SUMMARY: HGSS, AU, HEA fluff. No warnings, not Beta'd, just overly edited by myself :)

Anti-litigation Spell: The L.O.O. does not own any part of the Harry Potter Universe, which is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only. OB-viously.

QUIDDITCH

She woke up slowly, languid, soaking up the sounds of a quiet morning. She felt the softness of warm breathing on her neck and the weight of the strong arm that was curled around her belly. And she smiled. Glancing to her left was that Roman emperors nose tucked into her shoulder. Long strands of black hair were lying across her neck, tickling her shoulder and her left breast. She lay still and let him sleep. He'd had a long meeting that went into the early hours yesterday, and deserved this bit of a lie-in. It was the weekend now after all. And, oh, she had plans to disrupt his peaceful weekend, yes she did. She closed her eyes and hummed happily to herself, amazed that waking up with this man felt as wonderful as a Christmas morning when you were six years old.

She felt him stir, as his breathing changed, and the arm around her middle gripped tighter as he stretched his long legs. "Shhh," she murmured, stroking his arm, "Go back to sleep, love..." From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the small quirk of a smile.

"If you had wanted me to sleep, witch, you wouldn't have been humming, now would you..." Pulling her closer, his husky voice murmured, "And why, why are you still here? In this bed? With me?"

He had started this a couple of years ago, on that very first morning, when he had woken up with her still in his arms. She was not gone, as he'd feared she would be, and she'd seen the disbelief and that whisper of hope in his dark grey eyes. That morning she had replied easily, stroking his rough cheek, "Because I love you madly..." Then, she'd spent the rest of the morning convincing him of that all over again.

Much to his, and her, glorious satisfaction.

And he kept asking... Not every morning. Not even every week. He asked, she had deduced, when he was completely relaxed and happy, wanting to tease. It was their bit of nonsensical intimacy, something for their own private amusement. And now, whenever he questioned her logic on staying, she would come up with a new reason every time, though "all the previous reasons still apply..., for-ever," she'd reminded him sternly.

Once she'd said, "I love the way you smell ... like herbs and potions, India ink and books, fresh roses and peppermint."

"Roses?" he'd queried, "Peppermint?"

"I've seen the way you tend your mother's roses, with such love and mindfulness. And you always use peppermint toothpaste. I love peppermint toothpaste, I am a dentist's daughter, after all," she'd grinned.

Other times she'd replied with, "I adore your beautiful hands and long fingers." (his response to that one was oh so delicious) ..."I am entranced by your many, many buttons" ... "Your billowing black robes are delectable" ... "Because your big, beautiful... brain is wonderfully captivating" and "I'm still here because watching you prepare a potion is hypnotizing."

"Silly, addled witch," he would say as he smiled down at her. Then she would hum, smiling back up at him.

So this morning, as she was feeling a bit quietly giddy, she decided to tell him something different. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She tried again..., and started to giggle before the words would come. She sat up quick enough to make herself dizzy and clamped her hands over her mouth. She watched from over her fingers as he propped himself up on one arm. He lay the other arm on her knee, a long finger lazily stroking circles onto her thigh.

"I require a response, witch, and you are testing. my. patience," he murmured, with an eyebrow raised, tapping her thigh on each of the three last words.

She calmed herself a bit and lowered her hands. "First, you have to promise me something," she said with a grin. She watched the eyebrow raise again. She leaned down and kissed it. "You must promise NOT to use what I'm about to say against me..., promise?"

"Hmmm..., alright. I promise."

So, she took a deep breath and blurted out, "I'm still here because I love that you never, ever, ever talk to me about quidditch!" And with that, the giggles overtook her. She flung herself backwards and rolled around laughing, finally just rolling off the side of the bed and landing with an "Ooomph" on the floor, still laughing.

