Custody Battle

Blake had thought himself the cleverest person on the planet when it came to the Disney World trip. It was the one place on earth where happiness thrived no matter what the circumstance and it was geared toward children. Even Hermione had been shocked when he’d insisted they extend the invitation to Severus, but what had shocked her more was his final decision to go. Caterina had been grounded right up to the trip. It was New Year’s Eve and the awkward family found themselves standing just outside of Cinderella’s castle at half past eleven with the whole day stretched in front of them, the promise of a fantastic fireworks display at midnight awaiting them at the end.

Dressed in Mickey Mouse ears, Blake had each of the twins by the hand and with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a park map in his hand he pointed toward Tomorrowland. “I say we head for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, what do you say boys?” Benjamin and Eric began to jump up and down shrieking in delight.

“Too scawy,” Emma said, both arms wrapped around Hermione’s legs. “I want to see Pooh.”

“Lame,” Caterina rolled her eyes. “Splash Mountain.”

“But what about Dumbo?” Jocelyn asked.

Hermione sighed. “We can do them all, let’s go to the Space Ranger Spin first, and then we can come back to Dumbo on the way. I think I’d like to stop at the Enchanted Tiki Room too…”

“But what about Splash Mountain?” Caterina stamped her foot.

“Caterina,” Severus said, wholly unhappy about having to be there in the first place. “Stop acting like your six or you won’t be riding anything.”

“Well who’s not going to ride the Space Ranger Spin?” asked Blake.

Before Severus could happily volunteer to sit out of the attraction and guard Emma, Hermione had proposed a better solution. “Why don’t you take the boys to the Space Ranger Spin, and I’ll take Emma to the Honey Pot Ride with Pooh. Severus, could you take the girls to Dumbo and then to Splash Mountain?” her eyes twinkled.

“I don’t know that splitting up is such a good—”

“Awesome!” Caterina cried. “Splash Mountain!”

Severus sighed. “I suppose so.”

“Great, we can meet at oh…how about the Haunted Mansion in say an hour?” Hermione picked Emma up into her arms. “That way we can ride Pooh and go to the Enchanted Tiki Room.” She said to her little blonde daughter. The girl squealed in delight.

Both of Severus’ arms were tugged forward. “Come on!” Caterina cried, Jocelyn standing beside them. “The sooner we can do dumb old Dumbo, the sooner we can get to Splash Mountain.” He had decided that the ride’s name alone most likely warranted trouble. Splash meant water and mountain meant big water and those two things combined together in a Disney World attraction did not bode well for Severus Snape.

But it was Dumbo first that he would have to deal with as Jocelyn practically ran ahead, disappearing into the crowd, when the large flying elephant attraction came into view. It seemed silly to him, a wizard unfamiliar with all of the intricacies of Disney fairytales that they would make a ride that involved a flying elephant. Hurrying forward, he caught up with Jocelyn, much to Caterina’s chagrin.

“Are you going to ride with us?” the younger girl turned her eyes up to him.

“Yeah, dad, are you going to ride with us?” Caterina put her hands on her hips.

Narrowing his eyes at his daughter he pursed his lips to tell her off, but then thought better of it, kneeling down beside Jocelyn. “Yes, I suppose I can, if you’d like me to.”

“Great, does that mean I don’t have to?”

“No. If I’m riding, so are you.” He smirked and ushered them forward as the queue moved to let them in. Staring at the tiny elephant he frowned. “Well this looks fantastic.” Once settled into the far side of the elephant with Jocelyn next to him and Caterina at the car’s edge, he put an arm around the younger girl’s shoulder, afraid that when the thing took off with a jolt that she might somehow tumble over her sister and out of the car.

“It’s like magic!” Jocelyn smiled and tugged on the joystick that controlled the up and down motion of the elephant. Even Caterina was smiling, despite the fact that the ride was slow for her tastes. Severus leaned back and relaxed for a moment, actually enjoying the breeze as they passed around the castle for a fifth time, swirling slowly in a carefree counterclockwise path.

All too soon the ride had ended and Jocelyn was bouncing out of the seat, as most seven-year-olds do, all smiles and giggles. “That was great!”

“It wasn’t bad,” said Caterina, trying to sound grown up.

“Ah, yes, what was it next?” he said, eying the surrounding attractions. The Golden Carousel of Cinderella was teaming with small children, and a large crowd had gathered at the side of the attraction. “Who’s that?” he pointed to the princess in the ball gown.

