December 24th 1994

The night of the Yule Ball

Severus had been tricked by Dumbledore to stay in the castle and help chaperone the students during the Yule Ball – as if he cared that the teenagers were fucking in the corridors.

"Let them have fun, Dumbledore!" he had said.

But the headmaster looked at him over the rim of his half-moon glasses, saying: "Because It's fun to get pregnant before the N.E.W.T.s?" Which shut Severus up very quickly – for that was what had happened with Florence and him.

Dumbledore continued: "The Board of Governors hasn't allowed me to distribute condoms in the school during the TriWizard Tournament."

"So it's up to me to stop those idiots from fucking?"

"Don't be cruel, Severus." said Dumbledore. "You were like that once. Or do you think I don't know what you and Florence used to do in the Astronomy Tower, the Room of Requirement, and even in the Slytherin Common Room?"

Severus looked at him, surprised. "How do you know that?"

"I didn't. But you have just admitted to it." Laughed Dumbledore. "In the common room? Really? You Slytherins sure are kinky."

He ignored his last comment and said: "Well, you can't give them condoms, but I can."

And that was how Severus had to cut short the marvellous Christmas Eve he was having with his family to go to the castle at five in the afternoon to spend the night watching over hormone-driven teenagers snogging around the castle.

He could be at home, lounging on the sofa, with his beautiful 7-month-pregnant wife on his lap, a good elven wine on his hand and his kids bickering and playing games on the rug.

But nooo, he had to stop a couple of bastards from being conceived.

Not to mention it took him but a couple of minutes to realize that most of the students nearly fucking in the corridors were Slytherins – and if he kept on docking points, his House wouldn't stand a chance in winning the House Cup that year.

Therefore, Severus resorted to walking around the corridors throwing condoms on the corners instead of docking points.

After all, he knew the teenagers would fuck anyway – no matter how many points he threatened to take from their Houses.

Severus looked at the time in the pocket watch he rarely used, it marked 11:45.

Finally.

At midnight, the Great Hall would be closed and the Ball brought to an end.

Severus could only think about home, his bed, his wife.

He walked to the oaken doors and told Dumbledore he was leaving. The, considerably inebriated, Headmaster just wished him a Merry Christmas, and Severus went to the dungeons to floo home.

But it seemed his nightmare wasn't over yet: in front of his living quarters' door stood Igor Karkaroff.

"What the fuck do you want?" he growled at the man.

"Severus! I must talk to you! The Mark is reappearing!" Karkaroff whispered. "It's becoming more and more visible each day!"

He held in his desire to just kill the man. "I've already told you, Igor: I have nothing to be concerned about." He turned to open his quarter's door.

"You can't pretend nothing is happening!" Karkaroff sounded desperate. "You can't deny he's coming back!"

"Yes, he is! Why don't you run?" Severus turned to face him, furious with the man and his annoying accent. "Disappear and I'll tell them you ran like a coward!" he walked into his quarters and stopped Karkaroff from following him. "I'm not inviting you in."

"We need to talk!"

"There's nothing else for us to talk about. Now, if you'll excuse me." and he slammed the door on Karkaroff's face.

Snapes' family home

Florence woke up by the sound of steps on the stairs. She took her wand from the nightstand and walked slowly to the corridor.

All her kids were home for the Holidays, if someone somehow had managed to enter that house, she wasn't going to let them hurt her kids.

She reached the top of the staircase and stopped, lowering her wand and smiling.

Severus was looking at her, walking upstairs, smiling back.

"What are you doing with that wand, love? You know no one can break into this house."

"I heard footsteps and just… I worry, you know that." she sighed as his arms closed around her.

He kissed her lips and then her swollen belly, feeling little Sophie moving inside.

"Let's go to the bedroom." He whispered.

"Have you had dinner already?" Florence asked as he closed their bedroom door.

"Yes, I just want to shower and go to bed. I'm beat. This evening was the most annoying of the last decade."

He went to the bathroom and Florence followed him, sitting on the small sofa in there as she watched him shower.

"Has anything happened, Sev?" she asked, sensing his irritation.

"No, nothing worrisome for once. Just the stupid Ball itself, all the fucking teenagers and... Karkaroff – he's afraid of retaliation." He shampooed his hair.

"Is he going to run?" she watched the suds running down his body, and she bit her lip in desire.

"I hope so. Then I won't have to look at him ever again." He rinsed his hair.

Florence chuckled.

"Is everybody asleep already?" Severus asked.

"Yes, but..." She exhaled heavily and he knew what she was about to say before she said it: "The twins aren't home."

"Leave them to me. Do you have any idea where they went?"

