Thank you to all of my betas and all who reviewed! On with the story!
After being up all night reading about pregnancy, Severus had made himself a list of things that were important in to him for finding the correct surrogate mother. The applicants sent by the agencies would be arriving at Snape Manor in the next few minutes.
His mother paced back and forth in the library, her judgmental air looming over him like a cloud. The present holiday season served to make her equally as cheerful as they made her son. She had read his list and was not pleased.
"Severus, I want you just to stop and consider my point of view. I feel as though everything I have taught you has gone in one ear and out the other. We must maintain our dignity through this. I will not tolerate a Mudblood running amuck with the Snape heir in her belly doing whatever she likes. She must at the very least be a half-blood. I will not raise the child of a Mudblood and we both know I will be the one doing the raising. I refuse. I will firmly refuse," she scolded.
"Cease your infernal fussing woman! This will be my decision," Severus bit out, not giving her any heed and further burying himself in the newspaper.
She sniffled, walking over to the stiff-backed chair facing the window and grasped her handkerchief. "Don't you need to listen to your mother anymore Severus? Or has all of your fancy education taught you everything you need to know?" she asked, reducing herself to sentimental tears.
He groaned. "Mother I will not have a great sobbing row just before the applicants arrive! I will take your opinion into account if you will just calm down and act respectable."
She was silent and straightened her posture. After a few moments she walked to the loveseat and helped herself to some tea.
They continued in silence.
Severus had always thought his mother manipulative. He had never had patience for it. She had always been a very giving woman. Her favorite subject at parties was the poor. She had never been much for the nonsense of discussing fashion and jewelry, although it had never been a worry for the Snapes.
His mother was always meticulous looking. Her burgundy robes. She was a trophy bride in her day. She was from a good pureblood English family and had grown up on the Italian coast. She had given birth to Severus very young and her dark raven hair and olive skin had dulled in the past years. Nevertheless, her beauty remained intact.
Her face was often without expression and Severus had always found that puzzling. It was as though her expression was stolen. An expression that reminded Severus of the dead.
The pop of a house elf resounded through the library.
"A Lynette Bordeau is here to see you sir," the house elf said.
"Show her in," Severus said waving his hand. He put down the newspaper and uncrossed his legs.
His mother beamed, "The Bordeau's are a very affluent family in France. Perhaps this will no be as bad as I once thought. Perhaps there could even be a little romance…" She sat up straight with a relaxed with a pleased smile on her face.
Severus felt something complain in the pit of his stomach.
"Lynette Bordeau to see you," the house-elf said, and then he was gone.
A very thin, very tall woman dressed in Muggle clothes entered the room. She smelled of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume. Her face was not youthful. She smiled and was missing some teeth.
"Miss Bordeau, please have a seat. Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, I would," she said standing to grab a cup. "Wow this is a nice place you have here. You guys must be filthy rich."
Madam Snape looked as though she would pass out with horror.
Severus felt much the same, but didn't show it, "Now, Miss Bordeau, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"
"Oh," she said sitting down. "Well, me dad works at a Potions brewery in Scotland and me mum works at home."
"I see, and what is your lineage?" Snape asked.
She sighed and sipped at her tea before answering, "I may not be much for culture, sir, but my blood is as pure as anyone's."
"I see," he said. "Did you attend Hogwarts?"
"Oh no sir, I went to a vocational school in Ireland. Learned household charms and wife's duties. Learned real good how to take care of a baby. All the foods to eat and stuff. I went there for two years, and then I went to America. I wanted to see California. I got back just a year ago."
"Lovely," Snape said, feigning interest. "Now, I was just wondering about your family history, have there been any medical problems? Any heart disease or cancer?"
"No sir," she answered.
"Do you smoke?"
"Well, yes sir, but I could quit if I had to."
"And this would be your first child?"
"Well, no sir. I had one when I was still a teenager. It went up for adoption. That's how I know I can do this."
Severus had run out of questions to ask this girl. She was simply not right. He knew when she walked in the room that she wouldn't do, "Well that is all the time we have for today. We will contact the agency. Sim will show you out."
"Thank you, sir."
The house elf appeared in a cloud of smoke and showed the girl out.
Severus looked at his mother. He felt a sudden urge to laugh when he saw her face. It was an urge he had not felt in months.
The rest of the day had not gone much better.
The next girl to come in had been a second cousin to Severus on his Father's side. His mother had clapped joyfully and they had chatted about the family for half an hour before Severus explained his concern of Down Syndrome. Olive had left a bit put out, but on the whole cheerful after being promised lunch in London with Madam Snape next weekend.
The next applicant had not been well received by the lady of the house, as the girl was a Squib. Old prejudices die hard Severus had thought. The girl was however, clean, unrelated and very polite and healthy looking. She was the front runner for now. Severus had hoped for a witch though.
"Fourteen is far too young to be carrying a child," his mother blurted out in the next interview. Severus had to agree. Fifty, the age of the last applicant, seemed quite old to be having a baby also. The woman was something of a surrogate veteran. She looked no healthier than the first woman and had also admitted to being diabetic.
Severus was not a man who accepted mediocrity. What he would have given for a reasonably intelligent witch with no addictions or health problems.
In the beginning, it had not occurred to him just how difficult of an undertaking this would be.
Suppertime came and went, in the evening Severus found himself in the library again reading while his sister painted. She had set up her easel next to the stiff-backed chair his mother had pouted in earlier.
She was quite talented, Severus had always thought.
