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“No, no, no, no, no!” Wild, dark black curls flew as the toddler shook her head, emphasizing her refusal.
Letting out a deep sigh, Hermione squatted down to her daughter’s level. “Tabby, we must put our shoes on. Now, are you going to be a big girl, or do I have to count?”
The nearly three-year-old put her hands on her hips and narrowed her dark eyes. “No, mama, no count.”
“Then give me your foot, please.”
The head shaking started again. “No, no, no, no, no!”
A short chuckle from the doorway of the kitchen caught both of their attention. Lighting up, the small child ran into her father’s outstretched arms. “Papa!”
Standing up, Hermione looked at father and daughter. They were identical in colouring and both stubborn as mules, but oddly her husband was easier to manage than the child they had created together. Letting out another sigh, she said, “While you have her, let me get her shoes on.”
“Perhaps you should simply tell her what you expect of her”, said Severus.
“Wow, Severus, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that”, replied Hermione, trying and failing to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Instead of getting annoyed, Severus Snape, her husband of three and a half years set their child on a chair at the kitchen table, then took a seat beside her. As Hermione set a plate before each of them, she was somewhat mollified in her irritation when she received a smile from both.
“Good mama”, said Tabby as her little hands became covered in jam and toast crumbs.
Taking a seat with her family, she wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. Despite what anyone might have thought, her husband was a good and caring man, not to mention the absolute light of their daughter’s life. Their daughter, while difficult in only the way an intelligent toddler could be, was still perfect in her parent’s eyes.
“What time is your portkey?” asked Severus, drawing her attention back to the present.
She glanced at her watch. “I have about an hour. Now, Mrs. Wenig will be here before I go. She’ll feed Tabby dinner and put her down. All you have to do is make sure the little missy has breakfast in the morning and Mrs. Wenig will take care of the rest. I’ll be back before her bedtime tomorrow.”
After they’d had their daughter, they had been exceedingly lucky finding the perfect nanny. Mrs. Wenig had raised six children of her own and taught early magical education classes at a primary school in Germany. She’d returned to England after her husband had passed and to fill her days had taken on childcare. This had allowed Hermione to continue her career in the Department of Mysteries as their lead Arithmancer and Severus to take the position of Headmaster once more at Hogwarts.
As she started the breakfast plates to washing themselves with a swish of her wand, she heard the sound of a throat clearing from the floo. Normally friends and family simply came through. Curious, she turned and saw the head of someone she didn’t recognize.
“May I help you?” she asked cautiously.
The woman, who wore a shy expression, said, “I’m terribly sorry to bother you ma’am. I’m medi-witch Hanson. A Mrs. Wenig asked me to inform you that she has been admitted to Saint Mungo’s. She tripped over her dog and fell down a flight of stairs. We’ll be keeping her overnight for observation.”
“Oh, no! Will she be okay? Is there anything we can do?”
Shaking her head, the medi-witch hesitated a moment. “No, she’ll be fine. Just a few broken bones, but I’m to tell you that she is dreadfully sorry and will not be able to watch your tabby cat.”
With a small laugh, Hermione looked over at her daughter who was staring avidly at the woman in the green flames. The older witch had taken to calling their daughter Tabby cat because of the way she acted, which was like a rather independent cat. She’d stare at you as she pushed something off the table to the floor. Hugs were only to be given if she initiated them or you’d get squawked at. And if she didn’t want to do something, there was often hell to pay to get her to do it.
“Tell her that I understand and not to worry. Just get better.”
The medi-witch nodded and waved at the curious child, then disappeared. Once she was gone, the panic set in. Who would watch their daughter? Hermione had been invited as the keynote speaker at a Magical Mathematics Convention in Prague and had been looking forward to it for months.
Looking at her husband, she said, “I suppose I can check with Molly to see if she can take Tabitha for the day. Or maybe Ginny is available. Luna? What do you think?”
With a smirk, her husband stood and picked up their daughter. “I think you should go and have a wonderful time. I am perfectly capable of caring for Tabby.”
Shaking her head, Hermione murmured, “But you have work and responsibilities. I can’t ask you to watch her.”
This time Severus sighed. “I’m not watching her; I’m being a father. Frankly, you manage this house and our family with ease. How hard could it be? I listen to other witches complain about the stress of child rearing and keeping house, but if you do it with little effort then in my estimation they are simply griping for attention.”
