Severus and Hermione had been living together for nearly two weeks already, and they had nearly gotten on each other's nerves several times. However, they always made up in the end… Sometimes, in more ways than one…
OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo
"Severus, wake up!" cried Hermione, kicking the end of the bed while she finished buttoning her shirt.
Groaning, he pulled the blankets further over his head. She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior and began to fasten her belt.
"Look, it's not my fault you decided to drink ten glasses of Firewhiskey last night," she told him crossly.
"It wasn't ten," she heard mumbled from the mound underneath the quilts.
The previous night, they had had a fine dinner in the living room, just like they had on the night that Hermione had first told Severus about the baby. Although Hermione hadn't consumed any alcohol at all (hello, she's pregnant), Severus had had quite a bit. Though he was only slurring slightly by the time they made it into bed, Hermione was sure that he was regretting his great liquor consumption right about now. However, she felt no pity towards him; it was his own fault, after all.
"Severus," she barked, stalking over to stand above him, "get (she took hold of the blankets) up!" She tugged the blankets off of him and he shuddered. Squeezing his eyes shut, he reached out blindly and began to feel around for them. Opening his eyes and moaning when he failed to recover them, he sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes.
"What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"6:30."
"In the morning!" He fell back onto the bed, his hands shielding his eyes from the sunlight flooding in through the window Hermione had installed. "Why in the hell did you get me up so early? I would have awoken just as well on my own two hours from now, and I wouldn't be forced now to consume three cups of coffee instead of my usual two."
"You shouldn't be drinking two cups of coffee every morning, anyway. Have water for once in your life."
"The only liquid I am willing to consume is pumpkin juice at meals, black coffee, or liquor."
"How very healthy, Severus Snape. What is the matter with your black coffee thing, anyway?"
"Excuse me?"
"Why won't you accept your coffee with milk or sugar in it?"
"Black is the only way I will take it. Simply because."
Rolling her eyes, she kicked the end of the bed again as she shouted at him, "Gods, would you get out of bed already?"
"Aren't you supposed to be having morning sickness about this time?"
"No, I've already had it, thank you. And again, it is not at all my fault that you chose to drink half your weight in alcohol last night."
"Hermione, I did not consume that much alcohol last night."
"I doubt if you even remember last night, Severus Snape. Get out of bed this instant!"
Sitting up once more, Severus ran a hand over his face. Then he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood uneasily, grasping the bedpost to keep himself from falling over.
"Very well done, Professor Snape. Now, please get dressed."
"May I ask why you are doing this to me?"
"There is a reason."
"Would you care to enlighten me as to what it is?"
"We are going to meet my parents this morning," she said extremely quickly, hoping that perhaps he wouldn't catch it.
She was wrong.
"Excuse me?" he cried, his voice in a slightly higher pitch than usual, as he collapsed back onto the bed.
"Don't overreact," she said, taking a step toward him.
"Are they even aware of my existence? Are they aware that you are pregnant? Do they know that we are living together? I believe I might be having a heart attack."
"Severus, calm down. They know that I have a 'boyfriend', and they wish to meet him. Therefore, we are traveling there today so that they can get to know you a bit better."
"They have never gotten to know me before."
"That is quite true…"
"Are you intending on informing them of your pregnancy during our presence there?"
"Perhaps, if it goes well with you."
"Please tell me that you have informed them of our age difference."
"Well…" Hermione muttered, staring at the floor.
"You fool! What they hell are they going to say when they meet me?" he cried again.
"They tell me how happy they are for me, and they will love you."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
"Gods, Severus, do you honestly think that my parents are horrible human beings?"
"I apologize. I…don't think that."
"Are you quite sure?"
"Yes." He stood up again, and this time, his legs were not nearly as shaky as they had been the last time. "When are we leaving?" he asked.
"Soon, I believe. Take a shower, and get dressed."
"Are you planning on eating breakfast?"
"I just threw up in the toilet, Severus. Do not talk to me about breakfast ever again."
"Very well. Are you planning on allowing me to eat breakfast, then?"
"No, I am not."
