By Fair Means or Foul

AN: Joey, I also have her collection by my bed! How cool is that? ^_^


Epilogue

After the reception party, which actually turned into quite a raucous bash for a bunch of professors and dissuaded suitors, life returned to its natural routine. All except for his colleagues’ new game of slipping fruits and vegetables onto his plate, which had already begun sporting its own collection of carefully selected vegetation, and his students’ new habit of staring at his midsection to gauge for bumps. Severus was content to slip back into normalcy.

As a Head of House, Snape was required to stay at Hogwarts at all times, unlike other teachers who could go home at night. Therefore, he only visited Malfoy Manor occasionally. Lucius however had a full privilege visitor’s pass as a spouse and took thorough advantage of it. Often they ate dinner together in Severus’s rooms, occasionally joined by Draco. Intermittently, they would dine together at the head table in the Great Hall when Snape accused Lucius of creating a public reminder as to their relationship’s permanency.

In June, on the last day of term, Lucius congratulated Draco by returning his Father’s Access Key to Draco’s Gringotts vault and the deed to a flat in London. Then he calmly took hold of Severus’s arm and led him to his elegant black carriage. Not expecting to take a carriage anywhere Snape asked Lucius what he was up to. Lucius leaned over, kissed him deep and then whispered into his lover’s ear.

“I am going to show you the world you have been hiding away from, Severus.”

Rome, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Copenhagen, were all experienced to the fullest. Snape gained entrance to any academic conference, presentation, salon, or club that he wished. He spoke to men and women that he had read about and was asked to attend and participate in many monumental experiments and research. Snape was in such an elevated mood by all of this that he consented to being examined and questioned about his pregnancy by some of the top medi-wizards and witches in the world. He even allowed the findings to be published in journals of magical academia.

Lucius was always at hand, calmly watching as Severus rambled from libraries to lectures. He was always there to remind Severus to eat properly and always seemed to find a chair in a crowded room for him. Lucius was constantly able to procure tickets and entrances to anything and anywhere Snape wanted to go and Severus quickly learned how to use the Malfoy name for his own benefit. Lucius was extremely pleased whenever he did this and rewarded him with passionate nights and mornings.

When they reached Munich, Lucius led a faintly waddling Severus to a large and ornate wizarding home where the sound of children playing could be heard from the street. When the door opened a chubby man with bright yellow hair, holding a similarly topped child, was smiling. Before Snape had a chance to ask what area of study he was in, the chubby man put the child down and embraced him. Snape was literally shocked into stillness for as long as the tight squeeze was held. Before he could snap out a humiliating and cutting remark, the man opened his mouth.

“Ich bin sehr glucklich, Ihren acquaintance zu machen!” he said in obvious rushed excitement.

Lucius stepped forward and put his hand on Snape’s arm.

“Severus, this is Reinhold Lutzer. He would like to speak to you about your shared… condition.”

Snape had a very illuminating discussion with Mr. Lutzer, who happily spoke enough English to sustain a fluid dialogue. Snape learned first hand what it was going to be like to be a childbearing father. Reinhold could barely contain his excitement at being able to share his knowledge and relief at no longer being the only Geronis male in existence. Mr. Lutzer rubbed Snape’s expanding middle and suggested ways in easing the discomfort the extra weight was already causing. He also gave the name of his robe maker who was very experienced in making inconspicuous men’s maternity clothing. Snape was able to get out of there only having to admire one child and enduring another hug and finagled his way out of promising to visit for Yule. Lucius was greatly and passionately rewarded for his thoughtful gift of knowledge back at their hotel room later that night.

After spending a month in the Malfoys’ Parisian home, Snape became too uncomfortable to continue travelling with his greatly enlarged frame. Once they returned to Malfoy Manor, Severus received two more gifts; a specially built laboratory added to the manor and the decided absence of anything Narcissa. This time, Lucius had to settle with a smirk and less vitriol for a few hours as a reward. Even if Snape’s body would have cooperated with a more physical recompense, his discovery of the disappearance of his ‘keepers’ box only made the two men even in his eyes.

