HC: Your SO isn't there for your birth and the only one left to comfort you is Severus.
- Severus is a father figure to you, as yours was not involved in many ways
- He was your guide and mentor when things got rough, his tough love and and sarcasm were always there to put you back on your feet
- Your SO came into your life and you learned to share that special place in your heart
- Severus, *cue protective father mode*: Didn't unapprove of him, however, he didn't care for him
- It was a mix of having a hard time letting you go and also the true belief that no one could ever be good enough for you, as you deserved the best in the world
- When the wizarding war came up, your SO dropped off of the radar and you began to panic
- Despite his own fucked up situation(s), Severus was able to work with you and comfort you
- He'd never admit it aloud, but you and your needs always come first, you, above all else
- He still kept his distance, despite his subtle (and yet seemingly obvious) care for you,
- Because; 1. He was still your teacher 2. Though capable of feeling emotions, his execution of them is something he still needs to work on, and 3. He would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to you or that he hurt you in some way (even indirectly)
- His greatest fear is his work interfering with yours, Draco's, and Harry's life
---
- The war is currently raging on and screams are heard from all directions
- The sounds of spells being cast and rubble falling echoes hroughout the entire castle and outside
- You were moving place to place with a hand on your nine month bump, unable to stay in one place for long because it wasn't safe anywhere
- Finally, you had found one place that hopefully wouldn't be touched, the dungeons
- It was underground and away from the more occupied parts of the war
You lock yourself in Snape's office and shuffle towards the back of the room as you slowly breathe in and out, trying to regain your breath.
Just when you thought that your vitals had returned to normal and everything was fine, a sudden surge of what feels like electricity streaks over your lower stomach
You slam your palm atop the wood office desk with a shaky exhale. Gripping the edge of the wood, your palms grow with sweat and your knees slowly buckle.
That did not feel great...
Another jolting feeling suddenly erupts, followed by a splashing sound.
"What the hell?" You breathe out, looking down.
Did I just piss myse-
Oh no.
This is much worse.
You moan in discomfort as a weird, heavy feeling grows in your lower stomach.
"Oh, not now. Any other time but now." You whisper to yourself, cradling your stomach.
You feel yourself begin to panic, realizing you're in labour while a war is currently going on right above your head.
Worst part is you're alone.
"Snape." You whisper to yourself, as though the man could hear your pleas.
You cry out when a real contraction starts, it getting more frequent.
How could this be moving along so fast? Doesn't this shit take a long time?
Screw Madam Pomfrey and her pregnancy/labour books, this baby was coming and there is no stopping them.
---
It's been about half an hour and the pain seems to only have grown. The contractions are five minutes apart and lasting over thirty seconds.
You had sat yourself on the floor in front an armchair in Snape's office to have something cushy to lean against.
You could only imagine what the carpet under you looked like.
What would you tell Snape?
'Sorry, I fucked up your rug, man. Just a little bit of blood and amniotic fluid- no biggie. Some pet stain remover might get it ou-'
Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a door opening and you gasp, before groaning in pain. Craning your neck to the direction of the door, your hand blindly searches next to you to feel for you wand.
A contraction kicks in again and you have to keep yourself from crying out by biting on your lower lip. A low growl escapes from your throat and you blink back tears, breathing in slowly as you look up to the ceiling in concentration.
*I just imagined the bathtub scene in A Quiet Place w/ Emily Blunt when she has to stay quiet while giving birth*
A thud in the another room makes you jump and your fingernails dig into the carpet, the sudden jerking of your body sending pain up and down your spine.
"Shit." A low voice had followed the loud sound and you turn your head back to the connected room to where the swear had come from.
"Damnit." A voice says again and it sounds familiar.
Could it be him?
You had to take the chance. You were too desperate at this rate.
"Severus?" You croak, hating how weak and tired your voice sounded.
Another bang is heard, as though somebody knocked something off of a table.
"Y/n?" The deep voice again.
This time, you were crying from relief and not pain or fear.
"In here!" You manage to raise your voice enough.
A pair of rushing footsteps pound against the ground, approaching the room.
Severus appears in the doorway, a startled look on his face as his hair appears to be a bit more messy than usual. The wind that had gotten caught in his cloak from rushing forwards, leaving it to billow behind him.
"Oh, Y/n." He murmurs in shock, seeing you a sweaty mess, trembling on the floor.
"I-I.." You choke on the thick saliva that had been activated by your running tears.
"You're going to be okay.. Let me.." Severus looks off to the side before disappearing.
