Disclaimer: Not mine; don't own any of 'em. I do however enjoy borrowing them on occasion . . .

Severus knew something was wrong within minutes of Draco leaving his private quarters. A general feeling of dread slowly encompassed him, and he was reminded of what it had felt like to be summoned by Voldemort. He knew it could not be the Dark Lord, so his thoughts quickly turned to his conversation with Draco. After a moment of pacing and contemplation, he snapped to attention and rushed out of his quarters in search of his wife. Pansy Parkinson was inconsistent at best when it came to her emotions, and she was likely upset after Draco's parting words. That meant bad news for Hermione if the Slytherin witch were to cross her path. Severus knew he had to find one or the other and prevent Parkinson from causing any harm.

: P

Dumbledore paced in his office waiting for news of Lady Snape's condition. Madam Pomfrey said her tests would take some time, but several hours had already passed. The headmaster sent the deputy headmistress on the errand of finding Severus just to keep her busy, but so far she had not found the Potions Master. Dumbledore knew there were easier ways of finding him, but then again, Severus always did a fantastic job of hiding when he did not wish to be found. "Awful time to disappear, Severus," Dumbledore mused to himself. Fawkes, his phoenix, squawked loudly, lit up in a poof of fire and smoke, and turned to ashes. Dumbledore watched, sighed when the phoenix was done, and sat down heavily in his armchair. He really could not wait much longer. The suspense was beginning to be too much for him, and he said out loud, "I'm getting too old for all this." A newborn Fawkes squeaked in response as it brushed off the ashes from its body. McGonagall walked in, looking as worn and tired as her counterpart, and sat across from Albus. Neither said anything to the other; it just helped being in each other's presence. The alternative was to wait alone, and that certainly did not appeal to either of them.

: P

Severus saw Parkinson come rushing past him. She obviously noticed him but said nothing. Her demeanor told Severus something had already taken place either between his wife and the girl, or between her and Draco. He considered this briefly, but stopped dead in his tracks as Madam Pomfrey, followed by a levitating Hermione went towards the hospital wing. They had not seen him, as he was a good ways down the corridor and nearly out of sight around the corner as it was. He realized he had a decision to make. He could see to his wife, or he could attempt to follow Parkinson. He opted for the latter realizing Hermione was in the best care possible and there would, in fact, be nothing for him to do while the mediwitch checked on Hermione's condition. He quickly turned around and went back in the direction he had come. Finding Parkinson was already a long shot, but he had to at least try. Merlin knows where he would have to look for her if she made it out of Hogwarts.

Severus' advantage was that he knew all the back ways and shortcuts in the castle. He made it to the Slytherin common room in no time, arriving just in time to see Parkinson light in green flames and disappear through the floo network. Several bewildered first and second years looked between the professor and the flames. "Quickly, tell me where she went," he demanded of them. The students looked at him blankly. He realized their memory of the incident had been erased. Picking up the empty bag of floo powder on the floor, he considered the situation for a moment then pulled out his wand and pointed it at the fireplace. He attempted every spell he could think of that might reveal where she went, but it was no use. Somehow, Parkinson had managed to shield that, something he previously thought her incapable of doing. Wherever she went, she wanted to make sure no one followed any time soon. Undoubtedly, she would be seen by one of his contacts, but there was no telling when that was. Severus would be in contact with them shortly, no doubt. Parkinson had suddenly made it personal, and he was not about to let that go without being sure she got her just dues.

: P

He never remembered the walk from the Slytherin section of the castle to the hospital wing to be as long as it was. Maybe it was the fallout after the rush of adrenaline he had chasing after that blasted Parkinson girl, or maybe it was because his thoughts kept straying to the worst possible outcome, he did not know. He just knew the hospital wing seemed very, very, very far away, and that he had to get there faster than he currently was. Of course, the fact that he blamed himself for the mess was not helping at all. 'If only I'd stopped her earlier . . . If only I'd chased after her when I first saw her . . . if only . . . if only.' It was the only phrase going through his head until he ran into the very door he was looking for. It was odd for the hospital wing to be completely closed off, he knew. He backed up, tried the door, and discovered it would not budge. He tried a couple unlocking spells, but they did not work either. He stood away from the doors looking at them forlornly, then angrily, then guiltily as he went through emotion after emotion. Just when he though his turmoil would overtake him, the doors opened. Several mediwitches and wizards came out with Hermione levitating behind them. He briefly wondered where they had come from. He then noticed the St. Mungo's insignia on one the witches' hats.

