Severus fiddled with the baby's dummy as he ran through his options again. It was a small yellow plastic thingy he had picked up spontaneously when he came from their favourite Indian restaurant where he had made dinner reservations for Hermione's birthday. Hopefully it would help him to bring up the topic and prevent the guessing game their last serious conversation had started with. That was, if he would get up the nerve to do it. You'd think Hermione would have caught on long ago, or did she really think that he had reached out to her parents out of the goodness of his heart?

The last time they had visited the Grangers they had tortured him. Good-natured, innocent looking Gordon did not even need his arsenal of torture tools. No, he had rubbed his hands and gleefully proposed they play Scrabble. Before Severus had the chance to declare that he knew what the game was, had even played it once or twice in his youth but could they not do something else like tell him embarrassing stories about Hermione's childhood, Gordon had dug out the box, Doris had loudly explained their own special family version of the rules over his objections and Hermione had fetched him a medicinal textbook, telling him he'd need it. She'd been right. He could swear the Grangers had more x's in the game than allowed. The round dragged on because he had to check every single word against the glossary of his book, but it was worth it when he caught Doris trying to cheat and spell xanthodontia with an 'e' instead of an 'a' at the end while her husband and daughter turned a blind eye. Tsk, tsk. Of course he believed her that it was the German term for yellow teeth, but that was beside the point; if you forced a Slytherin to play, they played to win and at no time did she mention that their family rules included foreign languages that hadn't been dead for over a millennium. Honestly, what did they expect? Doris cornered him later alone in the kitchen, but instead of giving him the stern talking-to like he expected she hugged him to his embarrassment and thanked him for giving them back their little daughter. He would have preferred a lecture.

Severus shook his head. Try as he might, he could only see two possibilities to proceed. Ask Hermione outright and risk that she said no and, worst case, that it damaged their relationship. Or keep silent and hope that someday Hermione brought up the topic and give up on children if she didn't. And if she did say yes it would change their lives forever. Having dinner in restaurants, visits to the museum, spontaneously deciding to go out or, sometimes, to stay in: that would be a thing of the past, at least for a while.

It was a hard choice. So far Hermione had always taken the initiative in their relationship and all Severus had to do was say yes and go along. She had asked him out. She had kissed him first. She had jumped him when he had been too scared to touch her. The most active thing Severus ever had done in their relationship was saying yes when she asked if she could stay for a few days because her cheap flat had been infested with Doxys and then conveniently forgetting to remind her to move out again.

Severus was startled by the loud pop from the kitchen that accompanied Hermione's arrival. The dummy slipped through his fingers, bounced on the floor and rolled out of sight.

"Severus, are you home?"

"Yes, I'm here!" he shouted and whipped his wand out. "Accio dummy."

Nothing happened.

"I visited Barts today, you know, my inaugural visit as the new Muggle liaison," Hermione shouted back.

"Accio dummy!"

This time there was a loud miaow and the distinct sound of claws raking over a rug. Crookshanks appeared from under the couch, digging in his four paws without success, dragged by Severus's magic working on the dummy locked in the fleabag's jaws.

"I had totally forgotten about the smell in Muggle hospitals. Are you in the living room?" Hermione's voice asked from the hallway.

"Let. Go. Now," Severus ordered through clenched teeth. For once in his life Crookshanks actually listened, let go with a disgusted growl and sauntered off as if Severus didn't exist.

Severus swooped down, grabbed the maltreated dummy and stowed the soggy thing away in his robe pocket the moment the door swung open and Hermione entered the room.

"I didn't hear- sweet Merlin on a stick!" She clapped both her hands over her mouth and stared at him with wide eyes.

Had she noticed? Severus froze. No, she couldn't, he'd been too fast so it had to be something else. His eyes swept around the room, trying to see what she saw. Nothing out of the ordinary, only him down on one knee in front of the woman he loved in the house they shared and she couldn't think... oh yes she did. The Knut dropped the second Hermione started squealing.

Oh bugger. Sweet Merlin on a stick, indeed. "Hermione, I,..."

"Sorry, just a sec." She staggered over to the couch on unsteady legs, flopped down and took a couple of deep breaths. "Okay. I'm alright, go on." She put her hands on her knees and grinned from ear to ear.

