Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling et al. Any characters or locations you recognise are the intellectual property of these individuals and corporations. I make no money from the writing of this story.

-oOo-

Chapter III

Impulsiveness was not a word that anyone would use to describe Severus Snape. People would therefore be surprised that the three most important decisions of his life were made impulsively.

The first was taking the Dark Mark and joining the Death Eaters in a fit of pique over Lily marrying James Potter that very day.

The second was taking a vow to protect her son at all costs.

The third was declaring his intent to be involved in his newborn son's life. At least this decision did not involve torture and mayhem and having to stick his neck out for reckless teenagers. Not that he would not do all of it in a heartbeat if his son's life depended on it but at least with a say in how he was being raised, he might be able to avoid at least some of the more dangerous elements of the other vows he had undertaken in his life.

Following his declaration, Hermione wisely proposed that they both get some rest and begin to hammer out the details the next day. Severus immediately acquiesced to her request and relinquished the baby back to her with a soft kiss on his forehead. He departed after awkwardly wishing the new mother a pleasant sleep.

Sleep was the farthest thing from Hermione's mind after the door closed softly behind the former spy. She looked down at the baby in her arms, sleeping peacefully, wholly unaware of his mother's turmoil.

"This is indeed an unexpected turn of events, isn't it?" she asked. She sat still for several minutes, just trying to process the revelations of the last hour—well the last three hours really. To be precise from the moment Harry had looked at her and told her that her baby reminded him of Severus Snape. Sure, they might have joked about it. Harry and George's banishment to the corner had included a conversation between the two men—absolutely meant to be overheard—about the mechanics of Snape wanking into a cup to provide the necessary donation. The three girls had drawn the line at speculation between the pair of what fantasies might fuel such an action and Harry and George had had to dodge several hexes sent their way.

All in all, she was unsure just what she was feeling right now. All this time the 'father' had been an abstract idea—not a real person. The Weasleys were a huge part of Hermione's life and would be the only family her son knew as his own. While she was the first of the Grangers in the magical world, she was the last in her particular branch in the Muggle world. So while Jonathan would know the circumstances surrounding his conception—in age-appropriate ways of course—ultimately the man who would have held the position of father would have been Ron.

She was also set for a life of single-motherhood. She had already made decisions regarding Jonathan's child-care arrangements, his early education and even what sort of leisure activities she would introduce him to. Now she had rashly brought another person into the equation—one who most likely had extremely different views to her about child-rearing.

And what of the man himself? Yes, she had always defended him when she was younger, indeed still defended him to this day when a narrow-minded soul took it upon him or herself to disparage the proud, solitary, defiant… surly… unpleasant… 'He can be funny when he wants to,' a small voice in her mind piped up. Hermione remembered back to an evening not long after the war when she had been seated next to him at one of the interminable banquets they had all been forced to attend in celebration.

The witch in charge of the seating at this particular event had had a bit of a thing for Ron and so had seated him in a prime position next to her, while relegating Hermione to a table on the other side of the room and next to Severus Snape. After the initial awkward greeting, the admonishment that she was no longer his student and an adult, therefore first names would be entirely appropriate and the acceptance of apologies on both sides, the two of them had had rather a pleasant meal. The other occupants of their table were too intimidated by them to engage them in conversation and Severus entertained Hermione by telling her secrets and intimate details of nearly everyone in the room. This particular crowd was made up of people mostly under the age of forty and Severus had had the dubious honour of either being a schoolmate or professor of practically all of them. Following that night, Hermione and Severus had reached an understanding of friendly acquaintances if nothing else.

As Hermione settled Jonathan in the tiny cot next to her bed and attended to her own ablutions for the night, she reflected on the limited interactions they had had over the years. Severus was often called in to consult regarding the ingestion or application of rare potions and Hermione had worked with him several times on cases. He was a fixture at anything to do with The Order of the Phoenix, as was she, and so she saw him several times a year at various meetings and gatherings. He had been a guest at her and Ron's wedding, presenting them with a very nice glass cauldron as a gift which she still used. She was vaguely aware that he had also attended Ron's funeral.

