Redemption II

Chapter 77

oO May Oo

"He's beautiful Galia... What did you name him?" Hermione gently rocked the one-day-old infant in her arms, smiling down at his sleeping face. He was so small, so fragile, yet full of life and promise.

"Renatus Valarius." Galia smiled tiredly from the bed from which she had been forbidden from leaving. While her son had been born healthy, her age at which she had given birth had left her extremely fatigued. The midwife had given her six weeks of bed rest and Severus had supplied the potions that would speed up her recovery.

"Reborn in Victory." Hermione smiled at the meaning remembering the words that Galia had spoken to her what felt like a lifetime ago. The season had only changed but her life had shifted dramatically.

Galia smiled and closed her eyes for a moment, "You're going to the castle today?"

"Yes, I finally convinced him to go."

"Mm, he is a stubborn man." Galia opened her eyes, smiling softly as Hermione came closer to sit down beside her.

"Tell me about it." Hermione chuckled softly and handed the sleeping bundle back into Galia's loving arms. "He finally conceded to letting me cook dinner, though it took him getting so sick he couldn't stand for him to finally let me do it."

Galia chuckled softly adjusting the blanket around her son, "Never fault a man who can cook. It is a rare talent."

As if on cue, Reglan knocked his way through the door with a lunch tray in hand and a bright beaming smile on his face that hadn't left since his son had taken his first breath. "Hello, beautiful. Hello, Hermione."

"Hello Reglan, did you...did you trim your beard?" Hermione moved from her chair giving the man an approving look at his improved appearance.

"Aye, didn't want the little one gettin' all tangled up in it." He set the tray down over Galia's knees before leaning down to place a well-appreciated kiss on her lips before gently running his large fingers through the little tuft of black hair lightly accenting Renatus' head.

"The baby didn't like the feel of his Daddy's kisses." Galia clarified with a smirk before carefully placing the boy in his father's palm. He was still so tiny that the large man could hold him safely with one hand, though he always used two.

"Have to agree with him there." Hermione rubbed her own chin thoughtfully for a moment and tried to picture Severus having facial hair before making a small face. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. I just wanted to drop by Galia's potions and some formula before Severus and I went to investigate the castle."

"You going to the castle then? Be careful, there've been stories of a mysterious creature seen at night. It's got large round blue eyes and no body." The man tried to make his voice sound spooky but it just made Hermione grin.

"Oh, stop it Reglan." Galia lightly hit his barrel of a thigh before, smiling at Hermione. "It'll be fine."

"Thanks. I'll uh, keep an eye out yeah?" Hermione giggled her way through the door leaving the two to their happiness. Even if his story was true, she had no doubt that between her and Severus they could take down any magical creature lurking inside. After all, they'd both faced down the most terrible creature of all, man.

oOo

Severus lifted his head from the small satchel he was filling with emergency potions just in case the castle did, in fact, have some sort of defense around it. Though he didn't have a clue what they'd find inside, he was going to take no chances. A castle, a magical castle didn't just lie dormant for over 80 years and not attract some sort of magical beast to find refuge inside its crumbling walls.