"Pardon me?" Severus froze midway through stepping into his pants and, as a result, staggered over to the bed and sat down. Then he resumed pulling his trousers up over his knees.
"We are eating breakfast at my parents' house."
"Please tell me that you are joking."
"I am not."
Rolling his eyes, he froze again, in the middle of dressing himself. Moaning, aggravated, he pulled off his pants and pitched them onto the floor angrily. Then he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
"What is your problem?" Hermione called to him.
"You could have given me a bit of warning," she heard from behind the closed door.
"If I had, you wouldn't have come."
"Excuse me?"
"You would have refused to meet with my parents."
"Perhaps if I had been granted a bit of time to prepare-"
"How would you have prepared?"
"I could have thought of a clever reply, should your father make a joke about my age."
"You are younger than he is."
"How much younger?"
Hermione was silent for a moment. Then, uneasily, and so quietly that she hoped Severus wouldn't hear her, she replied, "Five years."
At that moment, the water shut off, and then, just seconds later, Severus stepped through the doorway wearing only a white towel around his waist.
"Tell me you are joking."
"Well, it might be six or seven years difference."
Shaking his head and scowling, he returned to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
"Severus, don't be like this," Hermione called to him.
She heard indistinct mumbling from behind the door, and though she strained her ears to make out the words, she could not. Running a brush quickly through her hair, she sat down on the bed and waited.
Minutes later, Severus reappeared, this time, fully clothed in his usual teaching attire. When Hermione turned around to look at him, she frowned.
"You are not really going to wear that, are you?"
"What would you like for me to wear?"
"You could not dress up a bit for them? You are making a first impression, Severus. You don't get a second chance for this."
"Really? I wasn't aware." When he received another frown from Hermione, he rolled his eyes and asked again, "What would you like for me to wear?"
"Go to your closet and choose something."
"Regardless of what I decide on, you will have a negative opinion about it."
"I will not!" she cried indignantly
"We fight like a married couple, you know that?"
Because Severus did not take a step forward from where he was standing just outside the doorway to the bathroom, Hermione sighed and, rolling her eyes, stood and went to the closet, which they had expanded considerably to fit all of Hermione's clothing as well. Flipping quickly through his clothes, Hermione eventually picked out the blue shirt that he had worn on their first date and tossed it to him. Immediately, he began taking off the shirt that he was wearing.
"May I ask how we are going to get there?" he asked.
"We will Floo, of course."
"They know that we are coming, I presume?"
"Of course."
"Do they at least know my name?"
"They know that your name is Severus Snape."
"Are they aware that I am your former professor?"
"Not unless you've told them."
"Hermione Granger-"
"Severus Snape."
Raising an eyebrow at her, he said nothing; he only continued to fasten the buttons on the blue shirt she had given him.
"What the hell do you think they are going to say when we appear in their living room, Hermione? 'Is this your boyfriend's father?'"
"They are not going to say that, Severus."
"How would you possibly know?"
"My parents are good people. My parents are kind people. My parents will love you. Like I love you."
"You don't know that, Hermione."
"Trust me, Severus. Please, just trust me. They will love you."
OoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOoooOooo
"They are going to hate me."
"Quit saying that."
Shaking his head, Severus looked at his feet. Clutched in his hand was a bunch of Floo Powder, ready to be thrown into the hearth at their feet.
"Take a deep breath, Severus," she smirked at him.
Sneering, he threw down the Floo Powder, and instantly, Hermione called out, "Jane and Robert Granger's house!"
Moments later, they appeared in a fireplace in a fairly large living room, as it appeared to Severus. Looking up at him, Hermione whispered, "Be nice and smile. All right?"
Severus gave her a small smile.
"Bigger."
He widened his smile, and Hermione gave him a satisfied nod. Then, taking his hand, she stepped out of the fireplace with him and called out, "Mum, Dad!"
Severus heard a high-pitched squeal from somewhere near them in the house, and seconds later, a plump woman came running into the room, wrapping her arms around Hermione tightly. Severus thought that he had never seen such a wide smile as he did right then on Hermione's mother. When Jane pulled away from her daughter, she stood back and beamed at Severus.
