Chapter 7: The Fight

Eileen walked into the morning parlor with Hermione. She smiled when she saw who it was but didn't notice Hermione slip from the room as she recognized two of the guests. She headed to Severus' study, which she had been shown her second day there on a
/tour of the house. She didn't bother knocking. Opening the door, she found Severus in a meeting with two other men and a sleeping Nicholi.

"I apologize for interrupting. May Ispeak with you," Hermione asked cordially.

"Certainly," Severus said politely. "Excuse us, gentlemen."

When he closed the door to the study, he handed Nicholi over to Hermione gently so as to not wake him and sneered, "What is so important that you felt you could enter a room without knocking?"

"I already apologized. I didn't know you were in a meeting."

"I told you I had work to do," he said coldly, crossing his arms.

"I thought you would have put it on hold to spend some time with your son!" Nicholi woke at his mother's screaming voice.

"Well you thought wrong!"

Nicholi began to scream at the top of his lungs. "Obviously! I guess I thought better of you than I should have!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have not spent any time with him since we got here! You've been holed in your study since and theonly time you come out is to eat and sleep. You haven't even asked about him!"

"Well excuse me for having an estate to run!"

"You are most certainly not excused from spending time with your own son!"

"A son I didn't even want!" Severus screamed at her.

Hermione stood silently while Nicholi screamed. She turned suddenly and walked up the main staircase. Eileen turned the corner with her guests and looked at her son. "That is not something our guests should have heard, Severus."

"I apologize. We should not have been shouting. I have to get back to work." That being said, he turned and reentered his study, shutting the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Hermione handed a now settled Nicholi to the nurse and said, "I'll be going up to the nursery to gather the rest of his things later."

The nurse nodded and said, "Yes, miss." When she left with Nicholi, she went to speak with the Lady of the House.

Hermione sighed and began to pack her belongings. It had finally come to this. His true feelings had come out. He didn't want Nicholi any more than he wanted her. She had foolishly hoped it would be different. She had hoped Nicholi would finally have
/his father around to learn from and come to love. But it seemed that fate had stepped in and made that impossible.

She wasn't going to stay here. Not now. Severus had finally said how he really felt. He didn't want Nicholi. He only felt obligated to be around him. Hermione would not have it.

HGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSS

Meanwhile, a young nurse was speaking urgently to the Lady of the House with a baby in her arms that puzzled the guests. Was it really Severus' son? Yes. He looked just like his father. But who was the mother? And why had they not been told?

"Pray, excuse me. I must see to something immediately," their host said.

Eileen went straight for the study. Her son was at fault. He needed to fix this. Sheknocked angrily.

"What," her son answered inside angrily.

Eileen opened the door and said, "She's leaving."

"Who is leaving? Mother I am in a meeting."

"Which can be finished tomorrow. You created this mess. You must fix it. The mother of your child, my grandchild, is taking your son and leaving. I have not gotten to spend much time with Nicholi due to wanting to know his mother first. But she is leaving."

"You can't know that."

"As we speak, she is packing her belongings and Nicholi's belongings."

Severus jumped up from behind his desk and ran from the room.

HGSSHGSSHGSSHGSSHGSS

Hermione was halfway through packing her things when Severus walking into the room.

"You're not leaving," he stated.

"Why do you say that?"

"I am master here. What I say goes."

"You are not master of me. Therefore, if I wish to leave, I will."

"Not with my son."

"He is my son," Hermione said angrily, turning from her current task.

"Mine, too."

"Not anymore," Hermione said, shaking her head and once again continuing her task.

"What does that mean?"

Hermione stopped again and turned to point at him. "The moment you said you didn't want him, you gave up the rights to actually be his father. Now, you are just the sperm donor."

"No," he shouted.

"Yes," she yelled back at him. "I will not have my son growing up, knowing that his father only claims him out of an obligation for what happened!"

Severus sighed and said, "I may not have wanted him but I have him now. He's my son. And I will care for him and his mother both."

"We were doing fine without your help since he has been born."

"Oh, yes," Severus said sarcastically rolling his eyes. "I saw that when I first showed up with Nicholi screaming at the top of his lungs."

"That was one time!"

"All the same," he said, shrugging and shaking his head. "You weren't fine."

"We will be." Hermione turned and once again resumed packing.

"You're not leaving!"

"Watch me," Hermione said, used to the tone he was using by now.

"Look, I know what I said," he began to capitulate to her in order to get something back. "It was wrong and I apologize. But you cannot leave."

"And why not," she questioned.

Severus said the only thing he knew would truly stop her from leaving. Even if he knew deep down he couldn't do it.

"Because I am legally his father. You put my name on his birth records. In the wizarding world, that means I have more rights over him than you do as his mother. If you were to leave, all I would need to do is go to the Ministry of Magic and tell
/them I wish for Nicholi to stay with me. They would take him from you without question, even despite my background."

Hermione stopped packing and looked at him with unshed tears. "You would do that to me," she asked softly.

"If that is what it takes for you to remain here, yes."

"You bastard!"

"I believe some would call my son that."

"He is not," Hermione shouted defensively.

"Neither am I."

"No! You're just acruel Death Eater who would take my son from me."

Severus looked at her and said nothing, letting her ponder the situation. Hermione stared for a moment more before saying, "You are nothing to me but Nicholi's father. If you do this, you will be no better to me than-"

"Than what? Or who," he asked when she cut herself off.

"No better than the man who forced you to rape me."

"So be it," he said after a moment of silence.

Hermione stared and then quietly said, "I have no choice but to stay."

A/N: Do you all hate me right now? I know if I was reading this and not the author I would be in serious need of a rant. But, this is the way this part must go in order for something to happen later. I promise it will get better but there is going to be a lot of drama between Sev and Mione until then. I hope you can forgive me. R&R guys!

P.S. - thank you for all by lovely reviewers so far and if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will try to answer without giving too much away.