Wondering when her extremely intelligent husband had become so dense, she decided that if he thought it was easy, she’d leave him to it. Smiling, she said, “If you’re sure. I’ll just gather my bag and finish getting ready.”
About forty-five minutes later she kissed her husband and daughter, then made her way to the spot her portkey was scheduled to depart from. As the two most important people in her world waved goodbye to her, Hermione hoped that they would survive her absence for the next two days.
Severus watched as the toy car his wife held turned blue and she disappeared into the sky. Beside him their daughter was examining a bug as it crawled across a rock.
“Are you ready to be papa’s helper today, Tabitha?” he asked the small child.
She looked up at him and smiled. Scooping her up, Severus placed her on his shoulders and decided to make the walk to the school. When he and Hermione had become reacquainted, nearly eight years had passed since the war. She had gone on to work for the Ministry of Magic in their Magical Mathematics Department, while he had returned to Hogwarts to teach. Their paths had crossed at a conference in Vienna where he’d been the keynote speaker on advances in healing potions and she had given a lecture on a branch of Arithmancy she’d recently created by adding muggle mathematics to magical formulas. After he’d finished speaking, Hermione had approached him to ask a question and then invited him for a drink.
The drink had turned into dinner, which had turned into a one-night stand in his hotel room, which had turned into a six-month fling when they’d returned to Britain. Then she’d turned up pregnant. At first, he’d suggested they marry simply because it seemed the right thing to do, but he’d found that marriage agreed with him. Despite his reluctance, she’d encouraged him to accept the headmaster position at Hogwarts which had turned into something he secretly enjoyed, raised their daughter with care and love, managed their household with military precision, and even found time for sex two or three times per week.
On top of her domestic duties, Hermione still managed to hold a very important full-time job where she made several breakthroughs that changed the understanding of magical mathematics. Not to mention that she was intelligent, witty, and always interested in what he had to say. All in all, Severus considered himself a very lucky man.
“Papa, school?” asked Tabby as they approached the gates of Hogwarts.
“Yes, we’re going to the school today. If you’re a good girl, I’ll take you to see Hagrid and Minerva later. Would you like that?”
He heard the sound of her clapping her little hands together in delight. Breakfast in the great hall was just ending as he entered through the front doors. Several of the students greeted him and Tabby.
“Oh my goodness, sir. Your daughter is just too cute!” cooed a sixth year Hufflepuff.
“Thank you, Miss Evergreen. Don’t be late for charms.” He could still be quite foreboding but found that most of the children listened to him even if he weren’t. So he saved being scary for when it mattered most. It helped that he no longer had to worry about teaching a bunch of dunderheads determined to blow him up each term. Instead that honor now belonged to Draco Malfoy.
He climbed the stairs to his office while the small child on his shoulders waved and babbled to the portraits along the way. Up in the headmaster’s tower he finally set the little girl down.
“I have to answer some correspondence, would you like to colour Tabby?”
Shaking her head, she pointed to his bookcase. “Weed book papa. Weed.”
He knew she wanted him to read from a children’s story book that Hermione had left for her in his office. There was a lot of work to do, but he supposed he could spare a few minutes. Pulling down the book, he settled into a chair and waited for her to get comfortable in his lap.
Clearing his throat, he started. “Once upon a time…”.
Tabby huffed. “No, papa. Wabbit.”
“Are you asking me to read Babbitty Rabbitty?”
Her curls flew as she nodded. Severus turned to the correct story and started again. When he got to the first speaking part for Babbitty Rabbitty, Tabby shook her head. “No. Like mama.”
He sighed. Hermione always used funny voices when she read to their child, which he found undignified. Still, he knew she would protest loudly should he not do it the way her mother did.
Once he finished the story, he set Tabby up on the floor with paper and muggle crayons. Then he took a seat at his desk to start working on answering the many letters that had piled up. For nearly an hour, he was able to lose himself in his work, until the little girl came around his desk and tapped him on the leg.
“Mama?”
Setting down his quill, Severus turned to look at his progeny in the face, grateful that while she matched him exactly in colouring, she looked just like Hermione.
“Your mother is gone today but will return tomorrow.”
The little girl seemed to accept his answer. Turning, she made her way back to her colouring. However, about ten minutes later, Severus looked up to see her holding the bowl which contained the floo powder. Unsure how she’d gotten it down from the bookshelf next to the fireplace, he stood.
