A/N: I spent so much time on this chapter during my vacation that somebody threatened to chuck my laptop into the abyss. But, hours and countless rootbeers later, it's done. So pull up a chair and get yourself a coffee or a Smirnoff or whatever is it you like to drink when you read, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… especially not Harry Potter.

Happy Reading!

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Chapter Nine – What a Coincidence

"Oh no," Miranda said dramatically, smiling and clapping her hands together as she stood over the stove. "Christine doesn't want any bacon. Looks like I'll just have to eat all of it on my own. What a bloody shame."

She picked up a piece and was directing it towards her mouth when someone walked by and snatched it away. Eyes wide, she spun around to face her thief.

"And who would I be to make you go through with that after your grueling ordeal?" Severus said in a falsely important voice. "That would be… unkind of me."

With that, he took the entire plate of bacon and walked off, smirking. Miranda narrowed her eyes and glowered at his retreating back. Being alive again had given her an appreciation of life that even being in hiding had not been able to give. Not only had she learned to appreciate her life even more, but she had also realized just how many projects she had left unfinished. She had a half-finished book to write and, most importantly, a daughter to raise.

Speaking of which, Christine was supposed to be under the careful eye of Harry while Miranda recovered, for the last few days had left her drowsy and confused. However, Harry was nowhere to be seen when Christine came running into the room, yelling at the top of her lungs and flailing around. Miranda watched, amused, as her daughter ran headlong into the table, screaming all the way. Her head hit the table and she fell straight backwards onto the ground. Miranda watched as Christine got back up, rubbed her forehead, which was now sporting a large bump, and ran off again, screaming with apparent enjoyment at the ruckus. Elsewhere, the portrait of Mrs. Black began screaming profanities.

Harry came into the kitchen next, panting slightly.

"Where's Christine?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath.

Miranda pointed a finger in the direction Christine had run off in.

"What did you give her, Harry, a bag of pure sugar?" she teased. He shook his head warily and pulled out a cigarette box. He tossed it to her and she gaped. "You gave her smokes?"

Harry laughed and gestured again to the package in Miranda's hands. She looked down.

"Ah, I see. Candy cigarettes." Miranda inspected the packaging and opened the box, taking one of the thin white confections out and inspecting it. "Are these Muggle candies?"

Harry nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "I got them a while back, though I wouldn't have given Christine a box if I had known that they would have that reaction."

Miranda laughed and brought the box to eye level, and a thought occurred to her. She gestured to the box and shook it slightly.

"Mind if I hold on to these?"

Harry held up his hands and backed away a step.

"By all means, keep them," he said, glad to give them away. "Now I have a query to catch, if you don't mind."

"Not in the least, Harry."

Harry darted off in the direction Christine had disappeared. Miranda looked at the box again, biting her lip thoughtfully, and then pocketed it.

-

The last few days had gone by fast for Severus, leaving him only with snatches of emotion and flashes of events to dwell upon. He had both lost and gotten his wife back; killed numerous Death Eaters; tricked the Dark Lord yet again and witnessed his death; saved his family and even gotten along with Potter (which he did not consider a feat or a good thing, but it had happened nonetheless). He had no intention of remaining friendly with Potter of course, for he still hated him, but even Severus had to admit that Potter had been a good crutch during a time of wounds.

They had vacated their home for the time being as Albus had deemed it unsafe and were currently residing at Grimmauld Place. Christine, unlike her father, had welcomed the change in open arms and was fascinated by the house and everything in it. For some reason, unknown by neither Severus nor Miranda, the young girl had taken an alarming interest in the portrait of Mrs. Black. She found the screaming woman to be amusing and often spent a lot of time tormenting and teasing it.

Christine seated herself in front of the moth-eaten curtains, Miranda's old wand poised in her hand. She looked to the left and right to make sure that nobody was around to get annoyed, and then smacked her lips loudly. Nothing. She did it again, louder this time, and the curtains flew open.

"HOW DARE YOU INTRUDERS BESMIRCH THE NOBLE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS?" The portrait screamed, spittle flying from its mouth and Mrs. Black's bloodshot eyes bulging. "HALF-BREEDS AND FILTH BRINGING THEIR OFFSPRING INTO MY MIDST, SOILING THE QUARTERS AND TARNISHING THE NOBLE BLACK REPUTATION!"

Christine took careful aim with the wand, one eye closed and tongue poking out as if she was aiming a rifle. She looked alarmingly like her mother, full of concentration.

"Ready," she muttered, "aim… FIRE!"

