Changes of the bond Chapter Two
Disclaimer Harry potter does not belong to me, never has never will
Hermione and Snape quickly fell into an easy routine, Hermione would tell the boys that she was going to the library, and she would cast an invisibility spell on herself, Severus had invented the spell; it made the person completely invisible and masked their scent and any noises they might make, and slip into the library. Most nights she would read for about an hour and then Severus would come into the room and quietly join her. They often debated for hours about different potions articles. Over time they became very close and it wasn't unusual for Hermione to drift off leaning on Severus's shoulder, the chairs having been exchanged for a couch long ago.
Hermione's only problem was the boys. Ron was working his way through all of the girls in their year, and Harry was so wrapped up with Ginny that neither paid any attention to her. She realized that it was easier for her if they were oblivious but she still wished they would worry about her like they used to. She had erased her name from the marauders map early in her fourth year, she had been furious when she had found out they used it to keep watch over her.
Hermione realized she had feelings that ran much deeper than friendship with Severus. If she was honest with herself she loved him. She spent most of potions class focusing on keeping her amusement hidden, once you knew how Snape worked his insults were really backhanded compliments, and his insults were actually just his biting sarcasm. She was most comfortable in his presence and it was easy to lose herself in the domestic feeling she got from spending time with Severus in his quarters.
Severus was arguing with himself in his quarters waiting for Hermione to show up for their nightly visit. He had come to value the girl and he held her close to his heart. He knew she was his student, but he just couldn't connect her to the Hermione granger he had once taught, he could only think of her as his Hermione. He dreamed of her at night
He was sitting on his couch grading student's essays in his living room when the door opened, and a woman enters "aren't you going to come to bed Severus". She placed a hand on his shoulder and he saw a wedding ring on her finger, he looked down at his own hand and saw a matching ring. He was married, when did he get married. He turned to face her and was met with a very pregnant belly, he looked up in shock and standing in front of him smiling was Hermione Granger. She ran her fingers through his hair and gently placed his hand on her belly" He's moving again" and she leaned down to kiss him…
He had jerked awake in shock and had been unable to fall asleep for the rest of his life. He had always wanted a family, and he couldn't get the image of Hermione holding a little black haired baby out of his mind. He knew if he admitted it to himself he loved her. He needed to get up the courage to see if she felt the same, he couldn't continue denying it to himself. The other problem was Dumbledore; he would never allow it while she was a 6th year even though she was so much older than her idiot classmates. They would have to hide it, but his rooms were securely warded, not even the headmaster could enter them without permission.
On October twentieth Hermione stormed into the library, slamming the door shut behind. Severus jumped up and looked at her with concern." Are you alright"
"Bloody Parkinson trying to hex me with my back turned" she threw herself into his arms. "I am alright though I stunned her and took 70 points from slytherin."
Severus gently pushed her back from him and looked her over for injuries. "You're bleeding, Come with me." She had a small cut on her forehead that was bleeding heavily. He led her into his private quarters and sat her down in a chair by the fireplace. He quickly summoned a vial of healing salve and a damp cloth to him.
He kneeled down in front of her and gently wiped the blood from her skin and applied the salve to the wound.
"Severus you didn't have to it was just a small cut."
"Nonsence Hermione you wouldn't want it to scar." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the already healed wound. He heard her sigh and drew back to stare into her eyes. She cautiously licked her lips and leaned towards him her eyes fluttering closed. He leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to hers.
There was a blinding flash of white light and Severus felt it was over his body sinking into his skin. The light washed over Hermione and centered around her stomach before sinking into her skin. Both slumped over unconscious as the light receded. Severus was shoocken awake by a frantic Hermione.
"Severus wake up this instant I need you." This statement was followed by a loud groan of pain and she crushed his fingers in a tight grip. He opened his eyes to see a very pregnant Hermione lying on the floor obviously in labor.
"what happened." He sat gob
smacked unable to move. Hermione reached over and slapped him sharply
across the cheek. "Severus help m…" the rest of her sentence
was drowned out in a scream of pain.
This snapped Severus into
action and quickly propped Hermione up with a pile of cushions. He
pulled her skirt up to see the baby was obviously crowning. Less than
five minute later a screaming baby boy slid into Severus's hands.
He quickly summoned a clean towel from the closet and wrapped the
baby in it. He handed the baby to Hermione and set about healing her.
