The Road Home Chapter Five

Hermione was awoken a good four hours later by Maggie's shrill crying. It had darkened considerably in the room, for which Hermione was grateful for as she struggled to open her eyes, which were red and swollen from crying herself to sleep. Finally staggering to her feet, she crossed the room quickly and stooped over the basinet to pick up her screaming daughter.

As she was returning to an upright position with Maggie ensconced in her arms, her bedroom door flew open. She squeaked in shock and quickly lit the rooms with a muttered 'Lumos' just in time to see Sirius burst into the room. He tripped over a prone shoe that had been carelessly thrown on the floor, and in a spectacular show, toppled over in a flurry of arms and legs.

Hermione choked back a laugh as Maggie abruptly stopped crying and gurgled and clapped at the entertainment, who was currently sitting dazed on the floor. Hermione made her way over to Sirius in time to help him untangle himself and remove himself from the floor.

"Sirius, what are you doing in here?" she asked curiously once he was finally upright and stable.

"We heard Maggie crying and we didn't want her to wake you. Guess I was a little too late," he said with a cheeky grin. His face flushed a brilliant shade of red as he noticed what she was wearing. Her loose comfortable sweatpants and drifted lower on her hips while she was tossing and turning in her sleep, and the tank top she was wearing was quite revealing, especially when not wearing a bra, which she currently wasn't. Many Pureblood wizards and witches were still extremely old-fashioned when it came to apparel. So to Sirius, Hermione might as well have been wearing underwear only, which would explain the flush and the stuttering coming from the usually relaxed and easy-going man.

Chuckling to herself at his expression of shock and unease, Hermione was far from embarrassed about Sirius seeing her dressed this way, especially since she was used to walking around her house on weekends dressed as she was (although usually she was wearing a bra). However, when she noticed that he was still staring at her, the faint stirring of desire visible in his clear eyes, unexpected and rather unwanted surges of fear and panic stole through her. Suddenly flushing and hands beginning to tremble slightly, she wrapped her free arm around herself, in protection, and stepped back slightly.

Hermione's sudden movements seemed to break whatever trance-like state Sirius had been in and he flushed red once more.

"Well, um…" he stuttered, glancing at her both in embarrassment and concern, "I guess I'll…uh…I should be going. See you at dinner," he finally said, almost tripping again as he rushed to leave her quarters.

He hastily made his way out of her quarters and back into the Infirmary. Belatedly, he realized he probably should have waited until his face had returned to a normal shade, instead of the brilliant crimson of the blush that was still visible.

"Sirius, are you alright?" Minerva asked him in concern when he practically flew out of Hermione's quarters.

"Quite alright, thank you," he said calmly, hoping they wouldn't make a big deal out of his rushed exit or red face. As was expected, he had no such luck.

"You're quite flushed. Are you sure everything is alright?" Albus asked with a smile, his amusement clearly visible.

"Peachy," he said. "Hermione was up already when I went in," he said.

"Ah, I see." Minerva said with a knowing smirk that was rather irritating.

"I'm sure you do," Sirius answered, not quite meeting the gaze of his colleagues, yet smiling slightly at the ridiculousness of the conversation. His smile disappeared, however, as he went over the conversation from the bedroom. "She pulled away again," he stated suddenly. "There was definitely fear in her eyes and she looked as if she was shielding herself from me."

Minerva and Albus exchanged a worried glance. "Do you think he hurt her while they were married?" Minerva asked her friend.

Albus sighed. "It is quite possible that he did. You have noticed that it is only with the men that she acts like this?" the others nodded. "Maybe you and I should go ahead to dinner and let Minerva walk Hermione up to the Hall," he said to Sirius, who nodded and got up from the chair he had plopped himself into. With a wave to Minerva, the two were off.

~*~*~*~*~

After he was gone for several seconds, Hermione willed herself to relax. She was noticeably tense and still shaking slightly. She gingerly sat down on the bed, relaxing her hold on her daughter, and took several deep breaths to ease the tension. After several minutes of mental scolding on how it was just Sirius and not him, she let out a small laugh.

His face as he looked up at her from the floor had been absolutely priceless! It was one of those dazed and disoriented looks coupled with surprise at her being up and not sleeping, and then the blush when he realized how she had been dressed. Priceless.

