Chapter 18
The Cradle will Fall
***
No. Hermione thought furiously. She couldn't be pregnant! They were both lying! This was just some sort of sick twisted joke that Voldermort was playing with them.
But then she remembered. The night before she had looked at her photo albums she and Harry had made love. It was the night before she had returned here. That was nearly three months ago now.
Oh, no.
"You sick fuck!" Hermione cried. "You made Harry do that! Harry hadn't wanted me then, either! How dare you interfere in my life like that!" She screamed.
The tears were stinging her eyes and Severus placed a hand on her back for comfort.
"Come with me, Hermione, and I'll allow Severus to live!"
"No," Hermione replied defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere with you! You're not Harry! Not anymore! He'd never do this to me. Even though I always doubted if Harry loved me or not, I knew that he would never intentionally hurt me. Not like you! And if you so much as touch Severus, I'll kill you where you stand!"
"Hermione!" Severus cried warningly.
"I don't care anymore!" She declared, nearly crying openly now. "If I can't have you, I have nothing left to live for!"
"Think of that baby, Hermione." Severus urged. The next part nearly killed him, but he knew that she needed to hear it from him. "Harry would have loved that baby, love. You should love it too!"
"But it's his!" She sobbed now. "It will be a monster!"
"You don't know that!" Severus scolded. "You have no way of knowing that! That is why you must give this child a chance by getting the hell out of here, alive!"
"Not without you!" She cried.
"Yes, without me!" Severus declared passionately, standing up again forcefully. "I'll fend him off! It should give you enough time to run from the castle at least. If I'm not with you in five minutes, run, and never look back!"
"Severus, no," Hermione cried, tossing herself into his arms. "I love you! Please, no!"
"How touching!" Harry sneered.
"Go now!" Severus cried, pushing her off of him. "RUN! DAMMIT! GO!"
Hermione knodded, giving him one last longing of a look, before running
as fast as her legs would carry her from the Chamber.
***
