Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Harriet had waited an incredibly long time for the reward the larindonan legumes had helped her obtain.
Severus had noticed his son in her belly before she had the chance to announce his presence.
They had learned of their daughter's conception together.
Mrs. Snape vowed that their triplets would be a total surprise to her husband and so, she waited to notify her mate about the happy news.
She saw her midwife every other week while Severus busied himself with the many onerous takes that resulted from his upcoming departure from office.
Every day, Harriet vomited and covered her pulse-points in scent-blocking salve until the morning she had been waiting for finally arrived……
As she stood from the bed with Severus already at work that day, she drew in a breath as she walked over to the mirror and marveled at herself.
She gently pressed a hand to the small swell of her belly before she walked over to the desk and eagerly penned a letter.
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People continued to express their sadness and disappointment over the Minister for Magic's unexpected resignation, but Severus handled each communication he received with great dignity.
As people greeted him with forlorn expressions in the hallways of the Ministry, he began to appreciate his mate's plea more.
Severus hadn't really believed his work had been as impactful as Harriet had insisted.
As he reviewed some documents in his office one morning with a frown, he glanced at the time and wondered when his mate would join him.
Little Sev had recovered from a recent, harmless fever.
Harriet had shouldered most of the exhaustion that came with his care so Severus would have the energy to go in each day and complete his duties.
That hadn't stopped him from going home to check on his family every two hours throughout each day or from leaving his office as soon as he could every afternoon.
As the morning drifted by and Harriet failed to appear, Severus's scowl began to deepen.
He began to worry she had caught their little boy's illness until a letter drifted into the room from the mail slot outside.
Severus stood from his chair and glided over to collect the parcel from the ground.
He frowned as he opened the envelope with one quick swipe of an elegant, pale finger and removed the parchment within.
His brow furrowed as his dark eyes hurriedly scanned the words that had been scrawled in his darling's handwriting:
Sev,
Will you come home for lunch today? There's no emergency, don't panic, but I need to see you as soon as I can. Everyone's fine, no need to worry.
Your love,
Harriet
Her reassuring words were ignored.
Severus instantly panicked as he rushed over to his desk and hurriedly signed his last two documents before he apparated home.
Although Harriet's message had been calm, Severus felt anything but tranquil.
An entire room had been built into the side of his office for his family's use.
Little Sev had recovered from his illness, so then, why didn't his wife come to him?
As Severus whirled through the air, a thousand anxious questions weighed on the edges of his mind.
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The Minister for Magic landed back in his family's home with a distinct pop.
An excited shout caught his attention as he turned his head just in time to see little Sev rush over to where he stood in the living room.
"Dad!" Little Sev cried as he threw his arms around Severus's waist.
Behind him, Severus saw Disencan in the kitchen, humming to himself while he prepared lunch.
Severus patted his son's head as he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better today!" Little Sev chirped as he released his father and flashed him a bright smile.
Severus nodded in approval before he asked, "...Where is your mother?"
"Oh, she's in the bedroom." Little Sev said as he pointed towards the hallway, "She said she was waiting on you to come and see her before lunch, I don't know why though."
Severus stared at his son before he turned and swept down the hallway with his black robes billowing around his feet.
The situation made little sense to Severus.
If Harriet had fallen ill, why hadn't she stated that in her letter?
Why hadn't their son known?
Severus's scowl deepened as he approached the bedroom door.
Was she wanting to pull him into her nest for a tryst?
Why hadn't she just come to his office?
They had mated everywhere from his desk to the side room countless times, Severus didn't understand why his mate would suddenly be modest about the location of their coupling.
Before he opened the door, he granted his wife the thoughtfulness of knocking on the wood and calling out in his velvet voice, "...My love?"
"...Sev?!" Harriet's answer came from inside.
The urgency of her tone startled him.
Without wasting any more time, he turned the doorknob and stepped into the room.
Before his eyes landed on Harriet, the scent hit him squarely in the face as he barged inside.
The aroma was sweet, incredibly sweet, but with an air of innocence he easily recognized.
Could it be……?
No, surely not.
In that second of disbelief, Severus glanced around the room until he spotted Harriet, who gazed out the window with her back facing him.
"My love, you frightened me." Severus confessed in a breathy sigh as he sensed no signs of fever or distress coming from his omega, "I feared you had-"
"-I told you not to worry, Sev." Harriet chided without turning around.
"Please……" Severus frowned, "I beg you not to be cruel…….It is my duty as your alpha to concern myself with your well-being."
