Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Drawing motivation from Severus's words, Lily brightened her attitude.
Together, they attempted to encourage their little one to leave the womb naturally.
Severus had suggested a simple walk.
Just a few minutes of gentle activity…...
Lily decided that wasn't enough. Severus didn't protest but he did stay close beside her as they did several laps around the yard.
Once they came in from their exercise, Severus brewed Lily some strong raspberry tea and chatted with her as she sipped it down.
By twilight, Severus was laying on the bed with Lily, massaging her fattened nipples with his skilled hands, when he heard her gasp.
Severus immediately stopped.
"What's the matter?" Severus asked urgently.
"I'm having a cramp!" Lily said excitedly, placing a hand on her belly.
"What kind of cramp?" Severus demanded suspiciously, "Do you think it's a contraction?"
"No, it's not painful." Lily sighed sadly, "lt just feels like I'm going to get my period. But it's something! Right?!" Lily asked Severus excitedly.
"It's something." Severus nodded cautiously.
Lily had been watching the clock since she and Severus had gotten home.
The discharge instructions from the muggle hospital had put her on a timer of twenty-four hours.
If Lily was still pain-free twenty-fours after she had woken up wet, that meant…..
Lily tried not to think about it.
It wasn't going to happen like that.
Severus dropped his hand and Lily frowned at him, "Sev, don't stop, we're almost there!"
"Lily……." Severus said with a frown.
"Please?" Lily begged.
Severus looked at Lily and she pouted back at him, her green eyes bright with hope, her lips so pink and full……
Severus found himself unable to resist leaning forward and pressing his lips against Lily's, stealing a kiss.
Lily sighed and kissed him back, gasping in happy surprise when he dipped his head down low and captured one of her nipples in his mouth, latching on and suckling.
Lily held Severus's head close, enjoying the feeling of relief that swept over her as he emptied one side and switched to another……….
There was something about the motion to Lily, the way Severus drew long, steady pulls from her that sent deep sensations throbbing through her body, ruminating from her chest to her core, to the deep part of her back.
"Sev……" Lily groaned.
Severus had come to know that sound well.
Snaking one of his hands downwards, Severus reached to expertly pass his fingers over the hidden area between Lily's legs, careful not to let them slip inside.
Severus worked his fingers and mouth in tandem, listening as Lily's breathing became heavier and heavier, while he urged her towards a delightful, unexpected peak.
Severus shuddered at his own arousal as Lily's horse cry came a moment later while pleasure spilled over her.
But as Severus kept nursing on Lily, her smile faded away and a tense look came over her face as a strange pain gripped her body, starting from her back and running across her belly.
"Sev……..?" Lily whispered.
Happily nestled in the soft warmth of Lily's ample cleavage, filled with pride that he had pushed Lily over the edge with just a few simple touches, Severus had lost himself so much he didn't even hear her call his name at first.
"Sev……" Lily murmured, a little louder as the pain worsened.
Reluctantly, Severus released Lily's nipple and looked up at her with half-lidded, black eyes.
"What's the matter, my love?" Severus asked in a whisper, his arousal vanishing as concern took over when he saw the pain in Lily's face.
Lily saw the look Severus was giving her and she panicked.
Oh no……..
No, no.
Lily decided she shouldn't say anything yet.
At home, relaxed under Severus's loving care, far away from those sterile lights and the unhelpful, cold attitudes of the medical staff, Lily felt like she was finally making progress.
If Lily told Severus that she had a little pain, he would whisk her away, back to that unforgiving, horrible hospital………..
Lily could feel herself bracing at the thought.
"I……." Lily started to say but she frowned, "Sev, I don't want to worry you….."
"You felt something, didn't you?" Severus gaped accusingly, his hands immediately flying to splay across the sides of Lily's belly.
As if the baby were responding to the pressure of Severus's hands, Lily felt her back and belly tighten again, the pain building as she gasped, "Yeah……...Sev…..yeah…..I feel it!"
