victoria cullen34: Thanks :) I do have a hard time posting one chapter at a time, but I hate to post so much and then not have another chapter up for 2-3 weeks lol or longer if I get busy at work.
Blissangel91494: I'm so glad that you are getting Severus's usual self in the midst of it. I didn't want to change who he was because that's what makes him so very...Snape. ;)
Outofthisworldgal: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I hope this chapter answers your question. I've always imagined that if any of the professors at Hogwarts had children, it would be extremely difficult for them. However, I think Albus would be as accommodating as he could be while still considering Severus's class and Head of House responsibilities along with certain nights for detentions and castle parole lol. There's a lot he would have to keep up with.
LittleReader-Chan: Lol! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) Thanks!
VeloveVee: Thanks! There will be tiny Olivia and Draco moments as they're children. I plan for there to be a solid growth in their relationship throughout the story as it goes along.
Deanna9874, Guest, & all other visitors: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the many more to come :)
Dropping Olivia off with Narcissa had been difficult, even more so than he though it would be. She'd cried, knowing instinctively that he was leaving and wouldn't see her for a few days. His chest constricted at the sight of her reddened face and streaming tears. Narcissa had suggested that both of them visit often during the summer so it would lessen the shock and he had done so, but she was still inconsolable.
He apparated quickly to Hogwarts and began setting up his quarters as well as his office and classroom. Severus was undoubtedly keeping himself busy. The staff had a week to get their rooms and plans in order before term began. Meeting up with Albus, he answered the old wizard's questions as quickly as possible in order to change the subject. Olivia would be staying with the Malfoys, he would visit on Sundays, her birthday, and could bring her to the castle for the Christmas holiday. Everything would be in order.
The start of term began as usual, frustrating students who couldn't understand the simple difference between simmer and boil, a pinch and a pour. Those tiny mistakes could make the difference between life and death in his classroom. Potions were not silly concoctions that could be meddled with lightly.
The first Sunday seemed as if it took forever. A pile of essays had already accumulated on his desk, many of which he'd graded the night before. He walked through the gate at Malfoy Manor, choosing to forget about the pile of work awaiting his return.
"Severus," Lucius greeted him at the door. "Cissa has the children in the garden."
Severus followed him through the house and onto a patio, which extended into a garden with much more room beyond for children to run, when they were old enough, of course. Narcissa was sitting on the soft grass, Olivia in her lap, as she read a book aloud. Draco was running back and forth through an ivy covered walkway. It was cool, but not too much so as to keep them indoors.
"Oh, look, sweetheart!" she said, pointing the baby's attention upwards.
Olivia's smile grew wide and excited as she pushed forward to crawl towards him. "Dada!" Severus bent down to pick her up and she clung to him tightly.
"Why don't we have some tea on the patio?" asked Narcissa as she stood to dust off her dress. "Draco, sweetie," she called. The little boy came running as they started towards the patio, settling at a table. Lucius called for tea and a few biscuits for the children. "Olivia did much better the past couple nights, than she did at first, but that's to be expected. It'll take some getting used to, but I think we found a solution," she smiled at Lucius.
"What she means is, I've been shanghaied in my own house...by two females," Lucius admitted, sighed dramatically.
Narcissa laughed at the look Severus gave him. "Olivia seems to fall asleep much easier for Lucius than she does with me. She isn't used to a female yet. I had the thought a couple nights ago and decided to give it a shot. I assumed the deeper tone of voice would help as well as the fact that she is enthralled with his hair." She laughed again when she saw her husband turn away, his manly pride a bit thrown.
Conversation moved to the nearing of Olivia's first birthday. Narcissa was excited to be planning for a little girl. As Olivia nibbled on her slightly tea-soaked biscuit, Narcissa talked about her plans for the small simple party, knowing Severus wasn't one for large gatherings.
Although he was reluctant to do so, Severus left before Olivia was ready for bed. He didn't want to interrupt the good progress in her sleep. Narcissa agreed it was best. Olivia did cry for him again, but not near as bad as the first time.
As Halloween approached, Severus couldn't help but think of the two drastically different events that changed his life forever. Lily's death and the entrance of Olivia into his life. It was bittersweet. The day before Halloween, his daughter's birthday, he found himself on his way to the manor again, gifts in tow.
Olivia was walking already. He had missed her first steps, but refused to think on it. Lily, in fact, was missing everything. Over the past year, Olivia had grown drastically. Her features did seem to favor her mother's more feminine almond shaped eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. However, her fair complexion and stark black hair, which now wisped about her shoulders, were very much his, along with his naturally thin form, cheekbones, and ink colored eyes.
She was attempting to chase Draco when he came into the room, both exclaiming, "Uncle Severus!" "Daddy!" That was another surprising change. She ran to him, laughing when he picked her up. He acknowledged Draco before sitting opposite Lucius.