"You are Severus, of course?" she asked him, holding out her hand.
"Yes, mam," he replied.
Did I just call her 'mam'? he asked himself disgustedly.
Laughing, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Please call me Jane."
"Very well, Jane."
"Robert! Get in here, please! Hermione has arrive- Ah, there you are."
Severus and Hermione looked over and there, leaning against the door way, was her father. He was a thin man, but not scrawny by any means, with brown, graying hair. As he walked closer, Severus observed that both of Hermione's parents had her eyes. Of course, her father's were a bit more distant than her mother's as he extended a hand to Severus.
"You are dating my daughter?"
"Yes, I am," said Severus, taking his hand.
"I'm Robert."
"I am Severus. It's good to meet you, Robert."
"Thank you. You may call me Mr. Granger."
"Of course, Mr. Granger. I apologize."
Robert nodded and released his hand, looking Severus up and down.
"Robert, don't be so cold!" Jane scolded, and then turned to Severus, smiling warmly. "Would either of you like a cup of tea?"
"Yes, please," Hermione said, not giving Severus the chance to answer.
"Follow me, then, into the kitchen," Jane replied, beckoning to the three of them and walking into another room.
Once they had reached the kitchen and been handed their cups, Jane clapped her hands together and grinned at everyone.
"Well, everyone, why don't we go into the dining room and sit down?"
"Are you going to tell her?" Robert asked his wife.
"Well, I wasn't- Hermione, don't!" her mother exclaimed as Hermione pushed open the door from the kitchen curiously. However, it was already too late.
As the younger woman peered through the crack between the door and the wall, she gasped as she saw an entire table full of her relatives. There were many of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. Shutting the door back quickly, she turned around to glare at her mother.
"What the- What are all of them doing here, Mother?"
Wringing her hands, Jane glanced first at her husband, and then worriedly at her daughter. "When I told everyone that you had a new boyfriend and he was coming to meet us today, they couldn't resist coming to meet him, as well. What was I supposed to do?"
"You could have said no, Mother! Honestly, I'm sure that Severus is tense enough, just meeting you and Dad! But to add the rest of our family into it, as well-"
"Perhaps he would like to speak for himself," said Robert, turning to Severus, who had been standing, hovering in the background silently.
"I am sure that whatever Mrs. Granger chose to do is just fine," he said.
I cannot believe that in the face of the Dark Lord, I am able to stand strong and resilient, but when faced with Hermione Granger's parents, I become weak and submissive, he thought, cursing himself, but also oddly proud of his ability to remain calm and peaceful, as opposed to his usual rude manner.
"Say what you think, my boy," Robert Granger snapped at him. It was as if he could read Severus' mind.
Severus looked up at the man and met his eyes. Then he straightened himself up and lied, "I have already." He was nearly ready to use Legilimency to make undetectable to this man the fact that he was being untruthful, before he remembered that Hermione's parents were both Muggles.
Robert raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he took a step back from the two women to allow them to carry on with their argument.
Hermione looked back to her mother and uttered, "This was completely inconsiderate of you, Mum."
"I apologize, but I couldn't have possibly said no to them. Oh, you should have heard them, going on and on about how anxious they were to see what you would bring home after that Weasley fellow-"
All heads turned sharply as Severus snorted in the corner, but quickly, and in vain, attempted to turn it into a noisy cough.
However, the attention was quickly averted from Severus when a booming laugh was heard from the dining room.
"Would you like for me to simply order them to leave this instant?" asked Jane Granger sarcastically to her daughter.
"Yes, something like that."
Glaring at her daughter, Jane sighed and then glanced over in the direction of the dining room.
"We cannot keep them waiting forever, Hermione. Come along, Severus, and we'll have you meet everyone. Come on, Robert," she told them, gesturing for them to follow her through the doorway. Quickly painting on a wide, toothy grin, Jane Granger made her way into the dining room to meet a load of faces, smiling right back at her. In fact, the number of jolly people in that one room unnerved Severus, but he too painted on a small smile for them.