She laughed again before shifting her position in order to feed a squirming Maggie. After, she dressed both herself and Maggie for dinner before making her way back into the Infirmary. Minerva looked up and smiled at her as she walked in.

"Sirius was certainly tongue-tied when he came out. I haven't seen him that embarrassed about something since I caught him in the Astronomy Tower in his seventh year," she said with a knowing smile.

Hermione snorted. "I think it was my pajamas," she said and filled Minerva in on Sirius' reaction, trying not to think about her reaction to him being in the room. The two cracked a few jokes about the situation before Hermione sobered and asked, "How are they doing, any change?"

Minerva, equally somber, answered, "Cam moved a bit a while ago, just to roll over onto his stomach. He didn't wake yet, and there has been no change in Severus' condition."

Hermione nodded. "It's what I expected," said. She rose and quickly checked on her Cam and Severus before turning back to Minerva. "I take it that it's almost dinnertime?"

"Of course. How else would we get Sirius to leave?" Minerva answered with a small smile.

"Shall we? I've updated Poppy's original wards to notify me of any changes here," she mentioned as they began walking towards the hallway.

Minerva nodded, "I expected nothing less," she said. After several minutes of walking in silence, she asked, "When do you think Cam will wake up?"

"Not until tomorrow. I cast a light Sleeping Charm on him, to make sure he won't wake until morning. He probably wouldn't have anyway, but I just wanted to be sure."

Minerva stopped her with a hand on her arm, piercing Hermione with her searching gaze. "How are you doing, Hermione?" she asked softly, genuinely concerned for her friend.

Hermione paused before shrugging and smiling slightly. "I'm going to be fine. At first, I couldn't breath, you know? Then I just let my instincts take over, and didn't let myself think about it until after everyone left…Oh, Minerva, I was so angry. Angry that something almost happened to Cam, that something did happen to Severus. I was angry with Severus, for letting something happen to them, and at myself for being angry with him. But I also know, and understand, that Cam is alright, and I am so relieved and grateful to Severus for saving my son. And then I feel guilty for being grateful that Cam's fine, because Severus is in the condition that he's in…it's just this vicious cycle that I'm trying desperately not to think about!" she finished exasperated, lifting sorrowful eyes to meet Minerva's understanding ones.

Minerva nodded and pulled Hermione into a comforting embrace.

"You have every right to feel every single one of these emotions, Hermione, and do not let yourself believe anything different, understand? And no matter what happens, both Cam and Severus will eventually be alright. Now, right now we are going to go have dinner, and then later, after you sit vigil, if you need me at all, whether its for something with Cam or something entirely different, I want you to Floo me immediately, understand?" she asked, her tone stern and demanding, yet filled with underlying concern.

Hermione smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thank you, Minerva."

The older woman returned her smile and the two finished their stroll to the hall in silence. Albus and Sirius, who were approaching from the opposite direction, met them at the doors and the four entered the hall together.

As was expected, the moment they made their appearances in the Hall, all were bombarded with questions about what had happened earlier that day. By the time dinner was over Hermione had a pounding headache and was sick to death of the sympathetic glances and comments, as well as the questions. Even those whose concern was genuine did nothing to dispel her mood, or the headache. As soon as it was possible to leave without seeming rude, or to be running away, Hermione excused herself under the pretense of checking on her patients. Nodding to Albus and Minerva, who both gave her knowing looks, she quickly made her way out of the Great Hall.

Relief filled her as soon as she exited the Hall, grateful to be away from the noise and nosy people. She strolled quickly back towards the Infirmary, lost in thought about all that happened that day.

Upon her arrival, she sat for a short time rocking Maggie before playing with her for some time. It felt wonderful to lose herself for a short time in Maggie's excited gurgle and exclamations. Watching her daughter always relaxed Hermione, and this time was no different. Finally picking Maggie back up and placing her in her playpen, Hermione made her way over to the bed where Cam was laying.

