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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Severus Snape knew the meaning of each flower and every herb both inside and outside of a cauldron.
He understood that magnolia trees symbolize strength, perseverance, beauty, and for those reasons, he and Harriet decided on their daughter's name, Magnolia Snape.
They affectionately nicknamed their infant daughter "Maggie".
Baby Maggie exhibited the qualities of the magnolia tree in her first few harrowing weeks of life, but with every passing day, just as the blooms on a flowering tree blossomed, she shrugged off certain demise and progressed towards a bright future.
Strength and perseverance, that's what Severus's daughter displayed as she willed herself to survive.
Beauty, that's what he found when he looked into her emerald eyes.
The nurses in Harriet's hospital room applauded the morning that the new mother finally succeeded in getting her baby to nurse.
As bizarre as it felt to have that many people staring at his mate, even if they were other omegas, Severus's chest swelled with pride as happy tears watered in Harriet's eyes while Maggie found the ability to suckle.
Harriet glanced up at Severus with a wry smile on her fair face.
Harriet felt profoundly relieved that Maggie had grown so well, but she would miss the massages from her husband's warm hands that had helped her milk leak into vials.
Severus didn't see Harriet's smile for a moment, his black gaze remained focused on Maggie.
As elated as he was that his daughter thrived, it saddened him that his days of cuddling his pup against himself and feeding her with that tiny spoon had come to an end.
Once Maggie had finished eating, Harriet handed her to Severus for a moment.
His baby girl smiled up at him for a fleeting second.
"Don't worry, Mr. Snape, that's just gas." A nurse said behind Severus, quick to explain away his daughter's smile.
Severus stared down at his baby and ignored the nurse's words.
Was it......gas?
How could that nurse know?
Maggie's adorable smile felt real enough.
He felt the walls around his heart crumble away while his small daughter gazed at him.
Severus's robes were buttoned up to his collar, but he cradled his infant close to his chest in the same manner that he had when she had depended on his warmth to keep her alive.
Maggie fell asleep in seconds, with her little face pushed against Severus so that his heartbeat echoed through her ears.
Daddy was there, everything was alright.
Tears watered in Severus's black eyes for a terrifying second, yet he managed to blink them away before anyone noticed.
The beginning days of Maggie's existence had been nerve-racking, but Severus had been deeply humbled by the unexpected bond that he shared with his daughter as a result.
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It was a victory for Severus and Harriet when mother and baby were released at last from St. Mungo's.
Harriet continued to heal from the birth, but she had been declared no longer in any immediate danger of a health collapse.
Maggie had grown to the size of a full term newborn and had passed all of the healers' exams.
The Snapes finally brought their daughter home for the first time.
They had barely made it through the door before Severus scooped his little girl out of Harriet's arms and began to walk from room to room with her while he showed her the entire house.
Harriet smiled as she watched her husband traipse around with their little baby cuddled in his arms.
Baby Maggie listened politely to the soothing rumble of her father's low voice.
Harriet sighed as she let Severus wander around for a few moments before she eventually went to find him upstairs.
She stood behind her lover with her arms crossed as she smiled in amusement and waited for an opportunity to interrupt.
"This is the nursery where you'll sleep........Do you see that over there? That is your bed, once you're older, we'll buy you another one." Severus informed his daughter in his low drawl.
"She can't understand you, you know that, right?" Harriet asked.
Severus turned around with a scowl of surprise on his face to see Harriet grinning at him from the hallway.
"The healers informed me that infants develop better if you speak to them like adults." Severus replied to his mate.
Harriet smirked as she glanced from Severus to the baby who started to whimper and root against her father's flat chest.
"Babies develop better if you feed them too." Harriet replied while she clamped a hand over her breasts as they filled with milk.
Maggie let out a quiet little whine.
Harriet's emerald eyes widened as her glands threatened to leak in response to the sound.
"Do you want to be in the nest?" Severus asked quickly, eager to help his mate and pup.
"N-No, I'll take her in the chair." Harriet nodded as she hurriedly walked over to the rocking chair next to the cot, sat down, and took Maggie from her alpha's arms.
When Severus noticed his wife trying to claw her robes down while his daughter whimpered and nuzzled against her full breasts, he mercifully undid the fastens with a wordless spell.
Harriet sighed in relief once Maggie latched on.
".......Thanks." Harriet breathed as she smiled at Severus.
"Better?" Severus asked as he knelt down next to Harriet.
"Yeah......." Harriet nodded with a wry smile.
Severus held her gaze for a long moment.
The gentle sound of Maggie's snuffling, happy grunts filled the room while Harriet closed her eyes as Severus pressed his lips against hers.
Harriet had recovered well, but the healers had assured her that it was much too soon to go any further than kissing, especially for the purposes of avoiding another pregnancy.
That didn't mean that the Snapes couldn't enjoy a small amount of intimacy.
Their kiss lasted as long as Maggie's meal.
Harriet pulled away from Severus only after their little one had pulled away from her and cuddled down to sleep.
