AN: Okay… so Father Mine was not the story I planned on updating next , but as you all were so shook by the Cliffhager, I decided to put you out of your misery early. - Love Ems x
oOo
" Hermione, I would like to officially adopt Rose and Scorpius and perhaps you would consider adopting Scorpius too. We can be a real family together Hermione, what do you say?"
His smile was boyish and hopeful and she cupped his face with her hand gently, tears burning in her eyes.
"I love you Severus... but No."
oOo
"N-no?" His face had fallen from energetic and elated to crushed and devastated quicker than she'd ever thought possible, she could already see him raising his occlumency shields to protect himself mentallly from the assumed heartbreak which was to come , so she was quick to reassure him.
"Remember what we discussed Severus? What my therapist told me? Give yourself 10 seconds before you react, and in the meantime allow me the chance to at least explain?"
She'd shared with Severus that she had seen a squib therapist a few times to help deal with some long standing issues she had over the war and her chaotic childhood in general. Hermione was no stranger to fits of anger, and one of the best pieces of advice she'd been given was to count to 10 before reacting to something, if she felt she was about to lose her temper or possibly overreact to the situation. It had proven invaluable working in the ministry, and raising a young child to boot and when she'd shared it with Severus over tea once, he'd agreed it was a useful mental tool to have, as he like Hermione was prone to reacting with anger, but was equally prone to locking himself away behind his occlumency barriers which had in the past lead him to making some questionable remarks or decisions which he likely wouldn't have done, if he'd had full access to his emotions at the time.
So it was with some relief, she saw him nod tightly and breathe deeply, knowing he was dropping the hastily erected barriers and internally counting to prevent an off the cuff reaction, and give her the necessary time to explain herself further.
Sighing deeply and smiling gently, she stroked his face to affirm her affection for him, enjoying the rough feel of the evening stubble on his cheek as she began to explain.
"It's not because I don't love you, and it's not because I don't think you'd be an amazing father which I know you will be. And I am not saying No forever, just no for right now. It's for Scorpius and Rose's sake"
Looking into his eyes she could see both relief and confusion, but he remained silent and attentive so she carried on her explanation.
"You're Scorpius's Godfather, he's already your ward. Rose loves you, she already calls you Daddy, You made her your heir and put her under your protection and Merlin knows you have been and you continue to be the best father she's ever known."
"I love Rose" Severus Interjected , as though Hermione was disputing the fact, but she nodded indulgently regardless.
"I know you do, and she loves you...but Severus, you're not the only one who loves her. Think for a moment."
He did , and after a few moments she saw his eyes widen in comprehension.
"Scorpius" He spoke and Hermione nodded with a sad smile "Scorpius" she echoed.
"I know they're only children, but Scorpius has been besotted with her since the moment he saw her." Hermione explained gently. "I love Scorpius, he's a darling and I will be happy to raise him with you as our ward, as your Godson. But in your scenario, if you adopt both Rose and Scorpius, and I also adopt Scorpius... then for all wants and purposes they will legally be step siblings in the eyes of the law. Even though they aren't related by blood at all, if we raised them as step siblings, if we were both named as both of their legal parents, they would never be able to pursue a relationship as the stigma would follow them forever and they'd never be able to be more than just siblings. I don't want to take away their opportunity to be happy. When they are old enough, I want them to have that choice, you understand?"
He nodded solemnly, "So where does that leave us?" His question was calm, though a little sad and she understood how torn he was.
"May I speak freely Severus?" He nodded in assent.
" My honest opinion? Wait until they're old enough to fully understand, maybe 10, 13? If he wishes for it, I'll be glad to adopt him. But Scorpius is already your Godson and your ward. I will not tell you what to do, but he had a father who loved him in his own way, perhaps he might not want to lose that part of himself. Draco worked so hard for his family name to be cleared for Scorpius, it would be like throwing away all his hard work if Scorpius was not raised as a Malfoy. I know he can love you equally, without you needing to be his father on a piece of parchment. Lucius and especially Narcissa might take offence also if you adopt him or change his name."
With a heavy sigh Severus sat on the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands.
"You are right of course. My head is allover the place, I hadn't thought it through beyond wanting us to be a family. I concur, to take Scorpius's name now would be a slight upon Draco and insult his memory. I don't know what I was thinking."
Carefully she placed herself into his lap, and he held her close as she situated herself and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaving a tender kiss upon his forehead.
"You were thinking with your heart, Severus Snape. You were thinking of how much love you have for the family you've gained, and you were momentarily blinded by that love. I hope I didn't overstep myself by speaking so plainly."
"Never" He answered her with a tender kiss. "You keep me grounded witch, don't ever be afraid to speak your mind around me."
