Author's Notes: I haven't been able to update this as frequently as I had done with my first story... but hope to be able to get back into the routine of posting more regularly within the next week or two. For more information, please see the more detailed author's notes that I post at my Yahoo group (link is in my profile).
Thank you to all of my readers! All questions, comments and constructive criticism are welcome if you would like to leave a review!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters and settings from the books in the series are copyright JK Rowling. They are not being used for profit, only for personal enjoyment.
The sound of the door opening woke her an hour later. She hurriedly brushed the tears from her face and ran her fingers through her hair before reaching to pull her dressing gown closed. She hadn't bothered to dress before collapsing earlier, and her gown had fallen open to expose a bit too much skin. Pulling a blanket over herself, she looked up just as Remus, carrying a tray of food, and Elizabeth entered the room with Samuel. She smiled as her son toddled over to the bed and held his arms out to her. She was still amazed at how quickly he got around on his own now that he was walking. Pulling him into her lap, she said, "Your father would be very pleased to see you walking like this, Samuel."
"Faaaa...?"
Hermione gasped, "That's right, Samuel! Say it again!"
Samuel giggled but made no further attempt to utter the word 'Father'.
Her eyes glistened with tears as she embraced her son, whispering hoarsely, "If only your father were here to have heard you say it..."
Remus smiled, "Hermione... perhaps it would be good for Severus if Samuel were to visit him."
This time when Hermione smiled, it reached her eyes, "Yes. Of course! Samuel, would you like to go see your father?"
Samuel bounced up and down on the bed, giggling in delight.
"It's settled, then. Let Mummy get dressed, and then we'll go see him!"
"Not so fast, Hermione!" Elizabeth smiled, "You have to eat, first."
"I'm not hungry..."
"Hermione. Your mother is right! It just won't do for you to not eat. You... and the baby... need nourishment."
She sighed in resignation, beckoning Remus with a wave of her hand to bring the tray over to the bed, before reluctantly nibbling on a piece of toast and sipping her pumpkin juice.
"You'll have to do better than that, Hermione." Elizabeth smiled as she pointed to the tray of food, "Every bite, young lady!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes ma'am," she mumbled. She felt as though they were treating her like a child... and didn't know if she should resent that, or be grateful for the fact that her mother was there to take care of her. She sighed as she realized that it was definitely the latter of the two. As stubborn as she was, she would have allowed herself to waste away, wallowing in grief, if not for her mother and Remus.
While she finished her breakfast, Elizabeth took Samuel into the nursery to dress him for a visit with his father. Hermione took the opportunity to ask Remus what had happened the previous night.
He sighed as he rubbed his hand wearily over his face and through his hair, before turning his tired gaze to her and responding, "Honestly, Hermione, I don't know. I tracked him down just last evening. I thought I had finally convinced him to come back to Hogwarts, and the next thing I knew, he had shaken me off and apparated to Malfoy Manor. By the time I figured out where he had gone, and caught up to him, I found him injured. How it happened, I haven't the slightest clue!"
"Malfoy," Hermione sighed, "Do you think he did this?"
"When I saw him laying there, that was my first thought..." he replied, "but, when I realized that he wasn't dead... or mortally wounded... I knew that it couldn't have been Lucius. If he had decided to attack Severus..." Remus tried to supress a shudder before he continued, "suffice it to say that Severus would not have gotten off so easily."
"But then... who?" Hermione rasped, "Draco?"
Remus shook his head, "I can't say for sure, Hermione, but I don't think so. He and Severus are on good terms. Severus trusts the boy... and that is saying quite a lot."
Hermione finished her breakfast in silence, contemplating the mystery of what had happened to her husband. By the time she finished, and excused herself to dress for the day, Elizabeth had returned from the nursery with Samuel. He was looking quite adorable in blue corduroy coveralls, staring at his feet as he tried to walk around in his very first pair of trainers. "Wait until your father sees you, little one!" she smiled as she grabbed his hand and walked towards the door.
Elizabeth and Remus accompanied them to the hospital wing, as Samuel was not yet up to the task of climbing the massive staircases, and Hermione was no longer able to carry him up so many flights of stairs. When they reached the infirmary, they left Hermione and Samuel at the door, to spend time alone with Severus, promising to return in half an hour to relieve her of Samuel.
Hermione grasped Samuel's hand as she led him inside. She was half afraid that Madame Pomfrey might object to Samuel being in the infirmary, but her fears were relieved when she met the woman's smiling face before she bent down to greet the child, "Hello, Samuel! I think that a visit from you may be just what your father needs!" She turned to Hermione, "Just make sure he takes it easy in there... If he gets to be a handful for you, come and get me. I'll keep an eye on him while you spend time with Severus." She led them forward and parted the curtains for Hermione to enter, before backing out and letting the curtain drop once again.
