Chapter 37

The wand-lightning charm disrupted the Snapes's sleep. Skyrah groaned. It had taken her hours to fall asleep, and now Harry had to come and wake her up. No. The boy wasn't to blame. He was shivering, a sign he had just had a nightmare. It was her father's fault. Severus removed his protective hand from her voluminous body and helped her sit up.

"N-Nagini. Another woman. The fourth mu-muggle this week… I hate these nightmares. They remind me of the time Mister Weasley almost died."

Skyrah reached out for his hand. Her familiar touch was everything Harry needed to stop shaking.

"Sweetheart, we can't do anything for those muggles. Only Saint Mungo's has the solution, and most times, it is too slow or not effective enough. Mister Weasley lives thanks to you."

Harry gulped and lowered his head, his gaze fixed on their tangled fingers.

"Can't you find an antidote, a potion against the venom that works faster and better than the solution from Saint Mungo's?" he asked, looking meaningfully at Severus.

"Perhaps. I will research."

His promise relaxed Harry like a calming draught.

The morning sunlight came through the windows while the Snapes lounged on the couch. Big smiles decorated their faces as Harry and Dione felt the baby move.

"He'll be a great beater," said the boy. "I'd love to have him on my team."

Severus was about to retort that if his son ever played quidditch, it wouldn't be on the Gryffindor team, but the contagious laughter of the sisters stalled him, and a half-snorting half-chortle sound escaped him instead.

"Merlin! Who would have known you had a flair for sports?" asked Skyrah, looking at Severus.

He cocked an eyebrow. "May I ask why you have drawn this conclusion?"

"I'm as good at sports as I am at cooking... Our son must have inherited the sporty leanings from you."

Severus repressed a smile at the mental image of a teen Skyrah attempting at playing quidditch and failing miserably.

"Although I used to play football before studying at Hogwarts, I wouldn't say I have a flair for sports."

"What's football?" wondered Dione.

"A muggle sport," said Harry, squinting at the man. "Why would you play football? I thought you were a pure-blood."

Severus blamed Lucius on that one. When he was a lanky teenager, Lucius taught him how to camouflage himself in order to go about unnoticed among the elitist crowd, a tremendously beneficial knack back when he aspired to serve the Dark Lord and become someone respected. Some of the pure-blood manners had stuck with him. The fact he was Head of Slytherin House had probably been the last straw to convince Harry he was a pure-blood, even though he abhorred the association.

"My father was a muggle. I was naïve enough to believe he would stop-" he paused, aware that Dione didn't know about his abuse. "Behaving a certain way if I showed him I was good at something he worshiped."

Dione could only guess the depth of his words. Nonetheless, Harry knew exactly what he was referring to. Abuse hit close to home.

"It didn't work, did it?"

No, of course it didn't, if Severus's lack of answer was of any indication.

The environment was growing too dark to his liking, so Harry pulled a smug grin and jested, "Well, I still can't imagine you playing football, so my guess is that he takes his sporty side after me."

Severus smirked. "Let's hope you don't pass him your mediocre potion-making skills and habit to get into trouble too. What an abomination it would be if my son prowled Hogwarts under the invisibility cloak instead of studying."

A knock interrupted Harry's chuckle. They weren't expecting visitors, and every time they had been in a similar situation, the same pure-blood family had stood behind the door.

"I swear, if they're the Malfoys again, I'll kick their arses," Harry growled while Severus went to see the intruder.

"Harry!" gasped Skyrah, wide-eyed.

"I put up with Malfoy during the school year. I only ask to spend the summer without any unwanted presences."

Skyrah shook her head in disapproval, but there was the ghost of a smirk on her lips, enough to make Harry understand that she wished they would leave them alone too.

"You say you have to put up with him as if he was Umbridge. He isn't that bad," Dione muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, what?" choked Harry.

Dione blushed and averted his round eyes. "Nothing."

Skyrah sighed. She had figured her sister would forget about Draco now that they weren't at school. How wrong she had been.

