A/N I am breaking two of my unwritten rules here. I don't do A/Ns and I rectify mistakes. I feel a bit stupid for writing this chapter, but it is how it is supposed to be. This is an Mpreg story and people on the various posting sites have wanted it to carry on, so I took up the "difficult pregnancy" challenge and did this. I am sorry. I did go back and try to find a way to continue the story without doing this, but it isn't a complex plot so... I hope it doesn't mess the whole thing up. If you don't like it, assume the story ended with the "it might end here" tag and forget this frivolity. Akinaria xx
The Fun day was proving the same easy going fun that it was every year. The students took care of themselves and behaved well enough for no-one to really worry. A gaggle of Gryffindor girls came and "borrowed" Mirari almost immediately and to her sheer delight starting practicing all the girly charms that they had managed to learn on her. None of them were stupid enough to try anything that they were unsure about, they weren't that brave.
They weren't that far away from the staff picnic and both her Godfathers were keeping a close eye on the hairstyling and dress-altering charms that they were using on the delighted little girl.
Rolanda was touting for bets from their visitors.
"Come on Ron, I know I can trust you to have a little flutter."
Hermione was scandalised when her former Professor explained what it was all about.
"They were probably having problems and then just sorted them out. To be honest I think that Minerva's suggestion is by far the most sensible. Although I am surprised that you placed a bet at all Minerva."
Minerva shrugged and concentrated on cutting cakes for a few minutes.
Ron was reading through the bets and odds in Rolanda's little notebook and was laughing his head off.
"Hey Harry. What do ya reckon – Snape's relaxed again because his potions have gone erotic or because Remus brought home some wicked wolfy sex toys." He guffawed and comically stroked the pointy little beard he was growing as though seriously considering which option was the more likely. Hermione scowled at him.
"Oh, you don't have to pick one of those Ron. I'll give you odds on your own suggestion if you like." Rolanda waggled her eyebrows at her most likely conspirator and Ron beamed like the time he'd slipped a tonne tongue toffee into Millicent Bulstrode's pocket. He put down the notebook and stroked his beard some more before breaking into a wicked grin.
"Right. What odds will you give me on this? Snape's tested some new poisonous potion on one of Hagrid's creatures and he's mucked up the antidote. That led to him and Remus getting all huffy and antsy. Rather than admit it to Hagrid, they've raised it from the dead and Snape's pregnant again."
Ron looked rather pleased with himself as the faculty erupted into laughter at his suggestion.
"Will you take 200:1?"
"Too ruddy right I'll take it. I'll put 2 galleons on that."
"Ron!" Hermione chastised.
"Oh come on love, it's just for a laugh."
-------------------------------------------------
Remus watched avidly as Poppy cast charms over Severus' swollen belly. Like this, he wondered how no-one had noticed that his husband was pregnant. His skin looked healthier and he definitely had that pregnant glow about him. He was a little larger than he had been by this stage last time, apparently that was normal because his skin and muscles were less taut after the last pregnancy.
Poppy looked up from her charms.
"Well, you are keeping yourself healthy again, I am glad to see that. I'm going to check on the baby now and make sure that everything is alright in there." She smiled up at them and Remus took hold of his husband's hand while she cast new charms. She looked a little concerned and recast two of them again.
Severus tightened his grip on the hand; Remus squeezed reassuringly and hoped that it was justified.
"Is there a problem?" He asked.
Poppy's eyebrows knotted as she frowned at her results and checked again.
"Not a problem exactly, no."
Severus' grip relaxed a little.
"Something unexpected though."
It tightened again.
"What did use to enable you to become pregnant Severus?"
"A maternity potion and then later we both took fertility potions because nothing was happening."
"Which maternity potion and which fertility potion?"
"Gravidas and Infantia Magis "
"Ah!"
"Ah?"
"Severus, Infantia Magis increases the chances of multiple births by up to 60."
She let this information sink in for a moment. When Severus went pale and Remus jaw dropped open, she continued.
"I am surprised that you didn't research it a little more before using it." She paused a moment to adopt a calm even tone that she hoped would allay any panic. "Severus, you are expecting triplets. All three of them are healthy and growing well."
She noticed that Severus was now crushing his husband's hand but decided that she had better get it all out now before he went into shock.
