Happy Christmas, Severus
Title: Happy Christmas, Severus
Universe: The Harry Potter Universe
Pairing: Severus/Hermione
Written For: brandi1498
Prompt: They marry and have a little Snape. Severus as a doting daddy.
Rating: adultish. some sexual overtones. possibly a little language. no nudity or violence.
Word Count: 2569
Disclaimer: i don't own Hermione or Severus. nor do i own any of the other characters and places that may appear in this story. they are all owned by the lovely J.K. Rowling. i'm merely borrowing them and will return them when i've finished playing. please don't sue me. i have no money. i am a poor fan fic writer, after all.
His feet made no noise as they picked their way across the floor, an old habit he'd picked up long ago and had never quite rid himself of. He rather liked being able to sneak up on unsuspecting students in the hallways. And it made surprising his wife whilst in the shower that much easier. As if she knew he was thinking of her, she muttered something under her breath. The sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks, only a few steps before the door. Turning, he let his gaze come to rest on her.
Hermione had turned toward his pillow, her hand resting in the spot where his head had been only moments ago. Caught in sleep, he could see the young girl still hiding within her. Though she was technically a fully grown woman, there was a kind of innocence in Hermione that he found far more enticing than he was willing to admit to anyone but himself. Her hair, once an unruly mess that had been mostly tamed, lay in a thick, heavy braid across her neck. Despite the chill in the air, she'd kicked the blankets off to expose the creamy length of her calves and the generous swell of her breasts, practically falling out of the deep green night dress she'd put on. Though it was roomy, it did little to hide the burgeoning swell of her belly where their second child grew.
Their second child. The very idea still threw him for a loop and the doctors had said she was due to bring the babe into the world in a few months. Part of him wanted to return to bed and hold her close while his hands pressed against her abdomen, while he felt and followed the movements of the life within. He didn't, though, because he knew such an action would disturb her and she needed her rest. The last thing he wanted was for her to know that he took joy in the life they'd created together.
He watched her a moment longer, noticing when her shoulders shook lightly as the cool air stroked lightly across her bared arm. With a simple gesture of his hand, the blankets rose up and slid over her. She sighed softly and snuggled deeper in to the bed. Another gesture saw the light on the baby monitor beside their bed go dark. Should their daughter waken, he would be the one to go to her and see what it was she needed.
The door closed silently behind him and a quick glance into the nursery assured him that Lily was sleeping peacefully in her crib. A faint smile quirked his lips up for a second or two. When he'd suggested the name, he'd thought she would take it poorly. But Hermione had smiled at him, a secretive smile that had said much louder than words that she understood, and christened their daughter Lily Marie Snape.
Severus left his daughter's door cracked and made his way silently down the hall. Their crowded living room was dominated by a large fir tree that was nearly hidden behind the lights and the tinsel garland and the brilliantly colored ornaments. She'd unplugged the lights before she'd joined him in bed, leaving the room cast in shadows. He took a moment to plug it back in, then stood back and watched the lights twinkle and flash. A rainbow of colors was thrown across the walls and furniture. He plugged in the mantel lights, his hands absently straightening the stockings that hung before the hearth. For a minute or two, he let a frown cross his face.
He would have loved to have gotten rid of the hideous things, but they'd been knit for he and his family by Molly Weasley and, truth be told, Severus thought he might be just a bit afraid of the woman. He was sure, if he was to burn her gift, she'd find a way to pay him back in kind. He could still recall the look she'd given him when he'd married Hermione. A woman didn't rear seven children, six of them unruly boys, without learning how to scare the living daylight out of them. There was no way in the world he was going to cross that woman.
Continuing on through the house, he made a brief stop in the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Task completed, he opened the door leading to the basement and descended into the dark. The switch at the bottom flicked on with a touch of his finger, filling the space with bright light. They used the basement for storage, all kinds of boxes and chests pushed up against the wall. The washer and dryer were also down here. A basket full of black laundry sat atop the washing machine, waiting for someone to toss it in and run it through the cycle. A pair of doors were set on either end of the long wall on his right. One opened into a closet. The other opened into a small bathroom. Severus crossed to that door, opened it and stepped inside.
When he stepped out, he was in his rooms in the dungeon under Hogwarts. After his marriage to Hermione, Albus had set the port key up for him. The old man's sense of humor had seen him charming the pull on the loo and the word used to activate the port key wasn't fit for use in polite company. Batty old git. But it served its purpose. Severus was able to move back and forth between the school and his home with ease. Which was why he'd hidden the gifts he'd bought for Hermione and Lily at the school.