"Don't panic, don't panic." Severus said calmly but quickly, seeking to relax both himself and Lily, "Let me get my wand and we'll apparate."
Even when that strong cramp finally relaxed, it left Lily sweating and weak.
As Severus glided out of the room on a mission to grab his wand, Lily sank down from the bed onto the floor.
The floor, that hard, wooden floor seemed strangely enough more comfortable than the bed.
Lily didn't question her instincts as she got on her knees and laid her forearms and face against the soft sheets, groaning with another spasm as Severus entered the room again.
"Lily!" Severus shouted before he could stop himself while his heart slammed in his chest at the sight, "Lily!"
"Sev! Rub my back!" Lily cried out, gritting her teeth as a foreign pressure settled itself deep in her pelvis.
"It's alright, it's alright, I'm right here! I'm right here!" Severus coaxed, dropping his wand to obediently spread his hands across Lily's back and knead the muscles there.
"Breathe, breathe….." Severus coached when he noticed Lily holding in her breath against the pain.
Lily whimpered and Severus started to pant along with her like he was in labor, to show her the way.
To his relief, Lily happily adopted the pattern until the spasm ended and she stilled.
Ready to get Lily back in the hands of medical professionals, Severus grabbed his wand once more and held out his hand to Lily as he spoke, "Right then, I've got your bag here, let's get to St. Mungo's and-"
Lily hadn't even turned towards Severus.
"-I'm going to be sick." Lily gasped as she leaned over the bed still, her voice tight and dry with nausea.
"...Lily?" Severus asked, knitting his brow together.
Lily looked at Severus and he saw the sickly green tint to her skin as she swallowed thickly, "I'm going to-!"
In an instant, Severus swept Lily up and rushed her into the bathroom, getting her over the toilet just in time for her to heave into the porcelain bowl.
Severus kept his scowl of concern on his face and rubbed soothingly against her shoulders until she was finished.
"Better?" Severus asked, anxious for them to apparate and get help.
"No……." Lily panted.
It anguished Severus that her voice sounded so small and weak and he watched in horror as she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks and curled against the bathtub, "Nooooo! Sevvvvvv! It hurts! Oh merlin, it hurrrrrttttss!"
Severus gaped openly at Lily, shocked and terrified as he watched her endure yet another contraction, strong, intense, and concerningly close to the last one.
"Lily, we've got to go, now!" Severus insisted while Lily panted for breath.
Severus clutched his wand, grabbed Lily's hand and instructed, "There we are, just close your eyes and it'll only take a moment to-"
"I CAN'T!" Lily wailed, her mouth open in a silent scream as she dropped Severus's hand and rolled onto her knees, using one hand to steady herself and one hand to press against her belly.
"You have to!" Severus cried desperately as he began to realize, with sickening dread, what was going to happen.
No matter how much Severus wanted her to, Lily couldn't apparate right then.
Lily couldn't do anything but sob and hold her belly as that terrible pressure grew worse and worse with each rock of her hips.
"Put me in the tub……" Lily commanded Severus as she huffed.
Severus frowned and he raised Lily up by her arms, draping her over his shoulders to support her like the labour books had instructed, "Lily, let me take you to the car. The muggle hospital isn't far away, we can-"
"I don't want to go to the hospital." Lily said determinedly, laying her head against Severus's shoulder.
Severus's eyes widened.
But it was true, to Lily, leaving that room seemed to be an impossible journey at the moment.
Lily didn't want those people touching her at the muffle hospital.
Lily didn't want to deal with that irritable doctor at St. Mungo's.
Lily wanted hot water on her aching back and Severus holding her hand.
Trying to ease Lily's pain and respect her wishes, Severus sterilized the tub with a flick of his wand and filled it with hot water, earning a grateful groan from Lily as he eased her down into the bath on her knees.
"Sev……" Lily groaned warmingly as another pain started to build, placing a hand over her belly.
"I'm here, I'm right here….." Severus replied quickly, letting Lily hang over the side of the tub and lean on his shoulders, "Lily, tell me what you need."
Lily didn't respond.