“Cinderella!” Jocelyn screamed and took off running toward her. Severus and Caterina followed in a trot. “It’s Cinderella!” The girl reached into her tiny little backpack and pulled out the blue and white star studded autograph book that Hermione had purchased for her at the gift shop, and after just a few moments, she was standing beside the princess.

“Hello there, and what’s your name?” the woman smiled.

“Jocelyn and that’s my sister, Caterina.” She pointed to her sister, who reluctantly, and with a push from Severus, stumbled forward. “You’re pretty.”

“Thank you, Jocelyn, so are you. Are you going to have your picture taken today?” Cinderella asked.

Her eyes went wide and she looked at Severus. “Can you take our picture?”

Hermione had not given him a camera, but ever quick thinking on his feet, he used wordless, wandless magic to transfigure some odds and ends in his pocket into a camera. “Of course,” he said and moved toward the princess, his daughter and Jocelyn. Upon further inspection he nearly dropped the camera, gasping. “Good heavens,” he said, pulling the lens up to his face.

Cinderella’s eyes seemed to twinkle and she beamed a smile at him. “Didn’t realize you had children,” she smiled and then turned and hugged each of the girls. “Have a magical day!”

Before Severus could say anything further, another small group of children were crowding around Penelope Clearwater dressed and styled like the fairytale princess. Who knew? “Do you know her?” Caterina was quick to ask.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “She’s Cinderella. Now, something about a mountain was it?” he said, quickly changing the subject. It worked. Sure enough the girl pulled out the park map outlining the path that led to Splash Mountain. After backtracking through Fantasyland, past Mickey’s Philharmagic, they turned on a path into Liberty Square and passed the Hall of Presidents, following that path until it led into Frontierland. There was a momentary hold up at the stage for the Country Bear Jamboree as it was letting out, but beyond that the stone carved attraction seemed to rise up in the distance.

“There it is!” Caterina shrieked!”

“After that can we go back to the Country Bears?” Jocelyn asked.

Severus checked his timepiece, pulling it from a pocket in his trousers. “I don’t know if we have time before we have to meet your mother at the Haunted Mansion, but we’ll see, alright?” he said and the girl threw her arms around his waist. He hadn’t been expecting it, but smiled a bit and patted her on the back.

“Dad! Quit with the gushy mushies with Joc, and let’s go!”

He narrowed his eyes at her. When had she become such a demanding spoiled brat? And he couldn’t help but wonder if either Hermione or perhaps even himself had taken tendencies toward that nature at her age, but the thought was quickly pushed from his mind as his daughter raced ahead to the Fast Pass lane. “Caterina! Wait up!” And to keep from losing her all together, Severus scooped Jocelyn up into his arms and moved in brisk strides toward the line, finally grabbing his daughter as the loading area.

“Awesome!” she cried, and jumped into the very front seat, leaving Jocelyn to be sat behind her and Severus behind that.

Some twelve minutes later, Severus, drenched from head to toe, with two soaking girls at his side, exited Splash Mountain. He dragged them both to a nearby and thankfully isolated park bench and with a series of muttered spells had them all reasonably dried. Jocelyn who looked thoroughly happy to be dried smiled and gave him another hug before asking, “Is there time for the Country Bears?”

“I don’t think so, Jocelyn, but after the Haunted Mansion, I’ll make sure it’s the first thing on your mother’s agenda.”

Caterina, who had objected to the drying spells, was already stalking off up the path, heading back toward Liberty Square. By the time he’d caught up with her, she’d reunited with Hermione, Blake, and her other siblings. “We got a picture with Cinderella!” her arms were moving almost as rapidly as her mouth and eyes.

“That’s wonderful,” Hermione smiled and then waved her arm in Severus’ direction from her spot in the queue, she was uncertain if he had seen her or not. “Thank you for taking them, how was—” she paused looking him up and down. “Did you even go to Splash Mountain?”

“Maybe he didn’t ride,” Blake suggested, pulling Ben and Eric apart as they began to scrabble with one another at his feet.

“But the girls aren’t wet either!”

“Do you honestly think that this one would have let that happen?” he gestured at Caterina and then shrugged his shoulders. “Simple drying charm, couldn’t see the point in walking around soaked all day.”

