The Moon Has Spoken

Chapter 29

Forever Yours

The Handfasting Feast was superb, even by Dumbledore¡¯s standards.
He had conjured the most famous wizard singing bands; a gathering of leprechauns that spelled out best wishes for the Handfasted couple with their little red and green lanterns, and even a couple of unicorns that glided free amongst the rose bushes, flashes of pure white in twilight. Molly, on her side, had done her very best with the feast, and Elvenpath shimmered with joy, music and wonderful aromas, seemingly like Fiddler¡¯s and Severus¡¯ marriage was as worthy of celebration as Voldemort¡¯s downfall.
There had been no representatives of the Snape family whatsoever, and Severus had dismissed the fact derisively, pointing out there were none all too worthy of invitation, let aside that they¡¯d probably have collective strokes if faced with the sight of their Heir and Head actually being Handfasted, and to a Half-breed raised as a Muggle, no less.
The members of the Order were dancing and laughing around them, obviously enjoying the party tremendously, and Fiddler and Severus contented themselves with just watching, as neither of them were too keen on dancing. Fred and George had managed to up up the Handfasting cake when trying to stick in some of their Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, to cheer things up a bit, as they tried to explain to their very outd mod mother. Molly had howled at them for hours, righteously covered by a thick layer of white frost from head to toe.
Moody had to save Ron from one of the murderous climbing plants, and he ended up setting them all on permanent fire, adding, as he said admonishingly, a little brightness to the d¨¦cor. Unfortunately, he also caught some of Hermione¡¯s long curls in the process, and she had to be charmed back to rights by a cackling Tonks, as Lupin told anybody who¡¯d listen he still couldn¡¯t believe old Snape had managed to be married not once, but twice, and before himself, and Harry wondered out loud what would have Sirius thought of it.

¡°Snape wouldn¡¯t hear the end of it¡±, Lupin said, amused. ¡°Old Padfoot would bave been on him for days with it!¡±

¡°He would have enjoyed the party, though¡±, Harry added sadly.

The atmosphere grew a little gloomy, until Ginny, who looked like she wanted to be Handfasted to start breeding the next Weasley generation right then wondered dreamily who¡¯d be the next one to be married.

Hastily, as if lightning-stricken, all the males in the table cleared their throats and looked away. Ron even started whistling innocently, and the three females rolled their eyes knowingly.

¡°Professor Lupin and Tonks, probably¡±, said Hermione, pointing out the obvious.

Lupin¡¯s eyes widened but he dared not say a word.

¡°We¡¯ll see when Fiddler throws the bouquet¡±, Tonks said, coming to his rescue.

¡°Oh, don¡¯t you try to catch it!¡±, Lupin admonished, and Tonks¡¯ expression fell. ¡°You¡¯ll knock some one over!¡±

Everyone laughed at that, and Tonks blushed pink. She looked away to the table of honour, in which Fiddler and Severus sat alone, lost in quiet conversation, totally oblivious to the world surrounding them.

Severus glanced at his new wife, sitting beside him, holding a glass of chilled water and sipping at it absently. He frowned as he suddenly realised she looked pale and tired, and that she was blinking repeatedly as if trying to will the drowsiness away.

¡°Fiddler?¡±

¡°Mmmm?¡±

¡°Are you all right?¡±

¡°Yeah¡±, she gifted him with what was unmistakably a weary smile, and drank some more water.

¡°You look exhausted¡±, he insisted.

¡°A bit, yes¡±, she smiled again.

¡°Are the babies giving you a hard time?¡±

She smiled yet again, apparently amused by his concern.

¡°It seems that their idea of celebration is beating the Hell out of my bladder¡±, she said, not actually meaning to be funny, but Severus chuckled helplessly.

He reached under the table to touch her belly and raised his eyebrow as she wriggled and giggled.

¡°You are ticklish¡±.

¡°Yes, Mother was miffed everytime she tried to¨D¡±

But she didn¡¯t finish the sentence. Her face frowned of its own volition and the muscles of her neck contracted as if trying to swallow bacgrungrunt of pain.

¡°Fiddler?¡± he inquired, a little more urgently now. ¡°Maybe you should¨D¡±

¡°Are you kidding me?¡± she replied with mock dignity. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d live to see this day, and by Gods I am going to enjoy every last minute of it!¡±

Severus chuckled again, inwardly moved by her statement.

¡°All right, then¡±, he agreed.

He caught out of the corner of his eye the gleeful figure of Dumbledore, approaching them with a wide smile on his wrinkled face.
Severus groaned and Fiddler looked up at him inquiringly.