"They said they were going to the main square to meet some friends after dinner, but Tiff popped there and it's empty. If I have to guess, they're somewhere with the Weasley twins."

"And that's even more worrying. I'll find them through the Trace, if they're not home for breakfast tomorrow."

Florence just nodded, still concerned about her kids.

"Hand me a towel, love." he asked turning off the shower. "And how have you felt this evening?"

"As well as this afternoon." She replied, giving him a fluffy white towel. "Some weakness, some nausea; but Sophie is moving normally. I checked on her a few times." then a sudden kick to her diaphragm had her wincing, "Speaking of her," she touched her belly. "Sophie is awake now that you're home."

Severus smiled, wrapped the towel around his waist and caressed her belly. "Hey there, little baby-girl." He got a kick on his hand and chuckled.

Florence touched his face lovingly, kissing his lips softly. "So you predictably hated chaperoning the students and nothing of concern happened, but how was the Ball?"

"Snogging couples everywhere, Dumbledore way too drunk for a school headmaster; Madam Maxime and Hagrid were flirting in the Great Hall, and Karkaroff was annoying me. What was there not to hate?" He walked to the closet and put on a comfortable pair of sweatpants, before continuing: "But the Great Hall was as beautiful as it always is when there's a Ball in the castle." he towelled his hair dry. "Also, Dumbledore knows we fucked in the common room."

"What?" she was surprised. "How could he possibly know that?"

"He tricked me into admitting it." he reluctantly said.

Florence laughed as she lay on the bed.

Severus lay beside her and she laid her head on his chest, one of his hands going to her stomach, feeling Sophie.

"It's really darker." Florence whispered, holding his left arm and looking at his Dark Mark. "And... moving?" she whispered, surprised. "Why is it moving?" she stared at the snake in the tattoo as it seemed to move side-to-side slowly, "It's never done that before!"

"Yes, it has been doing that... whenever I'm home." He reluctantly said. "I believe it's reacting to you and the kids, because I don't feel it getting any stronger and when I'm at Hogwarts it doesn't move at all."

She nodded, "Yes... we are his blood... it is easy to forget."

"Yes." He paused, staring at the vaulted ceiling. "I often wonder which one of them would be his favourite."

"What? What a silly thing to think about, Sev!" she chuckled.

He thought for a while and then asked: "James or Liz?"

"Liz, of course! James is too reckless and impulsive. Liz is intelligent, poised, and has no qualms about telling anyone to fuck off. She'd be his absolute favourite."

Severus shivered. "That's so true. Just another thing to add to my nightmares now: your father taking Liz to Balls at the Malfoy Manor..."

Florence softly chuckled and entwined her left hand with his right one over his stomach, admiring as always how sexy his hands were.

He snorted, "Hands aren't sexy, Florence."

"I think yours are." She looked into his eyes. "I love you, you know."

"Yes… and I love you."

And after a sweet kiss they fell asleep.

But inside a room two doors down from theirs, there was a beautiful girl that couldn't sleep.

Elizabeth had found a letter, with a small package, on her bed after dinner that had made her heart stop.

She had picked up the letter and quickly recognised the family crest in the dark green wax. The large letter 'M' and the latin words Sanctimonia Vincet Semper inscribed on a banner bellow it left no doubt about the family and affiliations of the person who had sent her that.

Genealogy wasn't taught in Beauxbatons, but latin was, and Elizabeth knew those words meant: Purity Will Always Conquer. And her father had made her read enough books about the Sacred Twenty-eight for her to know which family that crest belonged to.

She pondered if she should wait to open the letter with her mother. But curiosity got the best of her and she broke the wax seal, reading it:

Miss Delacour,

We met at the welcoming feast at Hogwarts about three months ago; and since then I just can't stop thinking of you.

I come to you through this letter to express my desire to meet you in person and to get to know you better – if you so agree. Place and time of your choice, of course, just tell me when and where and I'll be there.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you like the little gift I sent you. I fear I might have fallen short, but I was unable to find anything up to your beauty – that ring was the closest I could find.

Yours sincerely,

Draco Malfoy.

Elizabeth had already opened the little black box that accompanied the letter and gasped at the beautiful ring that lay in its velvety black interior.

It was a flower-crown silver ring made of twelve little flowers, and each flower had a sparkling centre, that Liz suspected was made of diamonds.

Her hand trembled as she thought of putting it on her finger – it was so beautiful and she was itching to see how it would look on her hand – but she stopped herself. She had the feeling that if she put it on, she'd accepting more than just Draco's admiration. She laid the ring back inside its box and put the box and the letter inside her nightstand drawer.

