Draco
***********
I staggered to my knees before standing at the sight of someone I'd never wanted to see again. A spider hopped off my shoulder onto the stone floor and a disgusting little man popped up before I could stomp on him.
"Oh good, Stanton, you got him. Our Master will be pleased with you." MacNair said with an oily air that made me want to hit him. "But you should go back and see if you can entice Potter to join our party. Have you picked out your first little flower?"
"Yes, of course, I'll return at once." The little bastard was practically simpering. "She's just a little angel, MacNair. I can hardly wait to take her and strip off those feathers from her young body."
What? He had to be talking about Ginny and I wanted to hex him but I was frozen in place, unable to move a finger. //God, Harry get her away from there.// I thought as hard as I could, straining to twitch or make some kind of movement. But I was paralyzed and could only watch Stanton turn back into the spider and disappear, leaving me alone with my own personal nightmare.
I'd forgotten how big he was, I thought with the part of my mind that wasn't gibbering in fear. He sauntered over and ran his hands over my body like he had the right. "Well, boy, welcome to MacNair Manor. I've developed a taste for Malfoys and you'll be right back where we started soon enough. Our Master has promised me that I can collar and chain you once he takes over."
//Over my dead body, you bastard.// I was going to kill myself rather than become his little slave. If I couldn't belong to Charlie than I wasn't going to belong to anyone. I'd vowed that to myself yesterday and I'd find a way to do it if I had to.
"Yes," he fondled my cock through my pants, squeezing so hard that I almost passed out, "I look forward to taking you again now that you're all healed up. Remember how good it felt when I slammed into you, little slut?" He licked my ear and I wanted so badly to hit him but then he almost bit my earlobe off and the new pain swamped me.
"You're going to enjoy this time almost as much." With no warning, he tapped me with his wand and all my clothes disappeared. Then he rammed two meaty fingers into me while I wailed silently. "Yes, I'm looking forward to breaking you completely. But I need to report to our Master that part one of our plan is in place." With a murmured incantation, he apparated us to the game room of his manor. "Stay here and think about all the wonderful ways I'm going to make you pay for that eviction notice I received from Gringotts, my beautiful little slave."
With a last painful squeeze of my cock, he apparated away. I was shaking everywhere while blood trickled down my leg from where he'd torn me. I hadn't heard the spell he used to paralyze me so I wasn't sure what would release me. Not to mention, I didn't want to be naked when Harry arrived.
A soft touch on my shoulder startled me and the floating figure that appeared would have frightened me but I recognized Michael MacNair. He looked so sad when he spoke. "I'm sorry, Draco, but I can't work magic any longer. Father used the Immobilis spell. It's his favorite."
Bill had taught us that one and the counter which could be done by concentrating really hard on something and wishing to move towards it. I focused on Michael's blue eyes so like my own. And within the space of a minute, I was free. Gasping, I collapsed and hit the floor so hard that I'd probably have even more bruises.
"Wow, that was so neat," Michael followed me down and knelt beside me. "You're good, Draco. He's spelled the room so you can't apparate out. He keeps forgetting that those spells don't affect me."
I was getting back my courage and I scrubbed away the tears that had fallen without me realizing it. Seeing a cloak on one of the side benches, I levered myself up and crossed the cold stone flagstones to grab it. I was freezing and shaking although the second was probably shock more than anything else.
"Michael," I turned back to him and found that he'd floated after me. So I sat down gingerly on one cheek, trying to ignore the pain inside. "Why did you stay once he killed you?"
"He keeps me here." The ghost of the young boy shrugged. "He drains me whenever he notices that I've absorbed any energy. And he likes to show me off to his fellow Death Eaters. I'm sorry that he hurt you, if I could get you out of here I would."
"How does he keep you on this plane?" I asked then answered my own question. "Never mind, he's tethered you the same way he linked to me after the rape. Michael, do you see a light anywhere?"
He nodded. "I see it all the time but he stops me when I move towards it. It's bright and warm and sometimes I hear Mama's voice calling my name. That hurts a lot."
And I remembered how it felt when Severus had shown me how to break the link that bound me to my rapist. "Michael, I want you to concentrate on where the energy rope is that binds you to him. Can you see it?" He nodded so I continued. "Is it black and twisted?" He nodded again. "I want you to picture a pair of scissors in your hand. Can you see them, all shiny and sharp?" I'd closed my eyes by now and even I could see them. "I want you to cut that cord with the scissors. I'll help you."