'At least he is someone I know and can exist with companionably,' she thought as she rinsed her mouth. A sudden, vice-like grip caught in her chest as she thought about what might have happened if some other man discovered an unexpected issue on his family tapestry. 'Curse purebloods and their archaic ways,' she thought viciously. She supposed that anyone donating sperm would be all right with the knowledge that they were going to be party to creating life, but of course Severus had had no idea. She hoped he would not come down too harshly on the hospital's administrators over this mistake although she was interested to know how it had come about. It was inexcusable behaviour in somebody, but the sleeping babe out there who had already caught her heart would not have existed as he did without it so she could not find it in herself to be wholly condemning.

-oOo-

Early the next morning, Hermione awoke to the fussy cries of her son. With an assurance she had been certain would be lacking in her, she quickly attended to Jonathan's immediate need to be fed. She was halfway through when a Medi-witch checked in on her, the other woman happy to stay with Hermione while she burped Jonathan and changed his nappy. Luckily Hermione had had plenty of experience in wrangling a newborn into a clean nappy and a change of clothes having attended to all the Weasley and Potter babies at one time or another and so the Medi-witch left her alone with an instruction to call her if she needed even the slightest thing. Hermione nodded but was grateful for the solitude which she knew would be all-too-brief. It was Saturday after all and she was fully aware that meant an endless parade of visitors as soon as the hospital opened its doors.

Her prediction proved to be bang on the money as Bill, Fleur and their children popped their heads in the room only moments after nine o'clock, the official time for visitations to commence. Hermione gratefully accepted their gifts and agreed with her gushing sister-in-law that Jonathan was indeed a gorgeous baby. They were the first in a steady stream of early morning visitors—Molly and Arthur came next presenting her with her very own family clock with her and Jonathan's names affixed to the hands. Percy and Audrey arrived with their daughters at the same time as Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas. Neville informed Hermione that Hannah would be along in the afternoon after the lunch rush. A rather large pile of baby blankets, clothes, toys, hampers and, of course, books, was steadily growing in the corner of her room.

For being handed around as much as he was, Jonathan was surprisingly all right with all the fuss and attention, only crying when his tummy demanded food and his nappy required changing. The witches all laughed at the speed with which the room emptied of wizards as soon as Hermione made a move to feed the baby. Although a little self-conscious, Audrey showed her the best and quickest way to discreetly manage the task, hiding herself under a thin blanket and allowing Jonathan to take his meal at his leisure.

They were followed by several colleagues of Hermione's as they took their breaks in her room. Draco poked his head in just after her own lunch had been served.

"Is everything okay in here?" he asked nervously.

"As well as can be expected, I guess," Hermione said. "You can come in if you like."

"You're not going to slap me?"

"No," Hermione said in exasperation.

"Oh good, I thought you might be a bit upset with me," Draco said.

"Malfoy, I have this beautiful baby because of your suggestion. Surely you are aware that whatever a woman says in the midst of labour is not to be taken seriously."

"I was more concerned with the aftermath."

Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What do you know of the aftermath?" she asked.

"I never figured you for someone stupid, Granger. Within five minutes of our first class you had established yourself as the brain. Severus came to see me last night."

"What did he say?" Hermione asked. She was curious to know what his thoughts were following their meeting.

"He was understandably confused and a bit angry at me. I couldn't help my reaction though. No matter what he might have told you, I don't really think it is that funny. It's just the situation, you know? I mean, him, you, a baby… anyone would have reacted the same way."

"What did you do?"

"I laughed my fucking head off! I'm surprised I was coherent enough to be able to send him here."

"Wait—you saw him before he came here?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Damn," she muttered. "I want to know what he's thinking now."

"What happened?"

"Just how close are you to the man?" Hermione asked.

"He is my Godfather—we're close," Draco said.

"Well, he has indicated that he wants to be involved in Jonathan's life." Hermione smirked wickedly. "I guess that means you'll be involved a bit too. You'll have to interact with me in social situations, not just at work."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's going to be a massive hardship. You get on with my wife like a house on fire." Hermione and Astoria had been known to spend entire evenings talking to each other at hospital events. "Can I see the baby?" he asked. Hermione nodded. Gently, Draco lifted Jonathan from the cot by Hermione's bed. "Hello there, I'm your… I don't know what the technical term is—Godbrother? You can call me Uncle Draco if you like. Merlin, he looks like Severus!" Draco commented.

"We know," Hermione said drily, remembering the behaviour of Harry and George the previous evening.

"Well, I'll teach you how to ride a broom and we have a great herd of Pegasii at the Manor. You'll be a natural in no time," Draco said to Jonathan. "Scorpius is only a few months older than you. The pair of you will be peas in a pod—I can see it already. Then, when the two of you get to Hogwarts you can rule Slytherin House together. I can teach you how to do that too." Draco smiled when Jonathan made a noise of satisfaction and drifted off to sleep.