Hermione smiled. They made amicable chitchat, her, Severus, and Blake, while the kids took turns reading the names on the tombstones in the cemetery as they advanced toward the entrance of the Haunted Mansion. Once through the stretching room, which was quite the ordeal for Emma, they were ushered down the hall of portraits to the Doom Buggies. Hermione instinctively went to grab Emma but she shook her head, clinging to her sisters. “I want to ride with them!” the little girl shouted, her head buried against Caterina’s shirt.

“Then we’ll all just ride together,” she said and approached a Doom Buggy, only to have the hand of a costumed cast member come down on her shoulder.

“Master Gracey only allows three living spirits per buggy, ma’am,” the man, painted like a butler, bowed to her.

“Oh,” and her eyes turned to her husband, who was already loading Ben and Eric into the Buggy next to her as it continued to move. “Well, Emma you’re just going to have to ride with me and—”

“No!” she squealed.

“We’ve got her, mom, its ok.” Caterina said and then helped her two sisters into the Doom Buggy. Before Hermione could protest, the next one was arriving and the one carrying her three daughters was heading down the track.

Severus frowned. “Are you riding?” he asked her and she nodded, climbing into the Doom Buggy, waiting for him to slide in next to her. He did and at once the metal lap bar came down over them and she jumped just slightly, not having expected it. “Sorry.” She muttered.

“Not at all,” he said and gazed ahead down the dark tunnel. As the buggies passed over the balcony of the ballroom the ghosts began to materialize, dancing and spinning, floating and partying and Hermione shrieked as the buggy spun quickly around to face the opposite wall. “Are you alright?” he asked, moving an arm around her shoulder.

“Yes— yes, I’m fine, I just don’t remember this being quite so dark and so sudden,” she said, but did not move to push his hand away. The buggy moved on, room after room until it reached the scene where the crystal ball was floating and summoning spirits. “She didn’t used to float around the room, she was static in her little cradle,” Hermione said and then shrieked as the great green floating ball came swooping toward their buggy, steering up and over the top at the last moment. “Gods!” she cried and turned her head into Severus’ shoulder.

“Hermione, don’t be frightened, it’s just animatronics, you faced the bloody Dark Lord,” he whispered in her ear and pulled her close to him, wrapping both arms around her. She peeked her head out from his armpit where she’d practically buried her eyes and then shook herself.

“I’m fine.” She said, clearing her throat and then nearly jumped back into his lap when the green spirits that Madam Leotta had summoned came swooping in from overhead. “They’ve— they’ve updated this thing.”

“Indeed,” he muttered, trying hard not to laugh. It was ridiculous, watching the fierce and noble Hermione Granger cower from light projections and mirror tricks. She had helped Harry Potter defeat Lord Voldemort, but a simple blast of greenish light swooping through a child’s amusement park sent her shrieking into his arms.

The buggy roved on, floating into the attic where the bride swooped about and Hermione ducked, several more times, into his arms, before it spun mercilessly around, taking them down an incline into the cemetery. Her body fell against his and he held her tight, her big brown eyes gazing up at him in front. The song Grim Grinning Ghosts was playing and the busts in the cemetery were bouncing happily along as they rolled past.

“Don’t be scared, Hermione.” He said, and leaned closer to her.

Her lips were pressing against his and her arms were tightly around his neck, tongues in each other’s mouths as they passed the ghosts on bicycles, circling round and round. Had either one had their eyes open they would have seen the hitchhiking ghosts appear in the Doom Buggy as they passed the giant mirror at the end. “Hurry back…hurry back…and don’t forget your death certificate…” the little ghost like woman was saying.

Hermione quickly pulled back from him, cheeks flushed, lips nearly swollen. Severus also looked tussled, as her hands had been tugging his hair for the last few moments of the ride. The lap bar was lifted and she was all too quick to exit the ride. “Mum!” Jocelyn cried, and waved to her mother, who had not been facing in the right direction when she stepped out of the buggy.

“Boo.”

“Oh!” she cried and nearly jumped out of her skin as Blake rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Sorry, hon, didn’t mean to scare you,” he kissed her cheek. “They’ve updated the ride, I think,” he smiled and waved at Severus who was getting out of the cart. “Hope you weren’t too scared.”

“I think it was your wife that was having issues,” he said and frowned. “It’s honestly just a ride for small children but she was jumping as if…” he trailed off, thinking perhaps the reference to the Dark Lord would be lost on her husband. “Well, she was practically jumping out of the darn buggy.” He failed to mention their heated kiss.

