Preparations
Harry sat in the staff room waiting for the meeting to start his mind drifted to Penny’s reply to his letter, unfortunately, it had done little to ease his concerns for his omega. Penny had told him that the second gender of babies was frequently a cause of anxiety for omegas.
Penny reassured Harry that Severus had a big advantage over some of the others as Harry was not adding to the pressure himself. She advised Severus' concerns were normal and that they would be addressed in the group and in his one-to-one counselling which would begin in the third trimester of his pregnancy. Penny advised that the best thing he could do was remind Severus that he was loved and cherished by Harry and that no matter what the second gender of the babies was, Harry would be happy with both Severus and his children; None of which helped Harry with what to do.
“Cheer up Potter, the meeting won't be that bad,” Draco quipped as he sat opposite him putting his own pile of papers on the table.
Harry who was lost in his thoughts, did not reply. Draco frowned “Harry? Is everything ok? Is Uncle Sev alright?” the alpha asked slightly concerned.
Harry shifted then and looked up to reassure the blonde alpha “Oh, sorry Draco. Yes, Severus is fine, really, he has a good group of people he spends time with and his potion trial is going well,” he said with a smile.
“Uncle Sev has a group of people he willingly spends time with?” Draco asked suspiciously.
Harry laughed “I know, but yes, he does and he is even happy about it…Listen Draco, would you mind stopping in for a drink tonight? I have some questions about purebloods and inheritances and how they work,” he asked.
“Ahh is this about the babies’ second gender?” Draco asked with an odd edge to his voice.
“It is, sort of,” Harry replied.
The blonde nodded “Sure I will drop by after dinner if that suits you.”
“Thank you Draco,” Harry said as Minerva took her seat and called the meeting to order.
The meeting ended two hours later with Minerva finally agreeing to ask the board about the viability of employing English tutors at Hogwarts.
Harry had just finished marking his third year’s homework when Draco knocked on his door.
When they were seated with a pot of tea between them Harry began.
“I am worried that Severus is putting too much pressure on himself for these babies to be alphas,” Harry said slowly.
“Humm, well he would be. You have Lordships that require an heir. A male alpha heir in the case of the Black Lordship. I am not sure about the Potter Lordship but if the Goblins have not specified then it’s likely up to you who can inherit it,” Draco told him.
Harry thought about that “So if we had two omegas perchance, I could still name one of them heir to the Potter Lordship?”
“You could, but they still would not be able to claim it themselves. They would have to wait until they married then their Alpha could claim the Lordship and bestow the title on them. The same is true for the Prince Lordship as you know. However the Black Lordship is linked to the male line of the family it could only pass to a male alpha but that doesn't have to be your child, you could name any male alpha as your heir,” Draco said.
Harry nodded “Our children would still not have the title though?”
Draco sighed “That depends on who they marry. Severus is Lord Potter-Prince because you accepted the Prince title and allowed him to hold that title.”
Harry frowned “So really only an alpha child can properly inherit a title?”
“Yes, a female alpha could take either the Prince or Potter title as her own. She would be unlikely to marry a titled alpha so whoever she marries would become Lord or Lady Potter or Prince or even Potter Prince,” Draco told him.
“And there is no way to change that?” Harry asked.
“Not immediately no. Change is difficult Harry, it takes time and by time, I mean it takes generations. The entire system would need to change as well as the views of all the old pureblood families and the chance of that is fairly low. But you could start, things are already beginning to change with our generation and you certainly have a support base; you could sound some others out about it,” Draco answered.
The blonde alpha frowned and put his cup down “You already know all of this Harry, what's this really about?” he asked shrewdly.
Harry hummed “I worry Sev will be disappointed if the babies are omegas,” he said softly.
Draco nodded in understanding “Ahhhh, well, he likely will be Harry. Especially as he only promised you one pregnancy. You have to understand that it has been ingrained into him his whole life that an omega’s one job is to provide their alpha with an heir,” Draco said softly.
“I don't feel that way, I just want healthy children,” Harry objected.
“Nonetheless, Harry the feeling are very real when you are raised with these ideas. Why do you think Mother is so glad Hermione is a beta? We will never have this problem our children will be alphas or betas. I don’t think Mother ever really wanted me to marry an omega. Severus will be ok, he knows you won’t force him to birth more children, but you can’t prevent him from being disappointed if his children can’t be your heirs,” Draco said as he reached for Harry’s arm and gripped it in a reassuring way.