Hermione's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "This child is going to be the death of me already!" she complained. "He is one day old and it seems like he perfectly understands English!"

Draco laughed softly. "No, he doesn't, Granger. It is just noise to him at the moment. Inflection and tone are the important things."

"It's just that his most 'Snape' moments have been when Harry declared him an honourary Potter, George said he had pranks ready for him and I said he would be in Gryffindor. You talk to him about Slytherin and he acts all happy!"

"The mark of a true Slytherin," Draco praised. He placed Jonathan back in his cot. "Well, I have to get back to work. I'll be back later to do his twenty four hour checks, okay?" Hermione nodded. "Seriously, thank you for listening to Severus and allowing him in. He takes his duty very seriously and he would never shirk it."

"I know," Hermione said. "My stipulation is simply that once the commitment is made then he is in completely. He agreed with that. Do you know what happened with the mix-up?" she asked.

Draco shook his head. "I haven't been down there today. Rumour has it they've locked up the lab and are checking into everything. I am sure I'll be summoned down there at some point but I have all my records ready. I honestly don't know how this happened."

"I guess we'll find out. In a way, it doesn't really matter how, what matters is what happens next," Hermione said.

"Yes," Draco agreed. "By the way, have you chosen a Godfather yet?" Hermione just looked at him with an 'are you kidding?' look. "Potter," he said with resignation.

"Who else?" Hermione asked.

"I thought I might have a chance," Draco argued. "After all, Severus is my Godfather and I was the one who suggested the IVF to you."

"Maybe our next one," Hermione said. She immediately blushed when she realised what she said. Draco just laughed and said goodbye.

"Our next one," Hermione muttered to the empty room. "Hormones are playing havoc with my brain function!"

Some more of Hermione's friends and colleagues trickled through when afternoon visiting hours began. It was late in the afternoon when the Potter family made their entrance. Ginny immediately took hold of Jonathan and presented him to James and Albus. James was interested for about two seconds while Albus just stared at the tiny thing and Ginny tried to encourage him to say 'baby'. Harry in the meantime was wrangling the pram, a baby bag and an Iron Man action figure.

"Can I show her now, Daddy?" James asked.

"Of course you can, Sport," Harry said with a mischievous grin playing about his mouth. He took an envelope out of the bag and handed it to his son who promptly and agilely climbed onto a chair and jumped across to Hermione's bed. As he crawled up to sit next to her he said, "I drawed you a picture, Aunty My-knee."

"Did you?" Hermione asked, feigning surprise. "What did you draw?"

"A picture of your new family," James said proudly. "Daddy said now you have a baby you are a family so I drawed it of you."

"Oh, James, that is lovely of you," Hermione praised him as she opened the envelope and withdrew the picture. Without even looking at it she began to gush over it. "Oh look you drew me and Jonathan and—who is this?" she asked when she focused on it.

For a four-year-old, the drawing wasn't bad. There was a blob with lots of hair that she knew was her and a tiny blob in her outstretched hand which was clearly the baby. She had two legs and two arms and the baby's head was sticking out of what she assumed was a blue blanket. The object of her query was the large, black blob with a huge nose next to her with his hand also outstretched as though he too were holding the baby.

"That's Mister Snape," James told her. "I askded Daddy who was Jo'than's daddy and he said Mister Snape so I drawed him."

Hermione and Ginny both glared at Harry whose gleeful expression quickly turned fearful. He busied himself rummaging through the baby bag looking for anything, suddenly thinking his prank was possibly not the best idea he had ever had. Shaking her head, Hermione bent and gave James a kiss. "Thank you, Sweetums," she said. "This is a lovely drawing and I will stick it on the fridge so everyone can see our first family portrait."

"Yay!" James said, bouncing up and down and clapping his hands. A drawing good enough to go on the fridge was the ultimate compliment to the little boy.

"How will you explain Snape in the position of 'father' then?" Harry blurted.

"It's true, Harry," Hermione answered.

Harry scoffed. "Right, Hermione, Snape is Jonathan's 'dad'," he said, miming air quotes.

"You said he was," James said innocently.

Hermione and Ginny exchanged smirks at Harry's attempt to explain to James that it was all a joke. Deciding to put him out of his misery, even though it would plunge him to a new sort of misery, Hermione said, "It's not a joke, Harry. I saw what you and George saw last night, Jonathan greatly resembles Severus, I don't believe there can be any doubt."

