Fully edited after 4 years.. Changed many things as I lost the orignal manuscript and had to start from scratch. Please re-read before continuing on to chapter 2
Also, I have played with timelines and birthdates. It's currently 2004, story time, and Hermione is 25. Teddy Lupin in 4. Voldemort was defeated in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1997, but the war continued on for another 3 years. Remus Lupin and Tonks were not killed until near the end of the war in 2000.
The bookstore sat on the corner of a tiny village square on the coast of East Anglia. Painted glass panes filled the bay windows and glowing paper lanterns hung under the striped awning about the door. A young woman with curly brown hair unlocked the door in the early morning light and flipped the sign on the door to read open. Ink and Pen Bookshop was now open for business for the day and Hermione Jean Granger tidied the books on the front counter and settled down for a quiet day. Few people entered the shop and those who did usually came to pick up a special order. With a book plucked from the shelf and a cup of tea, she waited.
At the end of the day, Hermione climbed the stairs to the flat above the shop. Cozy, with only a bathroom, combined kitchen and living room, and bedroom, she called this home. Putting the kettle on, Hermione rifled through the meagre stacks of mail and the newspaper. Two stacks, one muggle and one magical sat on her desk each night, one much larger than the other. While she often received letters from colleagues in the muggle world, each day was a barrage of event invitations, requests to appear as a guest speaker and even consultation requests. Despite having little voluntary contact with the wizarding world, Hermione could never escape it completely. Filtering out the Ministry of Magic politics and putting aside 3 consultations from St. Mungo's, Hermione reached a few letters from family. She smiled at the top one, written in crayon and poorly scribbled, it was from Teddy Lupin, her godson. Perhaps it was time to visit him again, he had lived with her in Italy for a few years after the war, but she had assumed that he'd want to be with other children and more magic. Maybe she was wrong.
Sitting down at her desk in the large bay windows overlooking the sea, she scrawled out a very hasty letter to Molly Weasley. If Teddy was amenable, he could return to live with her. The Weasley's had only been a default as his godfather, Harry, was preoccupied with his eldest child James and another one soon on the way. Hermione remembered how it had felt in her teenage years to be the only one not really related in anyway to the boisterous family. For all of the Weasley's strengths, they only had room for one misplaced child in their hearts and that had been Harry. She often wondered if Dumbledore in all of his great wisdom had orchestrated the whole thing from the moment Harry entered the train station all those years ago.
Dear Molly,
Thank you very much for watching Teddy these last few months as I moved back from Italy. While we would have managed, I think it worked out best for both of us. If it's alright with you, and Teddy of course, I would very much like him to come live with me again. I miss him terribly and I know you'll have your hands full as soon as the new baby comes. Its a few weeks out, but if possible, i could pick him up after Ronald's wedding.
Let me know,
Hermione
It rained perpetually the next several weeks. The village roads were reduced to mud and the traffic inside her shop nearly stopped all together. Hermione didn't mind the rain, on the contrary, it was the perfect atmosphere in which to enjoy a nice cup of chai tea and work on her latest book. During the war, Hermione had worked closely with Madam Pomphrey, quickly earning her Mastery in Healing in a surprising 9 months of field study. Specializing in internal medicine, pediatrics, and pathology, she was still top of the list at St. Mungo's as an independent consultant and had been contracted to write several new textbooks for the magical academic community. Between the book contracts and the tidy pension deposited in her bank account each month courtesy of the Ministry of Magic, Hermione found life to be fully engaging in the quiet little town.
She appeared in the front garden of the Burrow. The entire backyard had been overrun with people and a large pavilion decorated with red and silver flowers. Strangely, it felt as if the Burrow never changed with the passage of time, a little muddy gnome ran from a giggling James Sirius Potter and the hustle and bustle felt as it always did. Ginny stood, heavily pregnant, shouting at George who had obviously been the source of some sort of mischief. Ronald paced back and forth, between the hedge and the old broom shed. Harry stood, shirt tails haphazardly shoved into his trousers and looking winded.
"If you're looking for James, he just ran into the orchard after a gnome"
"What? Oh, damn.. Ginny'll kill me. Thanks"
Molly Weasley was found in the kitchen as usual scrubbing potatoes furiously, a red haired Teddy Lupin perched precariously on the counter near the sink. He plucked stray threads on a very worn teddy bear; one Hermione had given him for Christmas as a baby. Upon seeing Hermione, he launched himself from the counter and clung to her skirt. Molly turned, expecting to tell the boy off and instead dropped the potato she had been scrubbing.
"Oh Hermione! There you are! We worried for a moment you weren't coming. Teddy's been waiting for you. Just in time too, Susan's just about ready and the ceremony should start soon. I've his things all packed up, you can gather them after the wedding before you leave. I'll miss not having him around, he's a sweet boy."