A purple jet of light shot out from the tip of the wand and hit the screaming portrait, causing Mrs. Black to stop her rant abruptly and look around in alarm. Slowly at first but with gaining momentum, the portrait slid down the wall and fell over with a thunk. Mrs. Black began screaming again, only this time her voice was muffled as her face was on the floor. Satisfied, Christine clicked her tongue, pocketed the wand and marched off to get some apple juice. Tonks strode into the hall and when she saw the portrait on the ground, gasped.

"Remus!"

Remus appeared in the doorway moments later, looking alarmed.

"What is it?" he asked. "Is it time?"

Tonks looked at him curiously for a moment and then realized that he was talking about her pregnancy. She laughed and pointed at the bare wall. Remus stared.

"How did you do that?" Remus was baffled.

Tonks shrugged and replied, "I didn't. I heard it screaming and came to deal with it. It's going 'off the wall', so to speak." She laughed at her own joke.

Remus laughed as well and opened his arms, exhausted. His wife entered them and he enveloped her, kissing her forehead.

"You're so funny," he teased mockingly.

She stuck her tongue out at him and poked him in the ribs. Her smile faded suddenly and she gasped slightly, her hand landing on her abdomen.

"Uh oh," she said in a weakened voice. "Remus, now it's time."

Remus paled and he scooped his pregnant wife up in his arms and carried her into the kitchen, where Molly was sitting with Hermione. The two women looked up in alarm and then jumped to their feet.

"Is it time?" Molly asked. When Remus nodded, she gasped in excitement and began bustling around. "Well go on, then! We'll meet you at St. Mungo's. Go!"

Remus spun around on the spot and vanished with Tonks in his arms. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley shared an excited look and began hurrying about, gathering needed things for the birth. Hermione gave an exasperated cry.

"Where is he? He's been gone for an hour!" she said.

Her question was answered when Ron burst through the door, grinning. He crossed the room and hugged a startled Hermione.

"Hey Hermione!" he said cheerfully. "I have a question to ask you."

She gave him a peck on the cheek hurriedly and replied, "Can't now, Ron, Tonks is having the baby. Here." She tossed a knapsack at a bewildered Ron and it landed on his head. "Fill that with some food – we might need it if this takes a long time."

"Oh, okay," Ron said slowly, disappointed about something as he pulled the knapsack off his head.

He ran a hand through his fiery hair and shrugged, then began taking orders from the women. His question would have to wait until he had her fullest attention.

-

Severus was carrying a jar of something green and slimy up the stairs when somebody ran headlong into him, causing him to drop the jar. It hit the stairs with a crash and the person fell to the ground whilst Severus managed to keep his balance. Ron picked himself up and quickly repaired the jar and magicked the contents back into it.

"Sorry, Professor," Ron said in a hurry, bending over and picking up the jar.

"What's the hurry, Weasley?" Severus asked, taking the jar.

Ron glanced over his shoulder quickly and then turned back to his expressionless ex-Professor.

"Er," Ron said. "Well, sir, Tonks just went into labor –"

"Ah, I see," Severus interjected. "Well proceed, Weasley, before the women skin you alive."

Ron looked relieved and slightly confused by the lack of rudeness from Snape.

"Thanks, sir," Ron said hesitantly, and then continued down the stairs when Severus stepped aside to let him pass. He stopped after a few steps, however, and turned back around. "And, Professor?"

Severus turned to listen.

"Er, my Mum said that it'd be better for Miranda and you and Christine not to go because of – because she might be kind of weak, still."

There was a brief pause, in which Severus stared callously at Ron and Ron looked uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Mister Weasley."

Ron nodded once and went on his way.

Severus continued up the stairs and opened his bedroom door. He stopped dead when he saw Miranda. There she was, sitting on the bed with her notebook on her lap. She was writing vigorously with an eagle quill while a lit cigarette smoked idly between the fingers of her other hand. She took a drag from it and blew the smoke out from her nose and mouth.

"So, one cigarette and you're hooked, then?" he snapped, betraying his surprise with the look on his face.

Miranda jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and then smiled when she saw him.

"Does it look real?" asked Miranda.

Severus placed the jar on the nearest table and turned back to her.

He questioned, "Is it not?"

"No," she responded, setting aside her notebook and quill. "This is candy. I got the idea from the Muggle kind that don't give of any smoke or anything. And, since I'm planning on being a writer and all those Muggle authors smoked and had incense, that smelly stuff, I decided I would too. Harry gave me these regular Muggle ones and I charmed them to have the taste of strawberry and give off the smell of sandalwood."

