Chapter Eighteen
"The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief." Job 24:14
The next day, the wizarding world broke out into panic. A young muggle- born wizard male had disappeared and over his house was hanging the Dark Mark. It was on the front page of all the wizarding newspapers. Severus and Hermione looked at it over the breakfast table with white faces and eyes filled with horror. The fine hair on Hermione's arms stood on end. In the photo, they could see officials from the Ministry and Padma's team working at the site.
Severus and Hermione simply looked at each other without a word. They left their breakfast to get cold on the table while Hermione headed off to the Ministry and Severus to Hogwarts to see Dumbledore before classes.
Hermione was owled soon after by Dumbledore to attend a meeting at Hogwarts with the rest of the team who had come back from the North Pole earlier in the year. After going over the facts of the attack and the earlier expedition, no-one had any further suggestions to make apart from waiting to see if Voldemort was spotted in Britain.
"I'm not prepared to send another small team to the North Pole after the disappearance of a few of our Senior Aurors earlier in the year nor do I want the full contingent to go once more only to find Voldemort is in fact still in Britain. We are stymied, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said gravely.
"So we do nothing?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Either of the options we have is too risky. We will have to let the Ministry's spies do their job and inform us if they obtain any further information on Voldemort's whereabouts," Dumbledore said regretfully. Just then an owl arrived for Dumbledore and everyone waited tensely while he read it. He didn't take long. "The red Aurora Borealis has been seen at the Pole again, just as before," he announced gravely.
"Another decoy?" Remus asked warily.
"Possibly but we simply don't know. It leaves us with the same dilemma regardless, I'm afraid," the old wizard said.
The meeting broke up soon after with little resolved.
* * *
A few days later, Hermione found out she was pregnant.
Hermione had no idea how to tell Severus he was going to be a Daddy by Christmas. She felt a bit ridiculous. It was significant news but she felt awkward making a big deal out of it. She told him over dinner the day she found out.
"Um. Severus?" she said uneasily. He merely looked up at her across the table and watched her expectantly with his black eyes. "You know how you said you wanted an heir?" He nodded, a slight frown crossing his face as though he was afraid she was about to argue with him about it. "Well, I found out today that it's sort of already on the way. Didn't take long, did it?" she added weakly.
He stared at her blankly for a few seconds. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice sounding more gravelly than usual and his cheekbones flushing with tell-tale colour.
"Yeah. I went to a medi-witch today," Hermione said self-consciously.
"Why didn't you tell me that you suspected you were pregnant?" he asked indignantly.
"I wasn't sure. It's very early stages yet. Only a few weeks along," she replied. "I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it wasn't," she shrugged with an apologetic expression.
He was silent, merely staring at her steadily which made Hermione feel even more self-conscious. Suddenly he got up and went over to her seat, pulled her up into his arms and held her close for a long time.
* * *
Over the next few months, several more young male wizards went missing from Britain each time with a Dark Mark over their place of residence. Padma's department was stretched thin trying to keep the incidents from the Muggle newspapers.
By the time Hermione was three months along, there was talk of a second trip to the North Pole. The wizards may have been disappearing in Britain but the false Aurora's were still being seen intermittently.
In the meantime Severus was driving Hermione to distraction with potions to build up her strength and relieve her symptoms, and with orders to rest and not work so hard. He was instructing House Elves in restoring the nursery wing and dragging Hermione out shopping to exclusive baby boutiques to buy quantities of expensive items, more than they could possibly need.
Although Severus never discussed it with Hermione, he was terrified that she would try and follow the second mission to the North Pole too. With her pregnant, there was even more at stake than before. He acknowledged to himself that now was a particularly bad time for her to be carrying a child but nature tended to choose its own timing and he had wanted them both off the contraceptive potion as soon as they were married.
Around the middle of the year, the news that Severus had been dreading finally came to him. The Ministry had decided to send a second mission to the North Pole to find Voldemort and they wanted him to go along. Severus was not dreading the mission for the sake of the danger he himself would be in but rather that he would find it impossible to stop Hermione going as well. Since she got pregnant, she had not transformed once but he wasn't willing to take even the smallest risk that something might happen while she was away at the Pole with them - not to mention that extreme cold tempretures could not be good for growing babies or comfortable for expectant mothers.