Before Harry could question Dione, Severus stormed into the living room, gnashing his teeth and looking meaningfully at Skyrah.

"It's Madam Pince."

Her jaw dropped.

"Madam Pince?" asked Harry, crinkling his nose. "Why would she come here? Does she want a potion?"

"Madam Pince hates me. She's always asking me to shut up."

"She's a librarian, Dione. It's her job," justified Skyrah, rolling her eyes.

Dione snorted. "Well, she's a librarian who likes sneering at me while she works."

"At you and at students in general," agreed on Harry. "She doesn't only look like a vulture… She acts like one."

"That's enough, you two!" cried out Skyrah, suppressing the urge to hit the arm of the sofa. "I taught you to be respectful!"

They dropped their gazes as the knocks became more adamant.

"Should we hide at Hogwarts or stay in your bedroom?" inquired Harry.

Skyrah looked at Severus. His mother, his decision.

"Stay."

Harry and Dione made to go upstairs, but Severus shocked them all by growling, "I meant here, in the living room."

"What? Why?" asked Harry.

"Because the vulture has probably come not to ask for a bloody potion but to see her family, and that includes you two."

"Family?" wondered Dione, narrowing her eyes.

"She's my mother."

The short yet potent answer petrified Dione. Harry was too busy assimilating Severus had just called him his family. Had that slipped or been intentional? Either way, he was so shocked he couldn't move or even grin, his heart hammering loudly.

Skyrah smiled proudly while Severus threw the door open. Considering he had gone to great lengths to keep the secret from her, the fact he had uncovered it to them was a pleasant surprise. His tone hadn't been as poisonous as usual when he called her mother either. Perhaps Severus would give his mother a chance.

"At last," Eileen snarled. "It's nice to see how wanted I am here."

"If you came to make snarky remarks, you can get out of my sight this very instant."

She cringed, no sign of her usual scowl. "S-sorry. I really wanted to see you… and Skyrah. Please."

Sorry.

How many times had she uttered that word to Tobias when he didn't even deserve it? And now she was saying it to him. His eyes shut in pain, but only for a second.

"You invited yourself over without a warning," he reproached.

She blushed. "I was afraid you would ignore me again, like last year, when I sent you that letter."

She almost added that she was still waiting for his reply but wisely refrained from it. She wasn't one to hold grudges anyway. If she was, she would have left Tobias the first time he laid a hand on her.

"I figured that if I came here, at least, I would see you."

Severus stared hard at her eyes, the same eyes that he had, a gene Skyrah wanted their son to carry. Looking for deceit in them, he found frankness. A step aside and a tilt of his head and she came in before he changed his mind.

"Thank you."

Severus gave her a solemn nod and shut the door after her. He hadn't swung about yet when he heard her squeak, "What the… Mister Potter? Miss Fawley?"

"Er… Hi, I guess?" started Harry, rubbing his neck gawkily.

Dione played with a curl of hers and greeted her as well.

Eileen looked at Severus, searching for answers, but she only elicited three words from him: take a seat. Obediently, she slumped in the armchair Tobias used to sit in, only it wasn't the same armchair. In fact, nothing in the living room was like she remembered. Not even the smell. The odor of beer had been replaced by the pleasant scent of flowers that came from the garden, tainted with a mite of potion ingredients.

Even though her heart sank at the thought, she understood why Severus had changed the decoration. The few, second-handed pieces of furniture they had back when he was a child evoked too many bad memories. Now everything was new. If she hadn't known better, she would have never said this used to be her living room, much less when she spotted two transfigured doors.

She scanned the library. The half-open door was enough for her to gather Severus had taken the time to swamp it with hundreds of books she couldn't afford back then. She used to read and reread the few books she had stolen from the Prince family in there, but she mostly recalled it as the place where she cried when Severus was at school and Tobias was too drunk to hear her.

A pile of books on a desk nearby caught her attention. Severus wasn't so untidy. It had to be Skyrah's doing. She almost grinned. Books had been her salvation, and she was glad that both Severus and Skyrah shared her passion for reading.