Then Elizabeth lay down on her bed, staring at the enchanted ceiling that her father had made for her – it looked like the night sky, only it was always clear and full of stars, the moon was always big and round. It was a beautiful magical present. She loved it.

Dad would kill Draco if he knew about this letter.

She knew her father was Draco's godfather and she knew everything there was to know about the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy was bigoted, immoral and evil, and her dad feared his godson would turn out to be just as bad because of his upbringing.

But I felt something that night… when I first saw Draco. I can't forget him since that night... just like he says he can't forget me either.

She closed her eyes and brought forth memories of his beautiful blue eyes, as blue as the clear blue sky.

She wanted to meet him.

But how will that be possible? I'll have to talk to mom. Maybe she'll let me. Maybe she'll understand.

Elizabeth turned off her bedside lamp and closed her eyes.

I must remember to do my Occlumency exercises before going to breakfast tomorrow. If dad catches a glimpse of anything related to Draco in my mind, he'll lock me home for the rest of my life.

And the girl fell asleep, dreaming about a certain blond-haired boy and his blue eyes.

In the next morning

Florence woke up before her husband.

Sophie was kicking all of her organs and she felt too uncomfortable to stay in bed – not to mention the nausea; and the last thing she wanted was to vomit on the bed.

So she got up and walked a bit around the house, checking the twins' room and sighing exasperatedly as she saw their still-made beds. – they hadn't slept home.

Tiffany found her on her way to Elizabeth's room and handed her some ginger tea.

"Thanks, Tiff." Florence smiled and knocked on her daughter's door. "Liz, are you awake?"

"Yes, mom, come in."

Florence walked into the room, closed the door and sat on the bed beside her daughter.

"Morning, baby girl."

"Morning, mom. Morning, Sophie." she kissed her mom's belly.

"Your sister is not behaving this morning. I slept like a baby the whole night but this morning she started practicing Quidditch inside of me." Florence chuckled, but Elizabeth didn't share in the laughter and she frowned, "Is something wrong, love?"

"Mom, is dad still asleep?" Elizabeth asked, getting serious.

"Yes, honey, why? What's happening?" she touched her hand.

"Nothing serious, it's just..." she sighed and picked the letter from the drawer. "You better read this, and then you'll understand."

Florence looked at the broken wax seal and glanced at Liz with a frown before opening the letter and reading it, her eyes getting bigger as she read.

Once she finished it, she folded the letter again and looked at her daughter, noticing the girl's anxiety as she waited for her to speak.

"Well, I'm not fully against this, Liz." Florence spoke, for Liz's surprise. "And the reason I'm not is because I saw the way Draco looked at you that night in the Great Hall... but your father will never accept this."

"I know that, mom. But maybe you could talk to him and then…"

"I can't. Believe me: nothing I say that involves you and a boy will ever be accepted by Severus. Not to mention: you're just twelve, love." Florence saw her daughter's eyes getting filled with tears. "Your father also noticed the way Draco looked at you that night, and he wasn't pleased."

"Mom, I felt something when Draco kissed my hand that night." Liz spoke as if she was confessing something.

"What did you feel, honey?" Florence looked even more concerned.

"I don't know how to explain it... but as we were walking side by side to the Headmaster's office, I felt something like comfort and peace. Like we were old friends. It felt good to walk beside him."

The look of worry never left Florence's face as she stared out the window, suddenly seeming sad.

"Maybe you're blessed by the Enchantment as well…" she murmured. "I hoped none of you would be..."

It was Elizabeth's turn to frown. "What is that, mom? What's an Enchantment?"

"It's when your magic recognizes other person's magic as its other half."

"You mean like soul mates?" Liz sounded surprised and excited by the idea.

"Sort of, yes." Florence nodded.

"Are you and dad blessed by it?"

"Yes. But it's not always a blessing, dear. When things go bad between a blessed couple, it can make you physically sick."

"Did it happen to you?"

"Yes. The Enchantment and my veela have caused me trouble more than once." Florence sighed. "There are also... let's call it consequences, when you're blessed by the Enchantment… but let's think about those another time. Maybe you're not." Florence smiled weakly. "It'll be better if you're not."

"Is it so bad to find your soul mate, mom?" asked the girl, confused.

"No, dear. It's not bad! Your father and our family are everything to me." She held her daughter's hand between her own two. "The problem is, Liz, there's a war coming and Draco's family is not on the same side we are. His father would do anything to destroy yours."

Elizabeth just nodded and took the letter from her mother's hands, putting it back into the drawer.

"The letter mentioned a ring. Where is it?" Florence asked.

The girl picked up the black box and gave it to her mother.

Florence opened the box and smiled, "This is gorgeous, Liz. You know this means much more than just friendship, don't you?"

