A/N: Thanks for the continued reviews! A few more chapters left after this, methinks.

And now for Kingsley's bollocksing... I hope you all enjoy.


-12-

Donning an apologetic expression, Kingsley nodded before gracefully descending into the kitchen. As soon as the witch appeared in the room behind him, the large man turned to face her. "Hermione, I –"

"YOU THREW HIM IN PRISON!" she cut him off with a loud screech.

He winced and held up his hands. "I can –"

"FOR SEVEN YEARS!"

"Hermione, please."

"He was alone and in pain, AND YOU LET HIM SUFFER!"

"Please –"

Refusing to recognize his attempts to speak, Hermione slowly began walking toward him as she continued snarling. "You KNEW we cared for each other, and you KNEW he had a son, but you DIDN'T TELL HIM! You KNEW he was alive, you KNEW where he was, and you didn't TELL ME! You didn't even FUCKING TELL HARRY!"

Kingsley took a few steps backward until he ran into the edge of the table. "I tried to –"

"You were the ONLY one who knew where he was, and you didn't even check on him!" she snapped, poking her finger accusingly into his chest. "He needed medical care, but YOU DIDN'T GIVE A FLYING SHIT, DID YOU?"

"I—"

"After EVERYTHING he did for us, you would do that to him? HOW COULD YOU?"

"I can explain!" Kingsley shouted desperately.

"Oh, I suggest you do exactly that, Minister," a new voice growled, "before I do something that would earn me the rest of my life in Azkaban."

Hermione spun around quickly to see Minerva standing in the doorway. Harry stood beside the woman, warily eyeing her brandished wand.

Kingsley swallowed nervously and used the brief distraction to slip around to the other side of the table, to which he then gestured. "Could we all sit down and –"

"NO!" the two witches shouted in unison.

He sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. "Alright, alright. Will you at least allow me to preface by assuring you that I had no wish to treat him poorly? It was not by my design. I did what I thought I could."

"Enough posturing," McGonagall snapped, gesturing with her wand and causing Harry to twitch nervously. "Explain, now."

The Minister drew himself to his full height and nodded. "You all know how hectic that summer was after the Final Battle. The entire Ministry was in disarray at the time that the Malfoys were apprehended, and I was in and out of court rooms all day. As acting-Minister then, I was given a memo every day of the scheduled trials. I was in transit to Draco Malfoy's hearing –"

"You didn't attend his hearing," Hermione stated bitterly. "Harry and I – and Minerva – were there. We all gave testimony. You said you would, but you didn't bother to show up."

"I know –"

"He was sentenced for six-and-a-half to twenty-five!"

"I know," Kingsley huffed. "And I was going to be there! But then I noticed there was a second trial scheduled at the exact same time. I knew what a media circus the Malfoy trials were to be, and given there was a trial scheduled in the lowest-level courtroom, furthest from the one being used for Malfoy, logged only under the prisoner detention number and no name… it didn't sit well with me. When I got down to the courtroom, I found out it was Severus's trial. I didn't even know he'd been taken into custody. I didn't even know he was alive, because you all told me he was dead."

"We thought he was," Minerva grumbled in defense. "You never told us otherwise."

"As soon as I realized, I tried to stay the trial until an adequate defense could be provided. My request was denied because the hearing had been listed on the schedule the required number of days, and they claimed there had been suitable time to develop a defense."

Hermione shook her head in frustration. "But he was unconscious! He couldn't defend himself!"

"I know. That's why I opted to represent him instead of sitting on the Wizengamot. I thought my testimony would be more beneficial to him than my single vote. I did everything I could, I swear to you. I told them everything I knew, everything that Harry told me. I couldn't testify to the true extent of everything because I honestly didn't know it all, and I couldn't leave the courtroom to get any of you –"

"You could have sent a Patronus!"

"No, I couldn't! The trial was scheduled as a private hearing – no communication in or out of the courtroom after it's been called to order. If I had arrived only a minute later, I would have been barred entry!"

"Private?" Hermione repeated, shaking her head angrily. "Private hearings are illegal!"

"Now they are! Because I pushed for them to be banned! But under Scrimgeour and Thicknesse, they were par for the course. I wasn't officially Minister yet, and I could not move to repeal any of their legislation at the time." Kingsley scowled and shook his head. "Anyway, the majority of the councilmembers present believed my testimony and what Harry had been quoted as saying in the Prophet, so I managed to convince them to take Azkaban off the table. The council felt it could not allow the use of the Killing Curse to go entirely unpunished, especially since there was not firsthand corroboration from Dumbledore available at the time. They pushed for a ten-year sentence, but I fought until they agreed to the absolute minimum of six years in solitude. Due to the law, lack of corroboration, and the timing of the incident -"

"Six years?" Hermione pinched her eyes into a glare. "You only released him days ago. It's been more than six and a half!"

"I know," he sighed, hanging his head. "Their sentence was six years from whenever he regained consciousness. They didn't consider it adequate punishment if he was unaware of it occurring."

"You know that he woke up near Christmas Eve. It's February."