Hermione simply stared in shock as Severus wrapped the baby and handed it to her. She took the baby awkwardly cradling it to her chest. It was a little boy with black hair, when he opened his eyes he revealed Hermione's chocolate brown eyes, he looked like he had Severus's facial structure but without Snapes nose. Snape finished healing her and covered her lap with a blanket. He sat next to her and stared at the baby in shock
Hermione finally voiced what they were both thinking "what happened, I wasn't pregnant, where did he come from?" she turned to look at him and gasped in shock, nearly dropping the baby "Severus what happened to you?"
"What happened to me, you're the one with the baby." She shook her head openly staring at him. "Summon a mirror Severus." Bewildered he did as she asked. He almost fainted in shock as the mirror appeared in front of him. Before him stood his twenty three year old self. His hair fell to his shoulder blades and was not lank or greasy at all, it shone in the candle light, his nose was no longer hooked, it was straight, and his skin was smooth and pale, his teeth were white and straight, not their normal crooked and yellow. Suddenly he ripped the cuff of his left sleeve up, the dark mark was gone, but in its place was a different mark.
Hermione tugged him down to her and kissed him hard on the lips "Oh Severus you're finally free."
He turned and grinned at her. She traced the new mark on his arm with her finger. "What is this mark though?"
He pulled her left hand into his lap and began to roll the cuff up, He revealed an identical mark on her forearm, it was the rune for love overlaid with the Snape family crest. "I have an idea what it is allow me to go get the book." He stood without waiting for her answer and hurried out of the room. She turned her attention to the baby in her arms, and cuddled him closer, she had no idea how he had come into being but she was already completely in love with him. He nuzzled closer to her breast and she knew he was hungry.
Severus hurried back into the room clutching a thick book, he plopped down on the floor next to her and opened the book to the specific page he went to hand it to her but hesitated when he saw her hands full with the baby. "Here give me the book and take the baby," Hermione stifled a giggle at the look on Severus's face as he carefully took the baby.
She opened the book to the specified page and began to read.
A soul bond is created between two individuals whose love runs so deep that they will be bound beyond this life and for eternity. A bond is only created between soul mates. The bond manifests immediately after the first kiss between the couple. Both individuals are marked with the family crest, and are considered to be legally married. The bond in extreme cases will grant the couples greatest desires.
As Hermione read the section in the book, Severus cradled the child close to his body and looked down at him in wonder. The only other baby he had ever held was his godson Draco Malfoy. This child looked just like him except for Hermione's eyes, and thank god, her nose. He looked up as he heard her shut the book, expecting to see the panic in her eyes, he was sure she was going to leave him.
What he didn't expect was the look of love in her eyes "oh Severus it wasn't the most conventional way to get married, but I love you all the same." He looked at her a small smile growing on his lips as he realized she shared his feelings. "I love you too Hermione I have for a long time." She scooted closer to him and looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms.
"How did this one come into being, I'm sure you were not pregnant an hour ago." She smiled slightly "what was your greatest desire," Severus looked up in understanding
"My greatest desire was to have a family." She smiled at him and tucked her head onto his shoulder leaning against him. He was curious though "How did I end up returning to my twenty three year old body though?"
She paused looking thoughtful. "My greatest desire was for you to be happy, I suspect that the only thing that had been holding you back was the age difference between us and the dark mark of course, it seems that magic stepped in and fixed both of your doubts."
She stared down at the baby, "so he's really ours, it hasn't quite sunken in yet." Snape drew his wand and cast a paternity spell on the infant, His name and Hermione's hovered over the babe. "It would seem he is in fact ours," He smiled "I think we should name him we can't keep calling him baby"
Hermione nodded "are there any names you really like" he nodded "My mother had wanted to name me Raven."
Hermione grinned "that's perfect, what about a middle name, what about Lineal, I always wanted to name my child that."
Snape nodded "that's a perfect name, welcome to the world Raven Lineal Snape."
Hermione suddenly frowned, I don't know anything about babies, how am I suppose to go to class, how to do we keep this a secret."
Snape thought for a second before standing, shifting the baby so he was cradled in his arm. "Can you stand up?"
She nodded and allowed him to pull her up, she felt perfectly normal, nothing like she had just given birth, and it appeared that her figure was unchanged, except for the swelling in her breasts. "How come I feel normal, it takes muggle women at least three days to recover." Snape smiled slightly, wrapping an arm around her waist "we have healing spells, and potions that return the body to the way it was before the baby, you should just be tired."
