Next morning

Nymphadora Tonks walked downstairs to grab herself some breakfast and found her husband sitting by himself in the living room, sipping from a cup of tea while looking at the lists of potential future Order of the Phoenix members.

"Morning, gorgeous." She smiled, sitting beside him and kissing his neck. "Already working, love?"

"Yes, Dora. This week, the twins will go visit some more potential members. Hopefully we'll be reaching 300 members within the next month."

She smiled at him, knowing it wasn't half of what Voldemort had, but it was better than what they had three months ago.

"And you kicked Charlie out of his sofa early just to work? Why didn't you use the table?"

Remus frowned, as if suddenly realising something: "Charlie wasn't here when I came down this morning. I haven't seen him at all."

She worried: "Do you think something happened while we slept?"

"I have no idea, Dora." He put the list down on the coffee table. "Melody?" He called, also concerned.

After a few minutes the blue-eyed elf appeared, "Yes, Mr. Lupin?"

"Have you seen Charlie Weasley this morning?"

The elf blushed. "No, Sir. Mr. Weasley slept in the porch for half of the night and then went up to his room, Sir."

"To his room?" Tonks whispered, grasping Remus' arm. "Do you think that means...?"

"I sure hope so." Remus smiled. "He's been growling around Narcissa like a hungry dragon since he brought her here. And he's a good man; she deserves a good man – she's been through enough."

"That's true." Tonks agreed, beginning to bounce her leg and fidget on her cuticles.

And Remus chuckled: "You're dying to go tell your mother, aren't you, love?"

"YES!" and she jumped out of the sofa. "I'll be right back!" she kissed his lips and ran upstairs.

Remus shook his head at his wife's antics and went back to his lists.

"Morning, Remus!" He heard another female voice greeting him a few minutes later.

"Good morning, Molly." He replied, going to write something on a list and stopping mid-air, hoping she didn't ask him about her son.

When she walked straight into the kitchen, Remus exhaled in relief and wrote down the names he thought they should contact next.

But that relief was short-lived: "Remus?" asked Molly, walking back into the living room. "Have you seen Charlie?"

Remus cleared his throat and answered: "Well, I'm afraid not, Molly, I haven't."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Remus, I raised Fred and George. I know when I'm being lied to."

"I haven't seen Charlie, Molly. However, I may know where he is." He admitted.

"And where is he?" she frowned. "Has he gone out for a quick errand?"

Remus shook his head, "No. He is in his room. Upstairs."

"Oh, alright. He probably went there to grab some clean clothes."

Remus shook his head again. "No, Molly. He slept up there, according to Melody."

Molly Weasley just blinked at him for a couple of seconds and he quickly got up and approached her, worried she was having a stroke.

"Molly?"

She seemed to suddenly snap out of whatever had had her freezing up, and stormed to the stairs.

"Fuck." Remus cursed under his breath.

Inside their bedroom, up on the third floor, Florence and Severus woke up to the sounds of people screaming and doors being knocked on rather violently somewhere in the house.

"What's that?" She murmured, struggling to sit up due to her large belly.

Severus quickly got out of bed and opened the door, going to the corridor.

Florence waited anxiously on the bed, looking at the half-open door.

She heard James' voice and then Draco's in the corridor, but she couldn't understand what they were talking about.

Then she suddenly felt her husband's worry turn into amusement through their bond.

But before she could ask him anything, he walked back into the room, laughing as soon as he closed the door.

"What is it?" she asked, "What happened?"

"Narcissa... and Charlie." He laughed. "Molly found out."

Florence gasped. "Holly shit. That was Molly screaming at them?"

"Yes." Severus still chuckled, sitting back beside Florence in bed. "And now Draco went down there. This is good drama – specially because it's not our family's, for once."

Florence smiled but her eyes showed her concern. "Shouldn't you go downstairs to help Cissy? Molly can be rather vicious."

"Charlie is an adult, love. If he wants to fuck Narcissa, he'd better protect her from his mother." He pulled her to his chest. "I have enough problems with vicious in-laws myself."

And that had Florence laughing: "That you do, Sev. That you do."

But on March 23rd, all the joy left Severus' soul, being replaced by fear and anxiety as the evening turned into night.

Florence had spent the majority of the past 24 hours sleeping. She barely ate or drank anything during that time, and she only got up to go to the loo three times.

Severus paced the bedroom, keeping his eyes on his wife, checking on the babies every half-hour.

But he had reached his limit, he wasn't a trained healer, he needed one there in such delicate moment.

Making that decision, he kissed Florence's head and left the room, going downstairs.

