Change of Events

Change of Events

A Surprise

*

Life was calm and peaceful in the Snape Manor. The wedding was more or less happily over, and Harry and Severus Snape could now concentrate on each other with nobody intruding their peace.

Well, nobody, but not necessarily nothing...

You see, at the moment Severus Snape was in the bathroom. Throwing up. And he was definitely not on a good mood, especially not towards his young husband, who was standing in the doorway, very worried.

"What is it, Severus?" asked Harry worriedly, frowning. "Have you eaten something you shouldn't have?"

Now, Severus glared at him as coldly as he could in his current condition. "I warn you, Potter," he said with a threatening tone, "if this indeed is what I fear it is, you will wish you were dead when I'm finished with you." Then, he turned back to his task of praying to the porcelain gods.

Harry was at first confused for a moment. Then his eyes widened. "You don't mean that you're --" He couldn't even finish his sentence. Instead, he just stared at his husband, eyes wide.

"I don't mean it," Severus said nastily when he next could stop throwing up. "I just fear it. And, by Merlin, if I am indeed right, you will be very, very sorry for ever coming near to me at the first place."

Now, Harry paled. He had often enough seen how bad Remus could be when he was on one of his more violent moods. With Severus, it would most certainly be even worse -- if such a thing was even possible.

Yet another glare sent him fleeing from the bathroom in fear of an immediate punishment. After thinking rapidly for a moment, he finally rushed to the nearest fireplace, throwing some Floo powder into it. Crying out, "Black Mansion!" he waited impatiently for one of his adopted parents to answer the call.

After a moment, Remus's face appeared to the flames. "Hey, Harry!" the pregnant werewolf said cheerfully. However, as he saw the young man's distressed expression, he frowned. "What is it?" he asked.

Harry bit his lip. "Severus is throwing up in the bathroom," he explained hurriedly. "And he said practically that if he indeed is pregnant, he is going to make me regret ever being born."

At this, Remus's frown turned into a bright smile. "Really? That's wonderful!" he chirped. "Just wait a minute. Sirius and I will come over right now!" Then he disappeared from the flames.

Harry was torn between being relieved and horrified. On one hand, he was glad that his adopted fathers were coming -- Remus certainly knew what Severus felt like, and maybe Sirius could help Harry himself. On the other hand, though, he was very nervous. How would Severus react to the guests? Well, so maybe there was no more an immediate danger of him biting Sirius's head off or the other way around, but they were still rather tense around each other. And if Severus was already mad to begin with...

Fortunately, he didn't have to worry for long. A moment later, a cheerful Remus and a grumpy Sirius fell out of the fireplace. The werewolf hurried towards the bathroom without a second of hesitation, while Sirius merely frowned before starting to slowly trace after his husband and adopted son. Oh, his dislike for Severus had definitely not disappeared anywhere.

"Okay," said Remus as he reached the doorway of the bathroom, where Severus was now tiredly resting his head on the cold tile floor. "What is wrong with you, Severus?"

"Well, what the Hell does it look like?" snapped the Potions Master heatedly. "I've just threw up everything I've eaten in the past month, and I feel like shit. What on Earth might be wrong with me?"

Harry and Sirius both took a short step backwards, afraid of Severus's all-too-well-known temperament. Remus, however, could not be put off. Instead, he walked to Severus's side and helped the other man up. Then he said, "Let's see," pointing his wand at Severus's stomach. He murmured a quiet charm. In an instant a soft golden glow surrounded the Potions Master's midsection. Remus's face lit up with a bright smile. "Congratulations," he said, beaming at both Severus and Harry. "You're going to have a baby!"

Now, Harry went very pale, casting his husband an almost fearful gaze. Severus, however, didn't seem to remember his former threats. Instead, his expression turned into a -- shockingly -- pouty one.

"But I don't want to have a baby!" he whined, his arms crossed over his chest in protest. "I don't want to!"

Harry and Sirius exchanged long glances. An angry Snape was a frightening sight. A weeping Snape was something most who had seen it would have gladly forgotten, had they only been able to. For a moment, Harry was torn between going to comfort his husband and escaping as fast as his legs could carry him. At last, his love for Severus won. Well, it would have won, had Sirius not held him back. Having more experience about pregnant men, the Animagus couldn't let his adopted son put himself into danger.

Remus, however, stayed calm as ever. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you went into bed with Harry. You're a grown man, Severus. You most certainly know the mechanics of conception, both male and female. You can only blame yourself for not being careful enough." Placing his hands on his own rounded stomach the pregnant werewolf then added cheerfully, "Trust me, I do know that."

"But what am I going to do?" asked Severus miserably. "I don't even know how to have a baby!"

