October 21st 2008, Cokeworth
"Well bugger me sideways!"
Severus Snape looked slackjawed at a small notice in `Potions Quarterly´.
Congratulations to the youngest member of the "Most Distinguished Society of Potioneers", Mrs Hermione Dolohov, on the birth of her children, Mafalda Jean and Mikhail Antonovitch Dolohov. Mother and children are well, tells proud father, Wards Master Antonin Maksimovitch Dolohov.
He had not met anyone since his return to England three days earlier and he had, out of his own volition, not read any European newspapers. Draco's letters were his only contact during his travels and those obviously hadn't mentioned what Snape's former pupil and later on apprentice Hermione Granger had been up to during the last five years.
After his miraculous survival of Nagini's bite – not so miraculous if one was a Potions master with access to the most likely instrument of ones death – Severus had hidden in Hogwarts, basking in the guilt and shame of his colleagues and getting his act together. When he felt no longer the need either to cry or to curse someone at the drop of a hat he took up teaching again and built more honest and meaningful relationships with Minerva, Poppy and Filius. With Lucius and Narcissa, too.
During that time he was approached by Hermione Granger for an apprenticeship. The girl, young woman now, was fed up with all the bureacracy and prejudice of the Ministry of Magic and wanted to apply her considerable energy to change the world with potions rather via legislation. As the Potions master was in the process of experiencing a whole slew of new things due to his two masters being dead he thought `Why the fuck not?´ and took the girl on. A year of highly enjoyable crossing of swords followed. Ms Granger was by now means cowed and proved to be a delightful opponent. In her second year of apprenticeship Snape grew more and more aware of Granger as a woman. A woman who – although in a rather subdued manner – started to flirt with him. The female third of the so-called Golden Trio was precise, logical and at times surprisingly intuitive, a welcome change from her absolute reliance on the written word as a pupil. At least she was far from naïve and she was adamant not to compromise her apprenticeship due to relations with her master.
After receiving her mastery, which had taken her only four months longer than Severus Snape, six months of lively debate, the tackling of several new potions and lots of sex followed. The Potions master felt that he was truly living, that he was catching up on a lot of things most people experienced in their late teens or early twenties, like his young lover and colleague. Despite having been a spy for nearly two decades Severus Snape also was as clueless as young men in their early twenties usually are when it came to relationships. He missed the point where Hermione expected more than research and fucking. When the penny dropped he reacted on instinct and withdrew. Using his time alone in a worthwhile manner – plenty of swearing, lots of booze, repeat circle - Severus analyzed his feelings and his reactions. When he reached a conclusion he contacted her. The first meeting after his flight did not go well. Hermione was too hurt to listen and he was angry, too. Being out from under the thumbs of both Dumbledore and Voldemort had brought forward in him a thirst for freedom that did not go along with plans of attending family dinners, opening a joint potions-business and eventually raise a family together. From the outside and considering their respective age one would think that Severus would be the one pushing for all these things while Hermione would not want to shackle herself to a man almost twice her age but it truly was the other way round. The war and her inability to retrieve her parents had given her a longing for stability and predictability while Severus was still stretching his wings. After Hermione had finished her apprenticeship he had tendered his resignation at Hogwarts. He had enough savings to travel for a while. They had not per se talked about this but he had expected her to join him occasionally on these trips.
If Severus was honest with himself – something he strove to usually – he simply did not want to commit yet. He would never cheat on her but neither did he make declarations of love. He was not even sure whether he was able to love someone the way Hermione expected. Sure, he respected her, he liked her, he was intrigued by the workings of her mind and he was enthralled by the sway of her hips, but love?
Reading that announcement the Potions master experienced a fierce stab of disappointment. The time away had given him perspective. He could have come to love Hermione quite easily. He still wasn't sure whether he should ever father children but with a mother like Granger they would have been safe enough should he show signs of becoming like Tobias Snape. Well, it was futile now. Hermione was nothing if not loyal and Antonin was just a possessive bastard. A lucky bastard.
