AUTHOR: T’Yanna Wiles

RATING: NC-17

PAIRING: SS/RW

SPOILERS: All books, but nothing specific.

WARNINGS: Mpreg and some minor angst

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own them and I’m not making any money here. Really this is all JK Rowling’s fault for making such a fun universe to play in, but I don’t intend to infringe on her, or her publishers’, copyright.

SUMMARY: A party, a pregnancy and plans that go awry.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is an entry in Misconceptions: Harry Potter Mpreg Fuh-Q-Fest Wave 3 (http://hpmpregfqf.design-of-decadence.net/)Challenges:
FqF3 #18. Someone doesn't know who the father of his baby is until he sees the baby for the first time after birth and is totally shocked by what he sees. The baby looks just like someone he didn't even bother putting on his list of possible fathers. (Submitted by Starling Siren)
FqF3 #50. A professor is hiding the existence of his child while continuing with his teaching duties. Preferably, the child is hidden at Hogwarts or in Hogsmeade. (Submitted by Bitter Briar)
FqF3 #56. There's a masquarade party at Hogwarts and, while still masked, two people have sex in a broom closet. What surprises await them? (Submitted by Angelina Vega)
Rairing: RW/SS
Weasley, Ronald "Ron" - Gryffindor Student List B
Snape, Severus - Hogwarts Faculty List F

BETA: The wonderful Karah, who puts up with my constant chatter.

~~~HP~~~

It was a hot, bright event, so it did not take too long for Severus Snape to seek out a cool, dark corner. He knew that he should be out there keeping an eye on the younger guests, but for now he was going to let someone else worry about those things. It was his celebration as much if not more than anyone else’s.

The war had come to an end just a few short weeks before. Voldemort had finally been killed this time in both body and spirit. Amazingly, enough it hadn’t been by magic that Potter had finally triumphed. It was almost laughable that the self-proclaimed greatest wizard ever was done in by a Muggle pocket knife.

At last the wizarding world, and Severus Snape, was free.

Hogwarts was alive with a week-long party to celebrate that and the coming summer holidays. The end of the year feast had been turned to a masquerade ball. The Great Hall had been brightly decorated. With the exception of the gray English sky, the room looked like a tropical paradise.

The party guest had taken their cue from the surroundings. Severus felt slightly nauseous at the colorful, festive swirl of bodies out on the dance floor. He looked down at his own dark teal blue robes, a never worn gift from his mother on his 17th birthday, and smirked at himself. To be perfectly honest it wasn’t the costumes, and there were some whoppers, that made him sick.

It was the masks.

Rationally he knew there was a difference between dominos and costume masks and those of the Death Eaters. He couldn’t help but be put on edge, half-cringing at the sight of so many hidden faces. He must have been to one too many Death Eeater meetings. Paranoia was driving him crazy. The need to flee was almost overwhelming.

Only the fact that he and McGonagall were scheduled to escort the first and second years to their dorms at curfew kept him from going to his dungeons. He pulled out his pocket watch and sighed. Another hour to go.

He knew he couldn’t stay hidden in the corner near the windows under a potted palm that long. No matter how good the breeze felt against his mask and through the wig Dumbledore had required he wear. Apparently his hair was too distinctive and all faculty members had to be unrecognizable, except for Binns, Hagrid and Flitwick. Some things couldn’t be disguised after all.

Severus scanned the room nervously. He gaze was quickly caught by someone else’s. The man in question wore the powdered wig and feathered cap of Muggles centuries ago, and a dark brown dress robe of the same era, with just the tiniest hint of blue jeans at the hem. Only his mouth, painted the same brown as his robes, and eyes were visible. It was those eyes that transfixed Severus, though later he couldn’t recall the color. There was an intensity in them that made heat rush through his body. He shivered in the overly hot room. Something was different in the meeting of eyes as if something… connected between them. Feelings like he’d never had rose up in him. It was almost as if he were a teenager again, though Severus had never been one for instant lust. He was forced to tear his eyes away.

Taking quick note of Dumbledore’s occupation with a group of what he hoped were middle aged witches, he decided he could sneak out for a few minutes. He’d definitely need it if he was going to regain his composure. Maybe a stiff drink as well though he knew he wouldn’t be able to get one of those until after he made sure the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors made it to their dorms.

The corridor was blessedly cool and quiet. Relatively quiet as the noise filtered through even the heavy wooden doors of the Great Hall. Severus drew a deep steadying breath as he moved away from the door. He didn’t want anyone to stumble upon him, but he couldn’t go far. Severus found himself leaning on the cool stone wall around the corner near the closet he had had to rescue Misters Crabbe and Goyle from in their second year.

He let out a small sigh. For all the trouble they put him to, Severus was unbelievably glad that they had been smart enough to stay well out of their fathers’ politics. In fact, he was most edified that the majority of the 6th year Slytherins would be returning. He knew that managing to keep almost an entire generation from becoming Death Eaters was reason enough for him to be in celebrating with everyone else, but he couldn’t bring himself to go back in there.

It was too unsettling.

Severus’s head, which had been tipped back against the wall, came up. That was it. The atmosphere was what caused his unusual reaction to the locked gaze. He shivered again just thinking out if. He snorted in disgust at himself. It was nothing more than rattled nerves.