“Tabitha, give that to me. Come here.”
Instead of doing as she was told, she gazed at him for a moment, the narrowed her eyes before throwing the entire bowl into the fireplace. As the flames turned green, Tabby jumped in, sending a plume of ash onto the rug.
“Mama!” she squealed. The last thing Severus heard as the child disappeared was her giggling.
Panic rose in his chest. Although the floo system was only connected to other floo’s in the castle, the child could be anywhere. The flames were still burning green, so he stepped into the hearth. He felt silly saying “mama”, but it had worked for Tabby. Unfortunately, for him nothing happened.
With a growl, he stepped back into his office, then hurried down the stairs. The first person he ran into was Madam Pince. “Oh, headmaster, just the person I was coming to see. I…”.
Whatever she’d been about to say died on her lips as he snapped, “Not right now. Tabitha is somewhere in the castle. I’ve got to go find her. Perhaps, you could search as well instead of complaining about the miscreants that kept a book checked out too long.”
He knew he’d offended the librarian, but at the moment he didn’t care. At her nod, he hurried on. Trying to reason out what could sound like mama that had a floo connection at Hogwarts, he decided to try Neville Longbottom’s office. Mama could sound like Neville, couldn’t it?
Rushing through the corridors, Severus made his way to the ground floor, then towards the back of the castle. Not stopping to knock, he threw open the door, startling the Herbology professor.
“Goodness headmaster. Is everything okay?”
Forgoing any greeting, Severus instead asked, “Have you seen Tabitha? She somehow got away through the floo system.”
He decided to ignore the smile that blossomed on the younger wizard’s face. “No, I’ve not seen her, but I’d be happy to help look for her.”
Feeling his shoulders droop, Severus told him, “She said mama. I have no idea what that means in terms of destination.”
Hopping up from behind his desk, Neville said, “I’ll bet she ended up in Gryffindor tower.”
The two men rushed up the many flights of stairs until they reached the portrait of the fat lady that guarded the entrance.
“Fizzing whizzbees”, Neville called out. The doorway was revealed.
A handful of students were in the common room, but all stopped and stared at the wizards as they hurried in.
“Did a small child come through the floo?” Severus snapped at the young woman sitting closest to the fire.
She nodded. “The cutest little girl came through a few minutes ago. Sara Davis-Wing and Andy Rosenstein took her down to the great hall after she asked for a banana.”
Thanking the student, Neville and Severus tore back down the stairs towards the great hall. When they entered, there was no sign of Tabitha, though the two students she’d been with were at the Gryffindor table. As they approached, the girl smiled.
“Hey Professor Longbottom, headmaster. I’ll bet you’re looking for Tabby. She’s with James Potter and Rue McNeil. They took her down to the kitchens in search of a banana.”
Even though Severus knew that by James Potter the girl meant the offspring of Harry Potter, he nevertheless felt a rush of irritation. The young man was only a first year, but well-liked by his peers and not at all like his namesake. But that didn’t erase the worry that a first year was now in charge of his child. Of course, Rue was a Slytherin, so perhaps all was not lost.
As they hurried out of the great hall, they ran into Draco. “Where are you two going in such a hurry?”
It was Neville who responded. “Tabitha escaped and we’re hoping to intercept her in the kitchens.”
That seemed to be all the information Draco needed, as he joined them in running down the stairs towards the dungeons. Outside of the kitchens they came across the two students who were supposed to be with the toddler.
“Mister Potter, Miss McNeil, I was told you were with my child, yet I don’t see her in your possession”, said Severus.
Both of the students looked at the three wizards guiltily. “She was with us until we got her a banana, then she took it and ran off. We were trying to find her, but she got away”, replied the young witch.
“Yeah, she’d bloody fast”, added the Potter boy.
“Language, Mister Potter”, warned Neville.
Looking abashed now, James muttered, “Sorry professor.”
Severus knew that if he lost their child permanently, Hermione would have his head or worse. He snapped, “We’ll need to split up. Whoever finds her, send your patronus. You two, back to your common rooms.”
The two students scurried away. Draco offered to continue searching the dungeons, so Neville took the grounds, and Severus the rest of the castle. It felt like forever, but eventually a white peacock found Severus on the third floor.
“I have her. She was in the Slytherin common room”, came Draco’s voice from the bird.