Eileen broke the long silence before Dione and Harry died of awkwardness.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?"

"Harry is getting lessons on advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts. He is staying over under Albus's orders," said Severus, who had sat down next to Skyrah.

At the mention of Albus, Eileen asked nothing else about the boy's stay, just like he had intuited. Nobody ever questioned the headmaster.

"What's your excuse, Miss Fawley?" Eileen inquired, lifting an eyebrow the same way Severus did.

"Er… You see… I… Ugh…"

Knowing full well that Eileen would find out sooner or later, Skyrah blurted out, "She's my sister."

Eileen would have made a choking sound had it not been for the serious face her daughter-in-law pulled. Skyrah and Dione looked nothing alike. But then again, if she devoted assiduous attention, she could perceive the sisters had the same face and eyes shape, and similar smiles. Either, one resembled their mother and the other their father, or they only shared one parent.

As if reading her mind, Skyrah added, "Half-sister, actually. We require your total discretion on our kinship, as well as on Harry's and Dione's whereabouts."

Eileen nodded, still assimilating two students currently lived in the place she once called home, no matter how much it had changed.

"Good," said Severus. "Now that this is settled, could you tell us what the purpose of this unexpected visit is?"

She wrung her hands, thinking of an honest answer that wouldn't divulge she was Severus's mother; a particularly challenging task.

"They know," said Severus, as if reading her thoughts.

There was only one reason why Severus would uncover her identity to a couple of students: he was no longer ashamed of her. Her lips curled in a way that reminded Skyrah of the first smiles Severus ever gave her: timid yet genuine, rather crooked. A grin on her face was so atypical that it took Harry aback, whereas Dione stifled a titter. A few days ago, she learned that bats have a sense of humor. Today's discovery was that vultures are able to smile.

"I know you told me you might consider letting me be part of your son's life, and I don't wish to pressure you into accepting or rejecting me, but I truly wanted to see you and ask how the pregnancy is going."

"You saw us. The pregnancy is going well. Anything else?"

The teenagers exchanged looks and gulped. Severus didn't even pretend his relationship with his mother was anywhere near harmonious. Maybe that was why he never even mentioned her to them, to begin with.

Eileen scowled and rose from her seat. "I thought we could talk, but I see my presence is unwelcome here. I'll just go. Sorry for disturbing you."

Skyrah shot her husband an incriminatory glare, enough to make him understand he shouldn't let his mother go like that. Severus sighed. How his wife managed to convince him without even talking was beyond him.

"Your visit is unexpected. I never said it was… unwelcome."

Eileen intuited how hard it must have been for him to utter those words. Externalizing and dealing with emotions had never been her forte, and as the saying goes, like mother, like son. Genetics wasn't the only one to blame though. She knew she should have been with him when he most needed her, hugged him and made him feel valued. If only time-turners permitted traveling back years in time and rectifying mistakes... That remained an unreachable utopia. She could only fight for an improved present.

"Would you like some tea?" proposed Skyrah.

Upon seeing no rejection from her son's part, Eileen nodded.

Skyrah made to get up and brew some, but Severus grabbed her by her shoulders and offered to do it instead. She puffed.

"How many times do I have to tell you I am a pregnant woman, not an invalid?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that it is exactly because of the pregnancy that I am doing this?"

She had barely slept last night. She needed rest. Didn't she see it? Apparently not, if her jutting chin wasn't proof enough. He better calm down, or else he wouldn't only start an argument with her in front of Harry and Dione but in front of his own mother. Hardly appropriate, considering half of their quarrels concluded in angry sex.

"You will go into labor in less than three weeks. Rest and let me look after you two," he begged in a much softer voice, laying a hand on her belly.

At first, Skyrah thought that making tea was the perfect excuse he had found to get away from his mother, but she distinguished fear hidden beneath his black irises. No. Eileen had nothing to do with his impetus for getting some tea. He simply didn't want to lose his child. Skyrah was tempted to tell him that brewing tea wasn't dangerous at all, but she knew he would worry about her and their unborn son if he didn't do this for her. It was in his nature. And truth be told, her body ached. Staying cozy on the sofa didn't sound that bad.