"How's Mistress Flor, Master?" asked Tiffany, as soon as he walked into the kitchen.

"Still sleeping, Tiff. I need you to get Pomfrey here, fast."

The elf nodded and disapparated without another word.

Severus went to the stove to make himself a cup of tea, dismissing Melody when she tried to help – he needed to do something to occupy his mind. Then he walked back upstairs, taking his tea cup to the bedroom with him.

He stood by the bed, sipping his tea and looking at his wife.

Florence? He called through their bond a couple of times, but she remained unresponsive and in deep sleep.

A few minutes after he finished his tea, the door was opened and he blurted, as he saw the mediwitch walking in: "She won't stay awake, Pomfrey! Not even long enough to eat!"

"Hello to you too." she replied dryly, approaching the bed. "When was Flor last awake?"

"About six hours ago." He said.

"And she slept how long before that?"

"Eight hours, give or take."

Pomfrey frowned. "Yes... That's concerning. Some studies say too much sleep at this stage can be–"

"Related to stillbirths." He completed, angry and fearful. "I know that, Pomfrey! You're here to fix her, not to tell me what I already know!"

"I can't fix her, Severus!" Pomfrey retorted. "She's not broken! The babies are fine for now, and her body is doing its best." She moved her wand over Florence's hips. "And... it won't be long now." She sounded worried. "These babies' birth is a matter of days."

"And what about her, Poppy?"

Pomfrey hesitated.

So Severus repeated, enunciating each word: "What. about. HER?"

"I don't know." She finally said. "Florence was completely out of control on Liz's birth, but recovered fast. However, she was walking minutes before Sophie's, but it took her months to be fully healed." Pomfrey paused. "I don't know what will happen this time, Severus. What I can tell you already is that I'll need Tiffany in the room when the birth happens."

He nodded. "I have no problem with that. And the babies? Will they be fine?"

"Yes. About a month earlier than ideal, but they're both healthy. They'd be fine even if they were born today." She looked at him. "We must worry about Flor."

"That's all I do, Poppy." He exhaled.

"I know." She said softly, "Keep making sure she eats, she'll need her strength." And she left the room.

For the next two days, Severus barely slept; he checked on the babies every thirty minutes and made sure Florence ate something nutritious whenever she was awake.

Tiffany was told that she was going to be called the moment Florence's water broke – and Pomfrey had let her know that the reason for that was because she was certain Severus would lose his mind in worry and she'd need someone to help her handle the two newborns, a labouring woman and a freaked out adult wizard.

March 26th

It was dark in the room, when Florence woke up from a sharp pain in her lower back. She turned on the bed, sending the duvet away from herself, but stopped when she felt a gush of liquid between her legs.

"Severus!" Florence called, shaking his arm, "Severus, wake up!" she nearly shouted.

And he sat up fast, "What? What's wrong?" he asked nervously, still half-asleep.

"My water just broke." She said, looking down between her legs and then back at him, concerned.

"Shit." He cursed, rubbing his eyes, the fear of losing Florence within the next hours was more than enough to jolt him awake. He touched her face, kissing her lips. "You'll be fine, my love. You have to be."

"And the babies will be fine." She said, trying to reassure him and herself.

"I know. I know." He tried to breath normally, but found out that he couldn't, anxiety seemed to hold his chest in a tight grip and he couldn't take a deep breath. "I can't lose you, Flor." He whispered, hugging her.

She rubbed her nose on his naked chest, breathing into the unique smell of his skin, then she looked up into his eyes, grimacing when the first contraction hit.

"Is it painful already?" he asked, finding it odd.

She groaned low and breathed, replying once the pain stopped: "Yes. Quite painful. Call Poppy."

"Tiffany!" He called, scourgifying the amniotic fluid that had soaked the bed under Florence.

And the elf appeared within seconds, "Mistress Flor!" she exclaimed as she saw Florence's painful expression. "Is it time, Master?" she looked at Severus.

He nodded.

And Florence said: "Yes, Tiff.", grimacing as she felt another contraction starting. "This is not right." She gasped, holding tight onto her husband's arm. "Too painful too fast! Uuuggghhh! Aaaah!"

"Get Pomfrey, Tiffany!" Severus ordered.

And the elf left.

He moved his hand down his wife's back but she shouted: "NO!" at the same time that he felt a small electric shock on his hand. Then she added, between deep breaths: "Don't touch me!"

He nodded and removed his hands from her immediately, getting out of the bed to give her space.

"Fucking hell!" She said after the contraction had stopped. "This is going to be awful!"

"Can I get you anything, Flor?" Severus asked, standing beside the bed and looking at her with love and a hint of fear. "Water? Tea?"