"Severus," Hermione leaned in to whisper in his ear, "There is somebody here who is anxious to see you!"
She sank into the chair by the bed, and lifted Samuel in to her lap, "Say hello to your father, Samuel! Tell him how much you've missed him..."
Samuel leaned forward and looked into Severus' face, smiling as he reached out for him.
"No, Samuel. He can't hold you right now. Perhaps you can sit by his side," she said as she lifted the child onto the bed. Samuel promptly lay down beside Severus and shoved his thumb into his mouth as he stared at the still form of his father. Reaching out with his other hand, he touched Severus' face and muttered around his thumb, "Faaa..."
A tear slid down Hermione's face, "Did you hear that, Severus? He's asking for you..."
"Fa..."
"Your father is sleeping, Samuel," Hermione whispered through her tears as she eased herself onto the edge of the bed, where she leaned over to embrace her husband and her son, "He needs you, Severus. Please, come back to us."
The arm that she had spread out over him slid down his side until her hand could grasp his. She was holding his hand so tightly that she didn't feel his fingers gently squeeze hers in return.
*****
Severus was trapped. He could hear her... feel her... smell her. But he couldn't open his eyes. Was it all a dream? Then a small warm body curled up next to his.
"Faaa?"
At the sound of his son calling for him, Severus wanted to reach out and take the child into his arms. But he couldn't move. The additional presence of his wife's warm body bending over him, embracing him, made him want to cry out to her. He had missed her so much...
*I love you...* he thought as he desperately willed his eyes to open, his mouth to speak... but he couldn't. If only he could reach up and stroke her hair... comfort her and let her know that he knew that she was there. He felt her warm hand reach for his, and as she squeezed it firmly in her grasp, he finally found the strength to respond, by weakly returning the gesture.
*****
Curled into the comfort of his father's side, Samuel was drifting off to sleep just as Remus and Elizabeth returned to take him back to the dungeons. Hermione was nearly asleep herself, and wasn't aware of their approach until she felt a strong hand clasp her shoulder. Reaching up to grasp Remus' hand, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the peaceful vision of her husband and their son on the bed.
"Hermione, darling," her mother spoke as she stepped up in front of her, "do you want us to take him now?"
Hermione sighed and nodded her head, "As much as I hate to disrupt them, Samuel really does need to get a decent nap."
Remus stepped forward and approached the bed, gently lifting the child into his arms without waking him, while Elizabeth stooped to kiss her daughter goodbye before they left the hospital wing.
After they left, Hermione crawled into bed beside her husband, gently taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen to feel the life stirring within. Smiling, she spoke softly to him, "Any day now, Severus! Our child will be here. I need you by my side, love! Please wake up!"
She stopped speaking as a sudden tightening of her uterus made her gasp.
"Madame Pomfrey," she called softly, hoping that she would be heard, "Madame Pomfrey!" she raised her voice just a bit louder when she didn't receive a response.
Moments later, she heard Madame Pomfrey parting the curtains that secluded Severus from the rest of the ward. "What is it, Hermione," she asked as she rushed to Severus' side to check on him.
"It's not Severus," Hermione rasped, her eyes wide in fear, "It's me... I think I just had a contraction."
Poppy walked around the bed and placed her hand on Hermione's abdomen just as it began to tighten again.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
Hermione shook her head as the woman helped her to her feet, "Come, child. Let me examine you."
She led her to another bed to be examined, and a few minutes later, Hermione asked fearfully, "Is it time?"
"Not yet, Hermione. You are indeed having contractions, but you are not in labor. This is just your body's way of preparing for the real thing." Poppy reached down to squeeze her hand reassuringly, "Be grateful! These early contractions are helping you to begin dilating. When the time comes, it will be much easier on you."
Hermione smiled in relief, "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Not at all, Hermione! After the ordeal of your first experience in childbirth, it's only natural for you to be a bit nervous. Please, come to me with your concerns any time. Besides, at this stage in your pregnancy, you should come to me for a weekly check."
"I will," Hermione replied as she rose to her feet and returned to her husband's bedside.
"Did you hear that, love?" she whispered in his ear, before sobbing "Oh... I hope you can hear me!"
*****
*I can hear you!* he wanted to cry out. He felt everything as she had placed his hand on the swell of their unborn child. The movements of the baby, and the tightening of her womb. He heard everything that Poppy had told her, and vowed to fight to come back to witness the birth of his second child.
