WARNING: This is a slash story, which means it contains male/male erotic content involving consenting adults. If you're not of legal age or are offended by such material, please go find something else to read.

Title: Careful
By: Adrienne
Email: ar895@ncf.ca
Rated: PG13
Category: Drama/Angst
Summary: Snape deals with an unexpected complication following some experimentation
Notes: SS/RL and SS/SB. Written as a sequel to "In A Delicate Way" and "Careless"

Snape

After a great deal of research and a few exceedingly discreet inquiries, he discovered to his dismay that he didn't really have any options other than to actually have the baby. He waded through the scholarly papers, doggedly determined to understand why, but his expertise was not in magical reproduction theory. All he could make from the stiff academic prose was the fact that aborting a child conceived through magical means stripped the mother of her magic in over eighty percent of cases.

So, either he went through with the pregnancy and had the child, or he would become a Squib.

Well, that was no contest. Adoption of the child was easy enough to arrange; there were many infertile couples in the wizarding world who would be more than happy to adopt an infant, particularly one with a very good chance of being magically gifted, without asking too many questions.

He wasn't sure about whether he wished to put the child up for adoption, but that was a decision he could take his time about. The idea of a child of his own was appealing, but he wasn't sure if he could cope with single parenthood, or if it would be fair for the child, all things considered.

Since he was going to carry to term, there were certain practical arrangements to be made. For one, he would have to take a leave of absence no later than the Spring break. He would start to show not long after that, and while his clothes hid a great deal, he didn't want to be teaching while obviously pregnant.

Looking over his lesson plans for the next few months and changing the order around a little, he made sure that none of the potions to be made were harmful to a fetus. Diane Methany, a long time colleague and fellow Potions Master, would be willing to take over for the rest of the year and the beginning of the next, if he asked. She owed him a major favour.

He also needed a place to live for the duration. Hogwarts, overrun with children already, was not suitable. The Snape family estate, however, did have several cottages attached to it, any of which would be perfectly suitable. All he had to do now was the one thing more painful and frightening than giving birth. Telling Albus.

-------------

Poppy had kept her amusement to herself and her mouth shut. He wasn't sure whether to bless her for that or not.

"Headmaster?"

"Yes, Severus?" Those twinkling blue eyes met his and he really wished that Poppy was more indiscreet. Or that Albus really did have eyes in the back of his head and already knew what he was going to say. Then again, even when he did know, Albus never let that stop someone from stuttering out their shameful secrets.

"I am taking a leave of absence, starting in March."

"March? Can it not wait until the end of the school year?"

"No, Sir."

"Since you stated that you are taking one, rather than requesting, I assume that any objection on my part will be thoroughly ignored?"

"Yes."

"Am I privileged enough to know the reason why?"

He hated when Albus used gentle sarcasm on him. He sighed and took the chair that had been offered when he walked in.

"It has to do with the incident of a couple of days ago."

"Yes, both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter have been on their best behaviour since, although Harry has no reason to feel responsible. I assume you put the fear of Slytherin into Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes. Even Lucius didn't object to me coming down hard on Draco. Casting spells like that in front of witnesses - honestly. He was taught better than that."

"You still haven't said why you require a leave of absence," Dumbledore said gently, as the silence grew. "Were there complications with the spell?"

Complications? Oh, yes. "Of a sort. I did something extremely foolish," he admitted. Dumbledore beamed, as if in approval.

"You should do something foolish a little more often, Severus. It's works wonders for the spirit."

"Albus, I'm pregnant."

The shocked look on the headmaster's face was priceless. He'd have to file that look away in a Pensieve, just to fully savour it. So Albus didn't know quite everything that went on at Hogwarts. It took a long time for the look to fade, long enough that he felt a twinge of guilt for the amount of enjoyment he got out of it.

"Severus, when you said you had done something foolish..." Dumbledore was fumbling for words, another rare occurrence. "I assumed..."

"That's why I don't do foolish things. They have a tendency to reach out and bite me on the arse."