"Pain potion." She gasped.

But he shook his head. "Not until Poppy gets here."

Florence glared at him, but before she could shout at him that she was a healer too and if he knew what was best for him he'd better do as she said, another contraction began and she was shouting in pain.

Severus counted the seconds and that contraction had lasted thirty, "Shit." He cursed, running a hand through his hair in a sign of nervousness. "This is going too fast!"

Florence whimpered then: "I don't want to lose our babies, Sev."

He touched her face, noticing how her skin was a little colder than it should've been, a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead.

"We won't lose them, my love. Poppy said they are healthy, they'll be fine! We have to worry about you." He was unable to hide the fear from his voice. "You have to be strong, love. I can't lose you!"

She nodded, sharing in his fearful thoughts and admitting: "I don't feel fine, Sev. I don't feel like any of the other times... I feel weak, like I'm about to faint." Her bottom lip trembled and Severus cursed again, hating seeing her bright green eyes looking at him with fear – and there was nothing he could do!

"Pomfrey will be here soon, love." He said. "Everything will be all right." he kissed her lips, wanting to believe his own words.

Florence shouted in pain again.

And right then, Pomfrey entered the room, Tiffany right behind her, carrying towels and a kettle filled with water.

"Oh, my dear, how are you?" Pomfrey asked, immediately passing her wand over Florence's belly, checking on the babies.

"The contractions have just begun, Poppy," Florence gasped. "But… they are different… too strong too soon."

Pomfrey frowned, "The babies are in position to be born…" she looked at her. "This won't take long, dear. Be strong." she didn't know if those words were for Florence, for Severus or for herself.

"I don't feel well." Florence's voice was weak. "I'm scared. Don't... don't let them die." her voice died out and she blinked faster than normal.

"Flor?" Severus called, "Florence, love?"

She had closed her eyes and her head rolled onto her shoulder.

"She's fainting, Pomfrey!" he shouted. "DO SOMETHING!"

But the mediwitch ignored him for a moment, looking at Tiffany: "Keep an eye on her vital signs, Tiff."

The elf nodded and moved to the right side of Florence, since Severus was on the left, completely out of his mind in worry.

"Do something, Pomfrey!" He shouted at the mediwitch. "Make her better! Now!"

Then Pomfrey looked at him through narrowed eyes: "Get a hold of yourself, or I will do it for you – and I'm sure I'll enjoy slapping some sense into you! Now," she continued in a more amicable tone. "Have you got the Strengthening Solution I told you to prepare, Severus?"

"What?" he asked, trying to understand what she was saying, not taking his eyes off his wife.

Pomfrey exchanged a glance with Tiffany, thanking the Gods the elf was there for Severus was crumbling just like she'd feared he would.

"The potions, Severus?" She repeated. "I told you to have a few potions ready, remember?"

He seemed to suddenly realize what she was talking about. "Yes. The potions, of course!" then he walked quickly to the tall drawer and retrieved a medium-sized wooden box.

"Good." Pomfrey said. "Now give her a vial of Strengthening Solution. Let's hope that's enough to help her wake up. Otherwise, if her body doesn't push out the babies..."

"What?" asked Severus, slowly pouring the Strengthening solution down Florence's throat. "What will happen if the contractions stop?"

Pomfrey sighed: "We'll need to perform a c-section then."

Severus froze, "You're talking about cutting her up?" he asked, clearly finding that idea absurd.

The mediwitch was instantly annoyed by his attitude towards the procedure. "Muggles do that every day, Severus! It's a perfectly safe procedure, however..." she hesitated, pondering if it would be wise to tell him that there were only two places to take Florence for such a surgery: Hogwarts or St. Mungus – both places under her father's control.

"What?" Severus nearly shouted. "However what?"

Pomfrey sighed heavily. "Let's not worry about that, for now. Look," she pointed at Florence. "I think she's waking up."

Severus leaned over his wife, touching her face. "Hey, love." He whispered.

"Sev..." Florence whispered, letting out a painful groan. "This is horrible..." She whimpered, looking at him in worry. "It's not like the other times at all." She took a deep breath. "I'm nauseated, and it hurts so much..."

"I know, princess, I know." He replied, clearly terrified.

"Do you feel like fainting again, Florence?" Pomfrey asked.

She shook her head slowly. "No, I think I'm good for now."

Then another strong contraction had her crying in pain; it stopped about thirty seconds later, leaving her panting.

"You're doing well, Flor." Said Pomfrey, running her wand over her belly. "The babies are doing fine, and Stephen will be coming out first. You already have five fingers dilation. Now, just focus on breathing, and trust me to take care of the rest, alright?"