He sought a private audience with Dumbledore about it soon after the mission was confirmed. "Hermione needs to stay in Britain," Severus said agitatedly, pacing in front of the old wizard's fire.
"Sit down Severus, do!" Dumbledore begged and poured some scotch for the scowling man before him. "Do you think she will follow the mission again now that she's pregnant?" he asked once Severus had gulped down the burning liquid and folded himself into a chair.
"I wouldn't put anything past that woman," Severus snapped, for all the world like he had not just married her himself.
Dumbledore tried not to smile. "Well, there is a solution but it may take her a long time to forgive you for it," he said mildly.
Severus frowned. "What's that?" he asked, looking at Dumbledore keenly from under his dark, heavy brows.
"There is a location locking spell that will limit her movements to a certain geographic radius," Dumbledore explained. "It's unbreakable by the person it's put on and can only be broken by the person that effects it. Of course, it's a Dark Arts spell. It's not at all ethical, strictly speaking but it certainly would be effective."
"I don't give a flying fuck about whether or not it's ethical as long as it keeps her safe in Britain!" Severus snarled.
Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows. "Well, well Severus! I haven't seen you this worked up since you found out you were going to be Hermione's guardian all those years ago," he joked.
"I'm still having to treat her like a child even now because she won't act like a sensible, responsible adult!" he complained bitterly, his dark eyes glowering.
"She hates feeling useless," Dumbledore said quietly. "We all do."
"She's more useful alive than dead!" Severus snapped, unconvinced.
Dumbledore gestured to his quill and it began writing something on a parchment. "I'll give you the spell Severus but I know she will be in my office as soon as the mission leaves looking for a way to break it," he said. "And if there was a way to break it, she'd find it too. It's a good thing that there really isn't," he added with a chuckle.
* * *
"Ginny is going! Ginny is going and I can't?! Ginny has a little girl to take care of and I can't go?" Hermione fairly yelled at him.
"Padma is going too and she has a little girl and two boys," Severus pointed out calmly.
"Padma works for the Ministry, Ginny doesn't!" Hermione countered logically.
"Ginny is a powerful witch," Severus said gently.
"So am I!" Hermione well-and-truly shouted.
"You're pregnant and you know all the other reasons Hermione. I am not going over this again!" Severus hissed at her from across the main sitting room. "We've done this to death. You're staying here! It's not just me that thinks it's the right thing - everyone else does too."
Hermione spun on her heel and stormed out. Severus rubbed his forehead. He would prefer a volley of books and CDs at his head or for her to kick the furniture than this retreat from him every time she was furious. Sometimes he missed the more direct methods of Hermione's adolescent self.
He had already put the spell on her. She could move freely anywhere in Britain but if she tried to leave Britain's shores, she would find it impossible. It had been a surprisingly simple spell to perform and being a Dark Arts spell, it didn't need her co-operation but it was completely binding. It would only come off when he got back from the mission and took it off or if he died.
* * *
A few days later, Hermione said good-bye to Severus with shaking hands and stinging eyes. It felt worse this time because she knew she could not follow and keep an eye on events. They clung to each other for a long time, neither willing to let go. She could feel their child moving now and felt its butterfly movements as they held each other, almost as though the child knew and understood and wanted to participate in the hard good-bye. It was the first time Severus had felt his child move and a hideous mixture of sudden, searing, unexpected joy and deep, stabbing fear tormented him and turned his face grey.
Lily, Molly, Albert and Eddie were staying at Snape Manor as their parents were all going to the Pole. It was a blessing because Hermione was forced to think about something other than her deep panic for Severus. Once again, as he turned and left in a swirl of black robe and cloak, she felt light-headed and disconnected - as though part of her was leaving with him.
The children's demands for morning tea soon distracted her however and she forced herself to enjoy them as much as she could. They were subdued as well, understanding that something serious was separating them from their Mummies and Daddies but not really comprehending what it was.