"I sincerely hope that was a metaphorical statement, Severus." The twinkle and the poise was coming back rapidly. "The leave of absence is actually maternity leave, then."

"Yes."

"The child would be due in September, then. Are you coming back to teach after?"

"Yes, if that's possible."

"You have tenure, Severus. Your job will be open when you wish to return. What are your plans?"

"There's a cottage near my family home. It's comfortable and private. I can stay there for the duration of the pregnancy. There is an excellent wizarding clinic nearby," he said, much more comfortable with discussing the practicalities. "I want to leave before my condition becomes obvious, so I will leave during study break and return by Hallowe'en of next year, if that's acceptable."

"Have you thought of a substitute for your classes?"

"Diane Methany. She owes me a favour and she's not interested in teaching long term. She's as qualified as I am to teach potions."

"Do you really hate your students that much?" Dumbledore asked, gently teasing. "Well, you will be much missed. Especially if I do hire Ms. Methany."

"Or you can hire someone else. It was just a suggestion."

"No, I think Ms. Methany will do fine. Potion classes have always been torture at Hogwarts and I do like to maintain tradition."

"Then it's settled."

"Not quite. Are you keeping the child?"

"I haven't quite decided," he admitted. "Giving the child up would be the most practical solution. There are many factors to consider."

"The only factor to consider is what you want, Severus," Dumbledore said seriously. "Do you want this child?"

He said nothing. The whole concept of an end product to this surreal situation was not yet real.

"Take your time, Severus. No need to rush into a decision just yet," Dumbledore added, reassuringly. "I will support you in whatever you decide."

"Thank you."

"I do have one question, though."

"What?"

Dumbledore did not ask the question he expected. The question he did ask, however, was not the one he wouldn't answer. It was the one he couldn't answer.

"Don't you think you should consult the father of the child when making plans?"

No, he couldn't answer that one, since he didn't know who to consult.

--------------------

Black

As usual, the Christmas celebrations at Hogwarts were spectacular. As usual, Snape was skulking about like a giant vulture, ready to pounce on the carcass of killed joy.

Actually, that was unfair, he had to admit. Snape had more or less ignored the holidays and hadn't interfered much with the merriment.

He had a great deal to celebrate this year. Finally, after much pressure from Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody, of all people, he had been granted a new trial. The ministry had set the bail for release into Dumbledore's custody at an impossibly high level, but Dumbledore calmly delivered the galleons. Where the headmaster had managed to get that much money was a mystery to him, but he was free.

He was not allowed to leave Hogwarts, but he no longer had to stay in dog form in public. He left the school late at night, a few days before Christmas, and returned in human form, ostensibly answering a plea in the Daily Prophet to turn himself in.

Dumbledore welcomed him with open arms, confounding Cornelius Fudge, who was convinced that he would never return to the place from which he had escaped so spectacularly.

Hagrid was delirious with joy, since Buckbeak was now evidence in the new trial and was safe from destruction. Young Malfoy, surprisingly, said nothing about the hippogriff's return. Then again, he had been raked over the coals by Snape for that spell and his pompous self confidence hadn't quite recovered yet.

Yes, it would be a most excellent Christmas, then best he'd had in many, many years. He was free, and stood a very good chance of being acquitted at the new trial. He had Remus and Harry by his side. He was at Hogwarts, the site of the best time of his life. All things considered, life just couldn't get any better.

The only shadow in his happiness was Snape. Then again, even that should have been reassuring. Snape had always been a thorn in his side. Hogwarts wouldn't be Hogwarts without that supercilious, snarky, big nosed, greasy haired git around to torment him.

Except that Snape wasn't tormenting him, even when presented with an irresistible straight line. Snape was not even ignoring him entirely. Snape was treating him with utter indifference. Even their cherished hatred seemed to go by the wayside.

A few days after the seduction of the partly female Snape, he had caught Snape's eye. With a significant raising of his brows - one of their signals - he got back a frown and a slight shake of the head. No. Then Snape turned his attention to something else and it never returned. With that brief, unspoken conversation from across a room, he knew that their affair was over.