Florence nodded, "I trust you, Poppy. But... can I have something for the pain?" she glanced at her husband, still angry he had refused to give her anything before the mediwitch arrived.

"Of course, dear." Pomfrey said, looking at Severus and he gave his wife a small potion vial from his wooden box.

Florence drank it and looked at him, chuckling softly despite the pain: "You're looking a little pale, Sev."

He glared at her in annoyance, "You fainted, Florence! I'm not ashamed to say I panicked."

"Another minute and I'd be slapping the shit out of him." Pomfrey told her.

And Florence laughed softly, but her smile was short-lived, within seconds she was looking at him with a serious expression: "If things go wrong and I'm unconscious, you promise me you'll save them. Don't let our babies die, Sev."

He shook his head, feeling a heavy weight of fear squeezing his heart. "Don't think about it, Flor. They won't die. No one will die today." he said, looking at Pomfrey, needing his words to be true.

The mediwitch just looked at him briefly and turned her attention back to Florence. "Vital signs, Tiff?"

"Heart rate's elevated, Madam Pomfrey. All within the expected ranges... only Mistress' temperature is nearing 35C."

"Ok. Keep an eye on that, Tiff."

And Florence was screaming in pain again, gripping Severus' hand tightly.

He felt the magic of their bond quiver and he called her name, worried: "Florence?"

She blinked up at him, a tear falling from her left eye. I'm feeling cold, Sev. I'm scared. She whispered in his mind.

I'm here, my love. He replied, bringing her left hand to his mouth and kissing their wedding ring.

Pomfrey noticed their interaction and felt the way magic pulsed around them, so she said reassuringly: "You're going to be fine, Flor. You know what to do. You've been through this four times already, and the first time you were just a teenager."

Florence smiled and nodded, another strong contraction starting, her eyes filling up with tears of pain and worry.

About two hours later, the first baby-cry filled the room, Stephen came out screaming healthily and Pomfrey quickly gave him to Tiffany to clean and dress.

Florence laughed softly, relieved to hear his cry of discomfort.

Other twenty minutes later, Lily-Rose came out, crying and kicking, breathing normally as well.

Pomfrey gave her to Tiffany and turned her full attention to Florence, who had a soft smile on her sweaty, tear-stained face as she looked at the babies near her on the bed, both being tenderly dressed and wrapped in soft quilts by her dear elf.

Pomfrey looked down between her patient's legs and worry took over her, looking up at the man beside the bed she ordered: "Give her a Blood-Replenishing potion, Severus! Now!"

He turned to look at Pomfrey and felt Florence's hand slip from his so his head snapped towards his wife again, "Flor?" he called, feeling terrified at her unresponsiveness. "FLORENCE!"

"She's lost a lot of blood, Severus!" said Pomfrey firmly. "Give her that potion! NOW!"

He didn't need to be told again, picking the vial up, he poured it down his wife's throat.

Then Pomfrey whispered: "Let's hope she responds to the potion..."

"Hope she responds?" He shouted, panicking even more.

"Her temperature was dropping, I suspected she was bleeding. It's normal to faint when one loses blood, Severus." Pomfrey tried to reassure him.

"No. No!" He shook his head. "She lost blood! She can't die!" he ran his hands through his hair, finding it hard to breathe, "DO SOMETHING!"

Pomfrey ignored his order and worked on stitching her up where it was needed, checking her vital signs next.

"Give her another Blood-replenishing vial now." She said, finally breathing more easily. "And stop freaking out! Florence will live. She's no longer bleeding, she'll be fine."

"She'll be fine " he repeated in a low voice, feeling his legs give out from under him; so he kneeled beside the bed and breathed, finally allowing himself to relax.

Then the soft sound coming from the babies called his attention.

"How are they, Poppy?"

"They are better than I could've ever expected, Severus. All the nutritious food you've certainly shoved in Florence's face in the past months paid off." she chuckled.

Tiffany picked up both bundles – one purple and one green – and took the babies to Severus.

He let out a choked laugh at the sight of them. There were no doubt they were the smallest of all the newborns he had held before, but they were healthy – and that's what he chose to focus on.

Tiffany magically cleaned up the bed her Mistress was lying on and touched her face tenderly.

"They are healthy," said Pomfrey, picking up her things and covering Florence's sleeping form with a clean duvet. "However, they need special care. No direct sunlight, no walks outside for at least a month, no excess visiting."

"Is there any risk of them…?" he whispered, frowning.

