Note: this is another glimpse at the Snape family dynamics. They're so adorable, I could write so many scenes about them doing the most ordinary things (but I fear I'd bore you all). We also see some war-related problems.

Next chapter we have the Quidditch Cup and then things will start to change.

July 1994

Snapes' family home

One morning

Severus turned on the bed, patting the mattress, looking for his wife, but her side was empty and cold. He opened his eyes, looking around the room but still not seeing her.

"Florence?" he called.

She didn't reply, but the sounds coming from the bathroom let him know where she was and what had taken her out of bed.

He let out a worried breath as he listened to her getting sick in the bathroom; something wasn't right with Florence and it wasn't just her veela's instability due to the pregnancy. She was sleeping too much, vomiting more than twice a day, and fainting. Not to mention her last Wiggenweld batch had turned out less powerful than usual.

Severus sat on the bed and looked at her as she appeared at the bathroom door, but he frowned, seeing she was about to lose consciousness.

"Florence!" he exclaimed, running towards her, grabbing her just before she had hit the floor.

"Thanks, Sev." She murmured, resting her head on his chest and taking some deep breaths.

He held her tightly, "Flor, this is not the first time that I see you almost fainting. That's dangerous, love. Maybe you should talk to Pomfrey..."

His soft-spoken words of worry suddenly inflamed her and she snapped: "I'm a healer just as much as her, Severus! I'm pregnant! Some dizziness is normal. Let go of me!" She pushed him away.

"I'll ask Poppy to come here." He kept talking in low tone of voice.

"You'll do no such thing!" she shouted. "I'm fine!"

He stared at her, it was clear she wasn't herself that morning – her veela was close to the surface; if he insisted on arguing with her he could get hurt.

So he just sighed and watched her sit on the bed with her eyes closed; he kept his eyes on her, in days like that he felt like he was sharing a room with a Horntail ready to roast him at any minute.

"I'll have to go to the castle this morning, Flor. McGonagall needs help with the preparations for the Tournament." He let her know.

"Hm-hm." Was all she said, feeling nausea and anger bubbling inside of her.

He knelt on the floor, between her legs. "Are you sure you're..."

"Get out, Severus." She growled, looking at him with light-green eyes. "If you have to go to the castle, then go to the damn castle!"

He silently nodded and stood up, walking to the door, keeping his eyes on her, concern and fear mixing in his mind. He was torn between going to the castle and staying home to take care of her.

Then she made the decision for him: a chair suddenly flew in his direction, nearly hitting his head, and breaking against the wall; so he quickly left the room, going downstairs to have breakfast.

Severus could hear his three older children were already at the table, so he walked slowly downstairs to listen to their conversation.

Elizabeth was speaking: "So Krum is coming to the TriWizard Tournament this year and you won't have to share a common room with him ever again?"

"Exactly, sis!" exclaimed James.

"I have to admit I'll miss the view though. His morning runs around the school grounds were always very entertaining." Added Nicholas, smirking.

Elizabeth smiled: "Well, I saw a picture of him in the Prophet and I must agree he's quite interesting."

"That's when he looks his best: in a silent picture." Laughed James. "Ugh! He's so dumb, it's painful to watch him studying."

"If you hate the guy, why are you going with him to the World Cup?" she asked.

"We aren't." Said James. "We'll be taking our own tent, we won't stay with the other Durmstrang students."

Do you think she's going with us? Nick asked his brother.

I hope not, man. Having Liz there would really make things difficult.

"Mom and dad haven't allowed you to go, have they?" Nicholas asked out loud.

"No." Elizabeth replied angrily. "You'll be there to protect me, I don't see why I can't go! It's just for two days! You do want me to go, don't you?"

The twins hesitated and she gasped in shock: "I can't believe you two! Why?"

"Well, Liz... you're not even twelve and..." Nicholas began.

"Truth is: you'll cramp our style."

"Cramp your style?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes. "You mean you won't be able to fuck whomever you want because I'll be there."

Severus quickly resumed walking downstairs.

"Enough of this conversation. I've already told you to watch your mouths near your sister!" he glared at the twins.

"Good morning, dad." The kids said.

"I wish." He replied.

