Severus sits in his favorite chair in the parlor, with his feet propped up on an ottoman. A mug of his favorite tea on the coffee table before him, and a book resting upon his lap. He still had trouble seeing, but his vision was improving. Over the last two weeks, his hands became stronger, allowing him to now confidently grips things without spilling or dropping. For the first time, he had been able to lift and carry his own mug of tea from the kitchen to the parlor.
Danu watched proudly from the sofa as he slowly made his way to the chair, sat his mug on the table, and sat down with a long sigh before picking up the book resting on the arm of the chair. He places it in his lap, runs his fingers over the warn spine as if trying to memorize the way it felt beneath his skin, then closed his eyes.
"Would you like for me to read it to you?" Danu asks patiently. Severus nods his head slightly and passes her the book.
The cover is well worn, and had possibly been green, or even brown at some point, but was now so faded the color was indecipherable. Lorna Doone is written in large, curling letters that were likely golden in another time, and black vines stand behind the L and D. Danu runs her fingers over the thin, worn title page, and begins reading.
"If anybody cares to read a simple tale told simply, I, John Ridd, of the parish of Oare, in the county of Somerset, yeoman and churchwarden, have seen and had a share in some doings of this neighborhood, which I will try to set down in order."
Danu pauses and lifts her gaze to Severus. His eyes remain closed, his thin face relaxed, and his head tilts slightly back to rest on the back of the chair. The thumbs of both hands fiddle with the seam on the arms of the chair. She smiles to herself, takes a sip of her coffee, and continues reading.
"Vayther'll be at the crooked post, t'other zide o' telling-house. Her coodn't lave 'ouze by raison of the Christmas bakkon comin' on, and zome o' the cider welted."
Danu stumbles over the thick, exaggerated dialect, her face reddening slightly at the embarrassment over the accent, and lifts her eyes to see Severus grinning slightly, his eyes still closed. She huffs but continues on with the story.
"I had never heard so sweet a sound as came from between her bright red lips, while there she knelt and gazed at me; neither had I ever seen anything so beautiful as the large dark eyes intent upon me, full of pity and wonder. And then, my nature being slow, and perhaps for that matter, heavy, I wondered with my hazy eyes down the black shower of her hair, as to my jaded eyes gaze it seemed; and where it fell on the turf, among it like an early star was the first primrose of the season. And since that day, I think of her, through all the rough storms of my life, when I see an early primrose."
Danu finishes the second paragraph of the fifth chapter, but before she can open her mouth to resume, Severus clears his throat. She looks up to him once more, but his eyes remain closed.
"Lorna." He croaks as he clears his throat. "Lorna is a beautiful name."
—
Mallory, the midwife assigned to her for the duration of her pregnancy, prods her swollen stomach with cold, yet soft hands. She pushes, pinches, and measures before smiling warmly up at her before producing her wand. Mallory presses the tip of her wand into her flesh to the left of her stomach between her navel and pelvis, and a soft thumpthump thumpthump fills the room. Danu squeezes her eyes shut and swallows a lump in her throat.
"Right on schedule." Mallory begins. "A little over twenty-two weeks now, just over halfway there! Anything you would like to discuss today? Any concerns?"
Danu shakes her head, her eyes still closed as Mallory continues prodding her exposed stomach with her wand.
"She is dizzy often." Severus announces from the doorway. Danu jumps and attempts to shield her bare stomach from his watchful eye, despite Mallory still examining it. He had not seen the faint stretchmarks that traveled up her sides, or the now obvious spider veins on her thighs. "Along with swollen feet, difficulty sleeping, and she consumes an excessive amount of ice and apples."
"All normal at this stage of pregnancy!" Mallory says with a slight chuckle as she beckons Severus closer. Danu closes her eyes and listens as his footsteps near the bed. "I am concerned about your iron levels, so I am prescribing you a potion for that, but low iron is very normal during pregnancy, so you've got nothing to worry about. It would explain your dizziness and craving for ice. I'm not concerned about how many apples you eat; they are far better for you than sweets. Just make sure you are eating plenty of other healthy things as well. I'm also going to give you a cream for your stretchmarks."
Danu's face reddens slightly from embarrassment as she takes a deep breath. She feels Mallory press her wand into the side of her stomach once more, and the sounds of the child's heartbeat fill the room for a second time.