"No, I see no reason why they'd die within the next days. They're fine, Severus." Pomfrey smiled softly. "But her…" she looked at Florence. "We must help Florence regain her strength now. She survived, but she's weak. Keep an eye on her, constantly, for the next two weeks." Severus looked from the two babies in his arms to the woman on the bed. And Pomfrey smiled at his expression of relief. "They all made it, Severus. Now, one last thing: she cannot get pregnant again. In a few days I'll come here to talk to her about it – we'll have to consider copying the muggles and tying her tubes."

He just nodded, barely listening to anything she said after "They all made it."

Then Tiffany asked: "Can Mistress Flor breastfeed the babies?"

"Yes." Said Pomfrey. "Give her another Strengthening Solution and she will wake up in a few minutes. You might have to assist her though, she may feel too weak to hold the babies on her own."

Tiffany nodded and picked up a potion vial from the wooden box, pouring it between her Mistress' lips.

"I must return to the castle, Severus, before my absence is noticed." Pomfrey saw the flash of fear in his eyes, so she added: "They're all fine. Don't worry much."

"Thanks, Pomfrey."

"You are a very lucky man, my friend." She added, affectionately. "Congratulations on those beautiful babies and your strong wife."

He smiled and she saw the tears that fell from the corner of his eyes, then she left.

A few minutes after Pomfrey had left, Florence groaned and slowly woke up.

Severus was sitting on the bed by her side, both babies still in his arms, sleeping under his loving gaze.

"Sev?"

"Hey, princess." He spoke softly. "Look at what we did." He said, motioning the babies.

She chuckled and sniffled as she looked at them, feeling emotional. "They sure are smaller than the others when they were born."

"Yes, but Poppy said they're fine."

"Yes, I trust her to know if they are. And I've seen premature babies even smaller than them at St. Mungus." She moved to pick up little Lily-Rose. "Hey, sweet baby-girl." She kissed her daughter's forehead and let out a sob, looking at her husband. "When I felt my water break, I feared none of us would survive tonight." She leaned to kiss Stephen's head as well.

"Let's never talk about tonight ever." Severus exhaled, "I never want to see you fainting and bleeding right before my eyes again. I know I'll have nightmares about that for the rest of my life."

Florence smiled, "I know how that feels." She pulled her nightgown down to expose her breast for the newborn in her arms.

Severus pulled her face towards his and kissed her tenderly. "I love you."

She smiled against his lips, "And I love you."

An hour later, Severus stood by the window of the bedroom, watching the sun rise and glancing occasionally towards the three people inside the room.

If he had the ability to stop time, he would have done it then.

Florence was sleeping soundly after having drunk water and eaten fruits and a sandwich once both babies had fed from her breasts.

And the babies were also fast asleep in their transfigurated white crib beside the bed.

He sipped his coffee and sighed, allowing himself to just enjoy that rare moment of peace – where none of his loved ones were in danger of dying, they were all safe inside that house, so he could just bask in his love for his family.

Feeling sappy this morning, Sev? He heard Florence's voice in his head.

Just glad, love. He finished his cup, locking eyes with her.

Come to bed. She softly said. And be a good husband and bring me a Pain Potion, will you. My hips are killing me!

He smiled and obeyed, setting his cup on the nightstand, picking up the potion vial and lying down beside her, caressing her face.

"Are you hungry, love?" he asked.

"No." She looked at him, after drinking the potion, her eyes sparking in annoyance. "Stop making me eat every time I open my eyes, Sev!"

"You need energy to recover fast, love. Healer's orders."

She rolled her eyes but said: "Alright." with a sigh.

He looked at her in surprise, "Alright? Is that it?"

"Hm-hm." She murmured, laying her head on his chest, "Your amazing potion... so good, no pain." She sounded half-drunk in the feeling of being pain-free.

"Not my potion, love." he whispered, kissing her forehead. "James made that one."

She smiled with her eyes closed. "Really? He's good. The pain is completely gone and it took effect fast. Congratulate him, love." And she fell silent, her even breathing letting him know she had already fallen asleep.

He held her close and stared at the sleeping babies, wishing again he could freeze time.

A few doors down that same corridor, James stirred beside his beautiful fiancée and stretched, nearly jumping out of his own body once he saw Tiffany standing beside the bed, a sudden cold prickle of fear running down his spine.

"What happened, Tiff?"

"Little Master Stephen and Little Mistress Lily-Rose were born last night, Master James." She had tears in her big green eyes.

"And my mom?" he asked, fearing the reason behind the elf's tears. "How's mom?"

"Mistress Flor is weak, but recovering well. They're all fine."