"Hello Molly, thank you for watching him these last few months, I hope he wasn't too much of a bother. See, I haven't forgotten about you. Would you like to sit with me during the wedding?" Hermione asked as the boy slipped his hand into hers. He nodded, Molly ruffled his hair and shooed them out of the kitchen as she dried her hands on an apron.
Hermione found herself seated between Minerva McGonagall and Rubeus Hagrid with Teddy perched in her lap. The current headmistress of Hogwarts School dabbed at her eyes with a tartan handkerchief and Hagrid blew his nose into what looked like a small checkered tablecloth. Wild as ever, Hagrid took up 4 seats and donned his horrible hairy suit as usual. An overly large red daisy stuck out from the top button hole and she was delightfully surprised to see that he had gotten his hair cut recently.
"I always though' you an' Ron were ter get married." He cried. "Everyone though' so after the war."
Hermione shook her head and didn't comment. It wasn't the time nor the place to discuss past relationships. The ceremony was short, just a short exchange of vows and a quick spell. Susan Bones was now and forever more Susan Weasley, wife of Ronald Billius Weasley.
True to their word, Fred and George avoided any mischief for the most part. There was only a small incident in which James, Ginny's precocious five year old turned into a bright yellow canary for several minutes during dinner which of course precipitated the twins shrinking away from their sister at every possible moment thereafter. Molly Weasley really outdid herself this time. The parade of food had no end and the cake stood nearly three feet tall with four layers of chocolate cake covered in Gryffindor scarlet and Hufflepuff yellow frosting.
After dinner, Hermione found a quiet table in the back of the large pavilion where she hid behind a large flowered shrub. She had never been fond of large parties, growing up an only child in a small family to begin with meant that large parties were to be avoided at any cost. The Yule Ball, Bill and Fleur's wedding, the victory celebration after the war ended, they had all ended in some sort of disaster, personal or public. She watched Teddy play tag with James, and sipped champagne while trying not to check her watch for the third time in twenty minutes. Severus Snape found her there, glared briefly at the realization that someone else had also thought to hide there, and then took a seat across from her.
"Hello Severus, nice to see you're as grumpy as ever."
He glared but said nothing. Hermione grinned and sipped her champagne, watching Ginny's little boy flip up the tablecloth. Given a choice, Hermione would have left before the reception, but she ran the risk of angering Ginny, whose temper grew right along with her bulging belly. Having grown tired of chasing one another, the little boys split up, Teddy returning to the table and the crayons and paper already waiting for him. He stared at Severus for a moment, colour changing eyes fixated on black, before turning his attention to the papers. Before long, Teddy patted her arm and shoved a paper with a crudely drawn creature scribbled on it.
"Teddy this is lovely. What is it?" She asked, running a hand over his now curly brown hair.
He looked at her for a minute. ". . . Bear. . . "
The party drew on. At some point, Snape left the hiding spot to mingle with some of the older guests at the punch bowl, leaving her with a lap of very sleepy toddler. The adults traded champagne for firewhiskey and Hermione wished even more to be back in her little flat enjoying a nice quiet champagne was nice, but the company of a good book would have been even better. Hermione stood, finished her last glass of punch, hiked Teddy higher on her hip and found Ginny in the crowd. "I'm going home. Do you know where Teddy's things are? I'd like to grab them and be off. He's heavier than I expected."
Between the two of them, Teddy's suitcase of clothing was magically small in the left hand pocket of Hermione's purse and the very threadbare teddy jammed between the sleeping boy and Hermione's collarbone. Gripping him tightly, they spun away through the raging fires of the Floo network, coming to a stop in the fireplace of the bookshop. Teddy whimpered when she put him down to change out of her dress. She hadn't acquired a bed for him yet, and chose not to wake him further by making him sleep alone. Both dressed in flannel pyjamas, Hermione settled into her armchair, his head tucked into her collarbone once more and waited for sunrise.
Teddy sat in the window seat of the bookstore the next day as Severus Snape strode through the door. Hermione sat at the counter, only beginning to rifling through the newest consult files and a medical text. He leaned against the front counter with a sneer only half hearted compared to Hermione's memories of first year potions. His hair looked less greasy and he wore tasteful Muggle clothing rather than robes.
"Ah, Miss Granger, I see you've returned to the hustle and bustle of Muggle life once again. Was Mr. Weasley's wedding enough magical interaction for the summer? Although I do see young Mr. Lupin has clung to you like a barnacle."
"Good afternoon Severus. What can I help you with today?"
"Miss Granger, if you really thought I came in for a social visit, you are sorely mistaken. I am a mere messenger from St. Mungos. I was there earlier and they asked me to deliver this as it's time sensitive and of a private nature."