"Isn't it harsh on your lungs?"

"No," she answered simply. "You don't really inhale, per se. It's more like you just kind of suck in and when you blow out, the candy is left in your mouth in a sort of liquefied powder state."

"Ingenious," Severus commented with the arch of a brow. "Now you can smoke, have your sweet fix, and suffocate others with your incense all at once."

She smiled and tossed him a pack. He caught it and saw that she had charmed them grape flavor. He smirked.

"And now if I ever have to pose as a prostitute again I don't have to mooch off my clients," she added cheerfully, raising the sweet to her lips and taking another pull.

"Ah." Severus crossed the room and fell backwards across the bed, spread-eagled and his eyes narrowed. "Yes, I was wondering about that. Do tell."

She grinned, shuffled over to where he was and pinned his arms down. At the sight of his quizzical expression, she planted a lingering kiss on his lips and gave a chuckle from deep in her chest.

"How's about I show you instead?"

Without taking his intrigued gaze off of her he raised a hand and the door swung shut and locked.

"I think that's the finest idea you've had all day."

-

Ginny had a clipboard and parchment balanced on one knee in the maternity ward waiting room at St. Mungo's. With her sat Harry, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys. She scribbled something down and then turned to Harry, who was twiddling his thumbs as he sat slouched in his chair.

"What do you say to a simple wedding, Harry?" asked Ginny thoughtfully.

Harry shrugged. He really didn't care how the wedding went as long as she was the bride. When he voiced his opinion she tittered quietly and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're sweet, Harry, but a little participation would be nice," she said quietly, as to not disturb the other people in the waiting room.

He turned his green eyes on her and added, "Okay, a simple wedding sounds nice. Just the intimate friends and family – like Neville, Dean, Seamus and Luna. And your family, of course."

"And Hermione."

Harry suppressed a smirk and glanced at Ron, who looked sort of green.

"If Hermione's not a Weasley by then, you mean," he murmured so that nobody else could hear but Ginny.

The female redhead's eyes widened.

"You mean he's going to propose?" she asked excitedly, her eyes flickering towards her youngest brother.

Harry nodded, a smile turning in the corners of his mouth as he stared forward. "He was going to today, but then Tonks went into labor. By tonight, I think, they'll be engaged." Turning to Ginny he added, "What would you say about a double wedding? Maybe save some galleons on food or something?"

Ginny laughed and replied, "Harry, it's a wedding! We shouldn't be worried about galleons, at least not for one day. And a double wedding sounds fantastic, now that you mention it. I'd have to say that Luna would be my Maid of Honor, considering that Hermione would be on the altar for other purposes."

Harry nodded vaguely and looked towards the door that he knew Lupin was probably pacing behind.

"If Lupin's not wrapped up in the werecub I'll probably ask him to be my best man, as Ron'll be with Hermione. He can pick his own best man if he wants, or we'll share one." Harry closed his eyes and leaned back, tired all of a sudden. Ginny elbowed him in the ribs.

"Come on Harry, don't fall asleep on me now," she said jokingly. "I need your help."

"Yes Master," he replied, and sat up again.

Ginny laughed again and went back to her clipboard.

"Master, huh? I like that."

No sooner had Harry closed his eyes again than Lupin opened the door to the ward. Everyone stood up expectantly, listening.

"Uh," Lupin said slowly, as if he was having a hard time believing himself. "I – I'm a father."

The applause was deafening. Natalie Andromeda Lupin had been born.

That night at dinner, in front of all the Weasleys and the Snapes (Remus and Tonks had stayed overnight at the hospital) Ron proposed to Hermione. She had kissed him in reply; Severus was reminded disturbingly of the time he had asked Miranda to marry him and the reaction he had received.

After the celebration subsided, everybody went to their various rooms. Hermione sat with her back against the bed board and a book propped up on her knees, but she found that she was unable to read due to the event that had taken place a few hours ago. Ron came out of the bathroom, pulling a shirt over his head, and collapsed onto the bed next to Hermione. She looked up from her book and smiled at him.

"Hello," she said calmly, smiling warmly.

Ron yawned in reply, got up on his knees, and kissed his bride-to-be.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said conversationally, grinning his lopsided grin.

Hermione laughed and looked back down at her book. After a few moments, however, she gave an aggravated growl and closed the book with a snap.

"I can't think straight," she said in false anger. "It's all your fault, Ron Weasley."

He laughed, plucked the book from her hands, and threw it across the room. Hermione looked scandalized.

