A Season with the Half-Blood Prince

Chapter 7 - Protective

Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Severus was beside himself with joy.

After years of misery, he loved and was finally loved back.

He had a mate, of sorts, and a child on the way.

Harriet's lease on her flat expired two days before Hogwarts' winter recess began.

After careful consideration and discussion with Severus, she chose not to renew her rental agreement, but instead to move from her apartment directly into the headmaster's chambers at Hogwarts.

By then, most of the students had already left for home to begin their holiday a bit early.

Everyone had been shocked when the headmaster had given his uncharacteristically generous permission for the Hogwarts Express to depart sooner than expected, but Severus had more important things on his mind than forcing students to linger for the weekend after classes ended.

On the morning of Harriet's expected arrival, he walked through his living quarters with a serious frown of concentration on his face.

The couple had spent the majority of the last two months together, but Severus still wanted Harriet to be surprisingly comfortable in her new home.

He thoughtfully fluffed the soft pillows on the bed and counted each of the buttery blankets he had purchased for her use.

Whether Harriet ultimately chose him as her permanent partner or not, Severus wanted the omega who carried his child to have a comfortable nest.

He regretted agreeing to Harriet's terms that their living arrangement would only be temporary.

Severus didn't want Harriet in his home until the baby's birth, Severus wanted Harriet at his side.......forever.

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That morning, Harriet answered a knock on her flat's door only to find Severus standing in the hallway with a frown on his pale face.

"Good morning." She blinked, "Sorry, wasn't I supposed to come to you?"

"I'm here to help, Potter." He scowled, "A woman in your condition has no business lifting heavy objects."

"I could just use magic." Harriet shrugged.

"I won't allow you to drain yourself by wasting energy on frivolous pursuits when you have assistance." Severus snapped.

Harriet brushed aside his abrasiveness as she silently invited him into her apartment by standing aside.

Although his scowl remained, it touched Harriet he cared enough about her and their baby to be so..........attentive.

"Professor?" Harriet called.

Annoyed, Severus purposely ignored her as he walked in and gathered her packed luggage.

Would she still call him 'Professor' in front of their son or daughter?

Harriet took a deep breath and corrected herself, "Sorry...........Severus?"

His answer came too quickly, "Yes........?"

In the pause that followed, Severus halted his task and turned around to face Harriet as she smiled, "............Thanks."

Severus scowled in response as he whirled around, finished collecting her luggage, and promptly escorted her back to the castle.

While they traveled to Hogwarts, Harriet breathed a sigh of relief.