Hermione was practically buzzing with energy even as she was stuck in her bed still. She wanted nothing more than to jump out of the bed and go witness what she knew was currently happening.
Severus was officially becoming her brother today.
Severus was being adopted into their family today.
Today.
From today she would officially have two siblings.
From today her parents would officially have three children.
Sirius was grinning as he sat next to her. Her father had helped Sirius into the room before they left with Severus to get everything sorted and hidden as much as possible. No need for Voldemort to find out Albus Dumbledore had adopted another stray teen. Or that Minerva McGonagall. was the teens' mother.
Hermione didn't think she had ever been this excited before, about anything.
Today, on the morning of Monday the 29th of March 1976, she would officially have her first little brother. Whom she would love, cherish, spoil, and protect as much as she could. She already had her first present for Severus all ready and waiting.
And in approximately eighteen weeks she would have another little brother to hold and cherish alongside her growing, awesome family.
She had never felt so much like she belonged before. Well, she had felt a sense of belonging, most of the time, with Harry and Ron at her side. Mostly with Harry.
But here, in this time, with these people, this large, ever growing, ever amazing family she had found for herself… here she belonged.
She belonged here.
She was loved here. She was free here. She was free to be her full self (whatever her full self was because she wasn't completely sure on that yet.)
She was free.
She felt more alive than she ever had before. Because of these people who welcomed her with more than open arms.
And she would forever be grateful for it.
…
Minerva couldn't stop herself from smiling in awe and love as she watched Severus nervously sign his name on the forms that would officially make him their son.
Their son.
They would shortly have three children. Three. Two teens and a baby yet to be born.
It was all rather surreal. Crazy even, how much life can change in such a short amount of time.
But there she was, with three miracles of her own. Finally.
And though they were in war with one of the Darkest of wizards and his gang of followers, she couldn't help but find herself happy. Thrilled even. Awed at how wonderful life had gotten in just a matter of months.
Yes, she was happy with her life before Hermione had entered the picture. Her and Albus were very happy, and she was happy with everything else that came with life too, other than the war of course. But Minerva had always wanted children. She had always wanted to be a mother. She knew that her and Albus had a very good reason to wait, but the waiting had hurt her more than she cared to admit, out loud anyway.
But now… now she had three babies. Three children.
And despite the fact that Hermione was still recovering, and would be for a little while yet, and that Severus was recovering from abuse, and that there was a war going on and she was terrified that anything else would happen to them or her unborn child, she was elated. She had accomplished her number one goal in life.
She was a mother.
And she loved every second of it, even though it killed her to see her oldest babies in pain.
But she had babies to love, and cherish, protect, and be proud of. She had babies.
And it was amazing.
It was everything.
…
Albus smiled with a twinkle in his eyes full of love and happiness as he watched Severus sign his name, and as he watched his wife watch their new son.
He knew.
He knew how much it had hurt her to wait for children of their own. It had hurt him, too. But he had thought it for the best.
Perhaps he was correct. In the short time that Hermione had been known as his daughter she had been hurt twice. Almost died twice. And Merlin was it the most terrible thing in the world to watch her suffer like that. To have to watch her fight through her recovery like she was now.
But despite the hardships, he wouldn't change anything for the world.
His wife, his beloved wife, had never been so outwardly happy. She had never been so full of life. And Albus was much the same himself. He had never been so happy, so full of love, and awe, and life. He had always wanted children, but as he got older the more he lost faith that it would happen.
Then he met Minerva and everything changed.
He had hope.
He had everything.
And then Tom truly became Dark and they thought to put their hopes on the backburner for a while, until they could finally defeat him.
But then came Hermione and their whole world changed again. Rather drastically.
But Merlin his miracles, all four of them because Minerva was his miracle too, he loved them all so bloody much. They were his everything and he would do anything for them.
He just hoped they would all make it through the coming storm.
If he lost any of them… any of them… he honestly didn't know what he would do.
…
Severus was shaking slightly as he signed the papers that would make him officially theirs. The papers that would officially give him new parents.
Better parents.
Ones that actually loved him, and wouldn't abuse him.
And he would get two siblings also.
A sister and a brother.
A small part of Severus had always wanted siblings. Though he would always quickly abandoned that thought because he didn't want another innocent child to go through the same hell he was forced to endure every day.
Realistically though he just wanted parents that loved him. Parents who wouldn't hurt him in whatever way they deemed fit on that particular day. Parents who didn't hate and resent him just because he was born, or for his magic, or whatever else.
It's not as if he chose to be born. He also didn't choose to be magical. It was all decided by fate or whatever decided everything. And it was his parents who conceived him, that was their fault. Not his.
And yet everything was his fault.
Everything.
But now… but now he had people who wanted him.
People who loved him and didn't resent him.
People who wouldn't, hopefully, hurt him.
And he had siblings.
It was rather overwhelming to be honest. And nervewracking.
How was he supposed to be a normal son?
A brother?
He didn't know. But he thought he might be able to work it out… eventually. He was supposed to be smart, right?
He sighed as he finished signing and turned to face his new parents who were beaming at him in ways he had never seen anyone look at him before. Like how he used to wish his parents would look at him. Even if only for a second.
It squeezed his heart in both pain and joy.
But for the first time in the longest time he thought that maybe, just maybe, one day, he will be okay. Properly okay. Fully okay.
For the first time in forever he had hope.
And wasn't that a magical thing.