"This pregnancy will be rather different to your first. You are going to get a lot larger a lot quicker. I would guess that by the time you are six months pregnant you will be about the size you were when you delivered Mirari. After that point, I am afraid that you will have to cut down your work significantly and gradually reduce it to nothing. There is a possibility with triplets, that you may be confined to bed towards the end of the pregnancy to give them longer to develop inside you. On the plus side, triplets always come early. Obviously you will have to give birth to three babies successively, but at least it will only be one labour. All of the symptoms of pregnancy will be more pronounced; nausea, back pain, cramps. You will have three babies pressing down on your bladder, so you will need the bathroom even more frequently than last time. I do not want to frighten you Severus. You are not in any danger. Triplets are uncommon but not rare, so I don't foresee much greater risk to you or the babies. It will be more uncomfortable though and you will have to follow my advice and when the time comes, you WILL have to stop working."
--------------------------------------------------------
Mirari was growing a little tired of the makeover game and she had told the Gryffindor girls that she wanted to keep the lavender princess hair and dress and ran off to join the picnic. She had just polished off one of Hagrid's rock cakes (which had become palatable since Mirari innocently accused him of giving her real rocks) when she noticed her parents coming round the side of the building.
"I have a secret to tell you all," she announced in what she hoped was an important grown up voice.
Hermione wiped her face with a serviette.
"Should you tell us, if it's a secret? Secrets are to keep."
"This one is to tell. That's my job."
She had everyone's attention.
"Has it got anything do with you Mother and Hagrid's pets?" Ron chortled at his own wit again.
"Mama – yes. Hagrid – no. Mama is having another baby. It's in his tummy. I am going to be a big sister. Mama and Daddy said that I could tell you all." She looked immensely proud of herself and stuffed another cake in her mouth.
Everyone was stunned into silence. Dumbledore winked at Mirari and she chuckled. Ron squawked and held out his hand to Rolanda, who smacked it away. Minerva almost jumped as she saw the two men heading towards the picnic; they were talking animatedly and looked painfully serious. Remus slapped on some forced joviality as they came within earshot and Severus literally sank to the picnic rug like a stone through water and bundled his daughter into his lap. He was silent and hugged her tightly to his chest.
Remus poured some tea and slipped a shot of brandy into it before handing it his husband. Minerva stopped him handing the cup over.
"Do you think that is particularly wise Remus? Mirari just told us your news. I don't think you should be giving Severus brandy."
Remus dropped the plastered on smile and pulled his hand away from Minerva's.
"Minerva, brandy is exactly what Severus needs right now. You have no idea what he has just been through. One shot of brandy can't do any damage, but it can stop him fainting from shock. I do know how to look after my own husband."
There were a few chuckles at this but they faded quickly when Severus failed to scowl or retaliate. Dumbledore moved quietly round towards Severus as Remus pressed the doctored tea on him and made him drink some. Dumbledore had seen the Potions Master in a similar state before, but none of the other Professors had and it was definitely unnerving them. Dumbledore placed a steady hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Severus? Is the baby alright?"
Severus mumbled something into Mirari's hair. Remus interpreted.
"He said 'Which One?'. One of the potions we used worked a little too well. Severus is carrying triplets."
Dumbledore nodded at Mirari and she scrambled off her mother's lap as the old man broke one his unspoken rules and wrapped the shocked young man in a fatherly embrace.
"It'll be alright Severus. I promise you, it will all be alright."
Remus gently placed a hand on the Headmaster's shoulder and moved him away a little, reaching at the same time to help his husband to his feet.
"We just came to collect Mirari; I didn't want to leave Severus alone. I think he could do with some rest and we really need to be alone, as a family. I hope you understand."
There were murmurs of "Of course" and various other useless phrases as Remus picked up his daughter and guided Severus back towards the castle.
The stunned silence of the picnic was broken by Ron as he held out his hand again.
"I think you owe me 400 galleons Rolanda."
"I do not."
"I bet he was pregnant and he is. I win, gimme."
"You bet that he resurrected a poisoned pet; he didn't, he took a potion. The sex potions bets don't win either."
"That is so not fair. Hermione, tell her."
"Oh be quiet, both of you," Hermione stormed at them, "Your bets were rude and offensive anyway. You've had your fun; leave it at that and have a little respect for what they are going through. It must have taken a lot of thought for them to decide to do this; it was a very brave thing for Severus to do. Can you imagine what he must feel like now, to know what he is going to have to go through? He'll have to stop working at some point; he may even be confined to bed. It will unbelievably uncomfortable, painful and for him frighteningly embarrassing. You really are unbelievably insensitive."
She stormed off towards the castle with the intention of checking the lab for any potions that might need tending to. She just caught Ron exclaiming,
"He's gonna be humungous," and decided that although Ron was definitely not getting any sex for the next few days, it might be about time to discuss their own initiation into the world of parenting. See how he copes.