A/N: A bit of angst in this one. Thanks to Amortentia in my Veins for the awesome beta work.
Chapter 30
Hermione had taken to waddling. It was really the only word that could describe the way she had to move around while being pregnant. Seven months along, and she swore this baby was standing up sideways in her with his arms straight above his head. She'd grown quite large, and the ability to walk with grace had totally left her.
Getting up from the chair in the library, she waddled down the hall and into the lab. Severus was brewing and had been for hours now. She felt that either he would be close to being done, or would be needing a break.
He pulled the stirrer out of the cauldron just as she came up to him. Her arms surrounded him from behind, and she laid her head on his back.
"Are you almost done?" she asked.
"I am done."
She squeezed him lovingly.
"Good. I'll tell Miffy to get dinner set out."
At that moment, a raven Patronus flew into the room. It was faint and the words that came out of it were weak.
"Severus, help."
-Eileen's voice.
Severus tensed as he looked to Hermione with fear in his eyes. He reached out to her.
"Come with me?"
"Yes, of course," she said as she searched his eyes. "I'll grab some potions."
"No, I can." Severus moved quickly, putting his robe over his clothing and going to the cabinets along the wall. Opening the door to one, he took out several potions and put them into his robe's pockets. He hesitated and grabbed one more before turning back to Hermione.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded, and he put his arms around her. He pulled his wand out and extended it before they spun together into the night.
Quickly appearing in his parents' sitting room Hermione gasped to see Eileen on the floor with the man she could only assume to be Tobias Snape towering over her. He was snarling at his wife, and his arm was raised mid-strike when the crack of Apparition had distracted him.
Severus flicked his wand at his father, who was sent crashing into the wall and collapsed in a heap. Severus and Hermione rushed to his mother's side. She was unconscious, and her face was bloodied almost beyond recognition. Severus did some quick diagnostic spells over Eileen and looked up to Hermione.
"Two broken ribs and her left lung has collapsed," he reported as he fished in his pocket for a potion.
Unstoppering it, he poured it into Eileen's mouth. He worked with his wand intricately as he chanted a repairing spell for his mother's lung. Hermione worked on Eileen's face, clearing off the blood and repairing her broken cheek and nose. She looked up quickly when she heard Tobias moan, but he seemed to still be pretty much out of it, so she ignored him and went back to repairing Eileen's injuries.
Severus had just put his wand away and administered another potion when they heard it.
"You!" Tobias said accusingly. "How dare you assault me in my own home! Get your hands off my wife!"
Severus stood silently and extended his wand. "How dare you beat her to the point of death!" he said with quiet fury.
"This is none of your concern, boy. Get out."
"I don't have time for this," Severus muttered as his eyes were filled with fury.
He raised his wand and sneered at the man who had fathered him. Hermione's hand shot out to him. He looked down at her quickly.
"Go ahead, you coward. Don't let your whore run the show."
Severus looked back at his father, and his fury returned. He lifted his hand once again, the killing curse on his lips.
"Severus, he's not worth it," Hermione said quickly.
Severus froze, his eyes growing wide. He looked down again at Hermione. Pushing his fury within him he gave her a quick nod. Flicking his wand, he sent ropes at his father. He was bound within seconds. A quick Langlock spell silenced his mouth from the poison he was spitting out.
They turned back to Eileen and worked on her needs for a little while longer. Finally, Severus looked over to Hermione.
"I've stabilized her so we can Apparate her to St. Mungo's. She'll need the Healers to fully heal her lung and ribs," Severus explained.
"I've mended the broken bones in her face as best I can. Let's get her out of here."
They stood, and Severus levitated his mother. They ignored the noises Tobias was making and both put their hands on Eileen. In a second, they had Apparated to St. Mungo's. They were quickly surrounded by Medi-wizards, who took Eileen and ushered her into a room while Severus gave a quick report of what Hermione and he had done to stabilize her. They were directed to the waiting room, where they settled on a small couch. Hermione pulled Severus to him.
"She'll be all right," Hermione consoled him.
Severus rested his head on hers, but she felt he was tense to the point of wanting to snap. She rubbed his back and felt him shudder. He began to shake as he moved lower and buried his head in Hermione's neck. Hermione let him compose himself without saying anything. His shaking subsided after a while, and Severus pulled back and looked at Hermione.
"I almost killed him, Maia. I was so furious… if you weren't there I would have struck him down without a second thought."
Hermione caressed his cheek. "I understand." Her gaze held his. "You would have been justified had you killed him, but I don't think you would have been able to forgive yourself deep down if you had."
He shook his head. "You're right." He looked to the floor as his face became once again filled with fury. "She can't go back," he muttered angrily.