"Hermione, I can't believe you're finally here!" someone cried, and everyone jumped up to make their way over to her.
"You look so beautiful!"
"The last time I saw you, you were at least a few inches shorter, I'm sure!"
"My, don't you look pretty, Hermione!"
"It is so wonderful to finally have you home!"
Once the excitement from Hermione had died down, they started in on Severus.
"Well, Hermione, who is this?" one aunt asked. The shock at his appearance was clearly evident in her eyes, Severus observed, as she looked him over.
Raising her voice and giving a polite smile, Hermione said, "Well, this is Severus Snape. He is my…boyfriend."
Severus nearly snorted again as he noticed how Hermione was trying quite hard not to cringe at the word.
"How wonderful!"
"Good to meet you!" everyone exclaimed, in one way, shape, or form.
Finally, they were all able to sit back at the dining room table. When Severus was actually able to sit down at the table, he saw that the amount of people was not nearly as intimidating as it had been from a distance. There were only what Severus assumed were three cousins, two aunts, and two uncles.
"Hermione, why haven't we heard of Severus before now?"
"I didn't think that I had to inform each member of my family of every small detail of my personal life," she replied.
"It would have been quite nice of you to have the courtesy to tell us," one uncle joked.
"How long have you been together?"
"Officially?" asked Hermione.
"I suppose so."
She answered, "About three months. However, before that, we were unofficially together for about three months."
"That should be enough time to build a good, solid relationship, then."
"Yes. We are living together now."
"How wonderful!"
Severus found himself wondering how these people could keep themselves in such high spirits at all times. However, then he spotted Robert Granger lean forward and ask Severus what appeared to be quite seriously, with no hint of a smile on the wrinkled face so similar to his own, "Severus, is it? May I ask if there is a significant age difference between you and my daughter?"
Severus found himself genuinely smiling as he answered, "Yes, sir, there is, as a matter of fact."
"Care to tell me what it is?"
"Approximately nineteen years."
"I see. Do you have a great deal of money that my daughter might be interested in?"
"Dad!"
Robert held up a hand to silence his daughter, without taking his eyes off of Severus' face.
"No, sir."
"Then why would my daughter be with a man who is just five years younger than her father?" Robert asked, oblivious to the large amount of people around him shaking their heads and pinching the bridge of their noses.
"Honestly, sir, I haven't the slightest clue."
"Don't be modest, Severus!" Hermione chimed in rather loudly, before her father could stop her. "Mum, he is quite intelligent. In fact, he may be the most intelligent man that I have ever met. And he is also a gentleman. On our first unofficial date, he always held the door open for me, and he still does, even now."
"Apparently, my daughter thinks very highly of you, Severus."
"Yes, apparently she does."
"And he is mature," Hermione added, "unlike Ronald. Do you know, Severus, when I took him here to meet with my parents, he absolutely stuffed his face with my mother's food? It was quite sickening, actually."
"That is simply poor manners," Severus replied, keeping his unchanging smile plastered on his face.
Grinning, Hermione looked from Severus to her family, glancing around the table. "Mum, would you like for me to check on your food in the oven?"
"If you would, Hermione," replied Jane, nodding.
"Severus, would you like to join me?" Hermione asked him.
Nodding, he stood from his place beside her and followed her into the kitchen. When they had both entered and allowed the door to swing closed behind them, he leaned against the counter as Hermione slipped an oven mitt over her right hand.
"Is my behavior quite acceptable?" he asked her after she had bent down to examine the food that was baking inside of the oven.
"Yes, Severus, you are doing wonderfully! Just as well as I thought you would!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.
"Are you planning on telling them, or shall I?"
She looked up at him. "Excuse me?"
"The baby," he said simply.
"Right. I suppose I will simply wait until the greater majority of my family has left the house, and then I will tell them the news."
"Are you quite sure that will work?"
"As long as neither of us accidentally let it slip before that, yes. I imagine it will resemble something to the situation that occurred when I informed you."
"I see."
"I told you my family was made up of very kind people."
