Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Blood Bound	By : greenwizard11 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 30345 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I only play with the characters for my own amusement; which all I'm getting out of the writing of this story. So dance puppets, dance!

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
The next few weeks flew by. At first Harry was worried they would be found, but after three days he began to relax a little. Occasionally Ron and Hermione broached the subject of the Horcruxes, but Harry always avoided the discussion. He knew they would have to figure it out eventually, but he wanted to give his brain a rest.

He also wanted to give Severus a little peace. The baby would be coming soon, though they didn’t know exactly how soon. Harry came down for breakfast one morning to find Severus and Hermione at the table talking in hushed whispers. He knew they had to be talking about the baby, and he demanded they fill him in. He almost regretted making such a demand.

While Harry knew this would be no picnic for Severus, he had no idea just how bad the situation was. Wizard pregnancy was apparently a very fickle and dangerous thing. The infants were always born prematurely, though how prematurely varied greatly between wizards. So far Severus was doing pretty well, as far as they could tell. They just needed to keep his stress level as low as possible and hope for the best.

So Harry contented himself with exploring the house. The downstairs had a fairly simple layout. A long hallway ran between the kitchen and the living room. In that hallway, one door led to a small bathroom with just a toilet and a sink. Opposite that door was another that led down to the cellar. It was set up as a potions lab, much nicer than the one at school. What Harry found the most interesting down there was the journals full of notes he found in a cabinet. He could almost hear Dumbledore’s voice saying the words as he read them. Harry was fairly sure at least a few witches and wizards out there would kill to get Dumbledore’s research notes.

The upstairs had a full bathroom and two bedrooms, all just as bright and open as the living room and kitchen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sleeping in the guest bedroom because it just didn’t seem right to them to disturb Dumbledore’s bedroom. Of course, Harry couldn’t help but explore that too.

In the center against the back wall was a four-poster canopy bed, each curtain tied to the bed post with two ribbons. The corners of Harry’s mouth curled up when he remembered Dumbledore’s comment about not liking the curtains on the beds in the dorms. The curtains and bedspread reminded Harry of Dumbledore’s favorite robe, bright blue with golden stars.

Other brightly colored robes were in the closet, and various items were scattered on top of the nightstand. The place didn’t seem to have been touched at all since Dumbledore’s death. In fact, Dumbledore was probably the last person who had been in that room before Harry had gone in to look around.

Harry suddenly felt himself overcome by grief. So much had been lost in this war, mostly because of him. But even when Sirius was killed Harry had been able to take some solace in the fact that he still had Dumbledore, the one wizard Voldemort had always feared. Now Harry just felt alone and helpless.

He crawled up on the bed, tears welling up in his eyes. Moments later he was sobbing uncontrollably, his slender frame shaking until he was too exhausted to move. He ended up falling asleep right there.

When his eyes opened, moonlight was streaming through the window, casting dark shadows over the floor. He couldn’t see what time it was, but it was no doubt at least dinner time. He didn’t feel hungry at all, but the others were probably worried about him by now.

Harry entered the kitchen just in time to see Severus leaning against the counter, grumbling a long string of obscenities under his breath. “What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly worried. “And if you’re hurt, why can’t I feel it?”

Hermione glanced down at the pocket watch in her hand. “If I had to guess, I would say it’s because he’s not injured, he’s in labor.”

“Really, you think so?” Severus snapped at her.

“In labor?” Harry’s eyes went wide. They’d been expecting it to happen any time now, but Harry still found himself unprepared for it. “What do we do?”

“Gee, I suddenly feel very comforted that our lives rest in your hands,” Severus grumbled on his way past to his bedroom.

Hermione followed, resting her hand on Harry’s shoulder for a brief moment. “Don’t take anything he says for the next little while personally,” she said, trying to comfort him.

Harry nodded and went to help Severus into bed. Hermione ran to grab her books before joining them. Ron wisely decided to stay in the kitchen. He figured it would be much safer for him there, and he was probably right.

Severus undressed and crawled under the covers, his expression hard to read. Hermione approached the bed, the expression on her face a little grim. “Severus, you know I have to check . . . .”

Severus huffed, clearly not happy with the situation, but he spread his legs and pulled his knees up. “Just get it over with.”

Hermione lifted the blanket up and crawled under it. Harry took Severus’ hand and squeezed it gently. He knew this couldn’t be pleasant for their former teacher, but Hermione and her books were all they had. Being the most level-headed one made her the best choice to deliver the baby.

“No birth canal yet,” she announced as she came back out from underneath the blankets. She didn’t exactly look thrilled with the situation, either. “We probably have a while. Harry, why don’t you come out to the kitchen and eat? You missed dinner.”

Harry shook his head.“I don’t want to leave him.”

“Go,” Severus sighed. “You heard her—it’ll probably be a while. You aren’t going to miss much.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked. He wasn’t sure he could eat while his child was in the process of being born.

“I’m sure,” Severus answered. “I’m not going to disappear, and I’ll call for you if I need you. I think I’d rather be alone for a little while, anyway.”

“You’re a brave man.” Harry smiled softly and leaned over to kiss Severus’ forehead before going back out into the kitchen with Hermione.

Ron had helped Mimi clean up the dinner dishes, and they’d left a plate of chicken out for Harry. “I think we’re in for a long night,” Hermione said, sitting down beside Ron.