Relief washed over him. His daughter was safe. Hurrying back down the stairs, he made his way to the familiar corridor where the entrance to Slytherin was located. Muttering the password, he waited for the wall to melt away then stepped into the large common area. Sure enough, there was his daughter, sitting in one of the chairs, surrounded by girls of differing ages while eating a banana.
“Wait until I tell your mother where you were”, he muttered to the little girl as he approached. She grinned at him.
“Papa! I snake. Sssss!” Her little hiss had the students laughing. Wondering what his wife would think of their child deciding she was a Slytherin, he scooped up the tiny escapee and turned to leave.
“Sir, you can leave her with us if you have work to do”, offered one of the girls.
Seriously considering the offer, he pondered whether he could trust students with the most important thing in his life, aside from his wife of course. “She is fast and clever. Are you sure you want to be held responsible should anything happened to her?”
Several of the girls nodded. “She’s adorable. We’ll keep her with us and make sure nothing happens”, promised a sixth year.
Still unsure, he placed the toddler back in the chair she’d been sitting in, then watched as his child finished her snack and giggled at some of the charms the girls were casting for her entertainment. Finally, he agreed.
“Bring her to my office if you have had enough. I expect her to be here otherwise.”
At their nods, he bent down to kiss the curls on the top of his daughter’s head, then left to return to his work. It was dinner time when he finally finished. Deciding to collect Tabby so they could eat together in the great hall, he saw her emerging from the dungeons on the shoulders of the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team.
She waved when she saw him. “Papa! Fwend. My fwend.”
He reached out to take her and she shook her head. Finally understanding the sighs Hermione would give when trying to get their child to cooperate, he said, “Tabitha it’s time to eat. Come with me and let the big kids go to their table.”
“No! I big kid.”
Several of the students had stopped to watch him argue with his tiny child. “No, you are a little child, and it is time to eat. Now are you going to come with me, or do I have to count?”
He wasn’t quite sure what happened at the end of the count as usually Hermione had secured her agreement to do whatever it was she was supposed to do before three was reached. Before he could say one, however, the girls she’d spent the day with intervened.
“It’s okay if she eats with us.” “She’s been so good.” “Please sir, can she come to our table?”
Relenting, he said, “Fine, but if she misbehaves, I’ll come get her.”
The girls all cheered and Tabby clapped her hands together. Sweeping up the aisle towards the head table, he looked over to see his child sitting in the middle of the Slytherin table between two of the older students, looking for all the world as if she belonged there.
“Well, I’m sure her mother will simply be happy she survived the day”, he muttered to himself, imagining Hermione’s reaction if Tabby told her mother she was a snake.
Taking a seat, he looked out amongst the students. Luna Lovegood, their new Charms Mistress, was seated beside him. Leaning over, she teased, “I’ll bet you have a new appreciation for your wife. I heard it took three fully grown wizards to track down one child today.”
The thought gave him pause. Had he ever considered how easy Hermione made his life? She was a wonderful mother and wife, more than he could have ever asked for. In their time together he’d grown more and more fond of her, but had he ever told her how grateful he was for their life together?
Looking towards the Slytherin table, he watched as the students encouraged his child to eat and interacted with her. It was heartening. When she’d disappeared earlier, he’d been frantic with worry. Was that what being a parent meant? He had all the easy parts of parenthood, playing with her, reading her stories in the evening, and eating breakfast in the morning before going about his day. It was a new perspective on being responsible for the life he’d helped create.
As dinner finished, he noticed that Tabby was no longer in her spot at the Slytherin table. Before he could panic, he heard a squeal of joy and looked down the head table to see her climbing into Hagrid’s lap. The half-giant helped the child up gently.
“If it isn’t little Miss Tabby. Yer gettin’ bigger every time I see ya.”
She snuggled into his shaggy beard and giggled. “I snake. Sssss!”
The booming laugh from Hagrid quieted the room for a moment. “I’ll bet yer papa will like that, but maybe not yer mum so much.”
“Mama lion. Rwarrr!”
“That she is, little one. That she is. Let’s get you back to yer papa.”
Rising to his full height, Hagrid towered over Severus. However, he was still kind and deferential, something Severus wasn’t sure he deserved. Still, he was grateful for the second chance given to him.
“I believe this belongs to you”, said the half-giant, handing over Tabby.
