-1Lucius stood actually smiling next to Voldemort. Lucius wore traditional death eater garb, and Voldemort a plain back robe. Him just being in it gave it a sinister quality. Severus wrapped himself around her protectively.
"Please master, let me do it." Lucius actually sounded giddy.
"Very well then." was all the encouragement Lucius needed. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Lucius said while pointing his wand. The spell almost missed, but didn't, it hit Severus squarely on the arm that was wrapped protectively around his wife. He fell away, like tide rearing back, although he did not get up again. Hermione stood there, and an instantaneous knowledge flooded over her. Severus was dead. Severus was dead, and they did it. She called the corners. Her eyes flamed, where they were not leaking. Her body glowed, and pulsed to the rhythm of her magic. Different colored lights played upon her skin. Being with Severus had helped her control, it limited her use of her other powers, only water went without a barrier. But how do you stop fire from burning, water from running, air from flowing, earth from turning? Answer: you didn't. All of her powers built up inside her, until she thought she would burst. Then her magic thrust outward, and hit her target. Elemental magic was a primal thing, it would be angry at the person that did you wrong.
Air swept up Lucius, he made a gurgling noise as if he was drowning. Then he was engulfed by flames. When all that was left was a pile of ashes, the floor broke. A gaping hole was in the middle of the floor, and Lucius' remains simply dropped. Voldemort stood in horror then vanished. Hermione gripped her stomach. A contraction ripped through her. She screamed her frustrations to the gods. Then she broke down. She walked stiffly over to Severus, and sat down beside him. Cradling his lifeless body, she clenched as another contraction hit, then people started arriving. Harry, and Ginny first, then Albus and Minerva. She bent her body over him, and sobbed.
It took all four of them to remove her from his body. Somewhere in the midst of everything Poppy came and brought her a potion, and it worked. Hope sprung forth in Hermione. If Severus was truly dead, then it shouldn't have worked. She ripped through the grasps of four people and ran toward Severus. She started undressing him, then put her lips to the binding mark on his chest. When that didn't work, she summoned a blade, and cut her lip. She pressed it to Severus, and knowledge flooded over her. She had to kiss him, and she did. The kiss of life. He inhaled sharply and looked around madly, Hermione's tears started falling anew, as he held her so tight it felt like he was trying to come through the other side.
Dumbledore walked upon them slowly, and separated them. He informed both that both of them were in delicate conditions right now. Severus stood, and soon they were back in his chambers, with plans to have the reception and honeymoon start tomorrow. Hermione was sleeping but Harry and Ginny sat in his sitting room with him. Discussing what had happened. The most he could gather was that Hermione had called the corners, and her powers had killed Lucius, Voldemort left, and she went into labor. He knew that Voldemort would want Hermione now. He kept glancing at the pictures of his unborn children, moving about happily. What Voldemort does not possess he wants to control. That was what was scaring Severus the most. He knew what it was like to be with Voldemort. A pregnant woman would not survive that, but she wouldn't let him go until she had fallen asleep, even then he had to gently pry her hands away. She was scared for him.
He realized Harry was saying something urgently. Then he came over to him, grasped his forearm, and shoved it in front of his face. There was nothing there, and at first it didn't register. It was exactly like anyone else's… His dark mark was gone. Bitter laughter poured out of his mouth. He got up and started smashing things, anything he could get his hands on was demolished until he came to the pictures. There were only three pictures. One of Hermione, and the other two of the twins. He dropped to the floor, and tears started flowing. One by one they bypassed his barriers, and eventually he let them flow.
When Ginny came over to him, and touched his arm, he didn't pull back. She asked him, "Aside from the obvious, what's wrong?"
"A year ago today, I told Dumbledore I would give anything to be out from under Voldemort. I am finally out from under him, have twins on the way, a beautiful wife, and they are in danger. I thought a minute ago, I'd give anything to save her. Even if it meant going back under Voldemort. She's changed me, and he wants her, and I can't do anything about it."
She embraced him in a hug, and it was the weirdest thing. He actually pulled comfort from the woman. It made him feel better, and he didn't stiffen. He enjoyed the hug, and pulled back. He looked to Harry to see if he was jealous, and he wasn't. It made it even weirder that they did it so naturally. He turned to Ginny, and looked at her with gratitude.
"You can do something about it, make the potion. It takes two weeks to brew, and by the time it's brewed she'll be far enough along to take it. You'll do everything in your power to stop it. So will we. I was actually thinking, maybe you could make enough for me too. That way no one looses. I can have my mom take the baby, and act like I'm still pregnant."
He beamed up at her. "That's a plan worthy of a Slytherin." she just blushed. "I would be honored to make the potion for you." he added, then she handed over a piece of parchment, and he got up. Then he patted Harry on the arm, half heartedly, and walked into his lab.
He read and reread the parchment making sure he measured out the precise amount for two potions, no more no less. He put all of the ingredients into a cauldron, and set the flame to very low. It would have to simmer for a fortnight. He had some play around time. He thought about it. He had survived the killing curse. But, it wasn't him who held the power. He knew he would have died if he had not wrapped his arms around her. He had stole her power, he didn't want to do that. To survive, she had to have it all.
She had absorbed most of the killing curse, and then she had given him the kiss of life. Only a goddess could harbor earth magic, and the kiss of life. That power was simply a blood magic, healing the injured was an extremely taxing task. His heart had not been beating, his lungs were not functioning. He had been dead. She had brought him back from being dead, and she was dealing with the aftermath. Even before she went to bed, she had been moving stiffly. She would not let him go, and would not complain, but she was hurt.
He made up healing salve. She had gone into labor, because he had been afraid to make the first move. It had been his fault.
"It wasn't your fault, Severus." Ginny said from the doorway.
"You can hear what I'm thinking?" Severus said quizzically.
"No you said it out loud." She said modestly.
"Then I am too far gone to be of any use tonight. I had not even realized…"
"You're entitled to be. You almost lost your life, your children, and your wife today. It's alright to be out of it. Go rest, go lay with Hermione she will be horrified to go to sleep with you, and awaken without."
He nodded sharply, and went all the way into his bedroom. He laid down on the bed exactly the way he had left, and soon he was asleep. He woke up the next morning to Hermione getting out of bed. She was a little stiff but that was to be expected in the morning, and he was glad to see that the other injuries had not survived the night. She walked into the sitting room, with a small glance over her shoulder, and a thank you to the gods.