"Would you like to know what you are having?"
"No!" Danu responds, perhaps too forcefully. She presses her shoulders back firmly on the bed and lets out a long, slow breath.
"The babe's got a nice, strong heartbeat. Nothing at all to worry about."
Mallory removes her wand, then Severus' large, gentle hands are on her flesh. He pushes and squeezes, just as Mallory had moments before. Danu opens her eyes to see Mallory guiding his hands on her abdomen, his brow scrunched and his Adams apple bobbing in his throat.
"That," Mallory announces as she releases Severus' hands and pulls Danu's shirt down to cover her flesh. "Is the uterus. The little mound you felt in the center there, was the baby. Still a little thing but growing right on schedule. You'll likely have felt little flutters of movement by now, if not, you will begin feeling them shortly. I will see you in three weeks. If you have any concerns, you can always send for me."
Mallory leaves the instructions for an iron potion, and two jars of cream on the dresser and sees herself out of the house. Severus looks at the list of ingredients intently before nodding his head sharply; a little quirk he had when memorizing a potion. He puts out his hand and helps her stand from the bed.
Across the hall, in the second bedroom, Severus had been working all morning with the door closed. It now sits slightly ajar, and she can tell from the hall that the room had been cleared out. Danu steps in, the room seems so much larger, and colder, with no furniture in it.
"What are you doing in here?" Danu asks as she turns to find Severus leaning against the door frame.
"You will need a space for the child. Unless you plan to house it in the attic, which I am certain will be frowned upon, I see no other alternative."
Severus had not told her for certain that he would be staying but had made no plans to leave. His clothes remained in the bedroom, his books were still in the parlor, and he even began receiving weekly correspondences for job opportunities. While not wanting to get her hopes up, she hoped with all of her being that he had changed his mind and chose to stay there with her. Danu had returned to meet with Suzette once, where she spoke more about the parents she had in mind for the child. Danu never went back after that second meeting. A strange feeling regarding the potential family washed over her as she left, despite never even meeting them. She had been unable to shake the feeling in the weeks following.
"It will have to stay near where I sleep, for a while at least. That's what Mallory said. She left a list of things we—I will need if…if I decide to keep it."
"I am sure that Molly is planning a party of sorts as we speak, where you will receive everything that you will require."
"She called it a baby shower, and I don't want one."
"There is something I wish to discuss with you." Severus says, her heart stops as he pulls a length of folded parchment from his pocket. "I received a letter from Madam Rosemarie. I have been offered a position as Potions Master at St. Mungo's."
Danu stares at him for a moment, bile rising in the back of her throat. She felt such a wave of jealousy overcome her that she may as well be turning green. Yet, she was also immensely happy for him.
"Congratulations." Danu says, forcing a smile on her face. "You should accept the position, if you are ready."
"I understand that this may be difficult for you. I know how desperately you wanted the position within the Herbology department."
"There will be others."
"There will. I will do everything within my power to secure you a position, as soon as you are healed."
"Healed?" Danu asks, one brow raised as her voice echoes off of the plaster walls in the bare room.
"Childbirth, as I understand it, is quite a traumatic experience, even with magic involved. You will need to heal for an extended period of time afterwards. Then, once you are ready, I will ensure your position."
She knew, of course, that this child would be coming out of her body, one way or another, but did not want to imagine the logistics of it. Not yet, anyway.
"Does….does this mean that you will stay?" Danu asks hopefully as she moves closer to Severus. He takes her into his warm arms and rests his chin on top of her head.
"Perhaps." Severus says with a long sigh. "It is normal, you know."
"What is?" Danu asks as she smiles against his chest and nuzzles her nose deeper into his robes for warmth as the early October chill fills the room.
"Stretchmarks; your body changing to accommodate the pregnancy. It is all quite normal. If you are that concerned about it, use the cream."
"I know it's normal. I just…didn't want you to see it." Danu admits as Severus pulls her from his chest and raises one brow at her in question. "I—I didn't want you to…I just didn't want you to be put off by it. I don't….I won't look the same." Danu murmurs as her face reddens once more.
"I am not a shallow man. It is normal, expected in your condition. It does not concern me."
"You just…you haven't touched me since you were cleared by Madam Rosemarie."
