Disclaimer: I do not own the harry potter universe, don't sue me.
Author's note: This is a short one, sorry. I have had some trouble with editing. I wanted to let those of you reading this fic know that it is not a work in progress, i have finished the story aside from editing. Unfortunately, i don't have a great deal of time to edit. I will post more of the story when i can!!!! Thanks again for all my reviews...they are really great!
Chapter 9:Orphans of the World Unite
"I've taken Mrs. Granger back to London, Madame Stuart. She preferred the return." Severus mumbled as he looked in on Hermione quite a bit later that night after everyone else had been through. He honestly just wanted to rest her mind about her Mum, but then, he hadn't told her the worst news just yet. She tore her eyes from the book she had been pretending to read to make people leave and saw for once a sincere look on Severus Snape's face. She pulled a bookmark from her shelf and motioned for him to sit in the chair by the bed, but he didn't (couldn't) move.
"I'm afraid I've caused quite a bit of senseless trouble today, Severus." Hermione said, trying to raise herself up on her elbows.
"You see, I've been so overly emotional lately and this morning, I just couldn't think straight or forget the littlest petty things. I hope I haven't ruined your holiday." She tried with effort again to raise herself but unceremoniously, she fell back to the bed again. A sigh heavy with guilt escaped her parched lips and she melted into the bed.
"I thank you for everything, but it seems I have not recovered my strength as of yet and in that light, it would probably benefit you more to leave."
"I rather like watching you struggle, it reminds me of your younger days." Her eyes faced him immediately boring into them as if they were inches from her face. But, instead of the normal sneer and squint, she saw a joking face, a smile almost.
"I see that took care of your self-pity." He finally stepped into the room and sat stiffly in the chair on her left side.
"The ankle is healed, but I fear you'll have to remain in bed for at least the morning." He added as he sat in the chair.
"I'm sure I was horrible" She said, not exactly to him, but to the air in fact.
"Not horrible, you were unconscious after all." His hands rested on his knees as he thought of a thousand ways to tell her that her Mum had died soon after she was returned to her home. He thought of Marjorie Granger's face and her last words, 'Tell Hermione I will miss her'. Such predictable sentiments from someone who obviously knew nothing of her daughter or her daughter's life. Before he could change his mind, before the reality of what he was doing set in, he reached with his pale cold hands to grasp Hermione's and sighed.
"Your Mum passed soon after I returned her." He had rehearsed it so many times in his mind, yet the sting was all too palpable, he couldn't escape her eyes.
"Was she in pain? She didn't act like she was here, but I was afraid." Hermione asked, searching his eyes for reassurance. She was surprised he was the one telling her the news, that he hadn't asked Ron or Sallie to tell her.
"She was in no pain. She asked me to tell you that she will miss you." Hermione took in a deep breath, so hard and deep that she felt heavy with the air filling every inch of her lungs. His hands were cold.
"Thank you for bringing her here, Severus, I needed to let go of her." Hermione whispered, her eyes still on his.
"It was the least I could do." He maintained the contact with her for a minute or more and then released her hands softly onto the comforter. He had never been good at comforting people and he rather hated situations such as those that required him to comfort someone. The windows shook with the force of the wind just feet from them and broke the bitter silence.
"I contacted the nurse that was living with her and then the authorities. The burial will be in two days." He faced the window now, not wanting to suffer her crying again.
"I've contacted Albus as well to make sure Henry has a time allowance on his return to school."
"You've really thought of it all, haven't you?" She garbled as she finally had enough energy to pull herself up from the squashy bed. The tea beside her bed had gone cold, like his hands, his hands on hers
"I hate to ask you this, as personal as it is, but I rather require the loo and cannot make it on my own." Hermione swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tried to put pressure on her ankle and at first it seemed much better until an awkward pain shot through her leg. At least she would be better in the morning.
"Can you put your arm around my shoulder?"
"Yes, but bend down a little." She placed her arm around his strong, yet lean shoulder and tried to pull herself up to his side. It was tricky and all together quite uncomfortable, but eventually they made it to her bathroom some eight feet away.
"Thank you." Quietly, she moved to the door to close a little and tried to use the restroom. She became quite aware of his presence. Was he listening?