Go on? Severus couldn't believe his ears. The wheels in his head came to a screeching halt. Slowly single words formed in his foggy mind.

Proposal. Wedding. Marriage. Married with children. Children?

Severus could feel a smile steal across his face. This wonderful, stunning woman wanted him to propose to her? His Hermione? Severus asked himself if wanted to marry her and have her by his side always, and the answer was a loud, resounding Yes! He would propose to her and the best part was he already knew she would accept!

"Hermione." He was still kneeling on the floor but she was now sitting on the other side of the room, so he stood up and gracefully strode over to where she sat. "My dear,... what is it?"

Hermione pointed at the floor again and tilted her head to the side, still beaming. "It's traditional, after all."

He guessed it was, so Severus dutifully sank on his knee again, this time right in front of her, and took Hermione's small hand into his. Feeling her fingers shake set his nerves on edge, too.

"My heart belongs to you, and only you," he began haltingly, "as does my whole body and soul. I- what now?"

A loud sob had interrupted him. "Don't mind me, I'm just so happy." With her free hand Hermione fished in her robe pocket, pulled out a paper tissue and wiped her eyes and nose. "Okay, ready when you are."

Severus took a deep breath and with a pounding heart he worked his way forward to the question of all questions. "I never wish to be parted from you again. Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes! Yes, of course I will!" she exclaimed in delight and wrapped her arms around his head so tight he thought he would suffocate. Severus breathed a sigh in relief against her bust and buried his face in her bosom. Ah, yes. He could live happily ever after like that. Or die happily, if Hermione squeezed much longer.

As if reading his thoughts she let go of his head. He had time to take one deep breath before she covered his mouth with hers for a deep kiss. By the time they came up for air Severus was seeing stars in front of his eyes. When his oxygen-deprived brain started working again it slowly sank in just what he had done. He had popped the question without any preparation whatsoever and risked rejection and humiliation, all with a smile on his face. Had he gone mad? He didn't even had a ring.

"I don't even have a ring," he blurted out. Mad. Totally nuts.

"You better not. You know the tasteful engagement ring Ginny's wearing?"

Severus nodded.

"That's the one she picked out after she made Harry return the pink heart-shaped monstrosity the jeweller talked him into buying."

Slowly but surely Severus's knees started aching so he heaved himself up onto the couch into Hermione's arms.

"You know, I started to think you would never ask. All our romantic dinners and you never jumped at the chance."

Uh oh. "Whatever do you mean?"

She played with a lock of his hair and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on, you were acting pretty strange. Ginny guessed midlife crisis."

"Midlife crisis?" Severus jumped back on his feet. "I'm not fifty yet! That's nothing for a wizard, or have you ever heard of a one-third crisis?"

"I know, that's what I told her! I knew for sure when you had the polish. Men in midlife crisis buy a flying motorcycle, they don't go off to meet their girlfriend's parents."

"So you went from midlife crisis straight to marriage proposal?" He noticed her look. "Hermione?"

"I checked you for curses. The whole routine, while you slept."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "It can't have been that thorough, because I would have noticed if you had drawn blood. Or did you forego the diagnosis potion?"

"No, but I used an old Scrutiny Solution that's not used any more nowadays. I first wanted to use the potion you developed last year, but I had trouble reading your notes. Your handwriting is worse than in the past, did you know that?"

"Everybody who needs to read the notes is able to, I assure you. So what are you not telling me?"

"The Solution isn't as accurate as the newer ones, but you don't need blood. There's another, uh, body fluid that will do in a pinch."

"I take it we're not talking about saliva or sweat?"

"No, and for the record, you were awake when I collected it. But you're close. It also starts with an S."

There was a long moment where Hermione tried to look indifferent and failed spectacularly. The clock on the wall ticked indecently loud while she wrung her hands.

"My, my, aren't you a sneaky little devil."

Hermione started up from the couch, "Severus, I was worried, you-"

"Another few years with me and you will be Slytherin through and through."

Hermione straightened and lifted her chin, the posture Severus had dubbed the you're-lucky-I'll-let-that-slide-because-I-feel-guilty stance. He didn't get to see it often, and he suspected she had copied it from him.