After a lot of clanging in the background, Severus returns not two minutes later, trying to act like he isn't out of breath.
He had gotten some towels, a bowl of warm water and two blankets.
Wow, this is really happening...
You start to cry and you don't know the reason- hormones, fear, anxiety, loneliness.
Likely all.
"I am just going to lie you back, alright?" The man asks, crouching in front of you.
Severus rests his hands under your armpits and allows you to put your hands on his shoulders so you two could work together to slowly scoot you away from the chair.
Suddenly halting, you feel another contraction creep up and your neck tenses, lips curling as you hang your head low. This time, the electricity feels hotter and you swear you can feel the baby shift in your pelvis.
You had to have had such a strong grip on his shoulders, that it definitely it going to leave bruises. If it was hurting him any, he certainly wasn't showing it.
"Nghh, it hurts!" You whine, more tears springing from the corner of your eyes.
"Y/n. Y/n, look at me." The man in front of you demands.
He seems so far away.
When he repeats your name, you finally find the strength to look at him.
His dark brown eyes bore into yours, almost eerily calm. Maybe his masking was more useful than you originally thought. Your original fear, when your SO was still around, was that he would panic and not be there for you and having to go something like this alone scared you shitless.
"Breathe " He murmurs, allowing you to lean back against his hands that lay on your back, keeping you upright.
"Breathe.. In through your nose, out through your mouth." He does one of his own as an example and waits for you to mimic it.
The contraction is slowly fading, with some slight aftershocks.
When Severus feels your body stop tensing and hears your low whimpering cease, he stops his mental counting.
"40 seconds." He states, answering your question before you could even fully form the words.
You swallow thickly with a tight nod.
They're getting closer.
"That's progress.." You murmur, exhaling shakily.
He nods his head and waits for you to give the 'okay' before he helps you start moving again. Eventually, you find yourself laying on the floor, staring at the dark ceiling.
Severus rolls up a towel and gently lifts your head up, cradling it in his hand, as he sets the cushion in a comfier place.
Severus takes off his cloak and drapes it on a nearby chair, before rolling up his sleeves.
He had just washed his hands and now he begins to kneel near the lower half of your waist.
"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" Your head shoots up and suddenly this all becomes a little too real.
With a pensive posture and formal look on his face, he doesn't turn to you as he begins to reorganize the towels, dragging them closer.
He answers in a flat, calm voice: "We are currently in the midst of war. Anyone with medical expertise, including Madam Pomfrey, are currently tending to the wounded upstairs."
You blink once and readjust your already uncomfortable body.
After a long pause, you reply;
"So... You're playing midwife?... My... midwife."
The man sighs and leans back on his heels, resting his palms flat on the tops of his thighs. He turns to you, with a slightly raised eyebrow, followed by a very slow, tired blink;
"Somebody has to."
Oh my God, this actually insane...
Thank God he's in his professor mode right now. Otherwise, it'd be like-
You cringe at the thought and shake your head.
"And you do not need to be so frightened, I know what I am doing. First of all, my profession surrounds the effects of potions, medicines, applications of drugs, and so forth.. on the human body. I need to have knowledge on anatomy, psychology, and more to be able to understand the sciences of my brewing. So I did, as a matter of fact, have to through a sort of medical training, or a class of sorts. Secondly, I read those books Madam Pomfrey gave to you. I also talked with her about it, as I wanted to be more educated on how I could be of help to you.... Because I..." The man then trails off his sentence, looking off to the side as he clears his throat.
He never finishes his sentence.
But you knew what he was going to say next..
"Then why aren't you doing that?" You ask, craning your neck down to meet his eyes.
His jaw tenses and he shakes his head once.
"I was busy with some others things."
Code word for: I'm not going to answer that.
"I am going to ask that you trust me, while I do my best. This is not going to be... Fun for either of us." He states, looking at you.
You swallow thickly and nod your head.
I trust you
---
You've never felt pain like this before.
Not even the time you had fell from your broom, several feet in the air- which resulted in a fractured wrist and broken leg.
There is a deep ache in your gut, back, neck, and constant shooting pain through your thighs and lower abdomen. Severus could only dab the sweat from your forehead and murmur reassurances, unable to do terribly much. He had gotten a potion to help with a sliver of the pain, but that was about it. Unfortunately, many wizarding potions weren't always the safest for pregnant women.
"I'm here, Severus!" A rushed, feminine voice announces, clearly out of breath. A door slams and lighter footsteps rush along the wood floor.