Poppy Pomfrey followed them out. She noticed the slightly shocked Severus and instructed the St. Mungo's staff to take him with them back to London. She herself did not have the energy to inform him of specifics of his wife's condition. She would already have to be in touch with the headmaster and deputy headmistress, as they were already on their way. Presumably, Albus Dumbledore would then have to contact the Grangers of their daughter's misfortune. It all just seemed wrong that when Severus Snape seemed content in life, the bottom would fall out in such a way and take away his happiness.

: P

Severus followed blindly through the brightly lit corridors of St. Mungo's Hospital. He knew Hermione was in the best care possible, but they had yet to tell him anything about her condition. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with that fact, as well as having let Parkinson get away. At least he now knew her true allegiance. He snorted at the thought that between him and Draco they could not discern that. 'Some spies we turned out to be,' he thought. Finally, he was shown into the designated room. He sat in the chair furthest from anyone sitting in the room and turned to the corner to further close himself off from the rest of the world. He knew he was vulnerable in his current state, but it was something he knew he needed to allow himself to feel under the circumstances. No doubt Albus would tell him to pep up and try to find the good in all this.

Several hours passed and still no one came to talk to him about his wife. The room had emptied as others were able to visit relatives or take home loved ones. Because of this, Severus finally felt comfortable enough to pace around the room. He knew it would do no good, but at least feeling in his legs slowly returned. He stopped and looked up as he noticed a pair of feet standing near the doorway. He looked up to see Dumbledore. McGonagall walked in behind him with David and Angelina Granger. He simply nodded to them and continued with his pacing. He knew they would forgive his nervous meanderings. Albus in particular knew that Severus would probably not be interested in speaking of the matter.

"Severus, Minerva and I must return to Hogwarts, but we wished to be sure you and the Grangers made it safely to the hospital. I trust you will make sure they return safely home."

Had he been paying attention, Severus would have noticed how old the headmaster looked at sounded at that very moment. However, he only half heard all of it because his thoughts and worries seemed to drown out just about everything else. He looked at the headmaster and said in a quiet voice that sounded nothing like him, "I will."

"Very well. And do please inform us of anything." That received a distracted nod. McGonagall gave the Grangers supportive look and then left with Dumbledore.

Severus sat down again since the Grangers were there, although he said nothing. He knew they were as curious as he was, but he did not know anything other than Hermione's assailant had escaped. Finally, after another hour of silence from Severus and small talk between David and Angelina to pass the time, one of the mediwitches that Severus recognized from the school came into the room. She sat across from the three of them and said, "You'll be able to see Hermione shortly. Her condition is stable, but she is not yet conscious. We apologize for the long wait, Professor Snape, but there were some necessary tests that needed to be done before we were able to fully assess your wife's condition. I hope you understand."

He nodded in response. As the mediwitch left, he asked, "What of the child?"

She turned to face the three of them again and simply replied, "I'm sorry."

With those two words, Severus' world crumbled to the ground and Grangers or no Grangers, Severus Snape wept.

End Chapter 19
Author's Note: I know you hate me now. I'm mean, cruel, and evil . . . blah, blah, blah. Right, anyway, it was all planned from the beginning, and since it's my story, I can do with it what I want. Let me know what you're thinking anyway, I.E. Please Review! Thanks, and it'll get better, I promise.

Liv Pierce: I promise I'll tell you what reason Severus and Hermione gave people in regards to why they got married in one of the upcoming chapters.