"Yes. I haven't put it on yet."

"Slytherin men and their obsession with gifting jewellery." Florence shook her head looking at the ring and touching her jade necklace. She closed the jewellery box and sighed. "Honey, you're only twelve. Draco's fourteen. You are both too young to get into a serious relationship. Just make sure that you remember that and that Draco does too, okay?"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled: "So that means you'll let me meet him?"

"Yes, Liz. Write back to him. He'll get your owl before lunchtime, the Malfoys don't live that far from here. Tell him to come to Hogsmeade next Wednesday afternoon at three. Your dad has a meeting in Hogwarts that day. Don't tell Draco where you live and don't mention your father's name."

"Thank you, mom!" the girl hugged her mother and kissed her face. "Will you tell dad?"

"Do you want to meet Draco alive or dead?" Florence arched an eyebrow. "I'm not telling him anything, for now. And when you meet Draco, feel free to use all the snarkiness and confidence you've inherited from your dad and..."

"From dad? What? You don't consider yourself snarky?" Elizabeth interrupted her.

"Well... not as much as your father."

"Sorry to break it to you, mom. But you can be worse than dad sometimes."

Florence chuckled. "Alright, Liz. Use all the snarkiness you've inherited from us and let Draco know you're not some wide-eyed girl impressed by his money or his family name."

"Ok, mom. I will make him wet his pants." She replied with a smile.

"Don't go too far though, or he truly might." Florence laughed, before adding with a sigh: "Draco is a good kid. Severus just worries his desire to please his father might make him choose to follow the family tradition..."

Liz looked at her with hope in her dark eyes. "Maybe if we get to date... he'll think again and change sides."

Florence smiled at her daughter's wishful thinking, remembering that she herself had once thought she could stop Severus from choosing the wrong side.

"Don't hold your breath, honey. I don't want you to be disappointed." Florence touched her face. "The Malfoys have been following the Dark Lord for two generations – Draco would be the third."

"I get what you're saying, mom." Elizabeth took the black box from the bed where her mother had left it and she put it back into the drawer.

"I just don't want you to suffer what I've suffered, baby." Florence said, hugging her daughter. "I cannot believe I'm talking about boyfriends with you already."

"Oh, no, mom! Don't start it!" Elizabeth rolled her eyes in a way very similar to her older brother. "Let's go down to breakfast before you start crying and saying how we all grow up too fast."

"I don't think I'll be able to eat much this morning." Florence said as she sat at the breakfast table, making a face at all the delicious-looking food Tiffany and Melody had prepared, sipping her ginger tea.

"Just a little over one month to go, mom." Liz smiled at her mother. "I'm so anxious to meet Sophie."

"Really? I thought you'd be angry and jealous of her."

"I can't say I won't be." Liz shrugged. "She'll probably be as crazy about dad as Chris is, and everybody knows that I want dad all to myself."

"You can be sure she'll be as crazy about your dad as you all are. I remember the first time Severus spent the day with the twins. He let them do anything they wanted, he even gave them his wand!" She smiled at the memory. "When he came to live here, he allowed your brothers to do many things that I'd always prohibited – watch TV until late, eat sweets at all hours, help with potion making."

"But that's not fair!" Liz exclaimed, making herself a sandwich. "Why could they do all those cool things and I can't?"

"Right." Florence ironically replied. "As far as I know, you, young lady, can't complain about limits. Because I know that half the things I say no to, you go and ask your father and he says yes! I don't have to mention the shopping sprees you and Nick always go on every time I'm not looking, do I?"

"Oh, mom!" Liz dramatically sighed. "Susan Malkin always gets us the most exclusive pieces – she knows exactly what Nick and I love! And my blue fur coat? No one else in the world has a coat like that! And we can afford it, we have enough money for a simple coat and more. I don't understand why you didn't want me to have it! The girls at school seethe with envy every time I wear it."

"It's not because we can that we must buy things, Liz. And that's what I've been trying to teach you, but your father keeps spoiling you all!"

"Are these two gorgeous girls talking about me?" Severus asked walking towards them with Chris on his back.

"Yes!" said Florence smiling. "We were talking about a certain very expensive coat that you let someone buy. Over three hundred galleons if I remember well."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, then." Severus said, kissing his wife and then his daughter before sitting down.

Chris kissed his mom and sister and sat beside Liz.

"We could have dinner with my mom tonight. What do you think?" asked Severus.

"Good idea."

"Hey, where are big brothers?" Liz asked, noticing that Nick and James hadn't gone down for breakfast.

"In trouble." Severus said. "They didn't sleep home last night and didn't tell your mother where they were going."

