This story is dedicated to Firefly.
Pairing: Hermione/Remus/Sirius
Silver Lining
When faced with life altering news, Hermione takes drastic action. Little does she know that it will be the start of a new chapter with not one but two men.
Every cloud has a silver lining means that you should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to something better.
The Doctor took his time looking over the results from all of the tests that had been taken. He had already seen the bad news that glared up at him from the page, but wanted to ensure he couldn't see anything else wrong with the results.
After a minute, he was satisfied that there was nothing else the matter. He closed the file and looked at the young woman who shifted in her seat, watching him with growing concern.
"Miss Granger," he began softly. Her eyes widened at his words, as though she suspected that there was bad news. Well, he thought, at least she's prepared for bad news.
He hated telling people when something was wrong with them that couldn't be helped. Had Miss Granger been another ten or fifteen years older, it wouldn't have been so hard to share the news. But her file stated she was still so young. Too young in his opinion to be dealing with an issue like this.
"I've had all your results back," he continued, before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry to give you this bad news, but you may only have a few short years to become a mother. You have a worryingly low fertility rate for a woman your age."
"How is that possible?"
The Doctor shook his head slightly, leaning forward. "A woman's fertility usually declines with age. Age is a large factor in the more common cases, particularly due to the decline in the quality of eggs released. Women tend to be most fertile in their twenties. I couldn't find anything on the results that would indicate why this has happened, though there are more tests we can run."
"You said a few short years. Do you have a more detailed time-frame?"
The Doctor shook his head once more. "We have no previous results to base this on so there's nothing to compare it to. The tests you've taken so far can't show us that. There are more tests that we can do to determine this."
"An estimate then?"
"I would say two to four years from the report," the Doctor stated. "Would you like me to make a referral now? I can also give you the information for a therapist."
"That… that won't be necessary," Hermione said. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and the Doctor stayed silent. If she needed a few minutes to process the news, he wasn't going to rush her.
Before the minute was up, her eyes opened once more and fixed on him determinedly. "Can I get a copy of those results please? I think I'll go private for anything further."
"And the Therapist?"
"I have a friend who can refer me to hers," Hermione said. She pulled her bag closer and stood up.
"I'll have a copy ready for you tomorrow."
"Thank you for your help."
...oOo...
The Healer sighed as she put her wand down.
"How long do I have?" Hermione asked.
"Three years and two months," the Healer said. "Miss Granger, we are able to offer you a referral to extend this time-period, though we can't tell you how well it would work."
"What do you mean?"
"The results vary," the Healer explained. "For one witch, she only got a few extra months, but another managed five years. Until you're on the potion, we're unable to tell you how long it'll give you."
"Can you make the referral for me?" Hermione requested. "Where will I need to go?"
"That's the problem," the Healer said. "The only hospital able to offer this in Europe is St. Mungo's. They are the only one with the qualified specialists in this branch of Fertility. It's a fairly new potion after all and they need to monitor its usage and results."
Hermione nodded slowly. "So that'd mean I'd need to be in London?"
"In England," the Healer said. "Take a few days and think it over. We can make a new appointment and discuss this if—"
"I don't need to think about it," Hermione interrupted. "I want to be in this trial. When can I start?"
"Immediately. Once you move."
"Can you send my referral please? I'll move over there as soon as I can," Hermione requested. "As for having a child before I run out of time… what should I do?"
The Healer smiled. "There are a few options," she said, opening a folder by her desk and pulling out some information.
...oOo...
Hermione sat on her sofa staring blankly in front of her. She was lost in her thoughts wondering if she really could pick up her life and move to England. It wasn't like she didn't know the country, she had grown up there. She had almost gone to school there until her parents decided to ask about other wizarding schools, finally settling on sending her to a school in France.
She didn't have much in France. She hadn't had the best luck making friends at Beauxbatons. She found the girls there to be quite vain, and chose to throw herself into her studies. The boys never looked twice at her. It wasn't until she met Harry during a function at the French Ministry where she worked, that she found a friend.
And Harry was in London. If she went there, she'd at least know him. She wouldn't feel so alone.
The thought of staying in France and being alone caused an ache inside of her. She had been alone for so long and the idea of not having a child of her own to raise made her feel sick. She wanted a family for her own.
She could find a job in England and was sure that her boss would give her an excellent recommendation. Of course, she'd have to work from home when she was pregnant, but was confident that she could find a research role that would allow this.
Hermione wasn't known for impulsive choices, but to stay in France meant that she'd lose something that she'd never forgive herself for: the chance to have a child.
After all, she had some money from when her parents passed during the war. Though the war was in England, there was some effect throughout the rest of Europe and her parents unfortunately were casualties. She could sell her flat and get something in London too, so she had no concerns about finding accommodation.
She sighed as she looked around her flat. It was finally decorated just how she wanted it. Her books had finally been alphabetised and stored properly. She had finally finished painting the hallway. The thought of leaving saddened her, though she knew she could decorate another place.
It was just the new start that scared her. What if Harry's friends and family didn't like her? What if any new colleagues didn't like her?
"I'll never know until I try," she murmured to herself, making the choice before she could change her mind. "I'm going to move back to England."
Hermione headed across the room and to the desk by the large window. She sat down in the comfortable chair and reached into the desk drawer, pulling out a piece of her favourite parchment.
She grabbed the quill from the side and dipped it into the ink, before bringing the quill to the parchment.
"Dear Harry," she murmured as she wrote the words on the paper. He'd know what to do. At the very least, she could use someone to talk to and confide him.
Plus, he wanted to know what the results were. After all, he was the one who insisted she was working herself sick and should get a check-up in the first place.
'Dear Harry,
It's been a few weeks since we've been in contact, and I'm sorry for not replying to your letters until now. I was waiting until my results came back before replying to you.
I've had some bad news. My immediate health is fine, but there are other issues at play here. Nothing that could cause me harm, but all the same, I want the treatment offered. The treatment isn't offered here, it's only offered in St. Mungo's and it will be for a few years, though I am not entirely sure of the length of time right now. I know it'll be at least three years, but that could last a lot longer.
I'd rather not discuss this in a letter, but we could talk if you could firecall me soon?
Love Hermione.'
Once the letter was sealed, she began to look over the information given to her by the Healer. If she wanted two children, she'd need to get pregnant sooner rather than later.
This meant that she needed to plan what she was going to do. She needed to work out a plan around a pregnancy and another if she failed to get pregnant quickly. She needed to weigh her options.
And most importantly: she needed to work out just how she was going to get pregnant in the first place.
Her eyes moved over to the information she had been given. One stood out from the rest.
Maybe she didn't need a man to do this? Maybe she could visit one of these Cryobanks and apply there?
Hermione felt a slight headache come on and headed towards her bedroom leaving both the information pack and the letter on the table. She'd sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning. She could get information on the sperm-bank at the same time she went out to send the letter to Harry.
She wasn't able to deal with it that night.
Review Please :)
Information about fertility taken from the NHS website.
Thanks to Shannon for betaing
