I really loved this story! And the epilogue especially, I kind of wish there was an 'Epilogue II' so that I could read more about Victoria and Ron! I would think it would be hilarious with Severus around! Was also hoping before the ending for interaction with Severus' mother, but I'll make do! :-)

This is a really good chapter. The story is starting to pick up and you're gradually building the sexual tension in a very believable way

This is a wonderful story. I couldn'd stop reading and finished it in two days (and nights).
Thank you for a great read and thank you for finishing it.

THANK YOU FOR A LOVELY HAPPY ENDING!

IN CHAPTER 21 VICTORY WAS A BABY AND NOW IN CHAPTER 22 SHE IS A POTIONS MISTRESS WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED DURING ALL THAT TIME?

SEQUAL PLEASE AND WHAT HAPPED AFTER THIS

"Hermione," he said patiently. "I love you. You've borne me a child, and we are linked forever, in the most elemental way possible."

She opened her mouth, and he quickly shushed her. "Don't confuse elemental with unreal," he told her softly, his nose brushing against hers as he spoke in gentle, persuasive tones. "This is real."

He kissed her mouth softly, fully, and just as her mouth opened beneath his, the kiss was interrupted when he was hit with a jaw-cracking yawn. She could not help laughing at him and her own phantom anxieties; they were both drunk with fatigue and far beyond rational thought.

"I promise you this," he told her when he could speak again, fumbling for her hand in the covers and holding it tightly in his own. "I love you, and our daughter, and I have no intention of letting you or her out of my sight for at least a decade, if not longer. I'll come up with something more eloquent in the morning, but I'm just too knackered to be poetic right now. All right?"

"All right," Hermione murmured, yawning a bit herself as she closed her eyes. "We have tomorrow."

"And all the days after," he rumbled, feeling just a bit poetic anyway, even as he gave up the battle and drifted into sleep.

The End

AND BEFORE THIS? Several years later

"I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. When it announces your house, you will take your place at that table." The tall witch, her reddish hair gone a few more shades towards gray, her hat still as crooked as ever, adjusted her square spectacles and began to read out the names on the long scroll in her hands.

"Ambrose, Stephen."

As the boy came forward, the hat was placed on his head, and the first child of this school year was sorted into Ravenclaw. Headmaster Dumbledore nodded with approval as the Ravenclaw table clapped and welcomed their newest member.

The Grand Hall of Hogwarts had changed little over the years. The only notable difference was a relatively new banner that hung among the other displays of heraldic devices and chivalric tapestries. In it, a young man with untidy black hair stood, head cast down, over a bundle of black and gray robes. A single limp hand protruded from these robes, white, taloned, and scaly. The young man bore a broken sword in one hand and, if one looked closely, his red robes were actually a set of Quidditch practice robes.

The image was known as 'The Sword of Gryffindor,' and was a reproduction of the famous snapshot taken by Colin Creevey moments after the defeat of Voldemort. The photo had been blazed across the entire front page of the Daily Prophet's special edition on the day after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry had autographed thousands of reproductions in the years since, and the image seemed destined to join 'St. George Killing the Dragon,' at least in the annals of wizard history. One of the first prints of that photo hung in the Headmaster's office, encased in a simple and relatively cheap chrome frame. Only Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape attached any significance to the rather ugly little square-headed nail that held it on the wall.

Standing near the back of the crowd of children who clogged the space before the Head Table, a young girl with curly black hair waited, her hands clenched in anticipation. Unfortunately, she had a long wait. Student after student went forward and were sorted, each receiving applause from their new houses, until finally Professor McGonagall read out her name.

"Snape, Elizabeth."

Just as the tattered old hat covered her ears, she caught a glimpse of her parents standing in the entrance at the back of the hall, but then she was the only person who could ever see through her father's 'do not notice' charm. As Elizabeth closed her eyes and concentrated a voice spoke, seemingly between her ears.

Ah ha! Another Snape. So what shall I do with you?

