*~* Disclaimer- I don't own anything you recognize…It all belongs to the goddess J. K. Rowling. I'm just letting them play on my playground. *~*
A/N: Howdy! Well I have no excuse for not updating except that our beloved Hogwarts gang decided to take a little holiday from torturing me to write/post. Oh and if anyone cares I did write more for my other story and will post it sometime tonight. See ya on the flipside.
~ Chapter 8 ~
Hermione awoke in her bed at Newton Academy with sweat pouring off her. She got up and checked on Mellody. Her dreams were so vivid. Her and Severus were making love while Voldemort killed their daughter. This was why she was so reluctant to go to Severus or even tell anyone who Mellody's father was. She took out a small chocolate bar and ate it. Madame Pomfrey always told her that it was the best medicine for anything upsetting. She thought about the times Harry encountered dementors. Tears came to her eyes but she pushed them back. 'Now is not the time to be getting emotional. Remember your doing this for Mellody,' she reminded herself. Her dream came back to her. 'When did you start referring to him by his first name? Somehow it doesn't seem so wrong anymore.' She climbed back in bed and her last thought before she fell back to sleep was 'Oh God, you love him…..'.
***At Hogwarts***
Dumbledore was noticing a decay in Severus' mood, more so than usual. 'I wonder what could be troubling him so much. I doubt it has to do with Voldemort. Could it be that he is realizing just how much he misses our bright Hermione?' He saw Severus getting up to leave dinner. "Severus, if you would be so kind to meet me in my office in about an hour. I have something to discuss with you."
"Of course, Headmaster." He said and walked away. He entered his quarters and laid down on the couch. 'I feel so empty inside. It has never been this bad before. Teaching is horrible when all you have is fumbling idiots as students. Longbottom melts at least four cauldrons a week without Miss Granger's instructions in his ear. I can't imagine what her friends are feeling if I, her awful uncaring potions master, am miserable. God, I can't believe I'm sympathizing with Potter and Weasley. Damn, it's time to have that chat with Dumbledore.'
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"Come in," Dumbledore called out. "Ah Severus, so nice to see you."
"Albus, you see me everyday," he stated. Snape took a seat and Dumbledore grabbed the camera and snapped a picture. Severus scowled and asked, "What did you want to speak to me about?"
"Right to the point I see," Dumbledore chuckled. "Chocolate covered cherry?"
"No thank you, Headmaster."
"I wanted to speak with you about your behavior. You have been lashing out in your classes more than usual, not eating or sleeping enough, and you're more withdrawn than usual. I'm concerned about you, Severus. Does this have anything to do with Voldemort?"
"Albus, I would have told you if anything was out of the ordinary with that front," Snape looked resigned.
"I don't know what to do. I can't overlook this anymore. If something doesn't change soon I will have to request a leave of absence for you. Please don't beat yourself up over things you can't control," Dumbledore said in that all-knowing tone.
"But how did you…" Severus questioned. Dumbledore chuckled. "Albus, just one question, what happened to Hermione Granger?"
"Sadly, she decided Hogwarts wasn't the place for her. I hope someday she will change her mind. Fortunately, she has decided to stay in contact with me."
"Well, if there isn't anything else…?" Snape asked and rose from the seat.
"Keep in mind what I said Severus. It would do you some good to lighten up." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled. Severus nodded and exited the room.
Over the next couple of days the Headmaster was seen carrying the camera and taking pictures of everything. He even went to the potions classroom and got pictures of Snape teaching. The look on Severus' face was priceless the first time he showed up.
***At Newton***
Hermione sighed and packed up her charms book. Her classes were too easy and the teachers all praised her work endlessly. There was never a challenge with them. She missed everything about Hogwarts even more. She hadn't really found any friends here. No exploring the school or going off on mysterious adventures with Harry and Ron. She wondered what their reactions were to her letters. 'I have to stop thinking about the past. It's over and done with, move on Hermione."
