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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As the bright, summer sun illuminated the waters of the shimmering sea outside Harriet and Severus's window, the couple gradually woke to begin their first day back at the healing spa.

Harriet groaned quietly as she rolled over in her nest and cuddled against Severus.

"My love?" He asked as he gently wrapped Harriet in his arms, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine." Her muffled reply came, "And you?"

"You need not trouble yourself with me." Severus frowned. The worry was clear in his usually steady voice as he asked, "Are you having any pain this morning?"

"I have pain every morning now, Severus." Harriet huffed as she pressed a hand against the side of her belly, "From my back to my joints, it's difficult to find something that doesn't hurt."

"If you release me for a moment, I'll bring you a dose of potion." Severus offered in a low whisper, eager to aid his darling in whatever way possible.

Harriet sighed as she slowly let him go, snuggled into his pillow, and confessed, "I'm not sure it will do much good."

He frowned as he glided into the adjacent room and quickly retrieved two small vials filled with yellow and purple liquids from the well-stocked potions trunk he had brought on their trip.

Severus scanned over the variety of creams, tonics, medicines, and herbal teas he had packed to help his darling through the birthing process and her postpartum recovery, but his expression remained tense.

It pained him to know he wasn't able to completely alleviate all of his wife's discomforts, yet his hope to minimize her misery surged as he walked back to her with the vials in hand.

He frowned as he approached the bed and noticed Harriet had already fallen asleep again as she lay on her side with a hand protectively over her belly.

Silently, he placed the vials on the nightstand next to the bed, careful not to knock Harriet's glasses off before he knelt beside his wife.

His black eyes glimmered with anxious excitement as he placed his pale hands on the roundness of her belly and whispered to his unborn, "You're exhausting your mother…….Surely you're as ready to meet us as we are you?...The world is waiting, little one."

Harriet furrowed her brow in her sleep.

Severus's dark eyes widened in wonder once he finished speaking, only to be greeted by a torrent of motion from within his wife's heavy womb.

He let out a breath of awe as he pressed his fingers down gently against Harriet's abdomen and let his unborn son or daughter respond to his voice with their tiny kicks and punches.

Severus was certain the violent movement would wake Harriet.

He had underestimated the level of her exhaustion.

While Severus bonded with his child, Harriet slept on as her body prepared itself for the onerous task ahead.

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The magical healing spa which had fostered the birth of Harriet and Severus's relationship and prepared to host the birth of their first child was a popular destination for expecting omegas.

On top of offering a variety of mental and physical treatments for ailments ranging from infertility to depression, wound care, and emotional rehabilitation, the resort housed Harriet, Severus, and the other visiting, expectant couples in quiet birthing suites at the island's distant corner.

Privacy charms had been placed around each cabin.

Every nesting quarters boasted a spacious suite, a large natural pool in the rear that looked out over the crystal sea, and generous views of the surrounding natural beauty.

In addition to the many healers and staff employed at the spa, a midwife made daily rounds to check on each expectant mother and stayed present once labour began.

Harriet took a deep breath as she lay in the saltwater pool with Severus crouched by her side as one of those kind, knowledgeable midwives performed an examination on the fifth morning of their stay.

Severus furrowed his brow as he gazed at Harriet and anxiously waited to hear the midwife's assessment of his wife's condition.

"Oh….." Harriet breathed as another tight surge gripped her spine.

"In through your nose, out through your mouth, Mrs. Snape." The midwife whispered quietly as she placed one hand on the side of Harriet's belly and pressed he tip of her wand to the other.

Harriet barely moved her hand to reach for Severus's before he noticed his darling's need and grasped her palm in his.

A tense moment passed as Severus stayed silent and obediently held his mate's hand while she breathed through her discomfort as the midwife frowned in concentration.

Her diagnostic spell ended with Harriet's spasm.

Both women relaxed as Harriet let out a sigh of relief while the midwife took her wand away.

"Well?" Severus snapped before he could stop himself.

"It's not the worst, but it does hurt a bit." Harriet commented as she shifted in the water.

As Severus glanced at her face, he quickly determined by the unusual paleness of her complexion and the tired frown on her lips that his bride was trying to be brave.

"That was a true contraction." The midwife nodded as she addressed the couple, "However, since the pains remain irregularly spaced, we can't be certain yet. Mrs. Snape, your babe may come this very evening. It's also quite possible you may have pains for days to weeks before your real work begins."

Harriet's eyes widened as she laid her head back against the edge of the pool with a frustrated sigh.

"Does she have the option to induce the birth?" Severus asked the midwife, hoping to advocate for his wife's comfort.

"I wouldn't recommend induction at this time." The midwife frowned before she nodded at Harriet, "Your little one will come when they're ready, Mrs. Snape. Try to relax, perhaps a bit of walking……Gentle exercise can help move things along with the birthing process."