The shears neared the ugly looking rope and Michael used all this strength and a little bit of mine to cut it in two. He jumped back almost into my arms and in that moment the whole room lit up with a bright beam of light. A small dark haired woman stood in the radiance with her arms outstretched to the little ghost.
"Mama!" He ran to her and she caught him up in her arms with such a big smile that it glowed. "You came for me."
"I've been waiting for so long, my sweet son. My own dear Michael, we're finally together again." Her glowing blue eyes turned to me. "Thank you, Draco. Know that on this night, you have righted a great wrong and what help those of us who have gone before can give you, we pledge to you freely and without conditions."
"Thank you, Draco." The little boy separated from his mother and came back to give me a soft kiss that sent healing energy through me like Sev's baby had done the day before. "I won't ever forget you."
"Come, Michael. Things are happening and we need to go." His mother gathered him up in her arms and the light faded, taking them with it.
I sat there, limp but exhilarated at the same time. No matter what happened later, I knew that I'd done something really, really good. And hopefully, I'd be able to kill his father and send him straight to Hell so he wouldn't be bothering them through eternity either. Now, I needed to get out of here before I drew Harry to me and we were both caught. Casting a spell, I watched it bounce harmlessly off the stone walls.
A loud humming sound and Harry appeared in front of me. Damn, too late.
"Are you okay, Draco? What did he do to you?" Harry was fierce in my defense and I blinked at how good that felt. "Draco?"
"He used Immobilis on me and fondled me a bit before leaving. Unfortunately, this room is warded so we can't get out." I stood and watched him toss a couple of quick spells off the walls.
"Damn." He said apologetically. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner."
"Come to me, little onessss." The loud voice boomed off the walls and they shimmered away to be replaced with the tall standing stones of Stonehenge and the nightmare figure of Voldemort. "I knew that you would come to his resssscue, young Potter. How good of you to repay my kindnesss."
//Oh shit, this was not good.//
***********
Harry
***********
//Shit, shit, shit! Gersey, where are you?// I stood up straight side by side with Draco in the black cloak too long for him. MacNair stood by Voldemort's side and his face was like that ugly mask of Dionysus, greedy and evil at the same time. The wizards that surrounded us were all masked and wearing black but Voldemort and MacNair were both naked and I had to keep swallowing because I was afraid that I was going to be sick.
Voldemort waved his hand and suddenly Draco and I were both naked, too. "Much better. It isss SSSamhain and tonight I take back the wizzzarding world, dessstroying the mugglesss by the millionsss."
He was drooling a bit at the thought and I kept my gaze on his chin instead of those crazy red eyes or his too big body. Draco was shaking slightly and I put out my hand to take his. Whispering while Voldemort ranted on, "Dra', promise me that you'll kill me if this doesn't work?"
"Only if you promise the same, Har'." His lips didn't even move. "I'm not living through a second rape."
And suddenly a third voice whispered in both our ears. "None of that, little loves. Nobody but bad guys are dying tonight." It was Gersey and I almost fainted in relief. "Be ready, I've got your wands and the others are almost in place."
Okay, this might just work, I took a deep breath then another. Behind the flat altar that Voldemort was standing on, a glimmer of light appeared that started small and grew slowly. At first I thought it was some kind of dark magic but Draco shivered and started smiling.
"We're going to have more help than we thought, guys." He whispered softly.
"Who?" Gersey and I chorused.
"Everyone that they've killed going back sixteen years or so. The one in front is little Michael MacNair and there's his mother." He fell silent and I wanted to cry when slowly but surely I saw my parents solidify near the little boy and his mother.
Mom's eyes were so bright and Dad's were the same color as mine. I smiled back at them and Voldemort's voice slowed. "What are you ssmiling about, young Potter? You will not leave here alive."
"Yes, I will." I took courage from all the people who loved me, both living and dead. "You're the one who dies tonight."
And as if that was the signal, Gersey slid our wands into our hands and flung back the hood of my dad's invisible cloak. The dead flowed into a shield between us and the Death Eaters, absorbing the spells that they flung at us. But soon they were too busy trying to defend themselves from the fighters at their backs.