“Severus will be ok, his alpha loves him, and he knows that you do. He knows you will love his children and so will he, Harry,”
Harry sighed.
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Severus sat in the dining room looking at the makings of Yule spread out on the table in front of him. He was excited to decorate their new home; this year would be his fifth Yule with Harry, even though their first year together had not fully incorporated a Yule celebration, Severus still counted it. He had many ideas for this year. He wanted to continue with the traditions he and his mother had created together but he wanted to balance that with new traditions for his new family. Next year they would have two children to include though they would be babies and not able to really participate, Severus hoped to begin passing on his traditions to their children assuming Harry was amenable.
Deciding to focus on the sitting room he began by hanging evergreen leaves and holly around the window frames and across the mantle he also made a wreath to put on the front door.
Severus and his mother had always made wooden decorations for their tree every year. Eileen Snape had always found some kind of tree for her son to decorate, he did not know how she did it but there was always a tree. They would carve or burn sacred designs into wooden circles. Celtic knots, the Tribeca and crows for the Lady Morrighan. As well as symbols of the Sun God Lugh and Cernunnos God of animals, fertility and wild places, they hung the circles on the branches of their tree with string. On the kitchen table, there would be white tapers wreathed in evergreen leaves or holly if they were lucky enough to have some.
There was no St. Nicholas or Santa Claus for young Severus but his mother would always have something for him on Christmas morning; a fresh apple and an orange just for him and an almost new pair of shoes or other item of clothing or some potion ingredients. When Severus had started at Hogwarts he would bring his mum a variety of mushrooms from the forest and even the occasional unicorn tail hair if he found one left behind in the bushes.
There was always presents now, Harry made sure of it. Severus knew his alpha was making up for his own abysmal childhood Christmases, just as much as for Severus’ lack of presents. Their children would never know the feeling of missing out on Christmas joy if Harry had anything to say about it.
Severus had also bought some oranges, not for presents, but for decorations. He was planning to stud some of them with cloves, others he would slice and sprinkle with cinnamon before drying them out in the oven, something he had learned from Narcissa later in his life. He would bundle some of the dried orange slices with cinnamon sticks and holly to make a table decoration, the others he would pair with a sprig of holly and hang them on the tree with his collection of wooden decorations. He still had the last ones he had made with his mother the year before she died as well as a few he had made over the past five years when he had decorated a tree with Harry. It took the better part of a whole day and almost all of his energy but finally, he sat back pleased with the results of his efforts. There were just the white candles for the table and the mantle and a mistletoe and sage ball for the doorway left to hang and of course the tree. Severus had ordered one and he and Harry would collect it together the day he arrived home for Christmas break and spend the following day decorating it.
In all Severus was satisfied with his decorations and he found he was looking forward to the years to come with his husband and children.
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Severus woke the next morning already tired, in fact, he had never felt so tired in his life. He was sure that even during the war when he was caught between two masters and fighting to stay alive while being a convincing spy, he had not been this tired. His body ached and his head felt like it was filled with molasses, just thinking was a herculean task and his memory was terrible; everything he did was slow, from moving around his home to decorating for Yule everything seemed to require twice the effort it had before, even his magic felt sluggish.
A few days before Harry arrived home, the omegas in Severus’ Support Group were planning to share a meal as their Yule / Christmas celebration. Severus had said he would bring his favourite potato, leek and crispy bacon soup, it was a modified version of his mother’s potato and leek soup and one of the few things he had been able to cook from the beginning of their marriage. One which he had recently improved upon thanks to his cooking lessons from Colly and Cadby. He was also planning to bring a Yule Log cake. Harry loved the Log Cake tradition it was something he remembered from his childhood and one of the few pleasant memories he had of those days, even though Severus still burned the traditional Yule Log, the cake version had become a staple in their Yule observance. This year Severus planned to make their cake himself so he decided the group’s Christmas lunch would be the ideal trial run.
Severus spent most of the day before and all of the morning before lunch preparing his contribution. The cake had been the most difficult to manage, he had messed up the batter twice and then burnt the next two attempts. He just did not seem able to manage the timing, his brain did not seem to work as it did usually. He got sidetracked easily and simply forgot vital steps or ingredients, he even forgot the cake was in the oven once and he was so tired that after putting the fourth attempt into the oven he fell asleep in the sitting room leaving the cake to burn again.
