he passed Mirari back to Severus as he asked this. He wanted Severus to feel the slight weight of her in his arms as he realised what Remus was asking him.
"All of us? What do you mean? Change our names?"
Remus sighed. "Yes, but not simply change them. Severus, I am asking you to marry me. I could get down on one knee..."
"No."
"No?"
"I mean Yes, but don't. Get down on one knee, I mean. I don't think I could cope with that."
Remus chuckled. "But Yes to marrying me?"
"Yes"
In the middle of the school corridor they kissed, not the heated passionate kisses they shared in private but a gentle kiss to seal the promise. There was a wolf whistle from somewhere above them but they ignored it and Severus repeated his "Yes" with more appropriate passion.
-------------------------------------------------------
The weather had been so nice that when lessons were declared cancelled for the day, everyone fled outside. Games were being played, children running around noisily. A Quidditch practice had just ended and the Gryffindor team was vacating the pitch for the Ravenclaws. The staff were having a picnic on the lawns. Hagrid had baked a huge cake with the words "Welcome Baby" on it and it seemed to be a delightful summer day.
Hagrid jumped up and started waving wildly. He was too overcome with excitement to consider that he might attract more attention than would be wanted.
"Perfessors! Over here Perfessors!"
Some people turned at the sound of Hagrid's booming voice, but they soon realised who he was calling to. Word began to spread quickly. As Remus and Severus reached the staff picnic, there was a swelling throng of children making their way as close as they dared to the staff and more specifically to Severus.
Severus tried to swirl round on them, but he could manage neither the swirl nor the glare. He managed to frighten a few returning first years with an odd combination of forced grimace and not quite suppressed smile, at which they rapidly backed off before Professor Dumbledore came to the rescue and guided the two men towards the staff picnic.
A Slytherin fifth year who had always been a favourite of Snape's got up the courage to address him. She did it loudly for the benefit of the others, a little more loudly than she had intended but it got his attention.
"PLEASE SIR? WE WERE WONDERING SIR, WHAT YOU HAD CALLED YOU DAUGHTER SIR?" She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth as she realised that she had shouted at her Head of House from only a couple of metres away.
Professor Snape looked disapproving but he nodded to Professor Lupin, who held out his hands to indicate quiet.
"Okay, as you can imagine Professor Snape has had a very difficult night. He needs things to be quiet and calm and preferably not to have hundreds of students crowding around staring." He smiled at them to let them know that no-one was cross and none of them were in trouble. Especially since he could feel Snape scowling behind him. "Now we can't exactly hold up a newborn baby for you all to see her, but if we tell you what her name is will you leave us alone for a bit?
There was a disjointed chorus of agreement.
"OK then. Her name is Mirari Leoma Snape-Lupin. Mirari means miracle and Leoma means brave."
To make sure that the students kept their promise to back off, Professor McGonagall moved over and shooed them all away. They went back to their games hesitantly and full of chatter.
Hagrid produced a large cushion and placed in on the large rug next to himself, making quite clear that it was for Severus. Remus helped Severus to sit down, still a very delicate procedure.
"Oh Perfessor, she's bootiful. She's a proper miracle she is."
"May I hold Mirari? When I held her briefly last night, she didn't have a name; it seems that it makes something of a difference." Dumbledore beamed and Severus let the old man take her. There was much cooing and fussing from most of the staff.
Professor Trelawney began to sway, her eyes glazed over and before anyone could tell whether it was theatrics or not Severus and Remus had both flicked their wands at her and sent her into a double dose of sleep. There would be none of that. The assembled staff roared with laughter and Professor Sprout tactfully levitated her onto a bench and covered her with a blanket.
Colin Creevey was skulking around off to the side of the picnic area. Snape fixed him with a full on withering glare.
"You had better not have your camera with you Creevey."
The boy turned pale and began to stammer. Hermione leapt up from her seat and pulled him away, he started jabbering something to her, and to Harry who was handing her a butterbeer. The two of them looked at each other and turned, moving towards the staff picnic.
"Sorry Sirs" began Hermione, "Colin came to collect a fang ... er frisbee that flew this away and got too scared to come any closer." Harry had found the frisbee and lobbed it back to Creevey, who took off at lightening speed.
"Shame he can't do that on a broomstick" observed Harry.
Lupin jumped up and gestured to the rug, "Why don't you come and join us for a moment? I wanted to have a word with you actually Harry."
The staff looked surprised but moved to give the seventh years room. Hermione shuffled a bit, not wanting to just run off but not having been specifically invited.
"Sit down Miss Granger and stop hopping about like a piskie; it's quite tiring to watch." She immediately obeyed her Potions Professor while trying not to look too over-awed by the baby which Dumbledore was returning to his arms.
"Well," began Lupin, "it's like this. Mirari needs Godparents."
Snape's eyebrows rose. He hadn't thought about Godparents. It seemed to be important to Remus though. At least it wouldn't be Sirius, he thought, and then mentally slapped himself for it. Albus would make a good Godfather.
"I would like you to be a Godfather Harry." said Remus, ignoring Harry's surprise, "We are the closest that either of us can really claim to family. You are capable of protecting and defending Mirari and I would trust you to help raise her well if anything should ever happen to us. "
Harry looked flabbergasted, Snape had frozen. Remus noticed Snape's expression.
"Do you mind? I mean if you do then..."
"I don't know. I was thinking of Albus, myself." He wasn't sure how to go on.
Albus Dumbledore was beaming, "Well there is a simple solution. The fashion of recent times has been to name one Godparent, but legally you can name three. Perhaps Harry and I could share the honour?"
Remus caught Severus' gaze with pleading eyes. He knew Severus had relented about Harry before he even said anything.
"Very well. If they will accept."
Albus and Harry broke wide smiles at each other and enthused so much that there could be no doubt about their agreement.
"Perhaps we should go for all three." suggested Remus cheerfully.
"Well then you will need a Godmother" Dumbledore informed them, "you can have either two Godfathers and One Godmother or vice versa and as Harry and I are most definitely in the Godfather bracket, I would suggest a lady."
"Hmm." Remus looked deep in thought.
"Hermione"
Everyone stared at Severus Snape in outright shock, not least of all Hermione herself.
Severus tried to explain himself. Hermione had caught the look he shared with her though and knew why this was happening. So she smiled as he explained, "She can teach her how to care for others regardless of their behaviour. She can teach her how to deal with rude and wilful young men. She can teach her how to play by the rules whilst her Godfathers lead her astray." Dumbledore practically guffawed at this, "She can help to give her a love of knowledge and most importantly she can actually make a decent potion." Remus joined in the laughter, "She is a brave, level headed, intelligent young woman who knows right from wrong. I think they are adequate reasons."
"I would also be most honoured," Hermione answered. She didn't manage to say anymore, even though she would have liked to, she was already close to tears.
"I've just asked Severus to marry me and he said yes."
Severus leant down to Mirari, not because she needed him but because that way his hair would hang over his face and Remus wouldn't see how much that outburst had mortified him.
Amidst Dumbledore's joyous cooing and the heightening chatter that followed, Severus leant back on Hagrid's giant cushion and he and Mirari fell asleep in the middle of it all. No-one had the heart to wake them.
possibly the end