A one time thing {Severus Snape}

Chapter 38: Sword of Damocles

Usual Disclaimer and thanks to Camille for her hard work in beta-ing this.

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"It can't be. That's just far too inconvenient," Snape grunted as he sat beside Megan, his arms folded across his chest. He was frowning darkly at where Poppy was standing the other side of where Megan was lying on the bed, her hands folded just under her breasts, her stomach exposed.

"Well, I'm sorry, Severus, but nature doesn't bother with what is convenient or not," Poppy said quietly, her kind eyes fixed on the wand she held over Megan's stomach.

"Are you certain you've got it right. You haven't made a mistake?" he continued grumpily.

Poppy looked up at him, her lips narrowed as she glared at him.

"No, I have not made a mistake. If the dates Megan has given me are correct, then May the fifteenth is when you can expect your baby to arrive."

"Megan?" Snape turned his black eyes on his wife. "Are you certain you have your dates right."

"Yes. Look Severus, what does it matter when it arrives," she said testily.

Megan had had just about enough of him. He had insisted on coming to see Poppy with her. At first Meg had assumed it was delayed paternal feelings kicking in, but it hadn't taken her long to realise that he merely wanted to find out when it would arrive; and it now seemed that this news didn't please him either.

"May is just before all the exams are taken. Have you any idea how much time is required at that time of year? I won't be able to spare any time at all!"

Meg glared at him and, sitting up swiftly, she dislodged Poppy's wand, but she paid no attention to Poppy's outburst to lay still.

"Severus, sometimes I could quite cheerfully strangle you," she spat at him. "Are you trying to say to me that those blasted exams come before the baby and me?"

"No, of course not," he muttered; his face tightened and his lips thinned as he clamped them together.

"Well, unfortunately life very rarely goes to plan, you just have to take what comes with the best of spirits," Poppy said as she gently eased Meg back down and began scanning again.

"I was just remarking on how inconvenient it would be that's all," he stated darkly.

"Well, I can't change things," Poppy said softly. "This baby is definitely a girl." She stood back with a satisfied look on her face.

"And she's okay?" asked Meg quietly, her eyes back on Poppy now, pointedly ignoring Snape who was still glowering at them both.

"Perfectly, asleep again, judging by the heart rate, but perfectly well."

Meg smiled as she tucked her shirt back down over her stomach and sat up.

"I feel better knowing that." She ignored Snape, who was sitting very still, his face dark and hard.

"Any ideas as to how you want to give birth?"

"Pardon?"

"Well, I took it upon myself to send for some books..." Poppy turned away and took a pile of brochures and books from the table behind her. "It has been a long time since I attended a birth. Of course, closer to the time, you'll have a Mediwitch Midwife assigned to you, probably in your second trimester," she mused half to herself, "but I'll still be here to help you, I rather liked the look of the water birth or maybe the Aromatherapy...."

"What?" Meg blinked several times; all thoughts of how angry she was with Snape had disappeared.

"A midwife will be assigned to you. She'll be on call so when you actually go into labour she'll be here to attend to you and the baby when it's born," Poppy said, loosing the dreamy expression in her eyes when she spotted Snape's fierce frown.