Epilogue

Snape closed his lesson plans and leaned back in his chair as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He enjoyed teaching potions; however, he did not particularly enjoy all the paperwork that went along with it. He constantly updated his curriculum to include new potions and techniques so his students were always up-to-date on the latest discoveries. He glanced over at his heavily pregnant wife as she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly. She was reading the latest edition of Potions Quarterly. He knew she was reading the article he had submitted and was proud that his wife still felt his potion knowledge was far superior to hers. She looked over at him occasionally and he could feel her sense of pride in his continued accomplishments wash over him. He was still a sought after guest speaker since he had experience in potions as well as defense.

He looked down at her huge belly and marveled that she was actually carrying two babies this time. She sensed his smirk and glared at him.

"This is all your fault," she whispered softly, looking down at her large stomach.

"I wasn't the one who forgot to take the potion," he whispered back. He laughed when he felt the small sofa pillow bounce off his head. His wife had perfect aim. The laughter died in his throat when he heard the front door slam, followed by the sound of his oldest daughter sobbing.

"I hate him...I'll never fall in love again...I wish I were dead!" Their 15-year old daughter, Katherine, cried as she rushed past them and flew up the stairs. Hermione started to rise, but Snape held his hand out to stop her when their two other children came through the front door. At ten years of age, Janie was a very emotional child and loved her sister dearly. Janie looked like she had been crying and flung herself into her father's arms as he sat on the couch and met his son's eyes.

"Umm, Janie, why don't you get the exploding snap cards and I'll play a round with you." Jonathon said quietly to his younger sister. Janie untangled herself from her father's embrace and left the room with a barely concealed sniffle.

Jonathon sighed and placed his hands in his jean pockets as his parents waited for him to shed some light on the situation. Like his father, he let his long hair hang in a curtain around his face whenever he was embarrassed or trying to hide his emotions. Unlike his father had been at the age of 13, he had a slightly muscular build and an air of confidence about him. Hermione had been right about his caring nature. Other children flocked to their son in droves and often sought out his council when troubled. He was very protective of his sisters and seldom complained when asked to accompany them somewhere. Snape knew the reason his oldest daughter was so popular at Hogwarts was partly due to the fact that no one wanted to incur her brother's wrath. His good nature did not extend to anyone intent on being mean to Katherine. Even James Potter had found himself on the receiving end of a clever hex from Jonathon, when the boy felt he had wronged his sister.

"Victoria Malfoy is hanging out at the Potter's house and James is kinda sweet on her, I guess." He said embarrassedly as he looked from one parent to the other. "She asked James if Katherine was his girlfriend and he said no, he didn't have a girlfriend."

Snape closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again as he heard his wife begin to sniffle and watched as his son raced to her side and handed her a tissue.

"Geez, mom, it's not a big deal. I mean he was just being a big jerk. I was all set to punch him in his mouth, but Katherine started bawling and I had to get her out of there before she fell apart, then Janie started crying and the whole thing went to hell in a..." at a stern look from his father he hurried on, "well, you know how those two are; tomorrow, they'll be boyfriend and girlfriend again. It will be all right. I can go back and hex him, if you want." Jonathon added with a small wink, trying to get his mother to smile. Janie came back into the room again and Jonathon took her by the arm and led her out into the kitchen before she could see that her mother was now weeping softly.

"I'll go talk to her Hermione. Please don't be upset." Snape said softly as he stood up and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his wife's forehead. He knew she was only emotional due to hormones; however, he still didn't like to see his wife cry. She smiled up at him through her tears and held out her hands so he could help her to her feet. She gave him a quick hug before drying her eyes and joining her remaining children at the kitchen table to play cards with them.

Snape slowly climbed the steps and tried to think about what to say to comfort his daughter. Part of him wished his son had punched young James in the mouth. Snape was no stranger to heartache and it made his chest ache to think his precious baby girl was hurting.

Snape knocked quietly on the door and waited for Katherine to bid him enter. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to his daughter as she lay on her stomach and clutched her pillow. He could still hear her sniffling and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I know what it feels like to be rejected, sunshine, and I know you are hurting right now; however, it won't last forever. Sometimes the people we think we are meant to love and spend the rest of our lives with are not meant to be with us at all."