¡°He¡¯s coming to tell us we must perform the Ritual Dance¡±, he sounded aggrieved.

¡°The Ritual Dance? With feathers in our heads and war howlings?¡±

Severus smiled at her.

¡°No. Our first Dance as Husband and Wife¡±.

¡°Well, actually, our first dance ever¡±, Fiddler pointed out.

¡°That would be correct. But the point is this particular dance is of great importance in the Rite of Handfasting¡±.

¡°Oh¡­ Well, it does present a problem, though¡±, Fiddler said. ¡°I can¡¯t dance, and, judging by the look of you, neither can you¡±.

Severus nodded briefly.

¡°Insightful as usual¡±, he said.

¡°My Dear Newlyweds!¡± Dumbledore exclaimed. ¡°Enjoying yourselves so far?¡±

¡°Yes, Albus, thank you¡±, Fiddler replied. ¡°Everything¡¯s wonderful¡±.

¡°It was all my pleasure¡±, Albus said, eyes twinkling. ¡°Are you ready for the Ceremonial Dance?¡±

Severus and Fiddler looked at each other with identical, almost comical pained expressions, but Dumbledore¡¯s cheerfulness broke to no argument whatsoever, so finally Severus and Fiddler gave in and walked into the circle of their guests to submerge themselves in a slow, elegant, Celtic dance in which they invoked what it seemed every god ever named in T¨¢in Bo Cuailgne. It didn¡¯t require neither skill nor gracefulness, so they both managed to go through it quite smoothly, lost in each other¡¯s eyes, one of Severus¡¯ large hands tenderly cupping the curve of Fiddler¡¯s belly. The dance ended with a final twirl of violins, and Severus held his wife to him without thinking. He was able to hear one of the Weasleys¡¯ surprised gasp somewhere around his left, but oddly enough, he did not feel that self-conscious. Fiddler stood on her bare tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and that did if for the Weasley twins. They abruptly released a huge load of Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, startling the hell out of Moody, who Stunned the redheads before he could think better of it.
Once the mayhem was sorted out, Fiddler disentangled herself from Severus¡¯ arms and, gifting him with a mischievous smile, walked away from him. Severus raised his eyebrow in mute inquiry, and Fiddler blew a kiss at him as she stopped in front of the enchanted musical instruments and whispered something to them. She then turned on her heels and spoke out loud, though her eyes were fixed on Severus.

¡°I seem to recall you once told me you¡¯d like to hear me sing again¡±, she said, and her expression added ¡®although I can¡¯t imagine why¡¯; she shook her head slightly and continued: ¡°therefore, I cannot think of another wedding gift that would mean as much as this¡­ Severus, this song is for you¡±.

Everyone went quiet in anticipation, as the memory of her voice still rang in their ears. The music began smoothly, merely accompanying Fiddler, who was standing amidst the green grass and the flowery archways, hair swaying softly, and hands gesturing of their own volition.

Fare thee well, little broken heart
Downcast eyes, lifetime loneliness
Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone.

She took a few steps, in tandem with the music, and Severus¡¯ fascinated gaze followed her every movement, holding his breath as she locked eyes with him and carried on.


Constant longing for the perfsoulsoul
Unwashed scenery forever gone,
Whatever walks in my heart, will walk alone.

No love left in me
No eyes to see the heaven beside me
My time is yet to come
So I\'ll be forever yours

Her voice raised to Banshee-ish heights and she sang the last strophe again, among bloodcurdling notes of violin. She finished with one last ¡°whatever walks in my heart¡±, softly sung, with her eyes downcast, as people broke in sincere applause around them. Severus walked towards her in a sort of trance and closed his arms around her, pulling her to him with the fair mix of strength and tenderness to make Fiddler feel in Heaven.

~¡ì~¡ì~¡ì~¡ì~

They walked into their bedroom arm in arm, moving slowly, Fiddler leaning her head on Severus¡¯ shoulder, eyes closed, allowing him to lead the way.
She fell onto the bed, sighing out loud, too tired to readily move. Severus settled beside her and put both hands to her belly,lingling as she giggled, and moving a little to press a kiss to the side of her neck. The babies kicked around, and Severus grinned again against her skin.

¡°They never give you a rest, do they?¡±

¡°They sleep for about¡­ fourty-five minutes every¡­ five or six hours¡±, Fiddler mumbled drowsily. ¡°But they must have¡­ active dreams¡­ as well¡­¡±

Severus kissed her neck again.

¡°You are tired¡±, it was an affirmation, and she did not deny it.