Silently, Harriet and Severus stood, laid Maggie down in her cot, and left the door to her nursery open as they walked hand in hand out into the hallway.
They hadn't quite made it to their bedroom door when Severus's patience vanished.
Nearly losing Harriet had made him vulnerable, being denied her kisses and smiles had made him needy.
Alphas did not enjoy being needy.
In one smooth motion, Severus lunged forward and pinned Harriet against the wall of the hallway in a deep, passionate kiss.
She whimpered into her husband's affectionate gesture while her cheeks burned bright red at the shameful and unexpected gush of arousal that she suddenly felt between her legs.
"Love you......" Harriet whispered as Severus nipped at her lips.
The predatory stare in his black eyes sent shivers of anticipation running down her spine.
"........Stop it." Severus glowered at his mate as he pulled back and drank in the hazy, flushed look on her face.
"Stop what?" Harriet asked with an innocent chuckle.
"I know that you're trying to seduce me....." Severus scowled accusingly at Harriet.
"I am not!" Harriet replied with a laugh as Severus towered over her with his decadent, black robes spilling elegantly around his tall, powerful silhouette.
"What have I told you twice before? Are you deaf or do you simply not remember?" Severus hissed against Harriet's lips.
All she wanted him to do was lean in and renew their kiss, but she reluctantly replied, ".........What?"
"Don't......lie......to me." Severus hissed in the same tone and pattern that he had used with her twice previously in the potions closet at Hogwarts.
Those memories came roaring back to Harriet and as they mingled with the scent of her alpha, pleasant daydreams danced in her mind.
Now, that would be an idea.....to use the potions storage closet as a location for their love-making.
Harriet could pull on Severus's black hair and he could place his masterful hands on her heavy breasts.....
They could use the ladder for support while he.....
Severus frowned at the dreamy look that he saw in Harriet's eyes as he quipped, "You really are insatiable, aren't you? Fantasizing about being taken, about being filled again while your body is still healing from delivering our first pup?"
Severus's words were making Harriet's heart race and her tongue thicken in her mouth.
She couldn't help but notice that although his tone was reprimanding, his hands slipped over her possessively while he kept her pinned there against the wall.
It made Harriet blush to think that her alpha could have his way with her right there in the hallway.
Severus could lift the skirt of her robes, bend her over, and paint her aching womb all over again with his-
"The healers said.......'no'." Severus flatly reminded his wife.
No matter how badly Severus wanted Harriet, no matter the magnitude of the desire that he felt for his omega.......and plunging into her at that moment may have brought him arguably more pleasure than even she could have imagined, Severus was a rational man.
He would not allow his own wants to jeopardize his mate's safety.
The anticipatory tension had built between them to an almost unbearable degree as Severus stepped back from Harriet and let her go.
She nearly sobbed out loud when her alpha had the audacity to free her from his clutches and give her back her unwanted freedom.
The relaxing bath that they shared together afterwards acted as what Severus had hoped would be a consolation prize to them both.
If anything, slipping against each other wet and nude only worsened their plight.
As they kissed in the warm, soapy water, Harriet's hips pressed down over top of her lover's.
Severus willed himself not to let his arousal brush against his wife, lest she guide him inside of his favorite place.
Mr. and Mrs. Snape both sighed to each other in frustration.
Harriet contemplated the need to find some effective contraceptives that they could use.
If she didn't, she knew that she'd be with child again as soon as the healers approved them to couple.
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Harriet and Severus had not accepted any visitors since Maggie's birth.
They appreciated that everyone had respected their privacy in those early weeks while they bonded as a new family and healed from the peril which they had escaped.
Professor McGonagall had assumed Severus's duties as headmaster during the last of the semester in the aftermath of the events that had transpired.
It had been difficult for her to balance the headmaster's role for the remainder of the school year while keeping up with her own duties, but McGonagall had managed.
She had been happy to help her old friend and former student in their time of need.
However, her brow furrowed while she read over the letter that had been delivered to her office one morning as she sat and enjoyed a cup of tea in preparation for her day.
Professor McGonagall,
You are hereby summoned to the Ministry of Magic on the fifteenth of June to stand witness in the trial against Harriet and Severus Snape. Mr. Attian Morningale, attorney at magical law, states the two defendants have chosen you to testify on their behalf as a witness of character. Should you choose to ignore this summons, such an offense is punishable by fine or imprisonment in Azkaban.
Sincerely,
Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt
McGonagall frowned as she took another drink of her tea and sat the porcelain cup down on her desk.
She had heard about what had happened, it was impossible to avoid the headlines that the Dacres had paid to have splashed all over The Daily Prophet.
McGonagall drew in a breath as she looked out of the window at the warm, spring day.
She knew that Severus and Harriet would have no trouble defending their case against the Dacres.
Regardless, it made Minerva frown that the new parents had to face another unwarranted obstacle.
Her frown lessened when she realized that she may get to meet the Snapes' little girl very soon.
It wasn't something that people gave much thought to, or noticed often, but Professor McGonagall really enjoyed holding babies.