She was glad to see that he had moved once again. He had turned completely onto his stomach and had somehow managed to make his way to the very top left corner of the bed, almost hanging off the side. This was his customary sleeping position, one that baffled Hermione and anyone else who saw him like this. It seemed impossible that he would not fall off the bed, for that was how close to the edge he was. But he had never done it before and it was comforting for Hermione to see him in his usual sleeping position, especially after all that had happened. She gently pulled the blanket up till it reached the back of his neck before stroking his hair softly. After watching her son sleep for several more minutes, she finally bent down to kiss the part of his forehead that was not covered by his blanket. Gently stroking his hair once more, she finally stirred herself and moved over to Severus' bed.

When she had first started working on him so many hours before, he had looked completely different. The boils and cuts on his hands and face, a result of the potion, had been ugly and swollen and filled with puss and blood. She had worked quickly, stopping the boiling and cleaning his hands thoroughly before moving to his face. Once she was satisfied that they were completely clean, she had set about removing any indication that the boils had been there. She had been lucky. They had reached him just in time. The potion's contact with Severus' face had been bad, but nowhere near as brutal as his hands. Severus had thrown his hands up and over his head in order to protect himself, which had resulted in his hands receiving most of the contact with the potion. His hands… Hermione shuddered as she thought of what might have happened if they hadn't gotten there when they did. His hands could have been gnarled and ruined beyond belief if the potion had successfully eaten through the skin. And a Potion's Master without the use of his hands…

Hermione quickly cut off her line of thought, not wanting to think about what might have happened, only grateful that it hadn't. Extremely grateful. Except that she could now do nothing but wait for him to wake himself from this state.

Hermione was interrupted from her musings by an almost inaudible moaning. Startled, she looked around for the source of the moan, only to find that it was coming from the man occupying her thoughts. Worried, she checked his stability and vitals to see if there was anything plaguing him. When everything turned up fine, she sighed and peered at his eyes.

Sure enough, they were rapidly moving back and forth under his eyelids. After several moments of silence, he moaned again, slightly louder than before. This time, his moans were accompanied by a slight shaking motion of his head. Knowing there was nothing she could really do to ease his suffering, she contented herself with placing a soothing hand on his forehead, wishing there was something she could do.

She was quite surprised when a soft voice interrupted her ruminations.

"Is he alright?"

Hermione turned sharply to see Albus watching her sadly.

"He's reliving a nightmare," she answered softly.

They were both silent as they watched the moaning man in the bed. Every so often, his head would shake back and forth slightly, or he would flinch; some motion that betrayed the extent of the nightmare he was living.

"I thought you said he was in a coma," Albus commented.

"I did."

"Then how is he able to move and make noise?"

"It's a side effect of the potion. He is, technically, in a coma. It's just different than the normal situation."

"I see."

The silence stretched longer this time. Hermione vaguely heard Albus pulling up a chair and, out of the corner of her eye, saw him take one of Severus' hands in his own. She hadn't removed her hand from his forehead and the two remained like this in silent vigil.

Not once, for several hours, did the two move from their positions longer than for a few minutes at a time. Hermione left only long enough to put Maggie down to bed, and for two short bathroom breaks. Albus got up only once, and Hermione had no idea what he had done during his short reprieve. They sometimes switched positions, Albus' hand soothing Severus' forehead while Hermione held his hand, and vice versus. The constant contact seemed to help Severus' condition, especially when the dreams were at their worst.

The next morning found Albus and Hermione in the same positions. Hermione was pressing a cool compress to Severus' feverish forehead while Albus sat at the foot of the bed, staring off into space.

They were both shaken out of their stupors by a bone-cracking yawn from the bed next to Severus'.

"Cam," Hermione breathed, jerking upright so fast her back popped. The two adults quickly rose and, with one last glance at Severus, moved over to Cam's bed. As Hermione took her son's hand in her own Cam was just beginning to stir, his eyes fluttering.

It was several seconds later when Cam's eyes finally opened, cloudy with sleep. "Mommy?" he asking sleepily, bringing one arm up to wipe his eyes.

Hermione's breathe caught in her throat as she willed herself not to cry.

"Morning, Baby," she said softly, affectionately brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Sleep well?"

Cam nodded and struggled to sit up. Once he was leaning against the backboard, he looked around and noticed Albus standing to one side, smiling slightly. "Poppa Albus!" he cried with a huge smile. His smile was wiped from his face as he saw the man lying in the bed next to his.