"The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief." Job 24:14
The next day, the wizarding world broke out into panic. A young muggle- born wizard male had disappeared and over his house was hanging the Dark Mark. It was on the front page of all the wizarding newspapers. Severus and Hermione looked at it over the breakfast table with white faces and eyes filled with horror. The fine hair on Hermione's arms stood on end. In the photo, they could see officials from the Ministry and Padma's team working at the site.
Severus and Hermione simply looked at each other without a word. They left their breakfast to get cold on the table while Hermione headed off to the Ministry and Severus to Hogwarts to see Dumbledore before classes.
Hermione was owled soon after by Dumbledore to attend a meeting at Hogwarts with the rest of the team who had come back from the North Pole earlier in the year. After going over the facts of the attack and the earlier expedition, no-one had any further suggestions to make apart from waiting to see if Voldemort was spotted in Britain.
"I'm not prepared to send another small team to the North Pole after the disappearance of a few of our Senior Aurors earlier in the year nor do I want the full contingent to go once more only to find Voldemort is in fact still in Britain. We are stymied, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said gravely.
"So we do nothing?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Either of the options we have is too risky. We will have to let the Ministry's spies do their job and inform us if they obtain any further information on Voldemort's whereabouts," Dumbledore said regretfully. Just then an owl arrived for Dumbledore and everyone waited tensely while he read it. He didn't take long. "The red Aurora Borealis has been seen at the Pole again, just as before," he announced gravely.
"Another decoy?" Remus asked warily.
"Possibly but we simply don't know. It leaves us with the same dilemma regardless, I'm afraid," the old wizard said.
The meeting broke up soon after with little resolved.
* * *
A few days later, Hermione found out she was pregnant.
Hermione had no idea how to tell Severus he was going to be a Daddy by Christmas. She felt a bit ridiculous. It was significant news but she felt awkward making a big deal out of it. She told him over dinner the day she found out.
"Um. Severus?" she said uneasily. He merely looked up at her across the table and watched her expectantly with his black eyes. "You know how you said you wanted an heir?" He nodded, a slight frown crossing his face as though he was afraid she was about to argue with him about it. "Well, I found out today that it's sort of already on the way. Didn't take long, did it?" she added weakly.
He stared at her blankly for a few seconds. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice sounding more gravelly than usual and his cheekbones flushing with tell-tale colour.
"Yeah. I went to a medi-witch today," Hermione said self-consciously.
"Why didn't you tell me that you suspected you were pregnant?" he asked indignantly.
"I wasn't sure. It's very early stages yet. Only a few weeks along," she replied. "I didn't want to get your hopes up in case it wasn't," she shrugged with an apologetic expression.
He was silent, merely staring at her steadily which made Hermione feel even more self-conscious. Suddenly he got up and went over to her seat, pulled her up into his arms and held her close for a long time.
* * *
Over the next few months, several more young male wizards went missing from Britain each time with a Dark Mark over their place of residence. Padma's department was stretched thin trying to keep the incidents from the Muggle newspapers.
By the time Hermione was three months along, there was talk of a second trip to the North Pole. The wizards may have been disappearing in Britain but the false Aurora's were still being seen intermittently.
In the meantime Severus was driving Hermione to distraction with potions to build up her strength and relieve her symptoms, and with orders to rest and not work so hard. He was instructing House Elves in restoring the nursery wing and dragging Hermione out shopping to exclusive baby boutiques to buy quantities of expensive items, more than they could possibly need.
Although Severus never discussed it with Hermione, he was terrified that she would try and follow the second mission to the North Pole too. With her pregnant, there was even more at stake than before. He acknowledged to himself that now was a particularly bad time for her to be carrying a child but nature tended to choose its own timing and he had wanted them both off the contraceptive potion as soon as they were married.
Around the middle of the year, the news that Severus had been dreading finally came to him. The Ministry had decided to send a second mission to the North Pole to find Voldemort and they wanted him to go along. Severus was not dreading the mission for the sake of the danger he himself would be in but rather that he would find it impossible to stop Hermione going as well. Since she got pregnant, she had not transformed once but he wasn't willing to take even the smallest risk that something might happen while she was away at the Pole with them - not to mention that extreme cold tempretures could not be good for growing babies or comfortable for expectant mothers.
