The Serpent and the Lioness

Chapter 67

oO 26 Weeks Oo

"Oh yes, right there...a little more..." A deep moan followed by a loud sigh of contentment echoed through the tiled bath.

Hermione was laying spread out along the edge of their tub bench while Severus was working his way up her right calf. To say she was in heaven was an understatement. She was very certain that he had been reading something about muscles by the way he expertly worked through all the little knots that had grown throughout the day.

She had actually made it rather far in her walk, well beyond the wards of their house and down the quiet muggle street. The warm air and bright sun her guide. She had sent off a Patronus for Harry and Ginny to come and have tea with her at the small cafe she had come across during one of her other long walks that she had taken to.

Rather shockingly it was no longer an otter but a full-grown panther. Hermione had barely been able to believe that it was her Patronus actually standing before her when she'd finished the casting.

It helped keep her busy, reading and walking, a skill she perfected in her youth. With her book written she had suddenly found nothing else to do. It was an odd state to be in for her and she quickly went stir crazy.

Severus had all but pushed her out of the front door when she'd taken to pacing through the house rearranging this and that. He had things to do but he wasn't sharing with her, not with her present condition. She wasn't even allowed down in the laundry room, not that she was terribly upset by that.

Tea with Ginny and Harry had been a most pleasant affair. James and Albus had nearly doubled in size since she had last seen them, and they were just as happy as ever to see her.

Ginny had talked endlessly about her pregnancy experience with both boys while Harry had thrown in his own few stories. They both looked genuinely happy to see that she was getting on well enough.

"Ah! Ohhh...mmmm..." Hermione jumped back to reality as Severus hit a very nice spot on her thigh making her nearly melt down into the water. His deep chuckle brought a grin to her face and she lightly pushed against his chest with her free foot. "You're on the clock mister."

Severus just shook his head and sat back to work on her other leg. He had promised to give her a full hour of his 'handy' work before they retired for the evening. Something she was very eager to accept. Hermione let out a deep content sigh letting her mind drift back to her afternoon.

Albus had been very inquisitive about her growing stomach, of course, the first question out of his innocent little mouth was what the baby's name was. Hermione gladly supplied the name that she and Severus had finally settled on, Majestas Toris Granger; taking her last name instead of his. It had been a difficult decision for her to make, but Severus had made a very convincing argument.

When Albus had asked what the 'Daddy's' name was she couldn't lie to him and had told him honestly. It was then the boy went quiet and Hermione looked at Harry with worry about possibly having done something wrong.

It was then Harry explained what they had told Albus, about his name, and where it had come from. It had nearly brought Hermione to tears to hear the little child boast how proud he was to have a name as powerful as the one he had. That he was so happy to live on in their memory.

Hermione hadn't had the heart to tell him that his name and Severus' were one and the same. A decision that she would later, in the quiet of her mind, ponder relentlessly.