Severus forced himself not to smirk at the hateful scowl he watched form on his wife's fair face as the midwife prepared to leave.

Once he looked beyond her discomfort, he found her feistiness rather amusing.

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The midwife's initial prediction of Harriet's lengthy waiting period proved to be correct as her pains abruptly stopped.

Severus aided his wife in every way possible to facilitate the onset of active labour.

Short walks along the shoreside.

Afternoons spent making love.

Entire evenings melted by with the couple cuddling on the sofa while Severus's skillful hands slipped over Harriet's rounded belly.

Severus was determined to have his mate as relaxed and satisfied as he could before she bore their son or daughter.

Early one morning, just after breakfast, Harriet's pains restarted one week after her due date with a frightening ferocity.

Severus was at her side while she laboured for the next twelve hours.

When the time came, he held Harriet up while she clutched onto him, supported by her own knees as the midwife tended her.

Severus frowned as his mate huffed against his shoulder in a desperate attempt to catch her breath before the next contraction began.

"You're doing so well, my love." He purred in his low, soothing voice as the damp, cool cloth he had enchanted an hour earlier floated through the air to blot the perspiration from Harriet's face and neck.

"One more, Mrs. Snape! One more and you'll have your babe in your arms!" The midwife cried encouragingly.

Severus frowned at the guttural groan that left Harriet's lips as the next pain started.

He slipped one hand down and began to rub deep circles into her lower back as Harriet braced herself against him.

"You can do this." Severus whispered as Harriet started to bear down, "Focus, my dear……Concentrate….."

He hadn't been sure if she heard him or not as she squinted her eyes shut and roared, "NNNNGGGGHHH!"

Severus closed his own eyes for a moment and pressed Harriet against him in a silent wish to ease her suffering.

The doses of Pain Potion and Numbing Elixir he had given her had worn off hours earlier and without much else to do but hold her hand through her battle, Severus felt helpless to assist his beloved.

He didn't understand how much comfort his mere presence offered Harriet.

"Here we are! Here we are!" The midwife whispered excitedly as Severus watched her move.

Harriet sank against him with a heartbreaking wail of despair as he caught her in his strong embrace.

Severus opened his mouth to ask how much longer his wife would have to endure her agony, but his inquiry was answered before it could be spoken.

"WWWWWAAA!"

"WWWWWWWAAA!"

With a gasp, Harriet found the strength to open her eyes at that wondrous little noise.

"Congratulations, Mrs. and Mr. Snape!" The midwife smiled brightly as she worked on something Severus couldn't quite see.

"WWWWWWAAAA!"

As Harriet fumbled to turn around, Severus took her by the hand and carefully settled her in his lap.

Over the curve of her swollen belly, Severus's breath hitched.

Harriet cried out as she reached towards the squirming bundle her birth attendant readily placed in her arms.

"WWWWAAAAA!"

"You two have a beautiful baby boy!" The midwife beamed.

Severus gaped down at the baby, his son.

His son.

"WWWWWAAA!"

Harriet's face contorted as her chest shook with heavy sobs.

The midwife respectfully stayed quiet for a moment and let the new family meet one another for the very first time.

Harriet gently touched her newborn's tiny fingers as the baby's cries settled into irritable whines.

Severus's heart clenched as his newborn cracked his eyes open to reveal Harriet's same emerald green hue.

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Having spent the previous months educating himself on childbirth and postpartum care while Harriet slept, Severus readily assisted the midwife during the delivery of the afterbirth and gladly guided Harriet as she helped their son discover how to take his first meal.

As the moon beamed its tranquil glow over the ocean's rolling, dark waves outside, the midwife went into the next room to record her patients' care and allow the new family a moment of bonding.

"He's perfect." Harriet whispered as she watched their tiny son nurse.

"He's ours." Severus purred as he gave Harriet an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"We haven't really discussed names." She smiled tiredly as Severus pulled away.

"I suppose we haven't." Severus frowned, "I'll leave that to you……As his mother and the one who's done the work…….You should decide what he'll be called."

"But you've been beside me the entire time." Harriet smiled as she reached out with her free hand and grasped Severus's.

Severus's black eyes glimmered as he gazed down at his wife until she yawned and said, "Actually, I'd like to name him after the two bravest men I've ever known."

"Oh?" Severus asked.

"Severus Albus?" Harriet blinked.

Severus's chest visibly expanded with pride at the compliment.

He contemplated his wife's generosity for a moment before he humbly said, "...Albus Severus sounds more eloquent."

"Alright." Harriet smiled down at their little son, "Albus Severus Snape."

As Severus gazed at his wife and child, the joy in his heart overwhelmed him to such an extent that he wondered if he would burst wide open.