"Your father… He is…"
"He's Dad. Don't mind him. I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by what he does."
"I'm sure."
"I know what you mean, however. If possible, I think he may possess less tactfulness than you."
"Perhaps."
Smiling, Hermione gave him a swift kiss on the lips and then took a step back. Slapping the oven mitt down on the counter, she said to him, "We should return to them now. They will want to know all about you, of course."
"What shall I say when they ask about my parents?"
Hermione froze with her hand on the door and turned her head so that he could only see her profile. "Tell them the truth."
"You are honestly planning to tell them that my father killed both my mother and himself?"
"Well, when you put it that way… Perhaps you should tell them that they simply died when you were seventeen."
"They are going to inquire about how it occurred."
"How can you possibly know that?"
"Ten seconds of being with your family will tell anyone that."
Turning to him and rolling her eyes, she replied, "Tell them that your mother and father perished tragically in a car accident."
He shook his head, muttering something to himself that Hermione could not quite hear. Reaching out to touch his arm, she said softly, "Severus, I know that they love you."
"I like your father," he whispered.
"I beg your pardon?" When he looked, he saw that Hermione was staring at him as if he was completely mad.
"He says what no one else is willing to."
Smiling, Hermione leaned up to kiss Severus' jawbone, placing her hand on his chest for balance. Then she took his hand and led him back into the dining room.
"Hermione, we were just discussing you and your living situation with Severus," said Jane. "How is it going?"
"Wonderfully, Mum," said Hermione. They both sat down in their seats and smiled at everyone around the table.
"Severus, what about your family?" asked one cousin, forming a bridge with her interlaced fingers and setting her chin on it to gaze at him, waiting patiently for his answer.
Hermione reached over underneath the table and squeezed Severus' knee encouragingly.
He sucked in a deep breath to attempt to calm himself before he replied, "I don't have any family."
Several gasps were heard from around the table as they heard his words.
"I never had siblings, and neither did my mother nor my father. My grandparents were dead before I was born."
"Don't you still have your parents?"
"No, they died when I was seventeen-years-old."
"How terrible!" someone exclaimed.
"How did it happen?"
"They were shot," he said quietly.
"Well, I hope the offender got what he deserved for his actions."
There was a short pause before Severus replied simply, "Yes, he did."
There was silence in the room for several moments before Robert said, a bit more loudly than necessary, "Well, shall we eat? The food should be sufficiently prepared by this time, isn't it, Jane?"
"Yes," his wife replied, hopping up out of her chair, along with Hermione, the two aunts, and the female cousin, and they all hustled into the kitchen.
The men remained right where they were.
Once the women had left, Robert turned to Severus.
"I would like to inquire about your living situation with my daughter," he said, quite seriously indeed.
"Yes, sir?"
"You need not call me 'sir'. Mr. Granger will do fine."
"Yes, s- Mr. Granger."
Robert nodded and then went on, "Do you and my daughter sleep in the same bed?"
"I beg your pardon?" he sputtered.
"My question was perfectly clear, I believe."
"I bet they do, right, Sev?" the male cousin said.
"Max, his name is Severus," Robert scolded, and then turned back to his (what he considered to be) potential son-in-law (who was, by the way, old enough to have attended school with him). "You didn't answer my question, my boy."
Severus glanced nervously up at the man, then to Max and to the uncle seated across the table from him, and then, finally, to the cousin who was seated diagonally from him. "Yes, we do," he answered.
Robert raised an eyebrow. "Don't either of you feel uncomfortable sleeping with someone old or young enough to be your daughter or father?"
Severus too raised a challenging eyebrow at her father. "No, Mr. Granger, we do not."
"Do you two often have-"
At that precise moment, the two aunts came bustling into the room, carrying two trays of steaming food. Severus took this opportunity to stand quickly from his seat and make his way into the kitchen. When he spotted Hermione, laughing with her mother, he went to stand beside her.
"Hello, Severus. Getting a bit bored with the men?" Jane asked him, stirring a great pot of something.
Sending her a quick smile, Severus pulled Hermione aside and leaned down so that she could hear him when he spoke in only a whisper the simple words, "Hermione, help me."
