Snape stormed along the hallways, bursting in on the Headmaster.
'Where is she?' he demanded, his pale face dark with rage.
Dumbledore gave him a polite smile.
'Where is who, Severus?'
The Potions Master stiffened. He knew he was being teased, and was not in the mood to tolerate it.
'Hermione!'
'Ah, yes, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore gestured for Snape to take a seat. 'She's safe, Severus.'
'Where?'
'I can't tell you.'
Snape's voice became deceptively quiet.
'Would you care to explain that statement, Headmaster?'
'If I tell you where she is hidden, Voldemort will pluck that information from your mind and use it to retrieve his daughter. I don't think either of us want that, do we?'
Snape sat back, suddenly weary. He understood Dumbledore's reasoning, but the thought of Hermione alone somewhere, with no one to protect her, clawed at his being. He had been livid on discovering that she was gone, finding Sirius drowning his sorrows in her rooms. The Animagus had blamed himself for what he thought was her capture and was all for drinking himself to death.
The Potions Master felt the worry seep through him, tensing his every muscle. He knew Dumbledore had his reasons for doing this, but to remove Hermione from the sphere of his protection was almost more than he could bear. He ran a hand through his hair, his black eyes sparkling with unshed tears of frustration.
The Headmaster looked at him sadly.
'I understand, Severus. I know how you feel.'
'What can you know of my feelings? Have you not heard the students? I am the cold unfeeling bastard of their nightmares.'
Snape stood and strode to the door, stopping just short of it in shame. He had never snapped at Dumbledore like that. The old wizard was the closest thing he had to family, he couldn't afford to lose him.
'I apologise,' he murmured. 'That was uncalled for.'
'As I said, Severus, I understand.'
The Potions Master turned back to the room, to find Dumbledore gazing at him with such sympathy, he felt crushed for his anger. He knew he was not the only one to worry so about the young girl, but to lose her without ever having had her was a burden he found impossible to bear. First she had gone to Potter, and now she was gone where he could not follow. He felt his suppressed emotions begin to push at the barriers he had so painstakingly erected in his youth.
'I love her, Albus.'
That admission torn from his throat, Snape left, not prepared to let even the Headmaster see his pain. Dumbledore gazed sadly after him.
'Oh, my boy. I know.'
*~*~*
Staring out of the window, watching as Snape played with his children in the summer sunshine, Hermione found herself wondering again how all this could come about. She had been given an abbreviated version, knowing that to know every detail would be to destroy any hope of receiving this future for herself. And she had slowly come to realise, over the weeks that she had been forward in time, that she did want this future very much. She wanted Morgan, Albus and Anna for her children. She wanted to teach Potions at Hogwarts.
She even wanted Snape as a husband, had felt her heart softening towards him from the first. The man she saw in the dungeon apartments was the man beneath the mask of Professor Snape. He was still known as the greasy git by the students in the school, so much so that they often wondered how he had ever convinced her older self to marry him. And yet, here, when he was away from the prying eyes of students, he became a softer, kinder man, unashamed of his feelings. The Snape she thought she knew would never have admitted his feelings for a student, yet he had. He had loved her enough to open his dark life to her, to let her illuminate it with her love.
For that was what she felt, love. Harry was a painful stab in her heart every time her feelings betrayed her, his memory slowly receding from her mind. He would have wanted her to be happy. Perhaps not with Snape, but then Harry had always gone against expectations. He would always hold a special place in her heart, but now another, deeper love was making itself known.
A groan brought her attention back into the room where the older Hermione was searching for a book. She was leaning on the back of a chair, one hand clutched to her abdomen, her lips pressed tightly together. Her younger self watched in horror as a ripple flowed across her belly.
'What is it? What's wrong?'
The older Hermione waited for a few moments before straightening and giving the young woman a reassuring smile.
'It's all right,' she said. 'It's just the contractions. My labour started this morning, but I don't need to mention it to Severus until my waters break.'
Hermione blinked.
'Right. Do you need me to do anything?'
'I'd like you to look after the children tonight, if you could. We'll be in the Hospital Wing, I should think. My labours always seem to advance quickly.'
'Of course! But, if you don't mind my asking, why haven't you told Severus?'
Her older self smiled.
'With Morgan, I told him when I had the first contraction and wasn't allowed to move from my bed until Poppy came and told him to remove himself from my side. That's five hours, 'Mione. Since then, I only tell him when it reaches the stage where I need him.'
'That makes sense, I guess.'
A shout drew their attention to the courtyard, where Snape had been manhandled to the ground and was struggling beneath his children who had piled on top of him. Both Hermione's laughed, identical proud smiles on their faces. Then the older woman hissed, her hand going to her swollen belly again. It would be a long day.