"You should let me go to the Cup just to give them blue balls, dad." Elizabeth said, glaring at them too.

Severus grimaced. "Enough of those words, Elizabeth!" He poured himself a cup of coffee, sipping before speaking: "Your brothers are almost sixteen, therefore they're going to the Quidditch Cup. You're two months from being twelve – so that's simply why you're not going."

The girl crossed her arms, glaring at her father and brothers.

"Where's mom?" Nicholas asked.

Severus sighed and sipped his coffee again.

"Oh, hell." James said, grimacing. "It's one of those days…"

"Yes." Severus confirmed. "I should expect those already, but I'm always taken by surprise."

"Did you two have a fight?" Nicholas asked.

"Not exactly. Flor is feeling faint a lot. Daily, I'd say. I stopped her from falling this morning and mentioned she should talk to Poppy. That's when she got furious and a chair flew towards my head. I barely escaped it."

The twins stifled a laugh.

"Why was mom angry that you were helping her?" James asked.

"I have no idea." Severus said.

"Was mom always like this whenever she was pregnant?" Nicholas asked.

"Well, when she was expecting her," he pointed Elizabeth – who was still angry. "Flor was way worse. I may have slept at Hogwarts more nights than necessary in those months – which actually used to make things worse, but I needed the peace. And some mornings, Florence would cry so much, I would take you two to your grandma's." He said to the twins. "For she didn't want you to worry." He paused to take another sip of his coffee. "According to Pomfrey, when expecting a girl, it's normal for your mother to feel more nausea, anxiety and get more irritated." He glanced at the twins, letting them know there was something else worrying him.

They both frowned, but understood their father didn't want to talk in front of their sister.

"Not even when mom was expecting us she was like that?" James asked, instead.

Severus put his cup down and looked at his plate, cutting into his croissant and having a bite, before saying: "I wouldn't know how to answer that."

Then the boys remembered that their parents weren't together while their mother was expecting them.

"Sorry for asking, dad." Said James, wincing. "I forget sometimes."

"It's ok, Jamie."

Then they heard a sound on the stairs and stopped talking. Florence was walking towards the table, smiling.

"Good morning, beautiful family!"

Severus stared at his wife, one eyebrow arched.

Florence sat down on the chair to his right.

"What's wrong, Sev?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"What's wrong?" he repeated. "Five minutes ago you were about to bite my head off!"

"Oh, please!" Florence started to eat. "It was only a chair, and you were annoying me! Just drop it, ok?"

"Fine. But I still remember the pain for going through that window." murmured Severus, pointing to the tall glass window in the living room.

"Stop it, Sev." Florence looked upset. "I was so scared I had hurt you that day."

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Nicholas, looking from his brother to their parents.

"You threw dad through that window?" asked James.

"Yes. But I didn't mean to." said Florence. "Don't you two remember it being broken once?" she asked the twins.

"Yes, but you said it had been the wind." Nicholas said. "And then we went to spend the night at grandma's."

"Well, it wasn't a lie. It was the wind – caused by my veela. You two were three years old, and terrified I'd send your dad away for some reason. I couldn't tell you I had thrown him through the window!" She sipped her tea again.

"Mom…" Elizabeth began.

"Don't even start, Liz." Florence interrupted. "Your father's already told you no. You're not going to the Quidditch World Cup."

"No one understands me in this house!" Elizabeth shouted and stomped out of the living room, going upstairs.

"And the teenager tantrums have begun." Florence said, before biting down on her sandwich.

After breakfast, Florence took Christopher to the playground in the village main square and Severus called Pomfrey through the floo network.

The twins entered the library while he was talking to her; Tiffany and Melody were in there as well.

"How serious is her condition, Poppy?"

"It depends on how cooperative she is, Severus. If she's trying to live life as usual, then we may have a problem."

"What's going on, dad?" Nicholas asked.

"Hi, boys." Greeted Pomfrey, smiling, "Look how handsome you two are!"

"Hi." They both said.

"Looking good yourself, Poppy!" said James with a wink.

"Aren't you a flirt!" she giggled. "We always knew you'd be trouble, Jamie."

"What's going on with mom?" Nick asked again.

Severus replied: "Your mother is not reacting well to this pregnancy."

