Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, and various other publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
The next morning saw Hermione getting out of her own bed, and stretching like a Cheshire cat. She smiled as she remembered the night before, nothing special had happened, they sat and talked until curfew. Though didn't curfew matter to Hermione, as Head Girl she was allowed to be out of her dorms later than other students, she preferred to get back in time, if anyone caught her and Severus in a less than friendly embrace, questions would be asked.
She thought back to how things were before November, and her smile faded. She hadn't known then, hadn't known what would happen, but she was no seer, as Professor Trelawney kept reminding her. Hermione often saw the lady after school for a bit of friendly advice, but today she couldn't, today she had to go down to the lake.
She had just begun to get dressed when she heard the tell tale scuffling of feet outside her door.
"Hermione," Harry yelled while banging on her door.
"One minute Harry, I'm coming," she yelled back, 'honestly boys' she though while desperately trying to pin her wild mane back.
"Hermione, if you're not out by the count of three..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the door was opened to reveal a very beautiful Hermione Granger. She had changed over the past few months, he noted, she had become a woman; she had curves in all of the right places, and Harry thought, her new look suited her.
"Harry James Potter, threaten me once more, and see if you live to tell the tale!" She brushed past him, knocking him off his balance slightly as she made her way down the stairs.
Great Hall
As they entered the hall and sat down, Hermione looked up at the teachers table in the great hall and blushed, Harry looked at her as if she had gone mad; why was she blushing?
"Hermione?"
"Um, yeah one minute Harry." She was doing what she always did at breakfast; working out things in her head, well, that was what Harry thought she was doing, she was really thinking back to the last time she had spent time in Severus's chambers.
As she always did, she reached for the goblet of juice by the side of her plate, only to find that it wasn't there. Strange, she thought, the House Elves always put the goblets on the right side of the plate, why would they change it now? Without giving it anymore conscious thought, she located her goblet and took a sip of her drink.
But it didn't taste right; it had a grainy texture, juice never had a 'grainy' texture. Hermione spat the drink out, startling a few of the members of her house, but she didn't care, she didn't feel well. She could feel the colour drain from her face and as she made to move, her back came in contact with a hard body.
"Miss Granger," it was Severus, she breathed a sigh of relief, "come with me, quickly."
As they made their way out of the Great Hall, Severus's mind was abuzz. What had just happened?
"Hermione, how do you feel?" he said when they were out of earshot of the Great Hall.
But she didn't answer, she couldn't. He turned to look at her but she wasn't there, he spotted her form down the other end of the corridor, the same corridor he had just run down.
"Hermione!" he bellowed. Severus raced towards her.
"Hermione," he repeated as he collapsed by her side.
"Can't ... can't breathe," she managed to wheeze. Severus looked at her worriedly.
"Okay, okay, can you- can you lift your arms for me, I'm going to carry you."
"Someone ... sees?" she rasped.
Severus tenderly brushed a stray bit of hair from her face.
"I don't care, you are more important to me than someone seeing at the moment, ready? One, two, three." One the count of three he lifted her from the floor and into his arms, before beginning the journey back to his chambers with his lover in his arms.
She couldn't speak now. Her throat had nearly completely closed off, and as they reached the lower levels of the dungeons, and entered his private chambers, Severus mumbled obscenities under his breath.
He laid her down on the couch, the same couch they had spent many nights talking on, and tore towards his private laboratory to collect a muscle relaxant, by the time he had come back her eyes were half opened, half closed.
He was losing her.
Severus ripped the cork from the bottle and cupped his hands; he would have to rub the potion into her throat, there was no way she could swallow it.
"Hermione, I'm going to have to rub it in on your throat, do you mind?"
Severus knew the answer to the question before it even left his mouth, and from the look of her face, she knew it as well.
He started to rub the muscle relaxant into her throat, and her felt her muscles start to loosen within seconds of his hands touching her skin. But something was wrong. He didn't know what, but it felt wrong, if someone had poisoned her morning drink then this was too easy, a simply muscle relaxant cured it. Why go through so much trouble to induce something akin to an anaphylactic shock?
Her eyes became glazed, and her head lolled to the side of the couch, there was something else the matter.
"Hermione!" he yelled before scooping her up into his arms. He carried her over to their bedroom, and placed her gently down on the sheets.
A few diagnostic spells later and his worse fears were confirmed.
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