Pansy passed baby Violet to Hermione and sank back into the plush cushions of the sofa.
“She’s so beautiful,” Hermione cooed, the tiny baby girl sleeping peacefully even as she was passed around. “Sweet baby with your mama’s hair and your daddy’s nose.”
“Thank Merlin for that,” Pansy grumbled. “I thought for sure she’d be cursed with mine.”
“I like your nose,” Neville sniffed from beside her, but he was still positively beaming at his infant daughter.
“I’m glad, darling, but you’ll be glad when she’s twelve and not coming home in tears because someone compared her to a pug.” Pansy patted his leg complacently.
“If she comes home crying, Uncle Draco will make sure whoever did it won’t ever say anything against her again,” Draco piped up, carrying in a charcuterie board that immediately made Hermione’s mouth water.
“Uncle Draco is the first one that called her mother a pug,” Pansy said flatly, and Draco cringed.
“Water under the bridge?” He asked hopefully, but only got an eye roll from Pansy in return, and a scowl from Neville.
“Draco, Nev, can I have a hand?” Lavender called from the kitchen, and both men dutifully responded, though Neville threw one more lingering look at the baby in Hermione’s arms.
Pansy sighed, exasperation clear. “She’s fine, darling. Go.” She flicked her wrist, shooing him from the room.
“He’s already the best father,” Hermione mused, rocking the baby gently. “I’ve never seen him so happy.”
Pansy nodded, her expression softening. “He is. He got up with her last night so I could sleep, I never even heard her before he was out of bed.”
That didn’t surprise Hermione in the slightest. He’d been so attentive to Pansy through her pregnancy, and obviously adored his daughter.
“I don’t think I could do the late nights,” Hermione admitted, and Pansy laughed.
“You at least have two others you can kick out of bed,” she teased, and Hermione laughed along with her.
“Can you imagine Lucius with a new baby? He’s a monster if he doesn’t get his beauty sleep. I don’t think Severus would be much better.”
Mischief sparkled in Pansy’s deep blue eyes. “Speaking of, where are they?”
Hermione shrugged one shoulder. “I assumed Lucius was probably helping Theo attempt to bore Harry to death with some legal something or other. Severus is probably either with him or sulking for being pulled away from his new project.”
Pansy twisted in her seat, peering out the large bay window behind her. “Right on the money with Lucius. It looks like Potter’s about to fall asleep….” She trailed off, craning her neck to get a better look outside without getting up. “No Severus though.”
“He was in the kitchen with me,” Lavender offered, appearing with a large fruit platter. “Disappeared a bit ago though.” She wiped her hands on the tea towel thrown over her shoulder and motioned for Hermione to relinquish the baby. Once again sleeping through being passed off, Violet settled into Lavender’s arms without so much as a yawn.
“She’s such a good baby. I need Draco to get baby hungry so he’ll say yes,” Lavender sighed, and Pansy laughed.
“I’m trying to convince Hermione over here to give him a baby sibling,” Pansy waved vaguely in Hermione’s direction, and she shook her head.
Lavender looked up, wide eyed. “Oh Gods. Could you imagine Severus with a baby?”
Hermione laughed again. “He’d never come out of his lab again. I’d never see him!”
The three women laughed, and Hermione sat back, eyes drifting back to where Pansy had spotted Lucius.
The three of them had never explicitly discussed children, though she’d assumed they didn’t want a child any more than she did. Lucius had already raised a child, and Severus had hated teaching. She didn’t think he’d be the parenting type. She was too focused on her career to want to bring a child into it and risk losing momentum.
“Earth to Hermione,” Lavender teased, and Hermione snapped back to the present.
Heat flushing her cheeks, she faced Pansy again. “I’m sorry. What was that?”
A smirk played at Pansy’s lips. “I asked if you’d seen Susan lately. Or Ron, for that matter.”
Eyebrows creasing, Hermione considered for a moment. “No, actually. The last time I saw Susan was at your baby shower. Ron was sometime before that.” She frowned.
“I’m pretty sure they’ve got another bun in the oven,” Lavender said in a low voice. “She gets the worst morning sickness, poor thing.” Hermione’s eyebrows shot up. She’d have to send Susan an owl and check up on her.
“Severus was a godsend with mine,” Pansy offered. “I don’t know what was in that tonic he gave me but it worked wonders.”
Hermione hadn’t even known Severus had a potion recipe for that, but she supposed it made sense. If anyone would, it would be Severus.
“Oh speak of the devil!” Pansy perked up, smiling as Severus passed the doorway in the hall. “Severus!”
He stopped, turning slowly with an eyebrow cocked. “Yes?” Hermione had to force down the smile at his dry tone. He adored Pansy and she knew it.
“I was just saying you saved my arse with that tonic you made me for morning sickness.”
Severus’s eyebrow raised even higher, now looking between Hermione and Lavender. “Did I miss an announcement?”
Hermione couldn’t help it, and dissolved into laughter. Lavender had been wiping drool from Violet’s cheek, and looked up, confused.
“Gods no,” Hermione laughed, and his shoulders relaxed incrementally. “At least not us.”
Severus nodded once, and drew closer, brushing a hand over Hermione’s shoulder.