"But you said it's normal for her to be unpredictable and nervous..." James said.

"It is but... she's been fainting a lot. And sleeping too much." Severus sighed. "She's constantly tired and weak."

The twins looked at him with equal concerned expressions.

Then James asked: "What can we do to help her?"

"Unfortunately there's nothing you can do, boys." Said Pomfrey. "Florence needs to slow down, the normal pregnancy stress plus the worry about the upcoming war is keeping her veela on high alert 24/7. She's sleeping, but not resting. So her magic is suffering, and so is her body. Is she eating well?"

Their older elf replied: "Tiffany makes sure her Mistress Flor eats well and drinks her liquids but... Mistress is constantly sick."

Pomfrey looked at the potions master, "Haven't you managed to make a safe long-lasting antiemetic potion, Severus?"

"Not yet. I'm already working with the highest concentration of ginger and spearmint oil that are considered safe during pregnancy. But all I've brewed so far gave Flor relief for no longer than four hours."

Pomfrey sighed. "She doesn't know you're calling me, does she?"

"No. She's not home."

"We knew she would be unstable during pregnancy, Severus. And we both know her fears of the future are real – and stress and pregnancy do not mix!"

"What can we do, Pomfrey?" he asked, frustration and concern making him sound rude.

"Keep an eye on her as she walks up and down the stairs, check on her if she spends too long in the room alone. Make sure she eats."

"The usual." Severus said.

"Yes. The usual. We'll have to wait for her to realize she's not well enough to carry on doing whatever she wants. Until then: keep an eye on her and try not to annoy her."

"Thanks, Poppy." Severus said, ending the call. Then he looked at the elves and the twins: "I'll need you all to help me look after her."

Both elves nodded vigorously.

"We will, dad." The boys replied in unison, terrified at the thought that something might happen to their mother.

Florence sat at a table in Madam Puddifoot's patio and watched her son playing with other kids. It was safe to bring Chris to play outside for he didn't resemble his father, he was Florence's male version – and gossip at Hogwarts actually claimed that he was Remus's son.

She chuckled at that, remembering how furious Severus had got when he first heard that.

"He looks a lot like your father." She suddenly heard someone say and looked up.

"Hello, Headmaster. Would you like to rephrase that observation and then join me?" she sounded offended.

"Sure, dear." He sat beside her and looked at Christopher again. "He's a sweet boy, and his mannerisms are all Severus's, but in looks? He's the exact copy of your father when I first met him."

Florence narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you here, Dumbledore? Just to annoy me? I'm pregnant, it doesn't take much to piss me off."

"I'm here to tell you that Peter Pettigrew has been seen in Little Hangleton."

Florence turned to face him quickly. "That's where my father's house is. The house I grew up in."

"Yes. And Lord Peverell's daughter inherited that house in 1984, when he was declared dead by the wizengamot." He said.

"Yes. But I've never returned to that place since I ran from home, eighteen years ago."

"Do you know who looks after the property?"

"Honestly? No. I was informed that the wizengamot was going to appoint a ground's keeper, who would live in a little house near the manor. I still pay two hundred galleons monthly to cover his salary, the elves' well-being and the house's expenses."

"Yes. The appointed man was Frank Bryce. Ex-military. Muggle. He's still alive and working there actually. He's the one who called the muggle police and reported seeing Pettigrew in the manor."

"Why don't you just send a team to kill Pettigrew?"

"Because Peter is not the only thing the old Frank Bryce has been seeing around the manor. He also reported a big snake, twelve feet long, he says. The police don't believe him, of course."

"Nagini." Florence exhaled. "If she's around, you can bet your right hand my father is not too far behind."

"That's why I can't send anyone... without knowing what to expect in there, I could be sending people to their deaths."

Florence nodded in understanding. "If I could, I'd go there but I'm not risking my child."

Dumbledore looked at her, noticing she wasn't as fine as she appeared to be, "Why hasn't Nagini ever looked for you?"

"I don't know. I always had a good relationship with her." She sipped her tea. "I can only guess she returned to Albania, after my father went missing. It was the only place I remember hearing her talk as if it was home."

He tilted his head, looking at her with amusement, "It's funny how you talk about her as if she were a person. Because she actually was one once."

