A Potion's Miracle by Maraudering

Waking up surrounded by the warmth that was Kingsley’s broad chest, and gentle, yet strong arms was still rather surreal to Severus, even though he had been doing so for almost a week by that point. A good kind of surreal, though, if there ever was such a thing. A kind that he wanted to get used to, and yet was scared of getting used to, of relying on, in case it were to end at some point.
He hoped it didn’t.
But he didn’t like to hope.
Hope ended in pain.
Always.
And yet, as that large hand protected his stomach, and the baby within, from the world in their sleeping hours, and even during the day whenever they were together, a small flicker of hope would make its way through his traitorous heart anyway.
A gentle kiss was placed on his bare shoulder and he shivered slightly as he relaxed back into the body behind him, the strong arms pulling him closer, cradling him safely, lovingly, a thumb gently rubbing his stomach.
“Good morning,” Kingsley said huskily.
Severus gulped, “Good morning,”
“How are you feeling this morning? Do you need anything?” Kingsley asked gently.
“A tad nauseous. But it isn’t too bad at the moment. Maybe just some ginger ale for now, please?” Severus said, unable to hide a little of the nervousness he felt at asking for something.
“Okay, I’ll be back in a mo. Do you also want something to eat?” Kingsley said as he sat up, leaning over him, but not in a way that made him nervous or anything. In a way that made him feel almost at home.
Severus rolled over onto his back so he could see the man, and the charming smile that was being beamed down onto him, the dark eyes almost glittering as they looked at him. And, not for the first time, he wondered how this man was able to find something worth loving in him. Him.
“Maybe a slice of jam on toast, please?” Severus said quietly, a tad overwhelmed.
“Okay,” Kingsley said before leaning down to kiss his lips softly, “I’ll be back,”
“I know,” Severus whispered as the man also kissed his belly.
Then Kingsley was gone, the door left open just a crack. Severus sat up, crossing his pyjama clad legs as he leant agains the headboard, his hands moving to his stomach.
“Daddy’s safe. And warm,” Harry said, and Severus smiled a little.
“Yeah, he is,” Severus agreed, “Are you cold now?”
“No, mummy. I don’t think we can ever be cold with him around,” he sounded so excited that Severus couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
“I agree,” Severus said softly, “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m fine. It’s actually very relaxing in here. Especially when you talk. How are you feeling? Am I making you sick again?” Harry said nervously.
“Even if you were making me sick again, I wouldn’t mind, Harry. But I am okay,” Severus said, warmth filling him at the thought of his voice being relaxing for the little one in him.
“I don’t think I should be called Harry anymore,” Harry said quietly.
“Why?” Severus asked, concerned.
“It’s not who I am anymore. I’m not Harry Potter anymore. And, to be truthfully honest, I didn’t want that life. I didn’t want to be the-boy-who-lived. But now I have a choice. And you should have one, too. And you should get to experience this as fully as possible. You already know I’m a boy, but you should get to pick my name. Like any parent gets to for their children. You are my mum now. I’m not Harry Potter anymore. I am me. I am part of you. And it should remain that way, even when I’m no longer in you. So, please, can you pick me a new name? One that, hopefully, won’t tie me to the saviour I didn’t want to be,” Harry said.
And Severus’ heart filled with awe, not for the first time in the last two weeks, “Okay,” Severus said.
“Thank you, mum. I love you,”
“I love you, too,”
Kingsley entered the room with a smile on his face and a tray in his hands that was soon resting on Severus’ lap. On it was a plate that held a piece of toast with raspberry jam on it, a mug of ginger ale, and a prune.
“A prune?” Severus asked, confused.
“Well, I thought it would be nice to keep some of the fruit that represents the approximate size of Harry each week, to remind us how much our little one is growing and changing. And this week, he is about the size of a prune. There’s a bunch of them in the kitchen, but I wanted to bring one in to show you how big he is at the moment. Isn’t it awesome,”
It awed him how excited Kinglsey is about the whole thing as the man picked up the prune so bloody gently and held it up to show Severus for a few moments before holding it against Severus’ belly. And Severus watched in amazement as the man held that little prune against him, his other hand flat against his stomach that was slowly starting to round, though only a miniscule amount so far, the man’s eyes bouncing between his own, his belly, and the little prune he held.
“Our baby is growing so much,” Kingsley breathed.
“Yeah, he is,” Severus said with a gulp, butterflies flying throughout him, “But I think… I think we should give him a new name,”
Kingsley looked up at him in shock.
“I… He’s not Harry Potter anymore. And I’m sure that, given everything that he had been through, he probably didn’t like being Harry Potter all that much. He’s his own person now. He’s ours. He’s our baby. And maybe… maybe we should make this pregnancy as normal as possible. Experience it as normally as possible. By giving him a new name. One that we get to choose. Like normal parents do. If anything it will give him the chance to grow up without being hounded for his past, that he probably won’t be able to remember,” he worried his lip between his teeth.
He really hoped that, after all this, Harry wouldn’t be able to remember his past. He didn’t want his baby having to grow up with all of that on his shoulders.
“Okay,” Kingsley said with an understanding smile, “We’ll give him a new name,”
The other man put the prune gently on the tray and Severus ate his toast and drank his ginger ale as the auror got ready for work.

