#9 ~ The Snapes in the Family Way or Oh Baby!
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
9
Views:
22,947
Reviews:
105
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
9
Views:
22,947
Reviews:
105
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
In the Infirmary
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 2 ~ The Infirmary
Madame Pomfrey sat next to Hermione, scowling and wiping the witch’s forehead with a damp cloth. The privacy curtain was drawn around the area the expectant witch was reposed in, and a silencing charm invoked. Hermione was busily applying her breathing knowledge to help her through the waves of pain that washed over her lower back every ten minutes, and rubbing her swollen belly tenderly. Her baby was going to be born today.
Madam Pomfrey was furious about the muggle-born witch’s insistence on having the baby the muggle way. She didn’t understand why the Spell Mistress would subject herself to such pain. Pomfrey could simply apply a spell to make the delivery neat and painless, and the witch would be up and about with her infant in no time. The medi-witch thought natural childbirth unnecessary, and was not happy that a muggle doctor would be overseeing the birth. Hermione groaned, and she applied the cloth to the witch’s brow again, looking down at her with concern.
“Hermione, are you sure you don’t want me to give you something for pain?” the medi-witch asked the laboring Hermione for what must have been the twentieth time.
Exasperated and feeling another smaller contraction coming on, Hermione replied rather nastily, “Pomfrey, stop offering me magical solutions! I told you I am doing this naturally!”
Then she squinted her eyes together and began puffing again, little sounds of pain emitting between the gasps as she tensed, then fell back in relief as the contraction passed. She looked over at the clock on the wall. Pomfrey bit her lip. Hermione was being so unreasonable. She watched as the expectant mother shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and started the odd whooshing breathing again. She shook her head slightly.
“My contractions are now eight minutes apart,” Hermione said. “Where is Severus?”
Hermione wanted her husband. He was her coach after all, and he wasn’t there. She needed him. Despite all her preparations and reading up on the subject of delivering a baby, she was scared. His strong presence would be a great comfort.
“He went to go get the ‘doctor’, Madam Pomfrey replied, a little petulantly. “Hopefully they’ll be back in time, though I really don’t understand why you…”
“Poppy, stop it!” Hermione yelled.
The medi-witch fell silent. She really didn’t mean to upset Hermione. She was truly concerned about this. Muggle birth was so painful and messy. So many things could go wrong. She was a healer after all, and her main purpose in life was to alleviate pain. Seeing Hermione suffer unnecessarily was affecting her badly. She blamed Severus. He should have put his foot down and made her have her child the wizarding way.
Pomfrey didn’t know Hermione.
************************************
Severus was awakened by the sound of retching. He sat up in the bed, looking for his wife. Hermione wasn’t there. He heard coughing coming out of the loo and quickly jumped from the bed and ran through the door. He found Hermione on her knees in front of the toilet, leaning over it, holding her stomach, her face pale. He quickly dropped to her side and began to rub her back.
“Morning sickness again?” he asked. Of course it was but he felt he had to say something. His wife had gone through this every morning for the past three weeks, and he felt terrible about it.
Hermione nodded, and retched again. Nothing came out. She knelt there, looking miserable. Severus beside her, caressing her back until she stirred and got to her feet. Severus rose with her and took her in his arms, cradling her head against his chest and rocking her slowly as if she were a baby herself.
“My poor wife,” he intoned. Hermione sighed, listening to his heartbeat for a minute, before pulling out of his embrace gently and walking over to the sink. She turned on the cold water spigot, let it run a moment, then cupped her hand and sipped a bit of water, swishing it around her mouth and letting it fall back into the basin. She cut the water off, then turned to face her husband, leaning back against the sink. His black eyes swept over her with concern.
“Hermione,” Severus said gently, “why don’t you let me give you a potion that will stop your morning sickness? I can brew it in a couple of hours. Then you won’t have to go through this every morning.”
“No,” she said stubbornly, “Morning sickness is a part of motherhood. I want to experience everything about this pregnancy,” she paused as if strengthening her resolve for her next statement. “Including natural childbirth. I want to have our child the muggle way, Severus. The way my mother had me. Not all spelled up and unable to feel anything.”
