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Hermione rolled onto her side to find some relief from the weight of her protruding belly. She groaned as Severus gently lifted her leg, tucking a pillow between her knees. “That’s it, my pet. That should relieve some of the pressure.”

Sirius rubbed the small of her back. “It’ll be over soon, Kitten, my clever girl.”

She groaned as he found a particularly sensitive spot. As much as she appreciated Sirius’ efforts to cheer her up, she knew with absolute certainty that she was not a clever girl. Clever girls didn’t brew a potion they’ve never heard of before and use it to get pregnant. Clever girls knew that waddling was best left to ducks and penguins. Clever girls would have realized that carrying three alpha pups who delighted in pummeling her bladder at two o’clock in the morning might make her miserable.

The babies were due over a week ago, and she’d done everything she could think of to help move things along. When the healer recommended exercise, she’d waddled miles around the garden until her arches and swollen ankles screamed in protest. She’d practically eaten her entire body weight in her favorite spicy kozhi curry, and while the triplets had certainly taken notice and kept her awake all night with their squirming, she still showed no signs of labor. 

When she woke this morning weeping in frustration, Sirius and Severus had obligingly fucked her over every available piece of furniture, but to no avail. If anything, it only made her more frustrated because they refused to knot her, afraid they might harm her or the babies. They pulled out every time, eagerly smearing their cum all over her face, her back, her distended belly, her tits. It did a great deal to stroke their alpha egos, but very little to give her any relief.

Hermione huffed as Severus traced a thumb gently over her cheek. Her voice came out as a tremulous whisper. “I need Moony.”

Her eyes met Severus’ as he continued to stroke her cheek. Even without legilimency, he could read her better than anyone, and her furrowed brow told him that she was quite determined to have her way.

Sirius inhaled slowly, as he was wont to do when he needed to apologize or feared the reception of his remark. “The full moon isn’t for weeks, Kitten. It may be difficult to lure him out.”

Tears were already welling in her eyes when Severus sat down and placed a reassuring hand on her hip. “Then we will have to help her.”

Sirius splayed a hand possessively over her stomach. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

One of the babies kicked Sirius’ hand, drawing a tender smile from the wizard. Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop encouraging them! They’re turning my innards to pulp as it is.”

He placed a placating kiss to her temple. “Kitten, are you sure you want Moony? You know he can be so…rough.”

Hermione snickered. “That’s exactly why I need him. The three of you have been treating me with kid gloves the last few weeks, and Remus is the worst of all. He hasn’t given me a claiming mark in months. I just need someone to–”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Pop the cork?”

“Exactly!” she agreed, smiling at him and pulling the taciturn wizard in for a kiss.

Sirius pouted. “He gets a kiss, and I get a broken rib just for saying hello to our children?”

She rolled her eyes, turning her head to give him a kiss over her shoulder. “Now stop sulking and help me up. We have work to do before Remus gets home from work.”

They patiently helped her out of bed, rummaging in drawers to find something for her to wear. In the early stages of her pregnancy, she continued to wear her own pajamas, but as her pregnancy progressed, she wanted the scent of her alphas around her at all times. Sirius transfigured one of his old Sex Pistols shirts to accommodate her belly.

She turned to Severus pleadingly. “Please, Severus.”

He gave a put upon sigh as he took a soft black linen shirt from their closet. He helped her slip her arms into the button down, leaving the front open. She recognized it as one of the shirts he frequently used for working in his lab. She inhaled slowly, the combined scents of Sirius’ expensive cologne and herbs of Severus’ ingredients storeroom calming some of the tension in her chest.

Severus stood behind her, sweeping her hair off of her shoulder and languorously kissing her scent gland. “You are quite spoiled, you know.”

She took one of his hands in hers with a cheeky grin, leading him down the hall to the stairs. “You love spoiling your pet.”

