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Severus stepped out of the room to allow Harriet some privacy while she changed back into her clothes.

In the hallway, he lifted his head and sighed as he thought to himself.

How odd it seemed, the events that had transpired so quickly….

Severus had gone from being shocked to learn that he had fathered a child, to horrified by who the mother was, to devastated that there was apparently, a very probable chance of losing that child.

Alphas were terribly possessive by nature and Severus was more loyal than most.

Regardless of the fact that Harriet Potter was the mother, that was his son or daughter resting in her belly.

While Harriet dressed herself in the exam room, on the other side of the door, Severus clenched his teeth and took a silent, stubborn vow.

He had always been a man of endurance and perseverance.

Severus and Harriet weren't mates, and they likely never would be, but regardless, they would share a bond over their baby.

Whatever the specialist said, whatever happened in the end, Severus would stand beside the omega and his child.

The door to the exam room swung open a few moments later and Severus stared at Harriet as she stepped out into the hallway.

Severus tried not to let his eyes linger too long on the small swell of her belly.

Had it grown rounder in only a couple of days?

Severus wouldn't willingly admit it to anyone, especially not to Harriet, but all he wanted to do as they walked down the hallway together towards the reception desk, was touch her womb again.

Severus had laid his hand over her…..or him, his daughter or his son, his reason to soldier on with his otherwise joyless existence.

That was his baby and his baby needed his help.

When they made it to the front desk, Harriet checked out from her appointment and took the card for the specialist that the receptionist handed to her and Severus.

"Shall I contact their office tomorrow, then?" Harriet asked the receptionist.

"Oh no, dear." The receptionist nodded, "Your midwife has already scheduled you an appointment this evening at eight o' clock. They don't normally take new patients on the same day, but I was told your case is of the utmost importance."

Severus frowned as Harriet placed the card in her pocket and nodded to the receptionist, "Oh…...Alright…thanks."

The receptionist flashed Harriet and Severus a tense smile before the unlikely couple turned away and left the midwife's office.

They stepped out into the street together and faced each other awkwardly for a moment before Harriet looked up at the tall alpha and nodded, "Well, um…..thank you for coming today, Father Raven."

"I fully intend to accompany you this evening, unless you refuse or ask me to leave, Mother Hen." Severus replied stoically as he stared down at Harriet with an unreadable expression on his pale face.

Severus was a bit surprised when Harriet actually gave him a soft smile and answered, "No, I'd…..I'd be very happy if you were there."

A chilly breeze blew past them both while they stood in the street.

Severus's black cloak rustled around him in the wind as an uncomfortably heavy pause settled between him and Harriet.

"...Perhaps we should secure dinner first?" Severus asked Harriet as he looked at her and furrowed his brow worriedly, "It's nearly six now, expectant mothers shouldn't skip meals."

"Alright." Harriet nodded.

Neither of them discussed much else as they began to walk down the street side by side.

Severus didn't enter into a direct conversation of asking Harriet where she'd like to eat, but he fully intended to allow her to choose their dining location for the evening.

At the first tavern window that Severus saw her linger by, he walked over and opened up the door to usher her inside.

He was shocked by how willingly Harriet seemed to follow him.

As an unmated, pregnant omega, it was pleasing to Harriet to have such a strong, dominant alpha like Severus close to her, worrying for her, protecting her.

It also soothed her nerves to have someone to eat with and speak to who was just as concerned about the baby.

With Father Raven, Mother Hen no longer felt so alone~.

Severus and Harriet were so apprehensive about what news the specialist would relay that they struggled to finish their dinner after it was served.

Severus wasn't that much of an eater anyway, but he tried to manage a few bites to encourage Harriet.

As they sat across from each other at the table, he could see the tension in her face.

The stress was bad enough for her, hunger and thirst certainly wouldn't be conducive to his unborn son or daughter.

"You can order something else, Potter." Severus remarked, more to make conversation than anything, as he watched Harriet slowly pick at her meal.

"It's….it's not the food." Harriet said after a moment, suddenly embarrassed, "I don't have much of an appetite right now, that's all."

"Refusing sustenance won't remedy the situation, whatever it may be." Severus replied as he looked across the table at the omega, "We don't know what the specialist will say yet, it may be nothing of great concern. Don't allow yourself to become so easily frightened."

Severus spoke bravely to reassure Harriet.

"That's more difficult than it sounds." Harriet quipped with a mirthless chuckle.

Severus stared at Harriet with a worried frown until she lifted her fork and forced what she could of dinner down her throat.

Mother Hen didn't say anything about it but she was touched when Father Raven paid their bill and helped her out of her chair to leave once they were finished.

Harriet Potter had thought of Severus Snape as many things during the time they had known each other, but never before had she categorized him as a…gentleman.

The mismatched couple apparated to the specialist's office fifteen minutes till eight.

Severus glided behind Harriet as they went inside and registered for her appointment.

"Miss Potter?" The receptionist asked as she took a glance at the evening's schedule.

"That's me, yes." Harriet nodded.

"Have a seat, they'll be with you shortly." The receptionist nodded, then she glanced at Severus, who loomed protectively behind her, "...Is this your alpha, Miss Potter?"