…

Kingsley left for work after they had eaten a proper breakfast in the Great Hall. Severus had the morning free, thankfully. Though that didn’t mean that he didn’t have work to do. He was making the trek down to Hagrid’s Hut to give the man a potion he had ordered. He saw the black dog that always seemed to search him out throughout the past week playing with Fang outside the Hut. And he smiled slightly as he knocked on the door and the half-giant appeared a moment later.
“Ah, Sev, good to see ya’,” Hagrid said cheerfully.
“Good morning, Hagrid. I have the potion you wanted,” Severus said, pulling said potion out of his pocket and giving it to the man.
“Thanks,” the man nodded, taking it gently in his large hand, “How are you doin’?”
“I’m okay, thank you. Tired, but, well, work is keeping me busy,” Severus said, distracted by the dogs barking and yapping at each other.
“You be sure to rest up, Sev, when you get a chance. You and that baby need it,” Hagrid said, beaming.
“I will,” Severus saw the black dog leading Fang into the forest and turned briefly back at the Castle, almost groaning when he saw Lupin leaving the place, “I should probably get going. Is there anything else you need?”
“I think tha’ should do it for now, Sev. Thanks,” Hagrid said.
“You’re welcome. Have a good day,” Severus nodded and turned to leave as the man closed the door gently.
And Severus wondered how he could get back to the castle without running into the wolf he had been trying to avoid for a week. Perhaps he should venture into the forest, too. Hide there until the wolf inevitably had to go back inside. He briefly contemplated taking the coin out of his pocket that was connected to one that both Kingsley and Neville had to see if either of them could come and save him from the wolf, but he didn’t want to seem too weak. Too needy.
But he also didn’t want to speak to the wolf who had been trying to harass him.
Of course, though, his feet had taken him in the direction of the Castle. The direction of the wolf. And he was soon forced to stop walking lest he actually walk into the grinning man.
“Severus, how are you feeling this fine morning?” Lupin said.
“I was quite fine until you stepped in front of me, Lupin. Now I’m afraid I need to hurry back inside lest I vomit all over you,” Severus said with a sneer, his stomach actually churning as he tried, and failed, to step around the wolf.
“There’s no need to be like that, Severus. I just want to talk. You have been avoiding me,” Lupin said.
“Lupin, morning sickness is no joke. If you don’t want me to puke on you then I suggest you step aside, now, and let me go back into the Castle,” he said, not wanting to say anything else.
“We were friends, Sev. Why can’t we be friends again? Why won’t you let me help you? Why Kingsley?” Lupin said, and Severus almost felt like he had been punched in the gut.
“I don’t need help, Lupin. I am just fine without you. We used to be friends, yes. But then you almost fucking killed me because of your friends, and you stayed friends with them. And that wasn’t before they sexually assaulted me in front of thirty other students, and you stood there and laughed. Then continued to be friends with them. Kingsley, however, hasn’t done anything of the sort to me. Kingsley is safe. You aren’t. I can’t let you help me, because I can’t be around you without hating you for every moment in which you pretended to be my friend and the ways you hurt me before and afterwards,” Severus said, breathing deeply, “I can’t trust you with me, or with my sons. You have spent the last twelve years ignoring Harry. If you hadn’t, maybe I might find it somewhere in me to let you be part of his life, but you did. I don’t trust you. I will never trust you. So, leave me the fuck alone,”
He tried to push past Lupin, his stomach churned all the more, however, as the man grabbed his arm tight and held him still, close to the body of the werewolf. So close he could feel the man’s breath on his face, and fear gripped him.
“You are carrying James and Lily’s baby. I have every right to be in your life, and I will be in it, no matter what,” the wolf growled lowly.
“He’s my baby now, Lupin. Mine,” Severus growled back, “I don’t care what I have to do, you aren’t going anywhere near him. You have absolutely no rights to him, to me, to any of us,”
The man smiled a little too sweetly at him and moved his free hand to cup Severus’ cheek. And Severus punched him, relishing in the sight of the man on the floor, clutching his cheek and nose in his hands.
“My partner is an Auror, Lupin, and I am friends with the goblins. I’m not afraid to use the people I love to keep you away from me and my family. No matter what they do to make sure you do so,” Severus said, breathing a little too heavily as his stomach churned.
He walked away, trying to get his breathing under control, and failing, even as he eventually collapsed in front of the toilet in his bathroom to lose everything he had consumed that morning. His body was shaking, trembling as he leaned back against the wall when he thought he was done.
He heard the door to his apartment opening, “Mum, where are you?” Neville said, sounding worried as he heard his son moving through the rooms.
He looked worried, too, as he stood in the doorway a moment later.
“Are you okay? The twins saw your… chat with Lupin and told me about it,” Neville said as he moved to sit in front of him.
“I’m fine,” Severus said with a nod, though the crack in his voice perhaps gave away a little too much.
“What did he say? Do you want me to get Kingsley? Should I tell McGonagall that you won’t be teaching today? You shouldn’t be too stressed, and-”
“Neville, I’m fine. I promise,” Severus breathed, smiling at his son, “He was just being… a bastard, like he usually is around me. I can deal with it. Kingsley can stay at work. And I can teach today. Just had a spot of morning sickness. All is well,”
“Okay, if you’re sure?” Neville said, still concerned.
“I’m sure. I just need a moment to freshen up. Do you want to have lunch here today?” Severus said.
“Yeah,” Neville said with a smile and a nod, “I’ll leave you to freshen up. I don’t have anymore classes until after lunch,”
Severus nodded with his own smile as Neville left the room, closing the bathroom door gently behind him. He took a deep, shaky breath and pushed himself off the floor, flushing the loo and closing the lid before walking to the sink and leaning against it as he breathed.
Why couldn’t anything just be simple?

