A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Insane Prompt challenge: 47- word: Immure - To enclose within or as if within walls / imprison
April Auction
Day 12 - Auction 4 - Fairytale: Rapunzel
Word count: 5273
She woke in pain, screaming. She didn't know what was going on, didn't know where she was. Her abdomen felt like someone was stabbing it. She screamed unable to move. Her hands were restrained.
"Mrs. Weasley, it's alright, the baby will be here soon. I know it's early ,but you've got the best care." She blinked in confusion. Who was Mrs. Weasley? What baby? Where was she? The healer gave her something to drink the pain eased slightly. She watched, her mind clearing for a brief second.
"Severus," she whispered looking around desperately as she felt another contraction rock her body.
"Ron, dear, remember? You're husband's name is Ron. He'll be here soon, I just had him paged. You're doing fine, Mrs. Weasley." Black spots danced in front of her eyes. Tears streamed down her face as gave one last strong push. Soon the cries of a newborn filled the room.
"She's perfect, Mrs. Weasley, would you like to hold her?" She nodded gently accepting the baby from the healer.
"Rose, my little Rosebud," she whispered before the child was removed from her arms and she fell asleep.
"Hermione, wake up." She blinked, where was she, who was Hermione? Was that her?
"Who?"
"You're name is Hermione Weasley, I'm your husband, Ron. This is our new baby, Molly. Remember?" She shook her head. None of that sounded right.
"No, Rose," she stated.
"We discussed this, Hermione. You're not allowed to have flowers in your room. I know you don't remember. Would you like to hold Molly?" Hermione accepted the baby from him. She studied his face. This man was her husband? Something didn't seem...but no, she couldn't remember.
"You suffered a head injury, Hermione. I know you don't remember. We've been married for five years, give or take a few days. Molly is our first little one. There will be more, we want a large family." Hermione blinked. She wanted children?
"Why can't they fix my memory?" she asked. Little Molly had nestled against her and Hermione blinked in amazement as she fed her daughter.
"They tried. The best they can do is try and keep it from getting worse. You won't retain any new memories, but a few of the old ones are still intact, you're just having trouble accessing them right now." Hermioned closed her eyes, searching for one. A feeling flitted through her mind, a kiss, Ron's arms around her. There was smoke everywhere...
"Where am I?"
"St. Mungo's. You're in the spell damage ward for now. You had a difficult pregnancy, Hermione and you had to stay here until Molly was born. It was safer for the two of you," Ron explained as if he'd given this explanation more than once. If what he was saying was true, that she didn't form new memories, she must have woken up here multiple times asking the same question.
"Do I live here?"
"No, you live with me, and now Molly in a modest house. I can't wait for you to see the nursery we designed. I know you don't remember working on it, but I love seeing your face light up." Ron touched her face, she pulled away. She didn't remember loving this man. She remembered Ron as a boy, from school. This man was a stranger to her. The fact they had a child, how could she have consented if she couldn't remember anything? Would she have?
"I'm tired," she stated. Molly had fallen asleep in her arms. She looked at the baby. Molly had dark hair covering the top of her little head. Ron had red hair. Hermione knew she had brown hair. Would it lighten up as she got older?
"Molly's crib is right over here, I've left you a note, same as always. The healers also know what to do when you wake up. Don't worry, Hermione. I love you." She wondered if she felt the same way. She didn't think so.
Hermione blinked her eyes open, stared at the white ceiling for a moment and wondered why she hurt. Slowly, she slid her fingers under the blankets feeling the pain in her nether regions. What the hell had happened to her. She rolled over and noticed a piece of paper sitting on the nightstand. She grabbed and opened the note.
Dear Hermione,
your name is Hermione Weasley. You are married to me, Ron Weasley. Do not move too much, you have just given birth to our daughter Molly. I know you don't remember any of this. Don't worry. I'll be back soon. Molly is sleeping in the crib next to your bed.
Love Ron.
Hermione stared at the note in confusion. None of the names were familiar, maybe hers? She slowly sat up with some difficulty. She glanced over and saw the crib. The baby inside, Molly, was still sleeping. She watched her little body move as she breathed. Hermione carefully got out of the bed, her feet wobbled beneath her. She walked a few steps to the door.
