Love and Parenthood

Love and Parenthood

Disclaimer: All canon characters are the property of JK Rowling and those with whom she has agreed contracts. This story was written for practice not profit.


Waiting


Severus sat on a bench in his rose garden. Hermione lay stretched out with her head on his lap. The sweet fragrance of the roses was all around them in the early evening air and Hermione relished the slight coolness after the warm day. Both were reading books but Severus allowed his hand to caress his wife’s hair when it was not required for page turning.

Severus had instructed the first of his new Auror students that day. As arranged by Albus, he was still based within the Manor House and would not be travelling to work until it was certain that none of the mothers or babies was under any kind of threat.


Hermione was still busy being pregnant, with the twins. The house was extremely over staffed with house elves who were glad to have resident masters to serve. They had spent most of the last sixty years maintaining the house and gardens and breeding and they were thrilled to have a houseful of young people to look after.

Things had settled down well although in some ways the couple had less privacy now than when at Hogwarts. At least there they had had the option of shutting themselves away in the dungeons and allowing the other teachers to attend meals in the Great Hall. Now they were the senior staff members they had to attend mealtimes whenever possible. Added to that was the fact that the girls had now abandoned all efforts at studying and were anxiously waiting for the babies to be born.


Two babies from the batch had been born already. The first to be born was Viola Anne Granger born four weeks before she was expected. Both the Grangers had arranged to take an extended break from their dental practice and had stayed at the Manor to be near Hermione. The second child to be born was Molly and Arthur Weasley’s. He was an outrageously robust red haired boy, who was going to have to wait another four weeks until he received his name. Molly was also at the Manor along with Fleur, Penelope, Alicia and Angelina Weasley and their babies. Fleur and Penelope were working as members of the birthing team and Alicia and Angelina had been moved in to give birth there so Molly could be involved in their deliveries. They were now waiting out the month before they could return to the Burrow.

Today had been what Mike Granger had laughingly referred to as D-Day although he had needed to explain the reference to those who had heard him. It was the day on which the babies had been calculated to arrive but no one seemed to have made the babies aware of it. The only cries to be heard were those of the babies already in residence. The expectant mothers merely grumbled and Severus had seized his chance to escape before dinner and walked his wife down to the secluded rose garden a short distance from the house.

The rose garden was a place they regarded as theirs alone. Although it wasn’t warded there was an unspoken agreement that when Severus and Hermione wanted some time together they could take a walk down there and remain undisturbed. A small replica of a Greek temple blocked the view from the main house and served to provide shelter on the days when it rained.

Severus picked up his wife’s wrist and turned it so he could see the time.

“It’s twenty past six,” he said with an air of reluctance. “We’d better get on up to the house for dinner.”

“I don’t want to move,” groused Hermione. “This is the first time I’ve been comfortable all day. Why did it have to get so warm so early this year?”

“We have to go to dinner now my love. I promise I’ll make you very comfortable later… if you’re good that is.”

“Good indeed! I’d love to see your temper if you were out to here carrying twins on a day like this.”

“I know my love, I know. It won’t be much longer.”

“I always thought twins were supposed to come early.”

“I think that’s normally the case. Those books your mother provided said so.”

“Molly and Mrs Patil didn’t carry their twins for this long. They told me.”

“Well we have a little while yet before we have to worry. Believe me they’re happy enowherwhere they are.”

“Have you been spying on them again?”

“Last night after you went to sleep. I reached out with my mind very gently and I shared their awareness for a few moments. They’re warm and cosy and a little squashed. If they are distressed I will pick it up, trust me. You’re strong and healthy and the babies are too.”

“Help me up then. We should go.”

Severus helped her to sit upright and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Standing he pulled her to her feet. When she was standing he placed his hand possessively on the curve of her belly. He did that frequently. It always reminded Hermione of a Muggle painting she had seen in a Museum, which depicted a fifteenth century couple. The man was mature and his wife very young and very pregnant. The man looked towards the artist with a look of pride and the wife looked shy and overwhelmed. The clothes they wore added to the illusion. She ran her free hand up his chest to touch his face. He rightly interpreted this as an instruction to kiss her again and he did so befleadleading her back towards the house.

As they arrived they became aware of two strange men standing on the steps of the Manor. They were watching Severus and Hermione as they drew closer to the house. Severus recognised one of them as one of the Aurors who had taken him into custody soon after his marriage to Hermione. He tightened his hold on her arm and continued to walk until they drew level wthe the visitors.

“Good evening,” he said with a tone that implied ‘What hellhell are you doing here?’

“Good evening sir,” said the taller man. “I take it you are Severus and Hermione Snape?”
reasreasonable guess, seeing as this is our home,” he replied coldly. “Please state your business. We have our own responsibilities to attend to.”

“I apologise for any inconvenience sir,” said the other man. “We have been commissioned to enquire into the whereabouts of a senior Ministry employee. My sources tell me that your wife was the last person to see her.”

“Are you referring to Mistress Fletcher?”

“Indeed we are. As I understand it she paid a visit to your establishment in her professional capacity in the company of your wife and that was the last reported sighting of her.”

“No!” said Hermione. “That’s not true!”

“Then perhaps you could give us your version of the story?”

“My ‘version’, as you call it, is that I was visited by a person claiming to be Mistress Fletcher shortly after her disappearance. This person claimed to be the Ministry representative assigned to administer this establishment. However when my husband went to complain about this person’s conduct it was discovered that Mistress Fletcher was missing and that Madam Minton was actually our assigned representative.”

“Then you claim that you were visited by an impostor?”

“My husband showed my Pensieve recollection of the event to a fellow member of the Wizengamot who had met Mistress Fletcher and he felt that it might be someone impersonating her with the use of Polyjuice because it looked like her but didn’t sound like her.”

“Well that would seem to cast a different light on the matter,” said the Auror loftily. “I suppose you would shrink from taking Veritaserum in your current state?”

“I would indeed,” said Hermione sternly.

“Then it would appear that we can take the matter no further at the moment,” said the Auror. “If we don’t find Mistress Fletcher, we’ll be back.”

For a second Hermione was irresistibly reminded of a Muggle movie character whose name escaped her. Then the potential threat of her situation struck her and she put a little extra weight onto her husband’s strong arm. He felt it and stepped in to protect her.

“My wife is about to give birth to twins any day now,” he said. “She has virtually no magic at the moment. I will not stand aside and allow her to blliellied by officials.”

“No one is above the law,” said the Auror. “Not even the wife of a member of the Wizengamot.”

“How convenient that that should become the rule after I was appointed,” said Severus icily. “If Kingsley Shacklebolt wishes my wife to be questioned he is quite capable of inviting himself round to dinner. Kindly convey my regards.”

Hermione continued to hold on to her husband’s arm as he faced down the two men. Predictably the Aurors backed down first and made their excuses. The couple continued to watch them as they made their way back down to the Gatehouse and Apparated away.

“Ridiculous,” he exclaimed when the men had vanished. “I’m sorry my love. My reputation seems to be rubbing off on you.”

“I don’t care,” she said fiercely. “I know you better than anyone and I am not ashamed of you.”

Just then the door opened behind them and Padma Patil poked her head round.

“Professor,” she said. “Mistress Finch told me to tell you Diana has gone into labour.”

“Thank-you Miss Patil,” he said. “I trust you will keep me informed of my ward’s progress.”

“Of course Professor,” she answered and ducked back inside.

“Fifteen years old and about to become a mother,” he said wearily. “Let’s go in to dinner. It’s going to be a long night.”

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review.