On August 22, Snape's life turned upside down forever. He had to have heard Pomfrey wrong. There was no way that… He glanced towards Aurora and then back to the matron. He drew in a slow breath before scoffing.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm afraid that I am, Severus. Aurora is carrying twins."

"That's impossible, though," he snapped. "She shouldn't even be pregnant with the amount of precautions we had!"

"We've already came to figure out how she became pregnant." Madam Pomfrey then gently laid a hand on Aurora's shoulder. "You're going to need to make sure you eat more and get more rest, Aurora. Multiple births have a variety of various complications that could arise. I'm going to need to see you more often now. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey." The mediwitch flashed a brief smile towards the younger witch before briskly walking back out of the room. "Say something."

"There's nothing left to say."

"Oh, I could think of numerous things to say, Severus, so don't give me that."

"I'm concerned for you and our…children." The word was bitter on his tongue. How could he be the father of twins? Whose cruel idea was this? He then glanced towards Aurora's abdomen. She had a slight bump, but otherwise nothing noticeable. In two weeks, school would be starting again. In two weeks, he'd have to play nice with Black and Lupin.

"You heard her, though. We're fine." Aurora's small hand then slipped into his. "I'm scared, Severus. I mean, I know it's normal to be scared, but you're right, though. I shouldn't have even been pregnant in the first place. That was the agreement." He flinched at 'agreement.'

"You believe there might be some sort of sinister plot surrounding you?"

"No. It's just I can't stop thinking that maybe… There has to be a reason I'm pregnant. I mean, there are lots of couples that take years to get pregnant, and we only needed one night."

"My life has never been easy. Why should it start now?" he replied with a sigh.

"We're not ready for twins. Neither one of us has the patience."

"But that is what we're going to have, Aurora," he responded glancing at her. Her words were unsettling him somewhat, but he couldn't put his finger on why. He drew in a slow breath before sighing quietly. "Listen to me. We will adapt to this, all of us."

"Severus—"

He quickly silenced her with a kiss. He didn't want to discuss such things anymore. A part of him shared her fears. It was rather disconcerting to know that she was pregnant with twins, but he knew he'd love them. They were his children, his flesh and blood with Aurora.

While he had wanted to deal with only one young screaming child, he would adapt to being a father to two—no, three, there was also Harry in there. They could do this. They could survive the next seventeen years taking care of their children without having the need to commit mass murder. He then sighed. He needed to get her mind off her worries. After all, Madam Pomfrey had instructed them to ensure she wasn't suffering from excessive stress. Worrying about such things definitely would cause undue stress to her.

"No doubt we'll need to inform your parents about our situation." He caught her hesitation instantly, which made him narrow his eyes on her. "Do you believe there will be an issue?"

"Mum wished me to marry a pureblood," she replied in a soft voice.

"And I am a half-blood, I see." He said nothing when her grip tightened.

"It doesn't matter, Severus. She'll just have to get over herself. I love you, and nothing is going to get in my way."

The fierce determination in her voice made him almost smile. He knew it was odd to think such things but every now and then, it was as if Aurora channeled Lily. He wasn't ever going to tell her that, though. He knew her thoughts on Lily. She considered herself second best when compared to Lily. No amount of his negations to that claim would ever satisfy her fully. She truly believed she was second best. He sighed heavily. He wished he could change her mind and show her what she meant to him.

"Be as it may, I will ask your father for your hand and speak with your mother. Perhaps once she gets to know me, it will not be that much of an issue." He could see her momentarily shock before it turned to relief on her face. "It is better that we learn what to expect before it happens, Aurora. I am rather…content with knowing our future."

"Changing diapers and all that?" she replied with a soft smile. "I love you."

He only inclined his head. The words still were too hard to say aloud, but he was rather convinced that she knew. After all, he had taken a potion and acted completely out of character for days before Pomfrey realized that all he needed was a simple draught.

"Harry will no doubt be enthused by this news."

"Yeah, but I can't blame him. It's fun having a little brother or sister. They're annoying as all hell when you're growing up, but you come to appreciate them later in life." Aurora then shook her head. "My little sister would probably try sending me to St. Mungo's if she heard that." Sighing softly, she ran a hand through her thick curly hair. "Severus, how can you be so calm? I mean, it was only this morning when we thought we'd either have a little girl or little boy, and now…now we know we're having twins."

"I can be calm because I have you and Harry in my life, so I know we'll be fine." He caught her soft inward smile at his words instantly. That wasn't so hard to say. However, he felt awkward under her gaze. He just wasn't used to acting this way. It felt…odd. "We have numerous things to decide before the birth of our children. Would you be agreeable if I settled on the details while you relaxed?"

"Fine, but I'm not going to be one of those women who have to be stuck to the couch for all seven months of her pregnancy." He only nodded in response. She rubbed her abdomen affectionately then. "I hope they're little girls."

"I only wish for them to be healthy," he replied before holding out a hand. He gently helped her to her feet again. They certainly weren't going to have a moment's peace in their lives. Twins, who would have thought it? As they walked back to their quarters, he took quick glances at her. He hoped one of their children had Aurora's eyes. Her eyes were so full of curiosity, life, and love.