They helped her down the stairs, a feat Hermione felt quite proud of given the fact that she couldn’t see her feet. When they finally arrived at the library, Sirius and Severus moved a writing desk from the wall to face the sitting area. Hermione asked for her work satchel, quickly arranging a stack of old work documents, a quill, and a bottle of ink on the desk. She took a seat at the desk, adding two candles as an afterthought.

By the time Severus took a seat in an armchair with a potions journal, and Sirius sat on the sofa with the sports section of The Daily Prophet , Remus was just stepping through the floo from the Ministry. His brow furrowed in concern when he noticed her. “Hermione, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be upstairs resting.”

She dipped her quill in the bottle of ink, pulling a page from the stack of old papers and doing her best to look industrious. “Remus, I’ve been on maternity leave for the last month. I don’t like that you have to shoulder the entire case load on your own. The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has one of the heaviest workloads in the entire Ministry. I want to help.”

Remus crossed the space to her, pulling her up from her seat and tucking her snugly into his side. “No need to worry, little one. I’ve been assigning the research and depositions to your gaggle of interns. They’re practically tripping over themselves for the chance to prove themselves to the brightest witch in Britain.”

Severus scoffed as he flipped a page in the journal. “More like trying to ingratiate themselves to the Golden Girl so she’ll put in a good word with Potter in the auror department or help them gain political influence with the imbeciles in the Wizengamot.”

Sirius glared at Severus over his paper. “Not all members of the Wizengamot are imbeciles.”

The potions master’s eyes glinted maliciously. “I quite agree. Some of them are prats, fops, parasites, and rich pretty boys intent on squandering every galleon in their family vaults.”

He smirked at Severus. “So you think I’m pretty?”

Remus sighed, kissing the crown of Hermione’s head. “Have they been like this all day?”

“Worse,” she lamented. “They nearly got into a duel over who got to rub my feet.”

“Would you like me to rub your feet?”

She shook her head, nuzzling his jumper and wrapping an arm around his waist. “You smell amazing.”

Remus smiled indulgently, stroking the back of her neck. “I see you have Sirius’ and Severus’ clothing. Would you like to wear my jumper for a while, or shall I gather some clothes and bedding to make you a nest down here on the couch?”

Hermione preened under the attention, nearly giving into his offer until a swift kick to her bladder reminded her of her plan. The grimace on her face drew an answering frown from Remus. He placed a hand over her swollen belly. “I wish there were something I could do to give you relief.”

She placed her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I just wish they would come already.”

Sirius’ indignant huff disrupted their quiet moment. “Why does he get to touch your belly and I don’t?”

“Because Remus’ touch doesn’t make our children tapdance on my organs.”

Hermione’s arm tightened around Remus’ waist. “I can think of one thing you could do to help me.”

He smiled down at her affectionately. “You need only name it. You know I would do anything to make you more comfortable. I–”

Before he could finish the thought, Hermione slipped behind him. A quick incarcerous spell from Severus found Remus bent over the desk, arms firmly bound in front of him by his own tie. A chaser from Sirius left him naked and squirming.

Remus’ eyes narrowed at them over the desk. “I don’t know what you two are playing at, but I've had a very long week, and I’m not in the mood.”

Sirius shrugged. “Sorry, Remus, but this isn’t our show.”

Hermione walked around to the front of the desk, plucking a candle from the corner. “You said you would do anything to make me more comfortable, Remus. The only thing that would make me more comfortable is to go into labor, but I need help. I need Moony.”

Remus’ expression was furious, his voice changing to the stern tone he used to reprimand students when she was in his classroom. “Absolutely not, Hermione. He could hurt you and the babies. I’m disappointed you would even ask for such a thing.”

She whimpered, the idea of disappointing one of her alphas almost enough to make her abandon her plot. She turned to Severus and Sirius as she fought the urge to cry. She wasn’t typically so easily swayed by her alphas’ moods, but the end of her pregnancy made her feel more vulnerable than usual. Severus’ dark eyes met hers, his reassuring nod reminding her not to let Remus’ bluster deter her.