Thank you to all of my readers! All questions, comments and constructive criticism are welcome if you would like to leave a review!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters and settings from the books in the series are copyright JK Rowling. They are not being used for profit, only for personal enjoyment.
The sound of the door opening woke her an hour later. She hurriedly brushed the tears from her face and ran her fingers through her hair before reaching to pull her dressing gown closed. She hadn't bothered to dress before collapsing earlier, and her gown had fallen open to expose a bit too much skin. Pulling a blanket over herself, she looked up just as Remus, carrying a tray of food, and Elizabeth entered the room with Samuel. She smiled as her son toddled over to the bed and held his arms out to her. She was still amazed at how quickly he got around on his own now that he was walking. Pulling him into her lap, she said, "Your father would be very pleased to see you walking like this, Samuel."
"Faaaa...?"
Hermione gasped, "That's right, Samuel! Say it again!"
Samuel giggled but made no further attempt to utter the word 'Father'.
Her eyes glistened with tears as she embraced her son, whispering hoarsely, "If only your father were here to have heard you say it..."
Remus smiled, "Hermione... perhaps it would be good for Severus if Samuel were to visit him."
This time when Hermione smiled, it reached her eyes, "Yes. Of course! Samuel, would you like to go see your father?"
Samuel bounced up and down on the bed, giggling in delight.
"It's settled, then. Let Mummy get dressed, and then we'll go see him!"
"Not so fast, Hermione!" Elizabeth smiled, "You have to eat, first."
"I'm not hungry..."
"Hermione. Your mother is right! It just won't do for you to not eat. You... and the baby... need nourishment."
She sighed in resignation, beckoning Remus with a wave of her hand to bring the tray over to the bed, before reluctantly nibbling on a piece of toast and sipping her pumpkin juice.
"You'll have to do better than that, Hermione." Elizabeth smiled as she pointed to the tray of food, "Every bite, young lady!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes ma'am," she mumbled. She felt as though they were treating her like a child... and didn't know if she should resent that, or be grateful for the fact that her mother was there to take care of her. She sighed as she realized that it was definitely the latter of the two. As stubborn as she was, she would have allowed herself to waste away, wallowing in grief, if not for her mother and Remus.
While she finished her breakfast, Elizabeth took Samuel into the nursery to dress him for a visit with his father. Hermione took the opportunity to ask Remus what had happened the previous night.
He sighed as he rubbed his hand wearily over his face and through his hair, before turning his tired gaze to her and responding, "Honestly, Hermione, I don't know. I tracked him down just last evening. I thought I had finally convinced him to come back to Hogwarts, and the next thing I knew, he had shaken me off and apparated to Malfoy Manor. By the time I figured out where he had gone, and caught up to him, I found him injured. How it happened, I haven't the slightest clue!"
"Malfoy," Hermione sighed, "Do you think he did this?"
"When I saw him laying there, that was my first thought..." he replied, "but, when I realized that he wasn't dead... or mortally wounded... I knew that it couldn't have been Lucius. If he had decided to attack Severus..." Remus tried to supress a shudder before he continued, "suffice it to say that Severus would not have gotten off so easily."
"But then... who?" Hermione rasped, "Draco?"
Remus shook his head, "I can't say for sure, Hermione, but I don't think so. He and Severus are on good terms. Severus trusts the boy... and that is saying quite a lot."
Hermione finished her breakfast in silence, contemplating the mystery of what had happened to her husband. By the time she finished, and excused herself to dress for the day, Elizabeth had returned from the nursery with Samuel. He was looking quite adorable in blue corduroy coveralls, staring at his feet as he tried to walk around in his very first pair of trainers. "Wait until your father sees you, little one!" she smiled as she grabbed his hand and walked towards the door.
Elizabeth and Remus accompanied them to the hospital wing, as Samuel was not yet up to the task of climbing the massive staircases, and Hermione was no longer able to carry him up so many flights of stairs. When they reached the infirmary, they left Hermione and Samuel at the door, to spend time alone with Severus, promising to return in half an hour to relieve her of Samuel.
Hermione grasped Samuel's hand as she led him inside. She was half afraid that Madame Pomfrey might object to Samuel being in the infirmary, but her fears were relieved when she met the woman's smiling face before she bent down to greet the child, "Hello, Samuel! I think that a visit from you may be just what your father needs!" She turned to Hermione, "Just make sure he takes it easy in there... If he gets to be a handful for you, come and get me. I'll keep an eye on him while you spend time with Severus." She led them forward and parted the curtains for Hermione to enter, before backing out and letting the curtain drop once again.
