Disclaimer: ::grabs characters and runs:: They are mine all mine!!!
::characters rebel and break free:: ::author cries::
Hey guys, just a quick note before I begin. A couple people seemed confused about Hermione alleged pregnancy: Hermione is not pregnant. That is just the conclusion her friends jump to. She was sick as an after affect of the potion she took. I am presuming that it was rather late by the time they finished making the potion and that by the time she used it and left, it would have been into the wee hours of the morning. I know her awakening would have been quite some time later, but I had to take really strong medication before that made me sick, and I took it at three o'clock in the morning, and I was sick the whole stupid day!! (I couldn't move b/c I was when I bruised my coccyx- I think that's how you spell it- and I couldn't walk for a couple of days...stupid tail bone!) Anyway, we are assuming the potion was quite strong and could affect her quite some time later. So when she finally wakes up, she will no longer be sick. Boy that took a while to type; well it took more space than I was intending any ways. But enough with this infernal babbling! On with the show!!
RUMORS!
"So what do we do?"
"We should talk to her, tell her we know."
"Don't be stupid, we'll embarrass her!" The redheaded girl sat contemplating for a bit. It was somewhat depressing that Hermione didn't speak to her about her dilemma. Hermione had always told Ginny things before, even more than she would tell the boys. She had thought the two were closer than sisters. Well, Hermione would tell her in her own time; Ginny was sure. After a while the young girl spoke again.
"We should just wait for her to tell us; she will."
"Well, we have to make sure she doesn't do anything to harm herself, you know?" added the raven-haired boy sitting next to her.
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand smiling sweetly, "Of course, but we can't be too obvious."
"Maybe," spoke Lavender, "if we act a little bit like we know and that we are okay with it, then she will feel more comfortable talking about it."
"Hmmm..." mused the red headed girl, but before she could speak, her brother had cut her off with something that had been on all of their minds.
"I didn't know Hermione even had a guy; she never said anything. But she must, mustn't she? Unless..." his eyes grew wide with terror. "You don't think she was raped do you?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" The rest of the group turned to look at Ginny with curious eyes. "Well, if she were raped, she would act differently. She would have been depressed and have a somewhat haunted look. Knowing Hermione, she engaged in this activity willingly and in now accepting the consequences. She's not acting hurt because she is acting like typical Hermione."
It was acceptable for the group, but Ron still wondered, "But why did she not tell us she was with someone? Certainly, she would tell her best friends!"
"Not if it was someone she knew her friends would never approve of," Harry got quiet for a moment, "Not if it was-" his voice trailed off as a thought too horrible for him to voice came to his head. His girlfriend however found no problem voicing it.
"Draco."
Harry and Ginny locked eyes for a moment while both Ron and Lavender sat contemplating the situation. Before the close of the hour, the four friends had firmly convinced themselves that Hermione and Draco had been secretly been seeing each other for at least a year, and that Hermione had to be about two or three months pregnant. They decided to be delicate with the teenage mother to be.
Hermione was nowhere to be seen until dinner. Ginny noticed her first. Jumping up, the redhead embraced her and lead her to the table, helping her sit down. As soon as she was seated, Harry spoke.
"Hello Hermione, how are you? Have a roll." He passed her the breadbasket. It came to Hermione that her friends were acting way too selfless when they basically made her plate for her. She grew uncomfortable as she noticed all her friends staring at her, as she was about to begin eating.
Hermione took a bite of her chicken and muttered, "It's good." Her friends all nodded and set about eating, but still watching her slightly. When Hermione felt she could take this no longer, she excused herself to the common room to do her homework.
The four friends began bickering, each blaming the other for their friend leaving. They left fifteen minutes later, but when they got out of the hall, Ginny cried, "Wait!" She disappeared back into the hall and emerged moments later with a glass of pumpkin juice.
"What? Hermione needs her fluids what with the baby and all." Her remark was met with nods and shrugs. Unfortunately, the small group didn't notice two other people standing behind them.
Back in the common room, Hermione once again found herself surrounded by people trying to make her more comfortable. After a while, Harry asked, "Is there anything else we can do?"
Hermione, wanting to do her work, was getting very frustrated, and yelled, "Yes, leave me alone!"
The teen stormed out of the room. "Mood swings." Harry observed, watching her retreating back as she left the room.
Hermione was walking rather briskly in the direction of the library contemplating the many reasons why her friends might have turned into freaks. She needed some peace and quiet, some time to think and get work done.
