DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
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Chapter 43:
August 6, 1995
(the present)
Hermione was sitting on the bed, resting her back on the headboard. She put down her book when Severus joined her.
Hermione and Severus were watching memories again. It was a memory months after the wedding, and the other Hermione was heavily pregnant.
Severus ran a hand on her swollen stomach. "Did he stop kicking?" he asked softly.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes... What were you doing in the study?"
"Reading," Sev replied, his eyes still on Hermione's stomach.
"You don't want to read with me here?" she teased. "What were you reading?"
"A book about being an expectant father," he murmured, still avoiding eye contact.
Hermione reached for his hand that was on her stomach. "What are you not telling me?"
Severus finally met her eyes. "I don't know anything about fatherhood," he confessed.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And I know everything about motherhood?" she questioned good-naturedly.
"You had an almost perfect childhood twice. Your parents - the four people who raised you - love you fiercely... I only had my mother... and a pathetic excuse of a father."
"You know, Dad will be offended if he heard you saying that," she scolded him. "He loves you. Did you forget?"
Severus shook his head, and his facial expression softened.
"Parents aren't perfect, Sev. There's no training for parenthood, and everything's a trial and error. No matter how kind my parents and Mona and Chad are, they still said some things they didn't mean and eventually hurt my feelings. And I still met accidents, became stubborn at times, and got scolded... My point is, you don't have to be nervous. And you don't have to learn about it alone. We are in this together... and if you need some sort of advice, you know you can always count on Chad... and above all, my dad. You always have my dad."
Severus smiled appreciatively and nodded before pulling Hermione into a hug and kissing her forehead.
The scene faded. Hermione and Sev saw the other Hermione in a rocking chair, holding a newborn baby. She was rocking him to sleep while humming.
"This is Leo's room," she commented, seeing the view outside the window near the cot.
Severus nodded and looked around the room. It was painted in Slytherin green, but the different items of furniture were colourful. The bookshelf had books on it, but almost empty.
The other Hermione looked tired. Her curly brown hair was in a loose ponytail, and there were dark circles around her eyes, but she was smiling. Her brown eyes were on the infant in her arms.
"I love you so much, my Leo," she whispered. "I wonder if you're going to be a great Potioneer like Dada, or be a Healer like me, and your grandparents... But whatever you would want to be, we will support you, my love... And you are such a good boy. Why is it that you don't cry when you wake up? And when you do, you cry softly..."
"Wow. So, Leo's an easy kid," she murmured.
Sev turned to her, smirking. "So perhaps it's a good idea to give him a sibling, don't you think so?"
Hermione laughed and slapped her fiance on the arm. "Must you think about that now?"
Severus frowned. "What? You don't want to carry my child?"
"Ask me again when Voldemort's gone, yeah?"
"Leo, I think your Dada is just outside," Hermione whispered with a giggle, "wanting to spend time with you. But you know, he's very very, shy."
Visiting-Hermione and Visiting-Severus turned to the half-open door. A much older Severus Snape was standing there hesitantly.
Severus approached Hermione and Leo quietly, but with a soft expression on his face. "Let me take him and go to bed, dear," he said softly.
Hermione looked up to him appreciatively. "You sure?"
Severus nodded and held out his arms. "You need to sleep more."
Hermione handed Leo over to Severus carefully, then stood up to let him sit on the rocking chair. She stretched her body and left the room after kissing Leo's forehead lightly.
Leo made a slight noise indicating that he wasn't pleased. Severus slowly rocked him. "Shhh... Dada's here, son. Let Mum sleep, yes? I'll do my best to make you comfortable," he promised.
Hermione and Severus watched Leo fall asleep finally.
They saw glimpses of Leo growing up - his four birthdays, his first ride on a toy broomstick given by Harry Potter. Hermione felt glad to see all the Weasleys present at every birthday celebration. Harry Potter seemed very fond of Leo, and she also saw that there were times he would ask the older Hermione about what his father, Sirius, and Remus were like in their Hogwarts years.
However, the most striking memory for Hermione was the one when Leo was just a year old.
Severus was lying beside the one-year-old, running a hand on his back and black curls to help him sleep.
The cot in the nursery was replaced by a child's bed.
Leo's eyes opened sleepily. "Mummy... card..."
Severus reached for something on the bedside table. It was a card.
Hermione and Severus moved forward to take a good look at the card.
"A Chocolate Frog complementary card?" she frowned.
"Of course," Sev smirked.
Severus gave the complimentary card to Leo. The boy opened his eyes fully to smile at the picture of his mother and hugged it to his chest.
"Sleep well, my boy. Mummy's at work and she will be here when you wake up tomorrow morning."
"I was, or will be working as a healer," she grinned.
"And perhaps, I was a bored house-husband," Severus faked a sneer, but Hermione laughed.
However, the next memories were not pleasant. They weren't easy to understand at first, either. Hermione found herself gripping Sev's arm again for support. It started with the memories from early winter (December) of the year 2005.
Hermione was reading to Leo in the sitting room of their Blackpool home when Severus stepped out of the fireplace.
Hermione quickly got up and approached him. "Sev, what happened? Is Molly all right?"
Severus sighed in relief and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It was indeed a Dark Curse, invented by Evan Rosier decades ago," he whispered, careful not to let Leo hear. "Its aim was to make the victim think their body was burning, but in fact, there was nothing wrong externally and internally... only mentally."
Hermione turned to her husband with wide eyes. "But who would do that to Molly?"
Severus shook his head. "We still don't know. As far as I can remember, once the severe burning curse was cast, it would take effect in five minutes, and Molly had been at home all day. She started screaming in pain four hours ago... and the only person she encountered was a little girl she saw outside their wards, soaking wet in the rain."
"So, she left the wards," she murmured.
Severus nodded. "That was the only incident she could remember. Percy suggested that maybe a dark wizard was waiting outside the wards and used the child as a pawn."
"And how did you cure Molly?"
"Just asked Arthur to soak her in the bathtub, and gave her a Calming Draught."
"Well, that was simple. As a healer, I feel bad for not being the one who helped her."
"Only the dark side knew about the curse. I doubt there would be a healer at St. Mungo's who knows about it."
Hermione sighed. "I'm just glad Molly is fine now."
Severus cast a glance at Leo who was still reading on the sofa. "We have to be careful, Hermione," he whispered to her, not taking his eyes off Leo. "We don't know who our enemy is this time. I have to pay Lucius and Draco a visit. They might know something."
The scene faded. Hermione and Severus found themselves in a townhouse, and four wizards were in the sitting room: Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Severus, and Harry Potter.
The latter was wearing his Auror robes. Visiting-Hermione smiled at the sight of her best friend. He looked so much like James. It was like seeing Severus and James sitting beside each other.
However, her smile faded when he heard Draco snap.
"I'm telling the truth, Potter! You can ask Hermione if you like, I was her patient last week! And you can also ask Goldstein. He handled my case."
"You don't remember who poisoned you? Perhaps the barman in Chianti?" Harry pressed.
"Chianti?"
"Lucius' favourite bar, near Knockturn Alley. I meet him there sometimes," Severus patiently explained.
"Why haven't I heard about it?"
Severus stared at her for a moment and then realized something. "It was established in 1991."
"No luck. The barman's memories were altered by someone and the only person he encountered that day was a little girl outside the bar."
"We are guessing," Lucius Malfoy began, "that the girl was used as a distraction to Imperious the barman to instruct him to poison Draco or me."
"Funny little thing," drawled Severus. "When Molly was cursed, the only person she encountered as well, was a little girl."
"Delphini?" she asked Sev.
Sev nodded somberly. "I'm guessing."