He slid across the bed on his belly, resting his chin on his arms, and peering down at her, a small smile playing on his lips. This, of course, made her laugh even more. "Come back to bed, my crazy Gryffindor," he said in his deliciously sexy sotto voce, "I wish to devour you..." And that, oh my, that caused her giggles to abate some as she attempted to rise from the floor. As her head and shoulders were rising past the edge of the mattress, he reached down, grabbed her 'round the waist and spun around, pulling her up to land on top of him with a surprised squawk. "I have you now, witch," he rumbled, "And I have a proposition for you..." She sat up, straddling his hips, raised her own eyebrow and gave him a smirk. She slowly wiggled her bum a bit, making him groan as he grabbed her hips, stilling her. "Not that kind of proposition, wicked woman, calm yourself for a minute, please." He raised a palm to her cheek, stroking it with his thumb.

She softened, looking down at him, and turned her lips into his palm, kissing it gently. Looking back to him with tilted head she inquired, "What would you have of me, love?"

"I would have you ask me the question..."

She was surprised but did as he requested, leaning down to whisper softly in his ear... "Why, why are you still here? In this bed? With me?"

He sat them up, smiled into her warm brown eyes, and gently pulled her legs up to wrap around his hips. His arms then reached around to encompass her waist as he pulled her close to him. Then he kissed her gently on the forehead. "I am here, my lovely witch because I love you madly and I have a passionate inclination to make you my wife," he murmured. "Would you do me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage...?"

Her eyes opened wide as she stared into his... "Oh, my!" she sighed happily, and abruptly flung her arms around his neck, kissing everything she could possibly reach.

He pulled her back gently, his hands on her jaws, kissing her lips softly and thumbed the tears from her cheeks. An eyebrow raised. Again. "I do require an answer, my lovely Lioness."

"Yes!" she chuckled. "Of course I will, as I still love you madly and have always intended to keep you, keep you for the rest of my forever." She grinned happily and kissed his nose. He rolled his eyes and smiled back, holding one arm out to his side until she heard something smack into his palm.

"Then I would be very pleased if you would wear this...," he said, holding the ring box out to her. And it was so lovely, she started crying all over again. An exquisitely carved, wide gold band with a beautiful, bezel-set sapphire centred on it, surrounded by diamonds. He placed it on her left hand and she felt it settle and resize, the whisper of their magical promise writhing up and around her arm, eventually wrapping itself around her heart with a glowing warmth.

"It's beautiful, so perfect..., I.., I don't know what to say..." she whispered.

"Say you'll marry me soon..., tomorrow, next week, next month! Do you..., do you want a big wedding?" He looked a bit apprehensive asking, though she could tell he was trying not to.

She laughed. "Fear not, love. I ab-so-lutely do NOT. I do believe, though, that we will have to quickly and quietly elope... If Ginny, Pansy, Molly, Narcissa or Draco get wind of a wedding, well..., we'll never, ever hear the end of it!"

His eyes grew wide as he drew in a sharp breath. "Gods! We would never evade the madness... Definitely next week, then. Where...?"

"Take me to France. Or Rome. Or the seaside..., it doesn't matter. I will marry you anywhere, love." She wrapped her arms around his middle and tucked her soft curls between his shoulder and chin, sighing happily.

And then her tummy growled, much too loudly, and he chuckled into her hair. He could feel the heat of her blush on his neck. "Someone is hungry... Shall we break our fast then, my lovely fiancé?"

"Yes, please," she replied, looking up bemusedly, cheeks pinked.

Breakfast was a leisurely affair where the French countryside became the decided location and they would leave early evening on Tuesday. Their afternoon was spent running errands, then a short trip to the farmer's market and reading together on the substantial settee in the study in front of a fire. When they decided they needed a snack, they made their way to the kitchen. She sliced assorted fruits and cheeses. He made tea. He got out a serving tray and biscuits while she put the fruit into a bowl. They added the cheeses, the teapot, cups, silverware and milk and made their way back to the study.

"There's nothing I love more than this," she sighed, stretching and leaning back against him.

"What? Making biscuit crumbs on your lap and drinking tea?" he asked, turning to the next page, smiling down at her.

"No, you great prat," she said, smacking his arm. "A lazy afternoon with you, a good book and a nice fire."