But as she rounded the to the library, she heard her name being called. Deciding to skip out on the library, she headed to the dungeons where no one would find her.
Snape was sitting on the floor on a blanket holding his niece when the doors to his room suddenly flew open and a rather surly looking teen came into the room and dropped onto his couch.
"Well, hello to you too, Miss Granger."
"Professor," she began, "my friends are acting very oddly and I need time to work quietly because I have homework that I need to get done and I can't do it with my friends doting on me like they are.»
"Very well; I'll leave you too it then."
"Thank you Professor," Hermione said softly and for a moment, the student and professor locked eyes communicating emotions that neither would admit to let alone share.
Severus allowed Hermione to work for a couple hours. After Elizabeth had fallen asleep on the blanket, he got up and made himself some tea. Then sitting down on the couch next to Hermione, he handed her a cup. "Do you want to tell me what upset you?"
Sighing but taking the cup of tea gratefully, Hermione sat back and began to tell the man about her friends and their strange behavior.
Snape laughed and Hermione, momentarily forgetting herself, playfully slapped her professor's arm. Then, realizing what she had done, she pulled back but her professor continued to laugh. It felt so good to laugh. Soon, Hermione was laughing too, realizing how silly both she and her friends were being.
The laughter eventually died down, leaving the two in a comfortable silence. Hermione began to get the sneaking suspicion that she was beginning to feel like her professor was more like a friend, a strange thought, but one she liked.
The more time she spent with her professor, the more she grew to respect him and realize that she had been wrong. He was not the slimy git that she had taken him for in her childhood. Here was a man that was simply misunderstood. His icy exterior was there to cover up his vulnerabilities. Didn't Hermione know how it was to need to hide things; didn't everyone?
What would it be like to deal with everything he did? She couldn't even begin to imagine. It was no wonder he tried to keep everyone out. However she had seen him with his defenses lowered. She had crossed the barrier; he had let her. Hermione began to think.
She had seen his eyes when they weren't guarded and had gotten comfortable. Yet, it scared her because she liked it. Why would he trust her? Why would he let her in?
The cry of a baby disrupted Hermione's thoughts. The sofa began to shift, but Hermione stood and her hand grabbed the side of Severus' own. "I'll get her," she said to him, looking down at him with kind and trusting eyes. As she walked away, Hermione felt something pull in her chest.
A stoic expression overtook his face. Why would she look at him like that? Trust him like that? It wasn't right; he didn't deserve it. But that night stuck out in his mind, the night where she had been so close and had caressed his arm so tenderly. That night he had longed to embrace her and hold her tightly. Her eyes had been so trusting, understanding, forgiving.
But he deserved no forgiveness; could find no rest. His life had taken a dark turn a long time ago. He was nothing but a coward; he had joined the dark side because he was too afraid to resist and then, when he was too afraid to go on, he turned away.
flashback
The house was filled with a strange orange light. It was the first raid, the first kill. He had watched as the other Deatheaters had shot green rays out of their wands. He watched as bodies stiffened and fell. But they weren't murdered, not really. Murder involved hatred and blood. But there was no blood and there was no suffering. No pain, no feeling, it was all just a dream. He was walking through a surrealistic universe; this was not the place where somebody lived. It was all a figment of his imagination.
He walked through the house, the floor and walls crumbling around him. There was a stinking scent of burning and death. Noise fell around him as he walked through the house. Nothing was to be left alive, nothing was to stay intact, everyone- everything was meant to be destroyed. But as he walked, he came face to face with a pair of large scared blue eyes. They were set in a small head; a small helpless face.
The boy looked up into the eyes of the young man, his eyes speaking what his small voice couldn't. The man felt confused and alone, as alone at this small orphan. It was then that he realized what he was doing, what he had become. He pointed his wand at the child and spoke the slithering words of magic.
But the boy did not freeze and collapse like his parents did, he apparently fell asleep and then began to shrink. When he was small enough, the man bent down and put him in the pocket of his robes.
Sometime later, the man stood in the dungeon room of the castle in which he was apprenticed to the potions master. He pulled something out of his robes and placed it on his bed. Soon the boy was back to his original size and the man stood looking at small child sleeping on the bed, sad and too confused to cry.
Suddenly, a hand clasped his shoulder. The man turned to look at the magnificent figure of a tall wizard clothed in white with hair of the same shade. The old mage seemed to radiate with his awesome power. The young man fell to his knees and clutched the white robes of the wizard, tears falling on the fine white fabric.
