MARRYING SNAPE- mypseudonym
All usual disclaimers apply
AN: As thrilling as it was to get so many reviews on Chapter 6, I felt let down by the lack of reviews on Chapter 7. I realize it was shorter, but it wasn't my shortest yet and it was/ is a transition chapter. Well, now that I've said that, on to a new week at Hogwarts.
Chapter 9
Sunday night, when Hermione entered the Room of Requirement for training with Harry and Ron, she felt bad. She had forgotten about the war going on and basked in the joy of her weekend. She hadn't even gone running once! She resolved to do a 6 mile run instead of the usual 5 miles as penance. The thought that people had been out there in the world dying while she had been playing made Hermione a little sick. She needed to concentrate. It was okay to have fun, just not at the expense of doing what she can to prepare for the war ahead.
It was Wednesday before Hermione got any mail from France. When she did, it was a large parchment roll that was dated the previous day. As she looked at it, Hermione realized that they'd probably taken Monday to prepare the items and Tuesday to mail them, so she didn't feel ignored at all. She had drawings from the three older children and a picture of a dragon colored by Morgan. Alex sent her a detailed pencil drawing of the two of them on the beach with a sleeping Morgan, staring deep into each other's eyes. The back said: Joyce sent me copies of the photos she took. Yours are waiting here. Let me know if you want them sooner than this weekend.- Alex
A photo fell out from the middle of the roll and Ginny Weasley grabbed it. She examined the picture while Hermione was engrossed in a letter from Alex. She didn't even bother trying to peer over her shoulder to read.
"Oh, is that mail from Alex? How exciting! I get to meet my future husband this weekend. If he's half as great as Alex sounds, this Marriage Law thing isn't so bad after all." Lavender said, squeezing in between Hermione and Ginny on the bench. Neither girl commented on Lavender's interruption.
"Hermione, who are all these kids?" Ginny asked, showing her the photo. Hermione looked up, perplexed, and snatched the photo from Ginny's hand.
"Oh, these are my soon to be nieces and nephews. Julia must have slipped this in with the drawings." she said. Picture Daisy waved. Picture Jordan smiled in the background, still as a Muggle photo. Picture Quinn tried to smile but was busy trying to hold on to a squirming Picture Morgan as they sat in a chair.
"They're so cute!" Lavender gushed.
"Thanks. They're all super sweet too. They drew me these pictures." Hermione said, gesturing to the short stack of parchment. They looked across the table at Ron and Harry, who were trying their best to look as though they didn't care.
"Well, aren't you going to tell us about them?" Harry asked, deciding to stop pretending.
"Let's see. The oldest one is Daisy. She's 10. She gave me this picture of me and my two nieces jumping on the bed in my room. The older boy is Jordan. He's 7. He's very shy and quite quiet, but he's a great helper. Jordan sent me this drawing of us healing Alex with a dragon in the background. Gosh, I hope he didn't show this to anyone. The little girl in the chair is Quinn. She's 5, and she's a little princess. She's angelic most of the time, very friendly and funny, but she can throw a temper tantrum like no one in this world." Hermione said, thinking of the way Quinn behaved when Alex told her that they were leaving the beach because of her behavior. "Quinn sent me this picture of Alex, her, and me looking at the stars. Morgan is the baby of the family. He's 2. He colored this picture of a dragon." Hermione finished, pointing to each child and proudly showing off their artwork.
"Oh Hermione, who did this? It looks so real!" Lavender asked in awe as she picked up Alex's drawing.
"Alex drew that from a photo taken Saturday when we took the kids to the beach." She responded.
"It's beautiful. So romantic in a quiet, everyday way." Lavender said. They all agreed. Hermione thought her choice of words to describe her relationship with Alex were perfect. Quiet, everyday romance, she scratched on the back of the photo. She wanted to remember that so that she could mention it to Alex sometime.
Aside from getting mail, Wednesday was one of the worst days of Hermione's young life. She had slept fitfully, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong, but her slumber was soothed by dreams of Alex. The down-side of this was that she awoke missing Alex terribly. In her opinion, Friday evening couldn't come soon enough.