Olivia's deep plum silk dress contrasted with her coloring, making it all the more prevalent. She sat contently in his lap while Draco vied for his attention, showing off his new toy wand, charmed with an illuminating tip when moved. Severus thought to himself that he was glad Olivia wasn't as wild, at least not yet. She was perfectly content to sit quietly and play independently, unless she was in need of a nap.
"Draco, can you go get Olivia's gifts from the table?" Narcissa asked as she sat next to her husband. Draco brought over the three individually wrapped boxes, setting them in the floor. Severus put Olivia down in front of them before reaching into his pocket, pulling out four more miniaturized gifts. He restored them to their original size while Draco helped show her how to open them.
There were a couple books on magical creatures, a similar dress in green, and a stuffed dragon, which Draco exclaimed he had picked out. Albus had, of course, gifted her a pair of knit socks. Minerva's usual green tartan gift came in the form of a tiny elegant poncho. A set of wooden blocks were from Pomona.
The last gift was a carved mahogany box that, when opened, cast an illusion of the constellations onto the ceiling as well as had a dark forest scene painted into the lid. Music would play as a unicorn moved around the scene and was charmed to stop when the child had fallen asleep. Olivia laid on her stomach and watched with fascination as the unicorn moved about while Narcissa showed Draco his namesake constellation on the ceiling.
The snow fell furiously outside as Severus made his way through the halls from the dungeons. Olivia was wrapped tightly in his robes, her cold nose pressing into the crook of his neck. The Christmas feast would be a bit larger that year with a few more students having stayed behind. A part of him couldn't wait to see the look on Minerva's face when she saw her walking.
"Oh!" Minerva put her hand to her chest as she stood at the faculty table in the great hall. Severus had entered and put Olivia down, letting her make her way, though a bit wobbly, to the table. He indulged the old witch and let her spoil the girl; if he didn't, he was sure she wouldn't leave him be until he did. "Oh, my darling girl, you're growing up much too fast for my liking," she said, holding the girl, fingers threading through her hair.
"We should have her a chair," Albus began as Minerva went back to her chair.
"Oh, no, you don't!" she glared at him. "She is perfectly fine in my lap, Albus. I'll not have you doing so until she's simply too big to sit with me anymore." He simply laughed in reply.
The corners of Severus's mouth quirked a bit, a small indication of his amusement. Minerva practically fawned over the girl, but he supposed that was just her nature with children. She hadn't had any children of her own, only nieces and nephews who lived quite far away.
Olivia helped herself to the small pieces of Christmas ham Minerva had put on the plate in front of her. The feast was mostly quiet except for the students and the conversation surrounding Olivia, mostly Minerva and Pomona. While students filed out, off to their respective houses for the night, Olivia noticed the food disappearing and began to squirm in the witch's hold.
"Oh, I think someone's sat still long enough," Minerva chuckled as she helped the girl to the floor and watched as she toddled her way towards the end of the table.
"Daddy," she called, tugging at his robes in an attempt to pull herself into his lap. Severus pressed his lips together, forming a tight line, as he picked her up. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes at Minerva's sounding 'awe.'
Rising from his seat, Olivia held in one arm, he mumbled a swift 'goodnight' to the remaining faculty at the table and left the great hall, robes billowing behind him. He moved his robes over her once he reached the colder part of the castle. As he passed by a long series of windows, moonlight streaming through the panes, she jerked and reached out towards them.
Severus sighed and moved towards the windows. The snow had slowed to a gentle fall and Olivia was fascinated by it and the frost on the glass. He moved to help her stand on the window sill and she giggled when she pressed her nose to the cold surface, which resulted in her breath fogging the glass as well, only grabbing more of her attention. When she shivered from the cold, he wrapped her back into his robe and continued down towards the dungeons.
She was very close to drifting off when he reached his quarters where he gently and quietly readied her for bed and laid her into her crib. She grasped at the familiar stuffed fawn. Reaching down, he tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. What had this child done to him? His chest ached as he thought of Lily. He fell asleep that night thinking about what might've been.
Tugging and a weight at the end of the bed roused him from his sleep. "Da...da...Daddy," he heard her mumbling as she crawled up towards the head of his bed. Severus groaned. When did she learn this trick?! He supposed he was going to have to either ward her crib or deal with her waking him up like this every morning now. "Daddy," she tapped her hand on his cheek. Opening one eye narrowly, he saw her tousled hair and wide eyes watching him carefully before laying her head down next to his.
Olivia laid there patiently as he woke up bit by bit. As he heard the clock in the sitting room chime eight, he decided it was time to get up. He summoned her robe and tucked her arms into it before carrying her into the sitting room where Albus had yet another small tree set up. House elves had already prepared her breakfast and his coffee, though she was more interested in the multicolored packages.
Removing his own gifts, knowing already what they were, he let her have her way with the gifts remaining. More socks from Albus? He smirked as he drank his coffee. There were picture books and a hat to match the poncho she received from Minerva for her birthday. Olivia, however, seemed more interested in the ribbons and paper.
