My husband was waiting for me when I arrived in our rooms. He was pleased that Minerva and Alastor were coming for dinner. The news that Alastor wanted to talk to him privately surprised him. We made sure we had Minerva's favourite Drambuie and Alastor's favourite Bell's for after dinner. I requested salmon for dinner, with salad and soup to start. Trufy said there would be peach and blackberry crumble for dessert with custard sauce. That sounded perfect, so I added it to my menu for the dinner. I went in to shower and wash my hair before dinner. Sev followed me into the shower. He was lathering my hair when he noticed the baby bump of my stomach was noticeably larger than it had been only a couple of weeks before. He said he wanted to do a diagnostic spell when we got out or send me to Poppy for her to do the spell.
"At four months, you should not be quite so large. I hope there is nothing wrong. Turn around; I want you to rinse your hair. You need to get the maternity things your mother made for you. You might want to go to see her for a few days."
"Severus, how many pregnant females have you seen? You are just trying to get me out of harm's way. I saw Poppy earlier in the week. She did not say anything then. I will call her through the floo when I get out. Will that suffice?"
"Yes, thank you, it will. And I am not trying to get you out of harm's way. Not yet, anyway. I have been studying the books Poppy had on pregnancy. I simply worry about you, my love."
As I finished dressing, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Poppy Pomfrey entered.
"I am so sorry, Thera. I totally forgot to tell you what your diagnostic showed. I was so astonished that I just had to talk to your mother. Is Severus here? I need to tell you both."
"I am here, Poppy. What did you need to tell us? Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, Severus! No, there is nothing wrong. Everything seems to be fine. It is just that there are three babies." She looked so alarmed at saying this that I made her sit down. I shot a look at my husband and saw he had blanched with shock. His eyes were wide with a look of horror.
"Severus Emrys Charles Snape! Stop that! The women of my family have multiple births all the time. It is not something to worry about. Thank you, Poppy, that is very good news. Did the spell happen to determine their sex?"
"All boys, Thera. And they are supremely healthy. You are probably going to get huge, but they are strong and very healthy. I am sorry I did not tell you sooner. Forgive me for that."
Sev had recovered his voice at last. "You are forgiven, Poppy. Thank you for telling us now. I am still trying to take this in. You will have to come to dinner one day next week. Shall I walk you back to the Infirmary?"
"No, no, I know the two of you will want to talk about this. I'll just run along."
She was out the door and halfway up the stairs to the main floor before Sev could say anything.
He turned to look at me and burst out laughing.
"Three, Thera? We will need Ptitsa and Trufy to take care of them. They will run us ragged. Do you think your mother would be pleased if we name them after your brothers with other middle names?"
"Oh, Sev, how wonderful you are? That would please her immensely. What middle names did you have in mind?"
"Your father's name was actually Grigori, wasn't it? Igor was just the diminutive. Why not Sergei Grigori, Dmitri Alastor, and Alexei Remus as names? That way we honour your father and our friends."
"You are brilliant, husband. And if, sometime in the future, we have a daughter or two I want to name them after my friends. The first one would be named Irina for peace and her middle name would be Hermione. If we have a second daughter, then she should be named Minerva Luna."
"That is an excellent idea. Minerva and Alastor should be coming through the floo soon. Shall we tell them?"
"Of course we should, I think we should ask them to act as surrogate grandparents to the boys, providing of course that we all survive this. Is this all too much for you, Sev?"
"No, it is merely unsettling. Here they come, Thera. Welcome friends. Come in."
Minerva had appeared with an armload of things. Alastor had a box of things with him. They set the things down while we talked. Then Sev motioned for them to be seated as he poured drinks for them.
"We have some startling news. Thera is pregnant with triplets, all boys according to Poppy. I am truly at a loss for words over this."
Alastor looked at Sev's face and guffawed. He shot a look of pure mischief at me before saying, "I think this trio may accomplish what the OTHER trio did not; the undoing of Severus Snape. Congratulations on that news, lassie. It is quite a sight to see Headmaster Snape so unsettled. I am going to enjoy this."
Minerva shot her husband a look that spoke volumes. He was not going to enjoy his comments once they were alone. Then she shrugged and shook her head.
"Alastor, you are incorrigible. I wonder why I let you back in my life, sometimes. But, oh laddie, I do love you well." She blushed as she uttered those words. And Alastor simply kissed her lightly on the lips.
Sev was astounded. He had never seen Minerva act like a woman in love before. He considered it for a moment and decided he liked the interplay between the older couple. He raised his glass and proposed a toast.
"To the power of love, may it bring us all peace and sanity as well as happiness."
Alastor and Minerva raised their glasses and nodded. Sev handed me my glass of pomegranate juice and I clinked my glass to theirs.