"We need to help her see that," Hermione agreed.
"No!" Severus said sharply and stood up. He began to pace. "There's nothing to help see. She just needs to leave him!"
Hermione rose as well and went up to him, placing her hand on his arm, trying to calm him.
"You know that, and I know that, but she's going to need something to convince her."
Severus grit his teeth and huffed. "Because a collapsed lung and destroyed face are not enough."
Hermione pulled him into her arms and hugged him.
"He almost killed her," Severus whispered. "If she goes back, he'll succeed."
"We'll make her see that, love. We'll make her understand."
Severus tightened his arms around Hermione and clung to her like a lifeline.
"I should have just killed him. "
Hermione kissed his cheek. "We need to send the Aurors to collect him."
Severus nodded quickly. Hermione laid her hand on his. "I'll do it."
She left the waiting area and headed to the front desk. Speaking succinctly to the receptionist, she said, "I need to make a report of abuse on a witch."
The receptionist gave her a form. Hermione set it down on the counter. "The attacker is a Muggle. He's currently in their home. He's aware of the Wizarding world and has been detained through magical bonds."
"You can list everything on the form," the receptionist said kindly. "This automatically creates the report in the Auror Office and will be reviewed and taken care of immediately."
Hermione smiled at the receptionist and quickly scanned the document. She waved her wand over the paper, and it filled itself out with a detailed account of what happened. When she was done, the paper flashed gold and then returned to normal. She handed it to the receptionist.
"Thank you. We'll keep the original here. The Aurors will come to collect a verbal statement if necessary."
Hermione nodded her head and thanked the woman. She quickly returned to Severus. He'd settled back on his chair and had his head in his hands.
"It was a simple matter of filling out a form. They'll take care of it from here and get with us with any questions."
Severus looked up at her and grimaced. "I'm sorry I was sharp."
"It's understandable. It's been a stressful day." She settled in next to him, taking his hand. They sat together for a bit. Hermione could see that Severus was stewing internally. She looked over at him, but before she could say anything, Severus stood and began to pace. After a minute he stopped and looked down at her.
"Maia, am I like him?"
Hermione looked quizzically at Severus. His eyes were filled with trepidation, and she then understood what he was asking. She rose as she gave her husband a half-smile.
"Severus, the only thing you have in common with him is your looks. You're not him, and you never will be."
"You're sure? I mean…" he grasped her hand. His voice lowered to a whisper. "I never want to become like him. I would rather die than hurt you. What if deep down I can't help myself?"
"Do you honestly think your father can't help himself?"
His gaze sharpened as he thought about it. "Of course I don't, but so many children follow in the footsteps of their parents. I have a temper, and I…"
Hermione's finger covered his lips, silencing him. "You have worked hard not to let that temper take over your being, Severus. Everyone gets angry. Everyone fights. It's not like what your father does. You would never act like that. I know you wouldn't."
He moved her hand down away from his mouth and pulled her close. His lips crashed into hers, and she reveled in the taste of him. Their tongues tangled together for a few moments before Severus pulled back.
"I promise you, I will never be like him, Maia. I promise you."
"Of course you won't," she assured him. "You've never been like him, and you never will be. You're caring and loyal, and you think about other's feelings. You are nothing like your father, Severus. Don't fret about it any longer."
They stood together for a long time, just holding one another. Hermione rested her head on Severus' chest and rubbed his back with her hand. He placed soft kisses in her hair now and then as he held her to him. Hermione didn't know how long they were like that, but at long last, a Healer came in to speak with them. They broke apart to give their attention to him.
The Healer looked to Severus. "I'm Healer Turner. Your mother is stable. We were able to fully repair her chest and face. She's currently still under the anesthetic potion, but should regain consciousness in about an hour."
"Will there be any lasting effects?" Severus asked of her.
Healer Turner shook her head. "She should be fully healed in a week. She can leave here in the morning as long as she takes it easy."
"She will be returning to stay with us. We will make sure she doesn't exert herself."
Hermione smirked, thinking of how over-protective Severus had been when she was on bed rest. They spoke with Healer Turner for a few more minutes before she excused herself, advising them they could stay in Eileen's room while she was under the anesthetic. Severus took Hermione's hand and led her to the room. They settled in to wait for Eileen to regain consciousness.
After a short while, there was a light knock on the door. The couple looked up, expecting to see a Medi-witch entering, but were surprised to see Mad-Eye Moody come in, his eye-rolling about his head, inspecting everything around.
"Severus, Maia, it's good to see you, even if it's under not-so-great circumstances. I'm here about your father."
Severus gave a quick nod to Mad-Eye.
