Soon All the Suns Will Rise

Songbird

This was an outtake written for my collection, however I decided to add it to the work as a bonus chapter since it's such an important moment. Final Chapter to come after this!
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Rhiannon paced up and down the aisles separating the long tables in her classroom as her students scrawled their essays. Today's assignment was a bit of a term recap, even though it was only the third week of November and winter holidays were still a month away. She knew her little bean would be making an appearance any day now, and she wanted a chance to review her students' assessment of the three most useful household spells they'd learned that term and why. She'd encouraged them to consider applications outside of the household setting as well, since the events of these past couple years had proved that thinking outside the box was quite necessary.

Rhiannon smiled as she passed by Hermione, Ginny and Luna's desk, a calm sense of relief filling her heart to see them safe and working on something so mundane. Hermione had chosen to return to complete her missed seventh year, even though Harry and Ron decided to move on. The three girls met Rhiannon's gaze and gave her small smiles, which warmed her heart. It wasn't too long ago they'd regarded her with disdain, but Ginny's frequent visits to the seaside house with Harry over the summer had done a good deal to solidify both Rhiannon and Severus's place within the family. It was all finally as it should be; the days of the Snapes playing double agent were finally, blessedly, over.

Rhiannon returned to her desk and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as she nibbled at a pastry she'd swiped from breakfast in the Great Hall. Her stomach was full-on rumbling with hunger today. Apparently the baby was trying to maximize her last few days in residence. Rhiannon kept thinking 'her'— of course she didn't know for sure, but the energy readings told her as much. They'd been right regarding Delphi when Bellatrix was pregnant earlier that year, so Rhiannon assumed they'd be correct again. She was rather skilled at detecting such things. Her readings on Colleen were a bit muddy, since Mrs. Black was carrying a litter. Well, metaphorically speaking. It was actually twins, according to Sirius's cosmic connection with Remus beyond the veil, but "litter" was more fun to say.

"Essays in, class!" Rhiannon called, straightening back up from her secret snack. She felt a bit lightheaded as she did so. She smiled and watched as parchment after parchment was stacked upon her desk, the leaves of ivory fluttering into swishes of black robes adorned with the rainbow of house scarves. It created a swirl of texture and color that played with Rhiannon's senses in a discombobulating way... could you taste color? Hear the texture of fabric and parchment? She suddenly felt queasy, and her stomach began to cramp.

"Professor Snape?" Ginny asked cautiously. "Are you all right?"

"Her baby is coming," Luna said serenely. "Perhaps we should fetch Madame Pomfrey?"

Hermione took off to the hospital wing without hesitation, and Ginny came around the back of the desk to stroke Rhiannon's hair, offering a cooling spell once she felt the sweat that beaded on her professor's forehead.

"Ginny, can you send a Patronus to the house?" Rhiannon gasped. "I need Severus here. Quickly. Make sure Colleen or Sirius has Delphi before he leaves."

"Of course," the redhead nodded. From her wand leapt a graceful horse, and Rhiannon smiled. She'd forgotten they shared a similar Patronus. Rhiannon's horse was larger, more feisty, and had the rare ability to shift color with her mood. Ginny's was frosty white, regal, and poised as it took off westwardly through the classroom window and over the moor.

"Is it time, my dear?" Poppy scurried into the Practical Magic classroom, the white tails of her kerchief trailing behind her in the breeze created by her haste. Rhiannon clutched her lower belly and nodded, her clammy body threatening to fall from her desk chair at the pain tightening in her abdomen.