To be perfectly honest with himself, Severus admitted that there was more to it then that. He’d never before been attracted to a man, though he wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea. It simply wasn’t part of his, albeit limited, experience. There was surprise at the attraction to add to the odd mix. Severus had also been alone for a long time. Long enough for any attraction to be strong.

Still it wasn’t anything life changing, no matter how he shivered or his heart pounded or his blood burned.

Closing his eyes and laying his head back, Severus tried to push aside a sudden burst of disappointment. He was willing to admit in the dim hallway that it would have been nice to have someone to share the rest of his life with. Still and all, he would settle for being alive and in good health. Knowing how lucky he had been, he supposed dealing with disinterested children wasn’t that bad. He drew another deep breath. His few minutes were over and it was time to go back.

Only when Severus opened his eyes, *he* was there. The man stood surprisingly close. Severus’s heart jumped, but he wasn’t able to convince himself that it was from the shock of being snuck up upon. He felt the kick of attraction like that of a horse and having his personal space invaded by the source of that desire was both disconcerting and alluring. Severus racked his brain for some sort of snide remark but when he opened his mouth nothing but air came out.

And then he was being kissed, with the same intensity that he’d been looked at. Severus’s mind blanked of everything but the feel of the man. The lips were soft and smooth, but firmer than those of any woman he had ever kissed. His mouth tasted of strawberries and was surprisingly cold, both probably from the ridiculous umbrellad drinks being served in the Great Hall. A shiver slid up Severus’s spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. The faint scratch of the mask he wore tickled the end of Severus’s nose in a surprisingly pleasant way. The hand on the back of his neck was hot even through the glove he wore. The other on his cheek was gentle, caressing all of the skin left uncovered there by his mask with slow brushes.

The kiss seemed to stretch. Severus vaguely wondered if this could last forever. His light-headedness didn’t even bother him. Lack of air didn’t matter, only the feel of lips and finger tips. His eyes drooped closed for the barest instant before popping back open as his would-be lover drew back. He gulped for air as the kiss broke, but could do nothing but stare at the slow smile on the lips in front of him.

The hand on the back of his neck moved down his arm and grasped his wrist. Severus let himself be led by gentle pulls on his arm and pushes on his cheek. Somewhere in the back of his muddled brain, something asked what the hell his thought he was doing, but Severus ignored it, allowing himself to simply live in the moment. That was something he hadn’t felt safe enough to do in longer than he could remember.

The door to the closet he’d been musing on not so long ago opened at his back. He didn’t remember seeing lips move for the spell but didn’t care. The darkness of the closet broke the hold his soon-to-be lover’s eyes had on him. Still Severus let himself be backed up until his butt bumped into a storage table. A sudden flurry of nerves assailed him. It had been so long since he’d indulged that any skills he may have once had were long gone. Besides it was much easier to simple go with the motions then to think about being with a man for the first time at his age.

As if reading the sudden increase in Severus’s thoughts his stranger treated him to another heady, mind-numbing kiss. Severus was able to let go with one last coherent thought. This was a night for celebration and what could be more celebratory?

In a matter of minutes his robe and button-down shirt were undone and hanging limply from his shoulders. His chin, neck, shoulders and chest had been lavished with more attention then he’d ever imagined. Severus was also sporting two of the largest hickeys in the history of Hogwarts and that was saying something. He’d had to fumble for his wand to do a silencing charm when he couldn’t hold back his loud moans.

As much as he’d enjoyed he’d also reciprocated. His new lover’s T-shirt made a most satisfying sound as it ripped. He had luxuriated in the feel of smooth skin over hard muscle, the slight taste of sweat and the delighted chuckle at the torn shirt and encouraging moans. It was intense and wonderful.

As his lover slipped into the slight gap between his thighs, Severus opened them willingly but hesitantly, knowing that it was going to be hard to hold on to his control. The hem of a lovingly worn pair of jeans rubbed against his stomach. The warm solid weight was comforting in an odd way as well as arousing. Severus found the evidence against his upper-thigh that his lover was as aroused as himself a sublime experience. It was heady to know he was doing something right, even if he was rusty.

Severus couldn’t help to shift to change the delectable friction into something more. This earned him an approving moan and a clutch at his hips. He smiled against his lover’s neck. It was nice to have one of those even if was only for one night. Suddenly the hand on his side moved to the waist of his slacks. Severus barely realized what was happening before his pants were sliding off his hips.

A warm hand settled around his cock. This at least wasn’t something new, but it was certainly better than any of his previous experiences. His lover was almost too knowledgeable. That tension that said he wouldn’t last long settled along Severus’s spine. He opened his mouth to protest but all that came out was a stunned gasp. His lover had taken his left arm and unbuttoned his sleeve. Never pausing his wrist was brought to his lover’s mouth where the sensitive skin where the Dark Mark had been was bit sharply.

*HE KNEW.* Any doubt that Severus had about his lover knowing him vanished.

Severus gave up the fight and came into his lover’s hand. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t as amazing as it felt. That this hadn’t just jumped to the front of his best sexual experience list. He tried to make himself believe that this euphoria was just from the long dry spell before. It wasn’t perfect. The rub of denim on his thighs wasn’t soothing; it was irritating, or so he told himself. Not that he really believed any of it through the bubbles of bliss dancing on his nerves.

He was still floating in that haze when he was lifted onto the table. It took a second for his mind to clear enough to realize what that meant. In that moment, the fire was rekindled. He couldn’t remember be that instantaneously excited even as a randy teenager. Not even he could write his eagerness off as the thrill of doing something new.

