Rihanna's Son
everyone knows! are there no secrets at headquarters!?
Marti
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He wakes in the night with Hermione next to him, his face glazed over with sweat, wondering why he’d be thrust to consciousness in such a state. He looked down at Hermione, her rose lips puckered against his chest, her breath stirring his black hair. He lifted one hand to brush his fingers slowly through the curls. He loved her so much and he couldn’t wait to kneel in front of her in full view of her friends and ask for her hand in marriage. He’d get the woman he loved and with any luck the sudden heart attacks of her two best friends. He heard another’s breathing and held his own breath as he tried to focus on who might be in the room.
“Daddy?”
Severus let his breath out and turned his head to find his son standing at the bottom corner of his bed watching him and Hermione asleep together. “Damien, are you aright? Did you have another nightmare?”
“Yeah. Why’s ‘Mione here? Did she have a nightmare too?”
Severus smiled at the boy and shook Hermione’s shoulder to wake her. She moaned and kissed his chest, lifting her head to let her wild curls fall in front of her face. She smiled up at Severus and purred. Severus pulled the sheet up quickly before parts of Hermione were revealed to his son. “Damien’s here, luv.”
“What!” She started to sit up, but his hand on her back stopped her. She gasped and snuggled down lower under the covers. “I thought Gin was going to watch out for him tonight.”
“Ginny’s asleep. And Uncle Remus ain’t in his bed, and you weren’t neither, ‘Mione. So’s I came in here to see Daddy. And here you are.” He came closer to the bed, lifting the sheet up as he was determined to get into bed with the two of them.
“Wait, Damien. G-go into your room for a moment, please. I wish to change my pajamas.”
“Did you have an accident? It’s okay, Mommy said it happens sometimes.” Damien popped his thumb into his mouth, his other arm curled protectively around his stuffed bear.
Hermione covered her mouth with her hand to hide the laughter that threatened to fill the quiet room.
“No, I just wish to change my clothes. Now, go, son.” Severus closed his eyes and prayed for patience. The child had pushed the limits all day and now in the middle of the night wanted to do it again. He watched Damien go into his room and close the adjoining door. Hermione snorted and reached over his chest to pick up her bathrobe. She sat quickly and slid it on while Severus got up and pulled his boxers on quickly. He bent down and grabbed Hermione’s nightgown, a teal silk barely there confection that she’d barely had on before he’d pulled it off of her body. She hadn’t minded at all.
“I better go.” She came around the bed and reached on her tiptoes to kiss him lingeringly before grabbing the gown and rushing out the door to the hallway. He watched her with a small smile of satisfaction before going to the door and opening it for the boy. He was standing, waiting patiently on the other side. One thumb planted firmly between his lips and his other arm clutching his bear for dear life as he watched his father wordlessly. He entered with his father’s gesture and immediately climbed into the bed, going to the pillow that Hermione had started with earlier in the night. He sniffed her lingering scent and smiled a little. Severus made sure the outer door was fully closed and turned back to slide under the covers next to his son. A year ago, he’d never have considered that sleeping with the comforting warmth of his son would be so calming, or would have even ever happened. So much had changed; he just hoped that Potter could find the Horcruxes and end the Dark Lord forever so Severus and Hermione may finally have a normal life together with Damien.
“Daddy, I want Mommy.”
“Remember what we talked about today? Mommy is in heaven.”
Damien sighed and snuggled against his father’s side, holding the bear even tighter.
“Can ‘Mione be my mommy someday?”
“I guess that’s up to Hermione, Damien.” Severus yawned suddenly, reminding him that he’d only been asleep a little while before Damien had crept in. Thankfully, he hadn’t come in about half an hour earlier than he had, else this conversation would have been following another even more uncomfortable tangent. “What are you doing with your uncle in the morning?”
“Play in the yard. Can I have a kitty?”
“Damien, go to sleep.”
“I want a kitty like Crooks.”
“God, not like that orange footrest.” Severus yawned again, hoping the boy would get the hint.
“Mommy was supposed to get me a kitty for my birfday.”