"You're talking about James' grand mom, aren't you, Dad?" Katherine asked as she turned over and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.

Snape was surprised that Katherine knew about Lily, but realized he shouldn't have been. "Yes, I loved James' grandmother, Lily, when we were younger, about your age, actually. I thought the whole world revolved around her and that we would spend the rest of our lives together."

"This is different, dad," Katherine breathed, "James isn't dead."

Snape bristled for a moment and fought to keep his calm demeanor. "Lily chose to be with someone else long before she died, sweetheart."

He said softly. He was still amazed that he could talk about that time in his life without feeling a deep sense of sorrow. Hermione's love had long since healed his aching heart.

Katherine looked up at him with her tear-stained face, "what did you do? How did you go on living?"

Snape ran his hand down his face and wrestled with how to best explain everything to his young daughter. She knew the part he played as a spy during the war. Hermione had felt it important for his children to be informed about his past, before they started Hogwarts. She didn't want them to hear about his past through one of their well-meaning friends. "Well, just like you, I thought my life was over; however, your mother saved me." He could tell from his daughter's eager face that he had her full attention.

"What do you mean she saved you? How did she save you?" She asked breathlessly.

"You know the story Janie loves to hear about the girl who saves the Prince?" At Katherine's encouraging nod, he continued, "Well, that story is actually based on a real story. Your mother wrote that book. I am the Prince, well the half-prince anyway, and your mother saved me."

Katherine's eyes grew wide as she stared at him in disbelief.

"You see, your mother had a choice. I had always been so mean to her. She could have left me to die and went on living her life. However, she used the magic tears and saved me. When I realized what your mother had done, it made me realize what a beautiful woman she truly was, inside and out. Well, I fell in love with her and married her right away."

Snape began to panic when Katherine placed her head down on her knees and began sobbing again. Perhaps he hadn't explained it right.

"That's so beautiful," she exclaimed through her tears. "I'll never find someone who loves me like you love mom." She wailed, "James will never love me like that."

"That's just it, Katherine. Perhaps you aren't meant to be with James. You will probably grow up and marry someone you don't even know right now." Snape whispered softly as he gently rubbed his daughter's back.

"But I love James, Daddy. What am I going to do now? He doesn't want to be my boyfriend anymore. How will I ever bear it?" She said sadly as she wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"You will live one day at a time, pumpkin. Forgive him if he apologizes and even if he doesn't. Life is too short to hate someone who doesn't love you the way you love them. If he wants to be your boyfriend again, you will have to decide if that is for the best or if you guys are better off just as friends. I know it hurts, baby, but trust me on this. You can't make someone love you, believe me I tried. However, when you do find the one true person that you are meant to be with, and I have no doubt you will, it will be easier to look back on this time and see that it was all for the best."

Katherine nodded thoughtfully and rose up on her knees so she could wrap her arms around his neck and hug him tightly. "Thank you, Daddy, I know you're right. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want to punch him in the face right now."

Snape chuckled softly, and pulled back to look her in the eyes. "That makes two of us, sweetheart. Now, if you think you can, let's go downstairs and check on your mother. She was really worried about you. You know she cries at the drop of a hat now."

"Oh no," Katherine said softly as she jumped to her feet, "I don't want mom to cry over stupid, old James. It's bad enough that I wasted my tears on him." With that, she raced out of the room and he heard her rushing down the stairs. He was about to exit her room when a thought occurred to him. This time, a boy named James didn't get the girl. He knew the boy would come to his senses and beg Katherine to forgive him. He hated to admit it, but it did his heart good to think that this James would be the one with the broken heart. He mentally chastised himself for wishing ill on the young man. The boy shouldn't be punished for his grandfather's mistakes.

Snape joined his family in the kitchen and let them deal him a hand of cards. He looked around at his little family and was glad to see that everyone looked happy again. He knew this would not be the only time someone broke one of his children's hearts. He only wished someone had been there for him when he was younger and Lily broke his. Perhaps he would not have made the choices that he had. He snapped out of his reverie when he felt Hermione's hand cover his. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips as he just happened to get a glance at the cards she was holding. He was still a Slytherin, after all.

