Chapter 19: Happy Birthday

Chapter 19: Happy Birthday!

"Come with me," Severus demanded of Sybill, his hand extended to her.

Sybill looked up from her desk, where a mountain of essays awaited her attention.

"Are you here to steal me away to somewhere where there are no students and no essays to grade?" she asked curiously.

"I am here to shuttle you away so we can celebrate your birthday," Severus explained.

Sybill's eyebrows rose. "How did you know it was my birthday?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "It's all that your friends can cluck about today. I believe they are planning something for you after dinner."

Sybill blushed. She really wasn't used to being the center of attention. After so many years of spending her birthday alone and unnoticed, this was quite a change.

"So, wherever we're going, I suppose we'll be back in time for dinner, then?" she asked him.

"Yes, but don't let on that I alerted you to anything. Those three hens would hex me into the wall if they knew I had let out their little secret."

Sybill smiled and rose from her desk. She grasped Severus' hand. He pulled her to him suddenly. His arms went around her as she felt his mouth claiming hers.

Their relationship had been going on for several months now, but he still made her shiver wildly whenever he showered her with affection like this.

She gave herself up to him and got lost in the moment. Everything around them disappeared as she was consumed by his passion. Sybill wished he'd never stop. Unfortunately, he pulled away from her a little bit later. Smiling down at her he asked if she was ready to go. Still too overcome to speak, Sybill only nodded. Severus smirked at her and took her hand, leading her out of the classroom and through the halls.

oooOOOooo

Severus and Sybill sat on the ground, watching a waterfall. He was behind her. She leaned into him, enjoying his closeness. His arm rested around her midsection. He would occasionally kiss her neck as they stared at the flowing water that fell steadily from the waterfall.

"Are you having a fun birthday?" Severus asked finally.

"It started out terribly, but I must admit, you've turned it into something wonderful."

"What was so terrible about it?" Severus asked as he tightened his hug.

Sybill laid her head back into him. "Joshua Blakeslee decided to set off a Wildfire Whiz-Bang in class. It rocketed over to my teapots and shattered all of them. Seven children were sent to the infirmary, and I needed Poppy to remove a large piece from my arm. It's been aching ever since."

Severus pulled back and picked up her arm. "Is it this one? There's no scar."

She nodded. "You know how good Poppy is. It still hurts, though. She said it should be better by tomorrow."

Severus kissed her along her arm lovingly.

"Mmm," Sybill murmured. "That feels better already."

"Silly witch, there's no evidence that affection is a pain killer."

"I suppose it depends on who the affection is coming from."

Severus smirked at her. He straightened himself out and fished for something in his robes.

"I have a birthday present for you," Severus mumbled as he felt around in his robes.

"Severus, you didn't..."

Severus put his hand up to stop her right away.

"It's your birthday, and I have a gift for you," he stated matter-of-factly.

Sybill smiled at him finally as he pulled out a large box from his robes. It was decorated with dark purple paper.

"However did you fit that in your robes?" she asked him.

"Bottomless pocket," he explained as he handed her the box.

Sybill turned and took the gift. She unwrapped it and opened the box. Inside was a smaller box, equally wrapped with bright white paper with streamers on it. Sybill looked slyly at Severus. He smirked at her.

Turning back to the package, she unwrapped the second box. Lifting the lid, a smaller box awaited her, this one wrapped in dark blue with Happy Birthday scrawled all over it. Sybill narrowed her eyes at him.

"How many of these do I have to unwrap?" she demanded. "Or should I just use my Sight to see what's in there?"

Severus shrugged and looked innocent. Sybill sighed and tore into the next box. Of course, a smaller box awaited her, this one covered in red paper with tooting horns on it. Sybill laughed.

"Did you get me a thimble, Severus?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," he explained.

"That, I can see."

She tore into that box and found yet another smaller box staring at her. The box was not wrapped. It was covered in velvet and was shaped like a ring box. Sybill caught her breath and looked to Severus.

"Open it," he advised.

Sybill pulled the box out and held it in her hand. If this was what she thought it was, no vision could have prepared her for what was to come. She lifted the lid and looked into the velvet box. A diamond engagement ring twinkled back at her.

"Marry me, Sybill."

Sybill gasped as she looked from Severus, to the ring, and back to Severus.

"If you'd rather, I could get you something else for your birthday. A puppy, perhaps?"

Sybill was met with a raised eyebrow. She tried to look put out, but she was too excited to make her face portray such disdain.

"Severus, you really want to marry me?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course I do. I just asked you, didn't I?"

"But... why would you?"

Severus pulled her into his arms once again.

"Sybill, you are everything I want. You have helped me to become more of the man I wanted to be. You love me and make me feel worthwhile. I can't imagine being without you. I want you with me always."

Sybill brought her hand up and caressed his face. "I want that too," she responded.

"Then marry me," he said again.

"I will."

Severus reached for the box, which was still in Sybill's hand. He took the ring from its place, nestled snugly in the ring box. He slipped it on her finger and kissed her hand. Looking into her eyes, his own showed intensity that Sybill had only seen in them a couple of times.

"Thank you, my love, for condescending to be with me."

"There's no condescension, Severus, my heart's desire is to be with you forever."