*~*~*
'But what's Mummy doing, Louise?'
Hermione looked tired. She'd had no idea what she'd let herself in for by agreeing to look after the children that night. They were excited by the idea of a new brother or sister, but not at all happy that the process took both parents away from them.
'I don't know the details, Albus. If you want to know, you'll have to ask Mummy when she comes back.'
Anna snuggled in closer to Hermione, ducking under her arm.
'I don't want another brother or sister,' she said sulkily.
'Neither do I,' Albus added.
Morgan simply looked at Hermione, knowing it was pointless to voice such opinions now. Besides, she was curious as to how her 'cousin' would deal with this.
Hermione looked from brother to sisters, and felt the beginnings of panic setting in. She didn't know how to convince them otherwise.
'Why?' she asked. 'Why don't you want a baby in the family?'
''Cos they're ugly and smelly and throw up all the time,' Albus replied promptly. He looked rather pleased with himself.
'Not for long, though,' Hermione said, fairly certain that phase only lasted a few months.
'They can't do stuff,' he added.
'Like what?'
'Walk.'
Hermione bit down a smile at his injured expression.
'Walking is something that has to be learned, Albus. And you can help to teach the baby everything it needs to know.'
Albus opened his mouth to reply, and hesitated, not having anything else to say. Morgan spoke up.
'You can't even touch them without Mum or Dad's permission. They're too delicate, apparently.'
'Would you like it if you couldn't move away or tell people how you feel and someone four times the size of you came over and began to prod and poke you?'
Hermione fixed the eight-year-old with a no-nonsense look. Morgan pondered the question for a moment, then shook her head.
'Do you think babies enjoy it?'
'I guess not,' Morgan said quietly.
Hermione smiled at her, glad to see that her argument appeared to have worked, on both sister and brother. Beside her, Anna nestled closer.
'Mummy won't love me anymore,' she said sadly, tears sparkling in her cinnamon eyes.
Hermione realised suddenly that this was the root of their problem with the new baby. It was something she had never had to go through, being an only child, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this assumption was wrong.
'Of course she'll love you, Anna. She'll still love all of you just as much as she does now. And the same goes for your father, too. They'll just have another little one to love as well, and babies are hard work. But do you think Mummy and Daddy would have had you three if they didn't think they could spread their love evenly among you? You lot are the most important thing in their lives, and when the new baby comes, it will join you as one of those things. There aren't any favourites in this family, so you don't need to worry about being left out. Your Mummy will love you all forever, because every one of you is special to her.'
She felt the tension in the room dissipate as her words sank in. Morgan gave her a grateful smile.
'Thanks, Louise.'
The other two hastened to add their thanks, not to be outdone by their sister.
'Are we interrupting anything?'
Four heads turned to see the Snapes in the doorway, the older Hermione looking tired but happy, holding a small bundle in her arms.
'We can come back later, if you'd like.'
The three children leapt up and drew their parents into the room, making space on the sofa for their mother and the baby. Anna climbed into her father's arms to look at the sleeping child.
'What is it?'
Snape laughed.
'It's a baby girl, Anna.'
Ignoring his son's exasperated sigh of 'Another girl!', Snape lowered his daughter so she could see her little sister.
'What's her name?' Hermione asked, caught up in the moment.
The parents exchanged a secretive smile.
'She's called Louise,' the woman said, sharing the delighted grin that burst out on Hermione's face. 'We thought you'd appreciate that.'
*~*~*
Snape drew in a deep breath in an attempt to quell his shaking. He had been summoned before Voldemort to explain why he had not yet delivered Hermione to the evil wizard.
'Am I to understand that Dumbledore is now keeping secrets from his inner circle, Snape? That you really do have no knowledge of my daughter's whereabouts?'
'Yes, Master.'
Voldemort's eyes blazed.
'Do you have an explanation for this?'
Snape swallowed.
'I believe he may suspect my allegiance, Master. He could be deliberately hiding the truth from me but not from others.'
'Without your services as a spy, Snape, you are worse than useless to me. Crucio.'
Snape dropped to the ground with a hoarse cry, totally unprepared for the explosion of pain that shot through his body. As he lay, twitching, on the stone floor, Voldemort circled him, kicking viciously.
'This is your last chance, Snape. Either you find my wayward spawn, or your days will be numbered in excruciating agony. Find her!'
He muttered a word, and the twitching body disappeared, translocated to Hogsmeade, still in the throes of the Cruciatus. The dark wizard screamed in fury.