They shared a tender kiss that went on for longer than either of them had planned, until they were both almost breathless with it.
"And what of Rose?" Severus asked gently, almost hesitantly. As though he was unsure he had the right to do so.
"What of Rose ?" Hermione asked and Severus dropped his gaze from hers, though didn't relinquish his hold on her.
"May I too, speak freely?" He'd asked her with caution and she'd answered with another tender kiss, before responding. "Of course".
" I see now that I was thinking prematurely in regards to Scorpius. But Rose… Rose is not my Goddaughter, nor my ward"
"She is not" Hermoine confirmed softly.
"She has a father, though I use the term loosely. Sperm donor might be perhaps more accurate.-" Hermoine snorted, then chuckled at the malice in his tone. " - But I love her Hermione, I love her so much. When she...when she first called my Daddy… when I held the both of you in my arms, It was as though in that moment everything in the world finally felt right for me. As though my whole life had been out of sync until that very moment when everything was finally as it should be, as though the universe had aligned itself. When I have paid due court to you, when...if...you accept my bond, I would sincerely hope you would allow me to adopt Rose, I already consider her my own, but with her, I find myself wanting that piece of parchment you spoke of."
Tears brimmed her eyes and coursed down her cheeks as she pressed a gentle kiss to his brow.
Fearing it was the precursor to a gentle rejection, he blurted out "I would never keep her away from her extended family, Arthur, George...they would always be welcome and always be family, but Hermoine… I want to… I need to make her mine, just as much as I need to make you mine. Do you understand? Would you allow it? Would you give me your blessing?"
There was a pleading to his tone she'd rarely heard, and once more he looked at her with such hopefulness, she was certain that in this question alone he'd given her the key to his own destruction. A part of her just knew that if she rejected him now, she'd destroy him.
So it was a good thing that the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
"Rose would be honored to have you, Severus. We both would"
"You mean?" The heopfullness and happiness in his voice was contagious.
"Yes Severus, I accept. I am unsure of the proper way to do this, but you have courted me, and you've won me and my heart. And Rose would be blessed to have you as a father""
"Yes?" The smile that lit his face made him look so young and carefree, it was as though he'd lost a decade in the space of mere moments and she couldn't help but return it .
"Yes, wonderful man, of course it's yes, It was never going to be anything else"
He scrambled over to his bedside drawer in a most undignified manner that belayed his excitement, and she couldn't help but chuckle, giddy and elated when he returned with the diamond ring and a smile, when she accepted the engagement ring he pounced on her then, pulled her into his arms and kissed her until the lack of oxygen became a real issue.
She was just starting to feel the heat coil in her belly when he broke the kiss and pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Forgive me, I love you witch and I want you, make no mistake. But in light of the past couple of days events it does not feel right to do this right now, can we put a pin in this and resume this intimacy later?"
The smile she had turned sad but she kissed his lips, then his nose, then his forehead.
"Of course Severus. Whatever you need.I love you"
Settling into his chest, she wrapped her arms around him and likewise, he tightened his grasp on her, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.
"I love you witch, endlessly"
oOo
There was much to consider, and much to plan for the future. Spinner's end as it stood, had been fine for Severus as a Bachelor, and with a bit of moving round had just been accommodating enough for Hermione and Rose, but with the addition of Scorpius who was currently sharing with Rose but sooner rather than later would be needing his own room, and the fact that Hermoine was now officially his Fiance, it was high time they sat down and made plans for their future. For his part, Severus had intended on starting as he meant to go on, and that meant laying out his assets and finances bare to Hermione, so they could plan their future together.
Hermoine had at first insisted he was entitled to his privacy about his financial situation, but when seeing he was immovable on the subject, she'd decided that she too would lay everything out so she could contribute to their joint future. Severus was wise enough not to argue with her, not after a warning glare from the diminutive witch had stopped him in his tracks when he'd been about to insist that as the man in the relationship, he would of course shoulder all the expenses, he'd seen the warning in those amber eyes and quickly made space on the table for her things.
"I'm afraid I can't contribute as much as I'd like" She said sadly. "The insurance on the House only paid out 40% of the value of the contents and building, and that's only because the Goblins like me. As Ronald was the one to burn it down, we could've easily gotten nothing"
She laid out a few more books and pieces of paper. "I still own outright the land the house was built on, which is a wizarding property. I have the money from my parents practice and what was left from the house sale minus the mortgage in a muggle bank, so if we didn't sell the land that my house was on, altogether I'm at around £90,000 in the bank , and 2,000 Galleons* in Gringotts"
Severus nodded and laid out a few parchments for her to look at.