She turned to face the captive wizard again, stroking the length of the candle in her hand and casting a whispered spell. The candle slowly transfigured into the shape of a vertebral column, identical to the ones in Remus’ office when he was Hogwarts’ DADA professor. 

“Do you know when I first developed a crush on you, Remus?”

Remus just glared at her. He’d stopped his squirming, but his lips were pressed together in an angry line. Sirius snickered from the couch, turning the page in his paper to read the review of the most recent Appleby Arrows game. “Probably from the very first class given how much he sang your praises as a student.”

Hermione shook her head in amusement. “The first time I wanted you was when I went to your office hours to borrow a book. You held your hand over each candle and lit it with just a casual wave of your hand.” She flicked her fingers over the wick, lighting the candle. “It was the first time I’d ever noticed your fingers, how expressive they are when you’re arguing or casting spells.”

She walked back around the desk until she was standing next to him. His body went rigid as she stroked a fingertip down the length of his spine. “It wasn’t long before I imagined them dragging over my skin. Every time you cast a wandless accio, I imagined those beckoning digits curling inside me.”

“Hermione,” Remus growled in warning.

“And then there were your finer qualities,” she taunted, tipping the candle and allowing a few drops of wax to fall on his bare arse. 

Remus hissed at the sudden sting. “Don’t tempt me…little girl.”

“Really? What exactly do you plan to do, Professor?”

She gripped the candle more firmly, tilting it until the cream-colored wax spattered all over his neglected arse cheek. Remus yowled, tugging hard on his restraints. “When I get out of this, I’m going to spank your arse raw.”

She came back around to face him, placing the candle back on the corner of the desk. Her mouth was etched in a disappointed frown. “Only a spanking? I honestly thought the wax would be enough to get you going.”

Remus was still panting from the effects of the wax, but his expression remained calm. “Enough. I told you that I will not purposely place you in harm’s way, Hermione.”

Severus closed his voluminous potions journal with a thud, distracting them from their argument. He spread his legs, placing a thick cushion on the floor between his feet. “If he isn’t willing to play, then the wolf will just have to watch. Come here, my pet.”

Hermione practically ran to him, accepting his upturned hand and sinking to her knees on the plush cushion. She unbuckled his belt with a practiced tug, eagerly unbuttoning the placket of his wool trousers. He smiled at her little whimper as she released his erect cock from his pants. 

He tangled one hand in her hair, his eyes never leaving hers. “Go on, Hermione. Show Remus how you’ve kept yourself busy for the last month that you’ve been home.”

She gripped his base firmly, circling the purplish head of his glans. She dragged her tongue over his rough frenulum, closing her eyes in pleasure at the salty taste of him. 

“Stop!” Remus shouted.

They looked at him with matching annoyed glares, but Remus was undeterred. “You might hurt her. She’ll get sick if you gag her.”

Severus grinned wickedly. “She’s an omega bound to three alphas, Remus. I rather doubt that she has a gag reflex anymore.”

He tightened his grip on her hair, slowly pulling her toward him. Hermione moaned as the veins of his cock dragged over her teeth, her jaw relaxing to accept him. He slid without trouble into the slick heat of her throat, groaning when her nose grazed his trousers. His fingers wrapped around her throat and squeezed until he could feel the bulge of his shaft.

“You see, Remus?” he bit out through clenched teeth. “You may have spoiled her to expect a shag over her desk every day at work, but she’s adapted quite well since being home with me.”

“You were supposed to be resting,” Remus glared at Hermione reproachfully.

Sirius grinned mischievously over the top of his newspaper. “She has been resting…in between rounds of getting vigorously–”

A growl rumbled in Remus’ throat, the corner of his lip curling in a warning snarl. Severus’ eyes darted back and forth between the two of them before settling on Sirius appraisingly. If either of the other wizards had noticed his expression, they would have known he was scheming.