The packages sat on a shelf at the top of his closet, their bright paper easy to find despite the cloud of darkness that filled the space. He brought each of them out one at a time, his fingers running lightly across the brilliant reds and golds and the greens and silvers. He didn't think it a coincidence that Christmas was a special holiday for the two of them. The traditional colors of the season were their colors. Their House colors. A joining of Slytherin's green and silver with Gryffindor's red and gold. Not that he would ever dare let anyone else know that he carried such thoughts. He'd never hear the end of it for thinking such nauseatingly sweet tripe.
There were a dozen packages. Four were for his wife and the rest for Lily. Hermione had told him that they didn't need to spoil their daughter with a large quantity of gifts, but he'd paid her no mind. He'd wanted to buy more presents than Lily would know what to do with an spoil her rotten. No one had really done so for him. His child was special and deserved to be treated accordingly. No doubt Hermoione would take him to task for doing it against her orders. He'd been a Death Eater. He was no afraid of his wife.
A murmured incantation shrunk the gifts down until they were small enough for him to carry all of them in one hand. One trip was far better than several. With everything collected, Severus stepped back into his bathroom. Another word, again not fit for polite company, saw him returned to the home he shared with his family. It didn't take him long to climb the stairs to the main floor, enlarge the gifts and tuck them under the tree. Then he stepped back and simply stared at the scene laid out before him.
This was a side to him he'd never thought to ever see. Most people looked at him and saw a hard man with little patience for stupidity, children, teaching, insufferable Know-It-Alls, Boys-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-His-Arse and just about everything else he could name off the top of his head. More often than not, they didn't see a man who was just as unsure about things as they were. He'd always known his place and it had never been in the front like it was for people such as Lucius Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore. No, his place was one that he'd had to fight tooth and nail for, no matter where it was.
So he'd never put much stock in the softer emotions. He'd been more concerned with other things. Then Hermione had entered his life and he'd seen, much to his horror, that beneath the hardened exterior that normally sent First Years running and screaming in terror, there was a man who was content with a wife and a child. There was a man in there who liked the simpler things, like the glittering colors that decorated the Christmas tree. A man who could spend hours at night watching the perfection that was his child slumbering away in her crib. A man who understood that loving someone didn't make a person weaker. It made them so much stronger than a man who didn't or couldn't love.
He'd never tell her, but Hermione made him a better person. Lily made him a better person.
As if she knew he was thinking of her, his daughter began making noises in her nursery. Severus turned for Lily's room, his eyes casting a glance at those hideous stockings again. They were sadly empty. A few more muttered words saw the stockings brimming with all kinds of goodies. Then he hurried his pace so that he could get to his daughter before she woke Hermione.
A pair of deep brown eyes stared up at him as soon as he stepped close to the crib. Lily was silent and still a moment, then he saw the color creeping into her face. She was ready to let go a squall that they'd likely hear all the way to Hogwarts. Severus sent her a stern look and raised a finger. "None of that now, my girl. You will not waken your mother again. She requires her sleep."
Lily watched him a second or two, as if she was deciding if she would follow his orders or not. Then she opened her mouth in preparation, decision made. Severus wiggled a pair of fingers at her. In an instant, colored lights danced through the air above Lily's crib. The baby lay still, eyes wide as she followed their movements. Severus knew the spell would last long enough for him to fetch the child something to help her sleep. He left her giggling and cooing in her crib while he retreated to the kitchen.
She was still giggling when he returned, a bottle of juice in his hand. Hermione had been working on weaning her from the bottle, but Lily had yet to fully grasp the ability to drink from something his wife called a sippy cup. His conjured colored lights were still dancing for her, but they were losing strength. The magic wouldn't last much longer, so he'd timed his trip just right. Even before the dancing colors vanished, he scooped Lily up and carried her over to the rocker in the corner. Lily was more than capable of holding the bottle on her own, but he enjoyed the closeness that came with having her sit in his lap.
Severus settled into the rocker, then put Lily in his lap, her legs thrown sideways over his. His arm rested behind her, supporting her so that she didn't accidentally injure herself against the arm of the rocker. She grabbed at the bottle happily, bringing it to her mouth so she could drink. At the same time, she lifted her gaze to his and watched him, smiling around the nipple in her mouth. One hand curled around her side, he began rocking the chair gently.
Who would have thought that such ordinary things as a wife and child were in the cards for him? He certainly hadn't. And yet, here he was with a family. A growing family. Something he'd thought was so mundane and beneath him had turned out the be the least mundane and most amazing thing in the world. And now he understood why children were considered a gift.