"I'll go warm your tea." He said chastely and flew down the stairs as quickly as possible.
"How did you get back to bed?" He asked as he entered the room and saw her sitting Indian style on the bed, her strength returning in droves.
"A little trick Ron taught me."
"There were two kinds and since there were no labels, I chose the lighter one." Hermione smiled and thanked him.
"Sorry, I keep thanking you, I know how much you loathe that."
"I don't loathe being thanked, Hermione, I despise the feeling of constantly being thanked and being without words to reply." He took the seat again.
"I should feel worse, I should feel mournful. I have lost my Mum." Hermione sipped her tea and rubbed her stomach absentmindedly, she wondered if all pregnant women did it.
"We all lose our parents eventually."
"I wasn't pitying myself, thank you, I was bringing the situation to life. I should be mourning her, yet I know she has chosen this day to die. I knew it this morning and that is why I had to go to her and find closure."
"Were you not close?" Severus asked, though he knew the answer to that question without asking it.
"Hardly. She was never very supportive of my being at Hogwarts. I truly believe she hoped I would 'grow out' of magic." She paused, taking another sip of tea and continuing the slow semicircles around her belly, she noticed the baby was restless as well. "I loved her like every child loves their parents even if they are cruel or abusive, not that she was ever abusive, but cruel definitely. I will be sad to see her without life and remorseful that my children have lost another grandparent."
"You should rest more." Severus stood slowly and looked down at the woman, her appearance hadn't changed much since her last year of school but she seemed more complete. He noticed as a student that she was always rushed and without proper rest, not that he was ever lenient on her.
"I've done all the sleeping I can today."
"There was obviously a need for that rest, Madame Stuart, or you wouldn't have remained unconscious for so long."
"Henry didn't get to have Christmas again this year."
"Henry is resting on the couch downstairs, would you like him to come up here?" Hermione went to the edge of the bed and tried to stand again, her ankle was fine, but there was still a small pain. As she pulled herself up, she braced herself with the bedpost as took a few slow steps to the door.
"I'll manage down the stairs." She replied. He scowled, opened the door, and hoped that when they completed the stairs, he would be free to leave.
"Henry, would you boil some water please?" Hermione called from the stairs, thinking some hot chocolate would be quite nice.
"It's four in the morning, I highly doubt he is still awake." Severus sneered.
"I didn't realize it was so late or rather early. Please go home, take rest. I appreciate all you have done for me, but I know you're ready to leave." She faced him when she spoke and then turned to the last step, the step where she'd fallen earlier. As she hoped slightly onto the chilled wooden floor, she noticed the house was dreadfully quiet. A small thump into her ribs disturbed her unhappy thought and she stopped. Sometimes, though it was growing harder, she forgot that she harboured a child in her abdomen.
"Let me get to the kitchen." She said to the baby, glad it was active but still needing the stillness to walk.
"I'm not standing in your way." Severus replied to her comment.
"I was referring to the baby, it won't stop kicking me in the ribs. Usually it means it's hungry, but I couldn't possibly eat right now." Hermione continued her slow walk to the kitchen and then to the icebox to find something she might be able to choke down.
"Contact the manor if you are in need of assistance. The floo is not working so come to the manor on Tuesday to go to London, if you need to." Severus buttoned the top of his cloak and charmed his boots to be waterproof.
"Thank you again." She said, but he was gone before she finished. She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable he had been taking care of her. Though he hadn't been there the whole night, she knew it was he that had healed her ankle and made sure someone was with her while she was unconscious. Before attempting to climb the stairs once more, she looked in on Henry. His face seemed worried in his sleep and she hoped that she hadn't ruined another holiday.
"I love you, Henry." She whispered, kissing his forehead. She looked to the top of the stairs, but decided they were too challenging for the present. Instead, she looked to the free sofa and slowly rested against the cushions. She wondered why it had been so difficult to make herself wake up. She'd heard everyone talking around her, Harry's odd and sentimental confession, Ron's words of comfort and Sallie's sobs, but she hadn't been able to reply. She heaved a sigh and turned to face Henry from across the room. He looked so like his father in the pale light of the room.
And with ease, she fell into a deep sleep.