Eyes wide with fear and confusion, Cam turned back to his mother. "Mommy, why is Uncle Sevvie still sleeping? He's always awake before us," he said, glancing from Severus to Albus and back to Hermione.

"Cam, honey, when you two were making potions yesterday, something happened that caused a big explosion. Severus protected you and was hit by some of the potion. I'm afraid he's going to be…asleep…for a long time," Hermione haltingly answered, also glancing at Severus and Albus from time to time.

Cam's eyes had grown even wider at the mention of the explosion.

"It was my fault," he whispered, staring at Severus' prone figure. Before Hermione or Albus had a chance to say anything, he looked up at Hermione, tears in his eyes. "Uncle Sevvie let me p-p-play with some ingedants-"

"Ingredients?" Albus asked with a little smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Cam nodded and continued with his story. "Uncle Sevvie was putting in those funny wing thingies, and…and…and-"

Hermione sat down on the end of his bed and tilted his head so he was facing her. "Cam, honey, did you add more of the wings when Severus went to get the next ingredient?"

Cam nodded and buried his tear-streaked face in her shoulder, sobbing quietly.

Hermione wrapped her arms around her sobbing son, rocking him slowly.

"Oh, Cam," she sighed "Shhhhh, everything will be fine, I promise. Shhhh," she soothed, rubbing comforting circles on his back as she rocked him. They sat like that until Cam's sobs had quieted and he had fallen into a light sleep.

Carefully extracting herself from her son's arms, Hermione stood quietly watching Cam sleep for several seconds, thinking of what he had just told her. A gentle hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

"I'm so sorry, Albus. I should never have let Cam go down there with Severus," she said softly, turning and facing the elderly wizard.

He smiled sadly at her, shaking his head. "Nonsense. There was nothing you or anyone else could do to stop him. His mind was made up and so was Severus'."

"Yes, but now Severus is-" Hermione started, waving at a hand at Severus' bed.

Albus interrupted her. "Hermione, Severus is a Potion's Master. It was as much his fault that he let his guard down as it was Cam's for adding too much of the Lacewing. What is done is done and there is nothing we can do about it now except wait for him to wake up. As much as I dislike that fact, I understand that there is really nothing more we can do right now. I have a feeling that Cam acknowledging that what he did was wrong, and seeing what happened to Severus as a result is an effective enough punishment for what happened. One only has to look at him to tell that he is truly sorry and crushed by what he has done. And, as you mentioned to us and to Cam, everything will be alright."

Hermione sighed and shook her head before quietly answering, "I know. Logically and in my head, I know that everything you've said is true. But I still…I can't help thinking of what might have happened if I had never allowed Cam down there, or if someone had been there with him, or if I had just warned Severus about Cam's curious and playful nature…anything to have been able to prevent this," she finished, waving her hand in a circle, motioning to the prone figures on either side of them.

"Hermione," Albus said softly, taking her hand in his. "You cannot blame yourself for something that you had no control over. And if you do, you will be overcome with guilt and unable to function as successfully as you usually do. Do not look so surprised, it is a characteristic of many Gryffindors. But mostly, it is a characteristic of a worried friend."

He paused here and looking at her seriously for a moment. "Now, I know you do not particularly believe in fate or Divination and the likes. But in my opinion, everything that happens happens for a reason. There might have been a way to prevent what happened in the dungeons, but if it was meant to be then whatever you or anyone else could have said or done would have made no difference. Severus would still be in this coma and you would be here, worrying about his safety. All we can do now is wait for him to wake up and make him as comfortable as possible," he said, echoing his words from earlier.

Hermione sighed and nodded, wiping away a few stray tears that had rolled halfway down her cheeks.

"Now then," Albus said as he stood and offered his hand to Hermione, "I believe Sirius and Minerva want to sit tonight's watch and let the two of us catch up on some sleep. Why don't you bring Cam into your quarters and then we will wait for them together," he said with a small smile.

She nodded and smiled back. "Thanks you Albus," she said before slowly gathering her son in her arms, careful so as not to wake him. Upon returning, she and Albus made their way back into the main area of the Infirmary where they sat in companionable silence, waiting for their friends.