Severus felt a puff of warm air against his skin as Hermione sighed. Her eyes were closed, and she was sitting quietly, waiting for him to tell her to move. He stroked her cheek lovingly. “You’re being such a good little omega for me, Hermione. Since the big bad wolf isn’t interested in giving you what you deserve, perhaps our other furry resident can help.”

Sirius held Remus’ gaze as he rose from the couch, slipping easily into his canine form. Hermione shifted her knees to the edge of the cushion so that her arse was on display, leaning her forearms more firmly on Severus’ thighs. Padfoot’s tail wagged enthusiastically when he saw her glistening cunt spread out for him. The pink tip of his shaft was already peeking out of its heavy sheath when he trotted over to get a closer look.

Remus’ eyes were amber-rimmed, and even Severus’ spell was struggling to hold him to the desk. “Don’t you fucking dare, Pads!”

Padfoot gave Remus a knowing look before dipping his head. He licked a torturously slow trail through her folds, his broad tongue tracking along the lips of labia until the firm bud of her clit dragged over the tip of his tongue. He instantly zeroed in on the little nub, lapping at it insistently until slick slowly dripped between her thighs. He licked up the sticky mess before returning to her clit, begging her for every drop she was willing to give him.

Hermione widened her stance, pushing back into his rough tongue encouragingly. Padfoot placed a paw on her hip, but promptly lost his grip. Severus realized the issue, dismissing the t-shirt and his long-sleeved linen shirt and leaving her naked and trembling.

Remus growled in warning, temporarily distracting them. “You can slake your thirst at her pretty pink cunt all you like, Pads, but the moment you skewer her, I’ll–”

“You’ll what?” Severus drawled. “Remus loves to get himself off watching the mangy mutt ‘skewer’ her, as you so eloquently put it.”

Remus tilted his head to the side, a hint of canines showing as his amber eyes glinted in the low light. “Not when he’s me, he doesn’t. She’s mine.”

Severus could tell that the wolf was itching to get out, but he needed a push. A growl of his own rumbled in his chest, a cloud of alpha pheromones challenging the werewolf’s dominance. “I’ll remind you that she’s bound to all of us, and no amount of infantile posturing can change that.”

Remus sneered, the expression strange on his usually placid face. “Care to put that to the test, wizard?”

Padfoot tossed his head with a great harumph, clearly unimpressed. He turned his attention back to Hermione, hooking his paws over her hips. When his cock slapped clumsily against her arse, he clambered up her body, arms pressing into her ribs and the sides of her breasts.

His mottled red shaft made a wet trail up the side of her thigh before notching at her entrance. He gave a firm thrust, earning an approving moan from Hermione and a furious howl from Remus. Padfoot plunged into her snug heat over and over, his slick-coated cock a blur as his hips pistoned against her. He lapped and nipped furiously at her scent gland.

Tears were streaming down Hermione’s face, her nose battering Severus’ groin with each thrust. She dug her fingers into the hips of Severus’ trousers to steady herself against the onslaught. The coarse hair of Padfoot’s belly chafed her bare back, the tight peaks of her nipples dragging back and forth over rough wool. 

Severus gripped her hair, holding himself deep in her throat. Padfoot bit harder on her scent gland as his pace grew frenzied, fucking into her with a single-minded focus. Her eyelashes fluttered as the edges of her vision blurred. Just as her lungs were screaming for relief, she heard Severus’ ragged moan above her. He withdrew just enough to spill down her throat.

The sound of Severus coming undone pushed them both to the brink. Hermione rolled her hips back to meet each of Padfoot’s brutal thrusts, and when Severus’ flaccid cock finally slipped from her lips and the animagus could hear all of her little mewls, he lost all control, blindly chasing his own pleasure. 

Padfoot’s rhythm stuttered, the hint of a bump snagging at her entrance each time he withdrew his glistening cock. Hermione whimpered, an aching need blooming low in her belly. “Please…”

Severus swept a thumb over her bottom lip. “What, my pet? Tell us what you need.”