He led her into the bedroom and quickly used his wand to change her into a pair of his pajamas, and settled her on the bed with Raven. He turned and snapped his fingers, a house elf popped into the room wearing a white blouse and a black skirt bearing the Snape family crest.
"This is Bonnie, Hermione she helped raise me when I was a baby and I'm sure she would delight in taking care of Raven during classes."
He turned to the elf "Bonnie this is my wife Hermione and my son Raven, Could you teach her how to care for him?"
"Bonnie squealed "Oh master Sev, why yous not telling Bonnie about the mistress, yous bad master Bonnie will help mistress." Without further ado she pushed past Snape and went to where Hermione was giggling as the house elf dressed down Snape. Bonnie quickly began teaching Hermione how to breast feed, and Snape turned red as she exposed her breast to the baby. He sat down next to her and they began to plan for the future.
They decided to keep Raven a secret, and if they had to tell anyone they would say that she was Snape's daughter and his mother had fled, not mentioning Hermione's name. Bonnie would watch Raven during classes, and Hermione would continue to spend her evenings in the dungeons. Severus would wear glamour so he maintained his usual bat like appearance, it would raise to many questions if he suddenly de-aged, and Hermione didn't want any of the girls eyeing him, younger Severus was stunning.
A glamour would not cover their binding marks however, although neither wanted to cover them it was necessary, so they would both have to wear long sleeves at all times. By the time they had planned out the next few weeks, Raven had fallen asleep and Severus conjured a bassinet and placed the baby inside. When he turned back to the bed he saw that Hermione had fallen asleep. He pulled the covers over her and extinguished the light; he climbed into bed next to her and pulled her close kissing her forehead as he closed his eyes. He knew Bonnie would watch over raven through the night.
Hermione was woken up the next morning by Bonnie; she could here Raven crying in the background. "Mistress you must wake up yous be needing to feed the babe, and go back to your dormitory, Master is already in the lab." Hermione woke up and gently took the baby, marveling at how surreal the experience was, overnight she had become Mrs. Snape and become a mother. She took the baby to her breast and thought about how challenging the next few weeks were going to be, she never wanted to leave her son, it was going to be agonizing waiting for evening, so she could hold him again.
As Raven finished, Severus walked back into the room, and Hermione drew in a breath. The top part of his hair was drawn back with a leather cord and he was wearing a silk shirt, and black trousers, the shirt showed of his broad shoulders and narrow waist and hips, there was no denying it, Severus Snape was hot.
"You had better hurry back to your dormitory, Bonnie and I will keep watch over raven do not worry." He handed her a vial of purple potion, "this is a nutrient potion, it will help keep your strength up today." He returned her clothes to their original state and smiled, grabbing her by the wrist and drawing her close. He rubbed a gentle hand over Ravens fuzzy head, before pressing a kiss to Hermione lips "I love you" She smiled "and I love you, see you in class." She handed him the baby and called out a quick thank you to Bonnie before slipping out into the corridor and heading back to the common room.
She entered the common room hoping that no one was there to see her return, but luck was no longer on her side. Harry and Ron were sitting side by side on the couch looking angry.
"Where were you Lavender said you didn't come in last night, since you blocked yourself from the map we couldn't find you we were worried." Harry looked mildly worried, but Ron looked angry for some unknown reason.
"I fell asleep in the library last night, Madam Pince must not have seen me, and one of the house elves woke me up." She smiled slightly imagining the looks on the boy's faces if she had told them the truth about last night. The boys accepted her excuse and she hurried upstairs to change. She had to adjust some of her clothing in the bust area, and she hoped the robes would disguise her new assets, they would be difficult to explain. They headed down to breakfast.
They had potions after lunch, and she was anxious to get to class, she missed her baby desperately, and she wanted to make sure he was okay. As soon as Snape walked into the classroom she caught his eye and he nodded slightly his eyes sparkling with happiness. He couldn't completely disguise his happiness, and the other students noticed, he even gave Hermione ten points to Gryffindor for completing the difficult potion.
"Did you see Snape why the hell was he so happy." Harry shivered slightly "Bloody creepy if you ask me"
Ron nodded in agreement "He even gave points to Gryffindor, I wonder if someone confounded him." He brightened considerably at the idea of someone hexing Snape."
"It is professor Snape boys, and I'm sure he wasn't confounded, something good must have happened for him to act like this." She smiled inwardly; she wasn't sure if he had given her the points for her potion, or for providing him with the family he desperately wanted.