The old man placed his hand on top of the black hair of the man kneeling in front of him. At this gesture, the shattered man looked up and gazed into the calm relaxing face of the man he embraced.
"Do not fear, my child," the wise old man began, "You are forgiven."
end flashback
No, he had always been weak, afraid. The people he had hated the most were the ones who were brave, who would do anything for what they believed in. But he, he was a coward; he had not even been able to save his sister, the only person he had ever truly loved from the Deatheaters. He was doomed to live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he was a coward and unfit for the light of this world.
So here he stayed hidden without anyone to comfort him. He was alone, and he would die alone.
The sofa shifted under him, and he was brought back to the present time. A small weight descended in his arms and he looked down.
Elizabeth!
The babe snuggled against the velvety black robes he wore and cooed contently. She was so small so innocent; she needed him. He knew right then and there that he would make sure she would always be safe. He would care for her and save her from the fate that met his beloved sister.
He began to feel warmth, but one spot in particular felt exceptionally warm on his right forearm. He looked at the spot and realized that Hermione had not entirely removed her hand when giving him the baby.
He looked at the face of the witch beside him. She was gazing at the bundle in his arms. Shifting his gaze to Elizabeth, he thought of how lucky she was. The look in Hermione's eyes was one of maternal love. To receive love from such a creature as Hermione was just about the best anyone could hope for. Realizing the depth of his thoughts, he felt a strong pang in his heart; yes- Elizabeth was lucky.
As the two mages sat there that night, basking in the newfound comfort that they discovered in each other's presence, they were unaware of what was happening in the rest of the school. Outside of the warm rooms in the dungeon, a terrible thing began to creep over the school, hitting unsuspecting people with a shocking jolt. It spread like madness itself and before long the whole school was afflicted with the knowledge that Hermione Granger was pregnant with Draco Malfoy's baby.
LOVE YOU GUYS!! It makes me so happy that you guys review and I really love you for it! You comments mean so much to me!! I love them!
BIG stuff is heading this way! Really big stuff!
Love you guys!
And again, I wanted to thank Jenny for beta-ing my story, she rocks my world!
Atiannala
Hey guys, just a quick note before I begin. A couple people seemed confused about Hermione alleged pregnancy: Hermione is not pregnant. That is just the conclusion her friends jump to. She was sick as an after affect of the potion she took. I am presuming that it was rather late by the time they finished making the potion and that by the time she used it and left, it would have been into the wee hours of the morning. I know her awakening would have been quite some time later, but I had to take really strong medication before that made me sick, and I took it at three o'clock in the morning, and I was sick the whole stupid day!! (I couldn't move b/c I was when I bruised my coccyx- I think that's how you spell it- and I couldn't walk for a couple of days...stupid tail bone!) Anyway, we are assuming the potion was quite strong and could affect her quite some time later. So when she finally wakes up, she will no longer be sick. Boy that took a while to type; well it took more space than I was intending any ways. But enough with this infernal babbling! On with the show!!
RUMORS!
"So what do we do?"
"We should talk to her, tell her we know."
"Don't be stupid, we'll embarrass her!" The redheaded girl sat contemplating for a bit. It was somewhat depressing that Hermione didn't speak to her about her dilemma. Hermione had always told Ginny things before, even more than she would tell the boys. She had thought the two were closer than sisters. Well, Hermione would tell her in her own time; Ginny was sure. After a while the young girl spoke again.
"We should just wait for her to tell us; she will."
"Well, we have to make sure she doesn't do anything to harm herself, you know?" added the raven-haired boy sitting next to her.
Ginny squeezed Harry's hand smiling sweetly, "Of course, but we can't be too obvious."
"Maybe," spoke Lavender, "if we act a little bit like we know and that we are okay with it, then she will feel more comfortable talking about it."
"Hmmm..." mused the red headed girl, but before she could speak, her brother had cut her off with something that had been on all of their minds.
"I didn't know Hermione even had a guy; she never said anything. But she must, mustn't she? Unless..." his eyes grew wide with terror. "You don't think she was raped do you?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" The rest of the group turned to look at Ginny with curious eyes. "Well, if she were raped, she would act differently. She would have been depressed and have a somewhat haunted look. Knowing Hermione, she engaged in this activity willingly and in now accepting the consequences. She's not acting hurt because she is acting like typical Hermione."