Over and over again, she chanted the name of her preference in her head, and the voice chuckled.

Are you sure about this? It will cause quite a kerfluffle, you know! Very well then, it shall be "Hufflepuff!" shouted the hat aloud.

The Hufflepuff table applauded, along with a smattering of other students from various tables, but a round of boos arose from the Slytherin table. One boy, sitting among his third year peers, made a megaphone of his hands and booed loudly.

"Mr. Snape! That will be quite enough!"

"Oh, stuff it, Will!" retorted the younger boy, scowling up the table at his fellow Slytherin. "Just because you're Head Boy..."

"Edward Snape! Don't you make me take house points off already!" hissed back the Head Boy. William Snape's short black hair clutched at his head in greedy ringlets, which had earned him the nickname of 'greek god' since his first day at Hogwarts. His younger brother's brown locks were straighter and long enough to be tucked behind his ears, but they both had their father's prominent nose.

Across the room, a girl from Gryffindor turned to seek out an identical face at the Ravenclaw table. Athena Snape and Diana Snape exchanged a look of mutual exasperation at the stupidity of brothers before turning back to their respective comrades with matching flips of their long black braids.

"Yarmouth, Ellen" became the last Gryffindor, and Professor McGonagall took the hat and stool to the side of the room as the girl scurried to join her new house. At the head table, Professor Dumbledore, his beard turned a few more shades to white, his narrow shoulders a trifle more bony, stood and raised his hands for quiet.

"I'm tremendously glad to see you all this evening. Welcome! Welcome to the new students, and welcome back to all those who are returning. Before the feast, I have a few announcements to make.

"First, I would like to announce that the new Quiddich pitch will be completed in time for our first game. Our flying instructor, Professor Weasley, will be using the old pitch for flying lessons, rather than the courtyard as once was tradition. Mr. Filch has informed me that the statues around the courtyard have all been replaced or repaired after a rather unfortunate accident last year, and it would be lovely if they stayed that way."

The students applauded politely. At the Ravenclaw table, a pudgy second- year boy turned bright red and stared determinedly at his plate, while a Gryffindor under cover of anonymity shouted "Good job, Longbottom!"

"Second, I would like to welcome our new Potions Professor, Ms. Victoria Snape. Professor Snape has recently been awarded the title of Potions Mistress, and is, I believe, the youngest person to have ever earned that title. I am quite pleased she has decided to join our staff here."

To Dumbledore's left, a tall young woman inclined her head to acknowledge the headmaster's praise. She might have blushed, or it might have just been the heat in the room, but she certainly noticed when Ron Weasley abruptly leaned forward to get a better look down the head table at the new Potions Master. He hadn't seen Victoria since she was a bossy, knobby- kneed, fifteen-year-old trouble-maker climbing trees in Harry's back yard and arguing hotly as to why the Bristol Buccaneers were a better team than the Chudley Cannons.

She looked much different now.

Professor Snape raised a single black eyebrow at Professor Weasley. She received a cheeky grin in reply - even at the age of forty, Ron Weasley maintained a boyish charm and a devil-may-care air. She turned her attention back to the headmaster, but a toss of her head caused her cascade of black curls to flounce perhaps a bit more than it ordinarily would have.

In the entrance to the Great Hall, Severus Snape's sharp eyes did not miss the byplay. "If Ron Weasley makes so much as a move in Victoria's direction, I'm going to hex him until he'll never be able to hold anything between his legs again, let alone a broom!" he growled into his wife's ear.

"Now, Severus, you know as well as I do that Victoria does exactly as she pleases," whispered Hermione to the man who stood at her side. "If she doesn't like his attention, she'll flay him with that sharp tongue she inherited from you."

"And if she does like it?" he retorted, his tone icy.

"Well, then, she's probably inherited her mother's penchant for older men," Hermione answered with a smile before pressing a kiss to Severus' cheek above his square-cut beard. Like his hair, it was streaked here and there with silver, and the dramatic coloring suiting his craggy, aristocratic face.