Great, now the child was playing a guilt trip on him. Damn.
“Go to sleep, Damien.” Severus closed his own eyes and pulled the boy closer, hoping he’d get the hint.
“Night, Daddy.”
Remus gave the four year old his morning bath, much to Severus’ amusement. Watching the werewolf come stalking out of the bathroom dripping water all over the long carpet runner with the towel clad child following him perked Severus right up for the day. He smiled at his son and asked Remus if wolves could swim. Remus bat-bogey hexed him, but it was worth it. Bats were flying out of his nose as he roared with laughter when he caught sight of Crookshanks scurrying out of the bath after Damien, looking a third of his normal size with his fur plastered dark orange to his skin, hissing at everyone he passed. He shot up the stairs to Hermione’s room. Then her yells of outrage on behalf of her cat filled the halls.
It was worth seeing his son’s eyes filled with happiness, but children were resilient.
“Lupin, I have to go into Diagon Alley. I need some hair so I can Polyjuice into you for a couple of hours.”
“I can get it for you, Severus.” Remus dried his face with a conjured hand towel as Damien raced upstairs to his room, calling for Hermione’s familiar.
“It’s something personal, a couple of things actually. I trust you can handle a little four year old for the two hours I’d be gone?” Severus mocked, leaning against the wall as the hex faded finally. What would school have been like if he’d allowed the Hat to Sort him into Gryffindor like it had wanted? He might have been friends with Lupin, probably not Potter and Black, but Lupin could have been someone he called a friend. He might never have joined Voldemort, but then he might never have known Hermione as anything but the friend of one of his schoolmate’s child.
“Fine. Here.” Remus pulled four hairs from his forehead, wincing at the tiny pinpricks of pain and handed them over. “Use them wisely. Oh, and if you see Tonks, you might want to avoid her; she’s upset with me and on the warpath.”
“Haven’t you learned not to annoy a witch? You do know what word that rhymes with? There is a reason for it. Thank you. I’ll be back before lunch.” He turned with a flurry of robes and re-entered the kitchen. The Weasley women were finishing cleaning up from breakfast, chatting while they washed dishes by hand. “Ladies, I’ll be out for the morning. I’ll return as soon as possible. Remus will be watching Damien, and Miss Granger is upstairs with her angry cat.” He filled a mug with a vial of Polyjuice potion and added the hair quickly. He swallowed it with a grimace, and then floo’d out of the kitchen before the transfiguration finished.
Severus appeared in the Leaky Cauldron, and remembered to greet Tom nicely, rather than in his own normal snarl.
He hurried to the entrance to Diagon Alley and rushed to his first destination. He didn’t have much time and he wanted to get this right.
“Professor Snape left as Remus for the day?” Hermione repeated to herself as Molly assigned her the chore of dusting the library. Molly nodded and smiled indulgently at the child running around the table chasing Crookshanks. The cat might have been upset about having gotten a dousing that morning, but he adored the little boy and was the best way to keep him occupied sometimes.
“Said he had some things to get done. He won’t be long, since he only had a bit of hair.” Molly barely looked at her as she concentrated on opening the cupboards with a wave of her wand.
“’Mione, is your bad dream goned now? Daddy’s the best at making bad dreams go ‘way. He saids you could be my mommy someday, but it’s up to you.”
Molly whipped around faster than Hermione had ever seen the older witch move. Hermione grimaced and tried to look innocent. “What is that child talking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t try and bluff me, Hermione Granger. I raised Fred and George and I know all their fakeries. Are you and Severus...? Oh, dear lord, you are!” Molly pressed her joined hands to her bosom and stared slack jawed at the bushy-haired witch. Ginny watched from the sidelines, knowing better than to draw her mother’s wrath on herself when someone else was in the line of fire.
“Mrs. Weasley, really! Do you honestly believe that a man like Severus Snape would be even remotely interested in someone like me?”
“Yes! You’re just bloody like him! Are you sleeping with him?”