Voldemort's hissing tones swelled until I couldn't hear anyone else. Then suddenly the four Matriarchs appeared around him and with a flick of their wrists, a cauldron full of potion upended itself on his head. Everywhere it touched, part of him burned and it looked like acid eating away at his flesh. His cry shook the ground and fire darted from his fingertips towards them. But several of us darted in front of the ladies we loved and our wands fought back the fire.
Then Arwen pointed her wand at him along with Hermione who'd appeared out of nowhere and a fireball of gigantic proportions engulfed him. His shriek deafened me and he fell to the stone writhing in agony, still calling out curses. Luckily, we knew the counters and every one of them flew right back to hex him instead. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlie and Draco fighting MacNair when suddenly Ss-serens flew in and torched him with her flame.
That scream would haunt a few dreams, I was pretty sure. But Voldemort hadn't given up quite yet and Gersey and I found ourselves fighting off the Crucio curse. But Dumbledore was suddenly beside us and he lifted his wand to cast 'Avada Kadava' on the crazed would-be Dark Lord. Gersey and I reinforced it with green and gold fire spewing from our wands and Voldemort began to shrivel until finally there was nothing left but gray ash that blew away.
He was gone.
I was crying and laughing at the same time when Gersey's arms came around me. Part of me wondered if this was what hysteria felt like while part of me wanted to find a quiet place and snuggle so close to him that we became one person. A soft caress to my hair brought my head up to see Mom and Dad standing there.
"Dearest Harry, what a fine young man you've grown up to be." Mom leaned over and kissed my cheek.
"We're proud of you, son." Dad brushed back my hair from the scar. "Always remember that we love you and we'll be watching over you for some time to come."
"Gersey, take good care of our baby." Mom stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "You have our full support for your bonding. And Gersey, I'd just accept that Harry's going to carry your children. In fact, I believe your family is going to be quite large."
I beamed up at him. "You see, Ger, it will be all right. I promise not to have more than six." And while he was still sputtering, I kissed Mom and Dad. "I love you both so much. I miss you."
"We miss you, too. But we'll always be close to you, Harry." Dad looked over his shoulder and I noticed that the light above the altar stone was so bright it almost hurt the eyes. "Time to go, love. We'll be seeing you, Harry and Gersey."
"Love you, my angels." Mom blew another kiss to us and followed Dad into the light.
All around us, there were people saying goodbye to their loved ones who'd died but come back to help fight for the Light. It should have been sad but it wasn't although almost everyone was crying a little. It was hard to be so close but have to let them go again. Gersey slung my Dad's cloak around me and hugged me tight. I'd forgotten that I was naked.
"Thank the Goddess, Harry. I love you so much." His arms were so strong around me that I could hardly breathe but that didn't matter. We were safe and together and that was all I needed.
Well, maybe one thing else. "Gersey, can we please bond now?"
He started to laugh and Dumbledore appeared over his shoulder with that twinkle in his eye that I loved seeing. "Well, young man, I think a bonding could be arranged but only after you pass your Newts. And that may be sooner than you think."
Brilliant! I beamed at him while Gersey groaned. Once we bonded, I was going to start getting myself ready to take him inside of me. Sev and I were going to do some research on the spell he used to see how it worked. I wanted to be pregnant by this time next year. Sev had already told me that I could baby sit for him and Rubeus. With some practical experience under my belt, I'd be ready in no time for our own children.
But that was for later, now was for making sure that my new family had come through the battle all safe and sound. Dumbledore muttered a quick clothing spell so Draco and I were dressed for the party again. And that reminded me of how Draco got taken.
"Headmaster! What about the animagus in Hogwarts?"
"Good heavens," he apparated away with Gersey and I holding onto him.
In the grand ballroom, the kids were mostly gone except for a few. Royan, Rhea and that reporter Fiona caught sight of us and started for us but Ginny beat them over to us. "Are you all right? Where's Draco?"
"We're all fine, Ginny. But the animagus is still here." I gave her a hug and she snickered.
"Yeah, he was still here when you ported away. But I spotted him dangling from his web and got Professor McGonagall." She giggled. "She conjured up a fly swatter and let me smack him one. Then we got a glass bottle and scooped him up in it. I got some of that muggle spray stuff that Mom likes to use at home and squirted him really good."
She pointed to the table and the slightly squished spider who was feebly moving in the sealed jar. "She said we needed to keep him for the trials, otherwise I could do what I wanted with him."
