Chapter Text
Dr. Snape knew his wife was crazy. He was going to get her evaluated as soon as she delivered their first child.
Yazi, a young woman from the village, ran to the medical clinic to find him.
“How long has she been in labor?”
“Since yesterday, she said.”
Severus had no time to process the fact that his wife had been in labor when he left her that morning and she said nothing. “Where is she?”
“At Frida’s home. She was delivering Winnie’s baby.”
Severus should have known she would work through labor. His wife was crazy.
Hopping on his motorbike, Severus offered Yazi a ride but she declined. “Doctor, go meet your child!” The small woman waved him away. Severus appreciated her help as always. She worked as an interpreter and a nurse for their organization, Doctors Abroad or D.A. He prayed that Sofi, her sister who was the town’s midwife, was with Hermione. Severus found her in Frida’s house, pacing and breathing purposefully. Hermione always told her patients to trust in the process and breathe. The body would know what to do.
“Dr Granger, you need to sit down now.” Sofi's voice was calm but insistent. The tall middle-aged woman rubbed her back helpfully. She wore bright-colored patterns which contrasted with Hermione's bleached white coat. Severus still couldn't believe she was still working. She still had her stethoscope around her neck.
“Sev, you’re here!” His wife’s smile melted him instantly. He was going to chastise her for working through her labor, with her first child.
“Of course,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Four minutes apart,” she winced. “Oh! This hurts.”
“Love, are you having the baby here or in our home?”
“Home. Help me get home.”
Their home was a small cabin in the middle of the hamlet, a short walk down the lane. “I need to let Sofi check how dilated I am. The baby’s head has dropped thankfully.”
“Enough work, Dr. Granger,” Sofi said, taking her hand and leading her out of Frida’s house. “Frida, take care of Winnie. She will be fine with her mother.”
Frida laughed. “Dr. Granger needs you now. This is number four for us and number one for her.”
Hermione and Severus had their first and a surprise second child thousands of miles from home, in a small house, in the south of Kenya. They named her Emali, for the town she was born in. Her brother, Kito, never drew breath. He was small and still.
Their next child, Nairobi, came ten months later. She was born in a hospital, unlike her sister. They called her Naia for short. Hermione took no risks with this pregnancy and traveled to Kenya’s largest city two weeks before her due date, staying at a guest house until labor began. Living with the guilt of Kito’s death and the fear of a repeat, she sacrificed two weeks of work to ensure the health and safety of her child. Severus knew this was hard for her. Hermione also demanded birth control because two was enough.
At thirty-nine, Hermione gave birth to twin girls: Adelaide and Sydney. This time, the pregnancy was too high risk and the other girls were too much to manage on her own while Severus was working at the clinic. The family spent six months in Melbourne with Hermione’s parents from the time she was on bed rest to after the girls were born. Because there were two, they could not name one child for the city so they chose to give them names of the cities relatively nearby. Syd and Addy flew back to Kenya with their parents when they were three months old. Hermione was dying to get back to work and her patients. She swore she could do it all; four children, a never-ending clinical roster, and far-flung laboring mothers.
Dr. Snape knew that his wife was crazy and that’s why he loved her.