"All right, you win... but only because his unceasing kicks are draining me."

A glimmer of a smile played across his lips. There. She had made him happy, everything she craved.

Even though Eileen's eyes were fixed on them, she wasn't truly watching them. Her mind was far off, recalling something. She snapped out of it when Severus entered the kitchen.

"Tobias didn't let me do anything when I was expecting either. It was unnerving, but I knew he did it because he loved me. Severus doesn't like to be compared to his father, but they are more alike than he would like to think."

Skyrah clenched her fists. How dare she compare them?

"Dione, Harry, could you give us some space, please?"

She was gnashing her teeth. Dione knew better than to contradict her when she was so furious.

Harry was more reckless though, for he whined, "But Severus said-"

"I. Don't. Care."

Her barks would have reduced first-years to tears. Harry and Dione didn't cry, but they did hurry upstairs.

"Severus isn't an abuser."

Icy voice. Ablaze eyes. A peculiar contrast that stunned Eileen.

"I never said he was."

"You said they are alike. I never met Tobias, but I do know he abused his family. Severus's only desire is to be worthy of his unborn son. That alone makes him the best father I could ever wish for my child. Severus and Tobias aren't alike."

"I wasn't referring to that. Tobias wasn't always an abuser either. He loved me. He loved Severus."

Skyrah snorted. "Well, Severus never got the impression his father cared for him, let alone love him. He has a thousand scars to prove it, and not all of them are on his skin. His deepest cicatrices are in his soul, mind and heart, and they open at unexpected times."

Eileen's hands grew clammy.

"I didn't mean to infuriate you nor offend you. Let me reformulate the phrase: Tobias loved Severus once, and they share certain similarities. Being an abuser isn't one of them. Tobias used to look after me during the pregnancy like Severus does for you. My son holds grudges for a long time, just like his father. He's also inherited his mulishness, his dislike for arrogant people, his explosive temper... I know he's been able to create spells from a very young age, something I never did. I am a coward, and Severus is anything but that. Invention and courage were traits my dead husband possessed."

"I don't see courage in beating people," countered Skyrah, a bitter taste invading her mouth.

"There isn't, but Tobias was the kind of man that would run into a burning building to save a life, even if it meant losing his own. That's how he died."

Skyrah's eyes widened.

"I see Severus hasn't filled you in with this detail, has he?"

No. He certainly hadn't. Eileen could tell by the fact Skyrah gulped.

"You say Tobias wasn't always abusive... Why did he change?"

Eileen bit her bottom lip.

"He was Catholic and viewed magic as something pagan, so I hid I was a witch from him. He found out when Severus had his first accidental magic episode. It was a bad timing since he had just lost his job. He didn't take it well. He began drinking and he... He never was the same man I fell in love with," she finished darkly.

"Why didn't you leave? Severus didn't deserve such a violent father. He didn't deserve neglect from your part."

Her tone wasn't accusing. Skyrah merely wanted to understand. Eileen looked at her eyes, so warm and inviting, no sign of the flames that had burnt in them earlier. Eileen wanted to tell her, perhaps because Skyrah had been the only one to be interested in what she had to say. It was the first time somebody listened to her.

"I got pregnant very young. My family disowned me and made it impossible for me to get a job in the wizarding world. Not like it mattered when Tobias didn't approve of them anyway... I got two muggle jobs, and they weren't well-paid, much less for being a woman. We scraped by, sometimes not even that. I gave my portions of food to Severus, and he was still hungry. He asked me to spend time with him or buy him clothes that weren't second-handed and oversized so that his classmates wouldn't pick on him."

Her voice began to quaver by then.

