It's been a very long time, please forgive me, and of course take this as a sign that, yes, I meant it - NONE of my fics are abandoned. More to come on this, not lots, but I'll finish it.

Thank you so much for your patience and ongoing interest and reviews.

Here are a few more loose ends tied up... some cute moments and some very sad. Please enjoy!

(AND PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NEW FICS AFTER (if you haven't already - they need some love!)

Reviews most welcome...

Chapter 57– A Breath of Comfort

Professor McGonagall, after witnessing Draco's delicate handling of the newborn infant and the boy's genuinely faithful interactions with the new family, quietly left him in their charge.

Severus had seen the older witch slip away and took the opportunity to convey to the teenager the unassuming conditions of their relationship whereby Severus explained that he wished only to maintain an open offer of guidance and refuge should Draco ever find it desirable. The dark man knew Draco would likely play the rest of this war out virtually straddling the proverbial fence and did not dream to put the kinds of pressures on him that he'd ended up carrying himself as a spy. Dumbledore might very well have tried to take advantage of Draco's unique position, but Severus was not about to do so. Not out of honour necessarily, but because he greatly suspected it was a futile solicitation. Draco was not like Severus… he did not possess Severus' inner strength… yet, and to push this agenda might spell the boy's ruination.

Phoebe, though appearing preoccupied with the whimpering infant over her shoulder, heard Severus' offer and internally applauded him.

"Despite your mother and my obvious differences, Draco, we at least share the ideal that you, her only child, remain as far from harm as possible. If I could assure her I am still attempting to do as she requested of me, I would," Severus told the boy. He was sure that despite Narcissa's dedication to the dark side that she still held the safety and well-being of her son above all and his intention of bringing her up was to allude to Draco that Narcissa would be his greatest ally on the dark side.

Draco nodded, his expression telling that he had apparently understood Severus' message.

"Am I free to go?" he asked cautiously, eyeing the matron's office at the end of the room where Professor McGonagall had exited.

Severus gained his gaze again. "I am not detaining you. Now would be best," he advised, also glancing briefly in the direction of Poppy's office. He was unsure what Minerva had intended for her captive so he felt it wise to bypass her involvement altogether. "Go, Draco."

Phoebe ignored the squirming infant over her shoulder for a moment to reach out and grasp the teenager's hand and give it a squeeze as he began to back away. She wanted to implore him to stay safe, but found all words at that moment to be trite and meaningless. Draco's nod of acknowledgment in return was enough to know she'd conveyed her message well enough as it was. The boy then glanced at the baby girl and the corner of his mouth twitched with a small smile before he turned and swiftly fled the room.

. .

Finally, Severus was granted a good half hour alone with his newborn daughter. Luna Lovegood was asleep in the bed across from his, and Phoebe had begun to show signs of distress when Seraphoena would not settle at which Severus had insisted Phoebe rest in her own bed and let him take care of their daughter.

Phoebe appeared immensely grateful and promptly handed over the infant to her father.

"Even if I only get about five minutes sleep, Severus… I'm just so tired."

Severus nodded, "Go on, we'll be fine." He watched her round the end of his bed and head for the one she'd been using before she'd shared his, a little worried about the mother of his child; the exhaustion she must have felt was now perceptibly dragging on her. Phoebe drew her curtains closed and Severus heard the sheets rustle as she climbed into the bed and then he heard no more.

He slipped his wand from his sleeve to cast a charm on her cubicle so that no noise would disturb her and then turned his attention to the now squalling infant in his arms.

"Shh, shhh, shh…" he crooned, adjusting her in his arms and cuddling her closer.

Baby Seraphoena still wore the bubble of oxygen over her mouth to help her breathe until her lungs ripened, but other than that he'd been told she was perfectly healthy… however, evidently not perfectly happy at the moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked her quietly, but naturally she did not answer, nor did she begin to settle.

Severus moved his left leg to the side (his injured right leg was propped on a pillow finally pain free and he was reluctant to move it) to create a secure gap between his thighs and lay Seraphoena on the bed in front of him. He unwrapped her loose swaddling and glanced upon the entirety of his baby girl for the first time.