"What is it that you painting Isabelle?" he asked.
"Trees," was her one-word response.
Isabelle didn't often say much of anything. It was not because she was stupid, as others thought. It was because she had a talent for only saying things that mattered. Severus had always respected that. People who needlessly flapped their gums annoyed him. In his opinion, there was entirely too much idle banter. There were too many things people said because it was expected of them; his mother was a perfect example.
Severus stood and wandered in her direction. He looked out the window. The blue and green flames set up as Christmas décor illuminated the estate, creating some of the most incredible shadows he had ever laid eyes upon. It nearly inspired him to pick up a brush and capture the scene himself.
The painting was incredible. The snow took on the color of the lights in such a vibrant way and its smooth contours well captured. In the painting the looming trees took on the appearance of being frightened by the flames as they were devoured by the pigment.
"It is magnificent," he praised.
She smiled, "The color is sad."
Isabelle had a way of saying incredibly profound things; whether she knew just how profound, Severus had to wonder.
A house-elf popped in at that moment.
"Madam would like a word in the parlor, Master," Sim said matter-of-factly before disappearing.
Sighing, Severus placed a kiss on his sister's hand, making her giggle, and walked to down through the manor to the parlor.
"Severus," she said, "Sit down." She had a glass of wine in her hand and some papers were spread out on the mahogany and glass coffee table.
He poured a glass of cognac and sat.
"I need you to sign these papers for the donations to the hospital. I have a meeting with the administrator tomorrow afternoon," she said.
Suddenly the donations were of interest to him, whereas before he would sign whatever his mother put in front of him. "What precisely are we donating?"
His mother eyed him oddly.
"I was at the hospital recently and saw the poor condition. I am only interested to know what we are doing to aid the situation."
Putting her spectacles on, she complied and read the list of things to be given to the hospital, "150,403 galleons, 11 sickles and 2 knuts to be paid out over 2 years as salary to five new doctors. 103,701 galleons, 14 sickles and 1 knut toward the building of a new wing, a house-elf from the chateau, and three from the vineyard in Spain and also the production rights to that fever potion you Great Uncle Selan invented. Most of this money was raised for the purpose of donation, though."
Severus nodded. That would help the hospital immensely. He dipped the tip of a quill in the ink jar and signed on the dotted line of the parchment. "If that will be all, I will excuse myself."
"Actually, I would like to talk some more about the interviews today."
"Not now Mother, it is late."
"Please listen to me," she said, "I think you should consider Olive as the surrogate mother. She is healthy and trustworthy and-"
"And my cousin," Severus interrupted. "I don't want there to be any complications with this child!"
"I understand your concern son, but we can't very well pick a fourteen-year-old. All the other applicants were repulsive at best."
Severus knew his mother was right, but he wasn't ready to give up yet, "We will find someone else! That is final. I want a witch with some intellect and until I find one there will be no child!"
She snorted, "Severus young witches with intellect nowadays have other jobs and families of their own. They are solicitors and businesspeople and accountants and professors and Healers. Think of the smartest witches you know. We have to settle-"
His mother was interrupted by a house-elf's pop, "Headmaster Dumbledore is here to see you, sir."
"We are occupied-" Madam Snape began to say.
"Show him in," Severus said firmly and then nodded to the house-elf.
There were a few times in his life Severus had been happy to see Albus, this was one of them.
"Hello Madam Snape, Severus. I trust I am finding you in good health. I am just calling to wish you a Happy Christmas; I hope I am not interrupting anything. I had some presents I was hoping to bring by…" he smiled. He blew on some crumbs which he had taken from his pocket and they turned into full-sized Christmas gifts.
"Cognac, Albus?"
The headmaster shook his head, "No thank you, but I would enjoy a glass of sherry. Sherry is much more my speed."
Harriet Snape smiled her sweetest smile, "Thank you for the gifts Headmaster, that was very kind of you. Please have a seat, Severus and I were just having a discussion-"
"We were having a discussion about the hospital," Severus interrupted. He was sick of talking about the surrogates. He also wanted to save his mother from sticking her foot in her mouth.
"Ah yes the hospital! The Board of Governors approved my donation today," The elderly Wizard said. "It was much needed, last night Luna Longbottom gave birth at the Granger residence. It was quite a difficult birth, but the Longbottom baby was delivered healthy. Poppy and I were there to assist Miss Granger."
"Ah! Neville Longbottom, I hope his child takes after his mother. She was a bit odd, but competent nonetheless." The Potions master sneered as he handed Albus his drink and sat down again.
"Actually, Miss Granger, and I spent some time admiring the boy and both came to the conclusion that he looked much like his Grandfather," Albus savored the first sip of his drink. "Miss Granger is quite an exceptional Healer and she has made a very lovely home. It's a wonder she doesn't feel lonely in a house that size."
"Yes she is no doubt ready to settle down with the Weasley boy and have lots of babies," He said with a look nobody could quite read.
Albus was smiling inside. "She expressed a desire to have children, but only from an educational standpoint. As for Ronald, he is currently seeing Nymphadora Tonks and I believe they are making plans; as it were."
Severus wanted to laugh about Tonks and her taste for youth, but then something clicked in his brain. "Mother, I will be taking the donation contract to the hospital tomorrow."
Albus knew exactly why.
TBC
Thanks again to betas and reviewers! In the next chapter Hermione must deal with repercussions that help Snape get a foot in the door. JUICY! Please continue to review. At some point when I have more time I will respond to them all!