'Where is she?'
'Where is she?' he demanded, his pale face dark with rage.
Dumbledore gave him a polite smile.
'Where is who, Severus?'
The Potions Master stiffened. He knew he was being teased, and was not in the mood to tolerate it.
'Hermione!'
'Ah, yes, Miss Granger,' Dumbledore gestured for Snape to take a seat. 'She's safe, Severus.'
'Where?'
'I can't tell you.'
Snape's voice became deceptively quiet.
'Would you care to explain that statement, Headmaster?'
'If I tell you where she is hidden, Voldemort will pluck that information from your mind and use it to retrieve his daughter. I don't think either of us want that, do we?'
Snape sat back, suddenly weary. He understood Dumbledore's reasoning, but the thought of Hermione alone somewhere, with no one to protect her, clawed at his being. He had been livid on discovering that she was gone, finding Sirius drowning his sorrows in her rooms. The Animagus had blamed himself for what he thought was her capture and was all for drinking himself to death.
The Potions Master felt the worry seep through him, tensing his every muscle. He knew Dumbledore had his reasons for doing this, but to remove Hermione from the sphere of his protection was almost more than he could bear. He ran a hand through his hair, his black eyes sparkling with unshed tears of frustration.
The Headmaster looked at him sadly.
'I understand, Severus. I know how you feel.'
'What can you know of my feelings? Have you not heard the students? I am the cold unfeeling bastard of their nightmares.'
Snape stood and strode to the door, stopping just short of it in shame. He had never snapped at Dumbledore like that. The old wizard was the closest thing he had to family, he couldn't afford to lose him.
'I apologise,' he murmured. 'That was uncalled for.'
'As I said, Severus, I understand.'
The Potions Master turned back to the room, to find Dumbledore gazing at him with such sympathy, he felt crushed for his anger. He knew he was not the only one to worry so about the young girl, but to lose her without ever having had her was a burden he found impossible to bear. First she had gone to Potter, and now she was gone where he could not follow. He felt his suppressed emotions begin to push at the barriers he had so painstakingly erected in his youth.
'I love her, Albus.'
That admission torn from his throat, Snape left, not prepared to let even the Headmaster see his pain. Dumbledore gazed sadly after him.
'Oh, my boy. I know.'
*~*~*
Staring out of the window, watching as Snape played with his children in the summer sunshine, Hermione found herself wondering again how all this could come about. She had been given an abbreviated version, knowing that to know every detail would be to destroy any hope of receiving this future for herself. And she had slowly come to realise, over the weeks that she had been forward in time, that she did want this future very much. She wanted Morgan, Albus and Anna for her children. She wanted to teach Potions at Hogwarts.
She even wanted Snape as a husband, had felt her heart softening towards him from the first. The man she saw in the dungeon apartments was the man beneath the mask of Professor Snape. He was still known as the greasy git by the students in the school, so much so that they often wondered how he had ever convinced her older self to marry him. And yet, here, when he was away from the prying eyes of students, he became a softer, kinder man, unashamed of his feelings. The Snape she thought she knew would never have admitted his feelings for a student, yet he had. He had loved her enough to open his dark life to her, to let her illuminate it with her love.
For that was what she felt, love. Harry was a painful stab in her heart every time her feelings betrayed her, his memory slowly receding from her mind. He would have wanted her to be happy. Perhaps not with Snape, but then Harry had always gone against expectations. He would always hold a special place in her heart, but now another, deeper love was making itself known.
A groan brought her attention back into the room where the older Hermione was searching for a book. She was leaning on the back of a chair, one hand clutched to her abdomen, her lips pressed tightly together. Her younger self watched in horror as a ripple flowed across her belly.
'What is it? What's wrong?'
The older Hermione waited for a few moments before straightening and giving the young woman a reassuring smile.
'It's all right,' she said. 'It's just the contractions. My labour started this morning, but I don't need to mention it to Severus until my waters break.'
Hermione blinked.
'Right. Do you need me to do anything?'
'I'd like you to look after the children tonight, if you could. We'll be in the Hospital Wing, I should think. My labours always seem to advance quickly.'
'Of course! But, if you don't mind my asking, why haven't you told Severus?'
Her older self smiled.
'With Morgan, I told him when I had the first contraction and wasn't allowed to move from my bed until Poppy came and told him to remove himself from my side. That's five hours, 'Mione. Since then, I only tell him when it reaches the stage where I need him.'
'That makes sense, I guess.'
A shout drew their attention to the courtyard, where Snape had been manhandled to the ground and was struggling beneath his children who had piled on top of him. Both Hermione's laughed, identical proud smiles on their faces. Then the older woman hissed, her hand going to her swollen belly again. It would be a long day.
