AN: So this is something I wrote for my birthday last Tuesday. I know it's a little late (or early, depending on how you view it) for Severus' birthday, but I figured we could all use a little birthday fluff.

Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!

January 9 was a day to be tolerated, if not forgotten. For forty-five years Severus clung to this belief as tightly as he clung to his wand in the middle of a duel. Ignoring January 9 wasn't as difficult as many would believe. Nobody celebrated his birthday. There was little reason to rejoice in his birth given that he was either distrusted, forgotten, outright hated, not worth anyone's consideration, or some combination of all these. Even his parents didn't celebrate his birthday, instead seeing it as the tragic day their lives imploded upon them. Most years he received no presents. On the off years he did, they were smashed within a month in one of his father's drunken rages. Given all that, it was preferable to despise his birthday and regret the day he took his first breath.

Hermione changed everything. For the first time, life was worth living. Waking up beside her was a reason to eagerly anticipate the next day, not a day to regret still existing. For the first time, he understood what it was to live life, not wait for it to end. When the children came into their lives, his joy deepened until he could say that he was happy to be alive.

This didn't mean life with Hermione was perfect. When Severus married her, he did not know how much she loved birthdays. While she did not throw massive parties for their children, she did ensure all of them had the most special birthdays possible. Of course, she wanted to celebrate the day she came into the world as well. For that Severus couldn't blame her. She was a special witch who deserved only the best in life. Every year, he ensured she had the most special birthday possible, despite not being the biggest fan of confetti cake.

There was a downside to this arrangement though. Because Severus went out of his way to celebrate their children's birthdays and let her know she was cherished on her birthday, she believed he deserved the same treatment. Thus, his birthday became an important day for the family.

According to his wife, it wasn't fair that everyone else in the family had amazing birthdays while they pretended he had none. It was an opinion his children shared. For some reason, they wanted to celebrate their father's life despite the many mistakes he had made. As they grew older, they began making him cards, homemade gifts, and used their allowances to buy him presents. It both warmed Severus' heart, and encouraged him to enjoy the day in whatever way he could for the sake of his family's happiness.

Not that he felt there was much to celebrate. Birthdays meant he was older, and his wife was still nineteen years younger than him. While she grew more beautiful with each passing day, he remained the same aging greasy people his age had grandchildren. His children were all under the age of ten. After years of being the youngest to accomplish things, he was the oldest person in his immediate family.

The gray hairs on his head only reminded him of this unpleasant fact.

Severus awoke to his wife grinning as if she'd discovered the potion for eternal youth. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered into his ear. "Good morning Severus. I love you."

"I love you too," he pried his eyes open as he took her into his arms. It was too cold to leave bed. All he wanted to do was cuddle her and pretend it was January 10. If he was lucky, his children would cooperate in forgetting his birthday.

"Daddy!"

He released Hermione as Rose and Victor rushed into the room, their smiles the widest Severus had ever seen. Behind them, Violet ran as fast as her toddler legs would take her. Her eyes glistened, as though she was in on some titillating secret, making her a big girl in everyone's eyes.

"Daddy, do you know what day it is?" Rose jumped on the bed and folded her hands.

"Tuesday?" He deadpanned.

"Yes," she squeaked, looking every bit like an overinflated balloon ready to burst

"Tuesday is fun," Victor sat beside his sister. "We get to do a spelling test today."

Rose frowned. "I don't like that part," then her smile returned. "But we're going to do something special this Tuesday."

"What are we doing that's so special?" Severus asked as Hermione lifted up Violet so she could sit on the bed with everyone.

"You'll see," Victor flashed his teeth.

"I'll see?" Severus drawled.

Victor nodded.

"When will I see?"

"Whenever you want to."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You'll see soon why Tuesday is special," Victor was practically singing.

"I suppose I will," Severus muttered.

"Okay, let's let your father get up and go to work," Hermione held a squirming Violet so she didn't crawl on her dad.

"Do you really have to work?" Rose asked.

"Yes," he sat up as straight as he could with his two older children on his lap. "I did not take the day off, so I must go."