He lay back down on the bed and let out a relieved laugh, waking Hermione up.

"Jamie? What happened?" she whispered sleepily.

"My siblings were born and my mom is fine!"

"That's amazing!" she smiled, "Can we go see them?"

To what Tiffany replied: "Master James and Master Nick should be the first ones to visit them."

James was about to admonish the elf from being rude, but Hermione said, nodding: "Of course! The firstborns must be the ones to welcome the siblings."

Then he relaxed and shook his head: "Always with the traditions, Tiff."

"Of course, Master James. You're their oldest brothers – Masters James and Nicholas must welcome them into the family."

"Alright. I'll wake Nick up and we'll be there soon."

Florence was breastfeeding Stephen while Severus held an already burped and drowsy Lily-Rose, when James walked into the room with Nicholas and Elizabeth.

"Oh, my loves." Florence cried as she saw them, her emotions taking the best of her at seeing her first three children after such a hard night.

"Hey, mom." whispered Nicholas, getting close to the bed and kissing her forehead.

"Hey, sweetie." Florence sniffled and Stephen stopped feeding and fell asleep on her chest, so Severus put Lily in the crib and picked his newborn son up to burp.

"How are you, mom?" Liz asked, sitting beside her.

"Good, dear." She looked at James. "Your Pain Potion has helped me tremendously, love."

James smiled, "Really?" He looked at his father.

"It was perfectly brewed. Analgesia lasted about five hours and no side effects."

The teen beamed at their compliments.

"I don't remember Chris or Sophie being this small." Said Nick worried.

"Because they weren't." Said Severus. "But they're healthy."

"Lynne will certainly be bigger." Added Florence.

"Can't wait to see her." Nick said, smiling at his siblings.

"I'm honestly terrified at the thought of kids." Said Liz, shaking her head. "After seeing the way we make mom and dad crazy, I don't understand why people have kids."

James smirked: "Does Dray know you're against the idea of providing the next Malfoy heir?"

Elizabeth glared at him.

And so did Severus.

"Alright, kids!" said Florence. "The last thing I need is you all arguing around the twins."

"Yes." Agreed Severus, "Give your new siblings time, before letting them know the kind of crazy they'll have to live with."

James kissed his mother's forehead and walked to the door, being followed by his twin and their sister.

"I'll tell grandma to come here with Chris and Sophie."

"Yes, please do that, Jamie." Said Florence, smiling up at her husband, who had sat beside her on the bed.

Elizabeth looked at them and smiled, closing the door.

"They're happy, aren't they?" she whispered to her brothers in the corridor.

"They are." Said James, with certainty. "Despite the war, grandpa, and all the mess we make."

And Nick continued: "And the difficult pregnancy, the hard labour, now months of diaper changes..."

The three of them laughed.

"Do you see yourselves like that?" Liz asked the twins. "Happily married despite all the adversities?"

James and Nicholas seemed to ponder for a moment, then Nick replied: "Yes, I do see Fred and Lynne and myself being happy and united like mom and dad."

"I would fight the world to make sure Hermione is safe and happy, even though I know she'd insist on fighting beside me." Said James.

Liz nodded, "I want what they have." Her voice was low and filled with hope. "I'm terrified of the thought of kids but... I want them. I actually fear Draco won't want as many as I do."

Then James understood: "The old pureblood shit of only having one heir, preferably male?"

Liz nodded, her face showing her sadness.

"Let's make a deal, sis." Said James, throwing an arm around his sister's shoulders. "If Malfoy ever disagrees with you, we'll beat him up for you."

"Yeah," agreed Nick. "You tell him the number of kids you want and we'll punch him until he agrees."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, guys. But I believe I'll just take a page from mom's book and hex him."

"Well, that sure works on dad." Conceded Nick, laughing.

One week later

It was late night, by the end of the first week of April, and Severus lay awake in bed, looking at his beautiful wife, asleep beside him, and at their newborns, asleep in their crib beside the bed.

Florence had been healing well and the twins were gaining weight and hadn't shown signs of any complications – a concern of his and Florence's due to the babies' premature birthing.

He stared at the ceiling and smiled, remembering their astonishment when Lily-Rose had opened her eyes for the first time and gazed at them with dark-purple eyes – Florence's mother's eyes, the purple eyes of veelas. None of their kids had those eyes, not even her twin; Stephen had inherited Florence's emerald ones.

He smiled at his sleeping wife – she had cried hard when he showed her their daughter's eye colour, saying she'd never dreamed she'd be seeing her mother's eyes again.

"Father would go crazy if he saw her." She whispered, caressing Lily-Rose's face and gazing into her sleepy eyes.