¡°I am¡±, she whispered. She shifted in his embrace and threw her own arms around him. ¡°The truth is I¡¯ve been ha ute uterine activity all day long. Not¡­ not regular, but¡­¡±

¡°Uterine activity?¡±

¡°Contractions, the pain of labor¡±.

Severus looked at her, horrorstruck.

¡°Is it not too early?¡±

¡°Yes¡­ They¡¯re called Braxton-Hicks contractions¡­ They happen quite oftenly in this stage of pregnancy¡­ Neither painful nor dangerous¡­ But trying, all the same¡±.

¡°Oh, Fiddler.¡±

¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all right¡±. She remained silent for a while and then added. ¡°Will you help me undress? I can¡¯t even raise my arms¡±.

¡°Certainly¡±, Severus answered, a little huskily.

His hands moved hastily over the greenish blue layers of silken clothing, leaving her in nothing more than a silken light indigo negligee that fell smoothly to her knees, stretching ever so slightly over her rounded belly. He eyed her, surprised at the garment, at odds to what she usually wore, and she blushed as she explained it was a present from Molly.

¡°That woman is naughty¡±, Severus said thoughtfully, movio kio kiss the tops of her breasts over the fabric of the gown.
Fiddler settled her head on the pillows and curled over herself as Severus moved to get rid of his own Handfasting robe, and when he turned his attention to Fiddler he realised she had already dozed off. But she stirred as she felt his hands caressing her shoulders when he pulled the bedclothes over her. She felt the weight of him next to her on the bed and crept into his arms, putting her head on her usual spot on hisst. st. Severus¡¯ hands glided through her shiny tendrils as hers caressed his chest and sides, and they remained a long time like that, until Fiddler spoke in a low voice.

¡°Severus? What would you like me to do¡­ for you?¡±

¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

¡°Yes, I¡­ I am too tired for a¡­ Um, a proper Wedding night¡­ But¡­ I¡­ I want to please you¡±.

She was delightfully blushed, and Severus kissed her mouth fully.

¡°Fiddler¡­¡± he murmured in between kisses. ¡°You¡­ do not have to do¡­ anything of the sort¡±.

¡°But I want to¡±, she replied, looking at him. ¡°Please?¡±

Severus¡¯ jaw dropped. Had he heard right? He cupped her chin in his hands and brought her face closer to his.

¡°Fiddler¨D¡±

He kissed her again, lips skating down her skin, and she realised what he wanted and that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask it of her. A blurred memorymed med in the back of his mind, and Fiddler saw it, watched him lying on a four-poster bed, flat on his back, with his erection standing eagerly, waiting for his Bride to join him in bed. And, as Wynn appeared in the bathroom¡¯s threshold, breathtakingly beautiful in her black embroidered gown, his lust grew like fire despite the coldness that suddenly filled the room. Wynn walked towards the bed, and Fiddler heard the blonde woman speak out almost the same words she¡¯d said.
Almost.

¡°What was it that you wanted?¡± but she made them sound derisive, tiresome and somewhat infuriated.

Severus mumbled his request hoarsely and Wynn¡¯s lips twitched scathingly, eyeing his erection with unmistakable scorn.

¡°That is asinine¡±, she snorted. ¡°I will not do such thing¡±.

She made it sound as if he¡¯d asked her to eat dung. Severus¡¯ arousal wilted in the blink of an eye and he hid his sorrow and disappointment by rolling to his side to try and sleep. He looked very young and Fiddler mused absently he certainly couldn¡¯t have been older than Fred and George. Just one year or two separated him from adolescence in that memory, and every last inch of him showed it, specially the hurt way in which he held himself on the bed where he had just been despised by his own wife, who was still ignoring him as she settled herself on the bed, as far from him as she could manage, with a thick, dusty, dark book in her hands.

¡°I am sorry, Severus¡±, she said. ¡°Well, actually, I am not. In truth, I have a hche¡che¡±; she finished mockingly.

Severus pretended to be asleep.


The image dissolved in swirls of gray and black and Fiddler raised her eyes to look up at him. He realised right away she¡¯d witnessed his memory and shifted uncomfortably.

¡°I¨D¡±, he began, but Fiddler put a finger to his lips to silence him.

He complied, melting helplessly into her caresses. She reassured him with lips, hands, tongue, and softly murmured words, exploring and pleasuring every inch of his skin until she had him panting and moaning incoherently, choking out her name in between ragged gasps for air. His hands tangled in her hair, pressing her head to him, wanting to feel more of her and those delicate caresses that were driving him crazy. She soon reached his erection, and Severus tensed unwillingly, a sudden flashback coming to his mind.