"Having two jobs meant Severus was left alone at home with Tobias. His job was very unstable. We never knew how many days he'd work a week. Most of his wage was burned on alcohol, but without the little sum of money he saved, we wouldn't have subsisted, and for a long time I convinced myself that that was the reason why I didn't leave him. I was kidding myself. I didn't leave him because he sometimes took my hand or looked at me the way he used to do when we met, and I thought that under the alcoholism and aggressive pose, his real persona laid, the Tobias who supported me and loved me when I was alone and scared."

Tears blurred her vision, but Eileen refused to let them flow. How very like her son, thought Skyrah.

"I loved him, despite everything he did to me and my son."

The image of Voldemort sprang to mind. He was probably the biggest bastard alive, and there was a part of Skyrah that loved him. A lump formed in her throat. If only Eileen knew how much she empathized...

"I know that isn't a valid excuse, not when he hurt my son. I should have left Tobias. I was a appalling mother. Still am. But I am trying to change. I only want my son to love me... He is the only one I have left, the only person I love in this world. I hope your son doesn't hate you in a few years. It's unbearable," she finished brokenly.

Skyrah didn't even want to consider the possibility that her son could ever hate her for her mistakes. It would break her.

The armchair was situated across the sofa, so she was able to reach for her hand. Eileen gasped but didn't pull away. She even lingered. It had been a long time since somebody had done something as simple as holding her hand.

"Have you ever told Severus that?"

"No."

"Then how do you expect him to forgive you or even accept you in his life?"

"I tried, but he doesn't listen to me... He doesn't even want to see me nor read the letters I send him."

Skyrah sighed. "He needed time to heal, but he may listen to you now."

"You think so?" she wondered, black eyes shining in hope.

Severus's shadow was visible on the floor near the corner that led to the kitchen. Skyrah smirked. He had been eavesdropping.

"I do. So far, he's been overhearing our conversation without making a fuss."

Eileen's eyes widened. Severus bet Skyrah had heard him cursing himself even though he hadn't voiced the swearword. He got out of his hideout and offered the beverages to both women, keeping one for him.

"I apologize for eavesdropping. That was uncalled for."

"I'm the one who owes you an apology, Son."

Severus averted her sorrowful eyes and sipped his tea, unsure of how to proceed. A tense air filled the room, cracked by the sips at their teas.

"You've worn this necklace almost all year... Are they crows?"

Skyrah nodded, relieved Eileen had broken the silence and changed the subject. They all needed that.

"It's a birthday gift from my husband," she said with a smile.

Eileen gave him a nostalgic grin.

"As a child, you used to say that crows weren't beautiful like the robins or colorful like the blue tits you often saw in the park, or like the energetic hummingbirds or the majestic eagles you read about in books; but crows are highly loyal and intelligent, and you loved that about them. You didn't care about their bad reputation. After a bad day in your muggle school, you told me some kids had made fun of your nose, but you shrugged it off and said that you weren't mad because you were like a crow: not the most handsome boy, but loyal and intelligent."

A warm feeling grew in Skyrah's chest. If Severus hadn't looked so flustered, she would have kissed his hooked nose to let him know just how fond of it she was.

"Are you going to take out an album and show her embarrassing pictures of a naked baby version of me as well?"

Skyrah chuckled and teased, "No need to be embarrassed about that. I've seen you naked before."

By then, not only were his cheeks red but also his ears and neck. He was desperately trying to mask his blush with his hair on his face. Skyrah put the locks behind his ears, his skin burning under her touch. One hand slid under the side of his jawbone, cupping his face and forcing him to meet her eyes.

"I don't believe crows are ugly. You are handsome to me. I am glad I heard that story. This even more meaningful now."

Unable to look at anything but her hand clasping the pendant, his shame cooled down.

Eileen, who had finished the tea, rose and thanked them for welcoming her home, ready to go when Severus's voice paralyzed her.

"Thank you for not telling Umbridge."

His gratitude was unexpected yet not unwelcome. Just like my visit here, she thought wryly.

"Any mother would have done that. It was about time I behaved like one."

They held each other's gaze for a moment. The conversation he had spied on replayed non-stop in his mind. Not only had the words got him, but also her droopy shoulders and her trembling voice. She regretted the past, and he related to that.