Still it wasn’t easy to relax as his lover’s fingers circled his entrance. Realistically Severus knew it couldn’t hurt as badly as half the things he’d been through in his life, but that didn’t help. His lover’s gentle pressure as his finger circled did a lot to make him feel wanted. That along with a constant rubbing of the bite on his wrist had Severus tottering on the knife’s edge of excitement and fear.

Finally his lover resorted to several of those mind-numbing kisses. Severus forced himself to relax and a first finger slipped inside him. The digit found his nub, and quickly had Severus squirming and panting. From there, it was easy to let himself go with the sensations. He felt more tightly wound than he had before. The pressure on his spine had him reaching for his lover’s zipper.

This elicited a heartfelt moan. Still his lover was gentle as he replaced his fingers with his cock. Few of Severus’s previous encounters had been gentle, so it was a new experience that made him feel wonderfully special. It was as if time was standing still for one perfect moment in his life. Even the slight pain of stretching to accommodate his lover’s length and width did little to dim Severus’s feeling of rightness. Though Severus wanted it to last forever both he and his lover were too excited for that. He hadn’t imagined that sex could be that good, yet that seemed insignificant. In fact for Severus the best part was the series of almost platonic kisses afterward as if he were really special.

Even those had to come to an end as the magical alarm he’d put on his pocket watch chimed. With regret, he pushed away only to be pulled back for a moment. His lover raised his wrist to his mouth again and licked his bite mark. He allowed one more kiss, before smoothing his hand down a muscled chest. His lover allowed him to step back and Severus hurriedly dressed. He paused at the door, but didn’t look back before going to escort the youngest students to their dorms.

Still he couldn’t help himself from going back. There was no sign of what had happened, except for the feathered cap on the table. Severus sighed. He hesitated for a moment before shrinking it and putting it in his pocket.

~HP~

Despite popular opinion, Severus Snape was usually a morning person. However, he’d been feeling a bit run down since the summer break had begun. So on a bright Monday morning when he would usually be up and tinkering in his lab, he lay in bed. The quiet was comforting as he stared up at the ceiling, one hand behind his head, the other on his stomach.

In the past two weeks, Severus had mastered keeping his mind blank at moments like that. Otherwise, he’d found himself thinking of the masquerade. That didn’t help him get much done and put him in a black mood. One-night stands weren’t supposed to be obsessed about. Over and done with that’s all. He shouldn’t be racking his brain for any hint of who his mystery lover had been.

Severus shouldn’t have stacks of parchment in his desk drawer of remembered details and list upon list of party guests with names crossed out. He wasn’t supposed to keep the feathered hat from that night on his bedside table. He shouldn’t be both elated and depressed when he thought back. He wasn’t supposed to wish for a repeat. He was supposed to be glad with the experience and move on.

Still he couldn’t he kept his mind on anything else.

It was while he was forcing himself to contemplate the grout of the stone ceiling that he felt it. The movement in his abdomen was vaguely like the rumble of an empty stomach, but that wasn’t it. He was never hungry in the morning and there was not accompanying rumble. As a potion’s master he knew quite a bit about anatomy and there was only one thing that came to mind.

That thought in mind, Severus heaved himself out of bed. Padding into his private laboratory, he stretched slowly before thumbing through his books. Finding the one he wanted, he set it on the stand by his cauldron. He filled the pot almost absently, his mind both occupied with possibilities and carefully blank. Severus used his spare wand to light his cauldron fire as he flipped to the right page.

Scutaro, his house elf, came in tittering approvingly. His opinion of his master’s recent laze-a-bed philosophy had been quite obvious. In a way, Severus found it amusing and heartening that Scutaro felt comfortable enough to express himself. Mostly though he was annoyed, as he knew what it was Scutaro wanted, for them to move the scant 15 miles back to Snape Place.

So Severus ignored the elf as he gathered ingredients. It was easy to lose himself in the process and not think about anything, not even that which drove him from bed. The potion was simple, even a first year could do it. His mind drifted on the gentle, natural rhythm of stirring. Not that he could get lost for long as the potion was ready fast, but it was nice not to have to think for a while.

As Severus poured the potion out to cool in a beaker, he looked at it and seriously considered what it could mean. Why not? He was free. He’d probably never get another opportunity. He’d never let fear or the unknown stop him before. Pulling a hair out he dropped it into the beaker, half hoping but not expecting anything.

The clear potion turned blue.

A minute later Severus was in the bathroom being violently ill. An hour later a very shocked Poppy Pomfrey confirmed his finding. He was pregnant.

~HP~

Severus Snape sat in his favorite armchair with the lists he’d made since the night of the masquerade in his hand. He had sneakily asked all the faculty about the people they’d talked to that night. He thought that he had a fairly complete listing divided into categories, including the older students, though he didn’t think that any of them were his query, as he’d come to term his one-night stand. The floor around him was scattered with crumpled parchment of evaluation after evaluation.

He’d really had nothing to do for the last three weeks. It was summer break for one and he couldn’t experiment since he had taken a potion to speed his pregnancy. He had timed it just in time to have the baby before school began again.

So he spent all his time obsessing. Severus’s day consisted of going through his list time after time eliminating names for various reasons and then rethinking his criterion. He had a list of them as well. There were physical, psychological, social and a group of miscellaneous parameters. This was turning out to be the most detailed undertaking he’d had outside of spying in a long time.

