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 and Harriet had quickly formulated a defensive plan as soon as they had learned that a rash of curse-containing letters had been delivered to magical Britain's innocent residents.
Healers and aurors urged the minister to allow them to treat the affected, but Severus did not waste his time.
Instead, he confronted Maggie's animal friend with a scowl.
"I will ask you only once and if you lie to me...I will find out....Have you sent the cursed letters?" Severus asked the scarred rabbit while the animal stood across from him in his office as Maggie and Harriet napped in the nearby room.
The rabbit leapt into the air and changed back to Ingrid as she scowled, "What benefit would sending flimsy curses to strangers possibly offer me? I have come to help the child and have been allowed to stay.......I have no other desires."
"The curse these letters contain is anything but flimsy." Severus scowled in disagreement.
".....Then tell me, son of my son, how is it that a simple paste can prevent and cure its effects?" Ingrid asked.
Severus scowled at the witch for a long moment before he commanded, "Show me."
"Show you what?" Ingrid glowered.
"Show me how you healed us." He ordered.
"Very well." Ingrid frowned, "As I mentioned, I used a simple paste. I will teach you if a lesson is what you seek, son of my son, but the paste will be worthless if it is made by your hands."
"My doubts about that are quite high." Severus scowled, "I have few talents in this world....However, a knack for potions happens to be one of them......I'm quite skilled at the art of brewing."
"Brewing and skill have nothing to do with it." Ingrid smirked, "You are of the magic, son of my son, but you are not with the magic. It seems that no one is any more.....I can show you the recipe a hundred times and you can make a thousand jars of paste, but no curses will be broken from your efforts."
Severus frowned.
"I will make the paste alongside you to aid the suffering." Ingrid went on, "If you are intent on wasting your time, you can follow my actions."
After Severus nodded, Ingrid narrowed her black eyes at him before she slowly added, "........Your father was a great king......Perhaps you will be too one day."
"My father was no king." He frowned.
"A man has many fathers, son of my son." Ingrid scowled.
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Ingrid stayed true to her word and tirelessly made vat after vat of the purple paste she had used to treat Mr. and Mrs. Snape.
Beside her, Severus followed her recipe perfectly and painstakingly imitated her every technique.
Under Severus's orders, Ministry employees delivered the mixture to each household in wizarding Britain, along with a warning to carefully screen all received mail.
The afflicted were the first ones to obtain the medicinal compound.
Both Severus and Ingrid's pastes were used, but the results remained the same.
Severus's paste failed.
Ingrid's paste proved to be effective.
It displeased Severus that for the first time in his life, he had encountered a magical mixture which he could not produce.
Between carefully watching their mail and applying the paste to their skin, the witches and wizards under Severus's governance no longer feared the toxic letters, which continued to be received and destroyed for another week.
Severus breathed a sigh of relief once the Ministry's efforts eliminated the unexpected threat.
All suspicious parcels were returned to the Ministry for further study per Severus's request.
He also ordered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to place a large number of their cases on hold in favor of examining each letter for clues.
Unfortunately, the aurors were unable to gather much insight from the pieces of poisonous mail.
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As the investigation continued, Severus looked forward to the arrival of his second child.
Harriet's belly had bloomed to become round and lovely, although her energy had waned and her aches had increased.
The baby's nursery had been decorated.
The supplies had been purchased.
Ingrid stayed in her rabbit form while Harriet spent a large portion of her time in her nests.
During the days, she stayed in the private room adjacent to Severus's office.
During the evenings, she lounged in the cuddly respite of the bedchamber they shared together.
Maggie played with Rabbie and Disencan whenever she wasn't cuddling her mother.
One particular morning, while the rest of the house slept, Severus deftly rose from his place next to his mate, dressed, and apparated away.
As he swept down a cobblestone street and entered a certain shop, he frowned at the questioning stares he received from the people that passed by.
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Severus Snape was the only man in the waiting room of the midwife's office who had arrived alone at the practice.
He felt more than a bit awkward until a door opened and a smiling nurse called out, ".........Mr. Snape?"
Severus swiftly stood to his feet, eager to escape the curious glances from the pregnant omegas who sat in the waiting room with their mates.
As he rushed forward, he followed the nurse through the door and down the hallway.
She showed Severus to an empty examination room, where he politely sat down in one of the chairs next to the patient bed and waited.
Ten minutes later, a swift knock came at the door before Harriet's midwife turned the knob and entered.
"Mr. Snape! Hello!" The woman greeted him with a bright smile as she closed the door and sat down on the stool across from him, "It isn't often that I receive visits from fathers by themselves! How is your wife doing?"
"This morning, she's sleeping." Severus replied dryly. He nodded as he went on, ".....Though she seems to be doing well after our ordeal."
