Wow... I'm so sorry it took so long to update. I started my first year at the University of Idaho, and I've been so busy! I haven't even thought about this story, or even any of my others.

Without any delay, here's chapter 35!

Chapter 35

Sheeva stared at the mirror, still wondering how this one didn't reflect their images, yet the one in Hogwart's library did. As Kagure set a hand on her shoulder and shoved an envelope in her hand, she let the thought flitter from her mind.

She smiled at them, happy to be going home, finally. They'd spent all day yesterday trying to get the approval to go back, and when Sheeva mentioned that she'd suspected something was 'off' at home, they agreed to let her return with the promise of immediate correspondence. She wasn't sure when they would get her letter, but she swore to reply as soon as she'd settled in.

With a new found confidence, she was looking at the possibility of a Human-Kadessian alliance in higher hopes. They would be extremely busy for the next few months.

"We need to figure out a way to communicate instantly." Kagure pointed out, already drafting out ideas in his head. He wondered if they would somehow be able to create a funnel-call system. Would there even be tubes long enough for that?

"Let's focus on that later. I want to get home. I've already missed Draco's birthday." Sheeva dismissed the matter, not concerned for anything else. Joseph nodded in agreement, as he was eager to get back and say hello to his friends.

She formed her seals and shot the ball of energy at the mirror, and it opened up the portal. Eagerly, she jumped through it.

The musty, old-book smell of the library welcomed her as she fell through the mirror, and when she opened the door, she was slightly surprised to see that it was daylight. Joseph stepped out of the room behind her, and locked it shut.

Sheeva took a moment to meander through the library, while Joseph headed straight to the front desk to get the wards replaced. Sheeva found a quiet, secluded area. Kathryn was reading a book here, though... she appeared as though she hadn't slept in days. Her insomnia must have been exceptionally horrible.

"Hello, Kathryn. How are you doing? You look...well, exhausted." Sheeva asked, trying to be cheerful. Kathryn looked up, a slightly terrified look on her face.

"Oh, hello, you're back." Kathryn greeted. She slowly shut the book and set it, intentionally upside down on the table in front of her. The actions did not go unnoticed, but Sheeva hid the fact anyway.

"I'm fine." She stated curtly. Sheeva arched an eyebrow, and looked at the book again.

"Dabbling in dark magic?" She asked. Kathryn blinked, and gave a forced smile.

"Just curious. You know me." She forced a laugh. Sheeva fought a hum, and looked at the book again. It was green, with a pretty brown trimming. She would have to find it later.

"For as talented as you are, please be careful. Many have lost their minds in search of knowledge." Sheeva gave a warning. Kathryn nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." She replied.

Sheeva smirked and walked away. The kid would be perfectly fine. She hurried down the steps to the dungeons, practically throwing open the door to their office, a bright and happy smile on her face. Draco had been sitting on the couch, grading papers, and Blaise had been helping Jeffrey with some arithmetic. All three of them had jumped, throwing papers about.

"AH! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Draco blurted, standing on his feet, and then grinning as he saw their wife.

"Mommy!" Jeffrey called out, hopping down out of the chair and running up to her. Sheeva stooped down and picked him up, hugging him tightly and swinging him from side to side.

"I'll go see Severus." Joseph stated in Kadessian, forgetting that he needed to speak English.

"He's in the dorms!" Blaise called out after Joseph as he left, only able to pick out his son's name among the gibberish.

Joseph nodded and made his way, muttering the password to the portrait and lightly knocking on the door before entering.

"Hey, Severus. I'm back." Joseph stated, stepping in and taking off his cowl, reaching up to hang it on the bed post of his bed.

Severus had been reading a book. He closed it, and quickly shoved it under his pillow the moment that Joseph's back was turned to him.

"Oh, hey, you're back!" Severus stated quickly, voice riddled with nerves. Joseph noticed, and turned to look at him. He looked around, searching for Kathryn's shoes. He wondered if perhaps he'd been intruding; it wouldn't have been the first time.

"Is Kathryn here?" He asked, smirking. Severus slowly shook his head.

"Um, no. I thought... thought she was in the library. You didn't see her?" He asked. Joseph shook his head.

"No, but I went back to seal room. Sheeva might have seen her, though." Joseph stated, taking off his boots and setting them at the edge of the bed.

"Shit, that's even worse..." Severus swore. He thought he'd said it low enough, but Joseph caught it. He looked up at Severus again. Severus was intentionally avoiding his gaze. Joseph arched an eyebrow.

"What did you do?" He asked. Severus shook his head.

"You better promise not to say a damn thing, got it?" Severus stated, standing and stretching. Joseph nodded slowly.