It shouldn't have mattered. There were others in and around Hogsmeade who could see to his physical needs. Even under house arrest, he could still find ways to get out long enough to screw around if he wanted to.

Yet, it did matter, mostly because he didn't know why Snape suddenly decided that he didn't want him anymore. Their affair seemed to be satisfactory enough; Snape had come to him as often as the other way around. He knew it would end eventually, but he had expected a flaming argument, with long stays in the hospital wing to recover from whatever hexes each had provoked the other to cast.

He certainly had not expected a simple 'no' and indifference thereafter. Although he told himself that it was not worth getting upset about, he spent considerable amount of time thinking about what he had done. And how his actions had affected the other man.

-------------------

Lupin

"What the hell is going on, Remus?" Sirius asked, suddenly as they walked back from a meeting of the Order.

"About what?" he replied, dragging himself from his own thoughts.

"Snape. Why is he going on sabbatical? And why now?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Gossip has it that he's hot on the heels of some new research and wants time off to work on it."

It was true enough. Severus had been practically living in the library since before the Christmas holidays, driving Madam Pince to distraction. As well, more owls than usual had arrived for him, many carrying scholarly papers.

"Perhaps. It just seems odd to me. He has his own lab here, so why go away to research?"

It seemed odd to him, too. Severus hadn't mentioned anything about a new potion or spell to the other members of the Order, although he usually spoke freely about magical matters to the group. At this meeting, Dumbledore merely announced that Severus was leaving for sabbatical, beginning in March and would be away until October. A substitute for potions classes would be arriving in February and oversee Slytherin House, with assistance from the other professors. No reason was given.

Severus had said nothing at the meeting, so he'd have to go for another social visit. If he was very, very lucky, perhaps it would end the way the last whiskey-and-chess visit had.

He wasn't even lucky enough to be offered a glass of whiskey. Severus refused to see him.

-------------

He had hoped that their lovemaking would have made a difference in their relationship, but it hadn't. Severus still treated him with cold courtesy, as he always did. With all the fuss over Sirius and his new trial, he hadn't had much time to think about Severus during the day and hadn't even seen him much.

At night, however, it was a different story. He could recall with perfect clarity every touch, every caress. He had not had many lovers; lycanthropy wasn't high on anybody's list of desired attributes in a partner and he knew he couldn't keep that a secret with anyone he wanted to share his life with. Unlike Sirius, he had little taste for one night stands, indulging himself only when the loneliness got too much to bear.

Severus always had the most incredible sexual aura around him when they were in school. Between Sirius going after the girls and Severus going after the boys, fully half of his graduating class could boast about having lost their virginity to one of the two of them.

He had not been one of them. After the incident in the Shrieking Shack, Severus had coldly ignored him, even when he tried to apologize. All he had gotten for his efforts was a witty, clever, devastatingly nasty verbal riposte and an erection hard enough to pound nails. And the bastard had done it deliberately, too. Severus used his dark charisma as often and as effectively as Sirius used his.

When he returned to Hogwarts to teach, he had been shocked to see that aura almost completely swamped by the icy demeanour of the most hated teacher in the school. He supposed that, as a teacher, Severus had to tone it down, but it was still a surprise to see just how much Severus had changed.

Every now and again, the aura would peek through the chill, but only when there were no students around and not often even then. The few times it had happened, Madam Hooch had been heard to murmur that it was a shame to throw that away on other men, and Severus had not thawed again for months.

-------------

When he returned, he was gratified to find that Severus was a little kinder to him. Perhaps he felt bad about forcing him out of his teaching position, but he had been almost friendly. As long as the conversation was kept strictly outside the personal, they got along fine.

He actually liked Severus. His acerbic personality was a refreshing change from the ones who treated him like a fragile ornament. Too many people saw how tired he was most of the time and assumed a gentleness with him that was as tiresome as it was nice. Severus, who was not nice and who knew exactly why he looked so physically frail, treated him with glorious rudeness. And behind the rudeness was an exceptionally keen mind.