Trust a Weasley to know what to do. I snickered myself and pretty soon all of us were practically rolling on the floor. It was just so good to be free.
Well, free and in love and finally able to look to the future.
This future looked very, very bright.
***********
Severus
***********
I was almost sick with fear and it didn't help that the Death mark on my arm was flaming red-hot. I wished that I'd been able to help instead of sitting here, babysitting the newly hatched dragon. I remembered the dazed look in Draco's eyes when the little dragonling first caught sight of him and staggered over to collapse in his arms. He'd cuddled him close and looked up in awe.
"He says his name is Ss-sarco and he's hungry." That had been accompanied by the high-pitched keen of an empty dragon and we'd all chuckled while Ara gave Draco the bowl of stunned frogs.
Ss-sarco had eaten all of them before burping a little flame and curling up in my son's lap. Charlie had hugged them both close and we'd left on tiptoe to leave them to bond. Now, they were all off fighting to save the world while we waited behind. As my oldest son would say, 'this sucked'.
An explosion suddenly went off inside my head and I cried out, scaring Ss-sarco awake. Ara came to my side and looked anxiously up into my face. "Master Severus?"
I felt grim satisfaction flood our bond while the pain in my arm faded. "I think they just finished off Voldemort." I concentrated hard and felt Ru get hit by a particularly nasty spell. The baby and I flooded him with warmth and he sent us a gentle acknowledgement before going back to work. "They're all fine so far. I expect a lot of healing will be needed when they come back though. It's all right, Ss-sarco, your mother will be home shortly. Have something to eat while we wait."
Ara set a bowl of newts in front of him and his golden eyes lit up before he dove in. He was an engaging little fellow and I was glad that Draco would have him to help take his mind off of the battles to come. Hopefully, those battles would be in the boardrooms of the wizard business world, using the weapons of words and bank notes instead of spells and bodies.
"Master Severus, tea?" Ara was doing her best to take care of me but I wanted Rubeus with all my soul to appear, safe and sound. But I nodded to her and took the cup of soothing chamomile.
"Thank you, Ara." I watched her polish the already gleaming table while I finished the tea and got up to restlessly move around the room. I found myself in the nursery the way that I seemed to find myself doing more and more frequently.
Soon a baby would be sleeping in the old oak cradle that Mum Hagrid had rescued from the sale of the Snape estate. Most of the trunks from the attic of the manor house had made their way here to our house. One of them had been filled with baby clothes, including the beautiful lace dress that I'd been christened in. It hung on a wooden hanger by the cradle, a reminder that this child had a noble heritage even if we'd dwindled to one slightly broken potions master.
Gration had bought the old rocker that I remembered from my mother's room and I sat down in it, setting it rocking and listening to the creaks that took me back to when I was very small. I rubbed my stomach and listened in on my son's sleepy babbling. "Mama, what would you think of me now? You're going to be a grandmother. I wish you knew about him. You told me once that you wanted me to love someone as much as you loved me. I finally found him, Mama. He makes my heart sing and we've created a son."
The moon shone in the open window and I rested my head against the carved oak while I rocked lazily back and forth. The linens that Mum Hagrid had sewn for the cradle gleamed white in the pale light and the stuffed silver snake that Hossic had found in another trunk curled up at the foot of the mattress, ready to protect his new playmate when I delivered him.
"Sweetheart, I do know." The gentle voice interrupted my musing and slowly a form took shape in front of me, slightly brighter than the moonlight streaming through the lattice window. It was mother the way I remembered her. "Dearest Severus, I love you and I'm so glad that you found your heart at last."
"Mama," I blinked back tears. Damn hormones, I told myself. "Why now?"
"Because you're ready to hear me, little Sev." She came closer and laid a tender hand on my cheek. "You were so closed off that I couldn't reach you. I was afraid that you would join me a few months ago but Rubeus saved your body then your heart. Tell him that he has my eternal gratitude for loving you. You're going to be wonderful parents and if you wish it, there will be two more children."
I wanted to say that one was sufficient but somehow I couldn't quite bring myself to say the words. She read my mind and laughed the tinkling laugh that I remembered from so long ago. "Sweetheart, it's time for me to move on. Always remember I love you and I'll never be far away since part of me stays in your heart."