Severus went paler than usual. He had heard about the pain and horror of muggle births.
“Hermione, why would you put yourself through that? Wizarding births are so much easier. Painless, in fact,” he said, his brow furrowed. She looked at him.
“We didn’t use magic when we conceived this baby, Severus. It was just you and I following our natural inclinations. Our baby was created out of passion and love. I felt pleasure when we made love and you shot your seed in me. I felt joy when I found out I was having your baby. I don’t want something that started out so natural and right, ending up artificial. I want to experience everything firsthand about becoming a mother. I was willing to feel the bliss of creating our child with you, I am willing to go through the labor of bringing your child into the world. It is all a labor of Love, Severus, from conception to birth, and sometimes love hurts. I’m willing to go through that pain to bear your child. Can you understand?”
Severus looked at his wife and felt a swell of love so large in his chest that he found it hard to breathe. In one stride he was on her, his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace. He pressed his lips to her temple.
“If you feel that strongly about it, Hermione, then I will not try to stop you. You are the one carrying our child. I will respect your decision.” he said in a low, soothing voice
She looked up at him, happy now.
“Thank you, Severus.”
“No, thank you, wife. You have given me the greatest gift a wife can give her husband. A child, an heir, a new generation and the continuation of my bloodline. I adore you, Hermione, and will do anything to make you happy and comfortable. If it is a muggle birth you want, then I will support you,” he said, caressing her hair. Then he guided her back into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed.
“Now, I will order a large and varied selection of breakfast foods from the kitchens. Maybe you can pick out something that will actually stay down,” he said, patting her hand and smiling.
**********************************.
Outside the infirmary paced Hermione’s two best friends, Auror Harry Potter, the-man-who-supposedly-brought-down-Voldemort, and Ronald Weasley, one of the most sought after professional Quidditch referees in the Wizarding World. Despite the protestations of their jealous girlfriends, the two wizards rushed to Hogwarts to support Hermione in her time of need. Even though they did not see her often, nor approved of her greasy git of a husband, they still loved her very much.
“I hope the baby doesn’t have Snape’s great honker,” Ron said to Harry as they walked up and down the hall.
Harry nodded. “Or his snarky attitude,” the green-eyed wizard added. They walked a bit more, turning and heading back toward the infirmary door. They stopped in front of it and looked at each other.
“Think we should try to get in again?” Ron asked Harry.
During their first attempt at breeching the infirmary, an unusually irate Madam Pomfrey had thrown them out without so much as a glance of Hermione.
“She is in no condition for visitors,\" the medi-witch had snapped. “She’s in labor, and there’s nothing you can do for her now. If you insist on gadding about, then wait in the hall!” And she pushed them both out into the corridor and slammed the infirmary doors behind them.
Harry grimaced at the memory.
“No, we’d better not. Pomfrey is so wound up, she might hex us. I think she’s pretty pissed at Hermione deciding to have the baby naturally without the aid of magic,” he said to the red-haired wizard.
“Gods, what’s that all about anyway?” Ron replied, “My mum says Hermione’s right mad, going through all that. She said she had Bill that way, and it was horrible, and if she thought she might have had to go through that again she’d only have one Weasley child today. Bugger dad.”
Harry smiled affectionately at his friend.. “Good thing there was magic to help her for your sake, eh?” he said. The black-haired young wizard couldn’t even imagine a world without Ron in it. He walked over to the chairs set against the wall outside the infirmary, followed by Ron.
“Let’s have a sit down, mate. I think we’re going to be here for a while,” Harry said, taking a seat and stretching out his long legs. Ron did likewise, reaching into his robes and pulling out a pumpkin pastie.
“Want some?” he asked Harry, holding out the confection.
“No thanks. I can’t eat,” Harry demurred. Ron, who could always eat, unwrapped the pastie and bit into it. The two wizards sat there in silence, waiting for word on any change in Hermione’s condition.
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A/N: Well Hermione is in labor, Pomfrey is pissed (not surprisingly) and Harry and Ron have arrived to support her. I bet Severus will be ‘overjoyed’ to see those two waiting outside the infirmary. I added the italics for the flashbacks. Hope they aren’t too distracting. Please review.
