Hermione's Little Secret

SNIFF**** It's done, complete, fini!

My many thanks to kat, juls, carmen, buffyheath, avanell, angel, oh everyone who reviewed and left great ideas and encouraging comments. Without the butt-kicking from kat and juls I'd probably have left the story to gather dust, especially when real life intruded. (Hope you like the homage at the end, ladies!)

well, I hope everyone enjoys and have a wonderful and happy holiday season!


Marti




“RJ! I’m going to tell Mom if you don’t give that to me right now!” Lilah’s voice screeched down the corridor outside of the Malfoy quarters. Hermione, reclining in her husband’s favorite chair sighed as she heard her son and stepdaughter slam through the door with all the energy of prepubescent children.

“Mum,” “Mom!”

“Stop! Now. Lilah, what of yours does he have?”

“My diary! The one grandma gave me for my birthday. He was going to read it out loud in the village. I chased him all the way back here.” Lilah stood with her arms crossed over her little chest glaring at the younger boy. Hermione sighed again and looked down at her feet. Only in the bed and in the recliner could she still see them.

“She doesn’t have anything interesting in it anyway.”

“Ronald, give her back her diary and go to your room. You are to leave your sisters’ things alone, unless they give you permission to touch them. God I hope this baby isn’t going to cause me such grief.” Hermione glared at her son and pointed towards his bedroom. He scowled and tossed the leather bound book at his stepsister and stomped to his room.

“Are you ok, Mom?” Lilah had started calling her Mom just before the wedding, wanting to fit in with her sister and RJ, and wanting to have a connection to the woman who’d helped her so much since being transplanted from the States. She sat on the couch and opened up the book she’d left there that morning before heading off for her last day of school in the village. In September, she’d enter Hogwarts as a student. Molly, her adoptive grandmother had promised to put her on the train with Adrianna after spending the night there together. The girl was both excited and frightened, but Hermione thought it best to talk to her a little later in the vacation, closer to the time she had to leave her father’s side.

“Tired. I feel like a beached whale.”

“You walk like one, Mum!” RJ yelled from inside his room, having been listening at the door. Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. The boy had been incorrigible with his teasing of his mother. She knew his favorite uncles were egging him on too. If she had the energy, she’d hex Fred and George. Right now, the only energy she had was barely enough to get up and go to the loo. Again.

Draco and Severus laughed when the two wives were together now, saying they were bookends, especially once after the children had been seated on the couch together and they in the chairs on either end of it. Draco at least had his comfortable recliner when he’d been banished from the bedroom. As Narcissa had put it to Severus, though, ‘you made this baby on that desk, you can damn well sleep on it tonight, Headmaster!’

Narcissa was a week past her due date, and Hermione had three weeks left. They were the same size, though, and the same temperament to their husbands’ consternation.

Hermione groaned as the baby kicked her hard, low in her stomach. Then she winced, feeling another small contraction go from her front to her back.

Lilah jumped when her stepmother jerked up in her chair and gasped, gripping the armrests so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Are you alright, Mom?”

“Get your father, Lilah, please.”

“Is it coming?” She grinned, even though she was worried about her mother.

“I believe so, yes.”

Hermione watched Lilah rush to the door and grab the handle, but before she could pull back on it to open, it was pushed open and Adrianna flew into the room. She didn’t notice her sister behind the door holding her now bleeding nose.

“Mum! Grandma Narcissa’s having the baby! Dad’s in the infirmary with her and Uncle Severus.”

Through another contraction, Hermione laughed. Adrianna noticed her sister and fixed her nose with a quick wave of her wand.

“Mum, are you alright? You look kind of sore.” Adrianna hurried to help her mother, who was struggling to get out of the chair. Both girls pulled on Hermione’s hands to get her to her feet.

“She’s having the baby, she said.” Lilah offered as Hermione gasped again. She’d heard that sometimes subsequent babies came faster, but this was ridiculous. By the time she got to the damn infirmary, she’d be ready to deliver at this rate!

“I’ll go get Dad. Lilah stay with her, alright?” Adrianna turned around and ran back out into the corridor. Luckily today had been the last day of classes and the rest of the student body was down in the village getting ready to board the train for London. She ran full tilt through the empty halls, passing through the chill of Sir Nicholas and dodging water balloons from Peeves until she got to the infirmary and stopped in the doorway, panting, leaning against the door jam.

After catching her breath she looked up to see her father and Uncle Severus watching her curiously, while she could hear Madame Pomfrey talking to Grandma Narcissa behind a privacy screen.

