Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places that you
recognize. J.K Rowling does.
If anyone is interested in betaing or brit picking this story for me please let me know. Reviews and con-crit are appreciated and encouraged.
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
"Her father . . .You actually slept with this loser? Christ Hermione, he must be at least thirty years older than you."
The words were no sooner out of Chris's mouth than all hell broke loose. Severus was off of the floor so quickly that he looked like an inky blur. He barreled into the man, his wand pressed painfully into the side of Chris's thick neck, the tip digging into his jugular. Jasmine's squirming ceased. Eyes bulging, lips quivering, she looked at her father and gave a piercing shriek.
"SEVERUS, NO!" Hermione cried.
Hermione looked with horror as the scene unfolded before her. Jasmine was slipping from Chris's grasp, but Severus's fury was so great that he did not seem to notice. She lunged between the two, seizing Jasmine to her breast. Jasmine clung to her, howling into her chest.
"What? You have a knife? You want to cut me? Go ahead. I'll have your balls for garters before you can even stick me." Chris growled, trying to menace Severus, whose only answer was to press harder.
"I have killed for less. I could slaughter you with a word." His voice was hardly more than a whisper, his mouth was a thin grim line on his pallid face, and his dark eyes were narrowed in hatred. "So this is who you chose to replace me Hermione? This ape? I thought you were more discriminating. I must say I am disappointed."
"Severus, put your wand away." Hermione pleaded.
"I could make it look like an accident." Severus mused.
"WAND? You mean to tell me that this wanker has a wand at my neck? Oh mate, that does it." Chris raised his hand to smack the wand away.
"Chris, don't move. He's not lying. Severus, you are in serious breach of the Muggle Protection Act. Please put your wand away. Don't make me beg." Hermione kept her voice as neutral as she could, but there was a hint of hysteria around the edge of her words.
"Muggle Protection Act? Oh please, don't tell me that you've actually believe this headfuck's tosh?"
"SILENCE!" Severus snapped, spittle flecked from his mouth and Jasmine renewed her howling.
"Look what you've done. You should be ashamed of yourself, terrifying a child and bullying an innocent man." Hermione scolded, choosing to ignore Chris's asides to her. Instead she split her attention between Severus and her terrified daughter.
"Oh yes, I'm a monster and a bully, is that what you want to hear? As I recall those were your parting words to me, dearest Wife. If memory serves me I found you in similar straights once before. You were whoring around with Weasley, as I recall. I'm sure you remember how I dealt with him?"
Hermione recoiled as if slapped.
"Oh I remember." Her voice was low and bitter. "Know this, Severus. Chris is just as innocent as Ron was, let him go."
"Weasley learned a valuable lesson at the end of my boot, I doubt he'll ever pursue another married woman." He muttered.
"Chris is my 'neighbor', Severus, not my lover. You're a Legilimens, look at him and tell me that I am lying."
Severus wound his free hand around the material at Chris's collar, his wand still pressed firmly at his jugular, and pulled him so closely that their noses were touching.
"Are you sleeping with my wife?" He breathed. "Show me."
Chris stiffened and then stilled, his eyes locked onto Severus's and became glassy. The two men stood there silently for a moment, and then just as suddenly as he had grabbed Chris, Severus released him.
"Pity . . ." He murmured. Shaking his head slowly, his back turned to Chris.
"Wha . . . What did you just do to me?" Chris breathed.
"Now do you see?" Hermione pleaded.
"I'd stay far away from this cretin in the future, my Love. His mind is a cesspool and although he has most certainly never touched you . . ."
"You're insane!" Chris shouted. "I'm leaving."
"Not yet, you loathsome waste." Turning on his heal, and pointing his wand at Chris once more, he shouted, "Obliviate!"
Chris stumbled backward, blinking owlishly.
"Severus! That was barbaric! You could have cooked his brain." Hermione gasped, setting Jasmine on the sofa.
"Show him out, Hermione, before I change my mind." Severus swept between them and went into the kitchen. There was the sound of glass clinking and water flowing from the tap.
"Chris? Are you ok?"
"Uhm. I think so. I just had a moment there."
"Well, thank you for seeing me in, as you can see nothing is out of place. I'm so silly; I must have left the door ajar. She made a little whoops gesture with her hands, and rolled her eyes.
"Any time Hermione." Chris mumbled absently before staggering out of the flat.
Hermione followed him as far as the door, locking the deadbolt and securing the chain.
She pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the door. 'Why now?' She wondered. 'Why can't he leave me in peace?' Her stomach was churning and the short hairs on her arms were standing at attention. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Jasmine was whimpering from her place on the couch. Hermione's hand stole to the bulge of bills in her pocket. Her purse and Jasmine's nappy bag were still piled by the door where she had left them. She could just grab her daughter and leave. Run into the night. But where would they go? If he had found her flat, he could find her anywhere. Her parent's home was definitely out of the question, she could not endanger them like that, not when they were all that she had in this world. She was tired of running away. She had been running for so long, and she was so very weary.