He frowned slightly. "You're so small," he remarked, feeling a smidge of guilt.

The infant, once unwrapped, drew her tiny legs up and stiffened as she let out a reverberating wail. Severus immediately responded by reaching for his wand again and placing a muffliato charm upon the pair of them in case some sticky beak, no matter how well-meaning, might come and try to take his daughter from him again. No, he was determined to spend some time with his newborn and solve her problem himself.

He reached for the tiny body and ran his warm hands over her skin. She wore no clothes with the exception of a nappy. Severus would need to rectify that… his daughter needed clothes of her own. It had not occurred to him in the lead up months that he would need to take care of these issues… especially as Phoebe hadn't been able to leave the cottage to do any of it for herself. He finally understood her concern way back when he'd first taken her to stay in the safe-house. 'There's going to be a baby at the end of this pregnancy,' she'd insisted… and yes, finally Severus could grasp fully what she'd meant… a 'baby' was not like acquiring a puppy… they needed much more preparation.

Seraphoena was still squalling stiffly… and Severus was suspecting his daughter was in some discomfort.

"You're not hungry surely… your mother just fed you. And your nappy is dry," he commented, checking the garment. Severus gathered the unclad infant in his large hands and turned her face down along his forearm, stroking her back. She quieted briefly, before beginning to yowl again.

Severus wondered if the infant might have a tummy ache. He rolled her carefully over in his arm and gently massaged her tummy with three fingers. She quieted again, but it did not last more than thirty seconds before Severus' efforts became ineffective once more.

He raised the baby to rest over his shoulder, covered her back with the blanket to keep her warm and began to pat her back rhythmically. Perhaps she needed to pass wind?

This seemed to be a little effective, and soon enough, Seraphoena did burp loudly followed by an up-chuck that splashed down Severus' shoulder.

Mildly disgusted he winced at the mess, but reassured his daughter instantly.

"It's okay… Dadda can clean it up," he said, wiping up the spill with the ends of the baby blanket. He felt suddenly self-conscious with the title he'd given for himself and was glad nobody was around to witness it.

Severus was soon dismayed when Seraphoena started to grizzle again. He was sure the infant ought to have felt better after that.

He resumed patting her back to hopefully loosen any more bubbles in Seraphoena's tummy that were giving her problems. But instead of coming out her mouth, the next explosion erupted from her rear end… and as before, it was not merely of the gassy kind.

Perplexed, and a little horrified, Severus lowered the infant back to the bed.

"Again?" he said, raising one eyebrow at his daughter in a mock stern fashion. And after he checked the nappy and found that it had actually leaked down the baby's legs a little and he exclaimed, "Fee…what in Merlin's name have you been eating?"

Seraphoena seemed to smile at the new nickname her father had used for her, but then she stiffened once more and further wet, turgid noises from the nappy explained the infant's expression.

Severus chuckled slightly before remembering he was now responsible for cleaning up the new, smelly mess.

Fortunately Seraphoena seemed to settle after that, content to lie still and happy whilst her father dealt with changing his first soiled nappy.

Severus spied a clean, cloth nappy in a pile against the wall outside the matron's office and summoned it over with his wand. He siphoned the faecal mess from Seraphona's bottom and took away the used nappy and placed it aside.

He refolded the new nappy and just as he was lifting the little girl's legs to put it under her bottom, Seraphoena chose that moment to urinate. The liquid spilled down her body and over the edge of the new nappy; soaking into Severus' bedspread.

Exasperated, Severus exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me? Fee…?!" But the little baby girl did not answer him, naturally. She was currently fighting heavy eyelids, her eyes fixed on the dark form of her father in front of her.

Severus' heart swelled with adoration, and swiftly wiped Seraphoena's skin clean with a dampened corner of the second nappy, summoned another nappy, quickly folding it and securing it around his daughter's bottom. He cleaned up the soggy puddle from his sheets without fuss with his wand and swaddled the baby back up in her blanket.

Seraphoena whimpered a little until Severus picked her up and cuddled the infant securely and firmly against his body. She squirmed slightly until she was content with her position; her cheek and ear nestled comfortably against her father's chest with his steady heart beating a rhythmic lullaby from within.