Taking his small daughter into his arms, he nodded his thanks. She nuzzled her face into his neck. Knowing she was likely tired after such a busy day, Severus quickly made sure that there was nothing pressing from his professors, then made his way out of the castle. The late spring air was cool but not cold. He decided to walk to the small cottage in Hogsmeade. It has been Hermione’s before they’d married, but he found he enjoyed the house as much as she did.
By the time he entered, Tabby was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Thinking for a moment, he went upstairs and drew a bath, then helped his daughter undress and settle into the warm water.
“Boat, papa.”
She had a small basket of toys they kept in the bathroom. He picked up a small wooden boat and tried to hand it to her. Shaking her head, she whined, “Boat!”
Looking through the rest of the toys, he saw no other boat. Once more he tried to hand her the small wooden ship. “This is the only boat, Tabitha.”
Her bottom lip stuck out and started to quiver. “Mama boat.”
Unsure what that meant, he said as much. She was not pleased. “Mama boat. Mama boat.”
Severus tried to recall if Hermione had said anything about a bath time boat, but if she had, he couldn’t remember. Attempting to offer her a different toy, he thought she was okay with a small yellow duck, until of course she threw it across the room.
“No, mama boat.”
The deep sigh he let out was awfully reminiscent of the one Hermione occasionally gave when Tabby was being exasperating. Now he understood.
“I believe you are clean enough. Let’s get you out of the bath and dry you. Then once you are in your pajamas, I’ll read you a story.”
Wrapping her small body in a large towel, Severus carried her to her room. She stood on the bed as he dug through her drawers until he found a nightgown. Pulling it over her head, he managed to get her into her sleepwear with a minimum of fuss.
“Go pick a book and then we’ll get you settled into bed.”
The little girl ran to her bookshelf and began making a pile. When she returned to his side, she held at least five books. He took them and set them aside, helped her under the covers, then sat down beside her.
As he picked up the top book, he wondered how many stories Hermione read to their daughter before bed. He usually read one before her bath, then the rest of the bedtime routine was handled by his wife.
Looking at the title, he frowned. Hop on Pop. It didn’t sound promising. The next book didn’t look much better. Finally, he chose a story that featured a cat in a hat that seemed to be trouble.
As he finished the book, Tabby mumbled, “More.”
Severus picked up one that had a mouse on the cover. Then one about a fish.
Waking up several hours later, he realized he had fallen asleep reading. Carefully he extracted himself off his child’s bed and made his way to his own bed. Climbing under the covers, he registered that he missed Hermione. At night, after she got their daughter to sleep, she’s climb in next to him and ask him about his day. At some point, he managed to doze off.
It was still dark when something brought Severus back to consciousness. Opening one eye, he nearly fell off the edge of the bed when he saw the face touching his own. Then he realized it was his daughter.
“Tabby, what are you doing?”
She grinned when she saw he was awake. “Water, papa.”
His brain struggled to make sense of what she wanted. Finally, understanding dawned. “You’re thirsty?”
Nodding excitedly, she bounced on the bed. Groaning, he sat up, then turned placing his feet on the floor. It took him a few more seconds to convince his body to stand. Finally, he was up. Turning, he reached down for the little girl and lifted her, carrying her through the house to the kitchen. Severus sat her on the counter next to the sink then filled a glass of water, handing it to her. She greedily drank it down.
“Are you ready to return to bed?” he inquired of the child.
Lifting her hands, she made grabby motions, which he knew meant to pick her up. Scooping her up once more, he carried Tabby back to her room and tucked her under the covers. Then he leaned down a placed a kiss on her forehead.
Climbing into his own bed, he wondered if Hermione was often disturbed at night by their daughter. With her by his side, usually he slept like the dead. Sleep was just about to claim him again when he heard a shuffling noise. Opening one eye, he saw that his little one was back and climbing onto the bed once more.
“Papa?” she whispered.
Sighing, he responded, “Why are you not in bed Tabby?”
Crawling towards him, she giggled. “Tabby in bed.”
“Why are you not in your bed?”
Rather than answering, she snuggled against him and looked up into his face. Severus felt his heart melt. Pulling the covers over both of them, he allowed the warm little body of his child to lull him into dreams once more.
A foot to the groin woke him abruptly sometime later. Somehow his child had one hand across his face, her leg across his stomach, and her foot dangerously close to the place she’d just kicked him. Attempting to adjust her, he found that it was like wrestling with a very active, but still unconscious octopus. No matter what he did, she somehow ended up lying across him. Finally, he settled for her taking up the entire bed as he balanced precariously on the edge. Her head was on his pillow, her curls tickling his face.
