Forever and Always Yours, SS [Book 3]

Chapter 94

Amilia and Severus celebrated their original anniversary in the quiet solitude of their quarters. Amilia originally had wanted to go out, maybe even walk around London, but the weather did not agree with them. Poppy had taken Jordan for the day and brought her back around bedtime. So the couple had plenty of hours to themselves; they ate silently and read next to the fire.

Jordan herself had discovered her laugh on Severus's birthday. He had been talking to her about the properties of Dittany, and he stumbled over a few words causing her to laugh that amazing little belly laugh. She also had learned that she could put things in her mouth, much to her parent's dismay. Amilia had discovered relatively quickly not to leave crochet hooks on the floor; Jordan had found one when playing on the floor and gagged herself with it. On the other hand, Severus placed extra protections on his boxes containing potions, ingredients, and supplies. He was terrified she would hurt herself. Still, he had nowhere to store them where a particular rat would not get his grubby hands on them.

Most of February was quiet. Severus continued to teach, and Amilia had found herself with more time and took on extra students for tutoring since Jordan did not need constant supervision and could be left in a playpen with something to entertain herself. Amilia did learn that some students, while needing help, were not as desperate as they claimed to be because they kept playing with Jordan instead. On Valentine's Day, while Severus and Amilia were on a date, Jordan had learned to roll over entirely, and Minerva was beaming with pride when they went to claim their daughter.

On the last day of the month, during dinner in the Great Hall, Jordan surprised everyone by saying her first word, "Dada." Severus had stared at her. Amilia could see the sense of pride, joy, and fear sweep through his eyes as he smiled softly at the little girl in his lap. Later that night, he sat on the chair near her crib and watched her sleep.

"Why did she say dada first? Why not momma?"

"Kylie said d and b sounds are easier for babies to get out."

"You are with her more though, it should have been momma."

Amilia sat down next to her husband, "Are you saying that you do not deserve to be her first word?"

Severus looked at her from the corner of his eye, "It scares me. It was much easier when she was not moving around and...talking. I could mask and hide those thoughts and memories." He reached into the crib and gently stroked Jordan's cheek with his fingertips.

"He knows already, you have said as much yourself."

"Yes, but now there is more that he can use against me. Against us." Severus hung his head and gripped the crib railing.

Amilia laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, "We will work through this. We have already."

"Amilia...I don't think that we can if his plans come to fruition."

"Then tell me what his plans are so that I can help!"

Severus shook his head, "The less you know the better."

Severus was sitting in his office the next evening when a silvery apparition appeared, "Madam Pomfrey says you must come to your daughter."

"What?" Severus looked up, confused.

The specter shrugged, "She said it was urgent."

Severus's heart skipped a beat; he thought that Amilia had Jordan. "Did something happen?"

Again the ghost shrugged, "It is Hogwarts, when is something not happening."

Severus jumped up from his chair, which fell back with the force of his movement, producing an echoing thud. He bolted from the room, racing his heart to the hospital wing.

Outside the double doors, he saw a woman with shoulder-length hair. He could smell her perfume before his brain recognized it was his wife. "What happened!?"

Amilia turned just enough to smile half-heartedly at him. "We are fine."

Severus threw his arms around her, repeating his question.

"Severus, if you take a deep breath and calm down you will see that our daughter is sleeping in my arms. She is fine."

Severus backed up, "What?" He looked in his wife's arms; there rested their daughter. Her little fist tucked under her chin, and her feet crossed and hanging over Amilia's elbow.

"See?"

"The ghost..."

"The ghost did not give us enough information." Amilia scowled.

Severus stood there for a moment, letting it sink in. "Then why did we need to get her?"

Amilia grimaced, "You should go look for yourself."

Severus felt his stomach knot at the look on his wife's face, but he opened the door to see for himself.