Severus frowned. "Would GO crazy? He IS crazy, love."

"Yes." She smiled, nodding. "But I mean the man he was before." She kissed her baby daughter's forehead and laid her down beside her brother in the crib. "In the years after mom died," she continued. "Father became more closed off... I think not even I will ever fully understand how her death affected him." She paused. "Sometimes it's hard to think that the man that raised me and the monster we're battling against now are the same person. He wasn't the best of fathers but... he was the dad I had." She shrugged and turned to look at her husband, being embraced by him. "I'd rather keep thinking they are not the same man."

Severus knew he'd never be able to completely grasp what Florence's childhood had been like; with a veela for a mother, a genocidist for a father, a personal house elf to clean up after her, rich enough to have everything her little heart desired, never lacking for anything – not to mention having Nagini as a pet.

Severus' thoughts focused on her mother, he admired Sophie Delacour, even though he'd never met her. She had been the most powerful woman in wizarding history for a while – the only one capable of stopping Tom Riddle from becoming Voldemort.

It amazed him how the death of one woman had changed the course of the entire British Wizarding society, for if Sophie had lived, Tom Riddle would certainly not have gone as far as he had in his quest for power.

He looked down at Florence sleeping calmly beside him and pulled her closer, knowing he'd certainly go crazy if she died.

Maybe not genocidal-crazy.

But crazy nonetheless.

On the second week of April, Florence had her tubes tied by Pomfrey through a magical method they both had come up with, which worked perfectly with neither a cut nor a stitch needed.

And a week later, she finally had Pomfrey's permission to take the twins out of the room.

And out Florence went, more than done with being in that room!

She sat on the backyard porch to watch the new Order members training with the more experienced ones, letting Eileen, Molly and Tonks gush and coo at the two one-month olds.

"I can't wait to see little Lynne." Said Molly, looking at Lily-Rose.

"She'll be coming any day now." Said Florence, smiling. "I checked on Fred this morning and they're both ready. Although the boys' might be getting more and more nervous as the birth approaches."

"Completely understandable." Molly nodded, "I remember how terrified I was when Bill was born. I had no idea what to do with that defenceless and fragile baby. But by the time the twins were born, I was more than used to being a mom."

"I had twins right at first..." Said Florence. "It was quite the experience. If it weren't for Eileen and the elves, I'd have gone mad." She shook her head. "But it's like you said, by the time Chris arrived, we were used to the whole parenting thing. Although each kid sure brings new challenges."

"They sure do." Molly replied, looking at the backyard, giving Charlie and Narcissa an ugly look.

Tonks and Florence smiled at each other as they watched Narcissa kiss Charlie's face after she had successfully cast a Patronus Charm.

"I understand your reluctance, Molly." Florence said, still looking at the couple. "But I'm happy for my friend. Your son is an amazing man, and Cissy hasn't been happy in a long time."

"She's too old for him!" growled Molly. "And still married to a death eater! Not to mention her family! She's the spawn of blood-purists!"

"So am I." Florence reminded her. "My father literally wrote the book on the fight against muggles and how dangerous they are to the wizarding society. And my husband carries the Dark Mark."

Molly shook her head. "It's not the same."

"But it is." Insisted Florence "Look, I know Narcissa hasn't been anything but a bitch to you and your family in the past, but she's a good woman – deep down." She added quickly.

Molly sighed, "Well, I can see my Charlie is happy, but I don't like that! It's wrong on so many levels!"

Florence tilted her head, remembering something: "Don't you have a problem with Fleur as well?"

"What?" the redheaded woman looked suddenly nervous, her cheeks turning red. "M-maybe a did – once! But not anymore! I love Fleur like a daughter!"

"So," said Eileen, smiling. "It seems you're having a hard time letting your babies leave the nest."

Molly clenched her jaw, considering those words, then she asked: "Don't you feel that way, Florence?"

"What? Hell no!" Florence exclaimed. "James has me dreaming he'd find a good girl and leave the nest since he was sixteen!" She laughed. "Severus actually wanted to send him to Durmstrang at the age of nine!" She shook her head. "However, I believe I might feel that way regarding Chris and Sophie... the war kept me apart from them for so long... it'll be hard to watch them leave when the time comes."

"What about Liz?" Molly frowned.

"You mean Miss can't-wait-to-be-Mrs.-Draco Malfoy?" Said Florence with a smirk. "I love my spoiled princess – and all I have to say is: good luck to Draco."

"Narcissa absolutely adores her." Said Eileen, chuckling.

"I know. And that tells us more than enough." said Florence, feigning an exaggerated shiver. "I still don't know how I birthed that girl."