Hermione sighed and glanced at Ginny and shrugged. She ruffled Damien’s fine black hair and told him to take Crookshanks upstairs to find his uncle while the girls talked. He grinned and grabbed the huge ginger cat before running full-tilt out the door, the cat bouncing resignedly over the child’s shoulder. The look the cat gave his mistress promised future retribution for such and ignoble handling of his body. Molly spelled the door closed and locked and turned to the young woman.
“Severus and I have been together for a couple of months now. He’s told me he loved me, and of course I love him. We’re just afraid to do anything until the end of the war.”
“He’s so much older than you, Hermione! He was a Death Eater, a spy, and a former teacher of yours. What would your parents say, Hermione?”
“I’d hope they’d be happy I found someone strong and intelligent to love and to love me in return, Mrs. Weasley.”
“He has a toddler!”
“Yes, and he’s so adorable, isn’t he?” Hermione winked at Ginny and lifted her duster up to wave before her like her wand. The youngest Weasley giggled.
“I’m going to assume that Ginny knew about this?”
“Yes, Mum. I’m sorry for hiding it, but, I took a wizard’s oath not to tell anyone.” Ginny lied easily. She was definitely trained by George and Fred.
“You’re of age, Hermione. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Hermione smiled at the acceptance in the older witch’s voice. Now she just had to tell Harry and Ron before the rest of the Order figured it out. Especially with little Mr. big mouth walking around with her cat. With her cat up the stairs to visit his uncle. “Oh, shite!” She dropped the duster and ran out of the room after the boy.
She skidded to a stop in front of Remus’ open bedroom door. Damien was sitting on the edge of his uncle’s bed; his little legs swinging as he chattered to a very interested Remus Lupin, as he stroked Crookshank’s ginger fur. He meowed at the entrance of his mistress and jumped off the child’s lap to run out of the room, probably to sneak outside and chase the few garden gnomes out back for a little while.
Remus looked up at her breathless entrance, a scowl to rival severus’ on his face. That little boy knew too many words. Why did children have to learn how to talk so soon anyway?
“Hi, Remus. I thought Damien might want to help me dust downstairs.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather clean Professor Snape’s bedroom?”
“I’m pretty sure he’d not appreciate someone entering without his permission.” She smiled nervously and bit her bottom lip.
“He told me what he saw last night. Is it true?”
Hermione nodded.
“I’m going to rip him to shreds when he comes back.” The werewolf seethed, his fingers gripping the towel he had wrapped around behind his neck.
“Remus!” Hermione snapped and motioned to the little boy on the bed. “Molly has cookies in the kitchen, luv.”
“You’re chasing him around after his sugar high, Hermione.” The child rushed out of the room, oblivious to the tension between the two adults. “He’s too old for you, Hermione.”
“I think he’s just old enough. Remus, I love him. We’d been together for a few weeks before you returned from America with Damien. We’re so compatible, and you’d understand that if you would just calm down and consider everything. We didn’t mean for this to happen, and with the news you got yesterday, I’m sorry that it came out like this. He’s hurting too, from her passing.”
“You’re like her in a lot of ways, ‘Mione.” Remus leaned his hip against the dresser.
“Severus said that once, right after he told me about her.” Hermione bit her bottom lip. “I should go check up on Damien. Please, don’t interfere, Remus. I’m alright, and I know he’d never hurt me, nor I him. I’ll see you later.”
Hermione left the werewolf’s room. He watched her with his jaws clenched, wondering if he’d have been even more protective if he’d known about his sister’s involvement with Severus, and realized that he probably would have. If he’d found out before, before seeing Severus with Damien and another complete side to the former spy, he’d have probably reacted much more harshly.
He could tell the young woman loved Snape; he could smell it on her, a subtle musk that ebbed and flowed with every mention of Severus Snape and how he made her feel. He should have been able to sense it before, especially when they were in the same room, but in the last few weeks he’d not been himself, having found and lost his sister all over again and a nephew that he shared with Severus. He ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair and then finished buttoning his shirt. He needed to do some serious thinking about the newest change in his life.