"But it's Tuesday," Rose argued.

"I know, and I still have no idea why this Tuesday is so special," Severus answered. "Every other Tuesday passes by with little acknowledgement. What makes this Tuesday so special?"

"You don't know?" She bounced on his lap.

Severus suppressed a scowl. For a brief moment, he considered explaining to his children that he didn't need a day where he was reminded that he was old enough to be Violet's grandpa, married a witch almost two decades younger than him, and was growing less attractive with each passing year. Still, their eyes were glistening, as were their mother's. Even Violet was looking like him as if he'd told her candy was a nutritious breakfast and would be treated as such. The last thing he wanted was to extinguish their joy.

Still, it was clear they were playing some game. If he didn't go along with it they'd be just as disappointed as if he told them the truth about his birthday. The last thing he ever wanted to do was ruin their fun when they were showing their affection for him.

Severus' lips curled upwards as he looked into Rose's eyes. "Is it your birthday?"

"No," Rose giggled.

"Good, because I did not buy you any presents."

"That's how I know it isn't my birthday. You wouldn't forget to buy me a present if it was my birthday."

"No, I never would," he kissed her on the forehead.

"It might be a birthday though," Victor cut in.

"Is it truly your birthday?" Severus teased.

"No," he laughed.

"Good, because I didn't buy you a present either." He kissed his son on the forehead.

"But I may have bought someone a present," he answered in a sing-song voice.

"What did you buy your mother?" Severus asked.

Rose and Victor glanced at each other and began laughing.

"Wan Dada pwenet," Violet called.

Severus raised his eyebrow. "Why would I have a present?"

"Don know," she chuckled.

"You are a silly girl," He kissed her forehead.

"Wuv Dada," she extended her hands.

"Yes, I love you too," he took her from Hermione and held her close. Then he turned to his other children. "Just like I love both of you."

"We love you too," Rose answered.

"Yes, we love you," Victor answered.

"Okay, your dad does need to get to work despite Tuesday being such a special day," Hermione gestured for her children to get off the bed.

"Are you making breakfast, Mum?" Victor slid off his dad.

"I suppose I can make breakfast today," Hermione winked. "But you'll have to help me set everything up."

"Okay," Victor leapt off the bed and darted out of the room.

"Happy Tuesday," Rose beamed before waving and chasing after her brother.

Severus shook his head. "I love our children more than anything, but sometimes they are the three oddest people I have ever met."

"They come by it naturally," Hermione brushed her lips against his before taking Violet. "With us as their parents, they didn't stand a chance of being normal."

"No," his lips twitched upwards. "They did not."

"I'll see you after your shower," she kissed his lips again. "Try not to take too long. We wouldn't want you to miss our special breakfast."

"I promise not to delay breakfast on this special Tuesday," he promised.

Hermione's eyes gleamed as left the bed and took Violet's hand. Then, she led her daughter out of the room.

Severus' lips curled. Somehow, his family made January 9 pleasant. Even if he couldn't find a reason to celebrate, they still did.

It was one of the many ways they let him know he was loved.

Any mood for celebration died as he stared at his hairbrush. What he was seeing couldn't be real. No, there was a mistake. Perhaps the bathroom lighting was bad, or it was Hermione's hair. Yet when he held up the strand of hair and felt the grease upon in, he couldn't deny it.

He had a gray hair.

Severus swallowed as he stared into the mirror. Not only were the lines on his face becoming more pronounced, but his hair was graying. Of all the days to discover a telltale sign of his age, it just had to be on his birthday.

He examined the gray hair, considering the implications. All his life he'd had black hair. It was a part of his identity, more than he wanted to admit. He dressed in black, so it made sense for his hair to be black. How could he be any other way?

Yet his hair was graying, meaning at some point his black hair would be no more.

For a moment he tried to imagine himself with gray hair, or hair as white as Dumbledore's. In both instances, he appeared old, much older than his wife and children, perhaps even older than his parents-in-law. What little attractiveness he possessed would be gone. He'd be nothing more than an aging ball and chain around Hermione, someone mistaken for his children's grandpa instead of their father.