Colly assured him it was not a problem and that it was perfectly normal for a person who was in their sixth month of pregnancy. The elf had offered to make the cake for him but he had been determined and on the fifth attempt he managed a passable cake. Somewhat mollified by his eventual success, he had left the evening meal to the elves and after demolishing the hearty chicken stew he went to bed early determined to be up early enough to make his soup in the morning.
Fortunately, he had better luck with the soup the following morning but by the time he was finished, he was in no condition to walk to the Clinic. Cadby convinced him it was in no way shameful that he needed help and the elves took both Severus and his food to the Clinic.
Lunch was excellent and afterwards, Severus, feeling very warm and pleasantly full procured an armchair and sat down comfortably to rest. He thoroughly enjoyed being with these omegas now, the meetings had become a highlight of his week. His regular catch-ups with Morgan, Sean, Dylan and Amelia gave him pleasant opportunities to get out of his house. He enjoyed their company and he learned plenty of things along the way, things he would never have asked his medical professionals about; such as the conversation he had just overheard between Sean and Dylan about how best to have sex from the sixth month and on. Severus had filed away the information for Harry’s upcoming visit over Christmas.
The gathering was winding down and Severus was feeling tired, he sat in an armchair away from the main group for a breather, he was feeling warm and fuzzy from all the food and the pleasant company. He was therefore slightly startled when he felt a person sit on the arm of his chair. He had not realised he had closed his eyes until he had to open them to see who was seated in his space.
Penny smiled down at his sleepy expression and he blinked at her for several moments before his tired brain could form a coherent sentence. “Penny,” he finally managed to say. “How are you?”
“Hello, Severus. I am very well thank you but I was going to ask how you are. You have been rather quiet today,” she said concern lacing her tone.
“I am perfectly well, just tired. I am not sure why but I am finding things to be more difficult than usual,” he told her.
“You are six months pregnant Severus. It is only natural you will be feeling the effort your body is putting into creating the little people inside you,” Penny explained “You will need to rest more now, let people take care of you,”
Severus huffed “I am fine Penny, I need to be busy I will go mad sitting at home alone.”
Penny smiled “I am not suggesting you stay home on your own Severus, but it would not hurt to have your elves take over the cooking and cleaning. You might also consider letting them apparate you here or to the cafe to meet with your friends, it is quite safe for the elves to bring you their magic will protect you and your little ones, or if you prefer you could always take a muggle taxi,” she told him.
“I am not an invalid,” he grouched.
Penny sighed. “No, you are not. You are a pregnant person and as such your needs are different now. If you don’t want Abigail to put you on bed rest for the rest of your time, you need to take care of yourself and accept help,”
Severus growled “Fine, but can you tell me why my brain is full of molasses and magic is not working properly?”
Penny turned and looked down at him “What do you mean exactly?”
“What I said,” Severus replied impatiently. “My brain feels like it is full of cotton wool. I forget things, I ruined two cake batters with my inability to focus and burned two cakes, one I simply forgot about and the other…well, I fell asleep,” Severus confessed reluctantly.
Penny hummed “It is natural you will be tired Severus as I said your body is working hard right now, plus you are carrying the weight of your babies everywhere. Your magic is also otherwise occupied with your children’s developing magic. I will just get my kit and give you a quick check-over just to make sure everything is ok,” she said and she stood up to go and get her medical bag.
Morgan came over as she left with a concerned look on her face “Everything alright Sev?” she asked.
“Hummmm,” he replied. “I am fine, just pregnant apparently,” he huffed.
Morgan laughed and sat in the chair next to him. “You will start to feel it now, especially with two of them in there. You will have to rest Severus and let people take care of you,” she told him.
“So I hear, Harry will fuss,” He said bitterly.
“Well so he should, you are doing all the hard work to give him children, let him fuss,” Morgan told him firmly.
Severus rolled his eyes as Penny reappeared with her bag. She checked his temperature, his blood pressure as well as the babies heart rates. “Your blood pressure is a little high, but otherwise everything seems fine, when do you see Abigail next?”
“December 28th while Harry is here,” Severus told her.