When she finally found the toy hidden behind the tree, Severus almost regretted the purchase of the wooden toy piano, but when he saw the excitement on her face at the sounds it made when she pushed the keys, he simply made a mental note to brew an extra stash of headache relief potion.
The Malfoys annual dinner had finally come and Severus was loathe to attend as usual, but he had no excuse this year. High class society, the vast majority being pureblood witches and wizards, was all about name and money and family. There were rarely exceptions to that rule, himself being one of them. With his accomplishments and his position at Hogwarts combined with the fact that he knew many of the pureblood wizards attending, one of which was the host, he was always invited.
A young girl, whom he recognized as one of his Slytherin students, played the cello in the corner of the room. It was common for pureblood daughters to learn a musical instrument, the elegant perfection and strict learning was a quality very much sought after. He supposed that Narcissa would encourage Olivia to pursue the same. The sons, however, especially heirs – first born – were often by their father's side, observing the politics of society and meeting other well established individuals.
Severus found the younger children among some of the women in the sitting room. Narcissa gladly hurried over to Olivia, taking her from his arms, and placed her with the other children in their polite play.
"Severus, good of you to join us," Lucius welcomed him as he stepped into the study, handing him a glass of firewhiskey. "I guess you had no excuse this year," he joked.
"I thought Narcissa might wish Olivia to come. I felt it only polite to indulge her."
"You're going to regret that one day, Severus," he laughed. "She already spoils the girl as it is!"
He simply smirked in reply. Lucius would never openly admit to being as attached to both children as he was and Severus well knew that. A conversation was quickly struck with the other wizards in the room, Mulciber and Rosier.
It quickly became apparent that the Dark Lord's reign had been put out of the minds of many. Those who had been followers didn't bring it up and avoided the subject all together. They spoke of progress at the Ministry, advances in research, new laws and regulations, and their own personal lives. It was a lightness in their lives that Severus hadn't seen in his lifetime.
He observed that the other guests could feel the same difference in their lives and society. There wasn't a constant paranoia or a weight of oppression pressing upon all their shoulders. They could simply be witches and wizards again. After all, that's what they were...people, families, parents, spouses, and friends.
Many outside of their group only saw the faces they wore in public, their indifferent demeanor and perfectionist views. It often became their name; they were cold and heartless individuals to many. However they seemed outside, within this space, they smiled, laughed, joked, and were affectionate with those close to them and they felt the freedom to be that way again with the Dark Lord gone.
Severus took a breath that relaxed him, letting go of the tension in his shoulders. Narcissa walked up next to him, bumping his shoulder with her own. He looked over to see his daughter fast asleep in her arms.
"I can lay her down upstairs if you'd like to stay a while," she said in a questioning manner. He had stayed for a few hours, but he supposed Narcissa recognized his comfortable posture. Thinking for a moment, he decided it was best to take his leave. She said that she would let Lucius know as she passed the child over as gently as possible, brushing the girls hair out of her face. "Goodnight, little one," Narcissa whispered to the girl. "We'll see you before term starts again," she said to Severus as he turned to leave.
The fire crackled and sputtered in the hearth behind it's screen. Olivia played quietly in the floor at his feet, her blocks clacking together, and intermittently, a giggle or small squeal would break her silence. The book in his hands held the majority of his focus. He would stop only to make any notes in the margins, a habit he was all too familiar with.
The clock had yet to strike nine, but the night seemed much later. The next day was when he would take Olivia back to Malfoy Manor. New Year's had come and gone much quicker this time than the last. He paused in his reading and watched the now toddler in the floor of his quarters.
Her dark eyes reflected the flames that burned nearby; the fire gave her skin a warm coloring he knew she didn't have naturally. He silently wondered if she would ever grow out of these characteristics she had so clearly inherited from him. Part of him hoped in order to spare her, but when he looked at her, he saw how much those things favored her. Olivia was a dark and mysterious beauty like his own mother had been, but with the angelic features Lily had held.
Turning back to his book, he began reading again on the qualities of hellebore during each stage of maturity, making his notes as needed. He heard, but did not acknowledge the chime of the clock. As he continued, there was a gentle tugging at his leg that drew his attention away from his research.
Olivia was attempting to pull herself into his lap with one hand while clutching her stuffed fawn in the other. She grunted at the effort, on the verge of fuss. "Daddy," she groaned with another tug as she noticed his glance turned to her.
Leaning down, he pulled her into his lap, still holding his book to keep his place. She settled comfortably on one leg, the fawn tucked against his side and her cheek pressed against his chest. Severus wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling.
She breathed deeply, watching silently as he wandlessly turned the pages of his book, her eyelids gradually dropping in her sleepiness. When she did finally drift off, he put his book onto the side table, careful not to move too much to disturb her. He leaned into her, breathing in the gardenia shampoo scent that lingered in her hair.
"Goodnight, Olivia..."