Two months later, Severus gave birth to a dark haired, grey-eyed baby girl who was named Lucia Alba Valentin Malfoy. Snape and Lucius had had a blazing row about the middle name until they conceded to each pick one. Severus would always contend that Lucius had chosen Valentin out of spite and was not a romantic gesture as Lucius claimed.

Lucia had been delivered via an incision in Severus’s abdomen due to his adamant refusal to lower his dignity with the sweaty and red-faced unpleasantness of a natural birth. When informed by the medi-wizard who had performed the birth that the baby was perfect, Snape gave a cold stare.

“Well, of course, she is,” he snapped quietly, mindful of the sleeping infant in his arms. “I never do anything by half-measures.”

`~*~`

The Daily Prophet reported that most shops in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and Hogsmeade shut down early due to no patrons on the day of the newest Malfoy’s Presentation Ceremony. The paper stated that most of wizarding England could be found in or around Malfoy Manor that day.

Snape believed the reports whole-heartedly and despised all the people and yet was secretly gleeful that his daughter had brought about such a stunning display of attention. Lucius and he would train her well in utilizing that attention to her greatest benefit. Even Potter and his gang attended the event and did not receive as much interest as the baby. Until the boy-wonder wanted to hold her. Snape had been blinded for three minutes from the amount of flash that had gone off in those few seconds. Of course, it took his mind off his bruised arm where Lucius had pinched him when he was about to nastily reject Potter’s request. Trust Lucius to utilize the perfect photo-op to pave the way for their daughter. But he would still make sure his husband paid for subjecting him to the putrid sound of a thousand grown people sighing “Ooh, how cute!” in harmony.

It was worse than pulling Notch-horse quills out, but Snape circulated among the horde carrying the week old infant so that all the guests could gander and awe. And even if he was under strict orders from Lucius not to hex anyone, he could slash with his tongue to his heart’s content. Although he did exercise great restraint in that area, if he did say so himself, for his child’s sake. He overheard many remarks expressing relief that the baby had not inherited the potion master’s nose. Little did they know that three days after her birth Lucius had proclaimed that if he had to see his favourite proboscis on the face of his own daughter he would be hanged for unclean thoughts and had her nose perma-charmed to model his grandmother’s.

After two hours of withstanding the throngs of well-wishers, Snape found himself a quiet corner in the house near a breathtakingly expensive snake charmer’s clay vase. He was exceedingly grateful to Draco for taking his sister around for more greetings and congratulations and other such twaddle.

“You are looking wonderful, Severus. I do believe the aboveground agrees with you.”

“Flattery will not get me back, Albus.”

A soft chuckle and then Albus in his purple and gold robes came into view from around the vase. “I did not think it would. Beside, the replacement you chose is working out wonderfully as I assumed she would. I knew to trust you in that matter completely.”

“Thank you,” Snape replied. “I do appreciate the vote of confidence.”

Albus stepped closer and put his hand on Snape’s forearm. “You will make a wonderful parent, Severus. I trust you completely in that as well. Why, just look at the amazing people that have come from our small school, with no little help from you.” He patted the forearm. “I look forward to seeing little Lucia enter Hogwarts and shine as all her family has done before.”

“Shine?” Snape scoffed.

“Of course! No one can deny that whatever else they may be, Malfoys and Snapes cannot be ignored nor can they fade into obscurity. Hopefully, Lucia will always make the right choices as she shines.”

“Yes, we can only hope,” Snape muttered.

“I sincerely doubt that you, Professor Snape, would allow any child of yours, by birth or marriage, to take a wrong turn.” Albus chuckled and then his eyes became serious.

“Severus, are you happy with your life now?”

Snape had never been asked that question. He didn’t even know if he could answer. But when he considered the immense changes in his life and what they had wrought, and the surprising fact that he no longer thought of painful ways to eliminate Trelawney, he realized he did have an answer.

“Yes, Albus. I do believe I am.”

End