"Are you going to stand there all night?" Severus said.
Her eyes flew open. He was standing barely two feet away from her in the hall, a glass of ice water in his hand.
"Here, drink this." He pressed the glass into her hand.
"Why should I trust you?"
"My dear, if I were going to poison you, I would just do it. It's only water, drink it." He chuckled. "If you don't believe me . . ." He stepped closer, standing only inches from her. The scent of sandalwood invaded her nostrils. His scent. His hand grazed hers and he took the glass and raised it to his lips, emptying half of it in one smooth gulp. He handed her the half empty glass, ice tinkled against the sides. His long delicate fingers wiped at the wetness above his upper lip. "See, it's perfectly safe." He murmured.
"Thank you, Severus, but I would rather have tea." She gasped, sidling past him through the empty space between his body and the wall. She strode quickly to the kitchen, flustered and more than a little bit angry. 'Why is he behaving like this? If I didn't know better I'd think he was trying to seduce me.' She set the glass into the sink, pouring out the remaining liquid. The ice cubes settled into the drain. She felt someone touch her leg and she startled. Turning around quickly, expecting to find him there, she knocked over Jasmine, who had grabbed onto her pant leg. Jasmine sat on the floor with a thud and began to cry again.
"Oh honey, mummy's so sorry." She soothed, kneeling and scooping Jasmine into her arms. She bent her head into her daughter's neck, smelling the warm yeasty smell of her daughters skin. She needed a bath.
She heard Severus clear his throat, and looked up to see him standing in the doorway.
"So it's true then."
"Yes."
"She looks just like me." He breathed. His voice was awestruck. "Why didn't you tell me? I had no idea."
"I didn't think you would want to know. You told me before we were married that you didn't want children." She said simply.
"This changes everything." He said, moving to stand next to them. "Hello love. I'm your daddy." He said gently.
Jasmine clutched at her mother, and began mewling, her eyes bright with terror.
"Severus. I don't think she likes you very much right now. Please give her some time." Hermione's voice was low and she could not keep the anger she felt toward him from creeping in.
"She'll have more than enough time. . . later. I'm moving the both of you back to Hogwarts tonight." He said calmly.
"WHAT!"
If anyone is interested in betaing or brit picking this story for me please let me know. Reviews and con-crit are appreciated and encouraged.
O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
"Her father . . .You actually slept with this loser? Christ Hermione, he must be at least thirty years older than you."
The words were no sooner out of Chris's mouth than all hell broke loose. Severus was off of the floor so quickly that he looked like an inky blur. He barreled into the man, his wand pressed painfully into the side of Chris's thick neck, the tip digging into his jugular. Jasmine's squirming ceased. Eyes bulging, lips quivering, she looked at her father and gave a piercing shriek.
"SEVERUS, NO!" Hermione cried.
Hermione looked with horror as the scene unfolded before her. Jasmine was slipping from Chris's grasp, but Severus's fury was so great that he did not seem to notice. She lunged between the two, seizing Jasmine to her breast. Jasmine clung to her, howling into her chest.
"What? You have a knife? You want to cut me? Go ahead. I'll have your balls for garters before you can even stick me." Chris growled, trying to menace Severus, whose only answer was to press harder.
"I have killed for less. I could slaughter you with a word." His voice was hardly more than a whisper, his mouth was a thin grim line on his pallid face, and his dark eyes were narrowed in hatred. "So this is who you chose to replace me Hermione? This ape? I thought you were more discriminating. I must say I am disappointed."
"Severus, put your wand away." Hermione pleaded.
"I could make it look like an accident." Severus mused.
"WAND? You mean to tell me that this wanker has a wand at my neck? Oh mate, that does it." Chris raised his hand to smack the wand away.
"Chris, don't move. He's not lying. Severus, you are in serious breach of the Muggle Protection Act. Please put your wand away. Don't make me beg." Hermione kept her voice as neutral as she could, but there was a hint of hysteria around the edge of her words.
"Muggle Protection Act? Oh please, don't tell me that you've actually believe this headfuck's tosh?"
"SILENCE!" Severus snapped, spittle flecked from his mouth and Jasmine renewed her howling.
"Look what you've done. You should be ashamed of yourself, terrifying a child and bullying an innocent man." Hermione scolded, choosing to ignore Chris's asides to her. Instead she split her attention between Severus and her terrified daughter.
"Oh yes, I'm a monster and a bully, is that what you want to hear? As I recall those were your parting words to me, dearest Wife. If memory serves me I found you in similar straights once before. You were whoring around with Weasley, as I recall. I'm sure you remember how I dealt with him?"