"You really shouldn't sleep on the couch, you'll ruin your back."
"I wasn't there for long, besides, I rather like the couch, it's more comfortable than trying to sleep on that infernal bed with you taking both sides." Hermione rubbed her eyes and realized she was not in her living room, but a room she didn't recognize at all.
"Come into the bathroom and help me with this, I'm trying to be muggle today." Hermione stood and noticed her belly was down to its' original size and that she was wearing emerald green dress robes.
"Why are you wearing muggle clothes to the reception?" Hermione asked, wondering why she knew Wallace was going to a reception.
"For Albus, dear, he wanted us to wear muggle attire, remember?" Hermione slowly turned the handle on the door and walked into the fogged bathroom. She glanced in the mirror before looking to her husband and saw that she'd aged a bit probably five or so years.
"Is this right?" He turned to face her, only his face wasn't Wallace's, it was Severus's.
"No, the small bit goes in the back." Hermione reached forward to the tie and fixed his collar. He looked down on her with softened eyes, eyes like she'd seen at Christmas when he was watching his family.
"Thank you, Hermione." He leaned down to her and kissed her lips.
"We're going to be late, Severus." Hermione turned from him, but felt his hand on her shoulder.
"I hope this doesn't take all night, I've a surprise for you later." Hermione smiled and smoothed his hand against his shoulder.
Then, Hermione heard a light rapping on the pillow beside he head. She was awake quickly.
"Mum, are you awake yet?" Henry asked standing over her lifeless form.
"I am now, dear." Henry smiled mischievously and tore the blanket from her body.
"I have a present for you that you didn't open yet." Henry placed the small package on his Mum's lap and waited for her to sit up.
"I told you not to buy me anything this year, Henry." Hermione beamed at her son and tore the edges of the package away and looked down on the present.
"It's not anything much. I bought the book in Diagon alley when we went to get my owl. It's only got five pictures, but I thought we could fill it with more from Christmas and stuff." Hermione looked through the pictures Henry had placed in the photo album. There were two from his Quidditch practice with Severus and Michael. There was one of the house, of Micah flying off with a letter on her leg and the last was of Hermione asleep in her bedroom.
"I took that one because you looked peaceful." Henry said. Hermione squeezed him in her arms and tried to stand.
"I am peaceful, darling." Hermione walked slowly to the kitchen boiled some water for tea. She couldn't shake the dream, that she'd believed so much that it was Wallace and it turned out to be Severus. Did it mean she was developing feelings for him or that he was developing feelings for her? She couldn't decipher her feelings and honestly just wanted a nice cup of tea.
"Did Master Snape talk with you about Nana last night?"
"Yes, he told me she died." Henry replied, his face saddened by the reality of her passing.
"She was very ill and it was her time." Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder and rested her chin on it.
"I am sorry she's gone, Mum."
"Me too." They drank some tea and ate a biscuit or two before heading back upstairs to change and open the rest of the Christmas presents. Hermione couldn't help but feel completely full with the weight of her emotions. She had lost Wallace and her Mum in one year.
"Let's watch a movie, dear." Hermione flipped on her television and sat beside Henry on the couch. She opened her cheese crisps and swallowed a bit of her pumpkin juice before wrapping a blanket around her legs.
"Hermione, we've brought cake." Ron called out from the kitchen.
"Cake?" Hermione stood slowly and went to the kitchen.
"You look much better today." Ron said, as Hermione leaned down to his chair to squeeze his hand.
"Chocolate or vanilla, Hermione?" Sallie asked, cutting the separate cakes.
"Chocolate please." Sallie handed the cake to Hermione and then served the boys.
"We should do this more often." Ron said as vanilla cake smeared his face.
"Thank you both for taking care of me."
"It's nothing, love." Ron and Sallie exchanged looks of worry, but hid their emotions from Hermione.
"We'll open tomorrow for a couple hours to check inventory and then we can have a late lunch, is that okay?"
"Sounds great." Sallie sat beside Hermione and ate her vanilla cake, hoping Hermione was truly feeling better. The worried sounds of Hermione's sleep were enough to think Hermione completely depressed.
"To the new year." Hermione raised her glass and tipped it towards her friends.
"A whole new year."