"Mother, I will let you know when Skyrah gives birth. I don't want to deprive my child of a family. I don't want my son to miss his grandmother."

Mother.

Not Irma.

Not Eileen.

Mother. Last time he had called her that, he had spat as if his tongue burned, full of malice. Now he hadn't meant to hurt her. He had dragged the word, unused to articulating it, but he had made the effort, and Eileen would work to turn this unfamiliar word into a common one for him. She held back a sob and nodded, taking his hand and thanking him in a thick voice. The gentlest of the squeezes on her hand, almost a ghost-like pressure, and she parted.

Severus turned around slowly, only to be face to face with his simpering wife.

"Severus Snape, you should be proud of yourself. Merlin knows I am!"

He lifted an eyebrow. "I merely told her she would meet our son. I didn't tell her she may visit us whenever she feels like it."

"One step at a time, Severus. Although I wonder, what persuaded you into giving her a chance?"

Severus swallowed hard and averted her gaze.

"I wish I could say I was tired of blaming her for not being a good mother while disregarding that I wasn't acting like a good son either, but I am not so noble. I imagined our son loathing me, and I couldn't stand it. I don't want to cause more pain to my mother. Changing isn't an easy path. I know it first-hand, and spite has brought me nothing but pain. It is time to move on."

He mumbled his response so low he doubted she had heard him, but she had, for she opened her arms and tried to hug him, but the baby bump made it impossible.

"I can't even give you proper hugs! I want to give birth already," she pouted.

Rich deep chuckles rang across the room.

"I like hugging you from behind and putting my hands on your belly," he whispered while spinning her around and holding her like he had just said. "I'll miss it once the baby is born."

"As I'm sure I'll miss the kicks, even if right now I just want our son to stop pretending he is playing quidditch, football, or whatever."

He smiled and caressed her belly. "I enjoy feeling him move."

And just like that, Skyrah didn't wish her son to ever stop kicking, leastwise not while Severus held her like that.

A comfortable silence followed, the kind that allowed their minds to daydream about the future with their child. Severus was picturing himself teaching his son how to stir a potion when Skyrah gasped.

"Corbin Alexander Snape."

"Excuse me?" he asked, turning her around to face her.

"Corbin Alexander Snape, our son's name. Hear me out before you give me a definitive no," she requested, putting her palms on his chest. "Corbin means crow. You've always had a connection with crows, and they've become the symbol of our bond, like our son. Alexander means defending men. If we join them, we get-"

"The crow that defends men," he finished for her.

"Exactly! My father wants to use our son as a tool against mankind. What he doesn't know is that he will be born out of love, unlike him, and that we will not raise him to terrify men, but to protect them. He will protect them like your uncle protected you. He will be the crow that defends men."

A lopsided grin spread across his face as he kneeled and put his palms on her womb.

"Have you heard that, little snarky Potions Master? What do you say? Do you approve of it?"

As if on cue, the baby kicked. Severus's grin broadened.

"I'll take that as a yes, Corbin Alexander Snape. Your mother and I can't wait to meet you. You will be loved, Son. You are loved already. All I have is one request: don't play football at night. Your mother needs to sleep, and she wakes up crankier than I when you train like a quidditch beater at late hours. Trust me, that's saying a lot."

She rolled her eyes but ended up giggling. He gazed up at her and didn't break eye-contact while he kissed the baby bump. Skyrah put a hand under his chin and lifted it up so that he would stand up. She positioned herself diagonally, careful the baby bump wouldn't bother them, and turned her face to kiss him. Severus shut his eyes and relaxed into the kiss, cupping her face. They parted a while later, noses brushing.

"I love you," she panted, one hand on his chest, the other tracing his lips with her thumb.

"Skyrah, I..."

Her eyes roamed from his mouth to his eyes. Circe. They were so deeply filled with longing. His breath came in short puffs, his heartbeat raced under her palm. She held her breath. This could be the moment he told her he loved her.

Or not.