¡°F-Fiddler¨D¡±

¡°Shhh¡±.

Her lips wandered over his thighs, her sleek hair brushing his skin, making him shiver, amazed at the pleasure he got from both sensations, and she moved further down, shifting her body awkwardly until she found a comfortable position.

¡°Oh, MERLIN!¡± he screamed when her lips touched ever so softly the length of him, and his hips bucked up helplessly. She smiled at that, and continued her ministrations, placing gentle, teasing kisses on his erection, flicking her tongue out every now and then to swirl it around him slowly.

¡°You¨D You are¡­ killing¡­ me¡­¡± he moaned.

She took the hint and stopped teasing him, although she had enjoyed the experience. She took him in her mouth, and his hips shot up as his hands grabbed the pillows around them for support. His knuckles turned white and the muscles of his neck stood up as he threw back his head, blush spreading on his body as he thrust into her mouth. She had a strong grip on him, pressing him to her palate with her tongue, and she suckled him with a steady rhythm, alternating with nibbling kisses and strokes of her tongue, that left him light-headed. Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for him, and soon enough he was releasing himself into her throat, his face transfixed with pleasure so intense it almost hurt. He cried out loud, his body convulsing as she steadied him with her hands. For half a minute he thought he would pass out, but, with a final growl of ecstasy, he collapsed back into the bed, panting.
He felt her lick him clean distantly, and it took him a while before he could find enough coherence to speak.

¡°Come¡­ come to me¡±, he rasped.

Fiddler simply nodded and settled herself back into his arms. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and sighed raggedly.

¡°That was¡­ my first one ever¡±, he confessed after a moment.

Fiddler kissed his chest.

¡°So was mine¡±.

Severus¡¯ eyes widened, unable to believe it although he knew for certain she spoke the truth.

¡°But you¨D I mean¨D Fiddler¨D It was magnificent¡­ you were so¡­ skillful¡±, he finished, blushing slightly.

But it nothnothing compared to Fiddler¡¯s own face, as crimson as the Hogwarts Express.

¡°I¨D sucked my thumb ¡®till early adulthood¡±, she said, obviously embarrassed. ¡°I believe I still do it sometimes in my sleep. Maybe that¡­ Um¨D helped¡±.

¡°I am sure it did¡±, Severus chuckled as he kissed her again, getting a not-that-unpleasant shiver at the taste of him in her mouth. They pulled away slowly, reluctantly, but air was becoming a matter of life and death. Severus heard her stifle a yaw
¡°
¡°I am glad¡­ you enjoyed it¡±, she murmured.

¡°Tremendously¡±, he assured her, kissing her again.

Her lips slowly stilled under his, and she relaxed in his arms.
She was fast asleep.

Severus accommodated his body to hers, circling her belly with one arm so he could feel his children moving within his wife¡¯s womb. He still marveled at the way Fiddler¡¯s belly fluttered and undulated everytime his hands went near it. Fiddler had told him it was absolutely normal as he was stimulating the babies inside it, but it was breathtaking anyway.
It uneased him to imagine himself fathering two children, all lost amongst dirty nappies and milk bottles, because he knew he had no experience whatsoever. And he hated failing at things. He knew he could rely on Fiddler, but a deep part of him suddenly wondered if she was as novel at that as he was, given that she wasn¡¯t one to be all flashy and giggly about the babies. She hadn¡¯t filled the house with baby things or soft abhorrent colors, she didn¡¯t wear flowery maternity gowns, cried or acted like a crippled, nor had she bought a whole library of ¡°my baby developing¡± or ¡°what to expect when you¡¯re expecting¡±. Nobryobryology books and oversized scrubs was what she saw fit to use. Down to earth, she was. And he loved her for it. He looked at her sleeping face and sighed, pondering how very different this Wedding had been from the pathetic imitation of one the first one had been.

He smoothed a lock of hair away from her face, hoping the rest of their life together would remain as different¡­ And he blinked, rather startled as he realised he had thlonglong black hairs wrapped around his fingers. He felt a sudden lump constricting his throat at the magic that they seemed to irradiate, and he was scared. He remembered her saying once she¡¯d never shed hair, not even once. Even, she¡¯d tried to get it cut as a teenager, only to have it growing back to its original waist-length the minute she walked out of the beauty. Severus had a nagging sense that those hairs in his hands were not something to be left lying around, so, with a minimum of movement, so as not to disturb the sleeping woman beside him, he stored the long tresses away, and made a mental note to let Dumbledore know about it.