His chest constricted at the thought of Hermione's predicament. As he aged, his body would begin to fail. Granted, they were wizards, so it could be over a century until his age became an insurmountable problem. They would have time during their golden years to do things such as create new potions, travel the world, enjoy their retirement, and live life on their own terms. Still, no body could live forever, meaning he was more likely to die before Hermione did.

She wouldn't care either. Although he could not understand why the witch was so devoted to him, he knew she would never abandon him. No, she would remain by his side, never caring that if she'd married someone younger, she may not be a widow during the last years of her life. For all Severus knew, she could be a widow for decades, and wouldn't care so long as she honored the memory of her deceased husband. Her fierce loyalty to her family was one of the things Severus loved most about her, even if would interfere with her ability to live her best life.

Then again, he could be overreacting. This may be nothing. Perhaps there would be no more gray hairs, and he could maintain his appearance. Perhaps he and Hermione would die on the same day, or she would find another man to love, meaning she wouldn't be alone for long. There may be no crisis.

"Dad!"

"What Rose?" He called, putting the gray hair in the sink and turning on the water. Right now the child idolized him. How long would that last if she realized how much older he was than every other parent in her peer group?

"We have a special Tuesday breakfast," she called.

He cleared his throat. "I did not know we had a special Tuesday breakfast."

"We do now," she cheered as her footsteps grew closer to the closed door. "We have to go to the dining room to get it though."

"Let me get dressed and then I'll go with you," he answered, thinking only appearing to breakfast only in pants would not be considered appropriate.

"You should already be dressed," Rose giggled.

"I know," he glanced at the offending gray hair, which still had not gone down the drain. "Sometimes I move slowly. It is an unfortunate consequence of getting older."

"Well hurry up! We have breakfast."

Severus moved the hair with his finger until it went down the sink. If he ignored the gray hair it would be as if it never existed. So long as he ignored everything that reminded him of aging, the problem could be ignored until he was ready to deal with it.

Rose held Severus' hand, dragging him to the dining room.

"You seem eager for breakfast," Severus noted.

"I am," she grinned. "It's going to be great."

"Breakfast is always great, yet you don't usually have this much enthusiasm for it," Severus noted.

"It's a special Tuesday breakfast," she stepped into the dining room and released his hand.

"Happy birthday!" Hermione, Victor, and Violet shouted. All of them were sitting under a white banner with black letters that said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!"

Soon, all of them began singing the birthday song. Severus relaxed as he felt his family's love wash over him. He much preferred this to drunken slurs and destroyed toys.

"What a lovely surprise," Severus couldn't help but smile when he saw how bright Hermione's and the children's eyes were.

"I'll bet you thought we forgot about your birthday, didn't you?" Rose embraced him.

"No," Severus admitted.

"Why? Did someone tell you that we remembered your birthday?"

"No, I knew you remembered my birthday because I know all of you love me. None of you would never forget a day so important."

"We do love you," Rose embraced him.

"Mum made the omelets you like so much," Victor cut in. "And we can eat your cake right after you blow out your candles."

Severus bit back a groan. The last thing he needed was to spend the next half hour blowing out candles and preventing the house from burning down.

"I'll go ahead and light the candles so we can eat the cake." She pointed to the chocolate cake with white frosting in the middle of the table, which thankfully only had five candles atop it, one for every decade of his life.

Severus asked in mock surprise, "You are allowing them to eat cake for breakfast?"

"She is," Rose released him and took her place at the table.

"It's a very special day, one we have to celebrate in the best way possible," Hermione strolled over and hugged her husband. "Happy birthday Severus."

"Thank you," He returned the embrace.

"Are you going to give Dad a birthday kiss?" Victor asked.

"Yes, I guess you deserve a kiss since it's your birthday, and you deserve to be happy," Rose cut in.

"Iss! Iss!" Violet shouted.

"Now there's an idea," Hermione captured his lips, leaving no doubt that she was in love with Severus, and was still very much attracted to him.

It was one of the best Tuesday breakfasts he'd ever had.