"Oops," he said nonchalantly, "that was my fault, too. And that." He pulled the covers off of Hermione and, laughing happily, attacked.

A floor away, Miranda was struggling to write her novel. Severus, who had just finished writing something down in his old potions book, looked up from his work and saw her distress.

"What's troubling you now?" he asked, closing Advanced Potion-Making.

"I don't know, not really," Miranda replied. "I mean, it's a bunch of things – like a chain of thoughts."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can't be killed now, apparently, at least not as far as I can tell. And what good does invincibility do if I can't have additional children?"

She looked up at him with depression evident on her face. He, on the other hand, did not have any expression.

"I don't understand your logic," he stated.

She sighed and turned away from him so that he did not see a tear snake down her cheek. He sensed her sadness, however, and opened Advanced Potion-Making again to a certain page.

"I think," he said, "I can help you. I've been doing some research on the Progenitor Veneficium and I might be able to… tweak the circumstances in which it operates."

Miranda hastily wiped her tear away and turned to face Severus, who was looking down at his book in concentration.

"Y-you can?" she stammered.

"I think so," he replied slowly. "I just need some research to be done. Actually," he brought the old book closer to his face, "I need a lot of research to be done."

Miranda pursed her lips together and absently ran a hand through her hair.

"I can take care of that," she said. "And I know exactly how."

Meanwhile, a few doors down from Ron and Hermione's room, Harry and Ginny were talking once again about wedding plans. Harry stretched out on the bed, face-down and exhausted.

"Ginny, if you say 'wedding' again, I'll snap," Harry moaned into his pillow.

Ginny laughed and crossed the room, plopping herself unceremoniously beside him on the bed.

"Wedding," she said simply, running her fingers though his hair.

He began to cough and splutter mockingly and she laughed.

"Wedding," she repeated, sweeping her red hair off her shoulders.

Harry rolled around and sat up, pulling her by the scruff of the neck and kissing her to silence her.

"Shut up."

-

During the course of the next few days Miranda was unable to do much research, as the roundup of stray Death Eaters had begun. This task was not incredibly difficult, as the Death Eaters were now scattered and unorganized, as well as fearful. Within just a few days, as Miranda had taken care of the vast majority of Death Eaters, Harry and the Order had managed to compile a list of the rest of the Death Eaters whose bodies had not been found at the Death Eater Headquarters.

When Mrs. Weasley found a nest containing eggs that could possibly belong to a lethifold, one of which was hatched, the Order was forced to vacate the building to Hogwarts while it was being searched by Moody and Kingsley. Miranda jumped at this opportunity, for it meant that she could use the Hogwarts library to research Rowena Ravenclaw and the Progenitor Veneficium.

The castle had not changed in the slightest and Miranda felt the same wonder that she felt the very first time she'd set foot in the castle. Now, as summer was rapidly approaching, students were lounging around on the grounds. Christine, while awed and excited at the prospect of living in a castle, for she had read every fairy tale she could get her hands on, found the monstrosity of it quite overwhelming.

A woman with pale blonde hair drifted over, idly looking at the clouds as she passed. She made a beeline straight for Miranda and Christine.

"Hi Luna," Miranda said pleasantly as the blonde approached.

"Hello Professor Kent," Luna said, and then her round eyes landed on Christine, who was clinging to her mother's hand. "Or are you married now?" She looked at Miranda's finger and sought a ring. "Oh, you are, I see. Is this girl yours? It must be because she looks exactly like you." Miranda shifted slightly; Luna had a knack for making her feel considerably awkward. Luna, however, seemed perfectly fine and, when she saw Severus levitating a mass of suitcases up the slope of the grounds, said, "You're married to Professor Snape, then? He was never very friendly to me; I think he just favored the Slytherins over us Ravenclaws, but he must have a heart somewhere if he's married. Then again, if you got pregnant before you were married, the whole situation would be different. Hello, Professor," she added as Severus walked by with the suitcases and she was rewarded with a curt nod as he swept past.

Miranda took this silence as an opportunity to change the subject.

"Well you've certainly grown, Luna," she said lightly, switching Christine to her other arm. "Do you work here?"

Luna smiled pleasantly.

"Yes, I've taken over the Divination position for Firenze and Professor Trelawney."

"Ah, I see. And what happened to them?"

"Oh, Firenze was accepted back into his clan after Bane died and Professor Trelawney decided that her talents would be better appreciated elsewhere. I think that she was just mad that people stopped taking her class."

Miranda raised a brow.

"Do you have any students?"