~*~*~*~*~

The next three weeks passed slowly for everyone in the castle. News of Severus' ill-fortune spread like fire through the halls of Hogwarts, passed on by hundreds of paintings and ghosts. The staff was subdued and worried about their resident Potions professor. Albus and Hermione had relinquished their all-night vigils. Instead, the staff rotated each night, so that there was always someone sitting by his bedside should Severus' condition change in any way, and to just lend moral support for their colleague.

The air around Hogwarts was thick with tension as the Fall term drew closer and closer. Cam was rarely seen outside of the Infirmary. He spent his days quietly playing on the floor of the Infirmary, always keeping an eye on Severus and waiting for him to wake up. The only one in the castle not afflicted by anxiety and unease was Maggie. Yet even she seemed to sense the tension and had become slightly finicky as the term grew nearer.

During the last week before term, Argus Filch, Sirius and Albus repaired the destructed Potions classroom, while Hermione and Pomona Sprout restocked the classroom and storeroom with the necessary ingredients. On top of the other pre-term duties Albus had to attend to, he now also had to hire a replacement Potions professor. As it was so close to term, and the position to be filled was notoriously known as Snape's position, the spot was increasingly difficult to fill, as was seen by Albus' growing frustration. The fact that all those who were able to fill the position lacked the knowledge and talent necessary to teach first through seventh years in a school as prestigious as Hogwarts did not help matters at all.

However, the time passed quickly and a Potions professor still had not been hired by the night before the student's arrival. So it was with a heavy heart that Albus reluctantly owled a Mister Benjamin Kettlebourn. The rest of the staff, Hermione included, was rather dreading the arrival of the new professor, especially those who had taught Mr. Kettlebourn years before. The younger staff became increasingly worried after hearing Minerva refer to him as a worthless and dim-witted fellow who was a pathetic excuse for a Potion Master's apprentice.

Before too much worrying could be done, however, the students arrived (as they were wont to do on September first every year). With the hustle and bustle of extra bodies occupying the castle, the cloak of tension and anxiety lessened considerably. This lasted until the first day of term, when those students scheduled for Potions walked into the dungeon classroom and were greeted by a complete stranger. Within minutes after the end of the first period on the first day back the quiet whisperings were back, only days after the portraits and ghosts had settled down.

When the Hogwarts gossip mill had produced a sufficient number of crazed and extremely imaginative rumors, Albus decided to make an announcement, explaining (in general terms of course) why Professor Snape was not in the classroom. Hermione, who did not yet know how much her former professor had changed in the classroom, was quite surprised to find such a large number of concerned faces staring back up at the Head Table.

The first weeks of the term were spent in a busy haze for Hermione. Since it was still to early in the term for anything larger than pepper up, headache or stomach ache potions, Hermione's time was split between watching over Severus, taking care of her children and researching ways to remedy Severus' condition.

As the students settled into the routine of being back, Hermione had less and less time to research find a cure, something that was making her increasingly frustrated. Cuts, burns and various bruises had to be healed regularly from classes such as Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology. Transfigurations gone wrong had to be reversed. And those students who fought in the hallway had to have counter-curses cast in order to fix whatever combination of curses and hexes had been thrown at them.

However, the one class Hermione had come to dread above all other, and was growing progressively more agitated with, was Potions. Never before, in either her time spent at Hogwarts or in any of her extensive reading, had she come across such a disturbingly high number of Potions-induced accidents occurring in one term at Hogwarts. The reminder that the reason for such a large number of accidents was that Severus was not able to teach as of yet immediately brought Hermione's mind to the fact that she still had no cure, which definitely did anything and everything but help improve the Medi-witch's mood.

The cause of this extensive problem was one Benjamin Kettlebourn. Kettlebourn was the exact opposite of everything Severus Snape was and stood for. In his late-thirties, he was a good-looking fellow with soft, clean blond hair that was always pulled back out of his face. He wasn't particularly tall or magnificent, but had a friendly and inviting presence that caused those around him to notice him. He was extremely easy to please and was always quick with a smile and a compliment, and never had trouble trying to help the students in his classroom. He was good-natured and warm and inviting and always friendly, and almost the whole staff and student body (with the notable exception of Trelawney and a few select students) could not wait to get rid of him.