"Hermione," Harry began. He looked at his son sitting on the bed, avidly listening to the adults. "Ginny, maybe you could…" he jerked his chin at the door, signalling for his wife to take their son away. Ginny grumbled but realised this conversation was not for little ears. She handed Jonathan back to Hermione.

"Come on, James, let's go to the shop and buy Aunty 'Mione a cauldron cake," she said, holding her hand out. Albus could be left safely in the pram with his string of toys.

"Mmm, yummy," Hermione agreed, helping a protesting James off the bed. They could still hear him complaining that he wanted to stay as he and his mother walked off down the hall. Harry was sure his wife was grumpily mumbling the same thing.

"Look, Harry," Hermione said before Harry could say a word. "I know you and George were having a laugh last night. It's what we all do." Many a night at the Burrow was spent taking the mickey out of each other, especially if one was able to detect even the slightest rise out of the target of the day. "But last night after you left I saw exactly what you and George saw. The face Jonathan pulled at me was classic Snape, even if his timing was pure Weasley," she muttered.

"What did you say?" Harry asked curiously.

"That he was going to be a Gryffindor," Hermione replied. "The look would have soured milk."

Harry chuckled. "Yep, that would be a horrible fate for a Snape," he agreed. "But, Hermione, at this age babies don't react like that to anything. As you said, it was just timing and the normal muscle spasms and stuff that babies have. It was an anonymous donor; I really, really, do not think that Snape would have wanked into a cup!"

"That's where you're wrong, Harry. After you left last night, he showed up. At first I thought you or George might have said something to him but he told me that Jonathan's name had shown up on his family tapestry. One of his elves alerted him to it and he came here. Given all the evidence, the logical conclusion is that he is Jonathan's father." Hermione let out a small breath of air when she finished.

Harry just gaped at her for several seconds. "But, but… But…" he could not seem to get any other words out.

"But, but, but," Hermione mimicked. "Don't worry, Harry," she said gently. "We talked and he wants to be involved. He wants to take responsibility."

"That makes no sense!" Harry blurted. "Why would you sign up for sperm donation in IVF if you were planning to become 'involved'? His sheet was anonymous, remember?"

"I did not sign up and donate to an IVF programme, Potter," a voice drawled from behind him.

Harry spun around to find the man himself standing stiffly in the doorway, much as he had the previous night when he surprised Hermione. "Then what…?" Harry trailed off his question.

"He participated in the genealogy project, Harry, same as you did." Hermione had cajoled all the males of the family to participate in Draco's study. She gasped as she realised that some of their sperm may have been mixed up in the same way as Severus'.

"Do not concern yourself, Hermione," Severus said, correctly interpreting her worried noise. "I have spent the last several hours with the hospital administrators and members of the DMLE to ensure no other men have had their trust abused in the same manner as me. They identified a further five vials that were where they should not be and the administrators are currently questioning one of the Research Healers. It appears only two other couples have undergone IVF in the intervening time but both of them had their own donors. On the upside, we have been offered monetary compensation by the St Mungo's board that will entirely cover Jonathan's education in the future. They are asking for discretion as well."

Hermione just nodded. Her mind was reeling. Six vials! That was not an innocent mistake; that was intentional. No wonder they were questioning someone. She shuddered to think what would have happened if someone else's vial had been used. What if Harry's or George's or, God forbid, Draco's sample had been mishandled and been the one she had chosen. Although she guessed her joke all those months ago about polluting a pureblood family line would have been especially funny had the line in question been the Malfoys.

"Discretion?" Harry repeated. "Is that wise? Shouldn't this be exposed?"

"No, Harry," Hermione said. "They have determined the only ones affected by it are us and I don't want any sort of scandal that could come back on us in the future and upset Jonathan. The manner of his conception is unusual, I know, but he will never know anything other than love and acceptance from me and, I hope, from his father as well." She paused and saw Severus nod his head, albeit uncomfortably. The man was not one for showing emotion openly after all. "I don't want him thinking he was an accident. He is a gift. Discretion is best, and I still work here as well. We both do, on occasion," she said.

"So what happens now?" Harry asked.

"That is what I am here to discuss," Severus said. The door burst open to admit James and Ginny.