Luna sighed and looked up at the sky briefly before replying, "Oh yes, of course. Young students are always there to teach and some older students stay with the subject, though I don't pretend to be a Seer."

"You talk a lot," Christine observed, pointing her finger at Luna.

Luna smiled and Miranda raised her eyebrows at her daughter. Even Severus, who was passing on his way down the lawn towards the gate, gave an appreciative smirk.

"Do you think so?" Luna asked. Christine nodded and Luna smiled again. "Oh, that's nice. Well, I'm supposed to show you your quarters, but I don't think that's necessary, as you're just going to be in the same room that Professor Snape used to have."

Miranda nodded and thanked the blonde. She set Christine down and cracked her knuckles.

"Would you like me to show you the kitchens?" Luna asked Christine. "I'm sure the elves would love to meet you. What's your name?"

"I'm Christine Nicole Snape," Christine recited. "Can I meet the elves? Do they wear pointy hats and curly shoes? Does Father Christmas work here, too?"

Luna laughed, took Christine's hand, and began leading her to the castle. Harry and Ron appeared beside Miranda once Luna and Christine disappeared from view, both men levitating large trunks. Miranda laughed when she saw them.

"So the women have you dealing with all their luggage, do they?" Miranda asked. "Why is it that you're moving to the castle now, too?"

Harry grimaced slightly.

"Because," Harry said reluctantly, "Dumbledore doesn't think it's safe for openly supportive Phoenixes to be living at their homes at the moment – what with the Death Eaters and all. And I don't have anywhere else to go at the moment anyway, so I might as well be here."

"Yeah," Ron said, and his lack of concentration sent all the luggage crashing to the ground. He swore loudly and stared at a trunk, which had opened and spilled books everywhere. "I never knew Hermione planned on bringing her entire library on this trip. They have us working like house elves here."

"Get used to it," Severus drawled as he passed yet again, this time levitating a cauldron full of books up towards the castle. "It doesn't change."

Miranda stuck her tongue out at him as he passed without a backward glance, his old robes sweeping the ground behind him.

"I hate to say it, Gents, but he's right," Miranda said with a shrug and a smile, and levitated a trunk to assist Ron.

-

A few days later, Miranda strode into the library. Her eyes swept the room and landed on her query and she crossed the room. Planting herself down in a chair and pushing a large stack of books aside, she saw that the woman sitting across from her looked slightly distressed.

"Hermione, I need your help."

Hermione looked up from her book and replied, closing her book, "Yeah?"

Miranda looked anxiously around the room to make sure they were not being eavesdropped upon and then the two women brought their heads closer together.

"Severus and I are making the potion that will change the Progenitor Veneficium, but we can't do all the research on our own in time," Miranda said in a rush.

Hermione furrowed her brows.

"What's the rush, Professor?" questioned Hermione, confused.

Miranda took a deep breath and replied, "Well, Hermione, the Progenitor Veneficium prevents me from having additional children, as you know, but it'll undoubtedly stop any pregnancy that's already happening."

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, considering the other woman's words carefully. "You're pregnant, Professor, aren't you?" When Miranda nodded fearfully, Hermione sighed and muttered, "What a coincidence."

Miranda sat back suddenly, surprised out of her dark thoughts.

"You are?" she asked, incredulous.

Hermione nodded; it was obvious she was holding back tears.

"That's what I've been reading up on," she whispered hurriedly, gesturing to all the books around her. "I don't know how to raise a child and I'm afraid to ask my parents because I don't think they'll approve that I've been… that I've gotten pregnant before I got married."

Miranda leaned over and patted Hermione reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hermione," she said calmly. "I'll help you – trust me, I know how you're feeling. And to think, at least you know Ron loves you – I didn't even know if Severus was interested in marriage at the time." She suddenly felt a whole lot more cheerful. "Does Ron know?"

Hermione shook her head, pursing her lips and allowing several tendrils of curly brown hair to escape from her haphazard bun and frame her face. "No," she muttered. "Not yet. I don't want to scare him."

Miranda laughed but sobered up quickly when she remembered the purpose of this conversation.

"Nobody knows more about this library than you and Madam Pince, and I'm afraid of that woman; I spilled Butterbeer on a book in my third year and I haven't approached her since. Will you help me?"

Hermione nodded vigorously and asked, "Does Professor Snape know yet?"

Miranda shook her head just as Ginny plunked herself beside her in a chair and put her head close to form a huddle.

"What are we hiding?" Ginny asked excitedly, propping her chin up on her fist. "Do you need my help?"