He was attracted to Severus as well, but he wasn't panting after him or holding a torch left over from their long ago schooldays. He was merely appreciative of a fine body of similar tastes. The opportunity came along and, being no fool, he took it.

So if it was nothing more than a chance encounter - a very pleasurable one at that - why was he waking up in the middle of the night, achingly hard, reliving over and over the night he'd had with Severus? He could have explained that away easily as being hard up, but for one thing. The Wolf was always in his dreams, ready to lend the weight of bloodlust to his own very human urges. The Wolf had never invaded his dreams before.

Well, it was all a moot point anyway. By the time Severus came back from his sabbatical, he'd most likely be gone from Hogwarts.

-----------------------

Snape

Once the arrangements were made, he tried to put the whole issue out of his mind. It wasn't easy, since he was constantly reminded of the physical changes occurring. The binding cloth for his breasts helped with the discomfort of nipples brushing against the fine linen of his shirts, as well as keeping them from becoming noticeable.

Nothing, however, really helped much with the surge of hormones that shot through him at the oddest times. The strong sexual urge that had come within hours of the change seemed to have abated somewhat, but his self control was harder to hold.

He once found himself in tears, fortunately after classes, without knowing why. He hadn't cried for years, not since he was little. Yet, the tears flowed no matter how hard he tried to stop them.

His emotions were all mixed up, too. He didn't want to be pregnant, but he found himself running his hands over his now slightly rounded belly, over and over. It was soothing, in a way.

His temper was none too certain, either, although no one noticed a difference. His explosions of temper and snide remarks were legendary. Before, they were calculated. Now, cutting rejoinders flew out of his mouth without conscious volition.

-------------

He relived the night with Remus over and over, late at night and alone in his bed. He wanted Remus. He had always wanted Remus, but only the hormonal haze had allowed him to weaken enough to allow Remus to touch him.

He had hoped that Black's rough initiation of his new parts would ease the intense arousal, and thought it had, but the appearance of Remus at his door was enough to send desire spiking again. He had only enough self control to stop himself from jumping Remus where he stood, and not enough to prevent the reflex of creating the seductive aura that had served his teenage hormones so well in adolescence and, later, gave him great success as an interrogator for Voldemort.

He knew himself well enough to know that he loved Remus with every fibre of his being. It wasn't just that Remus had delivered on Black's promise of multiple orgasms, or that he had shown a tenderness he had never before experienced. No, all that was just confirmation of the feelings he had carried deeply in his heart since he was sixteen years old.

He had dreamed of Remus for a long time, but had never tried to make those dreams come true. He bore the Dark Mark, Voldemort's claim. For as long as that old, hated allegiance stood, whether serving Voldemort as he once had, or serving Dumbledore, as he now did, he was not free to offer his heart. The claim of the Mark would always - must always - take precedence over his own desires.

He could not lie to himself, though. There was something that made his condition bearable, even desirable. He had made love with Remus and there was physical proof that he had. He was, he hoped, having his baby. He refused to contemplate that it may well have been that bastard Black who had fathered the child inside.

-------------

He had avoided both of them afterwards, especially after finding out that he was pregnant. Since he wasn't a paragon of sociability at the best of times, this went unnoticed under the fuss with Black's new trial.

What hadn't gone unnoticed was his abrupt departure at breakfast that morning.

He had been feeling queasy for a few days, but when he smelled the coffee at the teacher's table, he felt nauseated. He felt so sick that he had to leave the table in a hurry. He rushed to the nearest loo - the teacher's loo, as it happened - and threw up.

"Severus?" It was McGonagall. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Minerva." He was surprised to find out that he was telling the truth. He felt fine now. "Something must have disagreed with me."

"Most things do, Severus," she shot back goodnaturedly. "You can be most disagreeable at times. However, you hadn't eaten anything."

"I'm fine," he reiterated, wishing she would go away.

"Dry crackers before you get up sometimes help," she said kindly. "I suppose the morning sickness just started."

Damn you to hell, Albus.

"Minerva..."