MMMMMMM

Snape paced back and forth in his study. How could he not have seen this coming? When he told her James probably wasn't the one for her, he hadn't meant to push her into the arms of the one man who he disliked more than James. Of course, he wasn't being fair. He barely knew the young man who had just left his study—the man who begged to have his permission to marry his daughter. David chased Tobias into his study and they ran around his office chairs squealing and laughing like the four-year olds they were. Snape growled at the interruption and they stopped in their tracks. He watched as they hung their little heads and headed towards the "time-out" chair. Snape signed and crossed over to kneel in front of the chair they had both squeezed into and pulled them into his arms. He held them tightly as he inhaled the scent of their clean pajamas and wondered once again how he hadn't seen this coming. The boy did have a good job; he was Minister of Finance for Merlin's sake. He placed a kiss on each boy's cheek as they wrapped their little arms around his neck. He remembered when Katherine was this little and wanted to weep. Time had seemed to speed by and now his little girl wanted to get married...not to a Potter...to a Longbottom.

Hermione swept into the room and announced that it was the boys' bedtime and Janie was waiting to read them a bedtime story. They hugged him tightly one more time and then slipped out of his embrace and ran laughing from the room. Snape stood slowly and faced his beautiful wife. She stood there in her soft robe, with her arms crossed, lightly tapping her foot.

"Are you through pouting, Professor Snape?" She asked quietly. "Tomorrow, your daughter will be waiting to hear what you told her young man. I hope you had the sense enough to realize that she loves him as much as I love you."

Snape sneered at his wife and stormed over to stare out the window at the night sky. "Love? What does she know of love? She's only 19 years old for Merlin's sake." He huffed.

He felt his wife wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head against his back. He sighed and turned around to envelope her in his arms.

"Our daughter is the same age I was when I fell in love with you, Severus. She is on her way to being a successful Charms' Mistress. She loves us and wants our blessing. You and I both know that Justin Longbottom is a fine, upstanding young man. He will provide well for our daughter. Besides, he looks at her like the sun rises and set in her eyes. I couldn't pick her a finer husband, if I had to." She pulled back and looked up into his eyes. "Surely, you realized how much they have come to care for one another. Remember how devastated she was when James took someone else to their Graduation Ball? Luna told Justin how heartbroken she was and he took her to the ball. Everyone was expecting her to come alone and was all ready to feel sorry for her, but she showed up with Justin and all the other girls were smitten. He had already graduated and had an impressive position in the Ministry. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he is attractive. Even you must admit he is a handsome, young man; almost as handsome as our son."

Snape frowned at this comparison. Although he strongly favored his father in looks, Jonathon Snape had his share of swooning females. At seventeen, his father had already talked to him about how to treat a lady. He also passed along spells to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. He was not so old-fashioned that he didn't believe his son would not be tempted by one of his female admirers. His mother had already warned off a slightly older witch that she knew was trying to get their son to warm her bed. Snape had been proud that even the older witches seemed smitten with his son; however, he would never let Hermione see his smug look. He hoped Hermione had been wise enough to have the same discussion with Katherine and then groaned at the thought of Justin Longbottom touching his baby girl in that manner. He wanted to think of his daughter as pure and untouched, and even if she wasn't he sure as hell didn't want to know about it. He signed audibly when he realized he was fighting a losing battle. His Katherine would marry Justin Longbottom, whether he approved of not.

He felt his wife shift in his arms and realized she had let her robe slip down her shoulders. His breath caught in his throat when he saw that she was wearing the see-through gown he had bought her for their last anniversary.

"Come to bed, lover, we can talk more about this tomorrow," his wife whispered seductively as she pulled the robe back up on her shoulders and turned to leave his office. Snape dimmed the lights before tucking his younger children in their beds and joined his wife in their room.