Florence frowned at him. "What? What do you mean?"

Dumbledore seemed surprised: "Nagini is a Maledictus. You didn't know that?"

"No!" Florence exclaimed, "She was a person!?" she whispered, in shock, looking at the park, thinking. "It makes so much sense! She knew things that a snake couldn't possibly have known, and she could read English!"

"Read?" Dumbledore frowned.

"Yes. I would sit to read a book and she would lay her head on my shoulder and read with me."

He opened his mouth and closed, speechless for a moment, looking at her. "I must say that the image of a kid reading with the head of a huge snake resting on her shoulder is truly bizarre, my dear." He shook his head.

"I completely agree with you now. But it was normal for me then, it was my reality."

"I understand."

"Did you meet her when she was a person?"

"Yes, I did. Se was a beautiful, intelligent woman; I fought beside her against Grindewald. I still wonder how she ended up with your father."

"She once told me father saved her from a life of loneliness and boredom." She finished her tea. "After what you just told me, I can only think that she was missing human contact when he appeared in Albania – a parselmouth, someone she could talk to." She shook her head. "What an awful life, poor Nagini."

Dumbledore looked at her with a mixture of pity and incredulity. "Bertha Jorkins went missing a couple of weeks ago, in Albania. I have reason to believe your father went there to find Nagini and killed Bertha, making another horcrux."

"Another?" she stared at him, really worried. "How many do you think he has?"

"Haven't reached a definite number yet. But according to what I've found so far, at least five."

"Five." She whispered. "We know he used one to not die in 81, and the diary Harry destroyed was another one. But that still leaves three to be found."

"And that is if he hasn't done more."

Florence glanced at her son, her hands caressing her still flat belly, fearing for the future of her family; terrified her daughter might have to grow up without her dad. She blinked, trying to fight the tears that flooded her eyes as she felt her heart race, an anxiety attack starting.

Dumbledore looked at her with concern. "Are you ok, dear?"

She shook her head, her bottom lip trembling before she whispered "Do you think it won't be long now?"

"No, it won't." He shook his head. "It won't take more than a year."

Florence closed her eyes for a few seconds, just breathing, her mind bringing forth her father's threat of killing Severus.

"Tom will need your husband." Said Dumbledore, reading the fear in her face. "Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say!" She snapped. "Severus is just a pawn for you! But he's everything to our family." She paused, trying to control her nerves, "Get out of here, Dumbledore."

He respected her request and stood up. "I'm sorry if I've upset you in any way, Florence. But you had to know."

She just nodded and tapped at the menu, ordering another tea, keeping her eyes on her son.

That night, after the Snape family had enjoyed a great evening together – dinner had been delicious, the dessert had been perfect and the kids had played games without fighting (much) –, Severus carried a sleepy Florence upstairs, laying her on their bed and removing her shoes.

He took off his shirt and kneeled on the bed, massaging her feet and ankles, making her sigh and moan as he rubbed and pressed on her skin.

She was enjoying his touches, sighing happily, when suddenly she burst into tears.

"Flor, love, what's wrong?" Severus asked, lying beside her on the bed, pulling her to his chest.

She rubbed her nose against his neck, smelling him, filling her lungs with the scent that was uniquely his.

"Nagini used to be a person." She whispered, tears slowly running down her face.

He frowned in confusion. "Come again?" She was crying because of Nagini?

"Dumbledore told me she's a Maledictus." She sniffed. "And it makes so much sense!"

"Yes." He slowly nodded. "I agree. I always thought she was just well-trained but... She actually understood English."

"And she could read. We used to read together."

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Don't judge me, Severus." Florence looked at him steely. "She was my father's pet. I didn't know who he was then."

"It's alright, love." He quickly said, before she got angry. "But what else is worrying you?" he could tell there was more.

Florence whispered, "She's been sighted in Little Hangleton. And Pettigrew is there as well."

"So that means..." Severus glanced at his Dark Mark tattoo – he'd noticed it had been gradually getting darker, its lines sharper.

She also looked at the tattoo, not touching it. "It's just a matter of months now." She touched his face, pulling him down for a kiss. "I love you, Sev. I'm completely out of control, I can't protect you and the kids. I'm scared."