"Oh, stuff it, Severus," Minerva interrupted. "You're pregnant, aren't you? And before you come up with some lie to wiggle out of admitting it, may I remind you that I am an old woman with very sharp eyes."

"Albus or Poppy told you. I'm going to kill both of them."

"Neither of them said anything, Severus. I just happen to know the signs."

"Signs?"

"I'm not stupid. You got hit with a hermaphrodite spell nearly three months ago. Since then, you've been distracted and fretful. Your face is fuller. Your hair has a great deal more body and your clothes are not as well tailored as before. You haven't done any potentially damaging potions since then and you're taking a leave of absence soon. Add to that a bout of sickness before breakfast and it becomes quite clear," Minerva recited crisply. "You want to be away from here before your condition becomes impossible to hide. Am I right?"

He could not look at her.

"Congratulations, by the way. Not only are you going to have a baby, but you've managed to do what I always considered impossible."

"Get pregnant despite my gender?"

"Keep a secret at Hogwarts. You're good." Minerva smiled, obviously impressed. "Don't worry, Severus. I'll keep my mouth shut, too. If you need anything, please let me know. I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you, but I don't need anything."

"I highly doubt that."

"Nonetheless, Minerva, I can handle this on my own."

"I'm sure you can. I'm just saying that you don't have to."

-------------------

Black

Diane Methany. Diane fucking Methany, the bad tempered, impatient, miserable bitch. If Snape had to take a sabbatical, couldn't he have found a more amiable replacement? Then again, Diane was Severus Snape in drag, so Dumbledore probably felt she'd be the best substitute.

Oh, she knew her potions. And she did have a teaching certificate, but did she have to be so bloody disagreeable?

She'd come to dinner with the same damned comment every single time.

"Headmaster, may I have your permission to drown the little bastards in the lake?" she'd ask, quite serious. Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his eye, would shake his head.

"Then can I shave Snuffles and paint him with turpentine?" she'd continue, with a glare at the dog at Remus' feet. He often went to dinner in dog form, just so he didn't have to make nice to Methany.

"No." At least Remus stuck up for him. "What is your problem with Snuffles?"

"He annoys me. Mangy cur."

He growled and she crouched to scratch behind his ears in a parody of affection.

"Go ahead, Snuffles. Bite me."

He really wished he dared, but he suspected she could run faster mad than he could scared. She was a class A bitch, and not in a good way.

-------------

"Okay, Methany, just what the hell is your problem?" he demanded, shifting so abruptly that she squeaked in surprise. She knew he was an Animagus, but he had never transformed in front of her before.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do. You've treated me like shit from the moment you met me. Yes, I'm under house arrest, but you could at least wait until my retrial ends before you make up your mind to treat me like something you scraped off your shoes."

"I don't give a damn about that, Black," she shot back. "I don't believe that idiot Fudge any more than I believe what I read in Rita Skeeter's column in the Daily Prophet. I just don't like you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know enough." He had never heard any voice as hard and cold as hers. "Irresponsible twit."

"I am taking responsibility. I turned myself in to the authorities. I help out here where I can," he replied angrily.

"No, you are not taking responsibility. You're just like every other man. You take what you like and leave someone else to pick up the pieces."

"What?" He was confused by her vehemence. He was even more confused when she looked away, her cheeks turning red.

"I'm sorry. I thought..." she stammered. "Forget I said anything." With that she walked away.

-------------

What the hell was that crazy bitch on about? Everything she knew about him was filtered through her friend Snape, which was enough reason right there to dislike him. Even the accusation of irresponsibility was pure Snape, but the comment about being 'just like every other man'? That was the kind of thing bitter, abandoned girlfriends said. He hadn't abandoned Snape. Snape had left him. Had he bitched to his good friend Diane about his mean, nasty boyfriend?

Or...

Shit. The thought hit him like a bludger to the head. That night. He hadn't even considered that there might be a need for birth control and he was pretty sure that Snape had other things on his mind.

Had he gotten Snape pregnant?

