Chapter 11

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Chapter 11 – Smile at the Sky

There was a loud, annoying knocking on the door of the classroom just after lunch, and as Severus Snape surveyed his classroom, the person knocking burst through. He saw that it was one of the first-year Slytherin girls, and she looked a little worried or distraught. She ran straight to the front of the classroom and stood by his desk, panting and trying to regain her breath.

'Professor Snape – you're n-needed in the infirmary!' she exclaimed, short of breath.

'What?' he demanded loudly as he stood from his desk, sweeping around it and following the girl out the room. 'Read page 350 to 400!' he shouted to his class as he left. 'Is she – is it Professor Granger-Snape?'

'Yes, sir,' the girl piped.

'Very well, get back to class,' he said, walking as briskly as he could in the direction of the Hospital Wing, leaving the frightened girl behind.

He had known that it was going to be time soon, but he had no idea it would have to be this day of all days in the year. There was only one month left of the school year, and Hermione had been replaced temporarily for the last few weeks by a Professor Jutland because of her state of weakness from the pregnancy. She had unfortunately become ill, as her body was rather smaller than most women who decided to have children.

He burst through the doors to the wing and went straight to the private operation room where Hermione had been for the last week. He arrived just in time to hear the cries of a child reach his ears. He walked around the privacy curtain to see a pale, sweaty Hermione smiling at him and cradling a child in her arms.

'Love – come and meet your baby girl,' she said weakly, breathing a little irregularly, but still smiling.

Severus immediately went to his wife's side and looked down at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in the person of their baby girl. She was lovely, with his dark, straight hair, and Hermione's adorable nose – luckily. 'She's beautiful,' he said, stroking her soft cheek adoringly. 'Just like her mother.'

Hermione beamed at that and leaned in closer when Severus wrapped a possessive arm around her and continued to stroke their child's hair. 'Severus, what are we going to name her?' she asked.

'Felicity,' he said simply.

'That's a beautiful name,' she said. 'I like it – Felicity Anne perhaps?'

'That sounds acceptable,' he murmured, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head and kissing downwards from there, stopping briefly at her lips before kissing her deeply with an intensity she would never get tired of.

An hour later, the three found themselves surrounded by a sea of people that were all there to see the baby and congratulate them. Classes had finished for the day only ten minutes before, and then the noises had become louder as both students and professors alike had flocked to view the new Snape.

'Your baby is beautiful, Severus,' Minerva said over the noise of all the cooing and awing at little Felicity. 'What have you decided to name her?'

'Felicity Anne Snape,' he replied simply, trying to ignore the fact that there were students annoying them. After all, Hermione was beginning to get exhausted by the look of things, and she needed some peace to sleep after the hard labor. 'Excuse me, Minerva, but could I trouble you to get rid of this lot? Hermione is tired, and this isn't making it any easier for her.'

'Of course,' she said with a smile. She was so proud of Severus and how far he had come as a husband and how wonderful a father he would be. 'Alright, everyone, the Professors Snape would like some privacy, so head back to your common rooms to get ready for dinner!'

Once everyone had cleared out, Hermione beckoned Minerva over and passed her the baby so that she could hold her for a while. 'Careful to support her neck,' she said, and the older woman nodded. McGonagall sat in a chair just past the privacy curtain, cooing to the child, leaving Hermione and Severus alone for the first time that day. She looked up at her husband adoringly and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his cheek as he stroked her still slightly damp hair and smiled.

'She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, Severus,' she said softly as her eyes began to drift shut.

'Yes, my love, and she is our beautiful little one,' he replied, dropping the most tender of kisses to the crown of her head and hugging her close against his body.

Hermione sighed happily and closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel some peace and restfulness for the first time that day. With Severus behind her breathing softly and cuddling her close, and the knowledge that her beautiful little girl was just on the other side of the curtain with the Headmistress, she drifted to sleep, listening to the sound of gurgling and breathing.

*

The skies were the brightest of blue, and there were very few clouds. With the sun almost at its peak and the dew still lightly covering the grass and trees, a tall dark-haired man exited an ancient castle holding the hand of a shorter, curly haired beauty, who was carrying a baby. This was perfection to him. For years, Severus had yearned to know what happiness and contentment were. And finally, after twenty long years of waiting, he had found his joy in the most unlikely of places.

He had found it with his wife and only love, Hermione – and in their beautiful daughter, Felicity. Silently, he led them out of the castle and towards the lake where they put out a blanket and sat in the morning sun, simply enjoying the fresh air and each other's company.

For Hermione, it seemed surreal that she would find this situation perfect – or at least in her former opinion of marriage and children. But she had changed. It had taken a long time, but she loved Severus with all of her heart now, and she loved the child that they had made together. Sitting out in the sun by a lake with her daughter and beloved husband was one of her favorite things to do lately.

Felicity was only 10 months old, but the little girl had already developed some of the more noticeable of her parents' characteristics. She was a lovely girl that smiled and was already starting to talk a little – just small things like "mama" and "dada." Severus had never imagined that he would ever be "dada" to anyone, but he loved hearing it more than he thought he would. Hermione thought he was a wonderful father. He read to Felicity and played an active and involved role as a parent – in other words, he became everything his father had not been when he was a child.

Harry visited her again, and the problems there had been all but forgotten. Hermione knew that he was just looking out for her, but within a few months, Harry and Severus were on civil terms and held short conversations from time to time. Harry had not been made Felicity's godfather, however. They had mutually decided that Minerva would be her godmother while Remus Lupin, being the only one Severus considered a trustworthy male friend, was chosen as godfather.

In all of the events of the past year, Hermione had found that the Ministry was not so wrong to enforce this marriage. She loved her husband and her daughter, and she had never been so content in all of her life.

'Severus?' she asked softly as her back rested against his chest with her wedged firmly between his legs.

'Yes, my love?' he replied, stroking her hair absently.

'Will it always be like this? I mean, will we always be this happy?' she said as if she were asking herself this.

He stared out at the water on the lake with the sun glistening on it and the reflections of everything spread across it wildly. Would they always be this happy? He certainly wished they would, but he knew it was unrealistic to think that they wouldn't have any problems. It was a part of life to experience hardship. A good example was the first month or so of their marriage. That had been a disaster.

But it never hurt to hope for good in the future.

He looked down at his wife, who had turned in his full-body embrace to look up at his face, and smiled at her. Leaning forwards, he kissed her lightly on the nose before lifting Felicity up with one arm and cradling her to his chest while holding Hermione firmly to him with his other arm.

'I would like to tell you that it will always be like this, Hermione. But I can't lie to you. I can only hope and pray that we will always be happy together,' he said softly, kissing her cheek and then her lips tenderly.

'Okay,' she said, snuggling against him and hugging around her daughter with an arm also. 'I love you both, so much.'

'I love you, Hermione,' he said quietly, looking out at the lake once more with a sigh.

Maybe it was time to go back to Katerini for a while.

End.