Madam Pomfrey then storms into the room and you could practically cry in relief.
She is carrying a basket with a plentiful collection of various potions and medical items.
Severus moves out of the woman's way, subtley grimacing as the rushed woman kneels on his finger, too busy to notice.
Without saying much, Madam Pomfrey guides your knees into a bent position, grabbing a towel and draping it over your waist for your modesty.
Your knickers were fucking destroyed at this point.
Too bad I've never been able to say that in a positive way!
'My knickers are destroyed'
You chuckle at the promiscuous thought, before regretting that action. The tensing of your abdomen during your laugh had set off another contraction and your giggle immediately turns to a groan.
Madam Pomfrey lifts the blanket and hums in a light tone.
"I can already see the head, Y/n." The woman states, looking at you.
You groan and cringe, holding your stomach as the pain keeps worsening.
"Yeah, I can fucking feel it!" You grit through your teeth, panting through your nose.
The contraction washes over and your head falls back against the towel as you groan.
"Severus, she's likely going to be ready to push. We can't leave her on her back- it'll be too strenuous in that position. Sit behind her and let her lean against you."
Severus immediately follows the woman's order and lowers himself closer to you.
You hadn't even really heard much of Pomfrey's voice, as you were too occupied trying to keep your breathing steady.
You feel his hands on slide under the top of your back and exhale sharply as the man helps you sit up.
If only there wasn't a watermelon sized bump crushing your abdomen.
He gets you up and you immediately tense, realize what was about to happen.
You were in a sitting position, though more leaned back,
Madam Pomfrey was in front of you, ready to catch the slippery rocket that was to be your child
Oh my God I'm having a child
Ohh, fuck, why is this scaring me so much right now??
Severus, over your shoulder could seeing the thoughts and anxieties swirling in your mind, watching as you begin to tear up.
"Oh my God, this is crazy, I can't do this!" You begin to pant, tears falling as a contraction starts.
Severus feels you tense against him and he turns your head to him, keeping a hand on your chin. Craning his neck down, he murmurs in your ear;
"You are one of the brightest and strongest witches I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You have done so much to get here and I'm afraid to say, but it's a bit late to turn back. You can do this."
His left hand takes your hand in his, as his right arm makes its way around your shoulders, gently encouraging you to rest against him.
"Do not be scared. Poppy and I are here. You can do this. You squeeze my hand as much and as hard as you need to." The man states, ignoring the shocked and soft eyes of Madam Pomfrey.
"Don't let go?" You whimper, craning your neck to meet his eyes, as tears fall from your own.
"Never."
---
After twenty minutes of pushing, your child was finally brought into the world.
"It's a girl!" Madam Pomfrey announces, lifting the wailing infant onto your chest.
You gasp with a choked sob, more tears cascading down your cheeks.
"Oh, Merlin.." You faintly murmur, softly stroking your little girl's cheek.
Your arms feel like jello and Severus slides arm under yours, helping support the light weight of the baby. He didn't want to steal the thunder of you meeting your child but he knew you needed the help.
"I'm so proud of you." The man states, looking down at the now settling infant.
Severus thinks back to your SO:
How could he leave something so precious behind?
But he wasn't needed, anyway. You were strong enough to go through everything else without him. You could do this too.
The man was sure of it.
You sniffle and nod your head, wiping away falling tears with a shaky hand.
"Thanks, Dad." Your tired brain states, not even realizing what you'd said.
"You're welcome." He whispers back, swiping a sweaty strand of your hair that had gotten plastered to your cheek and tucking it behind your ear.
"Will you be there for me?" You suddenly whisper, leaning your head back against his collarbone.
The man quirks his brow and looks down at your closed eyes.
"Always." He murmurs.
"And her?"
"Always."
A beat of silence goes by and you open your eyes.
"Serena Y/l/n." You whisper, looking forward with your tires eyes.
"She should be named after the man she can trust the most." You murmur, letting your head loll to the side.
"You're delirious, dear." He murmurs, not believing that you'd just essentially named a child after him.
"And you're cranky because you've pretty much been dubbed Grandpa." You softly laugh, lips quirking upwards.
Severus scoffs, but sounds too light for it to be genuine.
He tries to bite back a smile and you tiredly grin as you watch him fail.
He ends up smiling and looks down at your daughter, holding a tender, calloused finger against her cheek. His dark eyes soften when he sees her lean into it.
"Welcome to the world, Serena." He murmurs.