He handed over a file of parchment. "They're asking you to make this top priority, all other consults can wait until later."
She flipped through the file, scanning through the information as fast as she could. "Severus, this is serious. Why haven't they contacted me sooner? The case notes suggest they've known about this for months, yet nothing? I could have been working on this from the beginning instead of waiting for children to die!"
"Perhaps if you had taken the position offered by the establishment 2 years ago, you could have. Healers as always are dunderheads when it comes to the larger picture."
"Shove off Severus. Even an idiot doesn't need help realizing when the normal treatments aren't working. I have written two, TWO, papers in academic journals on how until the birth rate reaches pre-war numbers, children's healthcare is the number one priority, and yet they still waited. I'm going to assume you've already started research."
"Yes, I have."
"Good, I want your notes."
Snape opened his mouth to protest, but a glimpse of Teddy changed his mind. "Very well. You may come view my notes tonight after supper. It's the largest.."
Hermione cut in, "I know where your ruddy house is Severus! We've lived in the same village long enough. We'll see you tonight."
Hermione and Teddy stood at the front door of Severus Snape's summer home. Spinner's End had been used as a safe house during the war and been destroyed during a Death Eater raid. The house looked rather normal, as if magic had never been used on the premises. A small flowerbed wrapped around both sides of the house and a neighbourhood cat sprawled on the grass. Snape opened the door and ushered them inside.
"I trust Miss Granger that you brought something for young Theodore to entertain himself with. My house is hardly suited for a four year-old."
"Hello to you too Severus. And yes. Teddy brought his colouring books."
Severus led them to a large library. Large shelves lined every wall, each stuffed with books. A table in the middle of the room held piles of books and the tea service among the stacks looked decidedly out of place. They sat, Hermione pulling Teddy's chair close to the table and extracting colouring books and crayons from her back.
"Tea?"
"Yes please, though none for Teddy."
He gestured to a stack of parchment and an accompanying book. "The book is on the history of magical disease and those are my notes, though I cannot vouch for any sort of legibility."
Hermione pulled the tome toward her and opened it. The parchment was covered with his spidery handwriting with space for additional notes. The hours crept by, punctuated by the scratch of their quills and the rustle of Teddy's colouring book. She worked halfway through the book before realize the boy had fallen asleep at the table. Severus stood, lifted the boy from the chair and placed him gently in the window seat before covering him with a blanket.
"May I offer you a nightcap?"
"What? Oh, yes thank you."
He set a glass full of amber liquid in front of her. Hermione sipped it and watched the candles flicker in the dim light. She sighed; it was strange to surround herself with magic after being away for so many years. And at the same time, there was little magic in Severus Snape's house.
"Out of pure curiosity, why did you turn down the position at St. Mungo's Miss Granger?"
Hermione stared at the liquid in her glass for several long minutes. "Really Severus, I'm surprised you don't already know. Almost all of the wizarding community knows it because I was pregnant with Harry Potter's bastard child. There was such a scandal you know."
Snape downed his glass. "The real reason Miss Granger."
She laughed. "Teddy and I were living in Italy at the time, and I was in the middle of a doctoral dissertation at a muggle university. Besides, I was enjoying the anonymity, the press has a field day anytime I step into Diagon Alley, and I was tired of being the world's gossip. They only needed one hero besides Harry and Ronald needed the fame far more than I did, so I left for a while."
"You could have continued working as a healer. St. Mungo's would have agreed to any terms you had asked, or you could have taken Poppy's place, she's been wanting to retire for a while."
"You're never haunted by them are you?' She asked, her voice sounded low and hollow. "You never wake up with their faces and screams in your mind do you?"
She stood, placed her cup on the table and pulled on the light cardigan she brought with her. "It's late Severus and Teddy doesn't sleep well, even in his own bed."
Carrying Teddy was harder than Hermione predicted, but she walked out the front door with grace. Severus Snape watched from the library window as she walked under the bright full moon and the wealth of streetlights.
The shop stayed closed on Sundays and for once Hermione was relieved to have a moment to breathe. She soaked in the bathtub for an hour before treating Teddy to pastries from the bakery down the street. It was on their way out for a walk around the village square that they ran, very literally, into Severus.
"Ah, Severus, Hello, how are you?"
Hermione stood fairly baffled at the Severus Snape in front of her. Gone were the teaching robes, as well as the plain black suit pants and shirt from the day before. Instead, he stood shamefaced, in faded blue jeans and a t-shirt that looked suspiciously like a Muggle band tee from the 70's. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and the faded Dark Mark was joined by a phrase of Latin tattooed around his wrist.
"Good morning Miss Granger. How do you do?"
"I'm very well, thank you. I was going to owl you this morning. Teddy and I were going to London today and I'm not sure if we'll get back in time to join you after supper for more research."
