Harriet Potter and the Alpha in the Dungeon

Chapter 45 - Family Bonds

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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"Won't you come in, Mother?" Severus asked Eileen as he gestured inside the house, "Dinner has already been prepared."

"Of course, Severus, thank you." Eileen nodded.

Harriet followed her mate as he led her and Eileen over to the dining table, which Disencan had outfitted handsomely with polished plates, silverware, and goblets.

Severus pulled out chairs for his wife and mother, which they both politely sat in before he took Maggie from her grandmother's arms and placed her in her own seat that looked similar to a muggle high chair.

"You have a lovely home, Severus." Eileen smiled approvingly at her son as she glanced around.

Disencan scurried out of the kitchen to retreat to his room, but Eileen happened to catch a glimpse of him before he vanished from sight.

"........And a house elf too?!" She exclaimed.

Severus's chest swelled with pride at the look on his mother's face as she nodded at him, "You've done very well for yourself, son!"

"Thank you, mother." Severus answered with a stoic frown.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Snape, did you say that Severus has a sister?" Harriet cut in, unable to keep her curiosity to herself.

Severus frowned as his mother looked over at Harriet and nodded, "He had a sister, yes, dear.....Lavinia, my only daughter. Unfortunately, she died in infancy." Eileen glanced at Severus again. A warm smile crossed her pale face as she explained, "Two years later, my handsome boy arrived."

Severus bristled at his mother's undue praise as Harriet nodded and replied, "Oh.....I see.....I'm terribly sorry."

"Thank you, dear, but the past is the past and we cannot change it, can we?.....Let us dwell on more pleasant musings, when can I expect my second grandchild?" Eileen asked Harriet as they all began to eat.

"Oh......" Harriet blinked, flattered that her mother-in-law had asked, "In about four and a half months."

"Halfway there, then?" Eileen grinned as she took a bite of her food.

"Right." Harriet nodded with a soft smile, "Halfway there."

"How have you been feeling, my dear?" Eileen pressed.

"Well, for the most part." Harriet shrugged, "A bit tired, but not bad at all."

"You're fortunate then." Eileen quipped as she took a sip from her goblet, "When I carried Severus, I was too ill to lift my head above my pillow from the moment he was conceived to the moment the midwife placed him in my arms."

Harriet smiled as she looked over at Severus and noticed a strange look wash over his face.

She wondered if his expression came from sympathy for his mother or plain embarrassment before Eileen went on, ".........Boy or girl?"

"We're waiting until the birth to find out." Harriet nodded with a polite smile.

Severus watched his wife lay a hand over the adorable mound of her belly.

"Ah." Eileen nodded. She sniffed before she took another sip from her glass and told her daughter-in-law, "Well, if it's another girl, you can always try again."

Severus narrowed his eyes at his mother.

"I.....beg your pardon, Mrs. Snape?" Harriet asked.

".....To have a son." Eileen blinked. She smiled bitterly at Harriet as she laughed and said, "Oh, come now, my dear, surely you know that all alphas want sons? Don't worry! If this child ends up being another daughter, you can try again for a boy......Come and see me first though, there's a very useful potion available to women in our position......I drank it once and look how that turned out!"