“You didn’t need to rush back so fast that your mother couldn’t keep up, Adrianna.”

“Mum…having the baby…now! She said it’s really coming fast.” She looked at Draco with fearful eyes. If Madame Pomfrey was with her grandmother, who was going to be with her mother? What if something happened to either of them?

Draco’s jaw dropped and he ran out of the infirmary without another word.

“Did I hear her right, Severus? Is my new grandbaby coming too?” Narcissa yelled from the other side of the screen. Severus winced and squared his shoulders. He’d sworn that after helping and watching RJ’s birth he’d never go through it again, but he couldn’t miss his own child’s birth, probably the only child the two of them would have.

Adrianna smiled at him as he went behind the screen. “Yes, love, Hermione’s in labor also. It’s quite fast; you need to hurry if you want its uncle to be born before him or her.” Hermione and Draco hadn’t wanted to know the sex of their child, wanting to be surprised at the birth.

“Hurry? Why don’t you lie here pushing something the size of a dragon egg out of your body while I stand there nonchalantly? Hmm?” Narcissa glared up at her husband of eight months, panting through another strong contraction. Severus knelt on the stone floor by her side, ignoring the glare of the medi-witch, and took his wife’s hand in his, kissing each finger gently.

“I would if I could, love.”

“Bullshit. Men can’t handle childb—aaaaahhhhh!” She tensed again and sat up holding onto her knees, pushing even as Pomfrey urged her on. Severus winced as his wife’s nails dug into his flesh, ripping back to leave deep crescent shaped slices into his body, the blood already starting to well to the surface. He thanked the gods that Narcissa had allowed Poppy to use magical means of helping childbirth. He well remembered RJ’s screaming entrance into the world. His mother had been louder than him.

Adrianna snuck closer to the birthing area, peeking around the corner to see her grandmother and honorary uncle holding hands, her face bright purple from exertion and Uncle Severus’ scrunched up in pain, like when RJ had peed on him in the Great Hall once, but this time it was physical pain he experienced and not the pain of embarrassment.

“Just a little more, Narcissa. Dear me, this baby is quick. In a hurry to arrive, he is.” Poppy chortled, rubbing Narcissa’s thigh to keep it from cramping as she pushed again through another contraction. The witch gasped, breathed through the pain and felt her son’s head slip from her body, relieving most of the pressure immediately. She laughed and turned to Severus, letting go of his hand somewhat. With her other hand she reached down and touched her son’s head, felt his hair beneath her finger tips.

Severus’ free hand joined hers and he gave her a rare smile even as she contracted again to push the baby out fully. Poppy held him firmly within the warm towel, clearing the mucus from his mouth and throat with a quick wave of her wand. At the child’s cry, both parents breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the medi-witch laid the child on Narcissa’s softer stomach. Severus brushed his fingers over his son’s plump cheek, enamored with the small being he’d helped create resting on his wife’s body.

“Severus, would you like to cut the cord?”

“Don’t you get paid enough to do your job, woman?” He snarled without much heat without looking away from his son.

Adrianna snorted a laugh and all three adults looked up to find her there, not having noticed her entrance before. She started to back away from the intimate moment. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Adrianna. This is your uncle, Wulfric Axel Snape.” Narcissa lay back in exhaustion. Even with magical help delivering it was still very tiring to give birth. At the other end of the bed, hidden from Adrianna’s view, Poppy cut the cord and cleaned the new mother up. Adrianna stayed away, a little intimidated by the bawling baby waving its limbs angrily in the summer air, partially covered by a now bloodied blanket.

“Oh, no, Mum!” She gave the new family a smile and turned to run out of the infirmary, a renewed energy surging through her young body.

“I better follow her. You’re alright, Narcissa. Do you want me to help with nursing?”

“It’s her breast; how the hell can you help?” Severus asked with a sneer, but truly wondering how the other witch could aide his wife with feeding their son.

“I’m fine, Poppy, thank you. I’ll explain to the Headmaster what you meant. Go help my daughter-in-law and grandbaby.” Narcissa sat up as Poppy bundled the baby up. Severus lifted the head of the bed so she could sit more comfortably as she reached for her son. Severus sat to her side, rubbing his hand unconsciously, having forgotten about the pain she’d given him. He was sure it was nothing compared to what she’d gone through bringing Wulfric into the world. He bent forward and kissed Narcissa, then down to brush his lips against his son’s forehead.

The baby had his dark hair, but fine like his mother’s. His eyes were dark blue and the poor child had inherited his father’s nose. Severus snorted back a laugh as he realized he’d have to teach his son how to defend himself at an early age.