*~*~*
'But what's Mummy doing, Louise?'
Hermione looked tired. She'd had no idea what she'd let herself in for by agreeing to look after the children that night. They were excited by the idea of a new brother or sister, but not at all happy that the process took both parents away from them.
'I don't know the details, Albus. If you want to know, you'll have to ask Mummy when she comes back.'
Anna snuggled in closer to Hermione, ducking under her arm.
'I don't want another brother or sister,' she said sulkily.
'Neither do I,' Albus added.
Morgan simply looked at Hermione, knowing it was pointless to voice such opinions now. Besides, she was curious as to how her 'cousin' would deal with this.
Hermione looked from brother to sisters, and felt the beginnings of panic setting in. She didn't know how to convince them otherwise.
'Why?' she asked. 'Why don't you want a baby in the family?'
''Cos they're ugly and smelly and throw up all the time,' Albus replied promptly. He looked rather pleased with himself.
'Not for long, though,' Hermione said, fairly certain that phase only lasted a few months.
'They can't do stuff,' he added.
'Like what?'
'Walk.'
Hermione bit down a smile at his injured expression.
'Walking is something that has to be learned, Albus. And you can help to teach the baby everything it needs to know.'
Albus opened his mouth to reply, and hesitated, not having anything else to say. Morgan spoke up.
'You can't even touch them without Mum or Dad's permission. They're too delicate, apparently.'
'Would you like it if you couldn't move away or tell people how you feel and someone four times the size of you came over and began to prod and poke you?'
Hermione fixed the eight-year-old with a no-nonsense look. Morgan pondered the question for a moment, then shook her head.
'Do you think babies enjoy it?'
'I guess not,' Morgan said quietly.
Hermione smiled at her, glad to see that her argument appeared to have worked, on both sister and brother. Beside her, Anna nestled closer.
'Mummy won't love me anymore,' she said sadly, tears sparkling in her cinnamon eyes.
Hermione realised suddenly that this was the root of their problem with the new baby. It was something she had never had to go through, being an only child, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this assumption was wrong.
'Of course she'll love you, Anna. She'll still love all of you just as much as she does now. And the same goes for your father, too. They'll just have another little one to love as well, and babies are hard work. But do you think Mummy and Daddy would have had you three if they didn't think they could spread their love evenly among you? You lot are the most important thing in their lives, and when the new baby comes, it will join you as one of those things. There aren't any favourites in this family, so you don't need to worry about being left out. Your Mummy will love you all forever, because every one of you is special to her.'
She felt the tension in the room dissipate as her words sank in. Morgan gave her a grateful smile.
'Thanks, Louise.'
The other two hastened to add their thanks, not to be outdone by their sister.
'Are we interrupting anything?'
Four heads turned to see the Snapes in the doorway, the older Hermione looking tired but happy, holding a small bundle in her arms.
'We can come back later, if you'd like.'
The three children leapt up and drew their parents into the room, making space on the sofa for their mother and the baby. Anna climbed into her father's arms to look at the sleeping child.
'What is it?'
Snape laughed.
'It's a baby girl, Anna.'
Ignoring his son's exasperated sigh of 'Another girl!', Snape lowered his daughter so she could see her little sister.
'What's her name?' Hermione asked, caught up in the moment.
The parents exchanged a secretive smile.
'She's called Louise,' the woman said, sharing the delighted grin that burst out on Hermione's face. 'We thought you'd appreciate that.'
*~*~*
Snape drew in a deep breath in an attempt to quell his shaking. He had been summoned before Voldemort to explain why he had not yet delivered Hermione to the evil wizard.
'Am I to understand that Dumbledore is now keeping secrets from his inner circle, Snape? That you really do have no knowledge of my daughter's whereabouts?'
'Yes, Master.'
Voldemort's eyes blazed.
'Do you have an explanation for this?'
Snape swallowed.
'I believe he may suspect my allegiance, Master. He could be deliberately hiding the truth from me but not from others.'
'Without your services as a spy, Snape, you are worse than useless to me. Crucio.'
Snape dropped to the ground with a hoarse cry, totally unprepared for the explosion of pain that shot through his body. As he lay, twitching, on the stone floor, Voldemort circled him, kicking viciously.
'This is your last chance, Snape. Either you find my wayward spawn, or your days will be numbered in excruciating agony. Find her!'
He muttered a word, and the twitching body disappeared, translocated to Hogsmeade, still in the throes of the Cruciatus. The dark wizard screamed in fury.
'Where is she?'