Hermione stood over the stove supporting her back as she stirred lavender petals and mint leaves into the bowling water. She grabbed the chopping knife and thinly sliced cactus flower and dropped it into the water. She smiled as the steam rose from the boiling pot.

"Hermione dear what are you making?" asked Eileen looking over her shoulder.

"It's tea that Mrs. Weasely gave me over Christmas. It helps calm down John when he's over active."

Eileen's brow frowned she didn't like the sound it. She picked up the paper that was written handwriting she didn't recognize. She knew it belonged to Molly Weasely. She read the long list of ingredients everything seemed good of little John good sources of plants such as rosemary, lemon juice, lavender, mint leaves, but the cactus flower had her worried.

"Now it needs to simmer for four hours." said Hermione.

'Four hours? That's not right for a simple cup of tea.' thought Eileen. "May I see the cactus flower? Do you have a whole one?"

"Oh here you are." said Hermione handing the elegant woman.

Eileen quietly exited the kitchen and left for the potions lab. She needed to research on the flower Hermione was using in the tea.

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Eileen swept into the lab slamming the door behind and pulled down several books. She sat down at the table and began her long search. She ran her long elegant finger across and down the page. She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't hear Severus and Tobias enter the room.

Severus picked up the beautiful pink, blue and orange flower and examined it carefully. "Where did you get this Mother?"

Eileen looked up from the book. "Hermione had it. She was using it to make some type of tea." She handed him the list of ingredients.

Severus sat down on the stool that was behind him. He sat it down on the table behind him, and turned back to the flower in his hand. "I've seen this flower before. The Dark Lord has several in his lab. This is a very dangerous cactus flower called, "Sleep Slumber," it slowly puts the drinker into a slow death. If consumed in slow doses the drinker won't know its effects until later on." He explained to his parents. "The rosemary sooths an infant in the womb. John." Severus dropped the flower and list on the floor and swept from the lab.

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Hermione walked around the shelves in the library to find a book to read out loud for her big man to hear and learn her voice. She rubbed her belly lovingly. Hermione's brow frowned. John was normally very active around nine pm. Because she figured he knew it was story time.

"Why are you so still tonight John?" asked Hermione.

"Hermione how long have you been drinking the tea?" asked Severus as he ran into the library.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

He walked up to her and asked, "How long? I need to know."

"Almost a week. Nothings wrong. Mrs. Weasely gave me the recipe."

Severus knocked books, quills, ink wells and papers off the table. He swept Hermione up off her feet and laid her down on top of table. He lifted dress exposing growing belly. He pushed and rubbed her stomach feeling the smallest movement nothing strong like it was before.

"Has John been still lately?" asked Severus just as Eileen and Tobias ran into the room after placing some of the potion into a vial.

"Well yes he has been still."

Severus pulled out his wand and ran it over Hermione, "He's heart is beating but it's weak."

Hermione pushed herself up using her arms for support. "What!"

"Sweetheart Mrs. Weasely has been poisoning you." said Eileen.

Hermione laid back down and put her hands over her eyes and sobbed. The woman she had known for years was slowing killing her son. Severus lowered Hermione dress and walked over to her. He pulled her into his arms.

"Mother can we do anything?" asked Severus.

"I've looked up the side effects and nothing can be done sweetheart. John will have to try make it on his own. He will heart problems I have no doubt about it. Get Hermione to bed and make sure she rests. It will take two days for the potion to leave her system. Severus lifted Hermione up into his arms and carried her to her bedroom.

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Severus gently laid Hermione down and pulled the blankets over her. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took a hold of her hand whishing she would let him hold her.

"Severus, hold me." whispered Hermione.

He removed his shoes and got into the bed laying on top of the covers. He pulled Hermione into his arms and let her cry out her pain. Severus buried his face into the crook her neck and held her close praying for a miracle.

Sarah ran up the stairs after her mother had told her what happen to Hermione. She had been gone to spend time with friends. She stopped when she reached Hermione's room to find Severus curled up with her asleep. She smiled slightly at the scene but angry flashed in her black eyes when she thought about Molly Weasely. So her hunch had been right, and she stormed down the stairs. Severus wasn't the only one that had gotten their mother's temper.

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Eileen angrily paced the living room. She had tried to slip out of the manor to go after the Weasely, but Tobias had caught her. He threaten to tie her down if she tried it again. He had called the aurors to handle the matter. But he knew once the redhead was arrested Eileen Snape would give Molly Weasely a piece of her mind. But he would have to tell the guard to take away her wand so she wouldn't kill the witch.

Eileen swiftly pulled out her wand and silently began to throw spells at plates, vases, windows anything that would shatter. Tobias placed wards around the pictures and himself not wanting to get into the line fire.

Sarah stepped into the room and quickly ducked when a spell flew past her, and Tobias pulled his daughter into the protective barer. It had been years since she had seen her mother this angry. The last time was after her rape three years ago.

Eileen let her wand fall from her hand and she sank down to her knees in sobs. Tobias lowered the wards and walked over to his wife. He pulled her into his arms and rocked her.

Minerva and Albus ran into the parlor to find Eileen in tears and in her husband's arms. They had gotten word from Tobias that Molly Weasely had poisoned Hermione and John.

"I'm going upstairs to check on Hermione." whispered Minerva and left for Hermione's bedroom. She to see for herself that she was ok, and she wanted to hex to woman to hell and back again.

"Tobias is there anything we can do?" asked Albus as he watched the man hold his wife.

He shook his head sadly. He saw Sarah grab a vase that her mother had missed when she was shooting off spells, and she threw it cross the room. Albus pulled the young woman into his arms in hope of comforting the best he could.

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Minerva sat down on edge of the bed and gently rubbed Hermione's forehead watching her sleep. She wanted to hex Molly Weasely for hurting her godson and Hermione. But when she had entered the living room she was stunned to find it damaged, and she wondered if it was Tobias or Eileen that had destroyed the room. She only knew Molly Weasely better look out she had messed with wrong women.

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