Severus had been cleared to return to a normal life for two weeks. Madam Rosmarie had weaned him off of all potions, and he only required his daily eye drops at this point. He was healthy and thriving, and expected to live a long, normal life. Not only that, but the public opinion strongly favored him after the press conference, and there was no longer any threat of a trial. The reporters had stopped snapping photos of him, and a story regarding the two of them was no longer front page news. They were truly, for the first time in many years, free.
"You are with child." Severus reminds her, as if she could possibly forget with a bump the size of a cantaloupe beneath her shirt.
"Really?" She remarks with a scoff as she looks down at her stomach. "I had no idea!"
Severus doesn't respond as he places his index finger on the top of her bump and leaves it there. She woke, many times in the middle of the night to him cradling her stomach protectively in his sleep, but he had not touched it during the day, outside of when Mallory the midwife took his hands in hers to have him feel the contents within. They both tend to ignore the growing being as much as possible.
"I just miss you. I miss us. I miss what we had." She murmurs as he pulls her back against his chest.
The fluttering feeling in her stomach, that she had been feeling for nearly two weeks now, was distracting as she rests her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. The child's movements, she knew the sensation to be, would only grow stronger. Would she have more of a connection to it then? Could she grow to love the child she and Severus had created due to her foolish mistake?
—
Halloween 1998 Danu is twenty-seven weeks pregnant. She is irritable, hormonal, and downright miserable. Her feet ache, her back aches, her breasts ache, her ribs ache, and she is combating near constant heartburn. The distracting little flutters are now full on attacks against her insides, which keep her up all night.
Severus has been working at St. Mungo's for three weeks now and seems to be much happier than he ever was at Hogwarts. He apparates from the sidewalk at exactly 6:30 every morning and is home no later than 3:35 each afternoon. No longer is he up all night grading essays only to have to do a midnight patrol, no weekend work, and best of all, no mood swings due to incompetent Dunderheads, as he put it. Severus insists upon a walk after dinner every night, afterwards he will shower with her, spread cream on her stomach, then massage her swollen feet and aching lower back. In bed, he presses his fingers sharply against her stomach to feel their child's swift, sharp jabs as they kick her. Occasionally, the little monster will stretch out completely, making her stomach look like a triangle. Severus likes this the most, though he never says it out loud. He chuckles slightly, runs his finger over the foot, knee, or elbow that just out, and sighs when they right themselves. He had taken to referring to the child as "she" in passing but will quickly change the subject and refuse to say more when questioned. Danu, however, firmly believes the child to be a boy. She dreamt of it, saw it in her imagination. A sweet little boy that looked just like Severus had in his memories, but happy and healthy.
Still, though, she felt no connection to the child inside of her, which filled her with more guilt as each week passed. Surely, by this point, she should feel something for it. She saw it move, felt it move, she rubbed her fingers over the tiny feet pressing into her stomach from the inside, yet she could not say that she loved this person. One day, maybe, but right now, she did not.
Outside of the name Lorna that Severus had mentioned was beautiful, they had not discussed names. The bedroom across the hall sat empty besides the bassinet and small wicker basket of receiving blankets and burp rags that Ginny and Hermione dropped off the day she went to Bernadette's the first time. They had purchased no items, discussed no plans, were more or less just winging it week by week.
After breakfast, Severus helps slip an emerald green dress over her head. The fabric is creamy and smooth on her skin, the hem falls just above her knee, the sleeves just below her elbow, the neckline is high, concealing her growing bosom. The front of the dress hugs her stomach; as if putting it on display. She feels exposed, indecent. Severus sits her on the bed, slips a pair of black flats on her feet, then moves behind her to pin her curls up.
"Why are we dressing up?" Danu asks, her eyes closed, the feeling of his fingers in her hair relaxing her.
"Patience. You will see."
Danu watches as he goes to her jewelry box, removes the strand of pearls and the silver bracelet with the doe and bat, and secures each of them on to her. He retrieves her black dress cloak and fastens it around her neck, despite the hot flashes she now got at random, and places his own cloak across his arm. He takes her hand, leads her to the fireplace, and dips his hand into the silver box on the mantle filled to the brim with Floo Powder.
"Follow right behind me." Severus demands before stepping into the fireplace. "The Burrow."
Severus is gone with a flash of green and a puff of ash. Danu grabs a handful of the fine white powder herself, steps into the fireplace, and follows.
