A/N: Sorry this one is so short guys. The next chapter will be up next weekend! Thanks to all of you who have stuck with this fic so far and to those of you that send in your thoughts and feelings, they are what keeps me writing :-)
Have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy!


Nightmares

It had been only a few days since they had all arrived at McGonagall Manor and they had all been having fun. Minerva and Severus had let Hermione out of bed as long as she promised to stay with at least one person and that she stayed sitting down next to the fire. She agreed to the terms and stuck to Severus and Minerva like glue. Unfortunately, the nights weren't as good as the day time...

It had been weeks since Hermione had had any sort of nightmare, and now that she was back in the place she had called home for a large portion of her life, they all started afresh. Sighing, Hermione lay down and quickly wiped away the lone tear that trickled down her cheek as she waited for Severus to join her under the covers. She had never been able to hide anything from Severus and she knew that she would have to tell him sooner or later and then inform Minerva if she was brave enough.

Sliding under the sheets, Severus pulled his wife close. "Are you okay, petal?" he whispered in her ear as she rested her head on his chest as she did every night.

"I guess."

"You seem to be feeling better."

Hermione nodded. "I guess I just caught a cold from sitting out by the lake for hours on end."

"I guess. Now, Hermione, please, tell me what's bothering you. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know." Hermione sighed again. "My nightmares have come back Severus. I haven't had them in such a long time now."

"When did they start up petal?"

"First night here."

"You should have told me!"

"You know they make me feel weak, Severus!"

"I know sweetheart, and I shouldn't have shouted. Hush now, don't cry. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere, I promise you. You just sleep and wake me if you have another nightmare. Okay?"

"Okay Sev."

"I love you my angel." Severus whispered.

"I love you too Sev." Hermione whispered back.

In the room opposite, Albus held Minerva as she cried. She so wanted to tell Hermione that she was her birth mother, but Albus had crushed her hopes once more of Hermione accepting her as her birth mother.

"I just need her to know, Albus, perhaps it will answer any questions she's got floating around in her head."

"And if she doesn't accept the fact? Then we'll lose her."

"No we won't Albus! We love each other too much for that to happen. I know I pushed her away when she married Severus, but I shouldn't have and we've made up for it." Minerva cried.

"I know Minni. I know." Albus soothed. He wanted to tell Hermione too, but he was so scared of what her reaction would be.

As the hours ticked by, Minerva and Albus fell into a light sleep together in a passionate entwine, while in the other room, Severus was attempting to wake Hermione up as she started to thrash about in one of her nightmares.

"Hermione! Wake up petal! It's just a dream!" Severus tried over and over again to get his darling wife to awaken but nothing worked. Suddenly, Hermione let out a shrill scream and Minerva came bounding into the room as if she was waiting right outside the door.

"Kitten!" Minerva sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her daughter into her arms and held her close rocking her back and forth as she whispered for her to wake up.

In the end it worked and Hermione opened her eyes and clung tight to Minerva. "Mommy?"

"I'm here baby, I'm here." Minerva soothed.

Hermione snuggled closer to Minerva and sighed.

"We need to talk tomorrow, Hermione."

"Okay mom." Hermione whispered, already falling back into sleep.

Minerva lay her back down and Severus cradled her, holding her close to him once again. "We'll be just across the corridor if you need us Severus."

Severus nodded and Minerva left, leaving husband and wife to try and catch a few hours of good sleep. She intending to crawl into the arms of her husband and do the same.

The next morning, Severus took Hermione down to the living room after they got dressed and had breakfast in bed. Minerva and Albus were already curled up together on the sofa. Severus sat in the chair opposite and gently pulled Hermione into her lap. Hermione snuggled close and sighed, she hated it when she had a bad night's sleep.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about, Minerva?" Hermione asked quietly, concentrating on the feel of her husband's soothing hands on her stomach and back.

Minerva took a deep breath. "I'm going to cut straight to the chase." Minerva moved closer to Albus, who held her closer to him. "I'm your birth mother."