"Well, I know where they went last night." Liz said, smiling.

"Where?" asked Florence, surprised.

"Muggle London. Nick was going to take Fred to some motel and James and George were going to hit the clubs – their words, not mine."

Severus looked at his wife, smirking. If only I was to apparate inside this motel room... can you imagine the Weasley's face?

Florence nearly spit her tea as she laughed.

You wouldn't do that, Nick doesn't deserve it. Then she added: James on the other hand...

On it! Severus stood up fast and went to the library to locate the boys through the Trace.

Severus apparated to the place his oldest son's Trace showed he was and, as he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a very girly room.

James was asleep on the bed in front of him, although by the movement he could see under the covers, someone was about to wake him up.

Severus smirked and waited for James to open his eyes.

"Hmm, Kelly, that's a very good way to wake up." Murmured James.

"I agree." Severus replied softly. "Love when your mother does that."

"Holy shit!" James shouted, rolling out of the bed, fighting with the covers and losing, falling onto his but on the floor.

Severus ordered: "Get home. Now." and disapparated, going to find Nicholas.

But when he apparated in front of a crooked house in the country, he just rolled his eyes and sent Nicholas a silent Patronus. The last thing he wanted was to see his son and one of the ginger-menaces engaging on anything – he had known Fred since the boy was eleven and Nick was his good son, he didn't deserve the humiliation.

So Severus just disapparated home.

Florence's antiemetic potion was finally taking effect and she'd started to eat something, when a very angry James walked into the house through the backyard door.

"Jamie!" she exclaimed, relieved to see he was fine. "Where have you been? And where's Nick?"

James just shouted: "DID YOU KNOW HE WAS GOING TO DO THAT?"

"Do what?" Florence tried not to laugh.

"Dad simply apparated in a room while I was..."

"STOP!" Florence shouted. "I don't need to know! The last thing I need to hear is about your sex-life, James."

Severus walked into the house and pointed at his son. "You. On the sofa. Now!"

Did you really caught him...? She asked.

Yes, I did. He fell out of bed onto his naked ass.

She eyed James and hid her laughter behind her tea cup. "And where's Nicholas?"

"At the Burrow." Both Severus and James replied.

"I sent him a silent Patronus."

"A Patronus!" exclaimed James, indignantly. "You walked in on me while he gets a Patronus?"

"Yes." Severus simply replied, looking at his son in the eyes.

James glared at his father, furious.

Then Nicholas walked out of the fireplace. And Florence and Severus looked at him with concern.

"Don't tell me you asked to use their floo!" Severus exclaimed.

"No. No one saw me but Fred."

"Sit!" Severus ordered.

What's going on? Nicholas asked his brother with as arched eyebrow.

What do you think? James replied. We both spent the night out. They're mad.

Oh, that's easy to solve. Look like you're sorry. Than he spoke out loud: "We messed up, dad. We're sorry." He feigned guilt and put on his repentant face. "We shouldn't have..."

Ooh, he's trying to play you! Said Florence from the breakfast table, surprised.

Not the good son anymore, it seems. Severus replied.

"Don't even start, Nicholas." he interrupted his son. "I'm not falling for it. You'll be seventeen this year, you're no longer kids; so I understand that you want your freedom. But: there's a war coming "

"Yeah, for the past four years there's a war coming!" replied James, annoyed. "What should we do? Wait in our room until Potter finally finishes the Dark Lord and then we can live our lives?"

Severus just pulled his sleeve up and showed his Dark Mark to the boys – who were used to seeing it pale and grey for he wore short sleeve shirts around the house in the summer.

"Fuck." Whispered Nicholas. "It's darker."

James just stared at it silently.

"Yes. It's darker." Agreed Severus. "You two cannot go around partying as if nothing is happening."

Shit! It's really happening. Said James to his brother.

"What will happen when he returns?" asked Nicholas, worried.

"I'm still not sure yet." Severus honestly replied. "But it won't be good for me. And you... the whole wizarding world knows about you two already."

"We won't go out all night again, dad." Said James, sounding sincere.

"Yeah, we didn't know how serious things are." Added Nicholas.

Severus nodded, pulling his sleeve back down. "Now, go apologize to your mother."

The twins got up and walked towards Florence but she raised her hand and exclaimed: "Do not get near me without showering and brushing your teeth first! I've always cleaned up after sex, before hugging you..."

"Just tell us to shower, mom!" complained James. "No need for details. Geez. Sometimes I wonder how there aren't twenty of us here. instead of just five."

"Contraceptive potion!" Said Severus. "And you'll be learning how to brew it this afternoon!" he shouted as James walked upstairs.