"You're hundred per cent curse-free, by the way."

"Good to know."

"Yes, I thought so too."

And that was the end of the matter; Severus was more than a little proud of his sneaky Gryffindor. He sat down again.

Hermione followed his example and put her head on his shoulder. "I found your list."

Her hair tickled in his nose. He smoothed it down with his hand and rested his head on hers. "Which list?"

"Well-behaved, quiet, intelligent, good-looking. Does that ring a bell? It was the night you tried to impress me with your muscles of steel. I couldn't sleep and went down to the kitchen to make tea. I ended up cleaning out drawers, scrubbing the oven and when I got to the fireplace I found the parchment stuck at the back."

Oh, the one he had made the night with the dream that had started it all. That list. Seen on its own he could count himself lucky that Hermione had only checked him for curses and not added a few of her own. It was high time to come clean.

"I didn't know I had you worried. There... was another reason. I didn't know how to bring it up." Severus reached into his pocket and held his hand out to Hermione.

She sat up straight, took the dummy from his open palm and laughed softly. "And here I thought I'd invest a year or two mentioning the topic from time to time before I tell you that I want a baby."

"You do?" Before he started to hope he needed some answers. "Then why does Molly think otherwise?"

"Ah, Molly. That was self-defence." At his questioning glance she explained, "When Ron and I broke up she tried to get us back together, always nagging Ron, inviting me over while conveniently forgetting to tell me that he would be there too, things like that. No idea why she thought we should try again. I mean it was obvious to everyone else that we just weren't suited for each other. Anyway, Ron and I were trying to be friends again and she made it harder, so I convinced Ron to tell her that he wanted children and I didn't. It wasn't an outright lie, I didn't want children at that time and he did. Well, it worked, and please don't tell Molly the truth. I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Then what were you thinking that day when you saw me with Albus Severus?"

She thought about his question. "I was worried that he might make a fuss if he didn't want to come back inside, that's why I was standing at the window. But then you two were so cute together, and I thought, what if you never want children?" She pressed the dummy to her chest and kissed Severus on the lips. "Luckily I was wrong. But if you didn't plan to propose-"

"I thought I'd invest a year or two getting you pregnant before I tell you that I want to marry you."

Hermione laughed out loud. "Look at us, Severus. We simply must have a baby! It would be a shame to let our genes go to waste."

"No objections on my part." He tried to kiss her back, but Hermione put her hand on his chest and stopped him.

"You know, nowadays it's not really necessary to marry. Some people might expect it from us, but just because we want to have a-"

"What is it with you Gryffindors? Sorry, I won't marry you because someone pressured me into it, and I don't give a dragon's derrière about what other people expect us to do. Let others do things for appearance's sake if they're so keen on being ruled by outmoded customs. You want to marry me, I want to marry you, and we'll make a baby, end of story. Let them deal with it."

"If you put it like that, how could I resist? Only you can make tying the knot sound like a rebellion. Did I tell you lately that I love how your mind works?" Her hand fell from his chest onto his knee.

"Typical. Here I spend endless hours with repetitive, painful exercises to shape my body and you only lust after my brains."

"Well, to be accurate it's the whole package that counts." Her hand squeezed his thigh but to Severus's regret Hermione didn't try any shenanigans. "Before we get carried away, any suggestions for the wedding?"

"Not yet, but I will let you know if I develop any strong opinions in that matter." He tried to kiss her, but alas, there was her hand on his chest again.

"No doubt. I'm not one of those women who planned their wedding in all details before the age of twelve, but I have a few ideas. I'd like a white dress?"

"That's a classic. Anything else?"

Her hand disappeared, but only so that Hermione could list the items off on her fingers. "No carriage; they remind me of the ones at Hogwarts and I don't want to think of Thestrals on my wedding day. No doves; I think that's cruel."

"Let me guess, no house-elves serving either? We could pay them, if you insist. If you agree I could direct an enquiry to Draco."

"Oh, that would be alright then, I think. Although, I don't know if we'd need them? I'd prefer a small wedding, not too many people."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I see you have given the matter no thought at all. Very well. I'll agree to these terms under one condition."