Penny nodded “Good, well I might just let her know that you are feeling tired and sluggish. She might want to do a few extra tests just to make sure all is as it should be,” she told him.
Severus said nothing as he processed her words “You think something might be wrong?”
“No, Severus don’t panic. You are doing very well as are the babies. If I was worried I would be calling in one of the midwives now. Still, it is worth Abigail knowing that you are beginning to feel the pressures on your body so she can plan your care accordingly,” Penny told him.
Severus nodded “Alright inform Abigail, but not a word to Harry if you truly think everything is ok, he will fuss enough as it is,” he said sternly.
Penny laughed “I am sure you are fine, but if you would like I can make you an appointment with our midwife, she is here this week,”
Severus looked at Morgan “Do you think I should?”
“It can’t hurt Sev especially if you are feeling off, if everything is ok then you’ll know there is no reason to worry and if it’s not, well you need to know that too,” Morgan replied.
Severus considered her advice, Harry would worry if he knew Severus was seeing the midwife but Morgan was right, it was worth it to be sure and he knew his alpha would want him to get a check-up if he was unsure. “Alright, thank you Penny perhaps an appointment would be best,” he said reluctantly.
Penny nodded “Good idea. I will go and get you a time now, but I would like you to call your elves to get you home and no working once you get home. Find a nice book and relax by the fire or sit and make some decorations for Yule if you must do something but nothing strenuous, and stay off your feet,” she ordered.
Severus huffed but he agreed to do as she ordered.
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Harry had been counting down the days until he saw his omega again and he was down to mere hours. Severus had sent him a letter telling him he had gone to see the clinic midwife on Penny’s advice but there was nothing to worry about. He had explained that he had been feeling achy, tired and forgetful but the midwife had reassured him that was all normal for his stage of pregnancy. He had been advised to rest more and let the elves apparate him to the Clinic on the day he went there.
Severus had not intended to tell Harry about the check-up but, his alpha would notice his constant tiredness and forgetfulness. If he knew it was normal he could prepare his wolf so there would be no overreaction. Harry was pleased the omega was taking his health seriously enough to seek advice and he had replied telling him how proud he was of him. He knew it was not something the omega would have been comfortable doing but he had done it for their babies and to ensure he could put Harry’s mind at ease. He knew Harry would have worried if Severus was not himself when he arrived and there was no explanation. Harry smiled to himself at how far Severus had come, he could not wait to see his mate and spend the two weeks with him.
He packed his suitcase with formal robes and casual clothes. They were not planning on any big celebrations this year. Draco, Hermione and Narcissa would visit after Christmas and he and Severus would be attending Lord Abernathys’ New Year’s Party. Otherwise, they would be spending time alone together, their last Christmas alone, next year they would have children to celebrate with and Harry could not wait.
Harry made a quick round of the Castle to let people know he was headed off and he made his way to the edge of the Castle grounds to the apparition point and he apparated home to his Omega.
Severus was expecting Harry to arrive via the floo in the early afternoon so he was surprised to see the alpha appear in the backyard just before lunch. He had been sitting in the sunroom at the back of the house. The walls of the room were all glass and even in the depths of winter when there was no sun Severus liked to sit there and look out over the garden while he worked.
“Harry?” he called as the alpha made his way into the house. “Harry, I was not…I have not prepared…you are early alpha!” he said sounding annoyed. He had meant to have a proper afternoon tea ready to welcome Harry home and here he was home in time for lunch.
“I am sorry Severus but I couldn’t wait to see you any longer, I missed you,” he said with his sad puppy eyes. The omega rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself that such antics still worked on him.
He struggled to stand up but Harry hurried forward “No Sev, don’t get up, I didn’t mean to put you out. Sit down and let me go and see Colly and sort out lunch,” the alpha said as he guided Severus back down into his seat.
The omega huffed and Harry sat beside him, “I am sorry Sev, I didn’t think I should have let you know I was coming early,” he said sincerely.
“It’s fine alpha, it’s only that I asked Colly and Cadby to leave lunch so I could eat with you at tea time. I am finding it difficult to eat a lot of food,” he told the alpha then raising his hand he added, “Don’t fuss it’s perfectly normal.”
