The Black Eyed Boy Part One.
Hermione Granger looked up from the abundance of scrolls and various papers on her desk. She then met the tired face of Shan Pink and sighed. She was behind in her paperwork due to the recent influx of orphans from a village in the south of England, all of whom had been carrying a Muggle virus that had not been noticed until it was too late. Over the last couple of days, Hermione had to leave her desk to act as nursemaid.
The Phoenix Orphanage was badly understaffed due to the virus that had afflicted both children and adults alike. They were left to rely on the generosity of witches and wizards volunteering their services for free.
Hermione washed her hands, put on a white apron, and secured her unruly hair so she would at least be able to see what she was doing. She headed downstairs and entered one of the bustling rooms where the sick children had been placed in isolation. It was usually their canteen area but there was nowhere else as big in the building that would allow easy tending of the sick.
The noise levels on the floor were ear splitting. Often young children who were already upset at being orphaned now found themselves sick without their loved ones to care and to hold them. Hermione did her best, but at times it was not enough.
After managing to get a young child to take some medicine, Hermione waited until the child fell asleep before leaving. She stood up and stretched. She then recognised a familiar face entering the room.
"Minerva, what on earth are you doing here?" Hermione asked as she headed over towards a tall Scots woman wearing dark tartan robes.
"Well, I only popped over to hand in some bedding for the poor bairns, and I got sucked in to helping."
"Sorry, we are so short staffed. The new children last week brought in Muggle 'flu' with them, and as we had no isolation area... well..." Hermione waved her hand around her to indicate the sick.
"That is why I am here to offer you my own services, and do not look at me like that, my dear. Plenty of life in this old choock yet."
Hermione stifled a laugh with a cough and a hand over her mouth.
"Poppy has been amazing over the last few days; she has organised everyone so efficiently." Hermione smiled over towards the middle aged Witch in the white Medi witch uniform, who was administering to the sick children. Poppy was busy doling out remedies and had the knack to soothe the more disruptive of the children. They were fortunate that the outbreak had occurred during the school's Easter break, which allowed Poppy to help them out.
"My dear, I have finished all my Hogwart's Head duties for now, so I can spare you a couple of days. Where do you want me?"
Minerva was led towards a room on one of the upstairs landings. Hermione opened the door and ushered her inside with a wave of her hand.
"Oh I never realised you had babies..." Minerva's voice was soft and low as her emotions bubbled up and tears of sadness sprang to her eyes at the sight of the "wee orphans."
Hermione blushed for a second then whispered, "They are not mine, Minerva. Three came with the new group of children last week, and thankfully, they did not have the Muggle 'flu'."
Minerva moved slowly over to each crib and cooed over the sleeping children. The three cots were pink containing girls who were all under six months old.
"We are looking for families to take the babies. They are so young, and it would be a shame if they could not find a home with loving parents."
"They do not have siblings?" asked Minerva as she cupped a rosy cheek.
"No, we know little about them but each were born of Half Blood couples, and they have already shown signs of magic."
While Minerva was cooing over the girls, Hermione cast a spell allowing another crib to become visible enabling Minerva to be able to see it.
Hermione moved towards the only blue crib in the room. This was the real reason she wanted Minerva to help with the babies. She wanted to ask her opinion on a particular black haired baby boy. She had her own suspicions of whom could be the child's father, but wanted Minerva's opinion.
"One poor child was dumped on our doorstep, nearly three months ago now," Hermione announced and with her hand wrapped round the wooden struts of the baby's cot, she turned to look directly towards Minerva.
Minerva moved towards Hermione. Her eyebrows rose up high with curiosity and she tilted her head off to one side at the sudden appearance of the blue cot, complete with a dark haired child inside.
"Minerva, I need you to give me your word that the child I am about to show you will never be discussed by you outside of this room."
Minerva's eyebrows rose even higher, as her eyes grew wide. She stared into Hermione's face, knowing her since she was eleven years old, and suspected something was going on that she may not approve of.
"Is this important to you or for the child?"
"Both," she replied and added, "Can you please give me your word?"
Minerva held out her wand and touched tip to tip with Hermione's. She trusted this young woman and if she could help her, she would.
"I, Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts do vow to Hermione Granger that I shall not discuss or speak of this child without her permission to do otherwise."
"Thank you, Minerva." Each put their wand away. Hermione smiled warmly down at the young child in the crib. The boy had stirred at hearing their words. He turned his head towards Hermione and his dark eyes opened and he rolled over onto his tummy to lift his head and chest up for a better view.
"Oh, you little darling, you are awake?" she spoke softly and crooned into the boy's ear. His head wobbled as he tried to smile and coo at the same time. He lost his balance and fell face down onto the mattress.
Hermione gently lifted him up and with his back to Minerva, she settled him into the crook of her arm as she soothed him with her free hand. She bent and kissed his head. His black hair reached down to his collar and flicked up at its ends.
"I am going to introduce you to a very nice witch, and I hope you like her as much as I do." Hermione turned to face Minerva with the child and watched to see if she reacted to the boy.
"Oh what a beautiful wee boy… Oh dear goddess…" Minerva lifted her hand up to her face and tears freely flowed down her cheeks. "Oh no, the poor boy"
Hermione placed the dark haired baby back in the crib. He began to wail at the loss of the contact he liked. She moved to Minerva and assisted her to a chair. She was in shock. Hermione sent out her Patronus charm to ask for tea and brandy to be sent up to the babies' suite.