Severus' birthday was one of the most special ones he could remember. His children made beautiful homemade cards for him, ones he hung in his office as soon as he arrived at work. While Violet's card was mainly scribbles, her older siblings were a bit more skilled with crayons. Although Rose misspelled, "Hapy birthday to a grate Dad,"it made the card all the more endearing. Of course Victor's handwriting was improving, as was his ability to draw realistic humans. All the cards were wonderful, and would remain in his office along with all the other cards his children had made for him over the years.

Somehow Hermione had found a program out of community college near her parents' house that allowed children to create and decorate mugs. While Rose's was all black with pictures of cauldrons and vials upon it, Victor's mug had a green snake with pictures of flowers. Violet was not allowed to partake in the activity, but the new black cauldron she'd "bought" with her mother warmed his heart.

In the meantime, Hermione gave him two rare potions books. One of it contained a green bookmark which stated in silver letters, "more to come tonight." It was enough to make his mouth water and heart race.

Overall, it was a wonderful birthday, even if he did find a gray hair.

Once the children were in bed, Severus lay in his bed, reading one of the potions books Hermione had given him. She had been in the bathroom for over ten minutes, something which never ceased to amuse him. He spent two minutes washing his face and brushing his teeth. It took her twice as much time to do the same, and that wasn't counting the rest of her bedroom routine.

"Oh Severus," her voice was smooth as the silk sheets they laid upon.

He glanced up from his journal and she stepped out. His breath hitched as he drank in the sight of her. She wore the low cut emerald neglige she knew Severus loved with a silver bow on her neck. Her hair was somewhat tussled, just the way her husband loved it.

She was the only woman who could make him lose interest in reading.

"Would you like to unwrap me?" She purred.

"Oh yes," he set the book on the side table and approached her. "I certainly would."

"Good, because I've been waiting all day to give you your present."

"Oh you have," he purred in that voice he knew drove her wild.

She laughed as he began to unwrap the bow from her neck. Once it was on the floor, he gazed at his wife.

"Gods you're beautiful," he whispered. "How did I get lucky enough to have the most beautiful woman in the world marry me?"

"You proposed." She kissed the scar left by Nagini, "you were there for me where I needed you," she kissed his chin, "you understand me," she kissed his cheek, "and you love me." She captured his lips.

He ran his fingers through her hair as their tongues danced. Once they came up for air, he rasped. "I will never understand how you could love an old git like me, someone who was never anything to look at, and is aging much sooner than he'd like."

"You're aging the same as everyone else does," she put her head on his chest. "I'd rather you age than be six feet in the ground."

"You're one of the few people who has ever cared whether I lived or died."

"The children care."

"I know they do. I love them for it," he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Still I'm much older than I ever thought I'd be, much happier than I thought I would ever be. For the first time in my life, I've found peace. I never want it to end."

"It won't," she ran a hand through his hair. "Not as long as I exist."

"I know." He kissed the top of her head. "As long as you and the children are by my side, I will be the happiest man in the world."

"We are all so blessed to have you in our lives." She brushed her lips against his again.

"The years have not been kind to me, but to you," he met her eyes again. "You are the most beautiful witch I've ever met, even if you made the questionable choice to tie yourself to an aging git."

"Excuse me?" She twisted her lips.

"I'm an aging git, much older than you ever thought your husband would be. Yet you remain by me, for reasons I still cannot fathom."

She blinked before her smile grew. With a gleam in her eyes she asked, "you found the gray hair, didn't you?"

"The gray hair?" His eyes bugled.

She nodded with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"You knew about the gray hair?" He paled.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"I've known about it for at least two weeks."

His heart slowed. "H-how?"

"What do you mean how?" She purred. "I sleep next to you every night, and play with your hair every morning. You know how much I like to run my fingers through it, enjoying how soft it is, reveling in the fact that I am the only woman who is privileged enough to touch you as I do. Some days, I think know your hair better than you do."

"And you kept quiet about it?"

"Yes, because I knew you'd make a fuss over it," the gleam in her eyes intensified, "which you are."