Miranda smiled gratefully at Ginny. "I need all the help I can get." She then proceeded to explain the works of the Progenitor Veneficium and then finished with, "It's really important that I figure out more about the Progenitor soon because, well, because I'm pregnant."

Ginny raised an eyebrow and stroked her chin thoughtfully before saying, "What a coincidence."

-

Remus and Tonks, along with their new addition, joined the Order of the Phoenix members at Hogwarts a few days after the original settlement.

Remus and Severus sat together in the faculty room, Severus ignoring Remus completely and writing down something from Hogwarts, a History in a spiral notebook. Remus watched the other man work for a while until a thought occurred to him.

"Severus, may I ask you a question about Miranda?" Remus asked cautiously though still conversationally, taking a sip from his tea.

"If you must," Severus replied tersely, pausing in his writing to read something that he had missed while listening to Remus; Severus was comfortable in saying that he knew just about everything about Miranda, from her middle name (which was Antwanette, for she was named after a great aunt of little importance and disliked the name immensely.) right down to the inconspicuous birth mark on her left hip.

"Why is it that she kept her name when she was in 'hiding'?" Remus asked curiously.

Severus tilted his head back and rolled it on his shoulders, for his neck was stiff from all his research.

"There are a lot of Kents," he replied, "and most people didn't know that Marcus and Penelope Kent had even had a child."

There was a pause, in which Severus returned to jotting down notes and Remus drank thoughtfully from his cup.

-

On June 29th, which also happened to be Miranda's birthday, Severus marched triumphantly into the bedroom, brandishing a list and a newspaper. He crossed the room, walking right by his sleeping wife, and threw open the curtains in one sweeping gesture. The light fell on Miranda and she groaned, opening her eyes.

"Are you psycho, Severus?" she cried out sleepily, rolling over and holding her pillow over her face. "It's five in the morning."

"I've done it!"

Miranda threw the pillow away from her face and sat up abruptly, eyes wide.

"You have?"

"Yes."

Severus sounded more excited then she could ever remember him being. He walked back over and picked up the parchment and newspaper, then walked over to Miranda and held it under her nose. Miranda took the parchment, read it, and then grinned broadly.

"You are a genius!" she exclaimed, leaping from under her covers and tackle-hugging him. "An absolute, bloody genius!"

He sat himself back up in a more dignified position and snatched up the newspaper, saying, "Would you mind explaining this?"

It was a copy of the Daily Prophet. The main headline read "Dead Man and His Wife Search for a Cure" and below it was a small picture of Hogwarts castle. Miranda took the article and read it over quickly. It was a small article, written by Colin Creevy, and it was very brief. Miranda took the liberty of reading a section aloud in a portentous voice.

"… Severus Snape, who was previously believed to be dead, and his wife, former heir of Ravenclaw, Miranda (previously Kent) are currently doing research to change the effects of the coveted Progenitor Veneficium. This charm, invented by Rowena Ravenclaw, enables the heir of Ravenclaw to possess a frightening amount of magical ability such as wandless magic and spell-casting that could rival Merlin himself. An unfortunate side effect of this charm is that the heir of Ravenclaw may only have one child, lest the magical distribution become too thin. Miranda herself had only one brief statement to make before closing her bedroom door in my face, a stack of books in her arms:

'Some things are more important than power.'

Miranda has disclosed that she will hold a short press conference the day she and (former Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) Severus Snape test out their 'invention', whatever that may be.

For more on the Progenitor Veneficium and Rowena Ravenclaw, visit pages 10 and 13, respectively…"

Miranda looked up from the article, beaming and obviously proud of herself. Severus, however, looked slightly annoyed. He raised a brow as she peered at him over the top of the newspaper.

"A press conference? We're going to drink this potion in front of them?" He seemed on the verge of losing his patience.

She shrugged.

"Yeah, it doesn't matter. The worst thing that could happen is that we die and Rita Skeeter gets to write a nice article for whatever paper she's for that we're lousy potion makers. Either way, we'll be dead. Nobody will laugh at us, you know, they're all just amazed that we'd be willing to potentially give up all our extra power." She cast an eye over his doubtful expression and rolled up the Prophet in one hand before tossing it into the rubbish. "And even that's not so bad. I mean, you haven't had it for more than six years and I, well… I didn't get it 'till I was about six anyway."

She turned her face to the window and Severus knew that she was probably thinking about her parents – she'd hardly gotten to know them before they'd died. He pulled a thin box out of his pocket and prodded her with it. Her hair whipped about when she turned and her lips twitched upwards when she saw the box. Briefly she mad eye contact with him, and then took the small package and opened it.