"Which is?"

"You won't let your mother pick our wedding cake."

"Deal." Hermione fidgeted and wrung her hands. "Um. I don't want to rush you, but when you say we'll make a baby then which time frame are you talking about?"

"How did you phrase it earlier? Ah, yes: ready when you are."

Her jaw dropped. "You mean that?" At his nod she added, "You know I'm on the potion."

"We should practise then. I know you prefer to consult books before you move on to the practical stage but in this case I recommend skipping the theoretical part."

The grin on her face was downright feral. "Convince me."

Severus's blood rushed down between his legs and throbbed with his heart beat. "I don't think you need convincing," he whispered into Hermione's ear. When he sat back and spread his legs to be more comfortable he saw her licking her lips. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her mouth.

"I think you're right," she said, the most delicious blush spreading over her cheekbones.

Severus couldn't say who moved first, but suddenly her soft mouth was on his, his hands were seeking her skin hidden under her blouse and they went down on the couch in a tangle of limbs.

"Don't make me wait," she murmured against his lips and pressed her hips to his while trying at the same time to open his fly.

"I won't. I can't," he said, for once devoid of his usual eloquence when Hermione was moving under him like that.

"Hurry up, I want you now." She wriggled out of her trousers and panties, pushed them down to her knees and then kicked out of them.

He gave her room and used the chance to open the last button of his fly. Their lovemaking hadn't been that frantic in months, and thinking about the reason why they were getting it on on the couch like a newly enamoured couple sent a new frisson of lust through his system. He had tugged his pants and trousers down over his arse when Hermione pulled him back to her and showered distracting kisses on his neck with her hot lips. She sucked on his skin and grazed the sensitive spot right under his ear next to his scar with her teeth.

Severus shivered. "Ready?" He waited for her nod and positioned himself. She slid her bare legs over his clothed ones and wrapped them around his naked waist. Finally he could feel her skin on his and he lost it and sunk to the hilt into her waiting heat, even though he had wanted to go slow and savour the first time he made love to his fiancée but Hermione had other plans.

"Deeper," she ordered.

She tucked up her legs and Severus slid in even further. Too fast, too much, he stopped moving and rested his front on her shoulder. "Want to make it special, for you, let me...," he tried to explain.

"More," she gasped and rocked under him.

Severus hooked one hand under her leg to try to keep her from moving in a desperate attempt to hold back and make it last, but she squeezed around him and he wanted nothing more to pound into her and go deeper, deeper.

"Need to feel you, all of you, can go slow another time..."

Another time, they had the rest of their lives, oh yes, and it was that thought that short-circuited his brain and made him spring into action. He grabbed her arse and thrust in and out of her with abandon, wishing he could bury himself even deeper in her. A trickle of sweat ran down his spine and his palms on Hermione's thighs were so slick with moisture his hands nearly slipped, but that was nothing in comparison to the slippery heat where their bodies were joined. Hermione arched upwards and he pressed his face into her cleavage. He loved how she made him feel; loved her, her mind, her body, oh yes every square inch of her body. His shaky sweaty fingers fumbled with the buttons of her blouse and then just ripped it and pushed her bra out of the way until her breasts were revealed.

"So perfect," he whispered.

"Don't stop," Hermione protested, her eyes closed and her chest heaving.

He couldn't deny her anything. So perfect, these two words were repeating itself in his mind like a mantra with every push of his hips. The couch springs groaned with his every move but he could hardly hear it over the sound of his and Hermione's gasps. He was so close, but he didn't want to come, not yet, not before he had given her what she craved. The world only consisted of him and Hermione, Hermione and him; she called his name and he could feel her clench around him and he had to see her face, the glowing face of his future wife oh fuck she cried out and he could feel her only her forever her...

He came with a guttural growl and collapsed into Hermione's waiting arms, still buried inside her, his breath mingling with hers, his sticky shirt clinging to her glistening skin.

"Go, little swimmers," he mumbled into Hermione's breasts, bone tired but on cloud nine.

Under him Hermione chuckled, still out of breath, and gently stroked his back. "Patience, Severus. They'll get their chance soon enough."