Title: Boy-Who-Lived: Father-To-Be
Author: SweetMercy
Rating: M
Warnings: mpreg, slash, may have small references to HBP, has naughty swear words!
Pairings: RL/HP
A/N: I know, I know - you wanna kill me right? I'm SO sorry it's taken forvever (again) to update! But coursework is driving me insane! Every time I hand a piece in, I get some from another subject! Now, thankfully, it's ALL handed in once and for all, BUT they decided to give me loads of homework instead. I thought I'd be able to get a break during the Easter half term, but no! ARGH! I hate college sometimes!
Anyways, I'm sorry about this chapter. I couldn't finish it off the way I wanted to, so I decided to cut it down and make it into 2 chapters. The next chapter is doing my head in, but as soon as I get passed that then thigns should (hopefully) be back to normal. Thanks for sticking with me guys!
Chapter 25: Babies, Wine, and Christmas Time
Every single muggle and magic paper reported the attacks the next day, but whilst muggle papers such as The Daily Mail reported the news as terrorist attacks, papers such as The Daily Prophet alerted them all to the true nature of the attack.
An Order meeting had been called immediately to discuss the matter. It sounded as though they couldn't decide what the reason of the attack had been; had Voldemort wanted to demonstrate what he was capable of and cause a scare in both muggle and magical worlds? Or had he intended Harry to be caught up in the attack? Whatever they decided upon, they all vowed never to let Harry out of their sights again.
Harry would have protested at this but something else had come up which he had completely forgotten about. The test results of the babies DNA test had come back and Healer Neeson wanted him to come to the Hospital and pick them up.
It turned out that one of the babies did, in fact, have the werewolf gene. Harry thought it was Leanna because of her amber eyes but it turned out to be Joshua, the quiet one. She explained again that he could become susceptible to the condition later on in life, something which greatly upset Remus. As Harry tried to comfort him, the Healer gave him the right potions which Joshua would have to take once every day (for the rest of his life!) to help keep the gene at bay. They were aware that there was still a 25 percent chance of the gene becoming active however, but Healer Neeson reminded them that that was very low.
Mr and Mrs Granger arrived that afternoon and were introduced to everybody. Hermione had kept them up to date about everything that had been happening in the wizarding world and at school so they knew all about Voldemort and Harry being a father which meant that a lot of awkward questions were avoided and they were free to talk freely around them.
They all joined in with the decoration of the large tree and presents soon began to accumulate underneath it, awaiting the arrival of Christmas day. The babies must have sensed the excitement in the air for they were demanding more attention than usual. The more people to arrive at the house, the more attention they wanted; they loved being cooed over by so many different faces and Harry could swear he could see the beginnings of smiles forming on their sweet, little faces, and their eyes lit up when they looked at Sirius' 'winter wonder land' in the hall.
As the week went on, more guests started to arrive. It seemed they had the whole of The Order under the roof for the Holidays now; every single bedroom was taken. Fred and George were here as well as Charlie, who, it turned out, was now dating Tonks. Hermione's parents seemed to be getting on rather well with everyone - despite being the only muggles in the house - and they weren't in the least bit phased by all the magic being used around them.
At times, Harry had found himself forgetting that not everyone knew about himself and Remus. They'd be stood around the kitchen table, laughing and joking with everyone else, and he'd suddenly find his arm locked around Remus' waist. Luckily though, everyone was far too busy to notice, but he made a mental note to keep his actions in check in the future.
He found himself constantly locked in fantasies of what was to come, hopefully, on Christmas day. At first he'd felt slightly guilty about leaving the babies in the care of the others on Christmas but he reminded himself that he needed the break. He and Remus were going to get some alone time even if it killed them (which hopefully, it wouldn't). He planned on placing candles about their bedroom and setting a bottle of champagne on ice, soft music playing in the background. He'd have red silk sheets on the big, four poster bed, maybe even scatter a few flowers about the room. It would start with Harry offering to give Remus a massage with sensual oils and he'd place soft kisses to the back off his neck. His hands would manoeuvre their way under Remus, teasing the skin they found there before moving away. Remus would look up and beg Harry to kiss him, who would oblige before rolling him over and straddling his waist and from there they would go on to make sweet love to one another.
Well, that was the plan anyway.
Harry woke up early on Christmas morning to the sound of Skylar's cries. He fastened his dressing gown around him and went into the babies' room next door. Picking her up, he made his way quietly (or as quietly as he could, what with her screaming) downstairs to prepare her feed. The kitchen was deserted and it was only when he looked at the clock that he realised just how early it was.