"My estate now that I have claimed the Prince title comes to considerably more." She knew he wasn't being boastful, just honest and straightforward so she took the offered parchments from him without hesitation.
"I have a legacy seat on the Wizengamot, along with a seat on the Hogwarts board of directors if I choose to utilise them. Upon my death, both of these will pass to Rose, as Scorpius will hold the Malfoy seat. The majority of my assets though are locked up in property, rather than ready cash. There's an estate not far from the Malfoy's though I have no intention of living there, the thing is full of that much dark magic it makes the Chamber of Secrets look like a theme park. Though I now have access to it, I haven't had a chance to examine the Prince Vault at Gringotts yet, and the last inventory was taken well before my birth. The goblins won't access it without me, however in the last inventory there were approximately 400,000 Galleons along with numerous artefacts. That could however be significantly lower or higher as there's not been an inventory in over 25 years since my Grandafather died, however the Goblins have suggested the amount of Galleons should is definetly over the 100,000 mark, as they have certain wards that trigger depending on how much value there is in a vault. At the moment the vault wards would suggest there's anything between 100,000 - 700,000 in the vault, though that is a total value and may be surmised of a number of artefacts also, rather than just Galleons, so again it may be a case of having to sell a number of items."
She sucked in a breath at that. Though didn't say anything, Severus Snape had just casually told her he was a millionaire, in the same level tone that he asked her how many sugars she wanted in her tea. Severus continued on, none the wiser to her inner turmoil.
"I have my own personal vault at Gringotts of course, and a muggle bank account. Spinner's End is owned outright and I have around 6000 galleons in my personal vault, and about £150,000 in the muggle bank."
She was quiet for a moment, before speaking softly. "Perhaps we should look into a prenuptial agreement, for peace of mind"
Looking at her askance, he arched an eyebrow in incredulity. "Whatever for?"
Wide eyed she gestured to the numerous parchments laid out in front of them.
"Severus, if we didn't agree to a prenup, if anything were to ever happen… if things went sour and we broke our bond... I would be entitled to about half of your estate"
His eyebrow raised further "...And?" he asked, as though she was being particularly dense.
"And...don't you want to prevent that? This is your money, a significant amount of money, your inheritance."
Waving her off as though they were simply discussing who would pay the bill at the cafe, Severus continued on.
"Rose is already my heir, besides if it ever came to pass that you wished to separate from me, I daresay half my estate is the very least the you would deserve for putting up with whatever shite I had caused you to warrant such a separation"
And just like that he'd moved on, as though the fact that she could quite easily walk away in a divorce with anything upwards of three quarters of a million, was something inconsequential.
Still, the trust that he held in her warmed her nonetheless and she found herself pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek when he leaned in close, which always made him blush and smile.
oOo
Numerous sheets of parchment, and numerous cups of tea later, along with a few breaks to see to the children's needs, saw them more or less finished.
"So, we're in agreement?" He asked her and she nodded.
They ran through the checklist they had compiled over the past hour.
"We keep the land that my house was on, but we sell the Prince Manor and liquidate the assets into Galleons, once we've had a chance to check the house for any books or artefacts we'd rather keep."
Severus conceded the point , and they both signed the parchment.
"We will combine our Galleons and our personal vaults in Gringotts, but retain our individual Muggle bank accounts"
They both signed the parchment once more.
"We examine the Prince Vaults, and use some of the readily accessible galleons to make repairs and extensions to Spinner's end to make it suitable for the children, we donate a sizable chunk to good causes for reparations of the Prince's bigotted views, including to the Malfoy-Weasley orphanage and we liquidate any artefacts into Galleons and beyond that we reassess the finances once we know the true cash value of the vault"
They both signed it once more, adding a signature from their wands at the end.
"It's not a legal document, but it's formal enough for the Goblins, we need to set up a meeting with them to put it all in motion" Severus spoke and then pulled Hermione into a hug after she stood up with a stretch that cracked a number of her vertebrae.
"We're really doing this aren't we?" He whispered into her hair, "We're planning our future, our family's future"
"We really are." She kissed him back softly. "You're sure you have no regrets?"
Looking over her shoulder at the children playing together in the living room, he smiled into her hair.
"None whatsoever"
For anyone that's interested in the math.
*according to JK Rowling , 1 Galleon = £5, so 2,000 galleons equates to £10,000 or $14,000 for the americans out there.
So Hermione in total has around £100,000 / $140,000 dollars, plus the land her house was on.
Severus has between £500,000 - £3,500,000 in the Prince Vault , and £180,000 in his personal vaults.
So his total worth is around £680,000 - £3,680,000 or for the americans $960,000 - $5,190,000 plus he owns both the Prince Manor and Spinner's end.