"Excuse me?"
"Your father was just about to inquire about our sex life before your aunts walked into the room."
"Oh, I'm sorry! Look, I know that my family is a bit mad, but-"
"No, I think it is just your father that is completely insane."
"He is just…" Hermione struggled to find the right word to fit her father, and finally decided on one: "protective. Honestly, he is an absolutely delightful man when he is not meeting my lovers for the first time."
Rolling his eyes, Severus turned back to her aunts and cousins and painted on yet another smile. Hurrying forward, he rushed to assist them in carrying out trays and pots full of delicious smelling and delectable looking food. When they had all returned to their seats, Severus was thankful to simply blend into the background as the people surrounding him spoke boisterously to each other about their latest affairs concerning…well, everything.
He couldn't see how these people could be so entirely comfortable with each other, so at ease. It seemed that they shared everything with each other. They debated their opinions on various subjects, without fear that the opposing person would become offended and feel bitter towards them. It was exactly the way that Severus and Hermione acted around each other every single day.
"Severus?" Hermione leaned over and whispered to him.. He looked over at her. "Are you all right?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?" he whispered back.
"You were staring at my family. Are you feeling all right?"
His eyes scanning each and every person around the table, he replied quietly, in her ear, "Yes. I simply cannot believe how lucky our child is."
"Why?"
"Look at your family. It makes up a thousand times for the lack of mine."
Grinning, Hermione lay her head on his shoulder and caressed his hand underneath the table.
When the meal was over, the relatives slowly began to depart, one by one. There were even two people that left as a couple. Each time they did, they granted Severus a warm smile and a firm handshake.
He had never felt like this. This…feeling… What was the word?
Accepted, he thought. Then he stole a glance over at Robert Granger. Well, I suppose you cannot win them all.
Then he evaluated his feelings. He, Severus Snape, was trying to earn people's liking of him? When had this happened? When had he begun caring? Gods, soon he was going to end up becoming the Minister of Magic or some rubbish like that. Just as he was feeling nothing but disgust with himself, he caught sight of Hermione, and his harsh way of thinking softened slightly.
At that moment, a loud voice rang in his ears and he was snapped back into reality. "I'm sorry?" he asked.
Jane Granger replied, still smiling, "Would you like to join the rest of us in the living room, Severus?"
"Yes, thank you," he answered, and began to follow her through the kitchen and into the living room.
When they had all been seated comfortably, Hermione looked up at Severus, and he knew what she was thinking. He gave a barely perceptible nod, and she took a deep breath.
Holding his hand in hers, she began, "Mum, Dad, we have something we would like to tell you. In fact, that is the main reason that we traveled here today."
Jane and Robert glanced at each other, and then back to Severus and Hermione.
"Mum, Dad…" She took one more deep breath before she continued, "Severus and I are expecting a child."
"You mean you are adopting?"
"No, Mum. I am pregnant."
"Are you joking?"
"No, we are not, I assure you. We would never jest about something of such great consequence."
"It's a good thing we are all sitting down, then, isn't it?" Jane asked.
While Jane seemed to still be completely in shock, Robert seemed to be thinking rationally. In fact, Severus doubted if he had seen the man's face change at all from its usual expression once they had informed him of the news.
"What are your plans for the child?" Robert asked calmly.
"Hermione and I are living together, in the same quarters at Hogwarts."
"Is that enough?"
"Dad, we love each other," Hermione told them. "Severus is going to be an equal partner with me in caring for the baby."
"Is that because he truly wants to, or because he feels forced to do so?"
"Mr. Granger, I am honestly quite pleased about Hermione's pregnancy, and I am greatly looking forward to being involved with my son or daughter."
"Do you know which it is? A boy or a girl?" Jane asked eagerly. She seemed to have warmed up to the idea rather quickly.
"No, we haven't found out yet."
"How long have you been aware that you are having a baby?"
"I have known since January tenth."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "And how long has he known?" he asked, nodding at Severus.
"Severus has been aware of the baby since January seventeenth."