Chapter End Notes:

Hiya, how are you all today?
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on everything that has happened so far and where you think the story is going, etc. or for things you might like to see as the story progresses. Even if it is just something small.
Also, I have Tumblr now. My username is marauderingpaige if you want to go and give me a follow over there. I also have one more focussed on personal life and writing, username is paigemakepeacewrites. And I have a Discord server, too, a new one! If you would like the link then feel free to drop me an email (my address can be found on my profile) or message me on social media, or join my Facebook group, and I will happily share it with you.
I have also now started writing a fanfiction for House M.D. It is an omega verse fic with House as the omega and Wilson as the alpha. If you love the show as much as I do then feel free to go and check it out. It is called Lights Will Guide You Home.
Also, I am working on some Spotify playlists for my fanfics, so if you can think of any songs you think work with the stories as they are so far, or where you think they are going, or songs that give you the vibes you get from the stories, then please do let me know and I will give them a listen, then potentially add them to the playlists. If you would like to go and give them a listen as they are now then you can find me on Spotify under the name Maraudering_Paige. They aren't that long at the moment, but we are making progress and I will continue adding to them the more music I listen to and when I have the time to do so. But still, if you can think of any relevant songs then do let me know.
I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige which you are all welcome to join if you would like to and are able to. It is where we can talk about Harry Potter, fanfics, life, share memes and more. It is also where I have somewhat of an update schedule for my fics and will be keeping you up to date on what I am working on, in regards to fanfics, original works, and more things. So if you are interested in joining then I am more than happy to accept you all.
I also now have a TikTok and an Instagram for my fanfic writing escapades. The username is maraudering_paige on both of them so feel free to follow me, and we shall see how often and what kinds of content I can post when I can. But it is another way for me to keep you all up to date if you don't have Facebook and such, and for me to spread the word about other things I am working on and things I want to do and such. So yeah, feel free to join me on those if you are able.
I hope you are having an amazing day!
Kind regards,
Paige xx