He had just sat down with Skylar on his knee when there was a knock on the front door. He ignored it at first but when the knock came again he sighed to himself and got up to answer it. Who in the right mind comes calling at this hour?
Juggling the baby on his hip and managing to keep the bottle in her mouth, he reached out and unlocked the door. There, in the early winter morning sunlight stood a man in a long, black robe and cloak, his long, black hair falling loosely down the sides of his faces. It was Snape.
"Oh," he said, "Hello Professor, Merry Christmas."
"Indeed," he said, looking at the baby suckling from the bottle in Harry's arms.
"What are you doing here?"
"The Headmaster insisted that I come for dinner and since he is rather more powerful than I am myself, it seemed stupid to say 'no'. Now, are you going to let me in or am I to stand here all day and freeze?"
Harry stood aside to let him in.
"Where is everyone?" Snape asked, looking around distastefully at the winter wonderland in the hall.
"Professor, it's 6 in the morning," he said, "They're all still in bed."
Snape unfastened the buttons on his cloak and hung it with the rest of them on the stand in the hall. He brushed his robes down and looked at Harry, who was still stood there looking at him.
"I take it your brat woke you up," he said, nodding to the baby in Harry's arms. "Well," he said, when Harry didn't respond, "Aren't you going to offer me a cup of coffee?" He swept passed Harry and seated himself at the wooden table in the kitchen. Harry followed.
"Why are you here so early?" he asked him as he sat down opposite him, not getting the man a coffee. Even though it was Snape, of all people, he was glad of the company. The big house gave him the creeps in the early hours.
"That's none of your business Potter," he said idly.
"I was just asking," he muttered, "Just trying to make civilized conversation."
They both sat in silence as Harry continued to feed Skylar, the only sound being made by her and the clock ticking quietly above the sink. A faint crying sound joined the semi-silence and it was a while before Harry realised that it was coming from the baby monitor in his pocket. He realised it was two sets of cries and he sighed again.
"You think you could look after this one for a few minutes?" he asked Snape, holding out his arms with the baby in them, but Snape backed away.
"No I don't," he said firmly, looking at the baby as if she were a bomb.
"Please," said Harry desperately, "The other two are crying and Remus can't handle them both by himself."
He realised what he'd said too late and he had to watch Snape's lips turn upwards into a smirk.
"And why would Remus be handling them at all?" he asked. "Why Remus? Why not someone else?"
"Because…because he's been helping me since they were born," he said, "Besides, I really don't think that's any of your business Professor."
They both stared at each other for a moment and Harry could have sworn he could see a glint of triumph in the other mans eyes. Finally, surprisingly, Snape held out his arms to receive the baby and Harry had to bite back a laugh as he imagined the look on Ron's face if he had seen Harry leaving his daughter in the care of the nasty Professor.
"Thanks," he smiled, "Just keep feeding her and she should be fine. And talk to her, she likes to listen to people's voices, it sooths her."
"I will not talk to this infant," he said indignantly with a glare, but since he was holding the baby the glare didn't really have much of an affect.
"But she likes you," said Harry with a smile as he looked at the pair. Skylar had indeed snuggled up close to Snape's chest and was watching his face with her keen, little eyes.
"Potter!" he snapped, "If you're not back here in five minutes then I'm coming up there and dumping this thing with you, is that understood?"
"You'd really hurt her feelings like that?" he asked, placing his hand mockingly over his heart. "I'll be right back, don't worry."
When he returned carrying Joshua, Snape immediately held out his arms. "Here, take her," he said, practically shoving Skylar at Harry.
"Does it look like I have four arms?" he asked, skirting around Snape and picking a bottle up off the side.
"I thought the wolf was helping you," he said, glaring at Harry who was now checking the temperature of the bottle he had just heated up with his wand.
"He is," said Harry, "He's upstairs changing Leanna."
"You two spend far too much time together," he muttered, watching Harry's face closely.
"Leanna and I, or me and Remus?"
"Lupin," he said. Harry sat back down at the table again. Snape had looked away and was now, if Harry wasn't much mistaken, looking fondly at the baby cradled in his arms, stroking her soft baby hair.
"It suits you," smiled Harry, watching this interaction.
"What, precisely, suits me Mr Potter?"
"This," he said, nodding towards Skylar, "Fatherhood."
"You're avoiding the subject, Potter," he said.
"I wasn't aware there was a subject," said Harry innocently. "I am aware, however, that you're avoiding my little observation there."
"What 'little observation'?" Snape was getting agitated now but Harry wasn't worried. He wasn't sure how he knew it exactly, but he was certain that Snape wouldn't raise his voice around the babies.
"That fatherhood suits you."