"We're going to save choking, teething and anything else that can go wrong for another day, right, Fee?" he remarked with quiet humour.

After a short, contented sigh Severus rested back against his pillows and relaxed; one arm securing his daughter against him. With one last spell he quietly opened Phoebe's curtains so he could just see her sleeping soundly through the gap.

He lowered his chin and rested his cheek against his infant's soft, dark hair; the sweet perfume of newborn filling his nostrils. He kissed the now sleeping child gently upon the top of her head and closed his own eyes, feeling like the luckiest bastard on Earth.

. .

It was middle to late morning when Severus woke to the warm bundle squirming on his chest, squeaking noises of discontent. His own stomach rumbled suddenly, reminding him that he'd not eaten in many hours, though it was admittedly the first time his belly seemed it could tolerate food at all since he'd had his insides charred by the Dark Lord.

The infant began to grizzle more insistently and Severus brought himself upright, cradling the infant in his arm instead.

Madam Pomfrey approached his bed from the one across the room where Luna Lovegood had pushed the tray with a plate of food away from her as soon as the Matron had turned her back.

"Severus… hungry?" she asked, gesturing to the tray she was levitating over for him.

He nodded. "Thank you." The tray with his breakfast hovered beside his bed in easy reach.

"Would you like me to take-"

"No!" he said with an immediate insistent tone, but seeming to have realised his slight over reaction he followed up with an altogether more composed, yet no more less resolute, "she's fine with me." Severus intended only to hand his daughter over to the authority of her mother… no one else.

Somewhat amused Poppy had risen her eyebrow but then nodded acquiescingly; diverting her attention instead to the curtained bed beside him. The matron entered the curtain and remained there for several minutes. The gap in the curtain only allowed Severus to see parts of Phoebe's back, and he was not able to hear any of their conversation. It worried him how long the matron stayed, Phoebe was obviously still not fully healed and the time it took to treat her was for him a testament regarding the degree of harm she'd sustained.

With one hand Severus ate about half of what was heaped on his plate. He was certainly hungry, but as the sustenance hit his still recovering stomach the desire to eat ebbed away when slight nausea replaced it. During his meal he was distracted occasionally by not only the infant in his arms gradually deciding she was no longer content and sleepy, but the two girls that visited the Lovegood girl across from him.

Hermione Granger and Ginevra Weasley sat either side of Luna whispering encouragements, good wishes and filling in the injured girl whilst shooting their ex-Professor and Seraphoena the occasional titillated and fascinated glances (bordering on sentimentally soppy, in Severus' opinion) and then grinning patronisingly at one another. Severus was sure they were trying to be discreet, though to his honed observational skills they may as well have been staring. He knew very well what they must have been thinking; witnessing the paradox of their stern, frequently harsh and sometimes cruel ex-professor now tenderly and attentively doting upon his new infant daughter, displaying a softer side they'd never before realised could possibly exist, and it was highly disconcerting, not to mention a little embarrassing for him.

Severus also had no doubt that both girls itched to get their hands on the tiny infant… he had somehow or other within his life become aware of what a natural draw a baby could be for a woman. Maternal instincts, he could only presume.

Now, on the one hand Severus recalled he'd overheard that the Granger girl had performed the Muggle treatment of mouth-to-mouth upon him, essentially saving his life, and he knew he wanted to address that fact with her at some point; wishing to express his gratitude to her, but on the other hand he did not appreciate he and his small daughter being gawked at – there was only so far his good will would stretch. And after finally reaching his tolerance for the pair of busybodies, the only thing that stopped him from using his wand to swiftly draw closed the curtains around his bed was the timely arrival of the unexpected visitor approaching Severus from the infirmary doors.

"Morning, Severus?" Remus Lupin greeted, walking up to the side of his bed. "I'm happy to see you looking much better," he added, though his tone hinted that the man's visit was more than just a social call.

Severus nodded a greeting back, a small frown questioning the werewolf's visit. "Lupin," he said, bluntly.

