And after a mere 2 1/4 years, I complete my story. I hope you enjoy this. Let me know if you want more, by writing a review!

Cheers,

DN

Hunter was awoken from a much-needed sound sleep. It was still full dark, with not the slightest glimmer of morning yet. She rolled over to admire her lover (husband, she reminded herself), his face illuminated by the light from a first quarter moon shining through the window and his aura, faint while asleep, his traditional blue. The quickening of her heart as she gazed upon him in the silence was familiar. Although she tried not to compare him to Phillipus, she couldn't help but think how pleased he would be that she'd found someone so steadfast and true. Occasionally devious, frequently sneaky, and certainly unpredictable, but always with good intent. She counted herself lucky to have found two fine wizards to call husband.

"Waquini," she whispered, touching him gently on the shoulder. His sleep was deep, and she found she needed to be a bit more aggressive with her touch to wake him.

He rolled toward her, his eyes still closed, arms reaching out to surround her in their warmth. He lay a sleepy kiss on her forehead. "Yes, my love. Why are you waking me so early?" His kisses began to move down her face to her neck and onward to her shoulders as he gently pulled aside the fabric of her nightshirt. His arm extended across her broad hips as he drew her closer, his warmth extending from her back to her toes. She swatted away his hand.

"Severus!" she said teasingly. "Even now?"

He drew back slightly, but kept her in a comforting embrace. "My dear," he said with mock aggrievement. "The most intelligent and beautiful witch of the age shares her bed with me and you expect me to simply lie here inert? Impossible."

She turned with a smile, then winced and drew in a sharp breath. His hand fell across her wide belly.

"Severus, it's time."

He began to be more fully awake, propping himself upon one elbow and regarding her with concern. "Isn't it a little soon? Are you sure?"

"It is sooner than I would have expected, but I am sure." He, too, could feel the tightening now as it gained in intensity.

"Alright then. I'll call for Sybill." He took a moment first to kiss his wife, holding her face in his hands, feeling that same sense of surprise that she was his and would be forever. Eternally Bound in marriage. To him. This witch of such uncommon distinction, talent and power, who could have chosen as her husband any number of wealthy, high-ranking Ministry officials, or an independent Potions research powerhouse in any institution in the world. Yet here she was, at a reasonably well-respected but not-yet-world class school, married to a skinny, homely professor of acutely modest means. Hunter was very quickly breathless.

"Severus, please, things are going to happen quickly," she said with mock reproach, followed by another kiss, this one initiated by her.

After a time, Hunter wriggled from his grasp and flicked her wand to light the candle on the wall sconce, which gave more of a glow to the room. "Where is Phillipus?"

"I assume in his room, where else would he be?"

"And Wulfie?"

"He's here next to me. That little pest crawled in again at some point." Snape rolled back over and lifted the sleeping boy to his shoulder. His head lolled over but was caught by his father's gentle hand and righted. He smacked his lips twice and put his arms around his father's neck. Snape kissed his son's soft, dark skin. He snapped his fingers and a house-elf appeared, dressed as Snape was in a warm night-shirt.

"Yes, Headmaster? Professor Hunter-Snape, is it time?"

"Yes, Caleigh, it is. Please fetch Professor Trelawney. She'll see after the boys until they can visit their new little brother or sister."

The house-elf hopped up and down a bit, beside herself with excitement. She squeaked "Oh, this is such wonderful news! This means I've won the betting pool for your delivery date! And if it's another boy, I'll also be in the winnings again! The odds on that are 10 to 1." Without another word, the house-elf disappeared with a small pop.

"What do you suppose the odds are on your delivering an elf or a goblin?" Snape said disgustedly, as he returned Wulfric to the large bed and pulled the sheet and blanket over him.

Hunter stood with some difficulty and began to find her shoes and a warm dressing gown. "I've heard there are bets out on names, as well, boys and girls. The most money has been put on 'Trey' if it's a boy and 'Eileen,' if it's a girl," she replied, as though this kind of speculation were perfectly normal.