For a moment, he considered trying to pick Tabby up and place her back in her own bed, but it had never worked when she fell asleep elsewhere during a nap, so he doubted it would work now. Then he debated moving himself elsewhere, but her bed was too little and the couch not quite long enough to accommodate him. Instead, he gave up and tried to get a bit more sleep.
Morning dawned too bloody early, and Severus stumbled from bed in search of coffee. Tabby came trotting excitedly down the hall behind him. Her voice sounded chirpy and well rested.
As he set the coffee to brew, he regarded his offspring. She was dragging a kitchen chair towards the counter where the cookie jar was kept. As she climbed up, he decided that a few cookies in the morning were not worth an argument. Instead, he snagged one himself and dunked it in the hot, black, bitter beverage he hoped would restore his soul or at least keep him awake long enough to get through the day.
Normally, when their child wanted cookies in the morning, Hermione would make up a story about the garden gnomes having broken in the night before to eat all the sweets in the house. Then his girls would laugh at the supposed antics of cookie loving pests, before Hermione promised they would make more later.
The thought crossed his mind that the mothers he’d scorned before were not simply complaining but rather it could be possible that Hermione just didn’t complain. It was a revelation to him and made him want to pull his wife into his arms to tell her how amazing she was.
After pouring Tabby a glass of milk and offering her an apple, Severus wandered to the bathroom and started the shower. The little girl followed him.
“Why don’t you go read in your room for a few minutes while papa gets clean? Can you do that for me Tabby?”
Nodding solemnly, she left the bathroom. Shucking his night clothes, Severus stepped under the hot water and allowed it to wash over him. As he was massaging the shampoo into his hair the water suddenly turned bone chillingly cold. With a shout of surprise, he whipped around and saw a small hand retreating. She had turned off the hot water tap.
Quickly he turned the hot water back on. Any lingering exhaustion was now gone. There was giggling from the other side of the curtain. He hurridly rinsed off, then turned off the water. Reaching his arm out, he accioed the towel and wrapped it around his waist before opening the shower curtain.
Tabby looked up from her current undertaking which happened to be dunking his toothbrush in the toilet. There was not an ounce of guilt on her face.
“I clean”, she proudly announced.
Without saying a word , he padded down the hall to his bedroom and pulled on black slacks, a white button up, and a light jumper in grey. As far as he could remember he’d never been seen out in public in anything less than his usual buttoned up self. Today he was just determined to get through the day.
He considered that the Dark Lord had actually been easier in many ways to deal with than a toddler. Leaving his room, he found Tabby in her own bedroom pulling on a bright green dress over purple leggings. The shoes she’d chosen were neatly set out, one being a yellow welly boot and the other a pink trainer.
“Perhaps, we should choose one kind of shoe today. Which would you prefer?”
Holding up her pink trainers, he was dismayed when she stuck out her tongue before starting her favorite morning ritual.
“No, no, no, no, no.” The snarls her curls had become shook as she whipped her head back and forth.
Letting out a deep sigh, he tried a different tact. “Tabitha, I expect you to wear shoes. Come here so we can put them on.”
With a giggle she took off running. They went in circles around the couch several times before he finally caught her. Setting her firmly on the kitchen counter, he placed her trainers on and tied them into place.
“Papa, wed cup.”
He would need to make his way to the school at some point as the final quidditch match of the season was happening that day. Reaching into the cabinet, he pulled down the small red plastic cup that his daughter often used. Filling it with water, he held it out for her to take. She shook her head.
“No, papa! Wed cup, wed cup!” Her little face was scrunched in anger.
“This is the red cup, Tabby”, he patiently explained.
Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes. “Wed cup.”
Unsure what he was doing wrong, Severus set the cup down on the counter and squatted so he was on the same level as the small child. “Tabby, I have offered you the red cup. Do you perhaps want a different cup?”
With a sniffle, she shook her head. Then she started to cry. “Wed cup”, she sobbed.
Certain she did not know the colour of the cup she wanted, Severus reached into the cabinet and pulled down the other three cups she used. First, he held out the blue cup, but this seemed to make her more upset.
“No! No boo, papa. No!” She stamped her foot.
Then he held up the purple cup, but this made her collapse to the floor in a fit of pique. Finally, he showed her the green up, which ended with her kicking her legs and yelling.
