Double Vision ~Marauders Era~

Chapter 27 - Birth

Severus and I finished our exams early. None of the professors asked questions. Dumbledore insisted it be done so it was. It was horrible, but it had to be done. Part of me was super relieved. Part of me died knowing I wouldn't ever return. It was awful to think about. It truly was.

Severus had taken me to his house after discovering his mother was gone. Supposedly, she was going to be gone for another two weeks. She was taking a "vacation". Severus said she just didn't want to see him. I wasn't upset, though. She didn't necessarily need to know about this child. If we were going to convince people it was ours, we needed to believe it ourselves. It was hard to do without being pregnant or having a child.

"Okay," I sighed, watching Severus drop my bags. I dropped the bags I had been carrying, full of baby supplies. Severus and I had went shopping, and we gathered what we could afford. He would have to build the crib soon, but that was a later issue.

"Are you ready," I asked, looking up at him.

"No," he laughed, pulling me into a hug.

"It's not like she is having the baby today," I laughed back, burying my head in his shoulder. We sat like that for a few minutes, cherishing the last moments of what we could consider our childhood.

Severus pulled away from me, taking my face into his hands. His eyes darkened as they stared into mine, his breathing heavy. He pulled my lips to his, kissing me passionately. I returned his kiss, trying to push away my fear. But I knew we both felt it. The fear, the worry. It was a lot of emotions, and it was hard to just push that away.

"Let's go," I whispered against his lips, giving him one last kiss. He pulled away hesitantly, nodding. I sucked in a sharp breath, letting him apperate us to my mother's. Within seconds we were outside of her door. I stared at the old wood, unsure of what lay ahead of me in the future days. I didn't have to wonder for long, though.

We heard the screams instantly, the painful cries calling out to us. I threw open the door, rushing inside. I heard the cry again, and I followed it to the kitchen. My mother was doubled over, holding her large stomach. A large pool of water laid a few feet away, and I could see the wet spot on her pants. Her water had broken, and she was entering active labor. How long she had been doing so I was unsure of.

"Mother," I called, rushing to her side. I let her hold onto my shoulders, helping her stand. She steadied herself, crying out as she did so. I watched with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. I heard Severus enter the room quietly, but I didn't look at him.

"What do I do? Oh, no. This is too early. Too early! I don't-I'm not-"

"Maybe the hospital," Severus suggested calmly, watching us. I finally turned to look at him, tears falling down my face. This was it. It was happening.

"No time," mother gritted her teeth in pain, "It's coming. Right now. Ah!"

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. I don't know how to deliver a baby. I don't-"

"Let's try the tub. That might be more comfortable, easier," Severus interjected.

"Yeah, okay. Yeah. Good idea, Sev. Let's do that," I panted. Together, we brought her to the tub. I made her sit on the toilet while I ran warm water, shaking all over. I didn't think this was how it was going to happen.

"Okay, Severus, maybe you should leave the room for a moment while she undresses," I suggested. He nodded, shutting the door behind him. Mother undressed, gently stepping in. I helped her lay down, her body instantly jerking. I cried out when she did, unsure if I hurt her.

"It's coming," she screamed, shouting out in pain. She grabbed my shoulder, holding me tightly. I winced, but let her do it. Then, all too quickly, it was here.

I cried in surprise, reaching down and pulling it out of the water. It began crying the moment it felt the cold air. Mother laid back, breathing heavy. I saw the umbilical cord and panicked. I hoped I could do this right. I didn't have sterile instruments, I didn't have clamps. I would have kitchen scissors, and I could only hope that would work.

"Severus! Get me scissors! They're in the drawer to the left of the oven! Hurry!" I let the tears pool down my face, the panic continuing to overtake my body.

"I'm coming in," he said, opening the door. He didn't look at my mother, instead staring at the baby in my hands. I shook as I cut the cord, unsure of my actions. The baby didn't react, nor did my mother. I supposed that was good.

"It's a girl," I whispered quietly, looking down into her small eyes. She had almost black eyes, looking eerily similar to Severus. She had small black ringlets on her head, just enough to brush through. Her pale skin matched mine, and she definitely had my nose.

"We should wash her," Severus whispered.

"Yes, of course. Mother, are you-?" I looked down and screamed. She wasn't breathing.

"Oh, Godric, Severus! Look at her! She's not-is she-?"

"Let me feel her pulse." He was so calm, walking towards her. He felt for her pulse through her neck, her wrist. He held a hand over her heart. There wasn't anything.

"Pull her out! I can try! I can-she will-"

"Azalea, she's gone. Do you see the blood? She waited too long. She shouldn't have done this at home."

"But-but-"

"Azalea, we have to take care of the baby. We have to." I cried, nodding my head. I turned away from my mother's dead body, staring into the eyes of my new child. She cried relentlessly, her small hands balled into fists.

"Do you want to hold her," I asked, looking up. He held out his hands and I passed her gently to him, watching him cradle her. He rocked her silently, looking down into those eerily similar eyes.

"She could definitely pass as ours," he said, "Look at her. The hair, your nose. Her eyes are lighter than mine, but I doubt anyone would notice that. She's perfect." I nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's wash her off. The poor girl is filthy." I lead him to the kitchen, pulling all of the dirty dishes out of the sink. I washed the gunk away, trying to make it semi-decent for our child. He held her over the sink, letting me pour warm water over her small body. I used a small rag to scrub away the mess, trying to be as gentle as possible. When she was done, I wrapped her in the cleanest towel I could find.

"What's her name," I finally asked, looking away from her beautiful face.

"Elora. Elora Irene Snape."

"I love it," I whispered, "It's perfect, like her. I can tell, Severus. She was meant to be ours. Look at her. She's unbelievable beautiful. Unbelievably like us. It's perfect."

"And what will your new name be," he asked, letting Elora grab onto his finger.

"Zale. Zale Irene Snape. I'm using to answering to it, so it should be easy to remember. And if we use Irene, it will be easy to see who she was named after."

"Well, Zale, it's nice to meet you." I laughed, bumping him with my shoulder. We fell into silence, staring at the small bundle in my arms. What do we do now?