Having long ago learned that speculating on what-ifs was about as sensible an occupation as searching for nargles Severus Snape went downstairs to his small laboratory. Draco had been an extremely finicky baby and Lucius had paid him a king's ransom then for extra fine stomach-soothers and creams against rashes. Checking the recipes he started brewing. During the waiting period for an anti-rash poultice he thought of Hermione's breasts. Severus was quite sure that she would strive to be the best mother possible and would be adamant to breast-feed. With twins that was bound to be stressful. So he developed a soothing ointment for the young mother's nipples and brewed a muscle-relaxing cream for her neck and shoulders, something Narcissa had appreciated a lot as Draco had been a surprisingly heavy baby.
When everything was finished he sent off a Patronus to Dolohov, instructing the messenger to make sure not to wake up the infants.
Congratulation, tovarish, to you and your wife. I've come back to England three days ago. If you're ready for visitors I could drop my presents off, it's some potions and creams especially for infants and for new mothers. Or you let me know your address. I guess you're even more paranoid now. I'm in Cokeworth for now.
Coming back from the chippy – tacos were fine, the street-food in Vietnam was spectacular, but Severus had really missed his fish and chips with peas and vinegar – a bear was waiting in his living room.
It's madness here, Sev. Remember Ninotchka's cottage? I'll add you to the wards. There's a birch at the edge of the wards.
Antonin needed not to elaborate. The Potions master wondered how Hermione did cope with her husband's propensity towards blood-wards. Packing up the prepared potions and salves he Apparated into Northumberland. The cottage of his friend's aunt was quite remote on the edge of a moor. The rune on the birch was only visible if one knew what to look for. Severus hoped that the Russian had indeed added him already to the wards, otherwise he would be in for a nasty surprise. After pricking his thumb and smearing a drop of blood on the appropriate spot the cottage became visible. Faint cries of a newborn could be heard. He knocked on the door and waited – a family man now Dolohov was bound to be even more protective of his loved ones.
The man opened the door. He looked exhausted and radiant at the same time, a crying baby on his shoulder.
"Ah, Sev, do come in. I am trying to get Mikhail asleep again before he wakes up his mother and sister. He can't be hungry, it's his tummy, I guess."
Severus entered the living room and searched for a place to put down his things. The room and what could be seen of the kitchen was in complete disorder, half eaten dishes on every surface, soiled towels, a few pots of herbs that lacked water. He guessed that neither would consent Hermione to the help of a house-elf nor would Molly Weasley help her not that she was Mrs Dolohov. While Antonin had not murdered the Prewett twins he had still been the cause of their deaths during a duel gone wrong. The twins had been battling the Lestrange brothers when Alastair Moody interfered, escalating a fierce duel to a fight for live and death. Antonin, who had served as a second, had been trying to survive.
He busied himself in the kitchen preparing a poultice for the little one's tummy while simultaneaously brewing fennel tea. Severus asked Dolohov for a bottle.
"Well, Hermione has read this book about breastfeeding. It is not recommended to give the babies the bottle. I would not want to go against her wishes."
"That may be, but she has a history of clinging to her convictions even if they are to her detriment. You are exhausted, she must be as well, and from the state of your kitchen I guess none of you have eaten properly in a while. Feeding twins means easily a thousend calories extra. If she's not eating well there's less and less milk. It's a vicious cercle."
"How would you know about these things?"
"I helped Draco's parents and Theodore Nott's as well during that time. After a few hours of uninterupted sleep Hermione will understand. You can always blame me. Winky!"
With a pop the elf appeared at Severus' side.
"Thank you, Winky, for coming so promptly. Please clean up here and stock up the kitchen with food appropriate for a breastfeeding mother. If you have time for it prepare some meals for reheating later."
The poultice worked and little Mikhail's cries dwindled down until he fell into an exhausted sleep, his father following soon after. The ward-smith had told his old friend that the babies rarely were awake and hungry at the same time and that neither of their parents had more than one and a half hour of sleep since their birth five weeks ago. Severus put a light sticking charm on the baby asleep on Antonin's breast and started cleaning up the room. He was about to line up the potions and unguents on a shelf when the lady of the house came down with her daughter in her arms.