“Good thing the students are all gone. They might have been shocked to discover all the secrets you screamed while we made our way down here.”

“I was the picture of maternal decorum, Professor Snape. You must be hallucinating. Been playing in the potions lab again, love?” Narcissa stuck her nose up into the air as she lifted her son to her bared breast and helped him latch on. She winced at the hard suction he created, but smiled as she felt her womb contract almost immediately. She’d be back to her pre-pregnancy weight in no time.

“You informed Peeves that I shagged you in every classroom during our first month of marriage and that I had a hairy arse. Not to mention you’re going to neuter me if I ever dare touch you again.” Severus told her solemnly, holding his son’s tiny hand in his own.

“You’ve such a vivid imagination, my love.” Narcissa smiled brightly at him and brushed some of his black locks from his face. He wasn’t as handsome as her first husband had been, but he was twice the man Lucius could ever have hoped to be had he lived. “You should get your hand cleaned. We’ll be here waiting for you, Daddy.”

Severus grinned in the privacy of the empty infirmary.



Adrianna saw her brother and sister standing out in the hall as she neared the Malfoy quarters. They were sitting against the far wall with their legs drawn up against their chests, staring at the closed door. They looked up at the same time when she skidded to a stop. It was a good thing she jogged in the morning before breakfast or she’d be completely winded by now.

“Why’re you out here?”

“Mum kicked us out. Said we were pains in her arse.”

“She found out about the letter when she walked by Daddy’s desk. RJ forgot to hide the evidence.” Lilah scowled at her younger step-brother. He stuck his tongue out at her in response.

“Damn. Is Mum alright though?”

“She said something about her water breaking all over Dad’s recliner. Is Mum going to be alright, Ri?” RJ asked fearfully. He looked like he was only nine years old, instead of the aged prankster he acted most of the time. Adrianna sat down between her siblings and put an arm around each one’s shoulder. They’d grown so close in the last months since their parents had joined their families. They fought and they played together, but they were family.

“I think she’ll be fine. Grandma Narcissa had her baby while I was there. I got to see him. His name’s Wulfric.”

“He’s going to be teased so bad.” RJ shook his head in consolation for his step-uncle. At least he wasn’t completely outvoted anymore with the addition of another boy to the extended family.

“He’ll be alright. He’s a Snape.” All three jerked their heads up as they heard the scream rend through the walls, making the portraits wince along with the children.

“Poppy’s not here yet, Hermione! You can’t have the baby!”

“The hell I can’t! Just get down there and wait!”

They heard their parents yelling and their eyes rounded at the thought of Draco delivering their little brother or sister.

“Maybe we should go back and make sure Madame Po—.” Adrianna had started to get to her feet when the medi-witch rounded the corner at a leisurely pace, carrying a valise in her right hand. She smiled at the three children and winked as she entered the suite. She well knew that Hermione was probably ready to give birth at any moment. She’d only been in full labor for RJ two hours before pushing for only ten minutes. It had scared Severus out of at least a year of his life when he’d had to help birth the boy quite unexpectedly. It looked like this time the father of the baby was going to help.


Hermione was already asleep by the time the three older children entered the bedroom of their parents. Draco sat in the rocking chair by the window, a small blanket wrapped bundle in his arms. He smiled at the children and ushered them forward.

“It’s alright. Your mum’s just tired. She did a lot of work here you know.” Adrianna stood before him with Lilah on her left and RJ on her right, looking down at their new sibling. They had heard it screaming out in the corridor, but had refrained from re-entering the quarters until Madame Pomfrey was leaving and had given them the okay to return.

“So?” Lilah looked at the baby excitedly. Everyone had been kept in suspense about the gender of the baby, even its own parents.

“Meet Katarine Miranda and,” With a motion of his head, he directed their gazes to the bassinet next to Hermione. Another squirming bundle lay in it, having gone unnoticed by them until now. Draco grinned at their shocked expressions. Hermione and he had known for a couple of months about the twins, but had decided to continue with the surprise. “That is Julianna Narcissa. Surprised?”

He watched with delight as all their jaws dropped as they glanced from one infant to another.

“Bloody hell! More girls!” RJ gasped out in horror as he realized that he was once again in the minority with his step-father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE END!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A/N~~~~ Alright, I'm evil. It's really the end though. I'm writing out the notes for a short ***short!!!*** sequel. You wanna know about that letter that was mentioned, don't you? LOL and how Wulfie takes to being teased about his name, hmm?

Well, It's been a blast,everyone

please review, it's so fun seeing the review numbers go up and up and up!!!!


marti!!!