"You know I detest being an object of rumors," he said testily, as he helped Hunter into the dressing gown she'd had chosen for the occasion and helped with her socks and shoes. "Do you want your hair braided, my dear?" he asked, drawing her hair back and kissing the neck that was now exposed.

She allowed the kiss to continue, as he drew his hands down around her round, extended belly. He suddenly drew his breath as he felt another contraction. Hunter grimaced. "Yes, please, and make it quick. The contractions are coming quicker now."

Trelawney arrived then, and took over the braiding while Snape offered Hunter a vial of Analgesiac Natale. Then he, too, quickly dressed, leaving more than a few buttons undone until later.

"Madame Pomfrey has a room ready for you by now," Trelawney said.

As Hunter went to wash her face, Snape turned to Sybill. "Thank you for helping with the … boys… Sybill. Perhaps you have some feeling about this child? Perhaps THIS child will be a girl?"

Trelawney blushed and looked away. "My visions aren't always complete, Severus. You know that. And I never claimed the girl in the vision was your first or only child. But you and Morgan are still young enough. If it's another boy, you can always try again."

Snape didn't know how to respond to that thought. He still held the image of the little girl with the long dark hair, holding his hand, pulling him through the waters, and calling him "daddy," close in his heart. He loved Phillie and Wulfie more than he could have imagined. To consider them simply a prelude to the intended daughter was absurd. A third child, regardless of sex, would be wonderful, because it would be an expression of his and Morgan's love. Still, a daughter would be nice. Especially one who looked a little more like him. If this child was a boy, well, who knows? They weren't as young as they once were, but the joy he took in his family would probably yield to one more. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. And it mattered how Morgan might feel, as well.

As Hunter emerged from the bathroom with a fresh face and relief from the potion evident, Snape bent down to place a kiss on Wulfric's forehead. The little boy looked so much like his older brother, who in turn looked so much like his mother. Beautiful, of course. He whispered in his ear. "By the time you wake up, you may have the little brother or sister you've been waiting for."

Hunter nearly crushed Snape's hand as she pushed, this third child coming more quickly than the previous two. Madame Pomfrey continued to coach her through the passage, with Madame Granger-Weasley on her other side. Snape uttered a spell he hadn't used since the days of the Carrows and took some of Hunter's pain on himself. The Analgesiac Natale potion was helpful, but not perfect. Now he, too could feel the pressure, the tension, the squeeze, coming in unstoppable, ever-increasing waves. Hunter turned to him and smiled her thanks until another wave broke over them. She clenched her teeth.

"I can see the head, it's nearly there. Probably two more good pushes to go," Madame Pomfrey said excitedly.

Hunter gripped Snape's hand and gave the great push her baby was demanding. Snape felt the wave and added what push he could, not knowing if the spell worked that way, but doing what he could, just in case.

"There's the head, now one more push for the shoulders and you'll be…"

Hunter groaned with the effort, gripping the bedrail and Snape's hand as though they were the obstacles in the way between her and her child. At last she felt the release as the child was fully delivered, a good strong cry sounding out. She rested her head back as Snape massaged his bruised hand. He wiped the sweat from her face with a cool cloth, spoke some cooling spells, then looked at Poppy expectantly, as she finished the delivery with her wand. Madame Granger-Weasley stayed with Hunter, monitoring her breathing, blood pressure, and other signs as Madame Pomfrey now focused on the newborn. She wrapped the tiny, squealing baby snuggly in a soft green blanket and dictated notes to the Assistant Medical Elf.

"Well, I see ten fingers, ten toes, a head of dark hair." They washed the baby and put it on the balance. "7 pounds 12 ounces, a good healthy size." The baby continued to shake its fist and fuss loudly. "A good set of lungs, as well."

"Anything else we should know, Madame Pomfrey?" Snape sneered.

Madame Pomfrey eyed the pair. "Good color, clear airways, no sign of jaundice. Let me take a few more measurements of body temperature and oxygenation…."

"Poppy!" Snape barked.

"What? Oh, yes, of course. It's a girl," she said with amusement in her eyes. "Which means I get 2:1 in the betting pool. Now if you name her Rowena, I win again."