"Hungry," she whispered. She looked at the door and turned the handle. She blinked in surprise it opened. She stepped out of the room and into the empty hallway.
"Hello?" she called softly. No one came so she kept walking. She passed a few closed doors, reading the room numbers to herself.
"Three twenty-one, three twenty-two." She had reached a door with no number, just 'exit' above it in bright red letters. She pushed it open and stepped into a busy hallway. She hadn't taken more than five steps when she ran into someone.
"I'm sorry," she stated as a hand reached down to help her to her feet. Her hospital gown hadn't done much to keep her behind from being exposed. She looked up at the man in front of her, black hair, dark eyes. She took his hand and he pulled her.
"Hello, my name is Hermione!" she said proudly, glad she remembered her name.
"Hello, Hermione. My name is Severus." She smiled at him, her eyes wide and empty looking.
"Mrs. Weasley! There you are, you gave us all a fright, come along now. You know you're not supposed to leave your room," a healer said grabbing Hermione by the wrist and pulling her back through the door.
"Bye Severus," she called waving to him before the door closed and locked behind her.
Ron didn't come back until it was dark outside. Hermione had found the window and pulled back the curtains. All she could see was sky.
"This room must be very high off the ground," she told Molly. The baby in her arms didn't do much, but from what Hermione had figured out; she was only a day old. Hermione wondered again why she couldn't remember anything, even the past seemed extremely fuzzy. There had been a war. Sh was sure of that. Had she lost her memory then? There was a kiss, her and Ron? She remembered a pair of hands holding her. Ron's? No, they...seemed larger. Trying to remember was giving her a headache and so she put Molly back in her crib and laid down.
"Hermione!" She woke with a start. The red haired man was yelling at her for leaving the room. What room? This one? Where was she? Tears started falling from her eyes. She was so confused. She reached over and picked up the baby from the crib and started feeding her. The man stopped yelling.
"You remembered Molly!" She looked at the baby.
"Rose," she replied stroking the child's dark hair.
"No, Hermione, we named her Molly, after my mother. I know you don't remember."
"Rosebud, our little Rosebud, so bright," Hermione sang softly rocking the baby back to sleep. Ron stared at her for a moment.
"Her name is Molly, I don't know where you got this Rosebud nonsense, Hermione. Here, let me hold her for a moment." He gently took the child from her arms. He walked around the room wit the baby. Hermione watched him like a hawk, her eyes darkening.
"I don't like you," she stated. Ron looked at her and carefully put Molly back in the crib.
"What did you say, Hermione?"
"I said I don't like you. I don't think I love you...where am I?" She started looking around the room frantically. "Where have you taken me?" Ron sighed and walked over to her, he pulled his wand from his pocket and touched it to a tattoo on her ankle. She slumped over asleep.
"How did you manage that, Hermione. Three months, and this is the first time you've managed to slip out of control...I'm going to need to keep a better watch over you."
Hermione blinked her eyes open. White. Even in darkness, she could tell the room was white, she didn't know where she was. There was a note on the nightstand. She picked up it.
Dear Hermione,
your name is Hermione Weasley. I am your husband, Ron Weasley. The baby is Molly, she is our daughter. You are in St. Mungo's for severe memory loss following a head injury.
Love Ron.
"Ron," she whispered, tilting her head and staring at the ceiling. "Head injury," she repeated. Blinking she slowly looked at the note again. Love Ron. She didn't feel love. She should feel something at the mention of his name, shouldn't she? The baby in the crib started screaming. She walked over studying the tiny child.
"Molly? No. Not Molly," she muttered picking the baby up and looking at her tiny face. Her hand still knew how to change a diaper, and she did just that, before bring the child to her chest. The room was darker now, much darker. Hermione looked for a light, but didn't see anything remotely resembling a switch. She blinked, her confusion increasing. What kind of room didn't have a light switch?
She walked over to the window, the curtains were open. She could see the night sky.
"That is Orion's belt, it's part of the constellation Orion. That's the Big Dipper, and that light is actually the planet Venus," she told Molly. The child looked out the window with large unfocused eyes.
