Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
—
"Did you land on your belly, Miss Potter?" The specialist asked.
"...What?" Harriet asked distractedly, looking over at the woman only after she tore her eyes away from Severus's dark, scorching gaze.
"When you fell?" The specialist questioned, "Did you land on your belly? Did you hit your head? I need to know what part of you took the impact, my dear, to understand what charms I'll need to perform and what tests I'll need to run."
Harriet looked at the specialist then she glanced back at Severus, who pursed his lips and held his hands behind his back.
Severus kept his silence but he scowled as Harriet beckoned the specialist closer and whispered to her healthcare provider more information about the nature of her….accident…..that morning.
The specialist and Harriet shared a quiet giggle, which only made Severus's scowl deepen as the specialist pulled away and asked her patient, "Well…How are you feeling now?"
"Really good, actually." Harriet replied with a bright grin of confidence.
Harriet kept her grin as the specialist took out her wand and cast a basic diagnostic charm to confirm her patient's good health.
While the specialist took a moment to review the charm's findings, Harriet glanced back over at Severus.
The alluring flush on her cheeks made his heart clench in his chest.
The omega looked as lovely as she felt.
Her smile was genuinely happy.
Her complexion glowed from Severus's touch and the promise of the life that she carried.
Once she was finished with her inspection, the specialist nodded approvingly at Harriet before she turned to Severus and informed him, "Mr. Snape, Miss Potter and the child are in no danger. Her vitals are stable, both mother and baby's heartbeats are strong. You two are continuing to make such good progress! There's no need to worry right now."
Severus was not willing to let the matter drop.
The woman's kind words didn't seem to reassure him.
His voice was barely above a whisper as his black eyes flickered from the specialist to Harriet as he asked the healthcare worker, "I've read that….falls….can be hazardous to expectant mothers."
"Well yes, falls can be dangerous for women in Miss Potter's condition, Mr. Snape." The specialist nodded before she gave him a knowing smirk as she added, "However, the particular kind of fall that Miss Potter experienced today may actually benefit her and the child. Her blood pressure may lower and she may have higher levels of oxytocin from the…..incident."
Severus listened intently to the specialist as she
went on, "Sometimes, my office will even suggest a woman in Miss Potter's current state willingly attempt a similar….encounter....to have an easier labour when the time draws near."
Harriet listened quietly in the background.
She almost smiled at the ominous glare that Severus threw her when he realized she was staring at him because she found the focused look on his face amusing.
"Please let me know if any other issues or questions come up." The specialist said to the couple before she raised her wand and apparated away.
When Severus and Harriet were left alone, they looked at each other for a long moment.
Harriet laid a hand on the side of her belly.
The gesture seemed to upset Severus as he shifted anxiously on his feet.
"I- '' Harriet barely got her mouth open to speak before Severus interrupted her and murmured quickly, "I'll bring breakfast in a moment. Will you need anything else before I'm off to the castle?"
"Oh, um…..no." Harriet replied with a frown.
Severus nodded tersely as he hastily glided out of the room.
He kept his word and presented Harriet with her breakfast before he hurried out of the house, determined not to allow her the chance to speak about what had happened.
Mother Hen sat alone, eating the waffles Father Raven had prepared for her while she pouted and thought.
—
Severus returned at lunchtime to check on Harriet, as he did each day.
However, on that particular afternoon, he remained silent.
Harriet was quiet in return.
When Severus arrived at Harriet's cottage that evening, after his day at Hogwarts had ended, he cooked dinner, which they ate together, both still silent as they sat at the table across from each other.
A part of Harriet was curious to see exactly how much time would pass before Severus said something, but he kept exceeding her expectations about his stamina for not speaking.
Later, as they prepared to lay down in Harriet's nest, she decided that she would approach the issue directly.
Severus climbed into bed first so he could position himself in a way that would be comfortable for Harriet to relax against him, an occurrence to which he had grown dangerously accustomed, but when Harriet crawled into bed, instead of putting her back to his chest, she turned to face him.
"Do you regret what happened?" Harriet asked bluntly.
Severus stared at her in the darkness, with his dark eyes glistening in the moonlight that trickled through the uncurtained window on the far side of the room.
"...No." He replied after a long moment.
"Neither do I." Harriet smiled softly.
Severus sighed before he began, "Potter, I-"
Harriet didn't want to hear whatever he was going to say next.
She didn't want to hear that he felt like he couldn't have a mate or that he was insufficient or…..
Mother Hen laid a palm on Father Raven's pale cheek as she pressed her lips against his and brought one of his elegant hands to rest on the firm swell of her mounded belly.
Their kiss was tender and formal at first, but as Severus allowed himself another indulgence in the sweetness of Harriet's lips, their affection became deep, heavy, and passionate.
Harriet felt Severus's hand protectively hold her womb as he nipped at her lips, begging for entrance until she allowed them to part so his tongue could snake into her mouth.
The next morning, Father Raven was his normal, scowling self, brooding and somewhat aloof, but Mother Hen woke in his arms, feeling the comfort of his hands holding her breasts and the soothing weight of his body behind her as he spooned her close.