Harry closed his mouth and took Severus’ hand in his “I am sorry Sev, I just worry about you,”
Severus swallowed his snarky remark about not being trusted. He was really feeling the changes in his body and his inability to do many of the things he had been doing was bothering him and he was becoming impatient with himself. Harry was home for Christmas and he had missed his alpha and he was pleased to see him, he knew he would need to watch his tendency to snap.
“I know you do and you will find that I am slower and more tired than last time you were here. I am absolutely huge, moving is an effort and my temper is short, and I can’t remember where I put things,” Severus told him.
Harry smiled “I see. So, situation normal then,” he said. Then jumped and ran into the house, Severus’ cushion landing just short of his retreating back.
Severus huffed and went back to his reading.
Harry ate a sandwich for his lunch in the kitchen, before going back out to the sun room with his own book, the two sat together in comfortable silence while Severus edited his book and Harry enjoyed watching his husband work while pretending to read.
They had a pleasant afternoon tea including all of Severus’ favourite sandwiches. They were all fairly plain and easy on his stomach but they contained all the things he needed to eat to stay healthy.
Harry noticed the elves took care of all the cooking now and they chose what to cook. They came into the room after tea and told Severus what they planned for their Yule meal that evening the omega had approved their menu and then let them do the cooking. Harry’s ears pricked up at the mention of a Yule Log cake and Severus smirked.
“Yes, alpha the log cake is just for you, Colly is making it,” he said lowering his eyes. “I wanted to do it, but I can’t be on my feet that long.”
Harry moved to sit beside the man on the sofa “You have much more important things to do than bake a cake. Colly will do a perfectly adequate job while you sit here and entertain me,” he told him cheerfully.
Severus huffed but he was not really annoyed “I suppose I can suffer your company,” he said with an amused smirk.
They ate a delicious meal then they relaxed in the sitting room with tea and enjoyed being together. Harry thought to himself how nice it was to just be in the same room. This had been one of his favourite things about living at Hogwarts the evenings simply spent in each other’s company, he missed it.
They retired early as Severus was tired. When Harry came out of the bathroom he found Severus sitting up waiting for him. He slid under the covers and wrapped his omega up in his arms and drew him close claiming his lips in a gentle loving kiss. “I have missed you my omega,” he breathed as he pulled back to look at Severus’ flushed face.
“I missed you too Alpha, it is good to have you back here with me,” Severus replied.
They snuggled together and Harry kissed his husband again still soft and gently but gradually deepening it until it eventually caught fire and the two men pushed closer. Severus’s belly was quite large now and Harry could not get as close as he would have liked until Severus pulled back. If this is to go further alpha I will need to turn away from you. The only way it will work is with me on my side and you behind me,” He explained, recalling Sean’s words.
Harry nuzzled the face looking up at him “Are you sure love? I know you are tired,” he asked softly.
“I am tired all the time alpha but it is not like we need to be up early there is no one coming until after Christmas, it is just you and me,” he said with a soft smile that he only used for Harry.
“Hmmm, just you and me huh, that is music to my ears Severus Potter-Prince,” Harry said kissing down his husband’s neck.
Severus lay down and Harry helped him to roll onto his left side as he continued to kiss his neck and shoulder. “You are quite sure Severus?” he asked again.
“Yes alpha,” Severus breathed as the alpha nipped at his collarbone. “It’s perfectly safe if that is what you are worried about,”
“Humm I know, Hermione gave me a book,” the alpha said moving down the omega’s back kissing and licking as he went. “How did you know?”
Severus snorted “Of course she did! I go to an omega support group two days a week. I meet with other pregnant omegas at least one other day every week, we talk about…well things,” Severus told him.
“I am so proud of you Severus, I know that wasn’t easy for you to do,” Harry said as he slipped his hand between his lover’s thighs and lifted his leg gently and slid his finger between Severus’ cheeks and rubbed over the slick pucker before sliding one finger inside him. Harry continued to kiss every part of his lover and he prepared him before finally sliding home.
Harry was gentle and thrust slowly into Severus who moaned at the sensation. The alpha made love to his husband slowly and tenderly making sure to hit his prostate with every thrust.
All Severus could do was moan in appreciation as Harry pushed him closer and closer to the edge before they both fell over together. Harry pushed his knot in on the final thrust exploding inside the omega and locking them together.
Harry held his husband close and continued to kiss his neck and shoulders as they both came down from their high and drifted off to sleep; knowing that in the morning they could stay in bed for as long as they wanted.