Blissful Ignorance

Hugs go to Madbrilliant and Alliean for the beta of this chapter. Additionally, a big hug must also go to WriterMerrin for her patience with all of my commas.

...................................................

Chapter 26 - Blissful Ignorance

The crash that sounded through the house immediately alerted all of the adults to the fact that there was a child running around without supervision.

Hermione and Ginny burst into the sitting room as quickly as they could in their pregnant states, both a little out of breath from power-walking the entire way there. Ginny walked through and found little Lily sitting on the floor beside a shattered vase that had once been on the coffee table. She was looking decidedly teary-eyed as she sat there, sporting a little purpling bruise on her forehead. Rushing to the little one's side, Ginny scooped her up and tried to soothe her while Hermione cast a charm to piece the vase back together before returning it to the table.

'Oh, darling, let me take a look at your head,' Ginny cooed, rocking the girl a little as she spoke.

Hermione walked over to join them and pulled a small jar out of one of her robe pockets, offering it to her friend. 'It's just some bruise salve,' she explained as Ginny took it from her, eyeing it warily. 'Just about everything I come into contact with bruises me.'

Ginny smiled then and laughed. 'I know how you feel. I get a little bit that way myself,' she said, proffering a recently-bruised arm at her.

'You should use some on yourself too,' Hermione said seriously.

Ginny nodded and sat down with a sulking Lily on one of the couches, opening the jar and scooping a little of the salve out, then began rubbing it gently on the girl's bruising forehead. Once that was done, she kissed her daughter's cheek and set her back down on the floor before Hermione commandeered a spot on the couch and rubbed some of the salve onto Ginny's arms to heal and remove the bruising. Once they were finished, Hermione resealed the jar and smiled.

'There, all done,' she announced, putting the jar back in her robes.

Ginny grinned, and the two of them sat back on the lounge to relax while Lily sat on the floor sucking her thumb and playing with a little plush ball. It was quiet and gave the two women some time to think things over. Ginny wondered what was on her friend's mind because, by the looks of it, it was something good as she had a little grin on her face.

'What's that smile all about, 'Mione?' she asked, nudging her with her shoulder.

'I'm sure you already have some idea why at the very least,' Hermione replied, her smile broadening as she spoke. 'I am deliriously happy. I'm married to the man I love, and I'm carrying his children. What more could I ask for?'

'I am so happy for you, Hermione,' Ginny said with a tender smile, hugging the older woman to her tightly and closing her eyes as a tear escaped. 'You will never be able to know how thrilled I was for you when Severus came into your life.'

Hermione smiled, her thoughts immediately going back to how difficult it had been for the two of them to finally come together. Severus had been such a stubborn arse when it came to getting around to admitting he had feelings for her. Come to think of it, at Christmas, he had been an insensitive arse. She looked over to Ginny and gave her a bright, honest smile. She was so happy with her life.

'How are things at Hogwarts now that Skeeter has been taken care of?' Ginny asked with interest. 'I hear that you and Severus got a whole lot of apologies in the post for a week from all the people who had sent you howlers because of that woman.'

Hermione laughed aloud at that and had to wipe the tears from her eyes. 'It's really wonderful to know that half the wizarding world doesn't think badly of us anymore, but I was beginning to think that Severus would have preferred they hate him,' she answered with a sheepish grin. 'I only read a couple of the apology letters myself, and most of the ones directed to me were apologizing for calling me a tramp.'

Ginny laughed at that one. If anyone was the furthest thing from being a tramp, that someone would have to be Hermione. She had always been goody-two-shoes as a Hogwarts student, and as a Professor and Deputy Headmistress, she had always ruled her classroom strictly but fairly. She was similar to Minerva in that way. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, Severus Snape himself Flooed into the sitting room, walking out and dusting himself off a little.

'Severus!' Hermione exclaimed, launching herself off the couch and into his arms in less than three steps. She must have flung herself half-way across the sitting room.

Luckily for everyone there, Severus was quick and strong, catching her easily in his embrace and hugging her to him while spinning her around in the air. Once he had set Hermione back on her feet, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He went a little stiff for a moment and then relaxed enough to return it briefly before pulling away from her. He was still a little uncomfortable with showing affection in front of others, but Hermione was proud of how far he had come already.

'You're early,' Hermione told him as she led him over to the couch.

'Filius was buzzing around like a ninny and wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to leave early,' Severus offered in answer.

Just then, Lily seemed to clue in to what was going on in the room and spotted a new arrival on the couch. On seeing it was Severus, she toddled over and put a little hand on his knee, looking up at him imploringly. Hermione was about to squeal at how cute it was, but instead she settled for simply smiling. Who knew what Severus would do if she did that to him?

'Just who else is coming to this dinner of yours?' Severus asked Ginny as he reluctantly lifted a cheery Lily up onto his lap.