Padfoot’s panting changed to excited yips, his pendulous balls smacking heavily against her in preparation. Hermione clung to the hem of Severus’ frock coat. “Please, alpha…give me your knot.”

A loud roar filled the library, followed closely by the sound of wood splintering. Before Hermione could process what was happening, Padfoot abruptly pulled out and she was yanked to her feet by her hair. She nearly stumbled as she tried to keep up, the protective thread of Severus’ magic weaving around her.

A low, gravelly voice taunted her as he dragged her along. “The only knot you’re going to be taking today is mine, little one.”

She looked around in puzzlement when he finally forced her to her hands and knees deep in the stacks. The voice chuckled, a low, soothing rumble. “Don’t you remember? This is where I smelled the first trickle of your slick that day you moved in, where I hunted you down…my omega.”

“Moony?” Hermione whispered.

The chuckle graduated to a full-throated laugh as she chanced a glance over her shoulder. His hair was dishevelled and slightly longer than usual. His chest hair was also thicker, a coarse patch blazing a trail down his stomach. 

Hermione’s eyes widened in alarm as she took in his bobbing cock. The shaft was a mottled purple, studded with veins that turned to thick ridges as he languidly stroked himself. His golden eyes glinted in amusement at her worried expression as he gripped her hip with one large hand and lined himself up with the other.

“Too late for second thoughts now, witch–”

He growled as he pressed inside her, fingers digging cruelly into her hips. Hermione cried out in pain at the intrusion. He was too big, too rough. For a moment she wondered if Sirius was right, if she’d bitten off more than she could chew.

His lips twisted in a feral grin as her tight cunt impeded his progress. “Don’t be coy now, little one. You were the one who wanted this.”

He rocked his hips, taking her in shallow thrusts. In spite of her discomfort, a familiar bubble formed in her groin, a thick surge of slick coating her thighs. Moony’s nostrils flared appreciatively, and Hermione clenched around him at the sound of his sniffing. His free hand went to her other hip, pulling her back onto his cock with a harsh tug.

He gave her no respite, pulling back and slamming his behemoth cock back into her. She once again felt Sirius and Severus casting protective spells over her protruding belly. She wanted to snap at them, to tell them to make themselves useful and soothe her abused cunt, but she was quickly distracted when Moony changed the angle. Devastating pleasure rippled through her as he dragged his veiny shaft over her front wall. 

Moony smiled at her helpless moan. “If it were a full moon, I’d finally show you what I can do with my tongue, little one, but since you summoned me at an unusual time, I only have enough time to clean up Remus’ mess.”

The slight against Remus broke through the haze of pleasure. “What do you mean, Remus’ ‘mess’?”

Moony’s voice dropped low again, a warning. “What I mean is that your wizards got all the pleasure of putting our pups in you, but they leave it to me to fuck them out.”

Before Hermione could reply, he wrapped her thick curls around his fist and pulled, forcing her back to arch. He pounded into her mercilessly, battering her walls as he swelled further. She was accustomed to the slow swell of her wizards’ knots, so when the bulbous node of Moony’s knot suddenly burgeoned inside her, she wailed pitifully. 

Her body tried to keep up, wave after wave of slick pouring from her and dripping to form a sticky puddle on the stones beneath her. Moony moaned as he flooded her with cum, his knot pressing her impossibly wide. He slowly released Hermione’s hair, allowing her head to fall forward.

“Good girl,” he panted, incapable of further speech.

Hermione gasped as the pressure in her belly shifted. She glanced up just in time to see Sirius and Severus slipping through the fireplace to fetch the mediwitch from St. Mungo’s. Liquid wetted her knees and calves as it pooled on the floor with a sudden gush.

“Hermione?”

A large hand stroked her spine. She could tell from the hushed concern in his voice that Remus was back. Her shoulders slumped forward in relief as she grinned at him over her shoulder.

“It worked.”