He pulled a blank piece of parchment and a heavy potions tome into his lap from the side table. Severus dipped his quill and rested it against the paper. A mumbled spell later a copy of his master list appeared and he began marking off names, section by section. Severus could only really rule out those that he could categorically eliminate.

He began with the list of people he’d labeled “education” including former faculty. Gilderoy Lockhart had been as annoying as ever with questions like were we friends or did we share confidences. Professor Marchbank and Severus had had a short conversation about the proposed changes in the OWLs that had degenerated into a huge debate between the school Governors and the OWL administers. It was hard to say which of those conversations he fled faster.

Although in hindsight he wasn’t so sure they had been as bad as the endless stream of ministry officials he’d ended up shaking hands with, even if that did help him narrow his search as nearly the entire ministry category would be marked off. Severus decided to change his tactic and mark off everyone he’d spoken to that night.

Arthur Weasley and his brood had surprised him by shaking his hand, one and all, except for Ron who was laid up in the hospital wing from the final battle. They hadn’t been the handshakes of mindless bureaucrats, but genuine with actual conversations. Bill had come as mummy with some very entertaining stories about goblin hygiene. Percy on the other hand had had both boring stories and costume. Charlie had spent the whole evening translating for the Gypsy girl he’d brought for a date. Fred and George who had come as matching Muggle circus clowns had sought his advice with some experiments they were doing.

This had of course led to an interrogation from their competitor, Herbert Zonko V. Soon he’d found himself making small talk with many of the merchants from Hogsmeade who subtly and not so subtly wanted to know if he’d be moving back into Snape Place just the other side of the town and spending money there like his father and grandfather had. It was a small wonder he’d sought out a quite corner to escape the mindless chit chat.

That didn’t even include the students he’d had to talk to. He’d confiscated drinks from Colin Creevy and sent a very drunk Neville Longbottom to bed early. Harry Potter had a “James Bond” costume that no one really got the reference to but he was able to hide his trademark scar and glasses. Crabbe, Goyle, Finch-Fletchley, Macmillan, and the vast majority of the students on his master list had worn traditional dominos and not bothered to really hide their appearance. Although Severus did puzzle at the number that complimented him on his blue hair. In fact, there were only two students off his list that he couldn’t remember speaking to Blaise Zabini and Seamus Finnigan.

He was about to move on when he hesitated. In all honesty, they were each too enamored with Granger to be his query. Besides neither of those two would sleep with him. A blue wig, teal robes and a domino hadn’t kept most people from recognizing him. Two students who saw him nearly every day wouldn’t be fooled. He dipped his quill and marked Zabini and Finnigan with the rest of their schoolmates.

Then there were those that he hadn’t actually spoken to at the party but who Severus could rule out. Like Albus who was too tall, had a beard and Severus’d been seen talking to someone else when he’d first seen his query. Tom, bartender from the Leaky Cauldron, had been there, making those frozen Muggle drinks. He would have been much too busy for a tryst in a closet. Severus could also exclude Hagrid, Flitwick and Cornelius Fudge, with their distinguishing size characteristics. Mad-Eye Moody was eliminated based on his eyepiece.

Ludo Bagman, who had amazingly stayed out of debtor’s prison by winning the Muggle lottery, had been dressed as a Quiddith player and gotten drunk very loudly, to no one’s surprise. He’d arrived though after Severus had left. In addition, Viktor Krum, as the Muggle version of the great vampire Dracula, had announced his retirement from sport. The Weird Sisters made an appearance and apparently, Krum left with the lute player. Hagrid had had to escort Oliver Wood, Marcus Flint and most of the Alumni Quidditch team out after they got drunk and tried to turn the decorations into brooms. All they accomplished were flying potted palm trees.

The bang of the Knight’s Bus had been audible even in his quarters, so he could put the arrival of Stan Shunpike, driver, and several members of the Order as after his own. Mundungus Fletcher, Elphias Doge, Edgar Bones and Shunpike had started the party early. Shunpike nearly lost his job for getting the entire inside of the bus soaked in Butterbeer.

Mr. Ollivander and several other Diagon Alley merchants had arrived late after their shops closed for the day. They’d brought with them a fresh round of food and alcohol to the older students’ delight. It didn’t take long before the Muggle drinks were replaced with spiked ices from Fortescue's. The firewhiskey from the Leaky Cauldron’s back room had been particularly strong. Severus had been woken early to make hangover cures for most of the staff. That included a very bad Hagrid who had actually given him much of the details.

Severus paused before putting down his quill. He could think of no one else he could eliminate.

The few unmarked names jumped off the page at him. There were only four, still he couldn’t imagine any of them really being his query. For example, he’d eliminated Remus Lupin the first time around on the thought that he was too emaciated to have the physique he remembered. However, that assumption was based on the state of his clothing not on ever having seen Lupin without a shirt. Sturgis Podmore was black, but that could be disguise. Severus just couldn’t figure out why he should do so. Perkins from the ministry was by all accounts deeply in love with his wife. Last and not least was the current DADA professor, Magnus Dimdull. He was apparently both dim and dull and had only survived the year by some miracle. Sever doubted Magnus had enough imagination to think of both a feathered cap and powdered wig to disguise himself.

Most of all he couldn’t really think of any of them as a man who could put him in this condition. After all wizard pregnancies were rare. The theory for the past six centuries was that they were caused by the harmony of the wizards’ magic. It would take a perfect match to create a child. None of them felt like his ideal mate, as it was believed it required. Shouldn’t he know, or at least have an inkling?