--------------------

Lupin

It was weird not having Severus at the school. He had left quietly, but the aftermath was anything but quiet. The Slytherins were inconsolable and they bitterly resented Professor Methany for taking his place. He found himself in the exceedingly peculiar position of de facto head of Slytherin. Being a werewolf gave him some kind of credibility with the Slytherins, he supposed, and he had taken it upon himself to look out for them.

He was pleasantly surprised at how much the students in Slytherins liked and respected their head of house. Snape was no kinder to them than he was to anyone else, but he did something that few of them ever experienced before. He listened. Snape listened without judgement and without sympathy, and he tried to do the same thing. Methany, it seemed, was equally unsympathetic, but much more judgemental. Then again, had she been Salazar Slytherin himself, it would have made no difference. She wasn't their Professor Snape and, thus, she was their enemy.

-------------

"Professor Lupin?" One of the little first years, Alana Posthumus, touched his hand as he walked by.

"Yes, Alana?" He stopped, thankful that he could recall her name.

"Is Professor Snape dead?" she asked, worry written all over her small face. "He left awfully suddenly."

"No, he's not dead, Alana. He just had something he wanted to work on."

"What?"

"I don't know. Professor Snape didn't tell me."

"Is he sick?"

"Not that I know of. Why would you think that?"

"He was throwing up a lot before he left." She bit her lip. "Has he gone to the hospital to get better?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Alana. He'll be back next year," he said soothingly. "And he's not going to be happy about the way you treat Professor Methany, you know."

"Professor Methany doesn't like us." Ah, the stubborn Slytherin pout. Did they all learn that automatically after being sorted into Slytherin?

"She's not used to dealing with a lot of kids, Alana."

"She treats us like children. She asks what's wrong and when we tell her, she tries to fix it." Alana sounded resentful. "Professor Snape makes us fix it ourselves. I don't like her."

You're not alone in that, he thought. He didn't say anything, though. He just smiled at the girl.

"If you need to just talk, you can talk to me if you want," he offered. "I promise I won't help. I'll just listen."

And so began the oddest career he'd had to date.

-------------

The conversation with Alana confirmed his own suspicions as to why Severus had taken a sabbatical. He was stressed out and needed a rest, away from Hogwarts. The aftereffects of that spell probably convinced him that he needed a break.

After a couple of weeks of helping out with the Slytherins, he had a whole new appreciation of Severus' stress levels. They were a clever bunch of kids, and they asked some of the most taxing questions he'd ever heard. He was patient with them and, for the most part, metaphorically sat on his hands when he dearly wanted to interfere. One step in that direction, however, brought out the Slytherin stubborn pout.

None of them told him anything too personal, but they did feel comfortable enough to talk to him about general school issues and ask questions that didn't delve too deeply into their feelings. A proud, stubborn lot, they were, and he could see why Severus was so protective of them.

-------------

There was something weird going on, outside of his being an honourary Slytherin, although it had something to do with Methany.

Sirius and Methany had another altercation a week and a half ago and, since then, both of them had ceased to snarl at each other. In fact, Sirius had no opportunity to snarl at anybody. He had been spending an enormous amount of time in their sitting room, staring off into space. He had asked, concerned, but Sirius merely shrugged him off. He assumed that his introspection had to do with the upcoming trial, although it was not scheduled until July.

He had fallen into the habit of chattering brightly at his friend, trying to find some subject that would spark enough interest to bring him out of his abstraction. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

"Did you know that Gregory Goyle has a severe learning disability?"

"Other than being completely stupid?" Sirius replied absently.

"He's not stupid, Sirius. He's dyslexic. He has a great deal of trouble understanding symbols," he replied mildly. "That makes both literacy and magic very difficult for him. Severus has been working hard with him to improve his memory so he can learn by rote."

"Severus?" The sharpness in Sirius' voice startled him.

"Severus Snape. You know, the Head of Slytherin? Currently on sabbatical? He cares a lot for those kids and they miss him very much. Did you know that one of them asked me if he was ill? She was nearly crying."

"He's not ill, Remus," Sirius said positively. "At least, I hope not."