"Severus," Hermione leaned in to whisper in his ear, "There is somebody here who is anxious to see you!"
She sank into the chair by the bed, and lifted Samuel in to her lap, "Say hello to your father, Samuel! Tell him how much you've missed him..."
Samuel leaned forward and looked into Severus' face, smiling as he reached out for him.
"No, Samuel. He can't hold you right now. Perhaps you can sit by his side," she said as she lifted the child onto the bed. Samuel promptly lay down beside Severus and shoved his thumb into his mouth as he stared at the still form of his father. Reaching out with his other hand, he touched Severus' face and muttered around his thumb, "Faaa..."
A tear slid down Hermione's face, "Did you hear that, Severus? He's asking for you..."
"Fa..."
"Your father is sleeping, Samuel," Hermione whispered through her tears as she eased herself onto the edge of the bed, where she leaned over to embrace her husband and her son, "He needs you, Severus. Please, come back to us."
The arm that she had spread out over him slid down his side until her hand could grasp his. She was holding his hand so tightly that she didn't feel his fingers gently squeeze hers in return.
*****
Severus was trapped. He could hear her... feel her... smell her. But he couldn't open his eyes. Was it all a dream? Then a small warm body curled up next to his.
"Faaa?"
At the sound of his son calling for him, Severus wanted to reach out and take the child into his arms. But he couldn't move. The additional presence of his wife's warm body bending over him, embracing him, made him want to cry out to her. He had missed her so much...
*I love you...* he thought as he desperately willed his eyes to open, his mouth to speak... but he couldn't. If only he could reach up and stroke her hair... comfort her and let her know that he knew that she was there. He felt her warm hand reach for his, and as she squeezed it firmly in her grasp, he finally found the strength to respond, by weakly returning the gesture.
*****
Curled into the comfort of his father's side, Samuel was drifting off to sleep just as Remus and Elizabeth returned to take him back to the dungeons. Hermione was nearly asleep herself, and wasn't aware of their approach until she felt a strong hand clasp her shoulder. Reaching up to grasp Remus' hand, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the peaceful vision of her husband and their son on the bed.
"Hermione, darling," her mother spoke as she stepped up in front of her, "do you want us to take him now?"
Hermione sighed and nodded her head, "As much as I hate to disrupt them, Samuel really does need to get a decent nap."
Remus stepped forward and approached the bed, gently lifting the child into his arms without waking him, while Elizabeth stooped to kiss her daughter goodbye before they left the hospital wing.
After they left, Hermione crawled into bed beside her husband, gently taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen to feel the life stirring within. Smiling, she spoke softly to him, "Any day now, Severus! Our child will be here. I need you by my side, love! Please wake up!"
She stopped speaking as a sudden tightening of her uterus made her gasp.
"Madame Pomfrey," she called softly, hoping that she would be heard, "Madame Pomfrey!" she raised her voice just a bit louder when she didn't receive a response.
Moments later, she heard Madame Pomfrey parting the curtains that secluded Severus from the rest of the ward. "What is it, Hermione," she asked as she rushed to Severus' side to check on him.
"It's not Severus," Hermione rasped, her eyes wide in fear, "It's me... I think I just had a contraction."
Poppy walked around the bed and placed her hand on Hermione's abdomen just as it began to tighten again.
"Are you in pain?" she asked.
Hermione shook her head as the woman helped her to her feet, "Come, child. Let me examine you."
She led her to another bed to be examined, and a few minutes later, Hermione asked fearfully, "Is it time?"
"Not yet, Hermione. You are indeed having contractions, but you are not in labor. This is just your body's way of preparing for the real thing." Poppy reached down to squeeze her hand reassuringly, "Be grateful! These early contractions are helping you to begin dilating. When the time comes, it will be much easier on you."
Hermione smiled in relief, "Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Not at all, Hermione! After the ordeal of your first experience in childbirth, it's only natural for you to be a bit nervous. Please, come to me with your concerns any time. Besides, at this stage in your pregnancy, you should come to me for a weekly check."
"I will," Hermione replied as she rose to her feet and returned to her husband's bedside.
"Did you hear that, love?" she whispered in his ear, before sobbing "Oh... I hope you can hear me!"
*****
*I can hear you!* he wanted to cry out. He felt everything as she had placed his hand on the swell of their unborn child. The movements of the baby, and the tightening of her womb. He heard everything that Poppy had told her, and vowed to fight to come back to witness the birth of his second child.