Then she leaned down and kissed my cheek, a feather light touch like the brush of a fairy's wing. "My own little Severus, I love you."
I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn't see her disappear. "I love you too, Mama."
Another caress to my arm and she was gone. I was crying but there was no one to see me lose control so I let myself cry for all the times that I couldn't in the years since her death. My son sent little soothing pulses through my hand, filling me with the warmth that I'd come to associate with his baby attempts at healing. He was going to be so good when he grew up.
Suddenly the air displaced in the outer room and I sat up straight, hearing Rubeus' voice ask Ara where I was. Then my beautiful bonded was by my side, lifting me in his strong arms and telling me that everyone was safe and sound. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried some more. I couldn't seem to stop and his worried voice asked what was wrong.
But I couldn't find the words to tell him about my mother's visit so I just shook my head and tried to stop the tears. He carried me out to the front room then into the bathroom which had undergone some changes since the rebuilding of the cottage into a house. We'd put in a bigger tub since we almost always bathed together now. The old one had gone into Draco's bathroom.
The reservoir under the house was three times the size it had been before the Hellbenders moved in. Our hot water was constant and plentiful so Ru set it to running while he sat me gently on the broad side of the tub and started to undress me. He told me about the battle and how Voldemort and MacNair had died. Ss-serens had flamed the wizard who'd harmed Draco and I thought vindictively that it was what he deserved.
By the time some of the others apparated in, I'd managed to stop crying. Ru called out that we'd be a while and Charlie called back that they were going to take Ss-sarco to his mother then turn in. I was able to say goodnight to them and I smiled at Draco's excited voice.
Then Rubeus was pulling off my shirt and we were both looking at my arm where the dark mark had been. The skin was clear and pain free. He lifted me into the tub then and cuddled me in the hot water while I slowly relaxed in his arms. When I thought I had my voice under control, I whispered my news to him.
He cried with me then, cradling me close and rocking me back and forth. We bathed in silence after that, soaking up the heat while I soothed my love over every bruise I could find on his skin. The baby helped and soon we were so sleepy that Rubeus had to lift us out of the tub, drying us with a quick spell before wrapping us in my silk robe. He pulled his own on before carrying us to bed, saying goodnight to Ara on the way to our room.
I was asleep almost before he'd finished tucking me in.
*********
Rubeus
*********
I held my beautiful Sev close and thought about what he'd told me about his mother. He'd needed that last little bit of healing of the wound from her death. And I was willing to bet that her last touch had removed the Dark Mark from his arm. It was amazing what a mother's love could do. I thought of the radiant look on Harry's face when he saw his mom and dad. And the proud look on Ss-serens' face when little Ss-sarco had hopped over to Draco.
My own Mum had given me such a hug when the battle was over that I could still feel it. I didn't like killing but tonight I'd done it twice, both times with my bare hands rather than with a spell. One day I'd tell Sev about how that made me feel but not now, not when he felt so vulnerable. Because if I knew him, he'd try to take the pain on himself and sooth his love over it. I was so lucky that he loved me.
The baby moved under my hand and sent me a picture of him sleeping so I chuckled quietly and closed my eyes to sleep. The next month or so was going to be busy.
***
Well, I hadn't been wrong, I thought and straightened up from shoveling. All that magic from the last battle had brought down a series of storms that had pretty much buried this part of England in about twenty feet of snow and ice. The Forest looked beautiful, dripping with diamond ice cycles but the number of broken branches would take a lot of cleaning up come the spring.
It was the first of December and it felt like I'd been shoveling snow for the entire month. The family had split up to take care of business. The twins were back moving wizards from one end of the country to the other. Bill had left for Egypt to wrap up his business there so he could come back to move in with Hossic. And to everyone's surprise, Arwen had joined them to bring the first triad to the family.
Gration was still dating Fiona and it looked serious to me. Royan was as big as a house and Remus waited on her hand and foot. She'd been stuck in Hogwarts since it was too dangerous outside in her condition. At five months along, she was already bigger than Sev and he'd just entered his seventh month. Rhea was just beginning to show a little bit but Sirius was already treating her as if she was made of glass.
They were good to see together. Gersey had gone back to London and the recording studio but he'd left behind a cell phone, just the way that he'd promised he would so he and Harry talked every night. They were already so close that it was probably a good thing that they were physically separated. Otherwise they might have spontaneously combusted by now.