Remus ignored the dark man's probing gaze for the moment to spare a greeting for the tiny infant is Severus' arms.

"Hello, little one," he crooned, his tone suddenly much lighter, reaching a hand to lightly stroke the baby's soft cheek. It took all of Severus' restraint not to yank his precious daughter out of reach. But Lupin was only distracted from his business with Severus for a few moments. He retracted his hand and fixed his serious gaze back on Severus' dark eyes, his following tone much more solemn again.

"I thought perhaps you ought to be aware, in case either you or Phoebe wished to attend."

Severus' interest was now piqued and he tilted his head slightly; prompting Lupin to get to his point more swiftly.

"The elf… his name was Erlin?" Lupin queried, and Severus nodded his confirmation, now realising where Lupin was most probably heading.

"Well, the rest of the Hogwarts' house-elves held their ritual for the passing of Erlin early this morning and he is now to be buried in the grounds at two this afternoon. I thought it probable that you'd like to know of this beforehand."

Severus' mood plummeted. Yes, he knew there was a great chance Phoebe might like to pay her respects to the elf that had given his life protecting her. And now he considered it, he himself felt some desire to offer his own to the creature that had spent more time being a companion to and protecting Phoebe (even against Severus himself) during his service than Severus had been able – he certainly owed the creature a debt of gratitude.

He caught Lupin's gaze again. "Thank you for informing me, and yes, probably; I'll talk to Phoebe and see if we might make it down. I'm not sure yet if I am even able… I haven't yet attempted to walk."

"Of course… I only wanted to make sure you were aware, the choice is yours entirely," Lupin replied respectfully. "However, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey might have a solution if you found walking a struggle but still wished to attend," he further suggested.

Severus nodded. He of course was aware of that option, but did not relish it. He much preferred to attempt mobility himself if he could, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Lupin gazed at him for only a few more seconds before he nodded a farewell. "Well, that was all… I'll see you down there if you decide so."

Severus nodded again as the man turned to leave. "Thank you, Lupin" he offered. After the other man had disappeared through the door, Severus turned his attention to the closed curtains beside his bed, not looking forward to the idea of discussing the morbid issue with Phoebe. It would undoubtedly upset her, and Severus naturally wished to avoid doing so… but this was inevitable, he supposed. He could only guess that Phoebe would be even more upset when she remembered the fate of the elf in her own time and found out Severus had denied her an opportunity to say goodbye at the interment.

At that moment the curtains around the Muggle woman's bed were drawn open again by the Matron and Severus could see Phoebe just beginning on her (late) morning meal. She was looking to him and smiled warmly when she saw her daughter tucked safely into his arm.

"Was that Remus with you?" she asked.

Severus reluctantly nodded. "Yes, it was."

"Oh… that was nice of him to visit," she said. A naïve assumption, Severus decided swiftly, but it wasn't what most occupied his concerns for the time being.

The look he sent her was one of a mix of regret and dread and she noticed it right away.

"What's wrong?"

"Eat first," he instructed sombrely, gesturing to her meal still barely touched, "and then there's something I need to discuss with you."

Phoebe immediately lay down her fork.

"It's alright, don't worry," he assured her at her dismayed expression," it's just something Remus thought you might like an opportunity to do."

. .

Severus knew from just Phoebe's response to learning of the burial of Erlin about to take place that it wouldn't be a good idea to take baby Seraphoena down with them. And glancing back over at the two teenage voyeurs still visiting with Luna Lovegood, Severus came up with a solution to kill two birds with one stone.

As Phoebe went to the infirmary bathroom to freshen up and ready herself for the sombre occasion, Severus took the opportunity to divert his new enthusiasts' attention; rewarding Miss Granger and taking advantage of both teens' draw to the infant at the same time.

"Miss Granger," he called, beckoning the older of the young women over to his bedside.

A little startled, yet curious, the Granger girl obeyed immediately; the other two girls raptly observing her cross the room with barely any hint of (or indeed intent for) subtlety.

"Yes, Sir?" she queried inquisitively; though her body language told of her concern that she'd done something wrong.

