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Chapter 11
She woke up to knocking on the door. Hermione rubbed her eyes and turned to Severus who was immediately aware and grabbed his wand.
"Tom." She said. Hermione stood up immediately and grabbed her robe. She opened the door and saw Tom looking miserable. Severus loomed behind her.
"My head hurts, I have a fever and my skin is red." He was close to tears.
They young witch looked at his neck and there they were red spots. She felt his forehead. "You're burning up." She gasped.
"What is it?" Severus was next to her then.
"Tom's sick." Hermione pulled Tom and made him sit on the bed.
It was too dark so she conjured blue lights around the room. "I want to do that. Why can't I do that?" Tom muttered.
She shook her head and unbuttoned his pajama top. Tom tried to pull his top close. "I need to see if you have more red spots." The young woman said sternly when he tried to stop her hands.
The boy was covered with red spots. "I was going to tell you. They don't go away and they itch."
"Of course they itch. You have chicken pox." Hermione said with a frown.
"He's contagious. He probably got it from those kids in school." Severus murmured with a pensive voice.
"I don't get sick." Tom grumbled while Severus felt his forehead and then examined the rash on his outer arm.
"Well, you are. Hermione, I assume you had the disease as a child." Severus stated.
"I did." She remembered. It was hell on her.
"As did I." He yawned. "I'll make some lotion for him. It will ease the itching."
"How long will it take you?" Hermione asked when she saw Tom trying to scratch his arm. She grabbed his hands. The boy frowned up at her.
"Two hours." He replied and walked out their bedroom. She looked down at Tom and sighed. "Let's get you to the tub. I'll bathe you with oatmeal."
"No." Tom grumbled. "I already took a bath." He pouted and tried unsuccessfully to cross his arms in defiance.
"You are in no position to argue. Go with Hermione." Severus firmly said. Hermione did not see him come back.
"I don't want to." Tom said and looked at her as if asking for support.
"You will feel so much better after your bath." Hermione wheedled. Severus grabbed a book out of the drawer and left his wand back in the drawer.
Hermione watched him leave. "Come along Tom." The little boy followed her to the tub. She filled it with water and accioed the ingredients. Tom smiled amid his distress. "I like it when you do magic."
"Only because you're sick." She muttered and prepared the bath for him. Tom undressed and got into the tub.
"Don't scratch. You'll leave marks. Why didn't you tell me sooner." Hermione methodically poured the oatmeal that she summoned.
"I didn't want to bother you." Tom shrugged and tried to keep still while she dabbed him with oatmeal.
"You have to tell me or Severus whenever you feel sick." She said seriously.
"Fine." He was exasperated. Hermione could tell by his slight sneer. He must have learned that from Severus.
Tom wanted to leave the bathtub as soon as possible. He complained about the texture of the gruel and looked imploringly at her. She didn't oblige him.
"Trust me. You will feel loads better after you soak in this."
She took mercy on him when the water and the oatmeal grew cold. She could have heated it with magic but Tom looked ready to leave the tub.
She washed him with regular water and then summoned the pajamas. Tom didn't even notice. He looked flushed and tired. She helped him dress and then held his hand to his room.
He didn't struggle when she tucked him in. "I'm going to stay until you fall asleep." He nodded and looked at her. He was bright eyed.
"Shall we read something?" She asked with an inviting voice.
He nodded. Hermione picked up a book from the shelf and showed it to Tom. "That one is good."
Tom's bed would have room for them both. She sat by him. The boy got the hint and gave her some room. They were side by side reading Treasure Island when Severus entered the room. "I have the potion ready."
Hermione placed the book aside. "It is a mild soother. The potion will help with the rash and reduce the fever." Severus handed him a steaming vial that contained a grey slushy substance.
Tom shook his head, "I don't want it." He gave her the vial and then buried his head on the pillow. Severus frowned.
"You will drink it." Severus insisted. Tom's body shook. Hermione rubbed his back. "It won't itch once you drink the potion. I promise." She spent the next ten minutes convincing the boy to drink his potion. Severus scowled but kept quiet.
"All of it." Tom drank it and almost puked it back. Hermione rubbed his back when he gagged.
"Breathe." She whispered and he calmed.
Severus arched and eyebrow when Tom glared at him and sought her. He hugged her. "I don't feel better." He said pitifully.
"You will." She kissed the top of his head and continued reading.
Severus looked awkward standing by the door. "I'll be in the lab brewing more potions for his rash." He left the room then.
Hermione read to Tom until he was asleep. She remembered when she was a young girl. Mum would stay with her until she felt better. Little Hermione had felt safer, loads better when her mum stayed with her. She wanted Tom to feel that way about her. So she stayed. Tom hugged her once he was asleep.
She opened her eyes three hours after Tom woke them up. Tom was awake. "You stayed with me."
Hermione rubbed her eyes and felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever anymore. How do you feel?" She asked him and smoothed his hair back.
"You stayed with me." Tom kept whispering. "Why?"
Hermione looked confused, "I love you. I thought you would feel better if I stayed with you."
Tom smiled shyly. "You love me?"
"Yes." Hermione smiled at him. "Severus and I care a lot for you. I love you very much Tom." She did, the young woman truly did. It wasn't a big realization for her. She was going to dedicate her life to him. It was a decision made from the moment Severus and her saw him being abused by those boys. She couldn't help Harry, Ron and her life, her world was gone. All that was left was Tom, he was all she had from now on.
The little boy nodded, "I could call you mum if you wanted." He tried to not look so hopeful.
Hermione felt something in her chest. The feeing of happiness was stronger than anything she'd ever felt. The young woman grinned, "I would love that." She replied with absolute certainty.
"Do you think Sir would mind?" Tom asked as he leaned in closer to her. She shook her head. Tom reminded her of Harry sometimes. Her best friend was skittish at first but then in third year she hugged him and ever since then he'd hugged her and held her hand whenever he could. Tom was like that. He was uncomfortable with her at first. He avoided her touch, flinched when she touched his hand when crossing streets but she was relentless. She It was as if he was starved for human touch sometimes. She held him and kissed his forehead when he called her mum. "Mum, my back itches."
She hushed him. "Severus will come back with more potions." Hermione distracted him with stories. She told him muggle fairy tales until Tom was asleep once more.
Severus was by the door threshold. "He just fell asleep again." Tom held onto her. Severus came in and pointed at the child. "Somnus."
"Help me put the lotion on him." The man pointed at the bed with his wand. There was more room now. He sat by Tom and applied the potion on his back and arms. Hermione took care of the lower extremities.
"We should let him sleep now." Severus waved his wand to the wall. The wall glowed sliver.
"Simple monitoring charm. It will alert us if he wakes up and is in distress." Severus stated. Hermione watched as he explained. He only stood there, as if waiting for her to do something.
"He called me mum. I told him I loved him and he said that he would call me mum if I wanted to." She grinned.
Severus arched one of his eyebrows. "Show me." He demanded.
Hermione nodded and stayed still as he approached her and looked into her eyes.
"He could grow up to be a decent wizard." Severus whispered.
She frowned. "You still doubt us." Hermione said curiously.
"It only matters that he cares for you. Leave him to his rest." Severus tried to help her up from the bed. She shook her head. "I'll stay with him for the night." She smiled at Severus and dimmed the lamplights in the room.
"As you wish." He closed the door quietly.
Tom slept fitfully and complained for the next week. He was shy and usually called her mum or Hermione. He tried to not blush or look at Severus whenever he called her mum.