Hermione recoiled as if slapped.
"Oh I remember." Her voice was low and bitter. "Know this, Severus. Chris is just as innocent as Ron was, let him go."
"Weasley learned a valuable lesson at the end of my boot, I doubt he'll ever pursue another married woman." He muttered.
"Chris is my 'neighbor', Severus, not my lover. You're a Legilimens, look at him and tell me that I am lying."
Severus wound his free hand around the material at Chris's collar, his wand still pressed firmly at his jugular, and pulled him so closely that their noses were touching.
"Are you sleeping with my wife?" He breathed. "Show me."
Chris stiffened and then stilled, his eyes locked onto Severus's and became glassy. The two men stood there silently for a moment, and then just as suddenly as he had grabbed Chris, Severus released him.
"Pity . . ." He murmured. Shaking his head slowly, his back turned to Chris.
"Wha . . . What did you just do to me?" Chris breathed.
"Now do you see?" Hermione pleaded.
"I'd stay far away from this cretin in the future, my Love. His mind is a cesspool and although he has most certainly never touched you . . ."
"You're insane!" Chris shouted. "I'm leaving."
"Not yet, you loathsome waste." Turning on his heal, and pointing his wand at Chris once more, he shouted, "Obliviate!"
Chris stumbled backward, blinking owlishly.
"Severus! That was barbaric! You could have cooked his brain." Hermione gasped, setting Jasmine on the sofa.
"Show him out, Hermione, before I change my mind." Severus swept between them and went into the kitchen. There was the sound of glass clinking and water flowing from the tap.
"Chris? Are you ok?"
"Uhm. I think so. I just had a moment there."
"Well, thank you for seeing me in, as you can see nothing is out of place. I'm so silly; I must have left the door ajar. She made a little whoops gesture with her hands, and rolled her eyes.
"Any time Hermione." Chris mumbled absently before staggering out of the flat.
Hermione followed him as far as the door, locking the deadbolt and securing the chain.
She pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the door. 'Why now?' She wondered. 'Why can't he leave me in peace?' Her stomach was churning and the short hairs on her arms were standing at attention. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Jasmine was whimpering from her place on the couch. Hermione's hand stole to the bulge of bills in her pocket. Her purse and Jasmine's nappy bag were still piled by the door where she had left them. She could just grab her daughter and leave. Run into the night. But where would they go? If he had found her flat, he could find her anywhere. Her parent's home was definitely out of the question, she could not endanger them like that, not when they were all that she had in this world. She was tired of running away. She had been running for so long, and she was so very weary.
"Are you going to stand there all night?" Severus said.
Her eyes flew open. He was standing barely two feet away from her in the hall, a glass of ice water in his hand.
"Here, drink this." He pressed the glass into her hand.
"Why should I trust you?"
"My dear, if I were going to poison you, I would just do it. It's only water, drink it." He chuckled. "If you don't believe me . . ." He stepped closer, standing only inches from her. The scent of sandalwood invaded her nostrils. His scent. His hand grazed hers and he took the glass and raised it to his lips, emptying half of it in one smooth gulp. He handed her the half empty glass, ice tinkled against the sides. His long delicate fingers wiped at the wetness above his upper lip. "See, it's perfectly safe." He murmured.
"Thank you, Severus, but I would rather have tea." She gasped, sidling past him through the empty space between his body and the wall. She strode quickly to the kitchen, flustered and more than a little bit angry. 'Why is he behaving like this? If I didn't know better I'd think he was trying to seduce me.' She set the glass into the sink, pouring out the remaining liquid. The ice cubes settled into the drain. She felt someone touch her leg and she startled. Turning around quickly, expecting to find him there, she knocked over Jasmine, who had grabbed onto her pant leg. Jasmine sat on the floor with a thud and began to cry again.
"Oh honey, mummy's so sorry." She soothed, kneeling and scooping Jasmine into her arms. She bent her head into her daughter's neck, smelling the warm yeasty smell of her daughters skin. She needed a bath.
She heard Severus clear his throat, and looked up to see him standing in the doorway.
"So it's true then."
"Yes."
"She looks just like me." He breathed. His voice was awestruck. "Why didn't you tell me? I had no idea."
"I didn't think you would want to know. You told me before we were married that you didn't want children." She said simply.
"This changes everything." He said, moving to stand next to them. "Hello love. I'm your daddy." He said gently.
Jasmine clutched at her mother, and began mewling, her eyes bright with terror.
"Severus. I don't think she likes you very much right now. Please give her some time." Hermione's voice was low and she could not keep the anger she felt toward him from creeping in.
"She'll have more than enough time. . . later. I'm moving the both of you back to Hogwarts tonight." He said calmly.
"WHAT!"