"That's my fault, but I thought it was worth it." Seeing the dark expression appear on her face, the Minister quickly explained. "Solitude meant he was not allowed any contact with the outside world. Any violations meant an increase in his sentence. I felt he needed to know something when he woke, so I broke the order and cost him a further month. I sent a few cards, which cost him the extra weeks. I just wanted him to know that he wasn't forgotten, but if you think I acted in error, I apologize."

Hermione wanted to protest, but could produce no sensible argument. Frustrated, she wiped at her tears and whispered, "No, I… I can't blame you for that."

"Thank you," he replied, relieved.

A hard edge returned to her expression. "But you should have argued for medical care. He more than deserved that much humanity."

Kingsley looked to her in confusion and shook his head. "I was told he had received everything possible. The Malfoys had treated him while he was in their possession, and time was the only thing that could improve –"

"No!" Hermione shrieked, slamming her hand down on the table. "Narcissa kept him alive long enough to stop the bleeding, but he still needed to be treated with antivenin! He was paralyzed and in excruciating pain for years – years, Kingsley! If anyone had fucking bothered to fucking check with St. Mungo's, they would have been able to treat him. What you allowed to happen to him was beyond cruel and unusual! He couldn't walk; he couldn't talk; he couldn't do anything but lie there and suffer!"

"But there was testimony from St. Mungo's," he argued. "The Healer who was in charge of his case assured us that everything that could be done, had been done. He said the coma and paralysis might continue for some time, but that Severus wouldn't feel anything. I swear, Hermione, if I had known –"

"Was it Healer Forthwright?"

"No, that doesn't sound –"

"He's the expert in snake wounds – especially Nagini's. He was the one who should have done the examination, and he told me that it never occurred! He'd never seen Severus until I took him into hospital yesterday!"

"No, no… it was, ugh, Jones? No. Or… or Jensen, maybe? Or Jen – Jennings! Jennings, I believe was the name."

"Jennig?" Minerva asked; her face having paled considerably. "Landers Jennig?"

"Could be, yes. That does sound right."

The elder witch grimaced and closed her eyes as she explained. "Darletta Jennig, his daughter, was a third year in Hufflepuff that year. The poor girl… she was brutally attacked, tortured by Amycus Carrow and a few, still unnamed, older students for having been overheard criticizing Hogwarts and… and Severus as Headmaster. They left her in the corridor for God only knows how long before Pomona found her, and I sent her home as soon as possible. She never returned to us after the War ended."

"Oh, god." Hermione covered her mouth and turned away as a brief feeling of nausea swept over her.

"And he blamed Severus," Kingsley murmured in realization. He wiped his face and shook his head. "I'm sorry. If I had known… about any of it… Merlin, I'm so sorry."

"But you didn't bother to double check afterward, did you?" Hermione hissed over her shoulder. "Or tell anyone else who would have bothered."

He winced and then took in a deep breath. "Due to the privacy clause of the hearing, I could not reveal anything that occurred in the room, including the identity of the defendant, until after the sentence had been concluded. It isn't that I didn't want to tell anyone; I couldn't! Hermione, I only found out about your son's paternity a few years ago, and I racked my brain trying to think of a way to tell you. I thought, perhaps, if you were a member of my staff, you could inadvertently come across a restricted file."

"That's why you kept offering me the secretarial position?"

"It was the only way I could think of." He shrugged.

"You could have told me there was another reason for your offer," she countered. "Even if you couldn't disclose the reason. Maybe then I wouldn't have found the suggestion to be so insulting."

"I should have, and I apologize for not doing so. Though, I admit I…" Kingsley trailed off and shook his head. "No, never mind."

"Never mind what?" the woman questioned. "You admit what?"

Uncomfortable, he averted his eyes to the ceiling. "I admit that I did not press as hard as I could because I was not certain as to how much regard you held for one another."

"Shite," Harry gasped, darting around McGonagall in order to grab Hermione's wand arm before she could do something regrettable.

"You weren't CERTAIN of MY REGARD for him?" Hermione screeched, seemingly oblivious to anything beyond the tall, dark-skinned man in front of her. "I gave birth to his son, for fuck's sake!"

Kingsley pinched his lips into a thin line before whispering, "Yes, well, it doesn't exactly require love to make a child."

"WHAT?!"

Harry put his arm around her chest to keep her from launching forward, and then cast a warning glare at the Minister.

"I'm sorry," Kinglsey murmured.

The witch's expression was almost murderous as she attempted to shake off Harry's interference. "You thought he took advantage of me? Or did you just think I slept around? Is that it? Either he's a predator, or I'm a slag?"

"No! Of course not!" he exclaimed, holding up his hands in defense. "I just thought, perhaps, that… well… we were at war, and it was an incredibly stressful time, and sometimes we do things we wouldn't normally do."

"I loved him, and thought I was going to die – so yes, I pressured him to take things further than he would have under normal circumstances," Hermione snapped, "but that doesn't give you the right to judge our regard for one another!"