It was acceptable for the group, but Ron still wondered, "But why did she not tell us she was with someone? Certainly, she would tell her best friends!"
"Not if it was someone she knew her friends would never approve of," Harry got quiet for a moment, "Not if it was-" his voice trailed off as a thought too horrible for him to voice came to his head. His girlfriend however found no problem voicing it.
"Draco."
Harry and Ginny locked eyes for a moment while both Ron and Lavender sat contemplating the situation. Before the close of the hour, the four friends had firmly convinced themselves that Hermione and Draco had been secretly been seeing each other for at least a year, and that Hermione had to be about two or three months pregnant. They decided to be delicate with the teenage mother to be.
Hermione was nowhere to be seen until dinner. Ginny noticed her first. Jumping up, the redhead embraced her and lead her to the table, helping her sit down. As soon as she was seated, Harry spoke.
"Hello Hermione, how are you? Have a roll." He passed her the breadbasket. It came to Hermione that her friends were acting way too selfless when they basically made her plate for her. She grew uncomfortable as she noticed all her friends staring at her, as she was about to begin eating.
Hermione took a bite of her chicken and muttered, "It's good." Her friends all nodded and set about eating, but still watching her slightly. When Hermione felt she could take this no longer, she excused herself to the common room to do her homework.
The four friends began bickering, each blaming the other for their friend leaving. They left fifteen minutes later, but when they got out of the hall, Ginny cried, "Wait!" She disappeared back into the hall and emerged moments later with a glass of pumpkin juice.
"What? Hermione needs her fluids what with the baby and all." Her remark was met with nods and shrugs. Unfortunately, the small group didn't notice two other people standing behind them.
Back in the common room, Hermione once again found herself surrounded by people trying to make her more comfortable. After a while, Harry asked, "Is there anything else we can do?"
Hermione, wanting to do her work, was getting very frustrated, and yelled, "Yes, leave me alone!"
The teen stormed out of the room. "Mood swings." Harry observed, watching her retreating back as she left the room.
Hermione was walking rather briskly in the direction of the library contemplating the many reasons why her friends might have turned into freaks. She needed some peace and quiet, some time to think and get work done.
But as she rounded the to the library, she heard her name being called. Deciding to skip out on the library, she headed to the dungeons where no one would find her.
Snape was sitting on the floor on a blanket holding his niece when the doors to his room suddenly flew open and a rather surly looking teen came into the room and dropped onto his couch.
"Well, hello to you too, Miss Granger."
"Professor," she began, "my friends are acting very oddly and I need time to work quietly because I have homework that I need to get done and I can't do it with my friends doting on me like they are.»
"Very well; I'll leave you too it then."
"Thank you Professor," Hermione said softly and for a moment, the student and professor locked eyes communicating emotions that neither would admit to let alone share.
Severus allowed Hermione to work for a couple hours. After Elizabeth had fallen asleep on the blanket, he got up and made himself some tea. Then sitting down on the couch next to Hermione, he handed her a cup. "Do you want to tell me what upset you?"
Sighing but taking the cup of tea gratefully, Hermione sat back and began to tell the man about her friends and their strange behavior.
Snape laughed and Hermione, momentarily forgetting herself, playfully slapped her professor's arm. Then, realizing what she had done, she pulled back but her professor continued to laugh. It felt so good to laugh. Soon, Hermione was laughing too, realizing how silly both she and her friends were being.
The laughter eventually died down, leaving the two in a comfortable silence. Hermione began to get the sneaking suspicion that she was beginning to feel like her professor was more like a friend, a strange thought, but one she liked.
The more time she spent with her professor, the more she grew to respect him and realize that she had been wrong. He was not the slimy git that she had taken him for in her childhood. Here was a man that was simply misunderstood. His icy exterior was there to cover up his vulnerabilities. Didn't Hermione know how it was to need to hide things; didn't everyone?
What would it be like to deal with everything he did? She couldn't even begin to imagine. It was no wonder he tried to keep everyone out. However she had seen him with his defenses lowered. She had crossed the barrier; he had let her. Hermione began to think.
She had seen his eyes when they weren't guarded and had gotten comfortable. Yet, it scared her because she liked it. Why would he trust her? Why would he let her in?
The cry of a baby disrupted Hermione's thoughts. The sofa began to shift, but Hermione stood and her hand grabbed the side of Severus' own. "I'll get her," she said to him, looking down at him with kind and trusting eyes. As she walked away, Hermione felt something pull in her chest.