"I know a lot about the constellations and planets, I wonder why I remember that, but not you little one, my little Rosebud," she whispered. The baby's eyelids drooped and Hermione smiled placing the child back in the crib. Her eyes were drawn to the door, there was a thin line of light coming form beneath it. She found the handle and tried turning it. It didn't move. She was locked in the room.
"That's stupid, what if there was a fire or something," she muttered. Her eyes fell on the window. How high up was she? She walked back over and looked out, trying to see the ground. Instead she saw only darkness.
"Goodnight, little one," she whispered climbing back into the bed. She took one last look at the note, crumbled it up, and threw it against the wall.
The light from the window woke Hermione. She blinked her eyes open.
"Where am I?" she asked looking around. The door swung open.
"You're awake! Your name is Hermione Weasley. I'm Ron, I'm your husband. You are in St. Mungo's for a head injury that resulted in loss of your ability to form memories. The baby over there is our daughter, Molly."
"I love you?"
"Yes, we're married, Hermione." She stared at Ron for a minute before turning to attend to Molly.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to run to work, now, Hermione. I just stopped by to check on you and the baby. I love you Hermione. Don't worry. The healers are working on a way for you to eventually come home."
"Home, with you?"
"Yes, Hermione, with me. I love you, I'll be back for lunch, alright?" He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. She didn't kiss back. Ron didn't seem to notice as he headed towards the door. She watched him leave. The door lock clicking behind him.
"Dammit," she muttered rushing to the door and trying the handle just in case. It was locked.
"My name is Hermione Weasley, I am married to that man. I don't love him? The baby is mine," she stated. She looked around seeing the note she'd thrown against the wall last night. She walked over, picked it up, and read it.
"I don't remember. I am going to remember," she stated. She looked around the room taking inventory. There were no ink pens. There was strange feather. She picked it up and was surprised to see a metal tip on the end. She slid it across the paper and nearly dropped it in surprise when it wrote.
"This is not a pen, but it will work," she stated. "I am Hermione Weasley," she read as she wrote the statement on the back of the note.
"The baby is my daughter. I am locked in this room. A man named Ron claims to love me and be my husband. He says the baby is ours. Her name is Molly?" Hermione paused staring at the last statement she had written. Something hitting the window caught her attention.
Slowly she walked over and looked down. In the light, she could see the ground. It was extremely far down. She shuddered not liking heights. She could see a small black speck standing on the ground below her window. Slowly she opened the window, shuddering as the wind whooshed past her.
"Who are you?" she called down. She doubted the man could hear her. She looked around the room. There was nothing she could use to talk to him. She sighed, waved and closed the window. Maybe he would come up here and talk to her? Why did he even want to talk to her? Did she know him?
Hermione managed to stay awake until Ron reappeared carrying a tray with food on it.
"Good afternoon, Hermione."
"Hello, Ron."
"You haven't slept?" She shook her head taking the tray and eating.
"Not tired. Tired of not remembering. How did we meet?" she asked looking at him. Her eyes landed on the wedding band on his hand. There wasn't even a tan line surrounding it. He must not go out in the sun much.
"At school. We went to Hogwarts together."
"Hogwarts?"
"It's a school for witches and wizards."
"I'm a witch?" she asked studying him. Her fingers twitched, as if remembering curling around a long wooden object.
"Yes."
"Where's my wand?" she asked suddenly.
"I had to take it. It's at home. It's not safe for you to have it in your state. I was worried you would hurt yourself." She nodded. Part of her mind thought that made sense.
"Are you finished with your lunch?" She looked at the empty tray and nodded. The baby started crying.
"Can you hand her to me, please, Ron?" she asked. Ron smiled handing her the baby.
"I guess little Molly wants lunch too, huh?" Hermione glared at him for a second.
"I should be getting back to work, Hermione. I love you." He stood and she followed him to the door, her hand on the handle as he left. She felt him pull the door close, but as he was watching her, he forgot to lock it. She waited until his footsteps could no longer be heard before smiling. Maybe she could find that man in black who had tried to get her attention.
She had to wait until the baby, she refused to call the child Molly. She hated that name! How had Ron managed to talk her into it? She watched her little girl snuggle against her, finally closing her baby blue eyes. She wondered if they would change color as she got older.