He crushed their lips together and kissed her with an urgent need, wishing the intensity of the kiss would substitute the words that failed to come out his mouth. Every remorseful thought he might have had for not telling her he loved her died out when Skyrah moaned lightly and gripped him by the collar of his robes, sending shivers down his spine. He pressed her skull to deepen the kiss while his hand travelled down her spine and rested on her butt, squeezing it. Her right hand lowered to his waistline with the intention to rub him through the fabric of his trousers when someone cleared their throat. They pulled away in a flash.

"H-Harry! Dione! Ugh... Sorry, I... W-We..." stuttered Skyrah, flushed.

Salazar. They had caught them kissing many times, but snogging was another story, and the fact she had almost gone a step further in front of them didn't help her case. How come she had forgotten they were in the house? Oh, yes. Her hormones were driving her crazy and her husband was kissing her like she was his whole world. Highly distracting.

Harry and Dione smiled crookedly.

"You're married, sis, and we all know how babies come into the world. Don't apologize, for Merlin's sake! It's not like we haven't seen people snogging before. You just need to go to the Hufflepuff Common Room..."

In spite of being powerless to hide his blush, Severus sneered, "Is there any particular reason you decided to interrupt us?"

"Professor Dumbledore owled us. He'd like to talk to us," said Harry.

The Snapes exchanged looks. They'd receive Albus tomorrow. Today had been intense enough, thank you very much.

Skyrah was the first to go to bed, leaving Severus alone with two adolescents. Strangely, he didn't mind. Any other teenagers would have bothered him, but not Harry and Dione.

"The further along in the pregnancy my sister is, the earlier she goes to sleep." Dione sighed. "She's worn-out. I hope these few weeks pass quickly, for her sake."

She didn't miss Severus fixing his gaze on his wringing hands. Why was he uncomfortable? It made no sense, unless...

"You don't want her to give birth yet. You are afraid of the childbirth," she voiced.

He almost snorted. Afraid? He wasn't afraid. He was terrified, and his silence confirmed it.

"Why? Do you fear something will go wrong?" inquired Harry.

"Partly."

Severus didn't elaborate more in hopes they'd take the hint and leave him alone. So much for that.

"Will you tell us the main reason today?" grunted Harry.

"Why the sudden interest?" he snapped.

"Because you are my brother-in-law, and it is clear Harry cares for you. We both do."

The truth was cutting and, more often than not, it struck people. Severus wasn't an exception. He had pushed away people he cared for all his life, thinking he was protecting them. Then Skyrah entered his life and taught him the perks of confiding in someone. He wouldn't push Dione and Harry away, not when he cared for them too.

"I don't know how to act like the father Corbin deserves. I don't want to disappoint my own son. I don't want to disappoint Skyrah."

"Does she know?" asked Dione, her voice as soft as her expression.

Severus nodded.

"And what did she say?"

"That the simple fact that I care proves I am a good father already," he muttered, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of crimson.

"Well, Skyrah is an intelligent witch. You should listen to her," Dione counselled with a small smile. "I'll go to sleep now. Good night."

Severus and Harry were left alone. The boy opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.

"If there is something you'd like to tell me, this is the moment, Harry. I don't have all day."

Although his voice had come as stern as when he taught Potions, Harry wasn't intimidated. Gryffindor courage struck and before he knew it, the words had rolled off his tongue.

"You say you don't know how to be a good father. With all due respect, you are blind."

By the scowl set on Severus's face, Harry wouldn't be lucky enough to escape a punishment. He had already taken an insolent tone with him and called him blind; he might as well finish what he had started. Severus would make him scrub his cauldron and write lines anyway.

"I feel like your son, and you're good at being a father. Brilliant, even. You are quite strict and your snarky remarks were hard to take at the beginning, but you care. You don't say it much, but you show it every day. You're always making sure that I'm safe and that I succeed. That's what fathers are supposed to do. If you behave towards Corbin as you behave towards me, he will love you as much as I do."

Harry loved him? Lily's eyes glimmered with honesty. Severus drew in a short intake of breath.