***************

Harry was surprised to find over two dozen people already in attendance when he stepped through the floo into the Grimmauld Place library in the early hours of the morning. He looked around for Hermione, but she was hidden from sight by a throng of well-wishers. He sheepishly deposited three pink pygmy puff stuffies on the already overflowing heap of presents on the coffee table. 

Sirius was the first to spot him, beckoning him over to meet the Black family heir. Minerva and Pomona flanked the proud new father, whispering and cooing animatedly to the infant.

Harry ran his fingers through his messy hair. “I came as soon as I heard. I can’t believe there are so many people here already.”

Sirius chuckled softly. “I’m afraid word travels faster at Hogwarts than anywhere else in the world.”

Harry grinned at Minerva. “I wonder why that is.”

Minerva bit back a laugh as she scolded him. “Shush, my boy. Your idle prattle is disturbing my namesake.”

Harry shuffled closer, staring down at the bundle in Sirius’ arms. A tiny face with gray eyes and wisps of dark wavy hair stared up at him wonderingly. He reached down to touch her hand, drawing in a sharp breath when she grasped his finger. 

He smiled down at her. “She’s so pretty. Congratulations, Sirius. Her name’s Minerva?”

Sirius stroked his daughter’s cheek, his voice hitching as he met his godson’s eyes. “Harry, this is Minerva…your goddaughter.”

Before Harry could respond, Remus’ shoulder brushed his. “And this is Teddy…your godson.”

He turned his head to look at the tawny-haired boy staring at him inquisitively. He drew in a shuddering breath, desperately trying not to lose control of his emotions. His voice trembled as his eyes flitted back and forth between Sirius and Remus. “Are you sure?”

Sirius nodded. “I can think of very few people I would trust with my child’s life, Harry, but I trust you as your parents once trusted me.”

Remus patted his shoulder gently. “You’ve always defended the people you love, and I know you’ll protect Teddy and Minerva.”

He fought the sting of tears, just managing to keep his voice steady. “I’d be honored.”

He patted Remus’ shoulder in thanks, noticing the dark circles under his former professor’s eyes for the first time. “Rough night?”

Remus chuckled softly. “Yes, well, Hermione decided to ask Moony to help out.”

“Help out?” Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“To pop the cork, my boy,” Minerva supplied helpfully.

Harry’s eyes went wide in horror, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say. “Was that really necessary? Don’t they have a potion for that?”

Minerva and Pomona snickered at his discomfort. “No potion or charm can replace a good shag for bringing on labor.”

“Harry!” Hermione called from the opposite couch. 

Harry practically fled, pleased beyond measure to have an excuse to leave the conversation.

Poppy, Filius, and Rolanda made room for him to sneak through the throng. The scene before him wasn’t one he’d ever imagined. Severus sat on the couch, one long arm propped on the back of the sofa. Hermione leaned into his side, her third child cradled in her arms. Severus caressed the crown of his daughter’s head, the dark tufts of her hair already showing signs of curling. The baby managed to free one hand from her blanket, closing a tight fist around one of Hermione’s curls.

Severus’ chuckled fondly. “Athena, you’ll soon have a head full of your own curls. There’s no need to steal Mum’s.”

Harry realized that he was gawking when Hermione patted the cushion on her other side for him to take a seat. He sat down next to his best friend, his brow furrowing in concern when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. “You look exhausted.”

He returned to gaping when a sound suspiciously like a laugh rumbled in Severus’ chest. “You might want to work on your lines if you intend to have a child with Miss Weasley. A witch who’s just given birth is still perfectly capable of hexing your bollocks off, and I know from observation that Ginevra has impeccable aim.”

“You bet your arse she does,” Hermione snickered before taking pity on her friend, “but in answer to your implicit question, the babies and I are doing well.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, but she cut him off before he could say anything. “To Severus’ point, though, you really do need to learn tact. You’re no better than you were when you were twelve.”

A stray thought crept unbidden into Harry’s mind: Watch how it’s done, dunderhead. It seems I’m doomed to always be your teacher.