Harriet quickly looked behind herself at Severus and then she turned back around to the receptionist as she nodded nervously and replied, "Oh, no, this is…...um…..er…."

Severus scowled at how quickly Harriet denied his involvement in her life, but he smirked as she struggled to come up with a believable excuse for his presence.

Harriet shook her head again at the receptionist as she abandoned her ruse and nodded, "...He'll be coming with me, when they take me back. I'd like him to, anyway."

"Of course, Miss Potter." The receptionist nodded as she eyed the odd couple suspiciously.

Harriet smiled nervously at the receptionist before she turned, walked with Severus over to the waiting area, and sat down next to him.

As they anticipated what they would learn, Severus glanced over at Harriet and he smirked again, bitterly, as he asked, "...Are you that ashamed to tell others that I'm the father? Do you not think that one day that fact will be public knowledge?"

The door flung open and for the second time that day, a healer's assistant called the omega's name as the bright, young woman asked cheerfully, "Harriet Potter?"

Severus stood quickly and watched as Harriet rose from her seat. He monitored her carefully, ready to reach out and assist if she needed help getting to her feet.

"Actually," Harriet whispered to Severus, "I thought about my answer because I didn't want to offend you by making silly assumptions."

Harriet threw Severus a forlorn look before she walked towards the healer's assistant.

Severus's face fell.

He followed behind the omega with a frown on his lips.

She didn't want to…..offend him?

….By making…..silly….assumptions?

Whether Father Raven realized it or not, if Mother Hen would have claimed him as her alpha, he would have been anything but offended.

A few moments later, Severus once again sat beside Harriet while she laid on a white exam table.

They both watched the specialist scowl in concentration as she studied the pregnant omega.

Severus saw Harriet nervously twisting her fingers in the pristine sheet that was draped over her and he reached out to hold her hand still.

When Harriet felt the contact, she looked over at Severus and he stared back at her with deep concern in his onyx eyes.

It took only a couple of minutes, the exam the specialist performed on Harriet, but for the worried couple, her investigation seemed to take forever.

Harriet finally lost her patience and asked in a voice that sounded more desperate than she intended, "What's wrong with my baby?"

The specialist turned away from Harriet and sniffed while she made some notes.

Once the specialist finished writing, she peered over her wide spectacles at the couple in front of her.

"The growth of the child is…..not as advanced as it should be in some areas." The healer said with a disapproving shake of her head.

Severus swallowed dryly and he felt Harriet's hand turn clammy in his as she found the courage to ask, "...What do you mean?"

The healer glanced back down at her scribblings, then at Harriet's belly, before she looked at the couple and explained, "It's difficult to say at this stage. You very well may only need to look after yourself a bit more and pay closer attention to your body, Miss Potter, or…..it's also possible there may be some genetic anomalies that may result in…...an unfavorable outcome."

"'An unfavorable….outcome'?" Severus echoed dryly.

"That's correct." The healer confirmed as she nodded at Severus, "We can't say for certain, although at this point, it seems that each of those possibilities are just as likely. So then, Miss Potter, it's ultimately up to you. Do you wish to continue this pregnancy? Since we've detected the child may not survive anyway, you have….other options to consider, if you wish."

Severus's eyes widened.

He and Harriet instantly turned to each other.

Although Harriet had never mastered the art of legilimency, as she looked into Severus's eyes, she knew what he was thinking.

What he was hoping…..

Mother Hen was relieved to know that she and Father Raven were of the same opinion.

"The chances of my own survival were once grim as well, but look at me now….We will not harm our child." Harriet said with a resounding confidence that made Severus squeeze her hand tightly in silent approval and support.

"Very well." The specialist nodded, "If you progress and we have absolute evidence of our worst suspicions, just know that you'll have the same…..options….available, Miss Potter." The specialist said very matter-of-factly.

Harriet nodded tersely and Severus could see the terror in her eyes as she pursed her lips.

"If you hope to carry the babe to term, there are quite a bit of instructions I'll need you to follow exactly." The specialist nodded, "I'd like to see you weekly to monitor your condition. You'll need to be on bed rest several hours a day and a strict diet, along with an abbreviated exercise program to help with blood flow and positioning. Also, you'll have to have someone check on you every so often. You're at risk for many complications, Miss Potter, so I'd strongly recommend you be closely observed outside of my office."

"But….." Harriet stammered, "But, I live al-"

Hermione could come by every so often, but she couldn't be there all the time.

"I'll watch over her." Severus cut in before Harriet could make her declaration of solitude.

His voice was as stern and as rumbling as Harriet remembered from her days as Professor Snape's student.

However, it wasn't Professor Snape at that moment who was speaking, it was Father Raven.

The specialist blinked over at Severus as he proudly stated, "I'm her alpha."

"Very well then." The specialist nodded, " I'll need you to listen carefully, Mr…?"

While Severus and the specialist began to chat, Harriet looked over at Severus and squeezed his hand.

Severus glanced down at Harriet.

He was so apprehensive about the reaction that his bold statement might garner from her that his pulse quickened.

His dark eyes narrowed at what he saw…...

There, on Harriet Potter's face was a look that Severus Snape hadn't often observed, it was a rare sight indeed…..gratitude.

Mother Hen was extremely grateful that Father Raven was so willing to help her hatch their fledgling.