"We got you a strawberry one like you like, Aunty My-knee!" James announced before coming to a halt at seeing the extra occupant in the room.

"Ginevra," Severus greeted with a nod.

"Severus," she replied. "Say hello to Mister Snape," she whispered to James.

"Hullo," James said cheerfully. Severus lifted the corners of his mouth slightly and returned the child's greeting.

"We should go and let you talk," Harry said.

"But, Daddy, I wanted to visit all day and you and Mummy didn't get ready and then we got here and Mummy made me go and get a cake… I want to stay with Aunty My-knee!" James whined.

"James, today is a lesson for you to learn that sometimes we can't always get what we want," Ginny said, kindly but firmly. She and Harry had had a tough time getting things together today; they had intended to visit much earlier than they had. "You have been a good boy while you waited though and good things happen to good boys. Now, we must go and let Mister Snape and Aunty 'Mione talk. I promise you and me will come back as soon as visiting hours start tomorrow. Daddy can get Albus ready and bring him later, all right?"

"But," James started to protest when Jonathan began to cry. James had enough experience with crying babies to know that his Aunty My-knee would not be paying much attention to him for a while. "Okay," he said grudgingly. "I'm going to draw lots of pictures for Aunty My-knee when I get home but!"

"Let's go," Harry said quietly. He gave Hermione a look that promised further discussion at a later date. The Potters left amid Hermione trying out her new discretionary trick of feeding under the blanket. Luckily Severus' attention had been drawn by trying to avoid the pram and the baby bag as Harry and Ginny left the room. By the time he focussed his attention back on her, all he could see was the blanket draped over her shoulder and body, the only evidence of what she was concealing was the occasional movement of Jonathan's head and the soft sounds of him feeding.

Hermione gestured to the lone chair with her free hand. "You may as well sit down," she offered. "We will be here for a while."

"How likely are we to suffer interruptions?" he asked.

"Hmm, you have a point." Hermione grabbed her wand of the nightstand and waved it in a complex pattern at the door. "Standard Healer ward," she explained. "It lets any visitors know the patient can't be disturbed."

"Have you given our situation much thought?" Severus launched right in.

"A little bit," Hermione answered. "There is a lot to take in."

"Yes," he agreed. "I admit I do not really know how to handle this."

Hermione looked sympathetic. She knew what an admission like that would cost him. "I suppose I was thinking of some of the kids I went to primary school with. They would live with their mums and see their dads every second weekend. Maybe in the long term that sort of arrangement would work for us…"

Severus shook his head. "I know what you mean, but that is an arrangement for two people who have found they cannot be in the same room as each other for a prolonged period of time. That is not the case with us and in the short term it is completely irrelevant."

"True, I can't be too far away at any given time," she agreed. Nor would she want to be away from Jonathan for even a second longer than she had to be. Severus raised a fair point as well, they got along quite congenially so they did not really need an arrangement designed to keep them apart.

"I went to Prince Manor early this morning," Severus said. "The head elf there needs to see Jonathan for an anointing ceremony by the way. It just confirms him as a member of the Prince family and its heir." He did not miss the way Hermione tightened her grip on the baby.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

"Perfectly," he replied, trying to keep the rancour from his tone. He knew she was just being a protective mother but did she really think he would place his son—any newborn for that matter—in danger? "It is just the elf laying his hands on him and confirming he is of the Prince line. Something akin to a Muggle christening I suppose."

"I can bring him when we leave the hospital," Hermione agreed.

"Which brings me to my point; the Manor is a bit rundown but I have instructed all four of the elves to begin to restore it. It is quite large. There are six reception rooms plus a large ballroom, an extensive library, which is surprisingly in pristine condition, along with two studies. There are ten bedrooms and several bathrooms. In the cellar is space for a potions lab and there is a wine cellar that has not been touched for decades. If you remember I visited your flat once," Hermione nodded recalling the time Molly had brought him with a freshly brewed Pepper-Up Potion when she had a cold, "and I recall it being quite small."

"Yes, I remember," Hermione said. "And you are right. I was going to start looking for something when Jonathan gets a bit older; for now I thought small would be a bit easier to keep clean."

"Logical," Severus replied. "My own cottage is remote and very small as well. It suits my needs but is no place to even attempt to raise a child. Prince Manor though is quite large enough for the two of us to live in and maintain separate lives if we wish while presenting a stable environment for Jonathan as he grows up with his parents together under one roof. I realise my life so far might lead people to the belief that I am a curmudgeonly bastard but I would not be averse to company. I believe I could live with yours. I have no wish for my son to grow up believing I find him an annoyance or that he is in any way a mistake. I had never thought to find myself in this position, but here we are. I want my child to have the basic things I always wished for myself: a proper home where he feels safe and l-loved."