When we finished our drinks, Minerva handed me the bundle of things she had brought. There was a Wiccaning robe for an infant made of Alençon lace. I knew instantly that this robe had been made for their daughter. I raised eyes filled with tears to Minerva's face and she smiled at me.
"It was a very long time ago, Thera. Don't cry for her, or for us. We dealt with the loss years ago. I will have to duplicate the robe now, won't I? There are some other things there that you may find interesting. Alastor brought your marriage papers back. Albus recorded all of the bonds everyone made for you at the ceremony. He also added a letter from your father. These things were given to Alastor without your knowledge when he came for that Christmas. You were only told he had the marriage papers. Have I thanked you for returning him to me?"
"Minerva, I do not know how to thank you. The robe is beautiful. You are always so good to me. And I am very glad we rescued Alastor. He seems to have mellowed since he got to the school. I think he has realised how much you mean to him."
"And how much he means to me as well? I never imagined, when you arrived at Hogwarts that day, that I would see Severus married, or happy, or a father. You have wrought miracles, Thera. Neville is no longer afraid of Severus, the house-elves are thinking for themselves, and you have managed to keep Harry, Hermione and young Weasley supplied with food, potions and luck while on the run. And best of all Sybill is not nearly so dithery. She drinks far less than before, and has uttered no unseemly prophecies lately. Thank you so very much for that."
Sev interrupted just then to say, "Minerva, Alastor, we have something we need to ask you. When Poppy told us about the triplets, we decided we would name them after Thera's brothers but we needed middle names for them. One will be Sergei Grigori, after her father. We want to name the second boy Dmitri Alastor. The third boy will be called Alexei Remus. We want to honour our friends and ask, perhaps, since I have no parents; if you would stand as surrogate grandparents to the boys?"
He waited for their reaction, hoping they would not refuse the request. When it came, the reaction surprised everyone.
Minerva burst into tears and grabbed Alastor's hand. They exchanged a glance and both replied, "We are honoured, Severus. Yes, of course, we will act as grandparents to your children. You have made us both very happy."
Alastor then gruffly asked, to cover his pleasure, "Aren't you going to feed us, Snape? I seem to remember your wife said dinner."
Sev simply smiled at Alastor and said, "Trufy, you can bring dinner now."
The house-elf appeared with the dinner immediately. He set the table with a wave of his hands. Then he popped away again. We sat down and filled our plates.
Minerva and I talked mainly about the babies and Dora's coming child. She commented that she hoped the Lupin child arrived before the last week of April since Poppy Pomfrey was going to be away that week.
"Of course, you and I could deliver the child, Thera. I have helped deliver babies before. I helped deliver Harry, you know."
"If it comes to that, Minerva, we will do it. But I sincerely hope she has it when Poppy is here. Do you have any idea why Alastor wanted to talk to Severus?"
"Not really, Thera, but I have a hunch it concerns Albus. Alastor has been grumbling and muttering about micro-managing wizards, and that usually means Albus. The salmon was an excellent choice. Is has been Alastor's favourite for years."
"Would you mind if I kept the robe for when we have a daughter? I am actually hoping for two daughters. One named Irina Hermione and one named Minerva Luna. I have the strangest feeling that our contact with Brigit and Cernunnos has everything to do with the triplets. To change the subject; I sent Dora a large box of baby clothes for Christmas, and Hagrid has produced a cradle from somewhere. I think he might have carved it himself. I am sure Remus will want to assist at the birth. They are quite devoted to each other. I am so very glad he no longer has the lycanthropy to worry about. It has made a huge difference in his outlook on life."
"The best thing about his cure was that it was accomplished by the pure unadulterated love of his friends, Thera. You two were not asking for him to be cured; but Cernunnos and Brigit saw the concern in your hearts and healed him as well. He must feel so blessed to have you both as friends. I echo that feeling. You brought me back my beloved Alastor. I will love you both forever for that."
Sev had poured drinks for himself and the other two but handed me the cranberry, orange, and pomegranate juice mixture that Trufy had concocted for me.
"Drink up, everyone. We need to plan strategy now. I need your input. We must find Ravenclaw's Diadem. It is the last of the items Potter, Granger, and Weasley have been hunting. It is hidden here at Hogwarts. Do any of you have an idea?"
Minerva spoke hesitantly, "The ghosts can check every room in the castle, Severus. But are you sure it is here?"