“Wed cup, wed cup!”
Exasperated he poured the water out of the red cup and showed it to her. The crying instantly stopped, and she clapped happily. Reaching out, Tabitha plucked the cup out of his hand and cuddled it to her chest.
“Tanks papa.” She gave him her biggest smile.
He shook his head, confused. Making a mental note to ask Hermione what in the bloody hell was up with the red cup debacle, he gathered his wand and a jumper for the child, then called her from the front door.
“Come along, it’s time to leave Tabby.”
She appeared wearing no shoes. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Deciding to forgo Hogwarts, he instead picked up the small girl and headed for the fireplace. Throwing a handful of floo powder into the flames, he stepped in and called out, “The Burrow.”
In seconds, he was standing in the kitchen of the Weasley’s ramshackle home. Molly Weasley rushed over happily and plucked the toddler from his arms.
“Good morning, Severus. Good morning, Tabby. Goodness, where are your shoes young lady?”
“Mowee!” She wrapped her arms around the older woman’s neck. Severus sighed.
“We’ve had a rough couple of days. Hermione is at a conference in Prague, so we’ve been left to our own devices.”
A look of amusement crossed the witch’s face. “Come have a seat and I’ll make you two a proper breakfast.” To the little girl she said, “Ron’s girls are here Tabby. Why don’t you go get them, you’ll find them out front.”
Tabby’s feet were already going before she was set on the ground. A strong cup of black tea was set before Severus, and he nodded gratefully as he took a fortifying sip.
“Thank you, Molly”, he muttered.
Bustling about the kitchen, Molly prattled. “I’m proud of you for taking on Tabby by yourself. It might have broken a lesser wizard. But you know you could have come before now. I would have happily taken her.”
Several children came bursting into the kitchen led by his child. The noise and the general hubbub did not help his burgeoning headache. Then Tabitha climbed into his lap and placed her hands on either cheek, before leaning forward and placing a big kiss on his forehead, the way he did to her from time to time.
“Luboo papa”, she chirped.
Before he could answer, she hopped down and was off again, leading her band of mayhem off to another part of the house. Molly gave him a soft smile.
“You’re a good father. That is a luckly little girl.”
He shook his head. “I wonder if I’ve been a good enough father. It occurs to me that Hermione has done most of the child rearing and managing of our lives.”
Placing a plate full of eggs, toast, and sliced fruit before him, Molly took a seat at the table with her own tea.
“Did you know that Hermione and I had tea last week while the children played?”
He shook his head, not answering due to his mouth being full. She continued. “She constantly sings your praises as a father and a husband. Until she took up with you, I’d never seen her so happy. I know none of us were sure about the two of you as a couple at first, but seeing is believing as they say. She loves you and that little girl loves you, so you must be doing something right.”
Love? He realized that in the entire time he’d been with Hermione, he’d never once said the words. Had he ever told Tabitha he loved her? Something swooped uncomfortably in his stomach. Was being very fond of someone, missing them when they were away, craving their touch, thinking about them all day, hoping that they were well, love?
The small band of children came trampling through the kitchen once more, and somehow all left with a breakfast sandwich in hand. Continuing to eat, he pondered the revelation that he might actually be in love with his wife.
Finally, he had to ask. “Has Hermione ever actually said that she loves me?”
The Weasley matriarch laughed. “All the time. When Harry and Ron gave her a hard time for marrying you, she placed her hands on her hips and gave them that look of hers that brooks no argument. I’ll remember it forever.” Mimicking Hermione’s voice, Molly said, “Just because you two are too thick to see it doesn’t mean I don’t. I love Severus Snape and he loves me. So, you can both sod off and if I hear either of you say so much as one negative thing about my husband, you’ll be very sorry. Am I making myself clear?”
He could very well imagine his wife saying that and putting the fear of Merlin into her two best friends. After they’d been married, both Harry and Ron had been exceedingly polite to him. It had honestly made him nervous, wondering why. Finishing his breakfast, he thanked Molly, then asked if he might leave Tabitha in her care for a few hours so he could attend to the quidditch match. She agreed happily.
Stepping back through the floo, he went outside and apparated to the school. It was the one privilege of the school head that he genuinely appreciated. The students and staff were making their way across the grounds towards the stands as he arrived. Taking his seat next to Minerva who had decided to continue teaching but had no longer wanted the stress of running the school, he nodded his hello.