On the other side, Danu is met with a homey atmosphere and soft chatter. Dishes were being washed in midair with magic, books stacked on every surface, a long elaborate table is in the center of the room, and the smell of fresh baked bread was almost overwhelming. As she steps out, she finds Severus to the left, speaking with Mister Weasley, who smiles and pulls her into a warm, comforting hug when he sees her. Missus Weasley enters the home from a garden door, she smiles warmly at her and takes her by the hands.
"Just out here, my dear. Come, come."
Missus Weasley leads her outside, where a large white tent is set up next to a garden. Danu steps through the flaps of the tent to find tables piled high with brightly wrapped gifts and food. Several people sit around the tent at round tables. She spots Draco, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and a few others she did not recognize. On Ginny's lap is a small child with strawberry blonde hair. The child squirms, whines, and reaches its chubby hands out to Harry. Just as Harry places his hands beneath the child's arms, its hair turns to dark brown. Danu gasps slightly at the suddenness of it.
"Teddy is a Metamorphmagus, like his mother. He's constantly changing!" Missus Weasley says with a chuckle as she leads her further into the tent.
Before long, more people file in. Faces she recognizes but cannot name. People she knew, mostly relatives or friends of the Weasley family. And finally, the pale blonde form of Luna Lovegood. Danu stares a moment, before a wide grin spreads across her face and she practically runs to her. She never thought she would see that sweet, sweet girl again. Luna smiles warmly at her and embraces her back.
"I thought the Wrackspurts got to you, and you simply wandered off." Luna explains with a serious look on her face. "I even asked Professor Snape to start a search party. I tried to warn him it would be dangerous for you, you know. He didn't listen."
"Thank you, Luna." Danu sighs and pulls her against her once more.
"When Bram showed up in the Ravenclaw dorms after you disappeared, I know something was wrong. I brought him to Madam Rosemerta, she's looking after him. I go visit him, when I can."
"You don't know how much that means to me, Luna. I miss him so much."
"Well, Madam Rosemerta is selling The Three Broomsticks; I've been telling her the place was infested with Nargles for years. Perhaps she will give him back to you."
Luna's eyes drift around the tent, before she wanders off whispering something about pumpkin pasties. Danu smiles as she watches her disappear behind a line of red-haired Weasley's.
—
Danu watches from the doorway as Severus uses his wand to stack box upon box of baby items along the far wall of the spare bedroom. The Weasley's had insured they would have ever single thing they needed for this child. She felt guilty accepting all of it, they had already done so much for her, she could never repay all of the kindness they had shown her in the last six months.
Once in the bathroom, Severus watches from the doorway as she pulls her dress over her head and lets it fall to the floor at her feet. She kicks her shoes off and begins removing the pins he had placed in her hair, allowing soft curls to cascade down her back as the water runs in the bath.
"You truly are lovely." Severus sighs. Danu only scoffs as she unclasps her bra and lets it fall to her feet. "Do you not believe me?"
"You've never said it before." Danu admits as she turns to him. Severus looks down at her full breasts, his eyes remaining there for a moment, before slowly lifting them back to her eyes.
"Surely I have told you how beautiful you are." Severus lifts one brow at her, his lip curled slightly.
"Nope. Never."
"Well, I am saying it now."
Severus saunters towards her, his eyes roaming her nearly nude body, and pulls her against him. He holds her tightly, his long fingers trailing up and down her spine before finally cupping her bottom firmly. He lets go, leans over, and turns the faucet filling the bath off. His head dips, kisses right below her ear tenderly, then nips at her earlobe. Danu moans, already beginning to feel her body react to him with only one kiss.
Before she could react, he has her pushed up against the sink, the porcelain cold against the small of her back. His hands seem to be everywhere at once as they roam her body, his lips move against her neck as he uses his chin to direct her head back. She moans loudly and grips his sleeves in her fists before he pries her hands from them and slowly unbuttons his shirt. The bathroom is full of steam, sweat begins to cling to each of their foreheads as he lets his own clothes fall to the floor. Danu watches intently as he pushes his trousers down, his erection springs forward through the front hole in his boxers. She bites her lower lip and takes him in her hand, the silky smooth skin feels so familiar, yet so foreign in her hand. It had been so long since she had touched him.