"And biscuits."

"Yes, alright, and biscuits," she chuckled, cleaning up her mess then lacing her fingers into his. "There was something I had wanted to ask you this morning, love, but I, umm, got a little sidetracked."

"By falling off the bed, laughing like a banshee?" he queried, setting his book on the side table, wrapping both of his arms around her.

"Yes, that, of course...," she smirked sarcastically, leaning back to kiss him under the jaw. "I was just wondering if you had any seer blood in your family...?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? That was your question? Why ever would you feel it necessary to ask me that?!"

"Well..., you asked me to marry you on the same morning that I had planned to give you a gift..."

"That is a bit confusing, witch... What could you possibly give me that had anything to do with me proposing? Unless, of course, you were planning on proposing to me...?"

She chuckled softly. "No, I wasn't going to propose, silly wizard..., it's this..." And without turning around, she took one of his hands in both of hers and lay it on her still flat belly, "THIS is what I have to give to you, love, this little part of our future..." she trailed off. She had felt him stiffen behind her as his mind caught up with what she was trying to tell him.

"You are...?" he whispered, "We are...? I'm going to...?"

She gripped both of his hands in hers and nodded, shaking her curls. "Yes, I am pregnant. Yes, we are going to have a baby. And, yes, you are going to be a father." She tried to peer back and up at him but could only see that he was looking straight ahead, mouth slightly open, not breathing. She loosed his hand and reached up behind her to stroke his cheek. "You really ought to breathe...," she murmured.

She felt him pull in a slightly shuddering breath and breathe out slowly. Once. Twice. Then suddenly she was spun around so that she was facing him, sitting on her knees between his thighs. He sat up straighter, wrapping his arms tightly around her and held on with his head buried in her neck. "Thank you, Mia, love," he whispered into her hair, "This is a most wondrous gift, one that I'd never expected to receive. I truly am happier than I have any right to be, yet...," he faltered. "Yet I am sorely afraid that I will not live up to your expectations," he whispered, without looking up, "That I will become a terrible-"

She pulled away from him quickly, placing her small fingers lightly on his lips. "I only have two expectations, two. That you will love your children as you love me..., with all of your heart. And, as for your own father...," she said quietly, shaking her head at him as he flinched, "It is very simple. Do nothing that he did and do everything he did not."

He stared at her in surprise. It was that simple... "I believe those expectations can be met, Mia," he said, beginning to smile, beginning to hope.

"Oh! There is one more thing that I almost forgot..." He loosened his hold on her to stare down with his eyebrows raised. "My father, well, he is a fraternal twin, as is his mother and so on, as well as many of the cousins. So-o-o. I'm afraid the odds are greatly increased that we may have twins..., just so you're aware. And, umm, prepared..." She lifted her shoulders and gave him a sheepish grin, watching as he ran a hand down the length of his face, eventually pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well," he sighed, hiding the smile he couldn't stop behind his hand, "You did say that you expected me to love my 'children'... So, I will love them all, singly, doubly, however they show up," he said, finally dropping his hand and laughing out loud at her serious countenance. He stood from the settee and, as she rose to join him he swept her into his arms and began the trek back to their bed.

"And where do you think you're taking me, Master Snape?"

"Hmmm..., I was thinking to take you back to our bed to, maybe..., talk about quidditch."

"Re-e-eally. Breaking a promise already, are you...? You're sure that you've thought this through thoroughly?"

"Oh, I have, Miss Granger, very thoroughly. I'm thinking that you will have to kiss me most exhaustively, most painstakingly and wholly without reservation for quite some time to keep my mouth fully occupied and silent . . . Here, lovely witch, let me show you what I mean," he murmured, running his lips in soft kisses from that spot under her ear that made her shiver, down her long, slender neck and into the crook of her shoulder.

She moaned softly. "Mmmm, Severus," she whispered as he stepped into their bedroom. "They will be so angry with you, you know..., for turning their beloved quidditch into a euphemism for..."

He dropped her onto the bed.

She bounced.

He pounced.

-: Fin :-