"Bad enough that Elizabeth has been sorted into Hufflepuff," he groused. "The thought of Ron Weasley as a son-in-law is more than I can stomach."

"Lizzy hates to cause an argument," Hermione reminded him. "You know all of her brothers and sisters have been pressuring her since Edward was made a Slytherin." The term inter-house rivalry had reached a new definition in the Snape household with two Ravenclaws, two Slytherins, and two Gryffindors all wanting their youngest sister to be Sorted to their respective houses.

"It's just too bad that Henry couldn't be here to see his little sister sorted."

"It's his first day of school as well, Hermione. Though why he had to go to America of all places to go to university, I'll never know." Severus Snape's voice was as brutal and sarcastic as ever, but his wife merely smiled indulgently at his truculent tone. Their oldest son's choice had been received with something less than enthusiasm by his father, but the lad had his mother's stubborn streak and had finally won his father's blessing to attend the college of his choice.

Hermione Snape leaned against her husband's chest and sighed. "It's going to be so quiet in the house, now that all the children are in school. I don't know if I'll be able to stand the lack of noise."

"Hmm," Severus nuzzled his wife's ear and dropped a kiss beneath her ear. "I told you we could have outdone the Weasleys. It would have only been one more."

"Don't even start, Severus," she warne

AND SHE SHOULD BE LYING IN HERMIONE ARMS (BECAUSE HERMIONE COULD DROOP HER OR CRUSH HER) WHILE HERMIONE SLEEPS! USE YOUR BRAIN!

I DONT KNOW IF ANYONE HAS EVER TOLD YOU THIS BT YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER GO TO SLEEP WITH A BABY IN YOURT BED IF THERE ARE MORE THAN ONE PERSON IN THE BED IF IT WAS JUST HERMIONE AND THE BABY OR JUST SEVERUS AND THE BABY THEN MAYBE ITS OKEY BUT NOT HERMIONE AND THE BABY AND SEVERUS! ITS SOOO VERY DANGAROUS EVEN IF SEVERUS IS A LIGHT SLEEER! Crisis averted, Severus shifted until he could see his daughter better, suckling slowly now, black eyelashes crimped closely to plump little round cheeks. "Are you sure she'll be all right here in bed with us?" he asked softly.

Hermione glanced up, but seemed just as entranced by the little person in her arms. "No worries. You're a very light sleeper, and I doubt she'll let us go more than an hour or so at a time tonight."

she needs to burp wind the baby! Hermione sniggered. "And a few other places. Thank you," she added sincerely, before kissing his mouth softly. With a gentle smile, she handed the sleeping infant to her father while she refastened her nightgown and settled further into the bed. Miffed at the way his humans kept moving about, Crookshanks retreated to the foot of the bed and curled up in an aloof ball.

what about the after birth? and will there be a sequal to this story?

WOW wow SIRIUS BLACK gave SEVERUS SNAPE first aid CPR to save SEVERUS SNAPE'S LIFE? NEVER thought i would see THAT happen! I In spite of Ginny's optimistic prediction that someone would come back before too long, it was actually closer to four hours before a somewhat battered Severus Snape Apparated back to the meadow where his oldest enemy had met a long overdue end. The man who arrived was much different than the one who'd left; his tailored vest hung open, the buttons long gone after Sirius Black's rather inept attempts to render first aid.

why was it that harry was the one that tried to save her and not severus?

is ginny pregnant? Across the table from Hermione, Ginny leaned over and whispered into Harry's ear. Harry gulped visibly and grinned.

Ron, however, scowled and put his spoon down with a thunk. "Hermione," he began pointedly, "I was just telling Ginny here that you really can get pregnant the first time you shag someone."

Hermione gave Ron a look. His ears had gone red, as had Harry's, but whereas Ron's face was belligerent, Harry was carefully watching his plate and not his friend or, more importantly, the red-haired girl sitting beside him. Ginny, however, lifted her chin and stared back at her older brother with a dangerous light in her eye.