The boy was picked up once more by Hermione who shushed him and wiped the tears away from his face. They tried not to use magic on the babies and instead used Muggle ways of cleaning and caring for them. There were no House Elves in the orphanage, as this was one stipulation Hermione had insisted upon.
The room was quiet as the tea was brought up to them by Shan, who placed the tray down. She came and went silently, knowing the reason why the Headmistress looked so shocked.
With a stiff whisky then a cup of strong sweet tea, Minerva calmed down enough to begin to ask questions.
Hermione changed the boy, while she explained to Minerva his arrival. He had arrived during the night three months before, and that she had found him dumped on the orphanage doorstep.
"How old is he?" Minerva asked shakily.
"Poppy thinks he is about four months old now. He was about four or five weeks when he arrived here."
Hermione picked up one of the prepared bottles from the rooms fridge and used a Muggle microwave to heat it up. The boy squawked excitedly at the sight of the bottle and then wailed when it did not come fast enough.
The wailing stopped as soon as the teat was in his mouth. He settled into his feed, patting his hand against the bottle. Hermione sat down on a chair next to Minerva and picked up her own cup of tea. She sipped at it careful as she held the boy in the crook of her arm.
"Poppy knew and never..."
"Poppy was sworn to secrecy, just like you are now."
"You look as though you have done this before?" Minerva nodded at how efficiently Hermione was caring for the child.
"We have had a few babies arrive during the last few months. I have become one of their main caregivers when not working in my office as manager."
"But this child, the boy, he looks so much like..." Minerva wiped away the tears. "Oh how sad, his father...does he have a name?"
"We found no information about the boy, I could not name him Severus Snape's son, now could I?" Hermione started raising her voice but calmed when the child let out a wail of protest. She shushed him and still sniffling, he returned to his feed.
Hermione inhaled deeply and shakily. She was much aware of whom the child's parentage could be. She had waited to hear if he had somehow survived that awful snake bite. She had used all of her influence to obtain some information, but had received none.
"Could you check the register at Hogwarts? I did not like to ask before… I have not given him any identity or completed any registration forms for the ministry."
"How many know of his existence?"
"Not many." Hermione blushed and counted out the people, "You, Poppy, Shan, Molly, and myself."
"Only the five of us? You have not consulted Mister Potter or Mister Weasley about him?" Minerva pouted and put on her serious face.
"Good grief no, Harry dislikes Severus Snape. H knows he is a hero but not enough to warrant me telling him about the baby. As for Ron..." Hermione huffed. Ron was an arse. He disliked her job and had assumed that one kiss during the heat of battle meant she was his girlfriend, possession, and future mother to his long list of unborn children. She had swiftly set him right shortly before they heard of Fred's death. Since then, Ron had barely acknowledged her. This suited her but she missed his sense of humour. But no, they would never hear about the child from her.
"Pass the baby to me, girl, he needs burping, going by the faces he is making."
Minerva held out her arms to receive the boy. When he was in her arms, the boy looked up right into her eyes and let loose a howl of pain.
Hermione snickered into her fresh cup of tea.
"Poor laddie has trapped wind, we'll soon have you sorted."
Hermione watched transfixed as the Headmistress of Hogwart's School of Magic burped the child who obviously to them was Severus Snape's son. She never realised Minerva could handle such a small child so deftly. Minerva caught her staring.
"You forget child, I had a daughter of my own... Not for long, but she was my bairn. "
The boy, over Minerva's shoulder, let loose a burp followed by a trickle of milk. All was cleared up with wandless magic. Minerva brought the boy back and holding him on her lap, she smiled warmly down at him.
"Now, young man, I know your father. Yes, I do." The child looked up at her and smiled "Your father, perhaps, is not around any longer, but know this Master Snape, you will survive this and with five aunties to spoil and care for you, you will go far. Is this understood?"
Hermione could not help but chuckle as Minerva talked to the young child as if he was older. The boy responded with an enormous smile that made both the women gasp. He was a beautiful boy and thankfully his nose was not as big as his father's.
Minerva prepared to hand the boy back to Hermione when she was called back to her work. She left Minerva with the sleeping boy on her lap knowing he was safe in her charge.
Hermione Granger looked up as the door to her office flew open and an angry Ron Weasley burst in.
"You fucking, lying bitch," he spat out at her as he stormed up to her desk and slapped down the now crushed copy of 'The Daily Prophet'. He leaned over her desk threateningly, with spittle flying from his mouth and viciously added with a sneer of disgust, "You are a fucking whore, allowing that bastard to shove his prick into your cunt. You get what you deserve and I am through being your friend!"
Hermione froze with shock at the insults and language coming out of the mouth of one of her best friends. She was shaken out of her shock when the door slammed, rattling the window that caused a plant pot to crash to the floor.
With shaking hands she picked up the crumpled newspaper and gasped in horror at the front page headline.
GRANGER & SNAPE LOVE CHILD REVELATION
By Rita Skeeter
Go to the centre pages for this special feature.
Hermione zapped the newspaper to ashes without looking. She was furious and wondered how on earth Rita had thought up this stupid story. She knew she should have squashed that bug years before. She returned to her desk after cleaning the plant pot's mess. Then, she flipped open the page of her desk diary to double check today's date. The date was the thirty-first of March. She let her head fall with a thud onto her desk at the malicious joke. Ron Weasley had not noticed the date on his early copy of the Prophet dated first of April.