"I see," said Robert, sitting back in his chair.
"Can you believe it, Rob?" cried Jane, jumping up excitedly and going to throw her arms happily around her daughter. "We are going to be grandparents!"
"Indeed," said Robert, though he did allow a grin to grace his features, deducting years from his age.
"Are you angry?" Hermione asked, rather uneasily.
"Angry?" Jane exclaimed. "No! Are we, Robert?" She did not give her husband a chance to answer before she exclaimed loudly, "Of course not! This is unbelievable! We are feeling nothing but joy, Hermione!"
Smiling, Robert stood and walked over to his daughter and the father of his grandchild. First, he wrapped Hermione in an enormous, loving hug and whispered in her ear, "How could we possibly be angry with you? You are giving us our first grandchild."
After giving her a quick kiss on her cheek and taking a step back from her, he turned to Severus and extended his hand to him. "Take good care of them, Severus," he said, looking into the younger man's eyes as he took his hand. "Both of them."
He nodded. "I will, Mr. Granger, believe me. Have no uncertainties about that."
And in that moment, when their eyes locked, a bond of peace and understanding was formed between the two men, even when their hands dropped to their sides and each man's eyes landed on the woman that he loved.
"Because this is apparently the only big news you have for us, I suppose neither of you are planning on marriage anytime in the near future?" Jane asked, taking her husband's hand in hers.
Hermione shook her head. "No, we're not. However, like we stated before, we are living together and will share equally the care of our child."
"Yes, well… Let's see how that works out once the baby gets here," her mother replied, glancing at her husband and smiling warmly. "Before you were born, your father swore to help me and get up every time you cried, but after you were born, it was 'I'm too tired' and 'I'll do it later'," she laughed, and soon, they all joined in.
Not long afterwards, it was time for Severus and Hermione to leave her parents and travel back to Hogwarts. Hugs were exchanged between Hermione and her parents. Then, while Jane felt comfortable to give Severus a small hug, Robert merely felt that it was fitting to simply shake hands, which Severus deeply appreciated.
When their hands broke apart from each other, Severus looked up at his potential future father-in-law. "Thank you for having me. It was lovely to have met both of you. I shall see you later, hopefully, Jane, Mr. Granger," he said, nodding to each of them.
"Call me Robert," said Hermione's father, sending Severus a smile.
After nodding once more to Robert, Severus stepped into the fireplace with Hermione and removed from his pocket the small bag of Floo Powder that he had brought with them. Throwing a handful down into the hearth, he called out, "Severus Snape's chambers!"
Smoke and ash enveloped them and, moments later, they both stepped out of the fireplace and into their chambers. Severus had just begun to dust himself off when Hermione threw her arms around his neck, causing him to stagger backwards several steps.
"What was that for?" he asked, taken entirely by surprise.
"You did wonderfully!" she exclaimed in his ear. Then she stepped back and looked up at him, beaming. When she saw his frown, her smile faltered, however. "How do you think you did?"
"I have never felt so false in my entire life," he replied.
"Haven't you ever met anyone's parents before?" she asked.
He only raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to break out in a fit of giggles and lay her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on top of her head, breathing in her scent. He savored it, for he was certain that in eight more months, all she was going to smell of was baby powder. And perhaps a bit of vomit.
There's that chapter. I figured that Severus needed to meet Hermione's parents sooner or later. So I figured: Why not now? Next chapter, perhaps they will travel to the Burrow. ? I really, really hope that I wasn't too out of character with Severus here, but he's just trying to make a good impression, I guess, on his "potential future in-laws", so he kind of had to be like that. Whatever.
Okay, just a couple of people have asked me about how long this will be. Well, sort of. This story is not even close to being finished with, so it is clearly going to be quite long. Just thought I should let you people know. :)
Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! You are all so awesome!
I hope that everyone had/has a very blessed holiday for whatever you celebrate. Happy New Year!
Disclaimer- I don't own anything. J.K. Rowling owns everything.
As always, remember: Review, please! Even if you don't like it, please tell me what you dislike and I will try to work on it in the future. Thanks!