"Don't worry, Flor. I won't leave your side until this princess is born." He caressed her belly. "And I won't let your father kill me, at least not without a fight. I have too much to live for."

"I love you, I don't want to lose you." She pulled him closer, kissing him desperately, fear and hormones driving her crazy.

She straddled his hips, touching his chest, taking her own dress off, needing to feel him naked against her, to feel he was still there, still alive and with her.

He saw in her mind what she needed, so he delivered; holding both her hands and magically tying them behind her back.

Her light-green eyes filled with love, fear and desire stared into his dark ones.

"I'm here, Flor. I'm your husband, and I'm going to show you that I'm here." He touched her face.

"Love me, Sev. Fuck me, husband."

"I will, love. I'll fuck this delicious body of yours so thoroughly that every time you sit in the next couple days you'll remember that I'm still here." He took his wand from the nightstand and touched its tip to her lips. "I'll get rid of our clothing now." And he lowered his wand down her neck, between her breasts, making her bra and knickers vanish from her body.

Next, he quickly got rid of his own clothes, locking and silencing the room, before putting his wand back on the nightstand.

Then he looked at his wife: Florence sat on top of him, naked, hands tied on her back, her greens eyes shinning from all the tears of worry and fear. He wanted to erase those feelings from her face – he wanted to see her veela in her eyes, not her desperation and anguish.

She pleaded: "Fuck me, Sev. Make me forget this fear that's eating me inside."

He moved his hands slowly up her thighs on either side of his hips, gripping her larger hips tightly, caressing her skin up to her breasts.

"Hm..." he murmured in satisfaction as his hands cupped her heavy breasts, "My obsessions." And then he was sucking one tip into his mouth eagerly.

She arched and gasped at the delicious pleasure, squirming on his lap; not being able to use her hands making her feel fully owned by him – and that's exactly what she needed that night: to be his.

He played with her nipples, sucking, biting one as his fingers pinched the other.

"I'm gonna make you cum just by playing with these." He whispered.

She moaned affirmatively, rolling her hips against his cock.

"I need..." she gasped as he switched to her other breast, pinching the nipple he had been previously sucking and biting. "I need you, Sev." She moaned.

He lowered one hand to her pussy, hissing at the amount of cream he could feel. "You're dripping for me, princess." he rubbed some of her essence on a nipple and sucked harder, thrusting two fingers inside of her pussy, making her moan loudly as an orgasm took over her body unexpectedly.

He didn't wait for her to stop cumming; without taking his mouth from her breast he positioned her hips and pulled her down, his thick cock pushing into her body, forcing her tight channel to take it all.

"Fuck, Severus!" She felt another orgasm taking over her body and was unable to move up and down, completely lost in the pleasure; but he held her hips and moved her, his mouth on her breasts as he impaled her furiously on his dick.

"Yes, princess!" he groaned. "You're cumming again, milking my dick, so fucking tight."

"Don't stop." She begged. "I need you, all of you."

She clenched around his member again, feeling him getting thicker, knowing he was about to fill her up with his cum. And that's what she wanted, what she needed. She moved her hips, making him hit deeper, feeling his balls resting against her pussy lips.

"You're so fucking deep." she whimpered, throwing her head back, feeling nothing but pleasure, his name leaving her lips like a mantra; and then she was moaning and cumming again.

Her pussy clenched around him hard and there was no stopping his orgasm. He groaned and thick ropes of cum filled her up, dripping down his cock.

Florence leaned onto his chest, rubbing her nose on his shoulder as they both panted.

Severus let her hands go from the magical bonds and caressed her back, pressing their mouths together, parting her lips with his tongue and kissing her deeply. She touched his sweaty chest and sighed in pleasure. But he could sense there was still fear in her mind.

"I'm not going anywhere, Flor. I'm right here." He whispered. "I love you."

"I love you, Sev." She said, looking into his dark eyes, touching his face, before kissing him again.

He wrapped his arms around her and scooted down until they were lying under the fluffy duvet.

Florence laid her head on his chest and her breath soon changed, letting him know she had fallen asleep.

But it took Severus a while to follow her himself, the old regret of having ever joined the Death Eaters consuming him once more.