She grinned at him. “I heard we had a small adventure yesterday.”
Not looking at her, he muttered, “That’s one way of putting it. She’s with Molly Weasley currently, otherwise I’d fear for the match.”
This made the elderly witch laugh. The match was close, but ultimately Slytherin won against Gryffindor by a mere ten points. Minerva promised she’d have a bottle of his favorite scotch to him by the end of the following week. Up in his office, Severus pulled the budget proposals for the following year forward and started going over the numbers. However, his thoughts strayed to his wife repeatedly. Looking at the clock he saw that he still had several hours before she returned.
Giving up on looking over the paperwork, Severus instead found himself in the greenhouse where the most beautiful flowers were grown. Carefully he pulled together a bouquet of roses interspersed with several other highly fragrant blooms, then arranged them in a lovely vase he transfigured out of an old pot. Carrying them back to the cottage, he set them on the kitchen table, before going through the house to do a light cleaning.
It was close to dinner time when he returned to the Burrow. Harry Potter was the only occupant of the kitchen when he stepped through the floo.
“Good evening, Severus.” The young man had grown up significantly and Severus realized it had been several years since he’d been irritated by the other wizard’s presence.
“Mister Potter. Have you seen Tabitha? I’ve come to collect her.”
With a large smile, Harry nodded. “Molly decided with so many of us, we’d eat outside. Come join us. We were just sitting down to dinner.”
Going out into the Weasley’s garden, he saw a feast to rival that of Hogwarts set out on a long table. Tabby was between Ginny Potter and their second oldest son. When she saw him, his daughter lit up.
“Papa!” Wiggling her way off the bench, she raced towards him. He bent to pick her up and squeezed her tight, before placing her down once more. She reached up and took his finger in her tiny hand, leading him to the table. Room was made and he joined the group.
Arthur was talking his ear off about something called the interwebs that muggles used to get in a line and look at things far away. It sounded a bit dubious to Severus, but he nodded just the same. Once everyone had eaten their fill, he thanked Molly once again, then took his daughter home.
As he had the night before, he drew her a bath and helped her in, then sat as she splashed happily. After drying her off, he put her in clean pajamas before allowing her to pick yet a new pile of books. This time he told her he’d only read two. She pouted, but then decided upon one with a dog in a racecar and another about farm animals.
Closing the back cover of the second book, Severus saw Tabitha was asleep. In the kitchen he heard the front door open, then close. Excitedly he made his way to the front of the house to see his wife setting down her bag. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Hey. How did it go?”
Not saying a word, he took three large strides forward and pulled her into his arms, leaning down to kiss her. When they finally broke apart, she looked at him curiously.
Without letting her go, Severus spilled everything that was on his mind. “I missed you, more than you can know. Not because taking care of our child is bloody hard, but because I love you and I hate when you’re not here. I haven’t given you the credit for everything you do for our family, and I want you to know how grateful I am that you’re my wife and the mother of our daughter.”
Tears swam in her eyes. “I love you too Severus. And I missed you both very much. But is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yes. Come, I have something for you.”
Finally, he let her go and took her hand, leading her into the kitchen. When she saw the flowers, Hermione placed her hand over her mouth, then met his eyes.
“You didn’t have to do that”, she murmured.
A giggle from behind them, made both of them turn. Peeking around the corner was Tabby. Hermione dropped to her haunches and opened her arms.
“Come here, my little Tabby cat. I missed you.”
“Mama!” Tabitha barreled into her mum and wrapped her arms around Hermione’s neck.
Standing, she squeezed her child tight to her chest. “Were you a good girl for papa?”
With bright eyes, Tabby replied, “I snake! Sssss.”
Severus was worried his wife would be upset, but instead she laughed. “Of that I have not a doubt. Come, let mama put you back to bed.”
While Hermione tucked their daughter in, Severus got ready for bed. Remembering what Tabby had done with his toothbrush earlier, he pulled a new one out of the cabinet. Within a few moments, his witch joined him under the covers.
“Do you realize that was the first time you told me you loved me?” she whispered as she snuggled against him.
Putting his arms around her, he pulled her even tighter against himself. “A terrible oversight on my part I’m afraid. But it is true. I love you very much.”
She nuzzled her face into his neck, before kissing the silver scar that remained from his near-death experience. “I love you too.”
With a quick wave of her wand the door closed and locked. Looking down at her Severus grinned. Half an hour later, their son was conceived.