"Yes, it's true," Ginny answered before Hermione could respond. "Although, if one plans ahead, a visit to Madame Pomfrey can take care of it."

"That's very interesting, Miss Weasley," came McGonagall's crisp voice. Hermione and Ron turned to look at the Transfiguration teacher standing beside them, her mouth pursed in displeasure and a spot of color high on each cheek.

Professor McGonagall pinned each Gryffindor in the immediate vicinity with a sharp glance over her square glasses. "You, Miss Brown, and you, Mrs. Snape, and I think Miss Weasley as well, will take yourselves this very afternoon to Madame Pomfrey's office. The four of you will put together whatever information Pomfrey deems adequate to cover the subject of reproduction and birth control. It will be on my desk by Friday evening, no later. Once I've approved it, the Head Girl will see to it that a copy is given to every sixth and seventh form girl on the premises. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, Professor," chorused the young women meekly.

"I've been insisting for years that something of the sort was needed in this school, but the Headmaster has always taken the Board of Governors view that sex education doesn't belong at Hogwarts." She sniffed in disdain. "As though none of them remember what they got up to when they were teenagers. I was at school the same year as Cornelius Fudge, and I could tell you stories.. Of course he doesn't remember it that way."

At the very least, it might make it more palatable, but I'm not sure. It will require some study, since silver is a major factor in the Wolfsbane

i thought warewolfs CANT touch silver and for that matter cant be in Wolfsbane potion!

also does Remus have bottles of Wolfsbane potion inxase while they are away he might need that potion BEFORE the full moon comes up to control his innner wolf!

The pendant was rather large, consisting mostly of a circle of many leaves formed of gold with an overlay of brilliant green enamel. In the center of the leaves, small garnets or possibly rubies formed the shape of an apple. A closer examination showed an edge of the apple had a bite taken from it, the apple's flesh depicted in tiny yellow diamonds. Other details made themselves known, such as the tiny brown enameled stem, and a small snake slithering among the tiny green leaves, its emerald eyes showing no remorse.

what does Cognitio indifferns virtus mallus mean and what was the magic hermione felt when she said that? is it dangerous? and wont it be heavy for hermione since is is pregnant or even if she wont it be heavy for hermione since its a heavy to wear every day and why whould she wear it will it protect her from harm? Within a nest of cotton wool, a bright gleam of metal and jewels shone. Hermione's breath caught as she carefully removed it.

The pendant was rather large, consisting mostly of a circle of many leaves formed of gold with an overlay of brilliant green enamel. In the center of the leaves, small garnets or possibly rubies formed the shape of an apple. A closer examination showed an edge of the apple had a bite taken from it, the apple's flesh depicted in tiny yellow diamonds. Other details made themselves known, such as the tiny brown enameled stem, and a small snake slithering among the tiny green leaves, its emerald eyes showing no remorse.

Turning it over, Hermione found a Latin motto inscribed on the back. "Cognitio indifferns virtus mallus," she read.

As she read the words, a tingle of magic went though her fingers, and she nearly dropped it. Common sense told her to immediately put the jewelry back in the box and ship it back to Italy, but the desire to have something so connected to Severus easily overrode that impulse. Instead, Hermione put the gold chain around her neck, the medallion inside her robes, and resolved to go see Professor Flitwick at her earliest opportunity.

The next afternoon, Hermione managed to get to Charms early enough to have the enchantment professor examine the necklace. Declining to touch it, Flitwick adjusted his spectacles and peered closely at the piece in Hermione's cupped hands. A few waves of his wand and quite a bit of muttering later, the diminutive wizard backed away, shaking his head. "I'm not familiar with this particular charm, but it's definitely the work of a master," he pronounced in his squeaky voice. "So is the jewel work, for that matter. It's not by Cellini or Boticelli, but a Renaissance master most certainly made that."