"That, Mr Potter, was nothing more than a stupid, dim-witted, comment," he said as calmly as he could.
"Say what you want about it," said Harry, looking back down at Joshua, "But I know there's something much deeper to it."
"And I know there's something much deeper between Remus and yourself," he smirked.
"You're changing the subject," said Harry.
"I wasn't aware there was one," he answered, throwing Harry's earlier words back at him.
When everyone was finally awake, showered, and dressed, they all gathered around the large Christmas tree that stood in the living room. Mcgonagall and Dumbledore sat by the glowing winter fire, each with a baby on their knee. Harry sat on the floor opposite them, watching the scene happily as the presents were passed around. It was very rare to have everyone close (and not so close) all gathered together to share in something like this; there was Mr and Mrs Weasley – his surrogate parents; Mcgonagall and Dumbledore – his favourite teachers who cared a lot about him; then there were his best friends, his beloved Godfather, his children, and his Remus – his lovely, caring, adorable Remus. He loved Christmas. And the fact that he could share it with someone new – Hermione's parents and Sirius' cousin – that was an added bonus. Even Snape's presence was appreciated.
"This one's for…Ginny, here you go love," said Mrs Weasley, handing her daughter one of many colourful packages. "And this one is for…Fred. Oh, I dread to think what's in there…"
"Hermione," read out Sirius, "This one is for you, and Ginny, here's another one."
When the babies received their presents (indeed, they had actually received more presents than anyone else) everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. Dumbledore helped Joshua undo the shiny wrapping paper and everyone 'awww'd' when his little face lit up with delight as he saw the little black dog teddy bear (from Sirius). It was the same with the other two; they seemed simply to be in total awe of what was happening, with all these gifts being bestowed upon them.
The most surprising present of all was when Hermione opened her present from Ron. Harry had half expected Ron to pop the question to Hermione, what with all the drama that had been happening lately, but was somewhat relieved (he didn't want them rushing into it!) when he saw the shape of the package, which couldn't possibly hold a ring. It was, in fact, two plane tickets to Rome, where they would be spending the rest of the Holidays, and would be leaving tomorrow. Ron later confided in Harry that Fred and George had lent him the money. Besides, he was rather excited about going on a plane and felt that Hermione deserved a break as she was forever doing his homework with him (or for him, as the case usually was).
Fred and George had gotten everyone jokes from their shop, which Dumbledore delighted in, claiming he was going to have immense fun with the other teachers when term began. Ginny, from her parents, had received the boots she had begged and begged them to buy her and now wouldn't take them off, she was so thrilled.
Remus and Harry exchanged gifts along with a promise that there would be more to come later on. However, for the time being Remus had gotten him a gorgeous baby photo album which he had already begun to fill in. There were pictures of the babies just after they had been born and the most recent pictures must have been taken sometime yesterday because they were all lying under the tree, scattered amongst the presents; there was even one of Harry asleep snuggled up with Joshua.
As well as the 'bedroom present' Harry had planned for Remus, he hadn't been able to resist buying a gold locket for him. The locket contained a picture of each baby, their little faces lit up and smiling.
Whilst everyone was opening presents and hugging each other, Harry had watched Snape open his presents. It was interesting to watch, really; Christmas seemed to make Snape seem normal.
After Snape had opened the presents containing books and socks (Harry suspected Dumbledore was guilty of that offence) he came to a slim package. He opened it and Harry saw the light shining through the windows fall on a gold chain, the pendant encrusted with emeralds. Snape seemed to forget himself as he ran his finger over it, looking at it in wonder. But as quick as this little lapse had been, he became himself again, hiding the necklace from view and looking around to see if anyone had been watching. Harry quickly averted his eyes, noticing a card lying at Snape's feet as he did so. Snape picked this up and his eyes stared at whatever was written on it. He then placed it in his robe pocket and continued with his presents.
After all the wrapping paper had been discarded (Harry insisted that the shiny paper be kept as it kept the babies quiet) ,work began on Christmas dinner. Mrs Weasley, Mrs Granger, and Andromeda retreated to the kitchen whilst everyone else settled down in the living room. Snape, however, kept to himself, preferring to watch the others fuss over the babies rather than be a part of it himself. In fact, Harry thought he seemed to be in deep thought and Harry suspected it was over the pendant.
"Would you like some wine Harry?" asked Mcgonagall, and that was when Harry made up his mind.
"Yes please, Professor," he smiled, tearing his eyes away from Snape. As she poured it into a glass for him, Harry heard Snape dismiss himself from the company of the room. Harry took a sip of the wine as Mcgonagall moved onto Hermione, who was still hugging Ron over her present.