A stoic expression overtook his face. Why would she look at him like that? Trust him like that? It wasn't right; he didn't deserve it. But that night stuck out in his mind, the night where she had been so close and had caressed his arm so tenderly. That night he had longed to embrace her and hold her tightly. Her eyes had been so trusting, understanding, forgiving.
But he deserved no forgiveness; could find no rest. His life had taken a dark turn a long time ago. He was nothing but a coward; he had joined the dark side because he was too afraid to resist and then, when he was too afraid to go on, he turned away.
flashback
The house was filled with a strange orange light. It was the first raid, the first kill. He had watched as the other Deatheaters had shot green rays out of their wands. He watched as bodies stiffened and fell. But they weren't murdered, not really. Murder involved hatred and blood. But there was no blood and there was no suffering. No pain, no feeling, it was all just a dream. He was walking through a surrealistic universe; this was not the place where somebody lived. It was all a figment of his imagination.
He walked through the house, the floor and walls crumbling around him. There was a stinking scent of burning and death. Noise fell around him as he walked through the house. Nothing was to be left alive, nothing was to stay intact, everyone- everything was meant to be destroyed. But as he walked, he came face to face with a pair of large scared blue eyes. They were set in a small head; a small helpless face.
The boy looked up into the eyes of the young man, his eyes speaking what his small voice couldn't. The man felt confused and alone, as alone at this small orphan. It was then that he realized what he was doing, what he had become. He pointed his wand at the child and spoke the slithering words of magic.
But the boy did not freeze and collapse like his parents did, he apparently fell asleep and then began to shrink. When he was small enough, the man bent down and put him in the pocket of his robes.
Sometime later, the man stood in the dungeon room of the castle in which he was apprenticed to the potions master. He pulled something out of his robes and placed it on his bed. Soon the boy was back to his original size and the man stood looking at small child sleeping on the bed, sad and too confused to cry.
Suddenly, a hand clasped his shoulder. The man turned to look at the magnificent figure of a tall wizard clothed in white with hair of the same shade. The old mage seemed to radiate with his awesome power. The young man fell to his knees and clutched the white robes of the wizard, tears falling on the fine white fabric.
The old man placed his hand on top of the black hair of the man kneeling in front of him. At this gesture, the shattered man looked up and gazed into the calm relaxing face of the man he embraced.
"Do not fear, my child," the wise old man began, "You are forgiven."
end flashback
No, he had always been weak, afraid. The people he had hated the most were the ones who were brave, who would do anything for what they believed in. But he, he was a coward; he had not even been able to save his sister, the only person he had ever truly loved from the Deatheaters. He was doomed to live the rest of his life with the knowledge that he was a coward and unfit for the light of this world.
So here he stayed hidden without anyone to comfort him. He was alone, and he would die alone.
The sofa shifted under him, and he was brought back to the present time. A small weight descended in his arms and he looked down.
Elizabeth!
The babe snuggled against the velvety black robes he wore and cooed contently. She was so small so innocent; she needed him. He knew right then and there that he would make sure she would always be safe. He would care for her and save her from the fate that met his beloved sister.
He began to feel warmth, but one spot in particular felt exceptionally warm on his right forearm. He looked at the spot and realized that Hermione had not entirely removed her hand when giving him the baby.
He looked at the face of the witch beside him. She was gazing at the bundle in his arms. Shifting his gaze to Elizabeth, he thought of how lucky she was. The look in Hermione's eyes was one of maternal love. To receive love from such a creature as Hermione was just about the best anyone could hope for. Realizing the depth of his thoughts, he felt a strong pang in his heart; yes- Elizabeth was lucky.
As the two mages sat there that night, basking in the newfound comfort that they discovered in each other's presence, they were unaware of what was happening in the rest of the school. Outside of the warm rooms in the dungeon, a terrible thing began to creep over the school, hitting unsuspecting people with a shocking jolt. It spread like madness itself and before long the whole school was afflicted with the knowledge that Hermione Granger was pregnant with Draco Malfoy's baby.
LOVE YOU GUYS!! It makes me so happy that you guys review and I really love you for it! You comments mean so much to me!! I love them!
BIG stuff is heading this way! Really big stuff!
Love you guys!
And again, I wanted to thank Jenny for beta-ing my story, she rocks my world!
Atiannala