Fatherhood.

A topic I never thought I'd come face to face with for the rest of my life. The mere thought of becoming a father..

bemuses me.

One day I'm deducting house points from Gryffindor.. and the next I'm folding the clothes of mine and (Y/N)'s unborn child.

Speaking of which, Elora should be due sometime in the next few weeks. I haven't quite wrapped my mind around the thought of it yet, but.. I am elated nonetheless.

"Sev, can you come upstairs for a second? I need your input on something." I heard (Y/N) call for me from our bedroom.

I walked up the stairs with the clothes I had folded and stepped in the doorway,

"What do you need my input for-"

I stopped walking as soon as I saw what she was talking about.

"For this." (Y/N) responded, pointing toward the large mural painted on a portion of the wall.

The mural consisted of various magical beings in the setting of a moonlit meadow. In the center though, were two patronuses.

"Are those our patronuses?" I asked just above a whisper as I took in all the detail.

"Yeah, they are. Your doe, and mine." She smiled warmly at me and beckoned me over towards her with her free hand.

"I love it, (Y/N). You truly have a gift." I complimented her, after which I placed a kiss on her forehead.

She smiled and thanked me,

"Oh, one more thing."

I felt (Y/N) swipe a cold substance across my cheek. Paint to be exact.

"Perfect. The last addition to the painting! Now if you could just stand against the wall for the next couple years, that would be great!" (Y/N) attempted to contain her laughter, but failed after a few seconds.

I wiped the paint off my face and chuckled a bit as well. Her laughter ceased after a minute or two, so we decided it would be best if we got ready for bed.

Although I wish I didn't have to. It is important that I attend at least the first couple days of the school term at Hogwarts, so I must return tomorrow morning. I'd have preferred it if I could remain here with (Y/N), but she insisted I go.

We made it into bed at a reasonable time and slept soundly that night.

The next morning, I woke up quite early in hopes that I could surprise (Y/N) with a nice breakfast.

Just as I had begun taking out ingredients from the cupboard, I heard a noise from upstairs.

"Oh my god!" I heard (Y/N) shout.

Dropping the utensils I had in my hand, I rushed upstairs and into the bathroom to make sure she was alright.

"Are you alright (Y/N)?" I asked her worriedly.

"Severus. I think my water just broke." She told me with a look of fright in her eyes.

I was shocked, but recalled the steps the doctor had relayed to us both in the event that this happened.

"Oh dear me.. Alright, ehm. I'll retrieve the hospital bags and you change into something more comfortable before we leave for St. Mungo's." I ran a hand through my hair as I told her the plan.

She nodded and changed while I made sure everything was packed.

As soon as we were both prepared, I apparated the both of us to St. Mungo's with our things.

Upon walking up to the receptionist, (Y/N) hissed in pain,

"Oh crap.."

The receptionist seemed to realize what was happening and called for a nurse to bring in a wheelchair.

(Y/N) was being brought into an empty delivery room within the next couple minutes. But before I could enter with her, one of the nurses stopped me,

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to wait outside."

"I'm her partner, I leave her." I attempted to push past her, but she stopped me before I could enter.

She sighed and turned to face me,

"Alright.. But you'll need to change into a pair of scrubs before you enter. Here, I'll show you where you can change."

I entered the delivery room after changing into typical dark blue medical attire and immediately became worried as I heard (Y/N) yell in pain. I took hold of her hand once I reached the bed and she seemed to calm down a bit.

The curtain draped across the medical bed blocked what was currently happening on the opposite end. Although, I didn't care much about anything except for (Y/N)'s well-being.

She squeezed my hand every now and then, attempting to let the pain pass. The cycle went on for nearly 3 hours, gradually getting more painful and stressful for (Y/N) as the time passed. That is until the distinct cry of a newborn child could be heard on the other end of the curtain.

(Y/N) looked at me tiredly. She was completely spent after all of this. I gently ran my thumb across her forehead as a way of comforting her.

I heard one of the nurses attempt to grab our attention,

"Mr and Mrs.."

"Actually it's-"

"Snape." (Y/N) responded before I could finish my sentence.

She smiled at me and then turned back to the nurse who was holding what seemed to be Elora wrapped in a blanket.

"Here is your daughter." The nurse smiled as she gently handed Elora to (Y/N) and then left the room with the other nurses and doctors momentarily.

I sat down in a chair next to the bed as (Y/N) shifted to hold her more comfortably.

(Y/N) then pulled the blanket down slightly to look at her face. Although her eyes were closed, you could hear her coo quietly.

A smile settled itself on my face. This time remaining for longer than just a few seconds.

"Severus.. would you like to hold her?" (Y/N) asked me tiredly.

I nodded in response and gently took her into my arms.

It baffles me how a being I've barely seen or held for less than minute can overtake me with such strong emotions.

I stood from the chair, my eyes occasionally looking over at (Y/N) and then back at Elora.

I smiled wider as a few stray tears cascaded down my face.

Elora seemed to stir as a tear of mine landed on her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly and seemed to stare into my very soul with them. She then smiled up at me.

Her eyes were beautiful. They were (Y/E/C), like (Y/N)'s.

"(Y/N), her eyes. They look just like your-"

(Y/N) had fallen asleep. Although that was predictable. She had just powered through 3 hours of pain. She deserves a bit of rest.

A moment later, one of the nurses entered the room, rolling in a clear bassinet with her.

"Would you like to set her down in here? You must want to rest a bit as well." She asked me as she rolled it over next to me.

"No.. I think I'm going to hold her a little while longer." I responded, only partly paying attention to the nurses words.

She turned the brightness of the lights down a bit before leaving the room once more. I sat down at the window with Elora, who was still awake and staring at me in delight.

After a half hour of sitting there with her, I decided to try a trick (Y/N) had told me she used on (B/N) once when he was just a newborn. I gently traced circles on Elora's forehead with my index finger, and not even a minute later, she was fast asleep. I decided to stand up and walk over to the bassinet to lay Elora down in it.

As soon as she seemed content, a nurse walked in to check up on (Y/N)'s vitals. I decided to take that time to walk back to the receptionist.

"Pardon me, would you by any chance have a phone that I could make a quick phone call with?" I asked the woman at the desk.

"A rotary phone is just over there." She said while pointing towards one that I seemed to have missed.

I thanked her before walking over to it and picking up the receiver. I dialed the number Albus used in case a muggle students parents needed to contact him.

"Ah, Severus. I thought you might be calling around this time." I heard the familiar voice of Albus Dumbledore through the receiver.

"Yes, well, I wanted to inform you that I will not be-"

"able to come to Hogwarts. I had a hunch you might not be able to come." Albus finished my sentence.

"And what about my position? Is there someone who can fill in while I am on leave?" I asked him.

"Don't worry Severus. I've already arranged for a substitute. Just cherish the feeling of finally becoming a father. I'll know when to expect you back." Albus reassured me before hanging up the phone.

I decided to return to the room after that and check on (Y/N) and Elora.

Upon entering the room, I saw (Y/N) was awake and that she was holding Elora. I had taken the medical attire off by now and decided to sit down on the edge of the bed next to (Y/N).

"How are you feeling?" I asked her.

"I'm feeling quite good actually. The nurse gave me a tonic that helped balance out my vitals." She replied with a smile.

"I'm glad you're feeling well.. How's Elora?" I asked once more.

"She's doing great, Sev." She smiled down at Elora.

Well.. I'm glad that the two most important people in my life are healthy and safe." I replied with a smile of my own.