Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
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Chapter 1 - The Delivery
The crash that sounded in the other room alerted Ginny Potter to the whereabouts of her ceaselessly lively two-year-old, who had escaped from the kitchen only a few moments earlier. She had been so busy feeding little James, that she had looked away from the toddler for one second, and she had somehow clambered down from her highchair and made good her escape. Cradling her week-old little boy to her chest, she gingerly made her way down the hall and into the large function dining room.
'Lily Potter, you come to mummy right now or you shall be sent to your room and I shall confiscate your toys,' Ginny scolded as she walked through the door.
The little girl poked her head around the leg of a dining chair, her eyes seemingly innocent and doe-eyed, but her little grin belied that. Ginny beckoned her with a finger, pointing to where she wanted the girl to be standing in front of her. With a pout, Lily came out of hiding and walked over to stand in front of her mother before looking up at her with imploring eyes.
'Sowwy Mummy,' Lily said meekly, having learned to talk over the summer months.
'You're just lucky I keep the real china locked in the cupboards,' Ginny said, walking over to the broken plate on the floor. 'Reparo.'
The scattered pieces of shattered plate all came back together in an instant, and returned itself to its position sitting on the cabinet. Shaking her head, she took Lily's hand with her free hand and led her back to the kitchen so that the girl could finish her food, and so that she could nurse James. While she was halfway through nursing however, the Floo in the other room came alive, and she heard her name being called out. Sighing, she had to detach James and hastily cover up, before going to answer the call.
The face of Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts, was in the fireplace.
'What's the problem, Severus? Is it time?' she asked, her eyes widening as she hurried closer to hear him better.
'Yes, yes, Hermione is in labor now and has been asking for you and Julia,' he said in haste. 'I need to contact her now also. Come through to my office as soon as you can and tell your husband as well.'
His face disappeared and Ginny was left standing alone in the sitting room with James in her arms. She burped him quickly and then went to retrieve Lily from the kitchen. Checking that all of them were reasonable, she donned her maroon robes over her clothes and went back to the Floo. She would Floo Harry at work before she went to Hogwarts to see to Hermione. She tossed in some Floo powder.
'Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic, London,' she said clearly, and sure enough his face appeared in the flames.
'Hello, my love, what is the problem?' he asked.
'Hermione's in labor and I need to get to her,' Ginny said quickly. 'I'll have to take the kids with me, and you just come to Hogwarts as soon as you can after work.'
'Forget work, I'll Apparate to Hogwarts as soon as I can,' he told her. 'The boss won't mind – I've only got paperwork all week as it is.'
Ginny nodded and closed that connection before opening the one to Severus' office at Hogwarts. She picked up Lily with her other arm, and held both children tight to her, before Flooing straight there, and walking out into the clean office. Guessing Severus was in the Hospital wing, she left the office and began making her way there. At the door to the wing, she put Lily down, and holding her hand, led the way inside to where a hoarse scream of pain could be heard from a private room. The door opened just as she reached a hand out to turn the knob, and a frantic-looking Severus stood before her.
'Thank Merlin you're here,' he said, leading her into the room with a gentle pressure on her back. 'Hermione needs female support, hand me that boy of yours and I will take the children to Megan in Poppy's office.'
Not needing to be told twice, Ginny gently handed James to Severus before hurrying over to Hermione's side. Severus picked up Lily with his free arm, and took the children to Poppy's office, conjuring a cot in there for James, before sending for Megan from her classes. About two minutes later, she was walking into the office, looking up at Snape curiously.
'Is Mum having the babies then?' she asked Severus as she sat do on the floor next to Lily.
Severus nodded. 'I need you to watch over the Potter children for me while I tend to your mother in the next room,' he answered in a rush. 'Call Ginny Potter if you are in need of anything.'
He left the office and the children in Megan's capable hands before rushing back to his wife's side. She had stopped screaming for the time-being, but was very sweaty, and her wet hair was sticking to her forehead, and her skin was very flushed. Even then she looked beautiful to him. He walked back over to her and positioned himself behind her once more, lovingly stroking the hair back from her face.
'How are you going, my love?' he asked softly, holding one of her hands tightly.
'I could be better,' she managed to puff out between breaths. 'It hurts, Sev…'
He kissed her temple. 'It will hurt, and although I can't promise you that I have ever felt such pain, I can promise you that I would take it away if I could,' he replied, warming her heart.
She was about to reply as another strong contraction hit, and instead, she emitted a moan of pain. Poppy gave her the signal to start pushing. Apparently baby number one wanted out. As the next contraction hit, she bore down hard, pushing as much as her energy would allow her to. After that, every contraction that followed she would push, and push until finally the sound of a baby's cries could be heard in the room. She smiled, nudged Severus to get out from behind her and tend to their first-born.
'Just one more to go, love,' he murmured in her ear as he slipped away. 'You're doing so wonderfully.'