Blake chuckled and then gazed down at his two boys. “Where to next?”

“I believe that Jocelyn had wanted to see the Country Bear Jamboree,” Severus said and with his words, they set off back toward Frontierland.

~*~

Many, many hours later, they found themselves standing on Main Street waiting for the SpectroMagic New Year’s Parade to begin. They had traipsed all over the Magic Kingdom, riding every attraction and seeing every show, some of which the children had insisted on doing twice. They’d run across several characters, stopping for photographs and autographs, and Severus had been dragged on more than one ride that he seemed none to happy about riding on. But through Peter Pan, Space Mountain, several turns on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and all of the various other things accomplished that day, Severus and Hermione did not find themselves on a ride together without at least one of the children.

They were standing on a corner, Blake holding both Eric and Ben up on his shoulders while Hermione held Emma up. Caterina was just tall enough to see and so Severus had offered to put Jocelyn up on his shoulders and that pleased the girl immensely. The parade was grandiose and the fireworks display larger than life, and by the time it was all said and done it was nearly 1:00a.m.

A long monorail ride took them back to their resort, and with a little bit of help from Severus, all of the sleeping children were carried into the suite. There was a large common area that bled into a kitchen with a smaller bathroom off to the side, and then a small room to the back for the boys. The master bedroom for Hermione and Blake had a conjoining bathroom that on the other side led into Emma’s small room. On the opposite walls were three doors, the room for the girls to share, a bathroom and a small room that Severus was staying in.

Blake tucked the boys in while Hermione made quick work of making sure that Emma stayed asleep, only to both parents dismay upon returning to the common room, Caterina had woken and then woken her sister and both were sitting up watching the television. She sighed. “I’ll sit up with them,” Severus offered.

“Great. I’m beat.” Blake said before Hermione could say otherwise. “Come on, love,” he kissed Hermione’s cheek.

“I think I’ll sit up a while…” she said.

“Alright, but remember I’m taking the boys to Animal Kingdom early for that Tarzan stunt spectacular thing.”

“Alright, and the plan is that we’ll meet you there, just after 10…” she smiled, realizing that he would be leaving just before six with the boys in tow. “Goodnight,” and she kissed him before settling down into a chair opposite Severus.

Blake disappeared into their room and shut the door. Hermione yawned and Severus sighed. It didn’t take all but a half hour for the girls to begin nodding off. With a wave of his wand he had levitated both Caterina and Jocelyn into the air and guided them into their beds respectively before returning to the common room. She too had dozed off and was softly snoring in the chair.

“Hermione,” he whispered, kneeling by her side and giving her arm a gentle nudge, but she did not stir. “Hermione,” he said again, and then closed his eyes. He leaned forward and placed his lips against her cheek but she seemed to turn and his lips met hers.

Slowly she blinked her eyes open and gazed up at him, and then she let her eyes fall closed. “Please tell me I’m dreaming,” she whispered.

“No, Hermione, you’ve nodded off in the chair. The girls are in bed. As you should be.”

It seemed surreal and she slowly pulled herself up to sitting. He was very close, his warm breath on her neck and she leaned into it, finding herself on her feet and against his chest before she really knew what she’d just done. “Severus, we…” her voice trailed off as she gazed up into his smoldering black eyes.

“The Haunted Mansion…”

“I was frightened…”

“And the mistletoe?”

“I…” she trailed off, cheeks flushing pink. As she turned her gaze back to him their lips met, and his tongue pushed its way into her mouth. They kissed for a moment and then she tilted her head to the side. “I’m exhausted…”

“I am too,” he muttered, but wrapped an arm around her back.

Again heir lips met, and her arms were around his neck before she pulled away again. “I was around that park all day I don’t know what I’m doing…”

“Yes you do, and so was I…” he whispered, running a hand through her hair. She leaned forward kissing him and he’d managed to take a step back, and then another until he was up against his bedroom door.

“This isn’t right my daughters are right next door…”

“And your husband is across the room…” he muttered, but she nuzzled her nose against his cheek and again they kissed. Kiss after kiss as she tried to turn away but found herself giving in to each tender gesture of his lips.

“And I…I…” she trailed off. “Fuck, I’m out of excuses, Severus,” and she pressed her lips firmly to his, one leg rising up the side of his body until it curled around his waist.

“Thank Merlin,” he muttered and jiggled the handle until they fell back through his bedroom door.

A/N: Bare with me! Lemons to come!