He sought a private audience with Dumbledore about it soon after the mission was confirmed. "Hermione needs to stay in Britain," Severus said agitatedly, pacing in front of the old wizard's fire.
"Sit down Severus, do!" Dumbledore begged and poured some scotch for the scowling man before him. "Do you think she will follow the mission again now that she's pregnant?" he asked once Severus had gulped down the burning liquid and folded himself into a chair.
"I wouldn't put anything past that woman," Severus snapped, for all the world like he had not just married her himself.
Dumbledore tried not to smile. "Well, there is a solution but it may take her a long time to forgive you for it," he said mildly.
Severus frowned. "What's that?" he asked, looking at Dumbledore keenly from under his dark, heavy brows.
"There is a location locking spell that will limit her movements to a certain geographic radius," Dumbledore explained. "It's unbreakable by the person it's put on and can only be broken by the person that effects it. Of course, it's a Dark Arts spell. It's not at all ethical, strictly speaking but it certainly would be effective."
"I don't give a flying fuck about whether or not it's ethical as long as it keeps her safe in Britain!" Severus snarled.
Dumbledore raised his white eyebrows. "Well, well Severus! I haven't seen you this worked up since you found out you were going to be Hermione's guardian all those years ago," he joked.
"I'm still having to treat her like a child even now because she won't act like a sensible, responsible adult!" he complained bitterly, his dark eyes glowering.
"She hates feeling useless," Dumbledore said quietly. "We all do."
"She's more useful alive than dead!" Severus snapped, unconvinced.
Dumbledore gestured to his quill and it began writing something on a parchment. "I'll give you the spell Severus but I know she will be in my office as soon as the mission leaves looking for a way to break it," he said. "And if there was a way to break it, she'd find it too. It's a good thing that there really isn't," he added with a chuckle.
* * *
"Ginny is going! Ginny is going and I can't?! Ginny has a little girl to take care of and I can't go?" Hermione fairly yelled at him.
"Padma is going too and she has a little girl and two boys," Severus pointed out calmly.
"Padma works for the Ministry, Ginny doesn't!" Hermione countered logically.
"Ginny is a powerful witch," Severus said gently.
"So am I!" Hermione well-and-truly shouted.
"You're pregnant and you know all the other reasons Hermione. I am not going over this again!" Severus hissed at her from across the main sitting room. "We've done this to death. You're staying here! It's not just me that thinks it's the right thing - everyone else does too."
Hermione spun on her heel and stormed out. Severus rubbed his forehead. He would prefer a volley of books and CDs at his head or for her to kick the furniture than this retreat from him every time she was furious. Sometimes he missed the more direct methods of Hermione's adolescent self.
He had already put the spell on her. She could move freely anywhere in Britain but if she tried to leave Britain's shores, she would find it impossible. It had been a surprisingly simple spell to perform and being a Dark Arts spell, it didn't need her co-operation but it was completely binding. It would only come off when he got back from the mission and took it off or if he died.
* * *
A few days later, Hermione said good-bye to Severus with shaking hands and stinging eyes. It felt worse this time because she knew she could not follow and keep an eye on events. They clung to each other for a long time, neither willing to let go. She could feel their child moving now and felt its butterfly movements as they held each other, almost as though the child knew and understood and wanted to participate in the hard good-bye. It was the first time Severus had felt his child move and a hideous mixture of sudden, searing, unexpected joy and deep, stabbing fear tormented him and turned his face grey.
Lily, Molly, Albert and Eddie were staying at Snape Manor as their parents were all going to the Pole. It was a blessing because Hermione was forced to think about something other than her deep panic for Severus. Once again, as he turned and left in a swirl of black robe and cloak, she felt light-headed and disconnected - as though part of her was leaving with him.
The children's demands for morning tea soon distracted her however and she forced herself to enjoy them as much as she could. They were subdued as well, understanding that something serious was separating them from their Mummies and Daddies but not really comprehending what it was.