Severus Snape held the hand of his daughter as they walked around the Black Lake. The leaves, russet, yellow, purple, and orange, rustled in the breezes, then fell, sending ripples across the surface of the water. The equinox was still more than a week away, bringing as it always did now, pleasant memories. The best midnight bluebells would have to wait until the equinox itself for maximum potency, but for today at the full moon, they would harvest wormwood and flobberworms.

Near the trailhead leading into the darkness of the forest, they stopped. The young girl tugged at her long, dark braid as she stood shifting from foot to foot. Snape was familiar enough with this prelude to difficult questions, but knew better than to try to hurry her or draw out the question. She was not one to allow herself to be drawn out if she didn't wish to be. More often than not, she would simply withdraw until the time suited her, if ever. So he waited, simply being in her presence until she was ready. The night was coming on, a time when she always wanted to be with him, after dinner. By now, the students had exited the Great Hall and were now immersed in study hall, the library, or detentions for the bullies.

"Daddy, did you ever wish to die?" she asked, not looking at him. She stared over the surface of the waters, scanning for evidence of the squid and her family. Sightings were becoming fewer as the waters, still somewhat warm from the summer, had begun to cool.

Snape was taken aback and worried about such a question from so young a girl. But honesty was important and the world was complex. "Yes," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," she said hesitantly. "Sometimes….when you're asleep, and I wake up and crawl into bed with you and mummy, I dream with you."

"You dream with me. What's that like?" he asked, preparing for the answer.

"Sometimes I just know that I'm in your dream and not mine anymore. It looks different. I'm taller and I feel different."

"How do you get there in the first place?" he asked evenly, trying not to reveal any agitation. He would need to talk to her very soon about how to control her Legilimency and about what kinds of restraint was expected from other on this power.

"I don't know, I just sort of snuggle up, then breathe with you for a while, then there's this kind blue wave, like at the beach. Once I get back above the wave, sometimes I'm in your dream instead of mine."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since earlier this summer in Sedona, I think. At least that's the first time I think it happened. Remember when we were up really late celebrating Solstice? In the Stone Circle? I fell asleep in your lap. In the morning you were dreaming about me, and I was there, but I was you instead of me. At first I wasn't sure what I was dreaming, but after a few other times, I figured it out."

"You are a very clever and very Magical girl, Charity." He was certainly impressed with her Magic. Even now, at the age of 7, she could identify nearly 20 Magical plants, about 15 Magical insects, and knew where to find most of them. Even without a wand, she could Summon flies and bats when she wanted to. He needed to find her a child's wand soon, as well as a broom, he thought, adding up the likely expense. This on top of the school supplies he'd purchased for Phillie for this fall. Perhaps the school had something, or perhaps the boys hadn't yet destroyed theirs completely. A Reparo or two might be in order. She was likely to try to boys' larger brooms, if they ever left them idle for her. She rarely waited to be shown how to do something before trying it herself. Now that Phillie had started classes at Hogwarts, she was becoming even more impatient to do what her older brothers were doing. Poppy and Hermione had been invaluable these past few years as she began to test herself more and more.

"Do you ever dream with Mummy?" she asked, still not meeting his eyes.

"No, not unless I ask her first and she lets me. I did that once without her permission and she nearly cracked my brain." He winced involuntarily, remembering her punishment for his indiscretion.

Charity finally smiled and giggled. "Mummy kicked you out!" She then turned serious again and looked out over the lake and the darkening forest. "Was that why you wanted to die?"

"No, your mummy is why I wanted to live. And you."

"So why did you want to die? In your dreams sometimes, you fall into the lake and you are letting yourself drown and I have to save you. And I'm small, just like now, and you're big, just like now, but I am pulling you out." She turned and looked up at him accusingly. "I know you can swim just fine."

Snape looked out across the waters and felt the coolness of the gathering darkness. Soon it would be time to take their walk into the forest and gather plants and creatures, or else it would be too late for a seven-year old. Charity was already good at finding mushrooms and picking the better shoots of asphodel. And clearly her Legilimens talents were frightening. She would need to learn how to control her skill.