“Ginger, chamomile, lemon, and honey,” he recited, and Pansy nodded, but a soft cry from Violet stopped her in her tracks.
Lavender shifted the baby in her arms, and Hermione got a glimpse of her deep blue eyes, just like Pansy’s. The baby blinked up at Severus, still standing behind Hermione, and fell still.
He glanced at Pansy, who nodded easily, and reached out, stroking the back of Violet’s chubby fingers. She immediately grabbed his finger, holding on tight. Lavender lifted her higher, offering her to Severus, who to Hermione’s surprise, took her easily, turning her so she didn’t have to release his finger.
“Hello Miss Violet,” he said quietly, rocking her gently.
Hermione glanced back towards Pansy, who looked completely unaffected, if not somewhat smug. Lavender was trying rather poorly to cover her shock.
Severus glanced up, rolled his eyes at Hermione’s surprise. “I really don’t have anything against children,” he chided, and Hermione snorted.
“Is that so? Because I distinctly remember you moaning about us every chance you got at Hogwarts.”
“Miss Violet is already better behaved than you were,” he shot back, and Pansy laughed.
“Are you mad? My child is the one you’re touting as being well behaved?” Pansy laughed even harder, earning herself a “shush!” from Lavender, though Violet was wide awake now.
She began to babble, releasing Severus’s finger and waving wildly, blowing spit bubbles. Severus bounced her gently, ignoring Pansy’s maniacal laughter. He tapped the end of her nose, making her stop cold and then smile a gummy smile in delight. He did it again, and she laughed, blowing more spit bubbles.
Hermione shook her head, laughing as Pansy wiped at her eyes. “Well behaved my arse. I know you know what we got up to, and Neville was no better!”
Lavender snorted. “I think it was Hermione’s influence more often than not. Could you imagine what a hellion these two would make?” She gestured between Hermione and Severus, who was tickling Violet’s stomach, much to her delight.
“With Lucius in the house? It would be even worse than Draco,” Pansy laughed, now on the verge of wheezing.
Lavender looked skeptical. “I don’t think that’s possible.” She shook her head. “But that would be the smartest child ever to walk into Hogwarts and I’m pretty sure if the Millie’s kids don’t drive Minerva to retirement, Hermione’s would.”
Hermione made an indignant sound. “I was a great student!”
“You didn’t even make it sixty days at Hogwarts before you were fighting a troll in my dungeons,” Severus told her, his dry tone at complete odds with the animated expression on his face as he played with Violet.
“That was not my fault,” Hermione insisted, and Pansy howled with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Draco reappeared in the door, his eyebrows hitting his hairline when he caught sight of Severus with Violet.
“I’m trying to get you a sibling,” Pansy grinned, and Draco stopped dead, looking at Hermione in horror.
“Get who a sibling?” Neville trailed in behind Draco, nearly plowing him over when he stopped unexpectedly. Pansy didn’t have time to answer before he let out a cry of dismay.
Hermione sucked in a breath, unsure of how he’d react to Severus with his daughter. Draco evidently thought the same, because he flung out an arm as if attempting to keep Neville in place.
“Oh it’s fine,” Pansy said, waving them all off. “She loves him.”
“Pansy!”
“Neville!”
Hermione held her breath, and Severus started to lower Violet towards her, but Pansy seemed to win, Neville clenching his jaw tightly, but didn’t object.
The now awkward silence was broken when Lucius, Harry, and Theo emerged from the back garden, and only Lucius didn’t seem to be surprised by Severus holding the baby.
Harry raised an eyebrow, eyeing Neville’s pained expression, and Theo pointedly ignoring him to reach for the fruit platter instead.
“Don’t let him get too comfortable,” Lucius advised Pansy, waving at Severus. “Bastard is the reason that one is the way he is.” Lucius nodded towards his son, still half-blocking Neville from the room.
Hermione blinked, and burst into laughter along with Pansy at Draco’s incredulous expression.
Lavender reached over and pulled Draco into the seat beside her, and patted the seat on her other side between herself and Hermione.
“Now I HAVE to hear this one.”
Lucius took the proffered seat and gestured vaguely at Severus behind him.
“The first year of his life, if Severus was around he was holding him. I was starting to worry he wouldn’t walk,” Lucius sniffed, clearly needling Severus. Draco just huffed, crossing his arms petulantly.
Theo draped himself over the back of Pansy’s chair, snickering. “That explains an awful lot.”
“Excuse me!” Draco glared at him, and Harry choked on his strawberry, earning him his own glare.
“It’s true, Draco, don’t even try to deny it.” Pansy gave him a honey sweet smile. Hermione was about to jump in, but Violet made a gagging sound, and a moment later, covered the front of Severus’s black robes with a copious amount of white spit up.
Everyone went silent, until Neville chuckled. Severus sighed, and held Violet away from him body, lip curling.
Lucius chuckled next, and soon they were all laughing, Neville scooping Violet out of Severus’s hands and taking her out of the room. Hermione was fairly certain he’d crooned “that’s my girl,” as he left.
Retrieving his wand from the voluminous folds of his robes, Severus rolled his eyes, and Hermione swore she saw him smile. It hadn’t fixed anything, between one of the men she loved and one of her oldest friends, but it may have been the start.
Water under the bridge indeed.