Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Severus was beside himself with joy.
After years of misery, he loved and was finally loved back.
He had a mate, of sorts, and a child on the way.
Harriet's lease on her flat expired two days before Hogwarts' winter recess began.
After careful consideration and discussion with Severus, she chose not to renew her rental agreement, but instead to move from her apartment directly into the headmaster's chambers at Hogwarts.
By then, most of the students had already left for home to begin their holiday a bit early.
Everyone had been shocked when the headmaster had given his uncharacteristically generous permission for the Hogwarts Express to depart sooner than expected, but Severus had more important things on his mind than forcing students to linger for the weekend after classes ended.
On the morning of Harriet's expected arrival, he walked through his living quarters with a serious frown of concentration on his face.
The couple had spent the majority of the last two months together, but Severus still wanted Harriet to be surprisingly comfortable in her new home.
He thoughtfully fluffed the soft pillows on the bed and counted each of the buttery blankets he had purchased for her use.
Whether Harriet ultimately chose him as her permanent partner or not, Severus wanted the omega who carried his child to have a comfortable nest.
He regretted agreeing to Harriet's terms that their living arrangement would only be temporary.
Severus didn't want Harriet in his home until the baby's birth, Severus wanted Harriet at his side…….forever.
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That morning, Harriet answered a knock on her flat's door only to find Severus standing in the hallway with a frown on his pale face.
"Good morning." She blinked, "Sorry, wasn't I supposed to come to you?"
"I'm here to help, Potter." He scowled, "A woman in your condition has no business lifting heavy objects."
"I could just use magic." Harriet shrugged.
"I won't allow you to drain yourself by wasting energy on frivolous pursuits when you have assistance." Severus snapped.
Harriet brushed aside his abrasiveness as she silently invited him into her apartment by standing aside.
Although his scowl remained, it touched Harriet he cared enough about her and their baby to be so……….attentive.
"Professor?" Harriet called.
Annoyed, Severus purposely ignored her as he walked in and gathered her packed luggage.
Would she still call him 'Professor' in front of their son or daughter?
Harriet took a deep breath and corrected herself, "Sorry...Severus?"
His answer came too quickly, "Yes……..?"
In the pause that followed, Severus halted his task and turned around to face Harriet as she smiled, "...Thanks."
Severus scowled in response as he whirled around, finished collecting her luggage, and promptly escorted her back to the castle.
While they traveled to Hogwarts, Harriet breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, she and Severus were together, at least…..in a way.
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Severus placed Harriet's trunks on the floor of his living room before he began to give her a thorough tour of her new home.
It seemed odd, but their time spent together during the previous couple months had primarily consisted of Severus's visits to Harriet's flat.
The headmaster's chambers were easily the largest staff living quarters in the castle.
As they walked from room to room, Harriet took in the views offered by the arched windows as her mouth dropped open in awe.
"It's beautiful." She smiled as Severus led her towards the bedroom.
"I prefer my old quarters in the dungeon." Severus grouched, "However, I've become accustomed to the light that enters through these wretched windows. Go on," He nodded as he opened the door to the bedroom, "I've placed the items necessary for a nest on the bed……If there's anything forgotten……don't hesitate to notify me."
Harriet blinked as she walked past Severus and approached the bed.
He watched her curiously touch the blankets and pat the fluffy pillows.
"I did save one covering for myself." He revealed as Harriet lowered herself onto the bed, "If you need more, I'll gladly provide. However……the living area can be rather drafty. I'm certain I'll need at least one blanket, even with the fireplace roaring."
"Aren't you going to sleep here with me?" Harriet asked as she glanced up at Severus with a pout on her plump lips.
Severus blinked.
Harriet kept her pout as she waited for his answer.
Severus furrowed his brow as he hesitantly asked, "...Are you inviting me into your nest again, Potter?"
"Sure." Harriet shrugged, "Why wouldn't I?"
The awkwardness crushed them both as they gazed at each other before they glanced in seperate directions.
If either Harriet or Severus had more experience with the opposite sex or anything to do with mating, then perhaps they would have found each other faster.
Mercifully, Harriet boldly continued her steady pursuit.
Although it terrified Severus to imagine Harriet's rejection, he secretly wanted to leap for gladness that his beloved had welcomed his presence back into her bed.
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Harriet and Severus spent the rest of the day chatting with each other while they unpacked her things.
After dinner and an hour of quiet reading passed, the couple readied for bed.
While they had exchanged a few longing glances, they hadn't slept side by side since their last night at the healing spa.
It seemed incredibly intimate as they stood together in Severus's bedchamber.
The fire in the hearth guarded the stone room against the frigid air of the cold winter wind.