"Why, Severus, I do believe this is the coolest thing I've ever seen," she said, amused as she took a sleek silver watch from the box and held it up. She eyed it carefully, pushing buttons. It looked like a completely normal watch except for a silver button on the face. "What's this do?" She pushed the button and it beeped once. Alarmed, she looked up at Severus. "What's it doing?"

"It records memos," he said plainly with a shrug. "Time, date, and what it regards. Just tell it and it'll remind you however long before it that you want. I figured you could use the wall space for something more valuable."

Both their heads turned to the wall, which was adorned with sticky notes. Miranda gave a laugh and spoke into the watch.

"Beat the living hell out of Ron for taking my Agrippa Wizard Card at twelve noon on June 29th of this year. Remind me an hour previous."

The watch beeped again to confirm and then fell silent. Miranda gleefully slapped the watch on her left wrist and grinned at Severus, who was evidently trying not to look too pleased with himself.

"You know, Severus," Miranda said slowly, absently fiddling with her watch but not really paying attention; she obviously didn't want to meet his eyes. "As wonderful as this is, you've already given me the best gift possible."

His brow arched slightly and he shifted into the Indian-style position on the bed, knowing all too well that he was about to be surprised – he knew Miranda too well to not think so. "Oh yeah?" His voice was indifferent, just as he had known it would be; he prided himself on knowing when not to sound like he cared, especially around Miranda.

"Yeah. I'm pregnant again."

Once again, Miranda had showed her knack for springing things on Severus when he was the least prepared. He was not surprised, he was absolutely shocked. He shook his head once, greasy hair flopping, and tried several times to make sensible words. Finally he managed to pull himself together enough to speak. "You love doing that, don't you? Besides, that's not possible… that."

Miranda's brows disappeared beneath her hair.

"Oh yeah?" she said. "It is possible. It's happening, for Merlin's sake. That's why we need to hurry – I could lose it at any time."

He gaped at her for another moment before they both turned to the finished potion instruction parchment.

"Well what the hell are we waiting for?" he snapped, snatching up the parchment, he and Miranda both scrambling to their feet. "We have a potion to make!"

-

Harry and Ron hurried down one of the many marble staircases in the direction of the Great Hall, both pulling on their cloaks.

"Are the girls down there already?" Harry asked, jamming a hat over his unruly hair.

Ron was hopping from step to step, trying desperately to cram his foot into his old trainers.

"Beats me," he panted. With a grunt, he managed to slip the shoe on and he resumed running. "But if we were any later, we might as well not go."

Harry made an indignant sound and ducked under a tapestry pretending to be a solid wall, running full out with Ron close behind him. They skidded to a halt outside the vast oak doors of the Great Hall and took deep breaths to calm themselves.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I ever will be," Harry replied. "Wand out. Let's go."

Ron, with his wand in one hand, pushed the door open with a grunt and he and Harry stepped inside the Great Hall. The place was pretty full, as family and friends alike had come to see this history-changing event. The four House tables had been replaced by rows upon rows of steel fold-up chairs, in which the guests and reporters sat. Albus Dumbledore sat in the very front chair beside Christine, who was swinging her legs in her chair, her feet dangling a foot off the ground. At the head table sat Severus and Miranda with a steaming cauldron at Severus' right. Hermione stood at the cauldron, adding a few last-minute ingredients and double-checking the list that Severus and Miranda had perfected together. Colin Creevy and Rita Skeeter were the only familiar reporters, both with Quick-Quotes Quills. Both of these had been personally scanned by Harry and Ron to make sure they didn't twist the story around. As Colin was writing for the Prophet, Skeeter was undoubtedly reporting for the Quibbler, much to Harry's amusement. The woman's hair hung lank in her face, totally devoid of the bounce it once had. In fact, Rita seemed to have lost whatever malicious aura she once possessed and now seemed almost, well, tame.

Once Miranda saw that Harry and Ron were positioned at their stations at the back door, she sent a wink in their direction and stood.

Opening her arms and grinning, she said, "As promised, a press conference. Any questions?"

Instantly people began shouting questions, but neither Miranda nor Severus seemed surprised. Severus raised his hand and the crowd fell silent.

"A little civilized behavior would be appreciated," he said in a dangerously calm voice, and a sense of foreboding swept across the room; Severus had a way with words, it seemed, or maybe it was just his facial expression.

Colin raised his hand and Miranda pointed at him, addressing him by name at the same time. He looked down at his notepad before looking back up at Miranda and giving her a business-like smile.

"Professor, what makes you think that this potion will work?"