Hermione had already erected a silencing charm and was waiting for him on their bed. He used a spell to remove his clothes and slid on top of her. He gasped when she flipped him over and straddled his waist. All other concerns were forgotten as his wife rode him with abandon. He removed her gown and gazed up at her lovely body, as he once again contemplated how lucky he was to have her in his life. He knew he was close to climaxing and quickly flipped them back over so he was on top again. She whimpered when he withdrew from her. He silenced her with a kiss as he reached under the mattress and withdrew one of their honeymoon gifts from Ginny. She moaned in anticipated pleasure when he positioned her on her hands and knees. He settled himself behind her, grabbing her hips and thrusting back inside her. He proceeded to pound into her unmercifully a few times before gently bringing the whip down on her back causing her to cry out in pleasure. He continued thrusting in and out of her as he brought the whip up underneath her, gently slapping her breasts and flat stomach. She cried out in pleasure with each slap of the leather straps and begged to be given permission to come. He growled as he withdrew and flipped her over onto her back and began gently slapping her body with the whip. He loved the way she cried out every time he aimed the whip between her open legs. After years of practice, she was pretty good at obeying his order not to come until he gave permission. However, he could see that her resolve was slipping and decided it was time to let her experience a mind-blowing orgasm. He thrust back inside her and placed the whip straps between their bodies so they would both feel the shock of pleasure every time he slammed his cock inside her.

Feeling his own resolve faltering, he cried, "Come for me Hermione!" and was rewarded with her shriek of pleasure as her body clamped down on his cock and milked every last drop of come from his aching balls. He collapsed on top of her and shuddered in pleasure as the whip kept sending jolts of pleasure through their bodies. She cried out again and orgasmed once more before he was able to roll off of her and remove the whip. He could feel her body shudder and she wept quietly and as she came down off her high. He pulled her into his arms and held her as she regained her composure.

"You're going to pay for that, Professor." She hissed as she reached out and cupped his balls. She managed to pry the whip from his fingers and slapped it across his bare ass causing him to moan in pleasure. Soon, she had him crying out like a wanton schoolboy as she pleasured his body with the whip while using her other hand to fist his cock, making him hard again. He was completely at her mercy as she straddled him and rode him like a galloping pony while pleasuring him with the whip. He fell apart and begged to come when the pleasure became too great. Tears leaked out of his eyes and ran down onto his pillow from the effort of holding off for so long. She finally had mercy and gave him permission.

"Come inside me, my dark, lovely man. You want to come inside your Potion Mistresses' tight, hot pussy, don't you?" She cried hoarsely.

With a shout, Snape grabbed her hips and thrust up, lifting her off the bed as he spilled his seed deep inside her. He wasn't sure if she remembered to take her potion, however, at this point he really didn't care. It was worth the risk of having another baby to experience lovemaking with this amazing woman. Hermione seemed to read his thoughts and chuckled softly, "relax, Severus, I took my monthly potion." He laughed hoarsely as he pulled her down to lay on top of him and seized her lips in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and didn't move a muscle, even when he used a spell to clean the evidence of their lovemaking.

Later, as his wife lay sleeping in his arms, Snape contemplated his past, present and future with this beautiful woman. He was not exaggerating when he had told Katherine, years ago, that her mother had saved him. Without Hermione, even if he had survived somehow, his life would not have been as full as it was now. He would have become an empty, bitter, hateful man, without her love and influence over his life. Perhaps Hermione was right and Katherine had found the man she was destined to be with. Tomorrow, he would tell his oldest daughter that she had his blessing. Who was he to withhold from her what he had found with the love of his life? If she and Justin could be half as happy as he and Hermione were, then he couldn't wish for anything more for them. Hermione sighed contentedly in his arms and he tightened his hold on her. His thoughts wandered to each child that slept under his roof this night and he felt truly blessed to have this wonderful and blessed life with them. He thought about the older wizard who had taken a chance on him so many years ago by giving the angel in his arms the means to not only save him, but to make him whole. He let the tears slide unhindered down his face and he thanked his lucky stars that Hermione had loved him enough to take a chance on him, the night she had saved him with the tears.

The end.

MMMMM

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my first story. I am working on a couple of other stories that I will post soon. A big THANK YOU to everyone who commented on the story and gave me suggestions to make it even better; you guys are the best!