Hermione sniffed once before tears began escaping her eyes and flowed over her cheeks. Hormones. "Severus," she said brokenly. He merely rolled his eyes and handed her a handkerchief. "That was so beautiful, in its own way," she conceded. "I would be happy for us to try that but only once I see the Manor and make certain it is fit for a baby to live in. There won't be any issues regarding me being Muggleborn, will there?" she asked nervously.

"No," Severus assured her. "The Princes regularly welcomed Muggleborns and half-bloods into the family; they just glossed over their origins."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought that given your history…" she trailed off. Severus knew that most members of the Order, Hermione included, were aware of his unsavoury upbringing and the fact that he had had no contact with the Prince family growing up.

"The Princes objected to my father because he was from the lower classes and showed no desire to try and better himself," Severus told her. "My mother rebelled against her parents and refused to let them help her and so condemned us to a miserable life in Cokeworth. Once I became a Death Eater I was shunned lest I discover that the great and powerful pureblooded House of Prince was not so pure after all. The Princes have always prided themselves on never disowning a family member, no matter their transgression, and so the inheritance of the entire estate has fallen to me as the last surviving member of the family. The birthright will now be able to continue for another generation at least."

"I have nothing so tangible of my parents' estate, only a few trinkets and some furniture," Hermione said. "After the war they sold their house and business and invested quite heavily. We can live comfortably off the investments but there is not much I can pass down to Jonathan as a legacy. Are you happy for him to keep his name as it is?" she asked.

"I only know his given name," Severus confessed.

"Jonathan Ronald Granger, after my father and Ron of course," Hermione said.

Severus nodded. "That is acceptable. I have no real desire for the Snape name to live on and the Prince name was already lost to the annals of history. All three names are fine ones he can be proud of. I only ask that you strenuously discourage anyone from ever referring to him as Jonny."

"Like that's ever going to happen," Hermione said with a scoff. "I also already picked his Godparents."

"The Potters, I presume," he said.

"Yes, I asked them months ago and they accepted. I'm sorry, but I cannot un-ask them, nor do I want to," she said with firm resolve.

"I would not expect you to. I briefly had a thought regarding his Godparents last night and assumed they would have already been set. I have no objections. As much as the man annoys me, he is the logical choice given your long friendship. I am Jonathan's father so that makes me more important by default."

Hermione knew his dry sense of humour and just rolled her eyes. "How long do you think before the Manor is ready?" she asked, changing the subject back to the more important matter.

"I would say a month. That would give us enough time to set our other affairs in order and satisfactorily decide on how we will manage this together. Have you told anyone other than Potter?" he asked.

"No," Hermione replied. "I wanted to wait until we had this discussion so we knew what was happening. Malfoy visited and he knew already." Hermione giggled when she heard Severus mutter, 'Laughing hyena.' "Oh, where is the Manor anyway?"

"In Cornwall," Severus answered.

"Good, close to Devon," she said absently. "That is the other main thing," she said, looking straight at him. "The Potters and the Weasleys are our family and will remain so. I give you fair warning, and you know Molly well; you will be encompassed as part of the family. It means attending dinners and having visitors over at random. There will also be children in and about the house on any given day. I have no desire to stop this but if the Manor is as big as you say then there shouldn't be any issues."

"I understand," Severus acknowledged. "As long as they stay out of my lab then we will be fine."

"I will ward it myself," Hermione promised.

"That covers living arrangements then. What of parental decisions?" Severus asked.

"I think they are things we will have to deal with as they come up," Hermione said. "I will admit to wanting to send him to Hogwarts when the time comes, if it comes," she amended—Jonathan could prove to have no magic after all. "In the event of him not being magical then I would still want him to attend the best schools. Other than that as long as you agree to encourage, not pressure, and advise, not demand, then we'll just do what every parent tells me they do—make it up as we go along."

-oOo-

The rest of the family took the news of Jonathan's paternity quite well. The overriding opinion was that at least it was someone they knew and respected already. When Molly and Arthur presented him with his very own hand to place on Hermione's clock, he knew he was wholly accepted as part of the family. Years later, Severus would look back on this time of adjustment and wonder how on earth they got through it intact.