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Chapter 2 ~ The Infirmary
Madame Pomfrey sat next to Hermione, scowling and wiping the witch’s forehead with a damp cloth. The privacy curtain was drawn around the area the expectant witch was reposed in, and a silencing charm invoked. Hermione was busily applying her breathing knowledge to help her through the waves of pain that washed over her lower back every ten minutes, and rubbing her swollen belly tenderly. Her baby was going to be born today.
Madam Pomfrey was furious about the muggle-born witch’s insistence on having the baby the muggle way. She didn’t understand why the Spell Mistress would subject herself to such pain. Pomfrey could simply apply a spell to make the delivery neat and painless, and the witch would be up and about with her infant in no time. The medi-witch thought natural childbirth unnecessary, and was not happy that a muggle doctor would be overseeing the birth. Hermione groaned, and she applied the cloth to the witch’s brow again, looking down at her with concern.
“Hermione, are you sure you don’t want me to give you something for pain?” the medi-witch asked the laboring Hermione for what must have been the twentieth time.
Exasperated and feeling another smaller contraction coming on, Hermione replied rather nastily, “Pomfrey, stop offering me magical solutions! I told you I am doing this naturally!”
Then she squinted her eyes together and began puffing again, little sounds of pain emitting between the gasps as she tensed, then fell back in relief as the contraction passed. She looked over at the clock on the wall. Pomfrey bit her lip. Hermione was being so unreasonable. She watched as the expectant mother shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and started the odd whooshing breathing again. She shook her head slightly.
“My contractions are now eight minutes apart,” Hermione said. “Where is Severus?”
Hermione wanted her husband. He was her coach after all, and he wasn’t there. She needed him. Despite all her preparations and reading up on the subject of delivering a baby, she was scared. His strong presence would be a great comfort.
“He went to go get the ‘doctor’, Madam Pomfrey replied, a little petulantly. “Hopefully they’ll be back in time, though I really don’t understand why you…”
“Poppy, stop it!” Hermione yelled.
The medi-witch fell silent. She really didn’t mean to upset Hermione. She was truly concerned about this. Muggle birth was so painful and messy. So many things could go wrong. She was a healer after all, and her main purpose in life was to alleviate pain. Seeing Hermione suffer unnecessarily was affecting her badly. She blamed Severus. He should have put his foot down and made her have her child the wizarding way.
Pomfrey didn’t know Hermione.
************************************
Severus was awakened by the sound of retching. He sat up in the bed, looking for his wife. Hermione wasn’t there. He heard coughing coming out of the loo and quickly jumped from the bed and ran through the door. He found Hermione on her knees in front of the toilet, leaning over it, holding her stomach, her face pale. He quickly dropped to her side and began to rub her back.
“Morning sickness again?” he asked. Of course it was but he felt he had to say something. His wife had gone through this every morning for the past three weeks, and he felt terrible about it.
Hermione nodded, and retched again. Nothing came out. She knelt there, looking miserable. Severus beside her, caressing her back until she stirred and got to her feet. Severus rose with her and took her in his arms, cradling her head against his chest and rocking her slowly as if she were a baby herself.
“My poor wife,” he intoned. Hermione sighed, listening to his heartbeat for a minute, before pulling out of his embrace gently and walking over to the sink. She turned on the cold water spigot, let it run a moment, then cupped her hand and sipped a bit of water, swishing it around her mouth and letting it fall back into the basin. She cut the water off, then turned to face her husband, leaning back against the sink. His black eyes swept over her with concern.
“Hermione,” Severus said gently, “why don’t you let me give you a potion that will stop your morning sickness? I can brew it in a couple of hours. Then you won’t have to go through this every morning.”
“No,” she said stubbornly, “Morning sickness is a part of motherhood. I want to experience everything about this pregnancy,” she paused as if strengthening her resolve for her next statement. “Including natural childbirth. I want to have our child the muggle way, Severus. The way my mother had me. Not all spelled up and unable to feel anything.”
Severus went paler than usual. He had heard about the pain and horror of muggle births.