'Oh, well, let's see – Remus and Tonks are coming, and so are Fred, George, and Minerva,' Ginny listed off on her fingers. 'Oh! And I invited Julia and Bill. It seems mum has decided to give Bill a bit of a hard time again, so he hasn't been home in a while or seen anyone other than Jules.'

Severus frowned at that comment, feeling his current disrespect for Molly grow. He had really hoped that after a few weeks it would have calmed back down. But she was consistent, if nothing else. He bounced the toddler on his knee a bit, making her squeal with delight and causing both the women to focus their attention on him and the little girl on his knee. Ginny was smiling in amusement, while Hermione just looked completely baffled.

'A few months ago and you didn't even want Lily on your knee, and now you're playing with her?' she asked in amazement. 'Severus, I'm surprised at you.'

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, although he did not cease his bouncing. 'Call it a fatherly instinct that is probably caused by the fact that we are expecting our own children,' he said seriously. 'I can't treat our children callously, and this one here seems to like me enough. What's the extra practice?'

Ginny stifled a giggle. 'I didn't think someone could be quite so affectionate and clinical all at the same time until you, Severus,' she said from behind her hand.

Severus rolled his eyes at her just as Harry entered the room and took in the sight of his former Potions Professor bouncing his adorable, red-headed toddler on his knee. It was a little disconcerting to say the very least. He strode over to his wife and gave her a proprietary kiss on the cheek before sitting on the arm of the lounge to join the conversation.

'So, what have I missed?' he asked cheerfully, obviously oblivious to Severus' stare of absolute horror at Harry seeing him playing with Lily.

Ginny smiled at her husband and brushed some of his dark hair out of his face. 'Nothing of importance, love,' she informed him kindly.

After about half an hour of simply sitting there and chatting idly, Hermione and Ginny went to the kitchen to begin preparations for dinner, leaving Lily with Severus and Harry in the sitting room. Severus had protested Hermione and Ginny having to make dinner on their own and tried to insist that he was perfectly exceptional at cooking and that he was sure Harry would be a reasonable enough assistant. The two women had laughed and told him off, saying that they were all too happy to make the dinner for the party. He reluctantly backed down, and so there he was with the boy who continued to live, holding his sleeping child, sitting in his house.

Two hours later when the doorbell rang, Harry jumped to his feet and went to immediately greet the first guests. He was rather excited about the whole thing, as he hadn't seen Remus and Tonks in a fair while and was pleased at the chance to catch up with them. Opening the door, he greeted Bill and Julia, who had tagged alongside him. Harry had noticed them spending a lot of time together of late, but considering they had both been victims of Molly's tirade, he figured that the pair of them were comfortable with each other because they worked together, and that they both now had something in common.

'Hello there, you lot,' Harry greeted in his goofy, un-chivalrous way. 'Come on inside and join Professor Snape and I for a drink in the sitting room.'

'Us lot have a name,' Bill muttered under his breath as he entered, pushing a bottle of wine into Harry's hands as he passed, chuckling the whole time.

Julia smiled and gave Harry a hug as she passed into the house. 'Are Hermione and Ginny in the kitchen then?' she asked politely.

'Head on in if you like,' Harry replied, closing the door behind him and taking the wine and his person into the sitting room once more to join the other men. 'I wonder when Tonks and Remus are going to show up...'

Harry sat down across from Bill just as Severus stood up with Lily cradled firmly in the crook of one arm. 'Where is her room?' he asked Harry. 'I'll take her up to bed.'

'Upstairs, first room to the left of the staircase,' Harry said briefly.

Severus nodded and walked out of the sitting room, heading up the stairs quietly, carefully holding the girl to his chest so that she would not be disturbed. He wasn't quite sure when it was that she had fallen asleep on him, but he imagined it had been some time after Ginny had fed her something for dinner. One minute she had been playing with the fingers of one of his hands, and the next minute, her head had softly fallen back onto his chest, and she was hugging his hand close to her.

He entered the bedroom that Harry had directed him to and walked over to the cot, carefully extracting her hand from the position it was in, curled into his white linen shirt. He gently placed her in cot and quickly covered her with a light blanket, even as her arms were reaching out to him in her sleep. He felt a tug in his chest at the sight and reached out to affectionately brush a lock of red hair out of her face. He turned around to leave the room then, only to run into Hermione in the open doorway.

'That was one of the loveliest things I have ever seen you do,' she told him when he reached her side, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Severus cleared his throat softly and tucked a curl out of Hermione's face also, stroking his long index finger down her nose before tapping the end of it. 'Come now, you know very well that I must like the girl,' he said a little gruffly, unused to expressing himself about those things.

Hermione laughed softly at his discomfort, leading him back downstairs to join their friends.