"That's why I wrote you…….That's why I asked you to come home as soon as you could." Harriet sighed as she continued to stare out the window, "I have a gift for you."
Severus frowned as he barely moved his lips to ask, "A gift……?"
He watched Harriet's arms move as she unfastened several buttons on her nightshirt.
Severus prepared to indulge in a view of his mate's beautiful breasts as Harriet turned around.
When she finally revealed herself to him, his dark eyes widened as his mouth fell open.
"My…….My love…….." He gasped in a hushed whisper.
With the sunlight streaming in behind her, Harriet faced Severus with her nightshirt barely covering her full, tender breasts.
She had thoughtfully opened her garment from its hem to her enhanced cleavage.
Harriet gazed at Severus as she slowly pushed aside the white fabric to lovingly cradle her swollen belly.
"They worked, Sev." Harriet confessed as a happy smile danced on her lips, "The clerk didn't lie to me……The larindonan legumes really did work."
Severus let out a breathless gasp as he rushed to kneel in front of Harriet.
"Why……" He whispered as Harriet moved her hands to let his palms encircle her belly, "...Why haven't you told me?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise." She laughed quietly while she gently stroked his dark hair as he marveled at the swell.
"How far along?" Severus asked as his black eyes flickered up to her face while his hands remained on her womb, "You're showing already…..We'll barely have enough time to prepare."
"Actually, I think we'll have plenty of time, Sev." Harriet smiled, "I'm only ten weeks."
"You waited ten weeks to-" Severus scowled but Harriet cut him off.
"-No……I did wait a while but not ten weeks." Harriet smiled, "I didn't find out myself until recently."
Severus's dark eyes softened as he stared up at his pregnant wife.
He had nearly forgotten how delicious Harriet smelled when she carried his children, sweet and rich like a cinnamon cake sitting on his plate in the Great Hall, waiting to be consumed.
As a father of two already, Severus's inquisitive mind couldn't help but notice a curious detail.
He sought not to offend his lover as he splayed his hands over her womb and asked, "...Are you certain the timing is accurate, my love?"
"Are you calling me fat?" Harriet chuckled.
"It should come as no surprise that I prefer you in this exact state, if the choice were mine." Severus whispered as he pressed a loving kiss to the center of her belly, "However, when our son and daughter were carried, their gestation had already gone far past ten weeks when they pronounced themselves to this extent on your frame."
"That's your second surprise." Harriet smiled down at Severus while she gently stroked his black hair.
"...Oh?" He asked as he waited for her to go on.
"I'm carrying triplets, Severus." Harriet revealed with a beaming smile.
She couldn't remember a time when she had seen Severus's black eyes grow so wide.
"You………..what?" He asked in disbelief.
"There's three." Harriet confessed with a sigh as she walked over and sat down on the side of their bed.
Severus quickly moved to place his hands on her abdomen again as Harriet pushed her arms behind her body to brace herself.
"You don't know how much work I've put into keeping this a surprise for you." She frowned, "I'm exhausted, Sev. I'm sick, the Anti-Nausea Potion isn't doing anything. Every morning it comes…..Look! I'm this big now, I won't be able to move by the time of the birth."
Severus's dark eyes smouldered at Harriet as he rubbed her belly while he gazed at her and spoke, "I'm your alpha, my love. You should have told me immediately…..I'll send a letter to the midwife today and ask what we can do to make you more comfortable. There are many variations of Anti-Nausea Potion available, surely you can benefit from one."
While he voiced his concern and eagerness to help his wife, Harriet delighted in the happy excitement she saw shining from her alpha's heart.
"I love you, Severus." Harriet whispered as she unfastened the button that held her breasts in their thin confines.
Severus couldn't help but let his eyes dart down to his wife's exposed curves for a moment before he met her gaze once more, leaned in, and kissed her with a soft groan.
He was painfully gentle with Harriet while he took her into his arms and made love to her.
His touch was thoughtful, his kisses purposeful, and his mouth incredibly tender with her sensitive body.
Harriet noticed that throughout their tryst and for the rest of the day, Severus kept at least one hand possessively splayed over her belly.
Surprise abounded at the Ministry when he chose to work from home that afternoon, but Severus didn't mind much as he took frequent breaks to cuddle his mate in her nest.
Every hour or so, he went to check on Little Sev and made sure Disencan needed no help with the boy.
He made his final peace with his decision to step down as Minister for Magic.
Severus knew he was much more needed by his growing family than the people of wizarding Britain.