“Hermione, why would you put yourself through that? Wizarding births are so much easier. Painless, in fact,” he said, his brow furrowed. She looked at him.
“We didn’t use magic when we conceived this baby, Severus. It was just you and I following our natural inclinations. Our baby was created out of passion and love. I felt pleasure when we made love and you shot your seed in me. I felt joy when I found out I was having your baby. I don’t want something that started out so natural and right, ending up artificial. I want to experience everything firsthand about becoming a mother. I was willing to feel the bliss of creating our child with you, I am willing to go through the labor of bringing your child into the world. It is all a labor of Love, Severus, from conception to birth, and sometimes love hurts. I’m willing to go through that pain to bear your child. Can you understand?”
Severus looked at his wife and felt a swell of love so large in his chest that he found it hard to breathe. In one stride he was on her, his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace. He pressed his lips to her temple.
“If you feel that strongly about it, Hermione, then I will not try to stop you. You are the one carrying our child. I will respect your decision.” he said in a low, soothing voice
She looked up at him, happy now.
“Thank you, Severus.”
“No, thank you, wife. You have given me the greatest gift a wife can give her husband. A child, an heir, a new generation and the continuation of my bloodline. I adore you, Hermione, and will do anything to make you happy and comfortable. If it is a muggle birth you want, then I will support you,” he said, caressing her hair. Then he guided her back into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed.
“Now, I will order a large and varied selection of breakfast foods from the kitchens. Maybe you can pick out something that will actually stay down,” he said, patting her hand and smiling.
**********************************.
Outside the infirmary paced Hermione’s two best friends, Auror Harry Potter, the-man-who-supposedly-brought-down-Voldemort, and Ronald Weasley, one of the most sought after professional Quidditch referees in the Wizarding World. Despite the protestations of their jealous girlfriends, the two wizards rushed to Hogwarts to support Hermione in her time of need. Even though they did not see her often, nor approved of her greasy git of a husband, they still loved her very much.
“I hope the baby doesn’t have Snape’s great honker,” Ron said to Harry as they walked up and down the hall.
Harry nodded. “Or his snarky attitude,” the green-eyed wizard added. They walked a bit more, turning and heading back toward the infirmary door. They stopped in front of it and looked at each other.
“Think we should try to get in again?” Ron asked Harry.
During their first attempt at breeching the infirmary, an unusually irate Madam Pomfrey had thrown them out without so much as a glance of Hermione.
“She is in no condition for visitors,\" the medi-witch had snapped. “She’s in labor, and there’s nothing you can do for her now. If you insist on gadding about, then wait in the hall!” And she pushed them both out into the corridor and slammed the infirmary doors behind them.
Harry grimaced at the memory.
“No, we’d better not. Pomfrey is so wound up, she might hex us. I think she’s pretty pissed at Hermione deciding to have the baby naturally without the aid of magic,” he said to the red-haired wizard.
“Gods, what’s that all about anyway?” Ron replied, “My mum says Hermione’s right mad, going through all that. She said she had Bill that way, and it was horrible, and if she thought she might have had to go through that again she’d only have one Weasley child today. Bugger dad.”
Harry smiled affectionately at his friend.. “Good thing there was magic to help her for your sake, eh?” he said. The black-haired young wizard couldn’t even imagine a world without Ron in it. He walked over to the chairs set against the wall outside the infirmary, followed by Ron.
“Let’s have a sit down, mate. I think we’re going to be here for a while,” Harry said, taking a seat and stretching out his long legs. Ron did likewise, reaching into his robes and pulling out a pumpkin pastie.
“Want some?” he asked Harry, holding out the confection.
“No thanks. I can’t eat,” Harry demurred. Ron, who could always eat, unwrapped the pastie and bit into it. The two wizards sat there in silence, waiting for word on any change in Hermione’s condition.
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A/N: Well Hermione is in labor, Pomfrey is pissed (not surprisingly) and Harry and Ron have arrived to support her. I bet Severus will be ‘overjoyed’ to see those two waiting outside the infirmary. I added the italics for the flashbacks. Hope they aren’t too distracting. Please review.