They rocked together, Severus and his daughter. While she sucked at her juice, he hummed to her, the sound kept under his breath and only slightly off key. Gradually, he felt the bottle droop in her hold as her little body slumped against his arm. When he was sure she was asleep, he took the bottle and set it aside, then carefully, gently, lifted Lily up so that her head rested on his shoulder. The sound of her breathing, so slow and even next to his ear, was a kind of music that drove all tension from him.
He was content to simply sit and enjoy the feel of his child laying against his chest.
Severus might have gone to sleep like that if not for the sound of the door creaking open. His eyes opened to find Hermione standing in the doorway, one hand resting on her belly while the other was pressed to the door frame. There was a soft smile on her face that he'd seen on new mothers before. It was one he'd never understood until he'd laid his eyes on Lily for the very first time. "You'll never let me catch you by surprise long enough to take a picture of that, will you?"
"Perish the thought, woman. Whatever would it do for my reputation if people were to find out that a small child who does not even speak has me wrapped around her little finger?" He made sure to add a touch of snark to his voice.
"Oh, of course. We can't have people knowing that you're human, after all."
"What are you doing out of bed, wife? You should be resting."
"I woke up and found you missing. I knew I'd find you in here. I wanted to watch you with our daughter because half the time, I can't believe its true," she smiled and stepped further into the room, stopping so that she could reach a hand out and run her fingers lightly over Lily's head. "You're a good father, Severus Snape. Lily and I are lucky to have you."
"And you had bloody well best remember that, wife," he replied. He waved one hand at her, prompting her to step back, then he stood. A few steps across the room saw him standing beside the crib. He gently laid Lily down. When he turned to face Hermione again, she was smiling at him and tears glistened on her cheek. He crossed to her, then took her hand and tugged her from the room. As soon as the door was pulled to, he tugged her into his arms and took her mouth in a sweet kiss of promise.
"What was that for?" she asked when she drew back.
"To remind me that I am a lucky man."
"And you're a smart man, too," Hermione returned with a grin. "Come to bed, Severus. I'm cold without you."
He gave a long suffering sigh, but he followed her back into their bedroom. Together, they cuddled up in the bed, her back against his chest. He drew the covers up over them. "The indignities I must suffer to keep you appeased."
Hermione chuckled, then heaved a sigh of contentment. "Happy Christmas, Severus."
"Happy Christmas, Hermione."
Universe: The Harry Potter Universe
Pairing: Severus/Hermione
Written For: brandi1498
Prompt: They marry and have a little Snape. Severus as a doting daddy.
Rating: adultish. some sexual overtones. possibly a little language. no nudity or violence.
Word Count: 2569
Disclaimer: i don't own Hermione or Severus. nor do i own any of the other characters and places that may appear in this story. they are all owned by the lovely J.K. Rowling. i'm merely borrowing them and will return them when i've finished playing. please don't sue me. i have no money. i am a poor fan fic writer, after all.
His feet made no noise as they picked their way across the floor, an old habit he'd picked up long ago and had never quite rid himself of. He rather liked being able to sneak up on unsuspecting students in the hallways. And it made surprising his wife whilst in the shower that much easier. As if she knew he was thinking of her, she muttered something under her breath. The sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks, only a few steps before the door. Turning, he let his gaze come to rest on her.
Hermione had turned toward his pillow, her hand resting in the spot where his head had been only moments ago. Caught in sleep, he could see the young girl still hiding within her. Though she was technically a fully grown woman, there was a kind of innocence in Hermione that he found far more enticing than he was willing to admit to anyone but himself. Her hair, once an unruly mess that had been mostly tamed, lay in a thick, heavy braid across her neck. Despite the chill in the air, she'd kicked the blankets off to expose the creamy length of her calves and the generous swell of her breasts, practically falling out of the deep green night dress she'd put on. Though it was roomy, it did little to hide the burgeoning swell of her belly where their second child grew.
Their second child. The very idea still threw him for a loop and the doctors had said she was due to bring the babe into the world in a few months. Part of him wanted to return to bed and hold her close while his hands pressed against her abdomen, while he felt and followed the movements of the life within. He didn't, though, because he knew such an action would disturb her and she needed her rest. The last thing he wanted was for her to know that he took joy in the life they'd created together.
He watched her a moment longer, noticing when her shoulders shook lightly as the cool air stroked lightly across her bared arm. With a simple gesture of his hand, the blankets rose up and slid over her. She sighed softly and snuggled deeper in to the bed. Another gesture saw the light on the baby monitor beside their bed go dark. Should their daughter waken, he would be the one to go to her and see what it was she needed.