Charlie had transferred to England from Rumania so he could take over the dragon management of the Forbidden Forest. It seemed that Ss-serens wasn't the only unregistered dragon on our island. Several had flown in after Voldemort's demise and we had five now, six if you counted Ss-sarco, our baby dragon. One of these days, we might get our greenhouse back but it wouldn't be anytime soon. It was fun having the little one tagging after Draco and Hogwarts was getting used to having a baby dragon attend all his classes.
He was a great favorite and he got fed so much on the sly that he was even rounder than he should have been. He developed a real taste for chocolate frogs and his mother just shook her head at his appetite. I have to admit that I fed him a few on the sly myself but then I was always baking something to tempt Sev's tricky stomach.
Deciding that I'd done enough for the day, I put away my shovel and left for home. A nagging little pain in the back of my mind was finally translated to Sev trying to keep something from me. My stride lengthened and I contemplated apparating but I was so close that in a few minutes I'd be home.
The folks had stayed put and Dad was teaching some of the seventh years about abstract magic. He was Professor Emeritus of the Academy of Scientific Magic but he was enjoying teaching much younger children. Mum had taken over the kitchens and was sharing her recipes with the house elves that took care of the school. Meals were a lot better since she'd come.
All in all, we were doing pretty well. Everybody kept in touch by owl or cell phone and we were going to have a big winter solstice celebration in a few weeks. The kids would be gone for the holidays so we were going to be able to celebrate in the great hall of the school. There was plenty of room for all of us and the assorted animals we'd taken on. Smiling, I opened our front door and quickly shut it behind me.
Ara was there to take my scarf. "Master Rubeus, is good you are coming home. Master Severus is being very restless."
I headed for the nursery where I usually found him when I'd been gone. He was rocking in the old rocker and holding the stuffed snake that had been his when he was little. His name was Skip and he looked a little worn but obviously well loved. Sev's face lit up when he saw me and my heart fluttered the way it always did.
"Ru, you're home." He started the struggle to get to his feet but I quick came over and knelt by him. "Thank you, love, I've been up and down a dozen times today. I don't know if I'm going to last another two months. How Royan is coping with three kickers, I wish I knew."
"Gettin' ya all sore, is he?" I smoothed a hand over the spot he usually kicked and found nothing. "Sev, did he shift?"
He chuckled and moved my hand high up on his swollen belly. "I believe he did, Ru. He's kicking up here now."
I went hot then cold. In all the other mammals I'd taken care of, that usually meant that the baby was moving into position to be born, head down towards the birth canal. I wanted my mother and I wanted her now. Right then, Sev flinched and gripped my hand a little harder. "Sev, how long have ya been havin' those little pains?"
"Most of the day." He looked uncertainly at me. "I thought they were just the normal aches. They are, aren't they?"
I slowly ran my hands over the skin that held our son. Little tremors were rippling all over the mound and another pain hit him hard. "Sev, I think I'll send for Poppy and Mum. We still don't know if it's safe to let the rest of the world know you're alive."
He'd gone white but all he did was nod. He was so brave that it made my heart ache. Calling out to Ara, I asked her to floo up to Hogwarts and bring back the medi-witch and my mother. She squeaked a yes and disappeared. I got Sev onto his feet and helped him walk around the room. I wanted to see if the baby had shifted any further. Suddenly he gasped and I saw bloody water splash the floor.
"Yar water just broke, Sev. It looks like Arwen was right, more than six and less than nine months right on the nose."
"Well, that's good news. I'd like to get my old body back." He said with a little smile. "But if my waters broke, how did they exit my body?"
That was a real good question and I knelt by his side to raise his robe and gingerly feel between his legs. "Good news, Sev, the baby just grew his own birth canal. For a while at least, ya've got a vagina and it's dilated about five centimeters. I think he's impatient ta come out and play with Ss-sarco."
He laughed and choked at the same time. The ripples were getting closer together and I picked him up to carry him into our bedroom. I set him down in the chair to strip off the duvet and put the protective rubber sheet over the mattress. We'd decided that we wanted our son born in the same bed where we'd conceived him. But birthing a baby is messy business so I'd been ready to make sure that we could clean up easy.
Severus was panting now and grimacing. I pulled him up and helped him out of his robe, easing him down gently on the rubber sheet after quick warming it up a little. He sighed and stretched a little before curling up into a ball around the baby.