"Severus, you're back! Will you stay?"
"Yes. I may go back to certain places for ingredients but for now I plan to stay in England. May I congratulate you on your marriage and children?"
"Thank you. I never knew it would be like this. I planned everything so carefully and now look at us!"
"You don't need to do everything yourself. I brought you some things for newborns I developped for Draco. He was crying constantly."
"I could have done that myself."
"Of course you could. But as I cannot nurse the twins I thought it better that way."
A sound from the kitchen made Hermione turn around. Winky was standing there amongst groceries, tears in her bulging eyes. She threw herself at Severus, clinging to his legs.
"Oh, master, you have made me so happy! There's two babies! How I have longed to care for little ones!"
"Do not be hasty, Winky, I have to talk to Mrs Dolhov first. I know you have been terribly bored while I was away but we must not presume." Turning to Hermione he continued, "If you would consent to Winky helping with chores it would make her very happy. The house in Cokeworth and the task of storing ingredients I sent home from my travels do not fulfill her in the least."
"You know how I think about elves, Severus." Winky's eyes narrowed. She had come a long way from the pathetic creature she'd been after the Crouch family.
"So Mrs Dolohov is thinking that elves are not good enough to be with wizards? That their blood is too dirty to handle a wizarding child? That their not human? Master Dolohov never pandered to such nonsense, he was always treating elves with respect."
Hermione's eyes widened, "No, Winky, that's not what I meant at all! I abhor slave labour."
"So you're calling me a slave? A slave in the sense of Roman Law, not considered human but a thing instead?"
"No, of course not! It's just that elves are bound to obey their masters just like slaves!"
"Is that so? Master Severus, do you remember when you ordered me to fetch you that second bottle?"
"Vividly. You watered down even the first one."
Winky turned to Hermione, "You work yourself to the point of exhaustion for your children. Do you consider yourself a slave to their needs?"
"They are babies, they cannot look after themselves. I can."
"Master Severus always told me that accepting help is no sign of weekness, rather the opposite. Now he, as your friend, is offering help during a time you and Master Dolohov need it. He is helping with the potions and he is helping with offering my services. He is also helping me as I am not challenged in the least with caring for a laboratory and a single man with no culinary aspirations."
"But Dobby-"
"Mrs Dolohov, I know that Dobby is held in fond memory by you and your friend but he was a very special elf with a very special personality. You cannot base your opinion on elves on his example, just like Mr Lupin was a unique werewolf, not like the others. If you let me hold your little one you could eat the stew I brought."
It was a sure sign of her exhaustion that Hermione Dolohov sat down without further arguments. Severus took the chance to address something.
"Hermione, Antonin told me of the differing sleeping patterns of your little ones. Would you agree to me fetching a milk-pump and some bottles from Boot's? I know Antonin would love to help with feeding, as it is he only gets to hold them when they're cranky. With a little luck we'll get them to eat and sleep at roughly the same time."
The young mother looked dazed and finally answered with tears in her eyes, "I did not think of it that way. Yes, please, go to Boot's."
"Stop beating you up about it. Let Winky and me help. Everything will look brighter with a little sleep."
By the time Severus got back from shopping the little cottage was sparkling with Winky carrying a cooing Mafalda around on tiptoes while the rest of the Dolohov family was sleeping. Over the next few weeks the Potions master and Winky were frequent visitors. He popped back to Boot's for a small hairdryer. The adults were not sure whether it was the contraption's noise or the warm air actually but blowing Mikhail's tummy with it helped with his colics and finally, at two months old, the twins were sleeping four hours at the same time, giving the Dolohovs and Severus time to catch up while making Winky the happiest elf in the whole of England.
Severus and Hermione made the progression from angry ex-lovers to real friends without a hitch and even in the deepest recesses of his heart did the Potions master not begrudge his friends their happiness or ponder futile what-ifs.
Fin