Snape found a broad stump and sat down. "Charity, would you like to try to dream with me now? I can show you, but it won't be fun."

"I'm not sure," she said. She sat beside him and looked up, a mixture of both curiosity and apprehension clouding her dark eyes.

"I thought you might not want to," he said reassuringly, patting her leg and making to stand again. "That's fine."

"No, I want to, I knew it wouldn't be fun. I meant I'm not sure I can do it awake."

"We can just sit here and wait. I'll let you in if you can find a way."

She squinched up her eyes in concentration and grunted. He knew this was trying too hard, but she'd need to figure it out on her own. Her breathing became more regular and her face relaxed.

He made himself as open as he could to her, tapped on her consciousness a little, until she was there. He first showed her him at her age, Magical, sharing the secrets with his mother. Then alone and afraid. His later childhood, spent hungry and neglected, desperately wanting the love he'd lost to be returned once more. Being bullied at school ("He looks like Uncle Harry." "Yes, he does."). Losing the love of his red-haired friend. Being angry at everything and everyone. Hiding deep within himself until he wasn't sure who he was anymore. Lots of fighting, pain, but no love. Then finally being released and seeing no future.

Charity sat for a long time on the stump with her father. She wondered if there were children right now feeling like her father felt when he was small. She couldn't imagine it before tonight, having a mother and father who ignored or disliked you, no brothers or sisters, just being alone all the time, whether you wanted that or not. She hoped his was a very strange family, but supposed that it might still happen sometimes.

"Is that why you make bullies go to detention? Because there were bullies when you were little?"

"No, that's why I made sure even very poor families can send their children to Hogwarts and why I make sure everyone here is looked after. For some students, Hogwarts is home, and the other students and staff become their family. Some of those bullies come from homes where love is hard to come by, and they need correction, but with the intent that they do better next time. The desire for love which is denied can become a desire for power, the power to make others do things in the hope that power can make someone love you. But love doesn't work that way. Love isn't something you can demand or expect."

"How does love work?" She would have information at 7 that he'd taken nearly 4 decades to learn. He would need to be sure he had this conversation with the other children, as well.

"You must simply give love yourself, with no expectation of return."

"And you wanted to die because your love was never returned?"

"I wanted to die because I'd lost hope. I believed that I would never have love, that it wasn't possible for anyone to love me. I nearly lost the love of your mother because I wasn't ready to give love, not wanting to give love that I felt certain wouldn't be returned. Everyone will lose love eventually, but if you believe you will never have love, have no hope for love, it is difficult to find a good reason to keep living."

The young witch started to fidget. The hour was getting late and there was little light left before full dark. Mushrooms awaited, both for potions and dinner tomorrow. She was good, but not expert, at getting the right ones for the right purpose. He stood, sample case in hand, his other offered to her. She took and stood herself.

"Ami wants to come next time," Charity said, matching his stride into the shadows of the forest. "She threw a fit when Mummy said she was too young."

"Is Amanita too young? How old does she need to be?"

"She should be at least 5, maybe even 6. She's not very quiet, you know. She'll scare away every flobberworm, then we'll have none. Phillie and Wulfie can play with her."

"Maybe she gets tired of their little jinxes, and not everyone like Quidditch. She's a little young even for Junior Gobstones. She probably just wants to spend time with her sister."

Charity bent down suddenly and pulled over a rock to reveal a thriving colony of flobberworms, their slimy bodies glistening in the last bit of sunlight. Snape withdrew a large jar and together they filled it, tossing in additional leaves to tide them over until the colony could be established in the lab.

"Do you think Mummy's new baby will be a girl, so Ami has another sister to bother instead of me?"

Snape grinned down at his older daughter, hands covered in dirt and flobberworm mucus. Boy or girl, Snape was certain that the new child would only add to the circle of joy he'd found with Morgan Hunter. He extended his hand to her and hauled her up to standing, then turned his attention to locating some good wormwood before it got too late.