Moody continued. "We've brought your father in, but we're at a loss as to what should be done with him. As a Muggle, he doesn't fall under our jurisdiction, but as someone who attacked a witch, we can take action against him."
Mad-Eye settled into a chair across from the couple. "Does your mother want to press charges?"
Severus' eyes flicked over to the woman in the bed. "Somehow, I doubt she will."
"Then there's not really anything we can do," Moody said.
"But he almost killed her!" Hermione said.
"And he attacked a witch. There's got to be something that can be done!" Severus said tersely.
"These things don't usually happen, Severus. There are no Muggles that can be a match for a wizard or witch unless they let themselves be victims. There's no precedence."
Severus sneered at Moody. "Surely you can set precedence?"
"And what would you have us do, Severus? Throw him into Azkaban? He can't even see the Dementors. It would be a worthless effort."
"Having him put away with or without the Dementors, would be far preferable than him being able to do what he likes. He'll kill her the next time!" Severus ground out.
"I'll see what I can do. We'll take him to Azkaban for the meantime while we figure out what to do with him."
"Where is he now?" Severus asked.
"He's at the Auror's Office under a Petrificus Totalis. He was mouthin' off something awful, so we decided to just freeze him until we figured out what to do."
Moody turned to leave.
"Alastor," Severus called to him as the other man walked away. Mad-Eye turned and narrowed his eyes at him.
"May I see him before you ship him to Azkaban?"
Hermione reached out and touched Severus' arm. He turned to her and placed his hand over hers.
"It's okay. I just want to talk to him."
"Severus…"
"Really, Maia. It will be all right."
Hermione looked at him for a minute, then nodded.
"Come on, then," Moody said with an impatient wave of his hand.
Severus gave a quick nod to Hermione and followed after the older wizard. Hermione watched him leave the room. She hoped he would be all right. She hoped even more that Tobias would survive the encounter.
It took over an hour for Severus to return. Hermione lifted her head when the door opened and saw him quietly enter the room. He closed the door behind him and moved quickly to her. He almost threw himself into the chair beside Hermione and stared at his mother.
"Any change?" he asked.
"Not yet."
He went silent again. Hermione eyed him. She wasn't sure if she should say anything to him or let him talk on his own. Knowing her husband, he was processing everything. He'd open up to her when he had worked it through in his mind. Instead of pressing him, she turned forward and looked at Eileen, continuing the vigil. It was quite a while later when Severus finally spoke.
"He told me he loved me."
Hermione's head whipped to his. "What?"
"He'd sobered up while he was petrified. As soon as the curse was lifted, he begged me to forgive him. I was furious. I told him he was worthless. Surprisingly, he agreed with me. I think they may have slipped him some Veritaserum before petrifying him."
He was silent once again. Hermione's hand reached out to his. He turned his up so their hands grasped one another.
"He kept talking. He said he'd been furious when I'd shown magic before seventh-year. Once he'd left with my mum, he hadn't known how to fix the divide between us. I told him there had always been a divide between us, whether we were living in the same home or not. He denied it, but I said it was hard to feel any closeness to a man who berated me and hit me whenever he could."
"What did he say to that?"
Severus shrugged. "He didn't say anything. He started talking about mum. I got angrier and angrier as he just went on and on about her. Finally, I just snapped. I stood and grabbed him from his chair. It was then that I realized I'm actually taller than he is now. We were face to face, and I told him exactly what I thought of him. He stared at me, wide-eyed, while I told him how much I hated him."
Severus finally turned to Hermione and met her eyes.
"I let go of him, and he stumbled and fell to the floor. I glared at him, debating whether I should just Avada him and get it over with. Looking at him, seeing him on the floor, weak, scared, and… small…." He squeezed Hermione's hand. "I realized just how insignificant he is. He made my childhood hell. He makes my mum's life hell, but in the end, he's a small, weak man who is just scared all the time. He's an embarrassment, and I refuse to think about him anymore. I told him as much, and as I turned to go, he said, 'I love you, son.' It stopped me dead. He's never… well, let's just say I've never heard those words come out of his mouth." Severus shrugged and looked down.
"I wanted to believe him. Part of me still does." He blushed and looked around nervously before looking back at Hermione.
"But inside, I knew that his love comes with a price. A price of feeling like shite, of being belittled and demeaned, and slowly beaten down. I can't accept that love, it is too harmful to me." He clenched his teeth. "I won't let his caustic love affect me negatively. I left without saying anything to him. He can rot in Azkaban as far as I'm concerned."
Hermione pulled Severus to him and hugged him tightly. "I can't… I can't…." he sobbed into her shoulder. "I can't accept his love, Maia."
A weak voice came from the bed. "You shouldn't, Severus. His love is toxic."