"Quite sure, Minerva, the Dark Lord said he had placed one of his Horcruxes here at the school. Harry destroyed the first of them years ago: the diary given to Ginny Weasley that precipitated the Chamber of Secrets incident, the ring that cursed Dumbledore's right hand was the second, the locket that had belonged to Slytherin was the third, Hufflepuff's cup is the fourth, the Diadem is the fifth somewhere the sixth one is the snake, Nagini. In addition, there is a seventh Horcrux that even the Dark Lord is unaware of, Harry carries a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul in his scar. Do not say anything yet. This is what was told to me nearly two years ago. There is worse to come. Harry must, at some point, surrender himself to the Dark Lord and be killed. No, Minerva, the boy will not die; he has his own magical protections. It is complicated, but the gist of it is that when Pettigrew regenerated the Dark Lord, he took some of Harry's blood to complete the spell. That essentially made the Dark Lord a Horcrux for Harry. Lily's protection did NOT end when Harry turned seventeen. It will never end. It will protect him now as it did all those years ago. He will appear to die, but the only part of him that will succumb will be the bit of soul contaminating his scar. He will revive to triumph. The best help we can give him is to find the diadem. The information that it is hidden here at Hogwarts came from an unlikely source. In a journal Karkaroff kept of his time in Azkaban, he wrote that Bellatrix had been babbling secrets. She carried on conversations with her imaginary playmate, Tom Riddle, about the things he had given her. She said the Hufflepuff cup was in her vault at Gringott's and the diadem of Ravenclaw's was hidden somewhere here at the school. It is imperative that we find it."
"She was an awful student, Severus. She was here several years before you arrived. Nasty, vicious, jealous child she was; and not good at her studies. She barely passed her OWLs and did not take any NEWT level classes. She tried to use the Imperius Curse on another student to help her cheat, but Albus caught her. She was expelled part way through her seventh year. I believe we should ask Sir Nicholas first, he knows all the ghosts. Alastor, don't you want to talk to Severus alone? Maybe the two of you should go into Severus's private lab. We will wait here."
"Oh, right you are, Min. Come along, Snape." Alastor picked up the box he had brought with him and followed Sev into the lab.
What transpired in there was not revealed to me until much later; Sev had closed our link and was using Occlumency.
Minerva and I continued our conversation about searching for the diadem and guarding the students from the fight we both knew would eventually come to the school. Trufy removed the dinner dishes and brought in the dessert when I called him.
After nearly an hour, Sev and Alastor returned from their private consultation. Both wore expressions of grim determination. Alastor and Minerva took their leave of us and Alastor did something quite out of character for him. He bent to kiss my cheek and patted my shoulder.
"It is a' right, lassie. Your husband will not have to worry about some things now. Dinna fret, we will all get through this, even the weans out there."
He smiled at me and took Minerva's hand before they stepped into the floo. When they were gone I turned to Sev and he shook his head.
"I will not tell you what was discussed. It is irrelevant to the present situation. After this is all past, then we will talk about it."
I had to make do with that statement.
Spring was fast approaching and everywhere I looked there were signs of new life. Trees were sprouting new leaves and the flowers were pushing their way through the soil to bask in the sun.
We had brewed Potions until there were so many we could no longer find hiding places for them. There was enough Felix Felicis for every family member of every Hogwarts student, except the Death Eaters, of course. There were potions hidden in classrooms, the greenhouses, Hagrid's Hut, Lupin's cottage and most of the teachers' living quarters. No one went anywhere without a vial of Felix Felicis. We had also made an inordinate amount of Veritaserum that I was keeping in our rooms. I insisted that Sev keep a bezoar with him at all times, also. The early days of April that year were seemingly mild and pleasant.
We had interviewed the ghosts and discovered that the Grey Lady was, in fact, Helena Ravenclaw. She had taken the diadem out of the castle before she had been murdered by the Bloody Baron. She admitted telling the young Tom Riddle where she had hidden the diadem. I asked her to search the school for the diadem so that it could be turned over to Harry when he arrived. Late the third week of April, she found it and told me where she had found it. Neville and I retrieved it before hiding it again with the house-elves. They would keep it safe until such time as it was needed.
Poppy Pomfrey went off to her seminar before Dora Lupin had gone into labour. Minerva and I assured Dora we would be quite capable of delivering the child. Three days before the end of April, Dora's pains started in the early afternoon. Minerva and I converged on the cottage to find Remus walking his wife back and forth to facilitate the child entering the birth canal more easily. Just at sundown that day, Teddy Remus Lupin made his glorious entry into this world. His father was ecstatic. His mother was tired but very happy.
"Tell Bill and Fleur. But come home soon. Mother is coming tonight." Dora kissed her husband before he left.
Minerva and I cleaned her up and helped her back into bed as the newborn began crying. His mother put him to suckle at her breast and he quieted right down. Very soon after Remus had left, both Alastor and Sev arrived to view the baby. Alastor was disguised as Slughorn again to fool the Carrows. Sev looked at the child and squeezed my hand. I had told Dora that I was carrying triplets. She commiserated with me.
"I got so uncomfortable with just the one that I don't envy you at all. But anything you need from us will be given, Thera. I know Remus wants Harry to be Teddy's godfather but will you be his godmother? You have already been so good to us. And I do love you like a sister."
"Yes, Dora, I would be happy to be his godmother. And I think you already have a set of surrogate grandparents available, too."