Mellody was a wonderful baby. She kept Hermione on her toes with accioing anything she wanted with wandless magic. She seemed to love it when her mother read her books. They fell into a routine and time passed by quickly. The next thing she knew she was graduating from Newton Academy with honors. Mellody was going through her terrible twos. She got into anything and everything within her reach and then some. Hermione decided she would raise her daughter to know about both the wizarding and muggle worlds alike.
***5 yrs later***
Hermione got a job at the Ministry in America in the form of researching. Mellody stayed with the neighbors until her mother came home with strict instructions not to use magic there. The neighbors had two boys and a girl. Timothy and Tara were twins and the same age as Mellody. Michael was their three-year-old brother.
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"Mommy! Timmy pushed me into the mud!" Mellody yelled up the stairs. Hermione appeared at the top and looked at the mud-covered monster in the hallway.
"Accio clothes!" Hermione called out and a second later a new pair of her daughter's clothes flew into her hand. Mellody removed her dirty clothes and put on the clean ones. Hermione cleaned the rest of the dirt off with a wave of her wand. "Be more careful next time, dear."
Later that night Hermione and Mellody were sitting in the living room. Mellody looked up from her homework at her mother. "Mommy? My class is having a daddy day on Wednesday," she hesitantly informed her mother. They had never really spoke of her father before and she wasn't sure how she would react.
"Oh dear, I wondered when something like this would come up. Do you want me to see if Uncle Sirius can come?" Hermione asked her daughter. She didn't get an answer right away.
"Momma, what happened to daddy? What was he like?" She questioned. Hermione sighed and looked at her.
"Accio book." A rather thick volume flew over to her. She had been sending pictures back and forth with Dumbledore for quite some time. Mellody got up and sat on the arm of her mother's chair. Hermione flipped through a few pages until she found one of Severus looking halfway pleasant. "This is your father, Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She looked at Mellody and said "You have his eyes and hair but luckily my face and smile." They both smiled. "He was a very strict man. Not too many people like him because he never lets anyone be close to him. He is very brilliant and quite serious."
"Did you love him?"
"I don't know, hun, but I miss him very much now."
"Then why can't we be together? A family, like we should." She cried out.
"Life is more complicated then you think, sweetie. There are dangerous things in the wizarding world and I left so you would be protected." Hermione tried to explain to her bright 8 yr old.
"Atleast we would be together. Why didn't he ever look for us or try to contact us? Doesn't he love me anymore?" she asked wiping away her tears.
"I…I never told him about you, I was too scared. He is part of a group that is trying to save the world. If anyone knew about you then I might have lost both of you." Mellody wrapped her arms around her mother.
"So dad is like a superhero?" Hermione cracked a smile.
"I guess…in a way," she said. They went through the photo album and Hermione told her daughter of her friends and days at Hogwarts. Hermione transfigured a picture of Severus so it showed him in muggle clothes for Mellody to bring to school.
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On Wednesday, she took the picture in and told her class that her dad was a teacher in England and he couldn't be there with her. A few of the other kids' fathers weren't there either so it didn't really matter.
A/N: Well that's chapter 8…I don't really have anything else to say. I hope this doesn't get too boring for you. Thanks for the reviews!
Eternal Queen: Sev says to tell you not all his dreams of you are of your death, just a lot of pain and disfigurement.
Honey666: Well here's a new chapter! Hope you like it.
mylin: Thanks! **grin**
scholcomp1: Thanks for the praise! Keep reading. . .
Aras: Ahhh the complicated life of a fictional character…..
LadySnape: Thanks
r.b.: Thank you, I'm much better now. Real-life is odd and interfering.
GothicFairy: Well since you asked so nicely…..
Tracy: I'm not sure if I'll do an alternate ending but if I ever do than it will be done after this one is finished. So don't start looking just yet.
Would anyone else be interested Tracy's idea for me to have an alternate ending where Sev comes in while Madame Pomfrey is telling her if the baby is a girl/boy?
Heeheehee, clickie the little blue-purpleish review button to tell me!