Laying her new baby back in the crib, Hermione made her way to the door, shoving the piece of paper in her pocket. She didn't want to lose the note she'd written herself. She felt it told her more than Ron's notes did. She put her ear to the door, nothing. She didn't hear anyone outside. She slowly turned the handle and opened the door a crack. The hallway was deserted. She smiled stepping out and looking around. She saw the other doors and walked past them. The exit door loomed ahead of her. She managed to open it, glad no one had locked it.
The hallway outside the exit door was crowded with people rushing around. A lot of them were wearing robes, but none of them were wearing black robes. She nearly burst into tears. She'd managed to get out and he wasn't here. Maybe he hadn't really been trying to get her attention.
She felt a strong hand grip her arm. She nearly screamed but the person holding her shhhed her. She turned. It was him!
"I'm Hermione!" she chirped happily.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
"You were on the ground outside my window. I called down, but you didn't hear me. What's your name?" The man sighed.
"What did he do to you, Hermione?" he whispered. She stared at him.
"Do you know me? I have a head injury. Ron told me so, I don't remember things."
"Ron Weasley?"
"Yes! He says he is my husband...who are you?"
"My name is Severus Snape." Hermione stared at him for a moment. He could almost see something that might have been intelligence in her vacant eyes. "Hermione, where is Rose?"
"Rose?"
"The baby, do you have a baby?"
"Yes! Ron calls her Molly, I don't like that name."
"Mrs. Weasley! I swear, did your husband forget to lock the door? I'm going to have to start checking it. I'm sorry, sir, she's a patient in the mental wing. I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble." Hermione glared at the healer who was leading her back through the exit door. The healer used a key to open it. It was locked from the outside. She could go through the exit to the busy hallway, but not from the hallway to her room. She made a quick mental note to write this down as soon as she could.
"Here you are, Mrs. Weasley, back in your room safe and sound. I don't know how your husband deals with you. You're just lucky he has you here instead of at home. Poor dear, imagine if you wondered somewhere dangerous." Hermione sighed as she heard the door lock behind her. The baby, Rose? Severus had asked her if she had a baby. He'd said the baby was Rose! Hermione smiled. She loved that name! She pulled the slip of paper from her pocket.
My name is Hermione. The baby is named Rose. I know someone named Severus Snape. He knows me. He knows about Rose! The exit door is locked from the outside. I am being held in St. Mungo's for memory loss. Ron is the one who put me here. She stared at the notes she had written herself. Looking around, she slid the note under the mattress. She knew if Ron saw it he'd take it. It didn't match with the message he'd written her. She wondered if he wrote her a note every morning. The thought of more paper made her smile. She'd have to make sure she saved them.
Exhaustion finally overtook Hermione and she curled up sound asleep. Ron opened the door and peeked inside. He smiled. Hermione and the baby were both sleeping. He walked into the room. The healers had told him Hermione had managed to get out of the closed ward again. He sighed. What was behind these escapes? Was she bored? Maybe he should give her a book or something? He walked over to the bed and kissed her gently on the forehead. Her eyes opened slowly.
"Ron?"
"Yes, very good, Hermione. You remembered my name!" She sat up slowly looking around.
"Where?"
"St. Mungo's. You have a head injury, it's affected your memory." She nodded, her eyes falling on the crib. She slid from the bed and walked over.
"Rosebud, my sweet little Rosebud," she sang softly watching the baby sleep.
"Hermione, honey, our daughter's name is Molly, remember." She shook her head.
"Her name is Rose Minerva!" Ron stared at Hermione. Where had this come from? Hermione glared at him.
"Take me home now, Ron. I won't press charges, just take us home."
"Hermione, I can't. Not until we know for sure you're alright. You have a head injury and you're confused."
"I am not confused." Ron had crossed the room. He put his arm around Hermione in an attempt to lead her back to the bed.
"I love you, Hermione. Please, I'm worried about you." She turned and broke his hold on her. She stated going toward the door. Ron grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He bent down and touched his wand to the tattoo on her ankle. She crumpled in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, I don't know what brought this on, but I can't let you do this to us," he stated laying her in the bed. "I love you," he whispered kissing her lips. She was unconscious and couldn't respond.