~HP~

Child birth wasn’t as bad as say Cruciatus, but Severus quickly decided that the theory behind male wizard pregnancy was wrong. It had nothing to do with their magic. It had everything to do with a witch. Some long ago witch who had cursed all wizards to suffer as she did. How Muggles got out of the curse he wasn’t sure, lucky bastards.

Still it was much more exhausting that he had thought it would be. Even assisted with the magic of Poppy Pomfrey, Severus felt like he had nothing left after every contraction. It continually amazed him that there were reserves left for the next and the next. Maybe his mother was right after all and he had been a terribly ungrateful child. He couldn’t help questioning the wisdom of telling a six-year-old that, but it was true nonetheless.

Glancing over at the crib set in the corner of his bedroom, Severus reaffirmed the vow he’d made to be a better parent than either of his had been. He figured it shouldn’t be too difficult even if he was going it alone. A smidgen of longing went through him as he caught sight of the shrunken feather cap hanging over the crib. It would be nice to have someone at his side.

His eyes locked on that cap, he found the strength to follow Poppy’s encouraging words. “One more push, Severus.”

Nor did he take his eyes off it at his child’s first cry, the strangely quiet announcement that he had a son, or Poppy taking the boy to be cleaned up. Staring he didn’t feel alone. Staring he felt ready to take on anything, albeit nothing to physically strenuous. Staring, he felt ready to meet a future forever changed.

It was only as Poppy prepared to hand him the small bundle that he looked at her. There was something in her face that made him frown. Dread filled him. “Is he alright?”

Poppy managed a weak smile. “Yes, only…”

She trailed off, but Severus didn’t need her to finish. He’d taken his son’s weight in his arms and never felt such joy. His concern seemed to melt into the background as he looked down. His son had all the typical newborn awkwardness, bright wrinkly skin and a dopey expression. Yet, he was amazingly beautiful in his own imperfect way. His nose was showing signs of being unfortunately large and his dark eyes were surprisingly intense. He had a single tuft of hair.

Bright red hair.

It took Severus a moment to get past the sight of his son and actually see him. It was then that Poppy’s look made sense. His son’s father could be none other than the youngest Weasley. So many things fell into place. The wig and the hat to hide such a distinguishing characteristic. Knowledge of the closet where he and Potter had locked up Crabbe and Goyle. No one else having noticed him at the party, he obviously hadn’t been there long, as Poppy hadn’t felt that comfortable leaving a patient alone for long. The fact that none of Severus’s carefully considered possible fathers seemed right.

Ron Weasley, that thorn in his side, was his ideal mate.

“Severus.” He looked up into the mediwitch’s face, shaking his head at the questions he found there. Thankfully Poppy accepted that and let most of her questions drop. “Do you have a name picked out?”

He opened his mouth to reply in the negative, but instead a thought occurred to him. Maybe he was being premature. He couldn’t do a paternity spell until Poppy left to be sure, but an answer came out anyway.

“Thoran. Thoran Ronald Snape.”

~HP~

The Great Hall was growing steadily louder as the older students began to file in for the beginning of the year feast. Severus was seated at the faculty table between Hagrid and Lupin, who’d replaced Magnus Dimdull. His lips twitched. Apparently, the reason that Dimdull had never made it to the masquerade was that he had decided to come as whichever king had ordered Sir Nicholas executed with a dull axe to which the ghost had taken offense. Nearly Headless Nick had acted more like Peeves and Dimdull refused to return. That amusement was worth putting up with Lupin. That wasn’t as bad as the noise.

After the quiet he’d indulged in the last week bonding with his son the sound of hundreds of students was not welcome. In fact he would have loved to skip the whole thing entirely, but he and Dumbledore had decided that the students shouldn’t know about the change in his condition. Still he would’ve liked nothing more than heading back to his quarters.

He’d known that having a child was hard work. His mother had told him so everyday of his childhood. What he hadn’t known, and didn’t think his mother’d ever known, was a how much joy it could be. Every time he looked at Thoran nothing else mattered, not even being woken in the middle of the night or his own struggles.

That was the other reason he’d wanted to avoid this night, Ron Weasley. Since realizing who Thoran’s other father was, Severus’s emotions had run the gamete. He’d been furious at the deception and confused by the prospect that Ron was his ideal mate. Most of all there had been guilt. No matter what had happened that night, Ron was still a boy and a student. It had not been right even if he had been of age. To compound all that, Severus couldn’t help but feel terrible about not sharing Thoran. He knew that family was everything to Weasleys. Keeping such a joyous baby to himself seemed wrong. Only he wasn’t ready to face what had happened. Besides as a former Death Eater he could lose his son. He’d just have to learn to live with the guilt.

That thought in mind he forced his face to be carefully blank as the Gryffindor table began to fill. Not that he looked there intentionally. Indeed he merely glanced toward that half of the room. Severus forced is eyes not to linger on the shock of red hair, forced himself to barely notice that Ron was finally showing all those muscles he’d felt and grown another inch.

Almost against his will his eyes were drawn back as everyone took their seats waiting for the sorting ceremony for begin. Like that night months before he found his gaze caught by intense eyes. Only this time he knew they were blue and there was something like longing and something that Severus didn’t dare name in them. The connection was still there if not stronger stealing Severus’s breathe.