The once meticulously controlled and organized classes were now practically in shambles. For all that Kettlebourn was a nice and friendly guy; he knew absolutely nothing about how to handle and run a classroom, let alone how to handle twenty to thirty students each brewing their own potion. The students, who had at first rejoiced and taken advantage of this new, easy-going professor who gave little to no homework, now dreaded coming to class.

Many students now recognized and appreciated Severus' effective teaching methods. The older students realized how useful Severus' straightforward and detailed lectures had been. Kettlebourn's lectures consisted of him randomly picking potions and giving page numbers in a book that gave little to no information on what the potion actually consisted of. Severus' lectures had contained detailed descriptions of each ingredient used, how the ingredients reacted to each other and caused a specific result, and how mixing the wrong ingredients together or in an incorrect order could affect the potion.

Because of Kettlebourn's lack of explanations, added to what Severus would call extensive coddling, the class was now fairly chaotic. And without the iron-rod control Severus kept over his classroom and storeroom, and the lack of his hawk-like surveillance and constant stalking through the room, an increasing number of careless mistakes were made, resulting in an increasing number of trips to the hospital wing. There was also a rise in the successful pilfering of Potions ingredients from Severus' storeroom, now without the extensive wards that were usually placed over the entrance. This, in turn, led to unsupervised brewing around Hogwarts, which also resulted in more Potion accidents than Hermione had ever seen before.

And so it was that on this Friday afternoon two months into the term, Hermione reached her wits end. Slamming the door to her office open with a flick of her wand, she glared furiously at the cold and fire-less fireplace and practically growled "Incendio". Grabbing a pinch of Floo powder and throwing it angrily into the fireplace, she snapped, "Headmaster's Office".

Several seconds later, Albus answered his Floo with a smile that faltered slightly when he took in the state Hermione was in. Her face was red and contorted with rage, her eyes blazing with an equal portion of concern and fury.

"Hermione, is everything alright?" he asked immediately, seeing the sense in not keeping her waiting by wasting any time with pleasantries.

"If you don't mind, Albus, I'd like for you to come down to the Infirmary for a minute. There is something I would like for you to see," she stated, her voice even and cold with an underlying layer of steel that betrayed her anger.

"Certainly, my dear. I do hope that everything is as it should be?" he asked, getting up from behind his desk. Hermione answered his question by pursing her lips and stepping back to give Albus room to enter her office.

Seconds later, the two were walking into the Infirmary. Standing in the middle of the Infirmary where close to three quarters of this afternoon's sixth year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Potions class. Almost all were complaining or moaning, due to the thick greenish slime that covered them that was obviously whatever potion they had been trying to work on.

"Oh dear," Albus said, successfully hiding his twitching lips behind the curtain of his thick beard.

"Yes," Hermione answered. Looking pointedly at her employer and friend, she stated matter-of-factly, "This has to stop, Albus. In the past two months, I have by far surpassed the number of students Poppy ever had in here because of Potions."

After glancing at the students who still stood miserably in the space of the Infirmary, still covered in the slime, he said calmly, "Hermione, obviously the potion isn't harming them, or else you would have taken care of everything. I doubt the situation is actually as bad as you say it…" Albus started, but was silenced by her look of indignation.

"Not that bad Albus?" she practically squeaked, before quickly taking a few breaths to help bring her emotions under control. "The fact that this particular potion isn't dangerous is completely. beside. the. point!" she seethed, punctuating each pause with a stab of her wand as she finally removed the potion from the students (much to the collective relief of all said students).

"The fact that I know the names of almost every student from first year to third year and quite a few of the older students should definitely say something of the teacher. Especially since I have only been here for a little over two months. Did you know that most of these students have been in here for four, maybe five potion accidents already? Accidents that could have been completely avoided if the professor knew even an infinitesimal amount about potions?" she asked him in a furious whisper, now standing directly in front of him.

There was several seconds of silence that seemed to stretch for an eternity before Albus finally sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Finish here with the students and then come and see me before dinner," he said tiredly. At her nod, he moved away from her, nodding to the students as he passed them.