Hermione nodded, and looked to the other side, where Ginny was holding her other hand and smiling. She then felt another contraction hit, and barely contained the scream that tore through her. Poppy returned to her in seconds, urging her to push through it once more. Hermione felt so tired, but she kept on baring down no matter what, intent to have her baby in her arms. She gave one final push, before another child slid from her and the cries began all over again.
'Wonderful job, Hermione – your little boy is a healthy one also,' Poppy congratulated, as she cleaned up Hermione with a wave of her wand, and took the younger twin off to clean up also.
'You were brilliant, Mione,' Ginny said, helping to charm new sheets onto the bed as Hermione lay there exhausted. 'Both of them looked healthy and beautiful.'
'And they are very beautiful,' Severus said as he reentered the room with two bundles wrapped in blue and pink cotton blankets.
Hermione sat up on the bed with Ginny's help, and accepted both bundles into her arms as Severus passed them to her, and resumed his position seated behind her. Both babies had their eyes closed, but she knew intuitively that they would have beautiful eyes. Her little girl, older by just a few minutes, had straight black hair that felt like down on her head, and a little button nose, just as any baby should have. Their boy, she could tell, would have his father's nose and hair also. They were beautiful.
'Have the two of you thought of baby names yet?' Ginny asked as she gently touched a cute baby nose.
'We decided on Sebastian Alexander and Luciana Iris Snape,' Severus answered, leaning down to place a kiss on the tip of his little girl's nose. 'She will be beautiful like her mother.'
'And he will be handsome like his father,' Hermione replied, indicating their baby boy.
'Ginevra, would you be a Godmother to our son?' Severus asked her as his wife handed the little boy over to the younger woman.
Ginny looked up in surprise at him and then down to Hermione who only smiled and nodded. 'I would be honored to be his Godmother,' she answered, cradling the boy in her arms carefully.
Suddenly, the door opened and Harry Potter burst into the room.
'What did I miss? Are they here yet?' he asked hurriedly, looking around the room wildly at everyone, and panting as though he had just been on a run.
'Yes, Mr. Potter, our children have graced us with their presence,' Severus drawled, carefully lifting Luciana out of Hermione's arms and walking her over to Harry. 'Glad you finally saw fit to make an appearance.'
'What can I say? Fashionably late,' he said with a careless grin, accepting the baby girl into his arms with practiced ease, and cuddling her, smoothing her hair gently. 'Well, she's a lovely little girl, I will give you that. Who would have thought I would ever be holding one of Professor Snape's babies?'
'Harry Potter, play fair,' Ginny chided from her position in the room.
'Harry, we were thinking that maybe you would be Sebastian's Godfather,' Hermione said, scowling at Severus when it looked as though her might protest.
'I'd be happy to accept such an honor,' he answered, walking over to Ginny to take a look at his soon-to-be godson. 'Well, he's got your nose, Severus, but he's bound to be a heartbreaker at school.'
Severus merely pulled a sour face at that, but kept quiet at Hermione's warning look towards him. He knew better than to annoy his witch when she was as exhausted as she undoubtedly was.
Soon after, the Potter's left the room and gave the two newborns back to their parents, and went to collect their own progeny from Poppy Pomfrey's office. Megan finally entered the room, and was instantly at Hermione's side, perching herself right beside her adoptive mother, and gazing adoringly at her new baby brother and sister. She seemed to be almost in awe of the children, and just watching her made Severus feel warm on the inside. She was going to be a brilliant older sister, and was going to provide Hermione with all the help in the world.
'Can I hold one of them?' she asked timidly, fearing that they might say no because they were so little.
'Certainly,' Severus said immediately, shifting Luciana right into her arms before helping her arranging her arms to correctly cradle a baby. 'Meet your sister, Luciana.'
Megan beamed at that. 'She's so beautiful!' she exclaimed softly over the little girl she cradled in her arms. 'They are both so beautiful actually.'
'Well, now you're going to have the huge responsibility of setting a good example for these two little ones to follow,' Severus told her, looking quite serious. 'And I am confident that you will be up for the job.'
Megan looked over at Hermione, and noted that she had drifted off to sleep. 'I think I can do that, for them, and for your and Mum,' she answered quietly.
Severus nodded in approval, and carefully lifted his boy out of his slumbering mother's arms, looking down at him proudly. He was a father. His family was all right there in the room with him, and everything he did from that point onward, would affect them before anyone else. He had a big job ahead of him, and he wasn't totally sure that he was right for it. But he sure as hell was going to give it his all.
'This is the way it was supposed to be,' he said to nobody in particular.
Megan, however, seemed to understand his words and nodded. 'I think so too.'
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A/N – Thank you to everyone for being so patient with me. I have finally gotten around to writing the sequel to "The Headmaster", and well here is the first chapter. I figured it was easiest to just pick up where I left off. There is no telling how long this will be, but sit tight for the ride if you will. Thanks!