Hermione was silent for a moment, staring at her mother. All sorts of crazy thoughts rushed through her head, but she didn't voice any of them. It was easier to keep going once you've started.

"I want you to understand, Hermione that your father, my husband, has cared for you ever since you were born. He taught you to ride that bike of yours, and he was the one that was there for most of your life. Your biological father has never seen you; he doesn't even know you exist. I would never want you to think ill of my husband."

Hermione nodded, not able to bring herself to speak.

"It begins, I suppose, when I met him. Living in a small town in Scotland, there weren't many places to go – probably the most interesting was a tiny pub just around the corner from my house. I wasn't supposed to go in there for a few years, but I knew the landlord, and after a few talks I managed to convince him that I was mature enough to have a drink. He sat next to me, at the bar, looking a bit pale. He was young, and handsome, and I couldn't help noticing that he fiddled with a pocket in his coat a lot.

"Being fifteen, I was always on the look out for potential boyfriends, and this guy seemed right up my street. He was one of those quiet types, which made a change from the idiots at the local comprehensive. I struck up a conversation, and soon found that he was very interesting as well as cute. I lost all track of time, but by the time I set off home, I had a date for next Saturday.

"That Saturday, I met him at the edge of the village, as promised, and he put his hands over my eyes and told me he was taking me to a special place, that I couldn't tell anyone about. It was as if I was flying for a moment, then he let me look around. He had taken me to what seemed like another small village, but this one was full of the strangest people. I know now that they were hags, and giants, people from films, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want him to think I disapproved of his home town.

"We went to a place called the Hogshead for something he called butterbeer. It was the best drink I had ever had, and we soon got talking again. Everyone in the pub seemed to know him, even the landlady – Madam Rosmerta, I think her name was. Anyway, we got talking again, and I found myself absolutely under his spell. He was so handsome, and so charming, that I couldn't resist."

Her mother paused for a minute, watching Hermione. Her hands were slippery with sweat and her mouth and lips were dry with apprehension. Hermione couldn't fix one emotion in her mind.

"We went on several other dates, to various places. Sometimes they were normal, and other times they would be in places I didn't think existed on this planet. I never said anything; for fear that I may hurt him. He was a bit of a recluse to begin with, but whatever I managed to get out of him was a little strange. He said he went to a school named Hogwarts, and his favourite sport was Quidditch. I began to wonder if I was dating a lunatic, but this lunatic was a very good kisser, so I never pursued the subject.

"It was about three months after that, that we…erm…celebrated my sixteenth birthday. Being naïve, I never cared to think about any type of protection, and apparently, neither did he. It was the day after that, that he came round and said he had to talk to me.

"He explained everything, telling me he was a wizard, and he went to a school for wizards, and all his friends were witches and wizards. Unfortunately, it was at that point that I decided he was definitely strange, and I broke it with him." She sighed, as if regretting it, and then carried on. "I believed him, but I was scared of what he could do.

"It was then that I noticed the attention your father had been giving me. He was loud and rowdy, like many of the boys at my school, and it made such a contrast to him, that I was immediately attracted to him. We got into a relationship very quickly, too quickly. When I found out I was pregnant, I was pretty sure that my baby was your father's. I spent forever debating how to tell him. Would he dump me immediately, or would he be pleased? My parents hadn't taken it too well, so I wasn't ready for another person to walk away from me. I was forced to tell him, though.

"I always knew I was going to keep any baby that came my way, and you were no different, even if your father did dump me. I needn't have worried, though. Your father was ecstatic about it, and that evening he asked me to marry him.

"Well, I had just finished school, had no idea where I was going, and pregnant. What else could I say? It was your father that introduced me to dentistry. I'd never really thought about it before, but it seemed a good prospect – to be working with your husband at the same place. I accepted the idea, and my life seemed to be going well for once.

"But when I had you, my life took a dip. You looked nothing like your father, or me. I knew who you looked like, and I decided to tell your father then, that you weren't his child. He took the same view as me when I told him. I had laughed at your biological father, and so your father laughed at me. I believed the wizard talk, and desperately tried to convince your father that it was true. He thought I was talking rubbish, and went on believing that you were his child.

"I think he began to get a little suspicious when you got your first Hogwarts letter. He never said anything, but he became slightly more hostile towards me. I think it was when you came home after your third year, gabbling his name without a clue, and telling us what an amazing defense against the dark arts teacher he was, that he finally believed me. Even then, he didn't confront me, just went on living his life. We began to talk less and less civilly towards each other, and it ate away at him for two years. Then, after your fifth year at Hogwarts, we began to fight.

"I have never contacted your biological father again." She finished. Hermione watched her mother in shock.

"Who is it? My real father, who is he?"

"Oh, his name is Remus Lupin."

*

Adrian Granger sat at the pub, with yet another drink in front of him. All he asked was for a decent job, a wife and a child. A child that was his. Not some lunatics. He sighed into his drink, and watched the other customers laugh and joke around him. Occasionally raucous laughter would test the limits of his ear drums, but otherwise the chatter of everyone else seemed to fade into the background.

He wasn't jealous, of course he wasn't jealous. Why would he be jealous of a lunatic? Well, if he admitted it to himself he was a little jealous. Who wouldn't be? His wife had been in a relationship with another man and had his child, but hadn't had any children with her husband. It was only natural to be jealous, especially after being told numerous times what an amazing teacher this man was.

He still loved Hermione dearly, but couldn't get over the fact that he had been bringing up someone else's child, a maniacs child at that. Why hadn't he believed Jill, his wife, in the first place? It would have caused him a lot less fuss.

He didn't know why he took it out on Jill anyway. It wasn't her fault really. He just needed some time on his own, but she had driven him away. Catching the eye of a blonde two seats away, he smiled.

Why couldn't he have a normal life?

*

Disclaimer: As much as I try, I cannot conjure up a solid Severus Snape that will say he is mine. Ergo, everything else to do with Harry Potter is not mine.

This was definitely worse than the last chapter. Most definitely. I'm sorry all you people that managed to get down here without falling asleep. Anyway, thanks to all my lovely reviewers and I promise this has something to do with Severus. I know I promised a longer chapter, but promises can be broken.

Redstrawberry900.