Severus moans and dips down to take her nipple in his mouth as his hands grip her bottom tightly. Her breasts had been so tender and achy for weeks, but with his mouth wrapped around her nipple protectively, the relief was instantaneous. Her hand is wrapped firmly around him, her thumb drawing tight circles around the tip as she spreads the tiny droplets of fluid already leaking from him around. One of his hands slips between her legs, he spreads her thighs before slipping his fingers beneath her panties. She can feel the moisture of her own arousal as he massages her with two fingers before finally slipping them inside of her. She moans, throws her head back, and lets every muscle in her body relax as he moves his fingers in a slow curling motion within her.
Just as the pressure begins to build within her, Severus extracts his fingers, removes his mouth from her breast, and stares down at her. She whimpers, furrows her brows, and begins to open her mouth in protest.
"Come." Severus demands as he removes her hand from his erection and pulls her towards their bedroom.
Danu scrambles on to the bed as fast as she can and props herself onto the pillows at the head of the bed. Severus stands at the foot of the bed, eyeing her with his coal black eyes. He grabs her ankles, pulls her down towards the middle, and lifts one of her feet to his shoulder. His hand travels up the opposite leg, squeezing as he makes his way up her thigh. He kneels on the floor, hooks two fingers beneath the waist band of her panties and throws them across the room. His lips are on her thigh now as she squirms beneath him. She arches her back off of the mattress and nearly screams as he licks the moisture from her opening before taking her clitoris between his lips and sucking. His tongue flicks across her, causing her to moan and writhe beneath him.
Severus lets the pressure build once more, bringing her to the brink of release with his tongue, then removes his mouth from her entirely. She sits up, looks down at him, ready to beg. He smirks at her, pushes her back down, and stands. Danu watches as he makes his way to the other side of the bed, grabs one of his pillows, and lifts her waist from the bed. He situated the pillow beneath her lower back, and lies across the foot of the bed, his head resting on her thigh as he gazes between her legs.
Her eyes flutter as he takes his index finger and parts her once more. His finger dances around her opening, then back up to circle her. Her hand falls to grip his hair, and she hears him groan deeply before he removes her fist with his free hand and leads it down between her legs.
Severus sits up on his elbow, her hand gripped in one of his, the other still circling her. Two of his fingers slip inside of her once more, causing her eyes to roll in the back of her head, he uses her own hand, guided by his, to rub tight circles on her clitoris.
"Please…Please don't stop." Danu begs as the pressure builds once more, desperate for release.
"Sshhh. Quiet." Severus whispers against her inner thigh, his breath tickling her soft flesh before he takes the sensitive skin between his lips and sucks.
"On your side." Severus demands as he jerks his fingers from within her.
Danu groans in frustration but obeys. Severus climbs on top of her, tosses the pillow aside, hooks her left knee beneath his arm and pushes it up towards her chest as she positions the top half of her body to look him in the eyes, while the bottom half remains lying on her right side. His forehead rests on hers as he slowly, inch by inch, pushes himself inside of her. Every morsel of tension floods from her body as he enters her. The position is different, not one that they had ever made love in before. He felt deeper inside of her, the pressure of him pressing against her cervix intense but not painful. Slowly he rocks in and out of her before his hand slips between her legs once more to rub her deliciously. His face is now buried in the crook of her neck, his breath hot and fast on her skin as he pants.
"Severus!" She cries each time he hits the back of her, which is met with a deep groan in her ear. "Please…..please Severus…..Can…can I.." She pleads, unable to form the proper words but hoping he understood what she was begging for.
"Yes, Darling. Yes." Severus pants against her neck.
She releases with such an intensity she feels boneless as her body shakes beneath him. She can feel him struggle to stay inside of her as she clenches and bares down around him with such force he's nearly pushed from within her. His fist locks in her hair as he moans deeply. Two more deep pumps and he himself begins to convulse before spilling deep within her. His body slumps down on top of hers for a moment before he rolls over next to her.
"That…You….Oh my god…I ne—….We can't go…Christ…Severus." Words evade her as she lies there panting, arms thrown above her head, every nerve ending in her body jumping as if she were just struck by lightning.
"Are you all right?" Severus asks from somewhere, his voice sounding far off and muffled as all of her senses slowly return to her.
"That was…wow. So good." She mumbles as he pulls her against him, her hair sticks to her chest with sweat as he chuckles slightly.