Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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In their spare time, the Snapes began the tedious task of house hunting.
Three weeks later, their search had proven fruitless.
As Severus and Harriet toured yet another home one Saturday afternoon, he grew hopeful that perhaps their quest for the perfect nest would conclude soon.
Harriet had been much more difficult to please than Severus or their realtor, a cheerful and patient blonde witch, had anticipated.
He attributed a large part of his wife's choosiness to her condition.
Harriet had recently entered her third trimester and the birth wasn't terribly far off.
Severus may not have had the nesting instincts that Harriet possessed, but that didn't mean that he wasn't also anxiously waiting to secure a home in which he and his mate could comfortably welcome their pup.
"If you two will follow me, please....." The blonde witch smiled as she gestured over to her clients.
Severus kept one hand protectively on Harriet's lower back as she sighed under her breath and walked beside him while they trailed behind their realtor.
"I think you'll find the living area to your liking.....Have a look around and let me know what you think! The bedrooms are all upstairs and there's even a little nook in the largest....it would be perfect for nesting!" The realtor nodded at Mr. and Mrs. Snape as they passed by her.
Harriet kept one hand on her belly while she and Severus stepped through the hallway and into the living area of the dwelling.
Her back ached but Severus's gentle palm helped soothe that minor irritation.
The living area was spacious.
The kitchen was adequate.
Harriet slowly walked around the house with Severus protectively hovering nearby.
When he noticed the thorough stare that she gave each room and the gentle pout on her lips, he smirked slightly.
A pout was better than a frown or a scowl.
Perhaps his wife had finally found a home that she deemed suitable for their family?
Harriet paused in front of the bedroom window upstairs to stare out at the lavender field across from the property that they may potentially purchase.
"......And is this at least somewhat decent for you, Mrs. Snape?" Severus asked as he swept up behind Harriet and let his hands possessively cradle her rounded sphere of a belly.
".........I like it here." Harriet murmured in a quiet response.
Severus stiffened when he felt a flurry of motion land under his fingers for a fascinating, fleeting second.
Harriet drew in a slow breath as Severus curiously pressed his hands over her womb.
"Ah!......I think the baby likes it here too." Harriet gasped as the little one inside her gave a sharp kick that landed just beside Severus's thumb.
He took one hand off of her abdomen and tilted her head up towards him.
Harriet looked at her alpha with that tenderness in her green eyes that he had come to adore before he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
Their kiss was short but passionate, and Severus nipped at her lips as he pulled away.
With great reluctance, he let his hand slip off of her belly.
Harriet blinked as her lover herded her back downstairs to begin the necessary negotiations with the realtor to purchase the property.
Under other circumstances, the Snapes may have taken a longer amount of time to consider their decision a bit more, especially Severus, who enjoyed calculated musings, but Mr. Snape was in a hurry.
His expectant wife had asked him for a proper home and he had waited weeks for the opportunity to grant her wish at last.
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The house was already conveniently emptied and ready for its new owners to move inside on their own schedule.
Over the next two weeks, Harriet and Severus worked to transform the empty dwelling into their home.
Harriet hadn't asked for Severus's original proposed idea of domesticity, she had merely asked for a place to share with him and their child......their children?
Severus was the one who had slyly realized that his own dream could coincide with the completion of Harriet's request.
She couldn't argue with him.
Their new house was lovely, set amid a backdrop of picturesque hillsides and the rolling lavender fields of the farm that bordered their property line.
The lawn in front of the house was a rich bed of shimmering, green grass.
The home itself was made of white stone, with a cobbled chimney, and a dark, thatched roof, crowned by an arched front door that evoked thoughts of more whimsical stories than either Harriet or Severus had been able to experience.
The home was well planned, with a cozy kitchen, a grand living area, a separate dining room, three lavatories, and a plethora of bedrooms upstairs, which the realtor had assured them would become useful if they ever decided that they wanted to continue growing their family.
Harriet wasn't too sure about that, but she did enjoy the nook that was in the room that she shared with Severus.
Truthfully, the dwelling reminded her of the cottage that she had shared with her husband and Teddy over autumn break, which may or may not have contributed to her decision.
After extensive shopping trips, while Severus moved the furniture and other household items to their correct placement, the first thing that Harriet set up in her new home was her nest.
Harriet's cozy resting spot was spread out on the floor, tucked sweetly into that bedroom nook, and composed of all the many blankets, sheets, pillows, and soft fabrics that Severus had managed to give to her or purchase for her.
Whenever Severus paused from his work to go and check on Harriet, he was profoundly pleased to find his mate snuggled into her nest with her long hair fanned out behind her and the covers pulled up to her full breasts.