"I'm sorry! I just… just… he never asked about you, and you… I could see you regretted his death, but –"

"I didn't mourn visibly enough for you?" she shouted. "I didn't fall to pieces in public, sobbing uncontrollably, so you didn't think I cared? I cared! I – you know what? No. I don't have to explain myself to you. Fuck you."

With that, Hermione violently tore out of Harry's grasp, ran past Minerva and the handful of shocked Weasleys whose curiosities had caused them to accumulate in the kitchen, and raced up the stairs. Upon bursting into the library, she found her family absent. "Wh-where's Severus?"

"Upstairs." Andromeda took a step away from Bill and Fleur. "Brendan wanted him to meet Teddy, and he was more than ready to escape the lot of us, so they should be in the playroom."

"Oh, okay."

The woman tilted her head and eyed her with concern. "Hermione, are you alright?"

"F-fine, thanks." The young witch immediately made for the staircase and attempted to keep herself calm as she walked down the hallway to the study, which she had helped Harry and Ginny convert into a playroom. She paused in the doorway, not quite wanting to disturb the scene before her. Brendan was sitting on the floor with Teddy, while Severus sat in a chair with his back to her, watching and listening as the boys explained their favorite games.

"Mum!"

As their son waved, Severus looked up and turned in the chair. His smile faded, and he stood up as quickly as was possible. "Hermione?"

She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but knew she had failed miserably upon seeing the look of alarm on his face. Stepping back in the hall, she waited until he had closed the door before throwing herself at him. His arms came around her frame as her hands clutched desperately at his robes.

"Hermione," he murmured. "You're shaking. What happened?"

"I just… I want to go home, Severus."

"You spoke to Kingsley?" he pressed.

"Y-yes. I yelled at him, screamed at him, but I p-promise I didn't do anything else. Or maybe I poked him a few times, but nothing else. I'll f-forgive him if you want me to, but not right now. I have to go home. I just want you and Brendan. I w-want to go home, and have you hold me, and not have to deal with anyone else. M-Minerva can fill anyone in who didn't hear me shouting. Please."

Severus squeezed her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "You'll have no argument from me, madam."

After a moment, they parted, and Severus moved back to open the door. "Brendan, your mother would like to go home. Get your things together."

"Please," Hermione whispered.

"Please," Severus repeated, casting a sheepish glance back at her.

Brendan frowned and gave a deep sigh. "Can Teddy come? We just started playing."

Seeing the witch give a subtle nod, his father cleared his throat. "If Mrs. Tonks gives him permission to do so, he may."

Giving matching exclamations of joy, the two boys hurriedly repacked their toys and then raced down the hallway to the stairs.

"Walk!" Snape chastised, before adding, "Please."

"Okay!" Brendan replied as he and Teddy slowed to what could, at best, be considered a speed-walk. His parents followed, holding hands, at a far slower pace.

Hermione stopped and pulled on his hand. "Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Kingsley said… he said he didn't think I grieved like I had lost the man I loved, and I… I just want you to know that I did. It's just… I thought… I made myself hold everything together because, well, I was pregnant and –"

"Hermione, you don't need to explain anything." He cupped her cheek with his free hand and stared down at her. "I know you love me, and it pains me to know that you had to grieve at all. I only ever want you to be happy."

"I still… I cried every night, for a year, at least. It was as though… if I broke down in private, it was better… because then no one knew, and I wouldn't have to share my memory of you with anyone. I just –"

"Shhh," Severus cooed, pulling her into his chest. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, and then drew back slightly to kiss her forehead, tear-stained cheeks, and ultimately her lips. Hermione sighed softly and sank into him as their kiss deepened. She let go of his hand in order to wrap both arms about his neck, and he in turn placed one arm about her waist and slipped his other hand into her soft curls.

"MUM! DAD!"

The pair separated upon hearing their son bellowing up the staircase.

"SHE SAYS TEDDY CAN COME OVER!"

Hermione giggled breathlessly and leaned into him again. "I love you."

"And I, you," Snape replied, kissing her quickly before they began making their way down the stairs. Dipping his head close to her ear, he murmured, "You know, I shall not give much protest if you do refuse to share me with anyone."

She laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Except Brendan."

"Except Brendan," he agreed.

"And sometimes Teddy."

He smirked in amusement. "And sometimes Teddy."

"And maybe Minerva if she doesn't wind up in Azkaban for disemboweling the Minister for Magic."

Severus snorted loudly as they reached the front entry where the boys were saying goodbye to Andromeda.

A moment later, Brendan looked up at them. "Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

"What's 'dissinbowel' mean?"

"Oh, Merlin," Hermione mumbled, flushing red under Andromeda's questioning gaze.

With a smirk, Snape squeezed her arm. "It's something very bad. Anything more than that, you'll have to wait until you're much older to know."

"How much older?"

His father sighed and shrugged. "Double your age and then add five."

Furrowing his brow, Brendan immediately set to counting his fingers.

Giving a quiet laugh, Hermione moved to hug Andromeda, who assured them they would be missed, before returning to face her small collection of wizards. "Alright, men – let's go home, shall we?"