"I... will not. What did you do?" He asked. Severus took a deep breath, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Kathryn... is, uh, pregnant." Severus admitted. Joseph blinked, trying to find the word in his memory banks.

"What is that?" He asked, unable to recognize the word. Severus stared at him, a frustrated look on his face. He'd have to explain this, too? Damn it.

"Well, she's going to have a ki-uh, baby. I'm a dad. Or, well, going to be." He babbled. Joseph's mouth dropped in shock.

"When did this happen?" He questioned. Severus looked down at the floor in shame and embarrassment. They didn't have any clue how far exactly along she was. They'd kept it a secret from everyone, and didn't really know what to do.

The door opened, and they turned. Kathryn stepped in, looking frightful. Severus walked up to her and scooped her into a hug.

"I just saw your mother in the library." She stated, voice small. She was riddled with nerves.

"Yeah, I know. Joseph just told me." He replied, patting her back. He found that he was shaking too. She pulled her head away from his chest to look at Joseph.

"Hi, Joseph." She muttered. Joseph nodded.

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?" He asked. Severus and Kathryn glanced at each other, and nodded slowly.

"Please. Sorry, we just… We need to prepare. Don't tell Mom or Dads." Severus answered. Joseph nodded, and stepped out of the room. He looked up at the ceiling, and sighed. He couldn't help but feel somewhat sorry for them. He knew that if he were in their shoes, he'd be kicking himself.

He looked over on the couch, and saw a familiar blonde-haired braid. He smiled, and walked around to face her.

"Hello, Amanda. Are you well?" He asked. She looked up, shocked. She stood, bounded to him, and threw her arms around him in a gracious hug. He gave a surprised yelp.

"You're back! I'm so glad to see you! I was worried!" She barked. He arched an eyebrow.

"You worried for me? You did not need to. I was not in danger." He explained. She placed a kiss on his cheek, and he paused, then smiled at her.

"Thank you. It feels… good to know you miss me." He stated, unsure of what to say.

She giggled and sat back down, patting the seat next to her.

"Where did you go? What did you do? Tell me!" She stated. He nodded, and sat down, shrugging off the top part of his cowl; her sudden kiss had made him heat up.

"I went home. I had errands to run. Sheeva and I were returning dead team's…" He searched for a word close to precious, but couldn't think of one in English. "items." He finished. The smile faded from her face.

"Dead team's items? Oh. That must have been hard to do." She replied. It made her sad just to think of it. Joseph slowly nodded. Of course it had been. He'd tried to reconcile with Donna before they left, as Sheeva had commanded him to do, but she'd only turned him away. Perhaps, she wasn't ready for it, Sheeva had consoled him.

Amanda took his hand in hers, and squeezed it lightly.

"I'm sorry." She stated. He looked at her.

"What for? You did not do wrong."

"I can't imagine having to relay the news of someone's death." She stated. Joseph fought the urge to shrug.

"It is… part of the world I grew up in." He explained. She sat back, suddenly brought to light. She'd thought before that his saying that he wasn't human was due to a language barrier. She mentally smacked herself as she realized that he really wasn't human.

"I can't believe I'm just now realizing this. You're really not human?" She asked. Without looking at her, Joseph slowly nodded.

"Do you not like me now?" He asked, slightly worried. She had, after all, given him her first kiss. From what he figured, it was an equivalent to humans losing their virginity to one another.

"I like you just fine. You're you, aren't you?" She responded, giggling. He smiled, somewhat relieved. He wasn't sure what his feelings for this girl was, but he still didn't want to make her turn away from him either way.

She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when the door to Severus's room opened. They both stepped out, worried looks on their faces.

"Hey, Joseph. We're gonna go talk to Mom. Will you come with us?" Severus asked. Joseph nodded slowly. He stood to leave, and then looked back at Amanda.

"I be back soon." He said, giving her a soft smile. She nodded and went back to her studies, though curious as to why Severus and Kathryn were acting so strange.

Joseph led the way as they walked up the winding staircase. Severus and Kathryn held each other's hands tightly, though their hands still felt cold and clammy. Reaching the doorway to his parent's office, his hand lingered on the handle.

"Let me." Joseph offered, knocking a few times. They heard permission from inside, and he grasped the handle and turned it quickly. He opened the door and stepped in, holding it for them. They shuffled in, glancing at the adults momentarily before shifting their gaze to the floor. Their hands never left the other's.

"Well, hello. What bring you two here?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"We have… something to tell you." Kathryn stated, still unable to look them in the eye. Sheeva arched an eyebrow, and sat down in the chair. She held out her hand to the couch, motioning for them to sit. Draco and Blaise sat down in the spare seats, waiting.