Miranda tilted back her chair and propped her combat boots up on the table. She thought for a moment before replying, "You know, Colin, I'm really not sure. Severus and I, with the exception of, say, Lily Potter –" she bowed her head out of respect when she said the name Lily Potter "– are just about the only people who had the guts to leave the safe path of instructions and do some experimenting of our own. I'm not bragging, don't get me wrong, but really, when you get down to it, Severus and I have never failed at making a new potion. We've done the research with a load of help, of course, and we've taken every precaution that we could possibly take. Does that answer your question?"

Colin nodded and another reporter raised his hand as Colin checked his Quick-Quotes Quill, which was skating across the page of his parchment. Miranda pointed at him next.

"We all know that the Progenitor Veneficium was a charm, so why did you chose to make a potion? Also, can you describe the content of this potion?"

Severus replied this time after muttering something to Hermione, who nodded once and began ladling the potion into three clear glasses, each with a handle on them like a beer flask.

"We chose to make a potion because, as was said, Miranda and I are both particularly adroit with the precise art of potion-making. Several charms were done on the potion as well, but the potion remains just that – a potion."

"As far as the content goes," Miranda continued, cutting into Severus' talking, "we can't really say what exactly we did because that would be, well, kind of dense of us. However, I can tell you one thing – we have tweaked the circumstances under which the Progenitor operates. Before, this charm could be transmitted to any person who you share a child with, though the heir of Ravenclaw could only have one child. This potion will change that – the heir will be able to have as many children as they want, and the Progenitor will merely divvy up the 'magical buildup' when the heir and spouse die. With this potion, the Progenitor Veneficium can only be transmitted if the two people, heir and… partner, are in love."

A murmur swept across the room and quills scratched on paper for a few moments before Rita Skeeter raised her hand. Miranda pointed at her and she stood up.

"How can you be so sure that you are in real, true love?" she asked skeptically, reminding Harry of the Rita Skeeter that had cornered him in the broom closet.

Severus narrowed his eyes, sending a glare at the reporter, but Miranda snorted, completely unfazed.

"Come on now," Miranda said, looking genuinely amused. She elbowed Severus in the ribs, but he didn't smile. "To answer your question, Rita, I don't think anything else on earth could have possibly kept us together, eh Sev?"

Severus said nothing, nor did he look amused. He gave Miranda a well-rehearsed "shut up or I'll poison you" look that had no effect on her. After Miranda's statement, though, none of the reporters seemed to have anything else to ask. Miranda looked around at the reporters and when none of them raised her hands, clapped her hands together once.

"Okay then, let's get this over and done with. Christine, if you please."

Christine leapt up and skipped up to the head table, then sat herself down between her parents. Miranda handed them each a mug and then took her own. Colin raised his hand and Miranda pointed at him with the frothing and steaming glass in her hand.

"Is there anything you'd like to say before you change history?"

Miranda grinned and raised her glass. She, Severus and Christine clinked their glasses together, Miranda and Christine a little more enthusiastically than Severus. "Yeah," Miranda said cheerfully. "Bottoms up!"

That being said, she, Severus and Christine raised their glasses simultaneously and drank. The Hall was completely silent and Harry gripped the handle of his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Pleaseworkpleaseworkpleasework… he thought desperately, holding his breath.

Severus finished his first and lowered the glass, pulling a face slightly and wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Next finished Miranda, licking her lips and looking utterly disgusted, as if she'd just tasted the worst thing in her life. Christine finished last, and when she lowered her glass she stuck her tongue out and made a gagging sound. The tension in the room seemed to ease a bit and some people laughed at the sight of the repulsed six-year-old.

"How do you feel?" Rita asked excitedly. "Queasy? Faint? Do you think that you'll survive this grueling experience?"

"We're not dead," Miranda said calmly, shrugging her shoulders. "That's a good thing. That's all that really matters in the end, whether the potion works or not."

And she was right, thought Harry. Whether the potion worked or not was beside the point, really, and the only thing that really mattered was that they were alive, well, and that they'd tried. His eyes sought Ginny, who had her hand resting lightly on her barely noticeably bulging abdomen, and he confirmed his thoughts. Somehow or another, thought he didn't know how he knew, everything was going to be alright. That was what mattered, after all.

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A/N: Aww, the end of the last real chapter. The last chapter is more of an epilogue, and hopefully a lot shorter than this. But anyway, thanks to everybody for reading, and a special thanks to my reviewers, especially to those who have forced themselves to read each chapter since I published the first. Thanks to everybody!