"I'm just going getting something," Harry said to no one in particular, "Mind the kids for me will you?" And he got up and followed Snape out into the hall just in time to see his robes sweep around the corner on the landing upstairs. He quickly followed, cursing himself as he did for his stubborn curiosity, and as he turned the corner he bumped into something solid, his drink spilling all over the man he had just collided with.
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry Professor," he fussed, setting his empty glass on the stair banister. "You better take that off quickly or it's gonna stain."
As Snape was muttering curses at the boy, Harry reached out and tried to help him with his robe, only to have his hand batted away.
"I am quite capable of taking my robe off myself, Potter," he snapped, pulling it over his head. "You should watch where you're going in future! How in Merlin's name you hope to defeat the Dark Lord with your capabilities, I have no idea."
He got his robe off and Harry automatically reached out to take it, his hand closing on the soft fabric. "Here, let me go and bung that in the washing machine."
"In case you haven't noticed, Potter, I am a wizard," he snarled.
"I was just trying to…"
"Help?" he snapped, "The job would be much better done if you stayed out of it Potter. I would have thought you'd learn by now that whenever you 'help out' things end in disaster."
"Fine," Harry snapped, "There's no need to be so rude about it."
But as Snape stalked away again down the hall, Harry had to congratulate himself because in his hand he held the card which Snape had received with the pendant.
"Snape's got a secret admirer!" he exclaimed excitedly when he had Ron and Hermione on their own.
"What?" asked Ron incredulously.
"A secret admirer!" he said again, "I took this from him, listen," and he read out the card; "Severus, Merry Christmas. I hope one day to bring you as much joy as the festive season tends. With my deepest love, yours always…and there's no name!"
"But who'd you think would send that?" asked Ron, taking the card from Harry and reading it himself, "What came with it? Was it just the card?"
"Nope," smiled Harry, "They sent him a gold necklace. Looked pretty expensive."
"But who in their right mind would spend all that money on Snape?"
"Harry," said Hermione slowly, "How did you get this?"
"Get what?"
"The card!"
"Oh," he said, "I just, you know, got it."
"Where from Harry?"
"Does it matter?" said Ron, "This is proof that some poor sod's lusting after Snape!"
"I really don't think it's any of our business," she reprehended them. "This is Professor Snape's private life and we shouldn't be snooping around in it."
"Oh come on 'mione, you know you're as curious as we are as to who sent it," said Ron, waving the card in front of her nose.
"It isn't our business," she said again. "And Harry, I really think you ought to put that card back exactly where you found it."
"Yeah, well, that might be a bit of a problem," he muttered, taking the card from Ron and putting it in his pocket.
"And why would that be?" she asked, annoyed.
"Because," he said, "I took it from Snape's robe pocket."
"You what?" laughed Ron, "How'd you manage that?"
"I 'accidentally' spilt my drink on him," he told them.
"Well you better make sure he gets it back, Harry Potter," she ordered, "It might mean something to him."
"I doubt it," said Harry, "I could tell by his face when he opened it that he didn't know who it was from."
"It could just be someone playing a joke," Ron suggested, ignoring his fuming girlfriend.
"With something that expensive?" questioned Harry, "Nah, whoever it was, they meant it."
But as the day progressed, they didn't find any clues as to who the mystery person was. Since Hermione refused to help them, they had struggled to cast all the appropriate spells on it to try and make the handwriting reveal itself. Harry was so sure he recognised the writing though, he just couldn't place it at all. Ron had joked that it looked like Remus' writing so Harry had pushed him off his chair. But in the end they had been forced to give up and Harry had slipped the card under Snape's bedroom door (after wiping his finger prints from it, of course).
Christmas dinner was one of the most excellent meals he had ever had. They had really out done themselves this year. Every single piece of food that made up a traditional Christmas dinner was laid out before them on the table, and the turkey was so succulent it made his mouth water. The wine was flowing, bottle upon bottle being passed around the crowded table, and there was delightful chatter all about them.
After dinner was finished, everyone broke up and went their separate ways, off to examine and enjoy their Christmas gifts better. Harry decided that now was a good enough time to start to piece together his little seduction plan. Whilst Dumbledore and Mcgonagall sat around the fire with Remus, playing with the triplets, Harry snuck away. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he had got together with Remus back in the summer and he was determined it would go perfectly.
A/N: I know I should be working on this, but as I explained at the top in the A/N, the next chapter was annoying me. So I started another fic. It's a Harry/Severus and it's a sort of atempt at humour, although it's not that funny really... I hope you'll check it out when I post it. It's based on the film 'The Full Monty' if any of you have seen it.