The door closed silently behind him and a quick glance into the nursery assured him that Lily was sleeping peacefully in her crib. A faint smile quirked his lips up for a second or two. When he'd suggested the name, he'd thought she would take it poorly. But Hermione had smiled at him, a secretive smile that had said much louder than words that she understood, and christened their daughter Lily Marie Snape.
Severus left his daughter's door cracked and made his way silently down the hall. Their crowded living room was dominated by a large fir tree that was nearly hidden behind the lights and the tinsel garland and the brilliantly colored ornaments. She'd unplugged the lights before she'd joined him in bed, leaving the room cast in shadows. He took a moment to plug it back in, then stood back and watched the lights twinkle and flash. A rainbow of colors was thrown across the walls and furniture. He plugged in the mantel lights, his hands absently straightening the stockings that hung before the hearth. For a minute or two, he let a frown cross his face.
He would have loved to have gotten rid of the hideous things, but they'd been knit for he and his family by Molly Weasley and, truth be told, Severus thought he might be just a bit afraid of the woman. He was sure, if he was to burn her gift, she'd find a way to pay him back in kind. He could still recall the look she'd given him when he'd married Hermione. A woman didn't rear seven children, six of them unruly boys, without learning how to scare the living daylight out of them. There was no way in the world he was going to cross that woman.
Continuing on through the house, he made a brief stop in the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Task completed, he opened the door leading to the basement and descended into the dark. The switch at the bottom flicked on with a touch of his finger, filling the space with bright light. They used the basement for storage, all kinds of boxes and chests pushed up against the wall. The washer and dryer were also down here. A basket full of black laundry sat atop the washing machine, waiting for someone to toss it in and run it through the cycle. A pair of doors were set on either end of the long wall on his right. One opened into a closet. The other opened into a small bathroom. Severus crossed to that door, opened it and stepped inside.
When he stepped out, he was in his rooms in the dungeon under Hogwarts. After his marriage to Hermione, Albus had set the port key up for him. The old man's sense of humor had seen him charming the pull on the loo and the word used to activate the port key wasn't fit for use in polite company. Batty old git. But it served its purpose. Severus was able to move back and forth between the school and his home with ease. Which was why he'd hidden the gifts he'd bought for Hermione and Lily at the school.
The packages sat on a shelf at the top of his closet, their bright paper easy to find despite the cloud of darkness that filled the space. He brought each of them out one at a time, his fingers running lightly across the brilliant reds and golds and the greens and silvers. He didn't think it a coincidence that Christmas was a special holiday for the two of them. The traditional colors of the season were their colors. Their House colors. A joining of Slytherin's green and silver with Gryffindor's red and gold. Not that he would ever dare let anyone else know that he carried such thoughts. He'd never hear the end of it for thinking such nauseatingly sweet tripe.
There were a dozen packages. Four were for his wife and the rest for Lily. Hermione had told him that they didn't need to spoil their daughter with a large quantity of gifts, but he'd paid her no mind. He'd wanted to buy more presents than Lily would know what to do with an spoil her rotten. No one had really done so for him. His child was special and deserved to be treated accordingly. No doubt Hermoione would take him to task for doing it against her orders. He'd been a Death Eater. He was no afraid of his wife.
A murmured incantation shrunk the gifts down until they were small enough for him to carry all of them in one hand. One trip was far better than several. With everything collected, Severus stepped back into his bathroom. Another word, again not fit for polite company, saw him returned to the home he shared with his family. It didn't take him long to climb the stairs to the main floor, enlarge the gifts and tuck them under the tree. Then he stepped back and simply stared at the scene laid out before him.
This was a side to him he'd never thought to ever see. Most people looked at him and saw a hard man with little patience for stupidity, children, teaching, insufferable Know-It-Alls, Boys-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-His-Arse and just about everything else he could name off the top of his head. More often than not, they didn't see a man who was just as unsure about things as they were. He'd always known his place and it had never been in the front like it was for people such as Lucius Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore. No, his place was one that he'd had to fight tooth and nail for, no matter where it was.
So he'd never put much stock in the softer emotions. He'd been more concerned with other things. Then Hermione had entered his life and he'd seen, much to his horror, that beneath the hardened exterior that normally sent First Years running and screaming in terror, there was a man who was content with a wife and a child. There was a man in there who liked the simpler things, like the glittering colors that decorated the Christmas tree. A man who could spend hours at night watching the perfection that was his child slumbering away in her crib. A man who understood that loving someone didn't make a person weaker. It made them so much stronger than a man who didn't or couldn't love.
He'd never tell her, but Hermione made him a better person. Lily made him a better person.