"Oh, damn, this hurts, Ru. Remind me why this is a good idea." He said between pants.
"Because when ya're done, ya're going ta be holding our very own son in yar arms." I gave him my arm and helped him sit up. "It's better ta be sitting up, that helps remind the baby where he needs ta go."
"Oh good . . . can't have . . . him forget that . . . teeny, tiny channel he needs to travel."
I chuckled and slid my hand between his legs again. He was dilating fast and was already up to seven centimeters. But the pains were coming faster yet and he was struggling not to whimper out loud. So I encouraged him to say what he was thinking and feeling. That might have been a mistake because he started giving me all the reasons why he thought I should have to carry the next child.
That was when I learned that his mama had said that we might have two more children. I was smiling up a storm when Poppy and Mum charged in. Severus was blushing so hard when he realized they were there that he went beet-red.
"I've seen that private bit a time or two before, Sev. Maybe not on ya, but I promise not ta tell anybody." Mum was real no nonsense before she draped a sheet over him. "Rubeus, I need ya ta get behind Sev ta support him when he needs ta push."
Poppy was clucking and spelling the bed sterile. "You're doing fine, Severus, and so fast. Royan will be jealous when she hears how quickly you delivered."
He just panted some more while I shifted until I was propping him up with my whole body. "That's it, Sev. It's okay ta yell at me all ya want."
"I was going to save that for when it really hurts." He said between little groans. The pains were nigh onto continuous and two hours later I finally saw Poppy nod to me.
"Okay, my beautiful, wonderful Sev. It's almost time ta push. Try and stay still, just let our son move into position."
"Ah-h-h," he strained to do what I asked but I could feel the pain all along our bond.
I hugged him close and felt his skin burn under my hands. Poppy nodded sharply but spoke real gently. "Severus, it's time to push."
"Push for us, my sweet Sev." Mum crooned to him while she and Poppy pushed his legs a little further up.
Sev pushed with all his might for a very long moment then collapsed against me. Poppy checked him again and nodded. "Good one, Severus, I can see his crown. Take some deep breaths and push when you're ready."
I tried to lend him my strength but he was the one doing all the work. He strained so hard that I was afraid he would rupture something. Mum had a towel in her hands but I couldn't see anything beyond Sev's contorted face. "Mum?"
And Sev relaxed all over while Mum raised the towel holding our bloodstained son in her big hands. Sev had done it. Poppy was murmuring about the afterbirth while Mum cleaned his little nose out so he could cry. And cry he did, just as soon as he could.
"Rubeus and Severus, meet thy son." Mum laid him gently on Sev's chest.
"Tobias Petronicus Hagrid." Sev's voice was a mere thread and his hands were shaking as he stroked the soft skin at our son's temple.
There was something in my eyes so I wasn't seeing all that well. "He's . . . he's beautiful, Sev."
"That he is, you two." Poppy smiled at us. "Let me clip the umbilical cord so you can cut it, Rubeus."
So I cut it with the little silver knife that Dad had used on the boys when they blood-bonded with each other. And then Sev roused enough to seal off the end with a bit of magic. Mum finished cleaning up and asked me to lift Sev off so she could remake the bed. It was kind of awkward but I didn't want to let go of Sev and he wouldn't let go of the baby.
But we managed with a minimum of fuss. Mum even managed to take the baby long enough to finish cleaning him free of the last of the birthing fluid and blood while I got a clean nightshirt onto Sev. I pushed a few pillows behind him so he'd have a prop in case I needed to move.
"Are ya ready, my bairns?" Mum smiled down at us. "I can hear an awful lot of aunts and uncles waitin' to see their new nephew."
Sev was barely awake but he nodded with a sleepy smile. "And he's eager to meet his family."
Tobias yawned in our faces and started sucking on his fingers. Those long perfect fingers and perfect toes, which I'd counted just a moment ago. Yeah, he was ready and so were we. This was going to be a Winter Solstice like no other in the Hagrid family. I could hardly wait.
*************
[Reviews - 4] [Kudos - 323]
Download story PDF format or ePUB format or MOBI format
Table of Contents
Download story PDF format or ePUB format or MOBI format
Table of Contents
Author's Chapter Notes:
Draco finds himself in the hands of the enemy but help is on the way