The other three women laughed.

"Well," said Eileen. "Severus has a huge parcel of fault in Liz being the spoiled little princess she is."

"That's absolutely true!" exclaimed Florence, raising her hands as in a sign of surrender. "She is not my fault!"

"How can each kid be so different from their parents and their siblings?" asked Tonks. "It still surprises me that Aunt Narcissa and my mom are Bellatrix's sisters."

"Ugh! Let's not talk about that one!" Said Florence.

"Why not?" asked Tonks, curious.

And that was answered by Severus, who was walking from the yard into the porch: "Don't want to talk about your step-mom, love?"

Florence rolled her eyes: "For fuck's sake, Severus, just shut up about it." She looked at the other women. "He caught them fucking more than once – and always made sure to let me know."

And Eileen, Tonks and Molly were laughing again, while also exchanging disgusted looks.

A couple of days later, a little after one in the morning, Severus sensed someone was at their bedroom door, and he was out of bed and on his way to the door the moment they tried to undo his wards.

He opened the door with his wand in hand only to find a very concerned son in the corridor. "Nicholas. What happened?

"I need mom! Lynne's coming!"

Minutes later, Florence entered Nick and Fred's bedroom, finding the latter on his feet, walking around slowly.

"Hello, dear." She greeted him, "How apart are the contractions?"

"Hey, Mrs. Snape... about ten minutes." He replied with a soft smile.

"Good. Can I check on your birth canal?"

"Yeah, of course." Said Fred, a little hesitant. "But it looks awful." he grimaced. "I took a look at it... It's like a hole in the middle of my belly."

She nodded and lifted his shirt, looking at it and smiling. "It's supposed to look like that, a whole baby is coming through it, dear. But, don't worry, it'll be back to normal a few hours after birth. You've got four fingers of dilation. You're doing great, Fred." She pulled his shirt back down.

"What can I do, mom?" asked Nicholas, getting close to them.

"Check if we have all the necessary potions."

"Already did. James prepared them all last week; blood-replenishing, strengthening and for pain."

She nodded and looked around, seeing the crib was ready, and there were diapers and Lynne's first change of clothes already on the changing table near the bed.

"Well, for what I can tell, we're all set. We can only wait for it to progress."

"Wait? What?" gasped Fred, leaning with his hands on the bed as another contraction hit. "How much longer? Uugghh! This fucking hurts!" he growled.

"A few hours." Florence said, knowing he wouldn't like that answer.

"HOURS?" Fred shouted.

"You read about it, Red." Said Nick, trying to calm him down.

"I don't care what I read! This fucking hurts! I want the potions! Give me all the potions!"

Florence chuckled and nodded to Nick so he gave his fiancée one vial to help with the pain.

And they waited.

Three hours later, Lynne Weasley-Snape made her entrance into the world, crying loudly.

Florence wrapped the healthy redheaded newborn in a magically warmed towel and gave her to a crying Nicholas, who quickly carried her to be seen by a sobbing Fred.

After removing the placenta and checking on Fred's vital signs, Florence spoke softly: "You're both fine, dear. Your birth canal is already regressing and you have no bleeding spots."

"Lynne has to be fed now, doesn't she?" Asked Fred, watching as Nick put the diaper on Lynne and dressed her.

"Yes, she does. Tiffany's already sent her bottle." Florence pointed to the small baby bottle on the nightstand.

Nick picked it up and gave both baby and bottle to Fred.

Florence smiled as the newborn latched onto the bottle under the loving gazes of her fathers

"I'll be going, Nick." She whispered, touching her son's head, kissing his cheek. "If you need help you can call me. And I'm sure Molly will be here as soon as she wakes up and hears about it."

"Thanks, mom." Nick said, kissing her hands.

"Love you, baby." And she left the room, finding her husband in the corridor.

"Is everything all right?" Severus asked, nervous.

"Yes, grandpa Sev." She threw herself into his arms, and he caught her in an embrace. "Lynne is healthy, Fred is fine and Nick didn't freak out once."

"Never thought he would." He smiled softly.

"Neither did I. We both know James is the one who will panic – just like his dad did." She teased him in a low voice, as if telling him a secret.

"Once! And a man is allowed to panic when his wife is bleeding and unconscious!" He tried to defend himself.

She laughed, pulling herself up and crossing her legs around his waist. "No, he isn't. When his wife is in labour, he must be strong!" she kissed his lips. "And when his wife is tired, he must carry her to bed!"

"Spoiled princess." Severus mumbled, putting both hands under her ass and carrying her upstairs.