Severus gave him a pointed look before resting his forehead against Hermione’s temple. His voice dropped to a soothing purr. “You did so well, my pet. Such a good little omega birthing our pups. We’re the luckiest alphas to have such a brilliant, beautiful witch as ours.”

Harry knew he was gaping again, but hearing his stern former professor lavish praise on the witch he used to call an insufferable know-it-all was too much for him to process. He cleared his throat awkwardly, turning his attention to the bundle in Hermione’s arms. 

His head tilted to the side as he and Athena regarded each other. Whereas Teddy and Minerva were smiling, happy babies, Athena was more stoic, examining him with dark, observant eyes. When he touched one of her socked feet, she immediately kicked his finger, her lips pursing angrily.

Severus grinned happily. “I think my little girl despises you, Potter. We picked the right name, as she has wisdom beyond her years.”

Harry looked at Athena thoughtfully, lines forming between his eyes. “It does seem like an appropriate name.”

Severus raised an eyebrow, whether from curiosity or in warning, Harry couldn’t be certain. “What do you mean, Potter?”

“Well, Athena was born from Zeus’ head, and really this entire thing was your brainchild. It was the affinity between your magic and Hermione’s that allowed you to form a quad in first place. It was your idea.”

Severus considered for a moment before answering. “I suppose you’re right, as shocking as that is…”

Hermione shot him a warning look before he continued. “It was also my idea to ask you to be Athena’s godfather.”

“What?” Harry’s eyes snapped up to meet Severus’, but the potions master’s expression gave nothing away.

“When Ronald Weasley ended his relationship with Hermione in the most asinine way possible, you stood by her and didn’t excuse his behavior. Hermione informed me that when you found out about our quad, you tried to protect our privacy until we were ready to announce our bond to our friends. When Ronald and Molly attempted to turn the Order against us, you again stood by us and defended your friend. I want that loyalty for my daughter.”

Harry hadn’t been too surprised when Remus and Sirius asked him to be a godfather given their relationship with his parents, but for the man who’d once loathed him to ask him to protect his daughter…Harry couldn’t help it. The tears he’d managed to ward off all night finally came. Hermione patted his arm comfortingly, assuring him that it was, in fact, Severus’ idea to ask him.

Severus looked away from the younger wizard, clearly uncomfortable with the show of emotion and his own strange desire to comfort the boy. “Yes, well…it’s the least you can do considering all the years I spent protecting you.”

Harry laughed through his sniffles. “Of course. I’d be happy to be Athena’s godfather.”

Minerva beamed at them across the room, not at all embarrassed that she’d been listening in on their entire conversation. “Now that that’s settled, let’s take your first family picture. I want a copy for my office.”

Remus brought Teddy and sat on Severus’ left. Sirius took a seat next to Harry. Not wishing to intrude on the moment, Harry rose to join the other well wishers. 

“Sit down, Potter,” Severus scolded. “Godfathers are obviously family too.”

Athena smiled at her father’s gruff tone. In a gesture of tenderness that Harry could never have imagined from the surly wizard, Severus leaned down to kiss the crown of his daughter’s head. “That’s right, Athena. You love to watch your father boss the dunderheads around, don’t you?”

Athena gurgled, grinning and clapping her hands in delight. Hermione stared down at her in shock. “She just clapped.”

Harry looked back and forth between Severus and Hermione, feeling as though he’d missed something. “And?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Harry, babies don’t usually clap for several months. It takes time for them to develop the proper motor skills.”

“These are your children, Hermione. No one in this room is shocked that they’re overachievers.”

As if to prove their godfather’s point, the three pygmy puff stuffies that he’d brought for them floated through the air toward three pairs of grasping hands. The flash of the camera went off just in time to capture the shocked expressions of the parents, with the exception of Severus, who was sporting a proud smirk. For years, the Hogwarts faculty would tease Minerva about capturing the youngest use of magic on record, but for Harry, Hermione, and her wizards, it was a reminder of the beginning of their family, the reward for everything they’d fought for.