A dry moan ripped from Lily's throat and it broke Severus's heart.
The next few minutes brought the next few pains but Lily's claw-like grip on Severus's shirt indicated to him that she wasn't interested in either of them moving.
With his arms wrapped around her and her face buried in the crook his neck, drawing comfort from his scent, Severus began to whisper to Lily, "You're doing well………..just a bit more……..keep breathing, just like that……."
Lily's groans escalated into sharp cries alarmingly quickly and Severus felt a hot sweat break out over her skin on the parts of her that weren't submerged.
"Lily?" Severus asked as soon as one contraction began to subside, "May I at least call a midwife to be here with us? Someone to help?"
Lily shook her head against Severus's shoulder and whimpered, "I want you."
"I'll still be right beside you…..I'm not going anywhere." Severus reassured her, "I'd just like to have a teacher with us, we're new to this. We need an instructor, don't we?"
Lily blew out a breath in response and Severus pulled his wand out and quickly summoned a midwife to their home.
Behind him, a deep, primal groan exuded from Lily's lips and Severus turned around just in time to watch Lily sink onto her bottom and spread her knees wide.
"Sev!..." Lily choked out, her green eyes widening.
"Lily…...breathe, breathe…." Severus coached, urgently.
"Nooooo!" Lily grunted, grinding her teeth.
Severus watched in dismay as Lily's head snapped towards her chest, her heavy belly moving as she bore down hard………
"The baby's coming!" Lily cried.
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Severus Snape was terrified, he had never delivered a baby before.
But Slytherins could be brave too.
In a flash, Severus was outside the tub, between Lily's legs with his hands sterilized and holding a clean towel just as she started to push again.
Lily grunted in exhaustion but Severus placed a hand over her belly to urge her on.
Severus didn't tell Lily when to push, he had read extensively on the subject and he knew that she would when the time was right.
Severus understood that his role at Lily's side in the matter was to support and aid, not to command.
Though he wished the midwife would hurry up and arrive…..
"Ughh…...I can't…….." Lily groaned, feeling her face burn as she fell back in the water.
"You can do anything for thirty seconds." Severus encouraged, laying his hand comfortingly on her thigh, "Come on, Lily, we've come this far……..Surely you can do this last little bit?"
Lily huffed at Severus before her voice was caught off by another strong pain, "-Little…..? AAAGGGH!"
Severus's eyes sparked as he saw something dark and wet come into view and he moved closer to Lily as he shouted, "There! That's it! Keep going! Keep going!"
Lily wailed like an animal, a gut-wrenching sound that forced the breath out of Severus's chest as she bore down again and Severus watched a shock of raven-black hair peek out at him from atop the crest of the head that crowned in Lily's center.
"Hurts……….!!!" Lily gasped, her eyes impossibly wide in an agony that Severus was thankful he would never know, "Hurts…..!!"
"It's crowning! It's crowning!" Severus nearly shouted victoriously, "Just a few more and it'll all be over, Lily!"
Severus's face was twisted in sympathy, worry, and joy and Lily was reeling.
Somewhere, in the haze of that consuming pain, Lily felt sadness resound in her heart.
A few more and it'll all be over……
All be over…….
When another strong contraction started, Lily's instincts overtook her emotions.
"Good, good…...go ahead." Severus said calmly, careful to keep his voice low as he cupped his hands around Lily's entrance when the head slid towards him as Lily started to push, "In a moment, I'll check for the……."
Severus was a studious person and up until that point, what he had learned in the books had been mostly accurate.
But that changed with that final, hard, determined push from Lily.
Lily gasped, a wild sound of shock, pain, and relief.
Severus was too stunned to say anything, he just blinked as his firstborn shot out of Lily and into his hands alarmingly fast.
Lily panted for breath, swallowing hard as she peered over her belly to see…….
Slowly, a startled little whimper rang out.
"WWWAAA!"
"He's here, Lily." Severus whispered, his eyes narrowed as he looked down at their newborn, too stunned to move, "Our son's arrived."