"Well, that part will not require much action from you, or so I've been told," Remus comforted him. "And now you're coming with me. Poppy asked me to stop by for a short checkup today. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you came along. Besides, you probably would feel more comfortable with her than with some random mediwitch or mediwizard from St. Mungo's."

At first Severus tried to protest, but eventually Remus managed to drag him away. Harry and Sirius were left behind. The two fathers-to-be looked quietly at each other for a while.

"You know," Sirius said then slowly, "I didn't think I would become a grandfather so soon after becoming a father. And I definitely could have never thought that Severus Snape would be the one to carry my first grandchild." With a slightly hysterical chuckle, he added, "You can never know, I guess."

"What do I have to do?" asked Harry, more than a bit worried. "What can I do?"

"Well, you can try not to insult him," replied his adopted father. "In fact, you should do anything rather than that. Oh, and don't agree with him instantly, but eventually yes. If Remus is any hint to go by, a pregnant man will be just as annoyed if you always agree with him as he is if you try to keep your own head."

"I'll try to remember that." Harry nodded. "What about mood swings, then?" he asked then cautiously.

"You know how bad Remus can be at his worst," Sirius said seriously. "I think we can assume at least twice as bad from your darling husband, given his usual temperament. So, you'd better get very good at shielding charms." At this, he rubbed absentmindedly a bruise on his temple. "Believe me, they'll be of use."

Harry paled even further, if possible.

*

"Oh, good afternoon, Remus," Poppy Pomfrey said as she heard the door of the Infirmary being opened. "I was just beginning to wonder where you --" Now, she looked up from the papers in her hand. Her eyes widened. "Severus!" she breathed. "What on Earth are you doing here? I haven't seen you here for years!"

The Potions Master looked almost nervous -- completely uncharacteristic of him, and enough to make Madam Pomfrey frown worriedly. Remus, however, just gave the mediwitch a happy smile. "You see," he said, "Severus has been having morning sickness. I casted a test spell on him, and, well..."

"Really?" Now, the mediwitch's eyes lit up with an almost threatening delight. She immediately ran to Severus's side, forced him down onto a hospital bed, and started to run scans over him. After some time, she finally nodded and snapped her tongue, satisfied for a moment. "The diagnosis spell was right," she said, "you are indeed pregnant. You're three weeks along, I'd say, although it's a bit more difficult to say with males, as you don't have periods. Does that sound right to you?"

Severus nodded hesitantly. "I believe so," he answered, sounding a bit grumpy.

"Excellent." Madam Pomfrey beamed at him. "Of course, you will have to make changes into your syllabus, but you'll still be able to teach until you're about seven or eight months along. If you experience any complications before that, though, you'll have to stop working immediately. And then --"

"But I don't want to have a baby!" Severus's whine interrupted her.

For a moment, Poppy just stared at him, and her face fell. Then she said slowly, "Well... I guess that an abortion would be possible, but..." There was no mistaking the reluctant tone in her voice.

"No!" exclaimed the Slytherin immediately, crossing his arms over his stomach. "I won't do that!"

Now, Poppy's previous frown turned into a satisfied smirk. "Well, then I'm afraid that you don't have any options," she said cheerfully. "If you don't want an abortion, you will indeed carry this baby. And I think that neither you nor Harry would be willing to let your own child be raised by somebody else, so adoption is out of question, too. Therefore, you are going to have a baby, whether you like it or not." Ignoring the pout that was now on his face, she then turned towards Remus. "Okay, Remus. It's your turn now."

Now, Severus watched quietly as Poppy examined the werewolf, scanning him with various charms and spells. After some time, she started to speak, beaming. "Well, well, well," she said. "I think that you have a little surprise in stock for your dear husband."

*

After a moment of explanations, Remus stared at Madam Pomfrey, his eyes wide. Then he asked slowly, sounding rather nervous, "Are you absolutely sure that everything is okay?"

"Yes, I am sure, Remus," she replied with a patient smile on her lips. Obviously she was used to this kind of behaviour from him. "Everything is just right. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"Poppy?" the werewolf asked then. At the questioning sound she made, he asked nervously, worrying his lower lip, "Will Sirius be happy about the fact that everything is okay?"

The mediwitch sighed and glanced towards the ceiling. "I'm sure he will be ecstatic," she said. "Now, go to tell him the good news. I'm sure he and Harry are already waiting for your return."

And with that, she ushered them out of the Infirmary.

*

Harry and Sirius looked up as they heard the familiar whizz of the Floo system. A moment later their husbands fell out of the fireplace, both looking relatively happy for a chance. "Guess what?" asked Remus enthusiastically before either of the non-pregnant men could ask anything. "I am having twins!"

At this, Sirius fainted. The three other men looked at first at him, then at each other. After a moment of silence, Harry dared to speak. "Why do I have the feeling I have seen this before?"

*