As if she knew he was thinking of her, his daughter began making noises in her nursery. Severus turned for Lily's room, his eyes casting a glance at those hideous stockings again. They were sadly empty. A few more muttered words saw the stockings brimming with all kinds of goodies. Then he hurried his pace so that he could get to his daughter before she woke Hermione.
A pair of deep brown eyes stared up at him as soon as he stepped close to the crib. Lily was silent and still a moment, then he saw the color creeping into her face. She was ready to let go a squall that they'd likely hear all the way to Hogwarts. Severus sent her a stern look and raised a finger. "None of that now, my girl. You will not waken your mother again. She requires her sleep."
Lily watched him a second or two, as if she was deciding if she would follow his orders or not. Then she opened her mouth in preparation, decision made. Severus wiggled a pair of fingers at her. In an instant, colored lights danced through the air above Lily's crib. The baby lay still, eyes wide as she followed their movements. Severus knew the spell would last long enough for him to fetch the child something to help her sleep. He left her giggling and cooing in her crib while he retreated to the kitchen.
She was still giggling when he returned, a bottle of juice in his hand. Hermione had been working on weaning her from the bottle, but Lily had yet to fully grasp the ability to drink from something his wife called a sippy cup. His conjured colored lights were still dancing for her, but they were losing strength. The magic wouldn't last much longer, so he'd timed his trip just right. Even before the dancing colors vanished, he scooped Lily up and carried her over to the rocker in the corner. Lily was more than capable of holding the bottle on her own, but he enjoyed the closeness that came with having her sit in his lap.
Severus settled into the rocker, then put Lily in his lap, her legs thrown sideways over his. His arm rested behind her, supporting her so that she didn't accidentally injure herself against the arm of the rocker. She grabbed at the bottle happily, bringing it to her mouth so she could drink. At the same time, she lifted her gaze to his and watched him, smiling around the nipple in her mouth. One hand curled around her side, he began rocking the chair gently.
Who would have thought that such ordinary things as a wife and child were in the cards for him? He certainly hadn't. And yet, here he was with a family. A growing family. Something he'd thought was so mundane and beneath him had turned out the be the least mundane and most amazing thing in the world. And now he understood why children were considered a gift.
They rocked together, Severus and his daughter. While she sucked at her juice, he hummed to her, the sound kept under his breath and only slightly off key. Gradually, he felt the bottle droop in her hold as her little body slumped against his arm. When he was sure she was asleep, he took the bottle and set it aside, then carefully, gently, lifted Lily up so that her head rested on his shoulder. The sound of her breathing, so slow and even next to his ear, was a kind of music that drove all tension from him.
He was content to simply sit and enjoy the feel of his child laying against his chest.
Severus might have gone to sleep like that if not for the sound of the door creaking open. His eyes opened to find Hermione standing in the doorway, one hand resting on her belly while the other was pressed to the door frame. There was a soft smile on her face that he'd seen on new mothers before. It was one he'd never understood until he'd laid his eyes on Lily for the very first time. "You'll never let me catch you by surprise long enough to take a picture of that, will you?"
"Perish the thought, woman. Whatever would it do for my reputation if people were to find out that a small child who does not even speak has me wrapped around her little finger?" He made sure to add a touch of snark to his voice.
"Oh, of course. We can't have people knowing that you're human, after all."
"What are you doing out of bed, wife? You should be resting."
"I woke up and found you missing. I knew I'd find you in here. I wanted to watch you with our daughter because half the time, I can't believe its true," she smiled and stepped further into the room, stopping so that she could reach a hand out and run her fingers lightly over Lily's head. "You're a good father, Severus Snape. Lily and I are lucky to have you."
"And you had bloody well best remember that, wife," he replied. He waved one hand at her, prompting her to step back, then he stood. A few steps across the room saw him standing beside the crib. He gently laid Lily down. When he turned to face Hermione again, she was smiling at him and tears glistened on her cheek. He crossed to her, then took her hand and tugged her from the room. As soon as the door was pulled to, he tugged her into his arms and took her mouth in a sweet kiss of promise.
"What was that for?" she asked when she drew back.
"To remind me that I am a lucky man."
"And you're a smart man, too," Hermione returned with a grin. "Come to bed, Severus. I'm cold without you."
He gave a long suffering sigh, but he followed her back into their bedroom. Together, they cuddled up in the bed, her back against his chest. He drew the covers up over them. "The indignities I must suffer to keep you appeased."
Hermione chuckled, then heaved a sigh of contentment. "Happy Christmas, Severus."
"Happy Christmas, Hermione."