Severus kept his eyes averted from hers, he did not feel completely comfortable with what he was about to express to his ex-student (and coincidently one of Potter's closest friends) despite what he'd been through and his new relationship with the group he could now identify publically as allies.

"I of course do not recall anything of such, but I'm told you aided the efforts to keep me alive when I ceased breathing for a time… and for that I am grateful. I… well I just wanted you to know that," he explained as succinctly as possible, finally meeting her eyes.

Hermione seemed entirely surprised by his admission, and the astonishment showed on her face.

"Oh… oh, of course it was no problem, Sir. And I'm very happy to see you looking much better."

Her gaze drifted briefly down to his injured leg which left Severus in no doubt that she was recalling her memories of him at his worst, health wise. She quirked him a small smile, verifying she was happy about his survival. The teen also glanced quickly at the baby in his arms, seeming delighted to have finally gotten a good, close look at the newborn. She then practically swooned when Seraphoena chose that moment to squirm and squeak again in malcontent.

Severus observed her closely, before she realised she was outright staring at the baby. "Oh, excuse me, Sir." Severus took immediate advantage.

"Another thing, Miss Granger, before you go… I do not wish to impose on Madam Pomfrey any further than I already have, yet I find I am in need of a favour. Are you available?" he asked, deliberately keeping his request vague.

Again taken aback by his request, she answered slightly hesitantly. "Er… yes, Sir… I think so."

"Good, I was wondering might you and Miss Weasley perhaps babysit Seraphoena whilst I accompany Ms Hanson down to the house-elf graveyard."

Resisting his own smirk of satisfaction, Severus could see it took all Miss Granger's control to prevent an elated grin from adorning her features. It would have been quite inappropriate, after all.

"Oh, of course, Sir… that would be no trouble at all, and we'd be delighted to help, right Ginny?" she said, turning for her friend's agreement; which Severus noticed the other girl immediately gave, without even the pretence of pretending she'd not been eavesdropping.

Luna Lovegood smiled serenely, a knowing expression suggesting only she of the three saw though Severus' ruse.

. .

Madam Pomfrey did not even allow Severus the opportunity to try to walk down the prolific amount of staircases and out into the grounds; insisting that there was no way in Merlin's beard he was ready for such a demanding expedition. So, despite Severus' grievances Poppy organised a magical wheelchair to assist him to make the journey later that day.

Once outside, seated upon a stone bench among the custom gravestones of past generations of house-elves set slightly back from the proceedings and clusters of elves saying their final farewells as Erlin's wrapped body was lowered into the earth, Severus held the softly sobbing mother of his child in his arms.

"It's my fault, Severus… oh my God, I'm so sorry, Erlin," she whispered sobbingly into his neck. Severus tried to disabuse her of blame, but she insisted, "but I opened the door… I was expecting Molly… and I didn't check or let Erlin do it. I was so naïve and foolish, and maybe things could have been different…"

Severus acknowledged it was certainly an unfortunate set of actions that had led to the tragedy. He didn't want Phoebe to blame herself, but he knew they were both intelligent enough to know there was no denying that perhaps things could have been different if Phoebe had done things differently that day. Therefore, also knowing the outcome could not be changed, Severus' sole focus was on comforting the devastated new mother in any way he could.

"Erlin took on the task knowing the risks, Phoebe… and he took it with no regret," he offered, knowing the creature would have had none.

"He didn't deserve my idiocy though. I know you two didn't always get along, Severus, and he was there for only one purpose as you see it, but he was such a wonderful soul… and I will miss him very much."

Severus was quite aware that Phoebe saw Erlin in a very different way to how he did… like Erlin was a person and not merely a magical creature whose drive to serve fit complimentarily with the wizarding world's need for service whereby these common desires brought the two kinds together for mutual benefit, but he could appreciate her sentiments.

"Erlin has always had my respect, Phoebe… he was a good and diligent elf… and I shall miss him too. I am very grateful to him for looking after my family so well when I could not."

His expression telling of his own, personal sadness at the fate of the elf, Severus glanced at the tiny chest as it disappeared from view. "Farewell, Erlin… thank you," Severus whispered softly.