They walked through the square as Teddy slipped his hand into Severus's, his hair turning a shade between Hermione's chestnut brown and Snape's inky black. Severus cleared his throat.
"That is just as well. I was also intending to go to London. Would you allow me to accompany you both? I know of a fine establishment where young Master Theodore may enjoy as it has a fine selection of bear specimens."
Teddy looked up. "Bear?"
Hermione looked from Teddy to Severus before replying. "Yes, I think some company may do both of us some good. And I would be most grateful to you for showing us where we may find some lovely bears."
They walked a bit more before stopping at the bookshop for a jacket and Hermione's purse. Rather than suffer through the uncomfortable feeling of apparition, or the unwieldy results of Floo powder, Severus proved a capable driver in a very conservative blue car. Teddy slept in a transfigured car seat for the two hour drive into the city. After a short lunch at a cafe, Hermione dragged the two men, well, man and boy, to several shops where she bought more clothes for Teddy and a large supply of books.
"Miss Granger, it does appear that you are purchasing a large collection of books, yet you own a bookstore. Please illuminate me as to why."
"My shop doesn't have a large selection of children's' books. Also, it's always a good idea to have more reference material. Oh wait.. I thought they had.. " She wandered off to another part of the store.
Teddy tugged on Severus' pant leg. "Bear?"
Severus stooped to Teddy's level. "Young Master Theodore, am I correct in the assumption that you wish to seek out a fine specimen of bear, rather than shop with your esteemed godmother?" Teddy nodded. "Very well, a mutiny is our only option then. Follow my lead."
He stood, looked at Hermione with a very straight face and said "This is a mutiny. We demand to see a zoo."
Hermione laughed and the three of them made their way to the zoo while Teddy clutched the man's hand giggling. Once there, he dragged Severus unceremoniously to the bear exhibit where Severus launched into a mini lecture on bears in Greek and Roman mythology. Hermione stood back, watching the two as other women sighed at what they thought was a man and his young son.
"Well Severus, I'm impressed. I never thought that under your mean bastard exterior you'd like children."
He looked up from where he crouched, helping Teddy pick between two stuffed bears in the gift shop.
"Surely Hermione, you of all people would realize how much of my evil bastard exterior was due to working in a stressful environment with the constant interference of two crazy old men. During the holidays, I frequently worked in a nursery school daycare."
"I know, well I just assumed, I mean... I thought you hated kids, from the way you acted toward first years."
"Young children before the onset of adolescence are in my opinion smarter than fifth years. Hand any child the license to run amok in a castle with a doddering old fool waving them on and you're bound to have disasters. You should also realize that as a professor at boarding school, I am well acquainted with child psychology and how to interact with children."
He turned back to Teddy, indicating to the entire world that he had no more desire to discuss the subject further. Finally Teddy chose a large black bear, which Severus quickly bought before Hermione could protest. She argued all the way back to the car, until at last he shut her up with a very acerbic comment on how her bushy hair must interfere with her ability to understand the concept of a gift.
Little Teddy fell asleep almost the minute they started driving. Hermione herself nearly fell asleep on several occasions but found a cold car window was an excellent wake up call. Apparently seven o'clock was not only the ideal bedtime for a worn out four year-old, but adults named Hermione as well. At one point, she dozed off and woke to find Severus drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to some 70's rock band playing on the quiet radio. She smiled and nestled her head into the corner between window and seat before closing her eyes and dozing once more.
Severus carried Teddy up to the flat above the bookshop and tucked him into the small bed beside Hermione's without a word. She watched from the doorway as he pried little fingers off his neck and placed a bear under each arm, one old and brown, the other, new and inky black.
"Would you like to stay for a coffee?" She asked as he shut the door.
"Yes thank you."
He leaned up against the counter as she poured them both a cup of coffee, although she did give good consideration to the bottle of wine in the cupboard. They sat in silence for several minutes before Severus cleared his throat.
"Would it be wrong for me to assume that you will be resuming custody of young Theodore for the time being?"
"Yes, I do believe so. The Weasley's took care of him while I managed the transition from Italy, but they already have so many people to worry about; he just gets forgotten. As godmother, I could adopt him, but I'd prefer to wait until he can decide what he wants."
Severus nodded, took a sip of his coffee and said. "If that is your current course of action, then I would suggest finding a flat with a room of his own. Having a defined space of his own will make it clearer for Teddy to realize he's a part of your family."
She sighed. "I know, I have been meaning to start looking for a larger place."
He stood. "It is merely a suggestion. As godmother, you may do whatever you wish. It is late; I shall see you tomorrow to continue our research."
She showed him out, and then sat in the armchair looking out over the coastline. So many things to consider and yet never enough time.