Thankfully their locked gaze was broken when Ron was jostled by the rowdiness of his friend Finnigan. Severus dropped his eyes to his empty plate. Stalwartly reminding himself about wishful thinking and false hope, he suppressed his emotions. He had to stay the course he’d set. He kept his mind and attention on the ceremony and then his own house and meal. That didn’t keep him from feeling that blue gaze on his face or from realizing this maybe harder than he’d thought.

~HP~

If the glare he gave his two first year classes wasn’t as fierce as usual there was no comment. As dedicated as Severus was to keeping his secret, he knew that it would be impossible to act as if nothing had changed, too much simply had. He’d still be the hard-nosed git he’d always been, just a bit more content. How could he not be with a happy baby and a less nagging house elf at home? Still judging by the groaning he heard in the hallways his beginning of the year speech had managed to suitably impress and distress his students.

He allowed himself a small smile. Then he carefully controlled his expression. His hardest class was yet to come. The seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins would be filtering into the seats in a few moments. It would take all his control to teach the complex potions that NEWT level required with R… Weasley in the room.

Ron was his one time lover, the father of his son. Weasley was his student, another cauldron to supervise, another curfew to enforce, no different from the hundreds of other boys that passed through his classroom. It was Weasley that he would see almost everyday, not Ron. He would just have to make sure he didn’t get confused.

Severus squared his shoulders. To that end, he planned to ignore Weasley as much as possible. That shouldn’t be too difficult. The boy was fairly competent with potions and the current cease fire between houses meant that he’d be able to avoid giving detentions for petty fighting. Compared to spying on Voldemort it should be child’s play.

Severus forced those thoughts from his mind as the students began to fill the room. A familiar bank of anger filled him as he listened to the girls ooh and ahh over R… Weasley’s muscles. Of course he wasn’t jealous; he merely couldn’t stand such stupid teenage prattle in his classroom. Inattention could lead to accidents. Therefore, he found it easy to take points from the Gryffindors even before they got their cauldrons to simmering.

At least no one could say he was more lenient than before. Still he couldn’t help noticing he changes around him. Crabbe, Goyle and to a lesser extent Malfoy seemed more alert. It was as if they’d finally realized that they’d have to make their own way in life and needed some skill, a little late, but better than never. Also Longbottom was much more confident than he had been before summer break. Helping to save the world would do that to a boy. He could see potential there, not in potions, but potential. It was while he was pondering that marvel that noticed something else.

“Mr. Weasley, are you trying to blow us all up?”

Looking into the redhead’s face, Severus realized two things. He had intentionally messed up his potion and that avoiding Ron Weasley would be harder than he thought.

~HP~

That first day marked the beginning of a pattern. It was quite obvious that Ro… Weasley wanted his attention. The ma… boy vacillated between perfection in his potions to utter chaos. It had taken some creative intervention on Severus’s part to keep his class safe and to prevent giving a detention. That was exactly what Weasley wanted if his new level of insolence in the hallways and class was any indication. So far, taking points had sufficed but the problems were escalating.

Weasley had even taken to lurking about his class and office. Severus was certain that if he knew where his quarters were, Weasley would be camped outside them. So far, he’d managed to evade almost all contact. Severus had even changed his routine. He’d planned on taking all his meal in the Great Hall like usual, but the staring had driven him to his quarters at midday. The quiet and time with his son helped recharge his spirit and steel his determination.

Still Severus didn’t know how long this game of cat and mouse could last.

~HP~

The library was quiet on a Tuesday night, a fact for which Severus was immensely grateful. There was something pride pricking about a Potions Master such as himself having to resort to a school library for research. He did have a rather extensive collection of potions texts in his sitting room, after all. Then again, given his research interests it wasn’t that surprising that a cure for diaper rash wasn’t it them. Still the fewer people who saw him the better.

He’d just found “The Potion’s Guide to a Healthy Childhood” when the thud of books and scrape of chairs made him jump. The Potions Section was usually deserted except for finals week. Stealthily looking through the shelf he saw 7th year Gryffindors settling at the empty table, Ron Weasley among them.

Severus steeled himself. He was sure the awkwardness he felt around the man… boy was quite obvious to everyone. McGonagall and Lupin who knew he had a child but had yet to see Thoran had been giving him curious glances. They had to suspect something. He was bound and determined to overcome this. That and the knowledge that Ro… Weasley didn’t know he was there was all that kept him from fleeing.

He browsed at a leisurely pace, half listening to the study session, well beyond finding the correct formula. The library’s selection was quite good and it had been some time since he’d looked. Besides Thoran was asleep under Scutaro’s watchful eye and he hadn’t spent any time to himself outside of work since school had resumed a month before, a few minutes wouldn’t hurt. A rather extensive list of books that he wanted to look at was forming in his head when all thought scattered upon hearing his name through the shelf.

“I’m tired of Snape and Potions taking up all my time.” Lavender Brown’s voice was loud, carrying and long-suffering as only a teenager’s could be. Not that Severus could blame her. He’d though much the same of Transfiguration when he was 7th year and he’d been doing much better than Ms. Brown was.

“Hey, it could be worse. At least he’s not handing out detentions left and right like last year,” Dean Thomas pointed out. His statement was met with a round of heartfelt groans. Severus smiled to himself glad he could still inspire dread.

“Have you noticed that he seems… mellower?” Leave it to Granger to introduce an investigation into mindless complaining. He shook his head. In an odd way, he was going to miss that girl in the spring.