As Harriet began to unfasten her robes, Severus asked, "Before I lie down each evening, I usually take a warm bath. Would you like to join me tonight?"
Harriet glanced over and nodded.
Without another word, Severus glided into the bathroom and began to fill the tub with water while Harriet undressed.
She smiled as she slipped her robes off and exposed the tiny swell of her bare belly which spoke of her condition, though her clothing still concealed the little mound.
An impish smirk curled her lips as she unhooked her bra and slipped her panties down past her legs.
While she walked towards the bathroom, she couldn't wait to proudly show Severus the undeniable evidence of their union.
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Severus didn't want to startle his darling or invade her privacy.
After fretful deliberation, at risk of not seeming chivalrous enough to bring her to the water himself, Severus slipped into the tub and frowned as he waited for Harriet to join him whenever she felt ready.
A moment later, the door creaked open as she stepped inside the lavatory.
His breath hitched as he gazed upon her bare body once more.
From her dark tresses to her bright eyes, all the way down to her flawless skin, somehow, to Severus, those stunning sights paled in comparison against her heavier breasts and the adorable, subtle mound of her belly.
Harriet smirked to herself as she glanced over and watched Severus's reverent gaze follow her every movement while she came to him and sank into the tub.
His skillful hands helped her onto his lap in the water far too quickly to be mistaken for hesitation.
Perhaps fueled by her hormones, tears watered in Harriet's green eyes at the awestruck look on Severus's face as he gazed at her belly.
"You can touch me, if you'd like." Harriet shrugged.
Severus glanced up to meet her emerald stare in a silent request for reassuring permission, as if he didn't believe her until she laughed, "I meant it! Here, I'll help you."
Slowly, Harriet reached into the water and took his hand.
The gentle slapping of wetness sounded at their motion as Harriet lifted his damp hand and pressed his palm flat against the hardly noticeable curve of her abdomen.
Harriet smiled at her lover, but Severus's black gaze remained focused intently on her belly.
Hogwarts' headmaster had never touched an expectant mother before, much less one with his child growing inside her womb.
"Is there movement yet?" He asked Harriet curiously after a long moment of contemplative silence had passed.
"Not yet." She chuckled, "The midwife said it may be a few more weeks. I don't mind though, sometimes I catch my hand resting here." She showed Severus as she placed her hand over his, "...And I don't even remember placing it."
As Harriet glanced up and met his gaze, she blushed at the heated smoulder in his dark eyes.
They moved towards each other as the water sloshed around them.
Some of the tub's contents lapped over the porcelain edge and splattered onto the floor as they kissed hungrily, but neither Severus nor Harriet minded.
They could clean the mess later, having each other was of far greater importance.
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Their kiss developed into an impromptu tryst before they finally bathed.
By then, Harriet had become exhausted.
She had little reason to worry as Severus stood from the tub with her lovingly cradled in his arms.
Not bothering to soak towels, he dried them both with a simple spell and used another bit of magic to erase the spilled water from the floor.
Careful not to let the evening chill reach her, Severus quickly carried Harriet out of the bathroom and placed her into her nest.
As he pulled the covers up to her chest, his heart melted as she reached out and pulled him in beside her.
"Severus……" Harriet breathed as her eyelids fluttered with drowsiness, "Stay with me."
A low growl escaped his throat as he slipped inside his mate's cozy respite and pulled her clean, warm body against his.
"I will remain beside you, my love, for every midwife's appointment, every ache, and every discomfort." Severus vowed as he placed gentle kisses over Harriet's throat while she leaned back onto the pillows.
She sighed as he went on, "I will give you my hand to hold during the birth and my heart as well, for all the days of your life and mine, if you will accept it."
"Severus…." Harriet sighed.
Grogginess commanded her to sleep, yet she fought off slumber in an effort to hear her alpha's solemn vows.
"Neither you nor this child will want for anything, I will see to that." Severus whispered as he nuzzled into the crook of Harriet's neck.
A gentle cry escaped her as he let a hand drift over the plumpness of one tender breast before he pulled away and gazed down at her with his dark hair falling into his pale face.
Harriet hazily blinked her emerald eyes up at him, tired from growing his son or daughter in her womb, relaxed by the bath, and drunk on his words.
"For now, though, my love…." Severus drawled, "I will stay beside you while you rest. Sleep……our little one needs it."
For once, Severus didn't have to tell Harriet twice.
She finally ended her struggle to stay awake and let herself tumble into a world of dreams as Severus held her close.
Throughout the night, although he stayed awake for a good while, Severus refused to release Harriet from his protective grasp.
Severus Snape was a man who kept his word.