He kissed her then. Over and over again, he kissed her. She hoped it would never end.

oooOOOooo

Sybill looked completely surprised when she entered the Headmistress's office to find Minerva, Pomona, and Rolanda standing there surrounding a huge birthday cake. She jumped when they screamed surprise to her. She smiled brightly as the three women hugged her.

She opened her presents as the women hovered around her. Severus sat off to the side on the small couch, content to just watch the proceedings. She cooed over all of her gifts. Minerva had given her some beautiful hair clips, which she immediately placed in her hair. They were golden with green beads on them. Everyone clucked at how beautiful they looked in her hair. Well, everyone clucked except Severus. He just nodded. He was no hen, after all.

The next gift was from Rolanda. It was a painting of a seascape. There was a gentle breeze making the waves lap up onto the shore. It even had an option to make peaceful sea sounds with the tap of a wand. Sybill smiled at Rolanda as she showed the painting to Severus.

"I noticed a bare spot on your lounge wall. I thought that would fit there nicely," Rolanda explained.

"Oh, Rolanda, it's perfect!" Sybill exclaimed.

Rolanda looked very pleased with herself.

Pomona's present was a plant. She had haphazardly wrapped it, so it was obviously a living thing. Sybill tore into the paper to find a honking daffodil inside. She lifted the flower, and it made its trademark honking sound. Sybill laughed.

"You can place it outside and use it as a doorbell," Pomona explained.

Sybill wasn't quite sure it would make an effective doorbell, especially when her wards began at her property line.

"No, Pomona, this deserves a prominent place in my window sill. I'll not have it lost on the ground when it can be seen by everyone in the window!"

Pomona beamed. "That's a wonderful idea, Sybill," she crooned.

Severus rolled his eyes. If there was any more clucking going on, they would all lay eggs. Maybe he would luck out, and they would be golden eggs. He shook his head.

The three women all hugged Sybill again, wishing her a happy birthday. Severus waited expectantly for them to sprout wings, but none did. He was sorely disappointed.

"Thank you all so much for your gifts!" Sybill told each one of them. "But I have a confession to make. Severus topped all of you with his present."

Minerva raised her eyebrows, Rolanda scoffed, and Pomona looked a bit perturbed.

"Well, Sybill, if it's such a wonderful gift," Pomona said with a frown. "Where is it?"

Sybill gave them each a conspiratorial smile and raised her hand. She wiggled her fingers to show off the ring and let the light make it sparkle. The three women gasped. Then they were all speaking at once.

"Oh, my gosh!"

"He asked you to marry him?"

"How long has that been on your hand?"

"What did he say?"

"How did he ask?"

"When is the date?"

"Where will you live?"

Severus sat on the couch and tried to block out the yammering. It all sounded like a bunch of chickens being chased by a fox. He folded his arms in front of him as he was ignored and Sybill's three friends buried her in questions. He watched his fiancée smile and hold up her hands to quiet them. She answered every question and then was bombarded with more. Finally, all three friends put their arms around her and squealed. They had turned from clucking chickens to squealing pigs. Severus could not contain his eyebrow. It shot up in wonder as they hugged Sybill and squealed some more. He would have never thought to get such a reception about the news that he was marrying anyone. He shook his head in amazement.

When the din had died down, the three women realized that they weren't alone with Sybill. They all straightened up and gave Severus their more reserved congratulations. He smirked and nodded at them.

"I suppose there's no stopping you from making this into a circus, is there, Minerva?" he said dourly.

"Oh, lighten up, Severus!" Minerva chided. "You only get married once!"

"If I recall correctly, the tally for the three of you is seven marriages," he countered.

"I can't help it if I keep outliving my husbands!" Rolanda cried. She had lost three men in her life to sickness and war.

Pomona shrugged, but looked embarrassed. She had divorced twice and was on the prowl again. Some poor unsuspecting man would eventually make husband number three. Severus shuddered at the thought.

Minerva only scowled, thinking of her two husbands. Few had known of her first marriage to Albus Dumbledore. Albus had always tried to protect her, so he'd insisted that their union be kept as quiet as possible. She was now married to his brother, Aberforth.

"I can't help it if you killed my first husband, Severus!"

Severus scowled back, his lighthearted mood dimming slightly. "At least you kept it in the family," he remarked cuttingly.

Sybill stood up at that. "That's enough, you two!" she admonished. "Come, Severus. It's late, and we should be breaking up this party."

Severus stood and gave a curt nod to the other women in the room.

"Have a good night, ladies," he told them before sweeping out of the room. Sybill hugged her friends, thanked them once again, and in a flurry, she too was gone. Minerva glanced over at her desk. The cake sat atop it, untouched.

"Oh, dear, we forgot to cut the cake!" she mused.

Rolanda grabbed a knife and started dividing it into huge portions. "There's no sense in letting this go to waste," she told them as she passed out the huge pieces to her friends. The three of them settled themselves in for some decadent chocolate indulgences.

"Oh, Sybill is missing the best part!" Pomona cried as she licked the chocolate from her lips.

Rolanda got a gleam in her eye as she smiled devilishly. "Ladies, who needs men when chocolate exists?!"

The three women laughed and laughed as they filled themselves with the sumptuous cake. Their celebratory party went on long into the night as they took their time in consuming the entire cake and bashing men as they greedily shoved forkfuls of the sinful confection into their mouths.

A/N: Next up: The final act of our little tale.

Thanks, Lilith Kayden, for your wonderful beta work and thoughtful suggestions.