Joseph went to their kitchen and filled the kettle on the stove. He already knew; he didn't need to stay for the confession. He set up a tray with five cups and a cup of sugar cubes and a tiny pitcher of cream, and waited, watching the pot intensely.

"Um… well, first, what would you think if… If after we graduated, we… got married?" Kathryn stated, turning beet red. Severus looked at her, shocked. That wasn't how he thought they'd confess. He nodded to himself as he thought perhaps this would be the best way to start.

Draco raised an eyebrow, and Blaise smiled. Sheeva gave them a heartwarming smile as well, and she nodded slowly.

"Of course. You are practically already family, so why do you need to ask?" She replied cheerfully. The three adults chuckled and sat back, relieved. All this tension, just for permission to marry? How silly.

"Oh, good. Even if you had said 'no', we still would have done it anyway." Kathryn blurted. Blaise smirked, and Draco squinted his eyes at them. Sheeva crossed her arms, getting the feeling that they'd come here for more than just this.

"Does this have anything to do with the book you were reading in the library?" She asked. Slowly, Kathryn nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. Um… I'm, uh… pregnant." She stated, mumbling over her words. The room silenced, and Severus flinched, staring down at his knees. He could feel their stern gaze on him. He took a breath, and forced himself to look his mother in the eye.

"Mom?" He asked, confused. Kathryn shot her head up, too.

Sheeva was beaming, tears welling in her eyes as she fought to keep them back. She grabbed a napkin off of the table, and dabbed at her eyes with it.

Confused, Severus looked at Blaise, who looked at his mother with pity. Severus didn't dare look at Draco. He and Kathryn had both agreed that he'd be the most furious. Severus stood and walked around the table, stooping down to give his mother a hug.

Blubbering, she hugged him back.

"You too, Kathryn, come here." She waved. Kathryn did as she was told, and squeaked as Sheeva pulled her into a tight hug. Kathryn rested on her heels as Sheeva let her go, and Sheeva held her hands.

"I am more than happy to welcome you into our family, Kathryn." Sheeva admitted, eyes puffy. Kathryn grinned, not sure of what to say.

Joseph had peered around the corner as he heard Sheeva's sobs, and relaxed as he saw they were tears of joy. Draco stood and walked into the kitchen, and Blaise caught Severus's eye and jerked his head toward the kitchen. Severus felt his gut tighten with fear.

"I'm going to talk to Dads." He stated. Sheeva nodded and smiled at him, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"Do not worry about your fathers, dear. I am sure they are happy too." She stated. Severus cleared his throat and nodded, though he doubted so, by the way that Draco had rushed into the kitchen. Severus followed Blaise, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Joseph ducked out of the kitchen as Severus and Blaise entered, muttering something about needing some rest. He bolted out of their office, muttering a "goodnight, Captain" before rushing out of the door. Draco stood with his back to Severus, arms crossed. Severus could tell he wasn't pleased, but he forced himself to stand there anyway.

"Draco, come on. You're scaring him." Blaise whispered in his father's ear. Severus watched as Draco's shoulders slouched, and his gut wrenched as he imagined the possibly disappointed look on his face. He cleared his throat again.

"Father, I…" He began, though he didn't even have a statement for himself. Draco sighed, and turned around, uncrossing his arms, and then crossing them again. He was unsure of what to do with them.

As he looked at Severus, he took a deep breath, ashamed of himself. Here he was, about to scold Severus for something that was only natural. Something that was simply a part of life. As he saw the tears welling in his son's eyes, he grimaced, as it hit home.

He stepped forward and embraced him, holding his head against his chest and ruffling his hair. He kissed the top of Severus's head, and rested his head on Severus's.

"I'm not going to disown you. You're still my son. You'll always be my son. I just… I'm just a little shocked, is all. I wasn't expecting to be a-a grandfather so soon." He stated. Severus began to sob, gripping the fabric of Draco's shirt tightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! We-we thought we were safe. We were safe. Every time, we—

-It's ok. Shh, it's ok. There's nothing to be sorry about." Draco whispered, consoling him. Blaise hugged the both of them, and Severus took hold of Blaise's shirt, as well.

"I must admit, I am surprised the spell failed. Perhaps one of you said it wrong? I'm sure it's possible, kinda hard to say something clearly when you've only got one thing on your mind." Draco stated, trying to make the situation a little lighter. Severus let out a strained laugh, and shook his head.

"I don't know. Maybe." He said, still unable to look them in the eye.

Draco sighed. When did you become such a scaredy-cat?

"Severus, look at me." He stated. Severus snapped his eyes to meet his father's, astonished.