Mother Hen was delighted that she and Father Raven greeted each other with another kiss and shared a pleasant chat together before Father Raven left her nest for the day.
—
As he sat at his desk in the headmaster's office later that afternoon, Severus frowned to himself.
He had little idea of how to advance with the pregnant omega.
It wasn't as if he could just ask Harriet to be his mate, that would be far too presumptuous.
Unless they married, there was no real way to officially cement their bond, if there would be a bond, until Harriet went through a heat, which wouldn't be for months.
In the solitude of his vacant office, Severus smirked to himself while he entertained the fantasy of sharing that time with Harriet, when she was at her most vulnerable.
Severus dreamed of taking her into his arms while she was needy and whimpering, holding her close while he satisfied her and filled her belly with another pup.
He frowned at himself and reached over to open a book that sat on the edge of his desk, ashamed of his own thoughts.
Their first child wasn't even in the world yet.
Harriet didn't belong to him!
Where did he get such wild ideas?
—-
Father Raven's longing for Mother Hen troubled him all day.
When he left Hogwarts that afternoon, he took the liberty of stopping by Hogsmeade's largest toy store and the most highly regarded jeweler in the village.
The toys were easy enough to choose, plush animals, a few children's books, a rattle.
It wasn't hard to purchase gifts for a baby.
….But for Harriet?
Severus spent nearly an hour in the jeweler's shop, squinting down at the glass cases before the clerk walked over to him and asked once more, "Sir, are you certain there's nothing that I can help you with? Perhaps I can make a suggestion?"
"If I need any assistance, I'll ask." Severus grouched, not lifting his eyes from the rows of glittering jewelry.
"If you tell me who the recipient is, then I may be able to at least offer some advice!" The clerk said with an enthusiastic smile.
Severus scowled up at the jewelry clerk before he turned his gaze back to the golden chains and sparkling gemstones.
"...Someone very dear." Severus cryptically answered in his low drawl.
"Ah~." The clerk grinned knowingly, sensing that Severus was an alpha, "An omega, eh?"
Severus lifted his black eyes once more to glare menacingly at the man who stood behind the counter.
"Perhaps a ring then?" The clerk asked, ignoring the unfriendly expression on Severus's face.
"She's with child." Severus snapped, "A ring may very well be uncomfortable for her to wear in the coming months."
"Oh! She's with child?" The clerk asked happily, "Then why not give her a harmony ball?"
Severus scowled questioningly at the clerk.
The clerk saw the confusion in Severus's eyes and he stepped out from behind the counter.
The patient man guided his customer over to a small case filled with splendid, gold necklaces, each of which held an orb-shaped, gold pendant.
The clerk waved his hand and the glass vanished.
Severus watched as the man reached in and removed a necklace with a long chain.
The clerk smiled as he held the item out to Severus and gave it a little shake.
Severus blinked when a tiny, musical sound rang out from the pendant and the clerk smiled, "Many women enjoy these…..the chain will hang low enough for the child to hear the sound in the womb. Sometimes these are passed down in families…..I've heard mothers promise that their babies recognized the ball's chime after birth. It can be a wonderful keepsake."
Severus frowned for a moment as he thought.
It was a very short while later that the clerk stood at the counter, assisting Severus with his purchase.
"You know, sir, we offer engravings on harmony balls too." The clerk told Severus as he prepared to wrap Harriet's new necklace, "I can inscribe any message on this pendant that you wish?"
The agonizing task of painstakingly selecting what words the harmony ball would bear detained Severus in the jewelry shop for another half-hour.
—
Father Raven came bursting out of the jewelry shop at an alarming speed, desperate to make it back to Mother Hen before she contacted the Ministry and filed a missing persons report.
It was twilight by then, but Severus paid the setting sun little attention.
In his rush, he neglected to notice that Hermione Granger appeared behind him on the street and walked exactly in the direction that he was headed.
Hermione recognized her former teacher instantly, but he seemed to be on such a serious mission that she decided not to disturb him with pleasantries.
Down the street and to the left, they walked.
One turn to the right and then straight across the sidewalk…...
Hermione didn't understand why Severus Snape seemed to be following an invisible path to Harriet's cottage.
Hermione had come to the village of Hogsmeade that evening to visit Harriet after more than a month of exchanging letters with her friend while she and her family had been traveling abroad.
In those letters, Harriet had failed to mention a few important details to Hermione, wanting to share the news about Father Raven with her friend over a scheduled cup of tea.
Hermione narrowed her eyes as she approached Harriet's cottage and watched Severus hurry up the steps in front of her.
As Severus reached the door, Harriet opened it for him and stood there with a smile on her face and a hand over their unborn baby.
"HEADMASTER SNAPE!" Hermione called out accusingly.
Severus whirled around when he heard someone shout his name.
Both Father Raven and Mother Hen stared at the incredulous witch in front of them with wide eyes.
Hermione's visit wasn't scheduled.
Harriet hadn't expected her to return for another week or so.
Hermione's gaze darted from the shocked apprehension on Harriet's face to the toy store bags in Severus's hands as she asked Severus in complete disbelief, "Headmaster Snape! Are you….Are you Father Raven?!"