Snuggled in her nest, that was exactly where Severus wanted his pregnant wife to be.
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By the time Harriet was thirty-one weeks along, she and Severus had completed their move-in process.
Severus's chambers at Hogwarts had been mostly emptied, except for the bed that they had thoughtfully left behind so that Harriet could have a place to lay down when she needed.
Professor Snape had no more need of his living quarters at the castle, besides using them as a temporary resting location for Harriet when she became tired during the day.
Professor Snape only needed to bring his beloved wife home each night, shower her in his tender affections, and ensure her health and happiness.
Between Severus's savings and Harriet's fortune, the Snapes had managed to buy and furnish their home without a Knut of debt.
That economic advantage left Severus wondering if and when he should announce his retirement.
Hogwarts had been his life, but Harriet had brought new meaning to his existence.
Severus laid his hand on her heavy belly one morning while he contemplated the additional meaning that she was preparing to pour into it.
As she lay sleeping, Severus watched her closely, and he scowled at the frown on her face.
Severus thought that Harriet was overworking herself.
Between helping him where she could to establish the house, still acting as his assistant at Hogwarts, and studying for her final exam in her training program, Severus knew that his mate had to be exhausted.
A small victory presented itself to Severus.
Although Harriet hadn't explicitly stated it yet, he was winning.
She had continued to prepare for the exam that would officially complete her training as an Auror, but she hadn't mentioned anything about when she intended to start a position in the department.
Severus had noticed the way that Harriet tenderly held her belly in her hands when she thought no one was looking.
It made his heart swell with glad relief that his mate already loved their son or daughter.
As Harriet gradually woke up and pulled Severus from his thoughts, he stroked her hair gently as he gazed at her in admiration.
"Good morning...." Harriet yawned as she slowly blinked her eyes open to look at him.
"Good morning." Severus replied, "How are you feeling today?"
"Full......" Harriet said with a sigh as she turned over onto her side and blew out a breath.
"Two more weeks and your exam will be behind you." Severus reassured her in his low drawl.
"Six more in the semester.......and the baby won't come until after that." Harriet replied with a pained groan.
"The semester is none of your concern." Severus growled as he bent forward and nipped his way across Harriet's throat.
When he succeeded in drawing a gentle whimper from his mate, he purred softly as he ordered her, "The moment that you sit your quill down and hand in your answers, you're coming straight here until our son or daughter arrives."
"You mean for me to stay by myself?" Harriet asked as she sucked in a breath while Severus nibbled across her collarbone.
"Of course not......I've already arranged to take leave." Severus huffed as he casually hooked a finger under one of the straps of Harriet's nightgown and let it drift down over her shoulder.
".....For how long?" Harriet gasped as her nipples tightened in the morning chill once her breasts were exposed to the air.
"..........For however long... I....decide...Mrs. Snape." Severus growled before he bent his neck and took Harriet's delicate, fattened rosebud into his mouth.
The hesitant, breathy moan that left Harriet sent silent, thrilled shivers through Severus as he glutted himself on the nutritious fluid that flowed into him from his omega.
Harriet didn't protest anything that her lover had to say that morning.
The advancement of her pregnancy had greatly diminished her stubbornness.
Her hormones and instincts had won out over her pride.
Severus's desire had become hers.
Severus wanted a quiet, family life.
As much as Harriet had craved adventure, peril, and worthwhile struggle, weeks away from giving birth, she couldn't help it.......all she really wanted was to cuddle in her nest with Severus and wait for their baby to join them.
Through the blissful haze of Severus's gentle attention, Harriet managed to gasp out, "A-Are you......H-Have you decided....?"
Severus pulled back with an annoyed frown and asked, "........Have I decided what?"
"Have you decided if you're going to.......retire or not?" Harriet asked as she writhed in the sheets.
Severus's dark eyes watched as a drop of wetness appeared on the tip of his mate's taut nipple.
He scowled at the way that her body urged him on before he replied, "..........It's something that I've pondered.....Tell me, Mrs. Snape, would you prefer it if I did?"
Harriet laughed.
Surely, he couldn't be serious?
Surely he wasn't asking her for a response to any question, to anything, as he bent his head and latched onto her sensitive breasts again, was he?
Her hands came up to hold him in place as she leaned back against her mound of pillows and sighed.
Did he really expect her to be able to think when he suckled from her?
As Severus's tongue flicked across her nipple, coaxing it to release more of its precious nectar into his mouth, Harriet frowned softly.
If she were being honest, she would love for Severus to retire from Hogwarts and spend every minute of every day with her and their baby, although a part of her was frightened.
If Harriet and Severus were together constantly and too tempted by the sweetness of her heats to use contraceptive spells, how big would the Snape family grow to be?