By all accounts, Jonathan was an easy baby—he was a good sleeper, generally quite healthy and very happy. Of course, still being a baby, he woke at regular intervals to be fed and changed but Severus and Hermione were quite easily able to cope. The Manor was indeed ready for habitation one month after Jonathan's birth and a busy weekend was spent moving them in. Hermione and Ginny 'supervised' all the workers as they brought in furniture and boxes. Severus spent the time setting up his new lab so he could seamlessly continue to produce the potions required for his business and research. With Hermione's penchant for organisation and Molly's skill in cooking for large crowds, by Sunday evening everyone went home replete and the new family felt like they had lived in the Manor for months.

After ironing out a few wrinkles in regards to personal space and sharing of baby and household duties, Hermione and Severus quickly settled into a routine. They would eat breakfast together before Severus descended into his lab for the day while Hermione would assist the elves with keeping the household running and spend time with Jonathan. Hermione had learned through the intervening years since setting up S.P.E.W. that she was far better off concentrating her efforts on ensuring the fair treatment of elves rather than forcing freedom on them. As much as she was uncomfortable with having the elves working at the Manor, she knew the alternative was not an option.

The easy acquaintance that Hermione and Severus already shared developed quickly to a deep friendship. They were always courteous of each other's feelings and discovered they had quite a bit in common. With Hermione's vast knowledge of healing, she was able to help Severus with several phases of his research as well, letting him know situations where various potions would help and possible reactions patients could have.

Hindsight is twenty / twenty they say, and Hermione and Severus certainly found this to be the case when their friendship progressed to something even more. A compliment here, an affectionate touch there and soon enough they often found themselves lying on the sofa of an evening, Hermione on her side snuggled into Severus while he lay on his back with Jonathan resting on his chest as he read aloud from whatever book or periodical caught their fancy that night.

There were other nights that Severus would find Hermione rocking gently back and forth in the ancient rocking chair that had been unearthed from the attics as she fed their son before bed. Although he had been embarrassed the first few times he had come across Hermione breastfeeding, he soon got used to it when the feisty witch refused the need to be discreet in her own home when there were no visitors. He would take Jonathan from her when he had finished his meal, allowing Hermione to straighten herself up while he burped the baby. They would take turns changing him and stand together, watching as he fell asleep in his cot. More often than not, Hermione would lean against Severus and sigh happily. After a few weeks, Severus began to put his arm around her when she did and they would stay there, just staring at their baby until an outside noise or some movement would break the spell and they would say an awkward goodnight to each other.

The first time Hermione absently pecked Severus on the lips when he reached around her to place a dish in the sink where she was washing up took them both by surprise. It had been an almost instinctive reaction for her the way he had teased her: feinting right then left as to where his bowl was coming from and she laughed, simply grabbing his chin and kissing him before she even thought about it. As soon as she did it, they stared at each other for a few moments before Severus gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Hermione returned his passion with enthusiasm, winding her wet hands around his neck. They pulled back at the same time. Hermione apologised for the little rivulets of water that were running down Severus' back but he could not find it in himself to be upset about it. With a baby boy in the house they had both had worse things covering various parts of their bodies than a little bit of dishwater. As first kisses go, both of them would not have it any other way than what had transpired.

Their romance progressed slowly and mostly behind closed doors—at home and at the Burrow, away from the prying eyes of the Wizarding public. By the time they were ready to take things to the next level, Jonathan was ten months old and spending his first night away from Hermione and Severus. Molly had long established a tradition in the family whereby the weekend before her birthday every year she had all her grandchildren stay the night at the Burrow with her and Arthur. Finding themselves alone, Hermione and Severus had begun the evening with a romantic dinner, followed by their usual routine of cuddling on the sofa while Severus read aloud. It was not long before they were entangled in a passionate embrace.

Hermione learned that night that Severus certainly enjoyed having his balls sucked. When she flipped him and took control, he submitted happily. While she knew that a lot of men shied away from eating a woman out, she had managed to find not one, but two who dove into the activity with enthusiasm.

The inquiry following Jonathan's birth had resulted in the dismissal of the Healer-turned-Medi-witch whose borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder tendencies had seen Severus' donation among others so grossly mishandled. Hermione and Severus were adamant that no one ever refer to the incident as a mistake; it had resulted in the birth of their son after all and delivered a happiness that the two of them had thought would never be theirs again.