"I don't know… well, ok, I do know…" He shook his head. "I know I have a short temper sometimes, and I know I fly off the handle, but I'm never going to hit you, or do anything like that. I promise, I'll still help you. Sheeva will be able to help Kathryn. Blaise and I can help you. Sheeva can help your sister, too, if she ever finds a—

-actually, I think—

-don't interrupt me when I'm scolding you." Draco stated, giving the smirk he usually gave to compliment a joke. Severus chuckled and shook his head.

"Just take it easy. We'll help you figure everything out. Besides, you two are more than capable, I think. It was only a matter of time, I suppose." Draco mused. Severus gave Draco another hug, and then turned to walk back into the living room.

"Hey, Severus!" He called out to him. Severus stopped and turned around.

"Yeah, Dad?"

Draco gave his joker's smirk.

"Don't cry so much. Your eyes will dry out and pop out of your head." He exaggerated. Severus rolled his eyes and kept walking.

Blaise sighed in relief, glad that the hard part was over.

"You handled that well." Blaise commentated, kissing Draco's forehead. Draco chuckled, and blushed.

"For a first timer, I guess so." He murmured. He hugged Blaise around the middle, and rested his head against his chest. He lifted his head at the teapot, steaming and ready to go.

"Oh, I see." He muttered aloud. He broke away and carried it out into the living room, and set it down on the table.

"Seems Joseph was trying to help." He stated, motioning towards the pot. Sheeva smiled.

Kathryn reached for a cup, but Sheeva stopped her.

"How much tea do you drink in a day, Kathryn?" She asked. Kathryn paused.

"I used to drink… a lot. I've cut it down, though, since I found out." She admitted.

"Good. You've done your homework. Have you been sleeping well?" Sheeva questioned. Kathryn shrugged.

"A little better, but that might just be due to other things that have been resolved." She replied. Sheeva allowed her to take the cup, and Kathryn sipped it, trying to make it last. She knew she wouldn't be able to have another until tomorrow.

"Do you know how far along you are?" Blaise asked. Severus shook his head.

"We… didn't know what to do. We are still reading about it." He admitted. Kathryn nodded sheepishly to back him up.

Sheeva nodded.

"Well, you are not alone anymore. I will take you to see a doctor tomorrow." She decided. Kathryn gave a nervous smile.

"Tomorrow is Wednesday. I have class." She protested. Sheeva chuckled.

"You can survive a day out of class, Kathryn. You're probably way ahead of everyone, anyway." Draco reassured. Kathryn pouted and crossed her arms.

"Ok… but if I miss anything—

-I'll take notes for you." Severus offered. She smiled, thankful for the offer.

She fought a yawn, but failed as her mouth opened in a wide, noticeable yawn. Severus stood, offering his hand for her to take.

"We should go to bed." He suggested. Slowly, she nodded.

"In your separate dorms." Draco called after them as they headed out the door. Severus waved his hand to show that he'd heard, but hid his rebellious smirk.

They watched them walk away.

"You know he's not going to listen to you about that, right?" Blaise stated. Draco sighed, and nodded his head. Blaise was right.

"Yeah, well… well…" He couldn't come up with a retort. Sheeva laughed, and took his hand and kissed his cheek.

"You were that age once, too… speaking of… happy belated birthday, Draco." She wished, shutting the door and locking it. Sheeva wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I missed you, too, my dear." She whispered, voice thick and sultry. She pushed him backwards lightly, taking his hand and heading towards their bedroom. Blaise snickered and rolled his eyes, sitting down on the couch and reaching for the papers he still needed to grade and the cup of tea he'd been sipping from.

"Have fun, hon." He stated nonchalantly to the both of them. Draco sneered and hugged Blaise from behind the couch and nibbled on his ear. He trailed his hand down Blaise's chest, tugging teasingly at the belt buckle of his pants.

"What do you mean? You're coming too, aren't you? It wouldn't be the same without you." He purred, kissing Blaise's neck lightly. Blaise fought to ignore him and sipped his tea, despite the raging boner he had forming between his legs.

"It's your belated birthday present, Draco. I already gave you mine." He muttered, distracting himself with the horrifying thought of the bad grammar in his student's papers.

"Blaise Zabini, you will join us, understood? Otherwise, no sex for you. I would say two months will do." Sheeva commanded, a wide smirk on her face as she began to unbutton her blouse, revealing a black, sexy-as-hell bra.

"Yes, ma'am." He stated, setting his tea down and tossing the papers aside, unbuttoning his shirt as he hurried down the hall to catch up with them.

I hope my readers aren't entirely off-put by a love triangle idea... then again, you've been reading it for this long. Guess you wouldn't mind after all.