Severus pulled away from Hermione, rose, and rushed to the bed. He wiped his tears surreptitiously before he took his mother's hand. "You're awake," he said.
"Obviously."
Hermione held in her snigger. Now she knew where Severus got his clipped mannerisms. Eileen reached up and grasped her son's hand.
"He's poison, Severus. You've understood that far longer than I. He does love us, it's true, but his love isn't worth the price."
"Does that mean you'll leave him and come live with us?" Severus asked hopefully.
Eileen looked down shamefully before nodding. "If I'm still welcome."
"Mum! You're always welcome."
Eileen closed her eyes and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, son, but shouldn't you approve that with your wife first?"
"We've already discussed it, Mum. We'll have you move in once you're released."
"Thank you, son," she said with relief. "I can't go back to him, no matter how much I want to."
"He's going to Azkaban anyway, Mum."
"Azkaban?" she asked in puzzlement.
"He almost killed you. The Aurors have taken him into custody."
Hermione rose from the chair and came over to the bed. "You need to file charges against him," she explained.
Severus looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
Eileen opened her mouth, then closed it. "I don't want to file charges," she said.
"Mum, it's the only way. He needs to be punished for almost killing you!"
"Eileen, Severus is right. You have to do this."
Eileen thought about it. "How long will he be put away?"
"Hopefully forever, "Severus muttered.
Eileen looked distressed. Her eyes moved from Severus to Hermione and back again. "I don't know…"
"Mum…"
Hermione put her hand on Severus' shoulder and squeezed it. He stopped talking.
"Why don't we let you think it over," Hermione advised. "You don't have to decide right now. The Aurors won't come back until tomorrow. That's when the Healer said you could go home as well."
Eileen nodded.
"We'll come back later," Severus said.
"No need," Eileen said. "You just come back in the morning to get me."
"You're sure, Mum?"
"Severus," Eileen said sternly, although her weak voice took some of the power out of her admonition. "Go home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Severus nodded, and Hermione reached over to squeeze her hand. "Have the Healer summon us if you need anything," she said. "And get some rest."
Severus led Hermione out of the room and through the halls of St. Mungo's. In a matter of minutes, they were back at the Prince Estate. Hermione drew Severus into her arms.
"Are you all right?" she whispered.
He nodded into her shoulder. Staying in that position, his arms surrounded her. He lifted his head slightly and looked to the fireplace.
"For years, all I wanted was to hear my father say he loved me. Then when he finally did, it turned my heart to stone."
"I'm sorry," Hermione told him.
"Maia, he's a monster. Even his love is tainted with bitterness and hatred."
"I know, Severus. I know."
"Do you think…?"
"Think what?"
Severus pulled away and looked at his wife. "Do you think he meant it?"
Hermione looked sincerely at Severus. "I think he loves you, Severus, as he loves Eileen, too. But like she said… his love is toxic."
Severus looked down and nodded his head.
"I'm sorry he's like that. I can't imagine how you feel. It's not fair to have a father like him."
She quieted and watched Severus as he continued gazing at the floor. She wished she could wipe all the hurt from him and make him feel truly loved by his father.
"I thought I was over this. I didn't think he could hurt me anymore. How can a simple declaration that he loves me make me fall apart like this?"
"Severus, you're hardly falling apart. It's natural to be upset, love."
"With just a few words, he's made me feel like I'm ten again, cowering in the corner, wishing he'd be nice to Mum, wishing he'd be nice to me!"
Hermione reached up and kissed his cheek. "He's your father, of course, you want that from him. Those feelings may lessen, but they never truly go away. You shouldn't berate yourself for wanting his love, or for loving him."
His eyes came up, and he searched her face. "You don't think I'm being weak?"
"Severus Snape, you are the strongest man I know. There's nothing wrong with being vulnerable about your father."
"I won't associate with him again. It's not worth it."
Her hands came up and surrounded his face. "You must do what's best for you, my love. Don't let him make you doubt yourself."
"Thank you," he said.
Hermione squeezed his arm. "For what?" she asked.
"For not judging me. For being my support… no matter what. You are my rock, Maia, my everything."
"I will always be here for you, Severus."
She closed in and kissed him reverently. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss. Hermione reveled in his love. She fell into him and kissed him with abandon. At long last, they pulled apart.
"Thank you," he said again.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too." His hand came up and rested on her baby bump. Stooping down, his lips came close to her abdomen. "And I love you, little one. I can't wait to meet you officially."
Hermione giggled. "Come on. I'm exhausted. Let's go up to bed."
Severus straightened and bowed his head in agreement. He extended his arm, and Hermione linked hers with his. They proceeded out of the sitting room and moved to the stairway, heading up to their bedroom.