Dear Hermione,
your name is Hermione Weasley. You are married to me, Ron Weasley. I love you. The baby is our daughter, Molly. I will see you later today.
Love Ron.
Ron put the note on Hermione's nightstand, kissed Molly's forehead and slipped from the room making sure the door was locked behind him.
Hermione groaned slightly. The bright sunlight hurting her eyes. The room spun a little bit as she sat up and looked around. Large window. Baby crib? Where was she? She stood and crossed the room. She glanced at the baby. The baby was awake. Was this her child? She picked up the child holding the baby close to her. Hermione made her way back to the bed and sat down on the bed. Her eyes finally landing on the note. She picked it up and read it.
"Molly? What kind of name is that?" she asked the baby. The newborn just looked up at her.
"I guess I'm your mommy. Your daddy says he'll be back later?" Hermione sighed looking around the room. She spotted the feather, picked it up and stared at it. "Not a pen," she stated, "but like a pen?" Having fed the baby, she hated the name Molly, she put her gently back in the crib.
"Little one, do you know more than me?" she asked. The baby closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Hermione sighed and threw herself on the bed. The crinkle of paper made her get back up and lift the mattress.
My name is Hermione. The baby is named Rose. I know someone named Severus Snape. He knows me. He knows about Rose! The exit door is locked from the outside. I am being held in St. Mungo's for memory loss. Ron is the one who put me here.
Hermione stared at the note. It was her handwriting and very different from the note Ron had left her.
"Severus," she whispered blinking back tears. "I need to find him." She ran to the door and yanked at the locked handle. She then nearly tore the nightstand apart looking for her wand. Her eyes finally landed on the window. She walked over to it and looked out. So high! She pulled back, wishing she wasn't afraid of heights.
Taking a deep breath she looked back down. A tiny black speck stood beneath her window.
"Severus," she whispered. "You found me." She looked around the room again. Her eyes landing on the baby bed, her bed, sheets...She grabbed the sheets, leaving the baby blanket. Her bed had a blanket too. She knotted them together and hung them out the window. They didn't go very far. She blinked back tears. Ron would be back soon. She needed...needed what? To escape? To get to Severus? Why?
"I need something longer," she whispered. She shook her head, her hair bouncing around her face.
"Hair!"she exclaimed. She glanced at the door and slowly started pulling hairs from her head and braiding them together. It wouldn't be very strong, but at least it was starting to get longer than the sheets. She quickly threw the sheets back on the beds. Ron couldn't know. Soon she was sure the chain was long enough. She picked up the note Ron had left her that morning and jotted a new one.
Severus.
I don't know why you're important to me.
Rose and I are unharmed, just locked in this room.
I have a head injury? And am having trouble with my memory.
Ron is the one who put me here.
I'm very confused.
Hermione.
She rolled the note and attached it to hair. She looked around for something to weigh it down, so it wouldn't just blow in the wind. Her eyes finally spotted a fork that had been left from her last meal. She just hoped the hair was strong enough to do this. She opened the window and slowly lowered the fork towards the ground.
She watched the fork spiral towards the ground until it had hit the black speck. She felt a slight tug as he removed the note. She held her breath. What was she supposed to do now? Would he send a note back? Would it finally explain everything? A tug on the end pulled her from her thoughts. She pulled it back up and into the room.
She removed the note from the fork and opened it.
My dearest Hermione,
I'm important to you because I AM your husband,
not Mr. Weasley. Your name is Hermione Granger-Snape.
I am Rose's father. You went missing from our home at
Hogwarts nearly two months ago. I have been searching for you
nonstop. I love you, Hermione and I will rescue you and our daughter.
Hang on, please.
Love Severus.
Hermione sighed, tears falling from her eyes. She didn't remember marrying Severus, but her heart pounded a little harder when she said his name. The sound of footsteps made her quickly close the window and hide the rope and fork under her bed.
"Good afternoon, Hermione." She looked at Ron and wondered what she was supposed to do now that she knew the truth. This man had kidnapped her and Rose.