“I saw Snape shake Madam Hooch’s had after the Quidditch match and he was smiling even though Slytherin lost.” The wonder in Longbottom’s voice made Severus frown. Was he really such a sour puss that they believed he was poor sport? He’d always shaken hands with the opposing Head of House, even an often gloating Minerva.

“Yeah and he laughed at one of Professor Lupin’s jokes at breakfast last week, remember?” Seamus Finnigan asked.

“Madam Trelawney kept mumbling about strange energies all day. It certainly was creepy.” Parvati Patil joined the conversation sounding disturbed by the whole idea of him laughing at a joke. Somehow, that bothered Severus more than he thought it would have before the masquerade.

“I thought Hagrid was about to swallow his tongue in shock.” Potter finally spoke up. He, at least, sounded amused before turning serious. “He’s probably just relieved to not have to worry about Vol… You Know Who.”

There was an uncomfortable silence before the tension was broken. “Or maybe he’s just getting some.”

The snicker what followed Finnigan’s statement was louder than Severus would have expected. For on sickening moment, he wondered if what had happened at the masquerade hadn’t been some Gryffindor prank or dare. The thought that they all knew and laughed at him flittered though his brain. It passed after he thought of Thoran and realized he’d have the last laugh. Still he peeked through the stack and was relieved to see a white-faced Ro… Weasley not laughing.

“Nah. Who would shag Snape?”

This set off another round of snickers only they were cut short.

“Shut up, Seamus.” There was a fierce anger in R... Ron’s voice that cause a little bubble of hope to rise in Severus’s chest. A hope for what he wasn’t sure so he ruthlessly crushed it, only to have it come rushing back. “There’s nothing wrong with Snape.”

“Riiiiiight.” Severus could hear Thomas’s eye roll. “Greasy hair and a cruel disposition are so alluring.”

This time there were no answering snickers. It only took one glance at Ron’s angry face to understand why. Even the airheads Brown and Patil knew that they had gone too far. Severus thought that would be the end of it, but ended up shocked.

“No, but intelligence, confidence, wittiness, and passion are.” The sheer conviction in Ron’s voice widened Severus’s eyes and dropped his jaw. He wasn’t the only one. A stunned silence settled over the study table. No one moved for a long moment.

“God, Ron, you sound like you’re in love with him, or something.” Potter sounded about as shell-shocked as Severus felt. That was exactly what he’d been thinking.

“So what if I am?”

The challenge was clear, but there was no answer, not from his friends or from the object of his affections.

~HP~

It was Friday, just four days after the library incident, that Remus Lupin ruined Severus’s careful plans. He’d been alone in his office grading papers after the last class of the day. For the first time in days he’d been able to concentrate on something other than Ron Weasley. To be honest, it was the first time in months, he just hadn’t known it was Ron he was thinking about.

He’d managed that concentration by putting the seventh year essays to the bottom alphabetically. It was a small stack for this week. The quiet except for the occasional scratch of his quill on the page calmed him and the work passed quickly. All too soon, he was looking at Weasley’s essay. Without hesitating he took Zabini’s off the bottom and read it slowly. He wasn’t putting off anything just giving Slytherin preference.

That didn’t explain his hesitation to begin reading after he’d set Zabini’s paper aside. Severus knew what he would find at the end of the paper. It was the same sentence written at the end of every paper, test, experiment report and quiz Weasley had written. “Please. We need to talk.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. All he could do is ignore the sentence. Setting his quill on the page he began to read, looking for the usual mistakes. Only there were none. The essay was well researched, grammatically perfect and with surprising insight into the intricacies of the potion in question. It was most likely the best paper he’d ever read in all his years of teaching.

Severus had known that R… Weasley had a brain, but this was brilliant. If the boy had applied himself like this for the last six years, he would easily be head of his class. It was disconcerting to see such potential squandered, especially in someone he had ties to. How could Minerva let any Gryffindor slide like that?

He was staring at the unmarked page, when a noise had him looking up. Lupin stood in the doorway. He had a look on his face that Severus remembered from Order meetings, determination. That didn’t bode well for his peace of mind.

He stepped into the room and spoke before Severus could even open his mouth. Lupin crossed to the chair in front of his desk, knocked the stack of potion’s journals out of the way, and quickly dropped into the seat. Ignoring the disgruntled look on Severus’s face, he glanced around as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Only his eyes gave him away.

Best to get this over quickly, he decided. “Is there something I can do for you, Lupin?”

“When are you going to tell Ron that he’s a father?”

Severus managed to control his expression through years of practice, one of the benefits of being a spy. There was no way he was going to let the too observant werewolf know he’d caught him off guard. Still Severus wasn’t sure if he should play dumb or not. He’d never really thought this encounter out that far, only so far as to know to avoid it.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Now if you’ll excuse me, I at least am working.”

“Do you really think you can brush this aside that easily?”

Giving his best glare, even though he knew it would be useless, Severus couldn’t help his sarcasm. “I should be so lucky. If my chair is so comfortable that you feel the need to come here and bombard me with ludicrous ideas, you may have it for your office. I know how hard it must be to afford good furniture.”

“That evasion won’t work either, but good try. You might as well come clean.”

“And do what, exactly? Confide in you?” When hell froze over, he might consider it.

“Well, of course. Anything you confess to me would be completely confidential.”

“Have you become a priest all of a sudden?“ he asked with an innocently questioning expression.

