A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! They keep me smiling.

Hope Reawakened

-3-

Hermione sank back against her chair and slowly nursed a cup of tea as she watched her son chatter on about his birthday gifts. She could see that Severus was incredibly uncertain of how to interact with Brendan, but at least he appeared to be trying to figure it out. He could never have been considered 'kid-friendly' by anyone, and since their short-lived, wartime affair had solely been focused on the present, it was not as though they had ever thought to have the 'children' discussion. Even if he had asked her all of those years before if she had wanted to be a mother, she probably would have been hard-pressed to give a decisive answer.

But Fate had stepped in as it so often does and made the decision for her. Initially, she had panicked upon discovering she was pregnant, as she imagined any unwed, teenaged girl would have done. It was during the memorial service honoring the Order spy, which had been held in the newly restored Hogwarts castle two months following the Great Battle, however, that she realized she had been given a special part of Severus that would eventually develop into the sweetest and smartest little boy she had ever met.

And now that little boy was happily conversing with the father he had really never known. Hermione bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling and set down her teacup. It was all so surreal that Severus was alive and in her kitchen that she could not figure out how to react. On one hand, she wanted to grab hold of him and never let go, but it also concerned her that she had no idea where he had been or what he had been doing for the past seven years. He had not said anything at all regarding his earlier conversation with Dumbledore's portrait, and afterward he seemed almost hesitant about accompanying them home. Because of this, she was afraid to let her emotions lead her in case he was set to leave again. For her son's sake, if not her own, she had to hold it together.

The chiming of the clock in the hallway caught her attention, and the witch blew out a slow breath. Clearing her throat, she touched the boy's hand. "Brendan, sweetheart, it's time for bed."

Though the child had been yawning with noticeably drooping eyelids for several minutes, he still groaned. "Mum, it's –"

"As it so happens, your birthday officially ended thirty seconds ago," she interrupted, leaning forward. "And just what do you think Granma Molly will say if she finds out I've let you stay up four hours past your bedtime, hmm?"

Brendan giggled as he slipped down from his chair. "Would she say your middle name?"

"If not worse," his mother nodded.

His eyes widened as far as they could in his sleepy state. "What's worse than that?"

Hermione snorted under her breath as she patted his bottom. "You don't want to know. Now, upstairs with you. Brush your teeth, and be in pajamas before I tuck you in."

"Ohhh-kay," he yawned, wiping his eyes. He was nearly to the kitchen door when he suddenly turned around and rushed back to the table. Throwing his arms about his unsuspecting father, he squeezed as tightly as he could. "Night, Daddy."

"Good night," Severus responded after a moment's pause.

The witch could not help the smile that spread across her face at the sight. Once the boy had scurried out of the room, she let out a soft sigh and wordlessly sent the used dishes into the sink.

"Did you… need to go to bed as well?" Snape asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I don't generally get much sleep on his birthday."

"I see," he mumbled.

"What about you?" Hermione questioned anxiously. "Did you need to get home, or… tell anyone where you are?"

"No."

The woman nodded slowly and then glanced up at the ceiling. "I need to put him to bed, but afterward… maybe we could talk?"

"I would like that."

"Okay," she stated, pushing up from her chair. "I'll, erm, be back in a moment."

With a nervous smile, Hermione quickly stepped out of the room and made her way to the staircase. Once upstairs, she paused for a few minutes before finally entering Brendan's room. A soft laugh escaped her upon seeing that the boy was already curled up with his eyes closed. After pulling the blankets up to his neck, she perched on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over the back of his head.

Brendan slowly blinked his eyes open and smiled up at her.

"I thought you were asleep," she smirked.

The boy shook his head. "I have to tell you something."

"Oh, really?" she asked, leaning down so that her face was close to his. "Is it a secret?"

He nodded and then propped up his head to whisper in her ear. "It came true."

Hermione's eyes widened as she turned her head to look at him. "Your birthday wish?"

"I wished that Daddy would talk to me."

"Oh, baby," she gasped, stroking the side of his face. "That was a really good wish, wasn't it?"

Yawning widely, he snuggled deeper under his blankets. "The best."

Blinking back tears, the witch placed a kiss to his temple. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you, too, Mum."

"Good night, then," she stated, straightening the edge of the comforter. After giving him another quick kiss, she stood up and moved toward the door.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, love?" the witch asked, turning around.

"I forgot to tell Daddy I love him."

Hermione drew in a quick breath of air as she tightened her grip on the doorknob. "I'll tell him for you."

"'Kay," he mumbled while closing his eyes.

His mother stood in the room until she was sure he had fallen asleep and then pulled the door shut behind her. Closing her eyes for a quick moment, she gathered every ounce of strength she could muster and descended the staircase. She was planning to return to the kitchen, but happened to catch sight of the wizard standing in front of the sitting room fireplace. A brief stab of panic hit her as she thought he might have been attempting to leave, but quickly she realized he was merely examining the framed photographs that sat atop the mantle.

There was the hint of a smile on his face as he picked up a small, wooden frame that portrayed Hermione playing in the snow with a heavily bundled up toddler.

"Could he even see?"

The woman snorted under her breath, both at the comment and at her naïve assumption that she could observe him undetected, and reached for the afghan which had fallen onto the floor in front of the sofa. She began folding it before answering him. "Yes. Mock me all you want, but when Harry, Ron, and George were dropping him and Teddy from their brooms into snowbanks, I thought it prudent for him to be well-padded."

Severus tightened his jaw at the thought of his son being handled in such a manner and then sighed as he replaced the photograph upon the mantel. "I don't see any men with you."

"You mean besides Harry and Ron?"

There was a hint of a smirk on his face as he responded, "I stand by my previous observation."

Hermione laughed softly and scratched her forehead. "No, there haven't been any men. It's just been Brendan and me."

Clearing his throat, he turned to face her.

She held up her hand when he was about to say something and then folded her arms against her stomach. "Before we discuss anything else, Severus, I need to know that you are here to stay. If it were just me, maybe I could take whatever it was that I could get from you, but I will not let that happen to him. I will not allow him to suffer that pain, so I need to know that you aren't going to suddenly leave again."

"Leave again?" he repeated in confusion. With a shake of his head, he moved toward her. "Hermione, I never wanted to leave you. You're the only one I've thought about for the past seven years. The need to know what happened to you was the only thing that kept me going."

"Through what?" the witch snapped. "Where have you been?"

Snape ran a hand through his hair as he donned an uncomfortable expression. "I was serving my sentence for the murder of Albus Dumbledore."