"That's lovely!" The midwife said, "She measured nicely last week. Not too much longer now, eh?"
"No." Severus frowned, "That's what I've come to speak with you about this morning."
"I beg your pardon, sir?" The midwife frowned.
"Madam.....I know that you're aware of the circumstances concerning my firstborn's arrival into this world." Severus said very seriously, "That day was one of the most frightening of my life........It was traumatic for my wife and cost my daughter her legs......I've come to inquire as to how we can make the ordeal easier for my mate this time? I want her second trip to the birthing bed to be as comfortable and as painless as possible."
"Well, of course, Mr. Snape." The midwife nodded, "Harriet hasn't discussed the birth much with me, which, given her past experience, I'm not particularly surprised! If you'll give me a moment, I'll collect some pamphlets on a few different available options....Perhaps she'll feel more at ease discussing her wishes on the matter with you?"
Severus nodded as the midwife stood.
While he patiently waited for her return, he felt a rush of prideful relief swell in his heart.
Severus still blamed himself for Maggie's horrific birth.
No matter what he had to do, he felt determined to protect and comfort Harriet at all costs during the arrival of their second baby.
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Severus accepted the plethora of pamphlets from the midwife before he apparated back to his family's home.
As he strode into the bedchamber he shared with Harriet, he noticed she had already woken.
His mate blinked at him from the cozy warmth of her nest as she yawned and spoke, "You're up early, Sev. Where did you go? To the office already? You should have woken me."
"Yes, my love, I went to an office, but not my own." Severus replied as he walked over and sat on the edge of Harriet's nest.
She frowned as she waited for him to continue.
Severus pulled the pamphlets from his pockets as he explained, "I visited your midwife this morning."
"......Why?" Harriet chuckled.
She took the pamphlets from Severus as he held them out to her.
A scowl marred her face as she read over their titles:
The Joy of Water Birth
Hypnosis and the Labouring Witch
Pain Relief Spells: Risks and Rewards
Natural Labour, Minimally Assisted Delivery
Harriet glanced up at Severus with a disappointed frown as if he had betrayed her.
He held her gaze as he explained, "........To discuss what birthing options will be available to you when the time comes.......I'd prefer to know your wishes before the event begins."
Severus watched his wife pale as she became visibly upset by the kind thoughtfulness he had attempted to show her.
Harriet huffed as she tossed the pamphlets aside, turned her back to Severus, rolled over in the covers, and whispered quietly, "I haven't really thought about it that much."
He frowned as he listened to the bitter sadness that permeated her voice.
Silently, Severus removed his shoes and slid into his mate's nest to hold her from behind.
He kissed her ear gently and splayed his fingers over what they could cover of her heavy belly as he whispered in her ear, "This birth won't be like your first, my love. You have my word."
Harriet closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and drew a deep breath as she listened to her alpha's soothing promise.
She sighed as she answered, "I.......I don't ever want to go through anything like that again, Sev. I can't.......I've fought too many battles....I don't-"
"-As long as I am your mate," Severus vowed, "You will never have to endure another torture similar to what you faced the day Maggie entered our lives.....I will make certain that whenever you're brought to bed with one of our pups, you will be comfortable, safe, and in control, do you understand?"
Harriet nodded quietly as she placed her hands over Severus's.
He nipped at her throat gently until she turned her head towards him.
Together, they plunged into a deep, passionate kiss while Severus rubbed his palms over Harriet's full womb.
As Harriet reached up to cup his face, Severus deepened their kiss to show his love for his wife.
He would support Harriet however she wanted when the moment came for their next baby to arrive.
If she needed him behind her in a birthing pool, or holding her legs while she laid in her nest, then he would be there, ready and willing to assist.
She would not scream in pain or fear like she had with Maggie, she would be calm and comfortable.
Harriet didn't really feel like reading over all of those pamphlets.
What she really wanted during her next labour was to feel protected, the same way she did while she lay there and kissed her alpha as he held her in his arms, surrounded by the soft familiarity of her nest, with his fingers spread over her belly.
Harriet had been vulnerable and frightened during Maggie's birth.
She had seen mortal terror in Severus's eyes while he questioned his every action.
During the worst of her pain, her husband had been locked in a battle for his life and hers.
She had screamed out against the sound of her enemy's corpse falling to the floor.
Harriet squeezed her eyes shut against those awful memories.
She contented herself with the knowledge that she could depend on Severus.
It had been Severus who had rescued her, Severus who had held her hand through her agony, and Severus who had pulled Maggie from her womb.
Severus had been there through it all, and as Harriet breathed in his comforting scent while his hands roamed over her, she knew that was an indisputable truth.
Severus Snape loved Harriet Potter as much as she loved him.
Regardless of how she chose to welcome their next baby, she knew Severus would be right beside her the entire time.