“Damn it, Snape. All this attitude doesn’t change the fact that you and Ron are both miserable.”

“If I am miserable it is because of this conversation.” He gave Lupin a pointed, but ignored, look.

“Then it doesn’t matter to you at all that Ron is upset?”

“Gryffindor psychology is none of my concern,” Severus sneered.

“Really? Then why are you staring at Ron’s paper as if it has changed your whole world view?”

There wasn’t a whole lot he could argue about that. Still he had to try. “Daydreaming, nothing more.”

“Bullshit.” Lupin heaved a deep sigh. “Look, Severus, after all that’s happened in the past few years, no one is going to care that you slept with a student, especially one who was of age. I’m sure you never planned to get pregnant, but Ron has a right to know.”

He got up to leave only to pause in the doorway. “If you won’t do it for yourself and Ron, do it for Thoran. He deserves both parents.”

Only when Lupin turned to leave he ran into a solid body. That body was attached to a head with bright red hair and a deeply serious face. “I think you’ve bothered him enough, Professor.”

It would have been funny to see Remus Lupin slink away like a dog with his tail between his legs, if the situation weren’t so damnably awkward. The silence stretched, but Severus didn’t know what to say so he did nothing. He simply stared into the eyes staring back at him.

“When you’re ready to talk, you know where to find me.”

~HP~

It was Sunday, more than a week later, when Ron actually sought out Severus. The latter wasn’t all that surprised. Gryffindors weren’t known for their patience. Still when Ron joined him on the cold rock overlooking the lake, he couldn’t help feel encroached upon.

“I just wanted you to know that I’ve spoken to McGonagall about taking my NEWTs early.”

Severus’s head snapped around. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear at all. His face must have shown his astonishment.

“I put you in a terrible position. Graduating early makes it easier for you.”

He rose quickly as if knowing that the potions master’s thoughts were in a jumble. The young man was three steps away when Severus could no longer contain the thought that had been running through his head. It had circled his consciousness and left him sleepless for days.

“You weren’t surprised. When you overheard Lupin and I, you weren’t surprised.”

Ron stopped but didn’t turn back. “Does that mean you’re ready to talk?”

Severus hadn’t really thought of that. He’d simply wanted answers to his questions. How could he deny Ron the same thing? He wasn’t sure if he had the answers Ron would want or if he was comfortable with them, but he couldn’t put it off any longer. “If you’re leaving I’ll have to be.”

“I’ve known since the feast,” Ron said as he retook his seat beside Severus.

There was the barest brush of shoulders and thighs, but Severus refused to let it affect him. Instead, he focused on what was said. Again his question was answered before he could ask it.

“I knew the moment I saw you, just as I’ve known that given half a chance we could spend our lives together.” Ron heaved a sigh. “I’ve never told anyone this. There’s a reason I didn’t give up Divinations last year when Harry did.”

“You have visions?” Severus knew that seers were real enough, even if Trelawney was a fraud. He’d even recently had a glimpse of Ron’s potential, but this was hard for him to believe.

“No. I had a vision of my… our future. Or a possible future anyway. That’s why I approached you at the masquerade. You felt our connection. I’d planned on waiting, but I couldn’t.”

Severus’s eyes narrowed. “If you’ve only had one vision, how did you know about Thoran?”

“On our way to the Great Hall, Dobby stopped me and said something about another house elf bragging about a red-headed baby. It wasn’t until I saw you and the… relaxation in your face that I put it together. Mum had the same look on her face after she had Ginny. Scutaro’s been letting me visit during my free period in the afternoon.”

“If you leave school you won’t be able to see him.”

“The twins have been wanting to expand into Hogsmeade. I would work for them there and not be that far from Thoran… and you.”

Severus turned his gaze back to the lake. He didn’t know what to say or even think. Part of his mind recognized the irony of Ron being more organized and controlled than himself. “It sounds like you have this all planned.”

“Hardly. I don’t know how to make this right with you but I’m going to try my damnedest.”

A thought occurred to Severus. “Even if it means squandering your potential.”

“The twins are supposedly doing the same and they’re perfectly happy.”

“But would you be?”

“So long as I have you, it doesn’t matter.”

Severus shook his head. “It does. No matter how romantic that sounds you’d soon resent me.”

“So I’ll find something else to do. Just say that we can try.”

A small silence stretched as Severus let his mind wander. No matter what he’d told himself, the locked gaze at the masquerade was a life changing event. Even before Thoran was in the picture, he’d still been obsessed with finding Ron’s identity. Was that worth taking a risk? He had nothing to bind him anymore, no fight against evil. Was he ready for a chance at happiness? Would he get a better opportunity, ideal mate and all that?

“Okay.” Severus had to clear his throat before he went on. “We can try, but only after you finish school in the spring with your classmates. Nothing happens until then. We can get to know each other better and the baby and that’s all.”

This earned him a big smile and a kiss so quick he couldn’t even argue it went against his edict. “Ah, Severus, I knew there was a reason I love you.”

To hell with his edict, Severus pulled Ron into a long kiss. He pulled back at a sudden thought. “If you’ve been visiting Thoran, when did you have time to write an Outstanding paper?”

“Well, I did have access to a private potions library.”

“You read my books?!”

“You turned my favorite hat into a mobile. I think we’re even.”

A wicked grin crossed Severus’s face. “No, but we will be.”