He stiffened. "What did you think I would do?"

"I had hoped you'd find it, pretend you didn't see it, and move on. Still, I suspected that would not be the case. That doesn't matter though." She held him closer to her. "It's just one more thing that attracts me to you."

"You find this gray hair attractive?"

"Yes."

His eyes betrayed his skepticism. "How? You fell in love with a man who had black hair. I'm called the dungeon bat for a reason. Are you sure you'd be attracted to me if I had gray hair?"

She rasped. "Do you remember that evening when we made love in the shower until the water ran cold?"

"Yes," his lips curled upwards. "You were insatiable, though I couldn't understand why."

"It's because I saw the gray hair," she lowered her voice, "I thought it was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen, so I reacted accordingly."

"Sexy?"

"Yes." She hummed.

"What is so sexy about it?"

"To begin, I love the idea of you becoming older."

"Why?" He stared at her. "I am older than you, meaning I could die before you. There is a chance you would live your golden years as a widow. Why would you want to take that chance and be tied to a man like me?"

"First of all, I'm already tied to you through our three children. No matter what happens, we will always be connected through their love for us. If one of us is in trouble, they expect the other to care for them. I'm more than happy to take care of you when you need me, and I know you'll do the same for me."

"Of course I'll care for you," he kissed her cheek. "There's no one I care for more than you and the children. I will tend to your every need for the rest of my life."

"Exactly," she nuzzled her head against his chest. "And I promise you the same, which brings me to my second point. I want to live life with you. I don't care if you're older or younger than me. I don't care if we travel the world or stay home. I just want to be by your side for as long as I am able to do so."

"That may not be as long as you'd like given average life expectancies."

"None of us knows when we'll die. All I know is I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

"You do?" He choked.

Her voice was soft, "I do. Somehow, our love will get us through the future. Even if I can't see you, I know you'll be with me. Not even death can change that."

A tear came to his eye.

She met his eyes. "I want to grow old with you. I want to have gray hair while your hair is white. I want to hear you grouse about how everything has changed except for the love you have for your family. I want to see you playing with our grandchildren, assuming we have any. I want to hear your impart your wisdom to the children as they navigate their way through life. I want to remind you to take your vitamin potions while you complain about not needing them. I want to watch sunsets with you holding your hand, knowing we will spend eternity together. I want to continue living every moment of my life loving you. Everything else will fall into place so long as we love each other."

He held her tighter.

"I know you aren't the biggest fan of birthdays, but it's a day the children and I want, no need, to honor," she continued. "It's a celebration of the man I'm growing old with and the wonderful father who tends to his children's every need. It's a reminder that we've made it through another year together, and we will spend many more years together. It's a commemoration that you are loved, much more than we can express."

So many words rushed through his mind. Yet all he could say was a choked out, "I love you and the children so much, Hermione," before pressing his lips against hers. "The wisest thing I ever did was marry you. I love everything about you."

She moaned as she leaned into the kiss. For a moment, they reveled in each other's presence. After releasing her, he whispered, "I love you, so much more than I can express."

"I love you too," She kissed his chin. "I am forever yours. No matter how old we are, I will forever consider you the sexiest man I've ever seen."

"Even if I have white hair, refuse to take my vitamin potions, and complain about everything in life?"

"I promise to love you as much then as I do now. In fact, I think I'll love you more than I do now because we'll have been through so much, and will find new reasons to love each other throughout the years."

He gazed into her eyes, knowing she meant every word. Somehow, he'd found awoman who would love him for the rest of eternity. At long last he'd obtained the love he thought was reserved for others. She loved him, and what was more, he loved her with his whole being.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he answered before leaning down and purring in her ear, "that being said, you are much too clothed for my birthday celebration."

"I am?" Her eyes gleamed.

"Indeed you are," he pulled her neglige off her and admired her body, bathed in the moonlight. After everything he'd done wrong in life, Severus had found a woman who loved him, and children who adored him. All he'd ever wanted was a family, one he'd finally found.

From that perspective, January 9 was one of the most joyous days of the year.