"What?" This was new. Sirius couldn't give a damn about Severus' general health. He shot a suspicious glance at Sirius. God, was he actually missing Severus? Did he... care?

"Remus..." Sirius paused to lick his lips, a sure sign of hesitation. "Before Snape left, did you notice anything... odd... about him?"

"Alana Posthumus said he'd been sick for a few days before he left," he offered, getting a little scared.

"Sick? As in throwing up?"

"Yes..."

"Oh, my God." Sirius buried his face in his hands.

"What? Sirius, what is it? What do you know?" He tried to keep the sharp tone out of his voice, but he didn't know if he succeeded.

"Remus, I think... I think Snape's pregnant."

"What?"

"Think about it. Who takes a sabbatical in the middle of a school year? Snape loves those kids. And he's been sick. And Methany accused me of..." Sirius broke off abruptly.

"Why does it matter to you if he is?" he asked carefully. Admit it, Sirius. Tell me.

"Because the kid's mine."

"Are you sure about that?"

"You want me to tell you the whole fucking story, Remus, so you can tell me what a callous, irresponsible idiot I am?" Sirius burst out. "When he was still under that spell, I slept with him. Hell, we've been getting it on for months. At least now I know why he broke it off with me. He didn't want me finding out that he was expecting."

"I mean, how do you know the kid is yours?"

"So who else could it..." Sirius stopped and stared at him. "You slept with him, too. Didn't you?"

"So we're both callous, irresponsible idiots," he said calmly.

"You knew," Sirius accused quietly. Anger warred with relief in his eyes. "You knew all along. You knew we were sleeping together and you knew that he was going off to have a baby. And you never told me. Not a word. Not a fucking word, Remus."

"You didn't tell me, either." he replied, not sure why he was fighting with Sirius. "So why should I tell you?"

There was a long, long silence. Then Sirius laughed. It was forced, and a little bitter, but a laugh nonetheless.

"Listen to us. Fighting over Snape. Remus, if I had known that he meant anything to you, I swear I'd have broken it off with him. What happened between us was nothing more than a physical release. For both of us," Sirius said apologetically. "Although I have to wonder just what the hell he was doing, shagging me when he had you."

"It was just... starting between us, Sirius," he said slowly. "I knew there was nothing emotional between you two."

"Remus, do you care for that snarky bastard?"

"I think... I do."

"Then what the hell are you still doing here? Waiting for an invitation? Go to him. He's having your child."

"I was rather hoping that... And I have responsibilities here...," he stuttered.

"Are you a wizard, Remus? Can't you apparate? If you're waiting for him to ask you, you're going to be a grandfather before you ever meet your son or daughter. You know Snape would rather die than ask."

"Yes. You're right."

"Despite what you might think, Remus, I don't like the son of a bitch. However, I do care about you and if he's what makes you happy, I'll try to get along with him." Sirius grinned suddenly, all of the introspective shadows gone from his eyes. "At least I know you'll be waking up in the morning with a smile on your face."

-------------

He was thankful he was a good enough actor that Sirius jumped to the conclusions he did. Sirius didn't need the worry about prospective parenthood. He willingly accepted that burden, since it was no burden at all.

He hadn't known that Severus had gotten pregnant that night, and he was surprised at the thoughts and feelings that had rushed through him as soon as those words came out of Sirius' mouth. Tenderness, protectiveness, worry and an odd rush of cunning calculation. What the Wolf was trying to tell him was now abundantly clear. He had found his mate.

Sirius was right. He had to go to Severus. He had to court him and win him, now that his defenses were down and there wasn't a myriad of outside pressures to hide behind.

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"I need to know where Severus is." He looked defiantly at Dumbledore, daring him to refuse.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Remus."

"I need to talk to him, face to face. Please, Albus. It's important."

"I'm sorry, Remus. Severus specifically asked me not to disclose his location."

"Albus, I really think I should be there with him, at least for a little while."

"Why?" Those keen blue eyes were entirely too keen and he had to look away.

"Because I'm the father of his child," he lied.