Hermione was right. Harry finished his meal and returned to Severus’ side, falling asleep propped up on some pillows. The sun was peeking over the horizon when Harry was woken by a loud cracking sound. Severus’ face scrunched up and a soft whimper escaped his lips. “What was that?” Harry asked.

Hermione bit her lip and averted her gaze. “I . . . I think that was his pelvic bones . . . um, making room.”

Harry looked at Severus, who was panting heavily, his nails digging into the mattress. “Quit yammering and do something!” he cried through clenched teeth. “Gods, you can pull answers out of a book easily enough, but when you actually have to do something you’re as useless as the other two clowns.”

“Sorry, I dozed off,” Hermione mumbled, trying to take her own advice. She got to her feet and fetched a small jar of salve from the closet and rubbed a generous amount on the inside of Severus’ forearm before crawling back under the blanket to check on his progress. “It shouldn’t be long now,” she announced. “I can feel a head.”

Severus nodded, seeming a little more relaxed. “Was that salve for the pain?” Harry asked, hoping the answer was yes. He really didn’t enjoy seeing Severus like this.

“Yes,” Severus answered, sounding just as weary as he looked. “It’s only taking the edge off, but it’s better than nothing. I’m beginning to really regret this decision.”

Hermione gave him a small smile. “I’m sure you’ll feel differently once you have that baby in your arms.” She did a quick check to make sure she had everything she would need laid out. “It’s finally time for it to come out.”

Harry’s stomach twisted up into a tight knot. He was about to be a father, whether he was ready or not. The next few minutes seemed to drag out for an eternity. Severus grabbed his hand, nearly crushing it with each contraction.

Then finally, Severus slumped back against the pillows, and seconds later Harry heard a baby cry. “Congratulations, Severus, you just brought a baby boy into the world.” Hermione smiled at him. She grabbed a small pair of scissors and looked at Harry.“Do you want to come cut the cord?”

“I . . . yeah,” Harry answered, anxious to see his son for the first time. It wasn’t at all like he’d expected. The squirming infant was tiny and wet. Harry’s hand was shaking as he cut through the cord where Hermione indicated. This was a moment he would definitely never forget.

Hermione wrapped the newborn up carefully in a towel and handed him to Harry. “Go into the bathroom and clean him up gently with a damp washcloth. Oh, and use warm water, not cold. I’ll finish up here.” She grabbed her wand and began casting spells on Severus.

Harry just stood there a moment, staring down at the baby in his arms. It was slowly beginning to sink in that this tiny living being was his son. “Harry, did you hear me?” Hermione’s voice broke into his thoughts.

“Yeah,” Harry answered, and he went into the bathroom. He was afraid he wasn’t doing it right and was going to hurt the baby, but eventually he managed to clean him off and bring him out so Severus could hold him.

Severus looked just as awestruck as Harry had. “Still regretting your decision?” Hermione smirked.

Severus shot her a quick glare.“Not so much now.”

“What are you going to name him? You have thought about names, haven’t you?”

Harry smiled. “Yeah, we talked about it. Since he’s a boy, his name is James Severus Cassian Potter.”

Harry's life changed quite a bit in the coming weeks. Instead of worrying about Voldemort and Horcruxes, he was busy learning how to care for an infant. It would've been nice to have Mrs. Weasley there, but since they were on their own they did the best they could. Severus wasn't able to get out of bed for a week, so Harry and his friends had to take on most of the responsibility.

Harry had never thought taking care of an infant would be easy, but he found himself astounded that such a tiny baby could cry so loudly and so much. Severus ended up putting a silencing charm on his room so everyone else could sleep. Harry moved into the room so they could take turns looking after the baby. He'd meant it when he’d told Severus he wanted to help.

One morning Harry sat with little James in his arms, looking out the window at the snow accumulating on the ground. It was nearly Christmas, and they hadn't made any progress on the Horcruxes in months. They were completely cut off from the outside world and had no way of knowing what was happening, but it probably wasn't anything good.

Severus came in looking just as ragged as Harry felt. He lowered himself into a chair and offered James a finger to suck on, smiling when the infant latched onto him with both hands. Harry couldn't help but smile, too. He couldn't help but wish his parents were still alive to see their grandson. "Severus, I was wondering something." Harry swallowed hard.

"Yes?" Severus looked up at him.

"Well, I've been thinking, and I'd really like to go visit my parents' graves. I know it's selfish, but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. "The words spilled out of Harry's mouth, and he braced himself for a lecture. Instead, Severus paused to think about it.

"I suppose it's only fair. We'll have to be careful. Voldemort is no doubt watching the place, counting on your sentimental nature. We can go tomorrow night if Ron and Hermione don't mind watching James for a little while. I swear, the second James is just as difficult as the original, so they'll have their hands full."

Harry chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of James' head. "Yeah, but you love them both dearly."

"Gods help me, I do." Severus cracked a smile. "Don't tell her I said this, but Hermione was right. Now that he's here, I don't regret having him at all."

"Me either," Harry agreed. It was unexpected and scary, but Harry was glad it had happened. "I'll tell Hermione what she's been volunteered for after I put him down. I don't think she’ll mind. She and Ron enjoy having James around as much as we do—when he isn't keeping them up all night, anyway."
- 16
- 17
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Blood Bound