"Ron?" Act like he expected, that was her plan.
"Yes, I'm Ron, your husband." She nodded slowly.
"I brought your lunch," he said setting a bag down on the nightstand. "I've been talking to the healers, they said there's been no change in your condition. I'm sorry, I still can't take you home, Hermione."
"Home?" Hermione asked tilting her head. Rose cried. Hermione got up and scooped up her daughter.
"Shh, little one, hush," she sang. Ron smiled watching them. This was the Hermione he'd wanted.
"I'm glad you're feeling better today, Hermione. I've got to get back to work, I love you." She nodded at him and gave him a blank smile. He kissed her gently on the forehead and slipped from the room. She glared as she heard the lock click.
"Rose, we are getting out of here, somehow. Wait...I'm a witch! Severus said we live at Hogwarts...he's a wizard!" She ran to the window. The black speck was gone.
"We are leaving, Rose," she whispered trying to keep her voice calm. She used the blankets to latch the baby to her chest. The little blue eyes looked up at her.
"If Ron figures out I know the truth..." she whispered. "I need to get out of here. I'm not leaving you, little one. My little Rosebud." She could only hope she wasn't about to kill the both of them. She opened the window and looked down. She could see where bricks stuck out slightly.
"Severus, please, I'm scared," she whispered touching Rose. The baby seemed to sense Hermione's fear. "Don't worry, Rosebud. We're going to climb this wall, find a way to Severus, and everything is going to be alright," Hermione promised swinging her legs out the window. She put one hand on Rose, and slowly started making her way down the windowsill. Maybe she could just go a few windows down, find that hallway and go from there.
Every contact she had with Severus seemed to jog her memory. She wondered how Ron had stolen it from her in the first place. She had passed three window. She peeked in each one as she went. So far, nothing more than empty rooms, like the one she had been locked in. She wondered if they were locked. She didn't want to risk it. Another window. This one looked different. She smiled when she saw people, the busy hallway.
She frowned, the window was closed. She didn't want to break it and possibly hurt Rose. She crept down a little further, hoping to find one that was open. Instead a pair of black eyes met her brown ones.
The window slid open and Severus pulled her inside.
"Severus!"
"Hermione! Of all the idiotic things you could have done, what if you had fallen? What if..." Rose let loose a loud cry. Severus looked down at the baby.
"And you put Rose in danger!"
"You called her Rose! I love you," she stated.
"Hermione!" Hermione's face fell. What was Ron doing back already? He rushed over to her. Hermione slipped Rose from her harness and handed her to Severus.
"I'm so glad I found you, I was worried. The healers said you weren't in your room." Hermione stared at him.
"That's how you're going to play this? I know Ron, I know the truth. Every time I saw Severus, a little piece of my memory returned, and now, back in his arms, I remember everything."
"That's not possible. Not with all the work I put into this," Ron yelled grabbing Hermione and pulling his wand. He bent down to touch it to the tattoo. Hermione took her bare foot and stomped on the wand, snapping it in two. Magic swirled around the pair. Severus almost rushed to help her, but stopped remembering the baby in his arms, his baby. Finally the magic died down. Hermione looked beyond angry. Ron was unconscious on the floor.
"This is how he was controlling me," she whispered looking at the outline of the tattoo. The whole thing was fading rapidly.
"Are you alright, Hermione?"
"I think so, can I please see a healer, one that's not under Ron's paycheck?"
"Yes. I think you and Rose both need to be seen. What should we do with him?" He nodded towards Ron. Hermione smiled.
"Full body bind, please, I don't know what happened to my wand."
"I have it. He left it when he took you."
"Oh, good. Bind him and let the ministry deal with him. And yes, I want to press charges for kidnapping and assault. He kissed me." Severus nodded. He had a feeling Mr. Weasley was going to greatly regret his choices involving Hermione.
"Let's get you two checked out, and then home." Hermione nodded allowing Severus to put his hand around her waist and lead her down the hall.
Both Hermione and Rose were given clean bills of health. They didn't even find a scratch on Hermione.
"Head injury my ass," Hermione muttered as Severus escorted his girls home. He smiled looking at them, glad to have Hermione back and Rose in his arms.