She was summoned unexpectedly to the Headmaster's office right after breakfast. Hermione arrived to find Professor McGonagall, Severus, and Madam Pomfrey there as well. She looked frantically from Severus to the Headmaster, hoping for some clue as to why she was there. They both looked very serious. Madam Pomfrey's presence had assured her that the news wasn't good. It had become customary to have the medi-witch present since one girl had a fit so bad she had to be moved to St Mungo's when the Headmaster told her that her sickly grandmother had passed. With the war going on, the deaths had been coming far more regularly. Hermione's grandparents had already passed when she was younger, so she knew it was someone else. Hermione mentally steeled herself for the news as she sat in the only open chair. She bowed her head for a moment, said a little prayer, and crossed herself twice just to be sure, before she looked up at the Headmaster.
Severus was surprised at the way Hermione looked at the Headmaster. She obviously knew bad news was coming; the girl wasn't an idiot. She looked up at the Headmaster as though he was the executioner and her head had just been placed on the block.
"Miss Grang-…Hermione, I regret very much having to inform you that there was a Death Eater attack on your home last night. Your parents were killed." Albus said gravely. Hermione felt the blade come down and her world went blank. Severus leaped forward and pushed her back into the chair just as Hermione returned to consciousness. However prepared she was, wasn't prepared enough. She allowed a single tear to slip down her check before masking her grief with a wave of determination. Severus swore he'd never seen her look so bent on something before, and he wondered just what she was thinking. Hopefully, it wasn't her own demise.
"What of my sister?" Hermione asked shakily.
"Well, your sister is really a remarkable story. Did you know that your little sister is a witch, and a good one at that?" the Headmaster asked.
"No. I take it that she lives then?" Hermione asked, slightly cheered.
"Yes, she's resting in the Hospital Wing right now. She wasn't injured, just traumatized. When the Death Eaters entered your home, she was hiding in the closet. Apparently they were playing some sort of children's game." Albus said.
"Hide and go seek." Severus murmured, nodding. He had obviously, played the game many times.
"Anyway, when the Death Eaters surrounded your parents, Madeline Apparated away. She must have thought to go get you because she Apparated directly into Hogsmeade. Madam Rosmerta found her in the middle of the night, crying in the street. She took her in and it took until 5 o'clock this morning for her to figure out what the girl was crying about. Of course, she brought the little girl to me as soon as she knew. Some of the professors thought she should be here when you arrived, but I thought it would be better to let you have a moment with your grief before you see her." Albus finished. Hermione nodded solemnly.
"Hermione, dear, do you need more time? You should have a good cry before you go downstairs." Poppy said. The Headmaster looked at Hermione worried. Hermione heard his unvoiced question.
"Respectfully, Headmaster, I will mourn my parents when this war is over, my life is again my own, and I no longer fear for the safety of my friends and family. Now, if you will all excuse me, my sister has had to wait for me long enough." Hermione said firmly, leaving the room. Severus followed her out while the others remained for a moment, stunned by the change in the Head Girl.
"Rather like a zoo in there isn't it?" Severus said as he kept pace with Hermione.
"Yes, I don't know how they could expect someone to grieve in there if they could. That was too many people there." She said, heading to the Hospital Wing by the quickest way possible.
"Would you like me to tell Alex?" Severus asked.
"Please. I just don't know if I can bring myself to do it. I feel I'll have my hands full with my sister today anyway." Hermione said.
"I'll tell him, and I'm sure he'll want to talk to you later today, when he can. In the mean time, I can excuse you from all your classes today and offer you whatever I or the school can do to help you."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate it. Would you come meet her with me? Your family is the only family we have right now, and I think she should meet you." Hermione asked.
"I would be honored." Severus answered. They arrived at the Hospital Wing shortly. Hermione tore through it, calling for her sister. A little girl, one Severus noted as probably younger than Quinn, popped out and ran down the aisle. The two girls met in the middle of the aisle and stayed there, hugging and crying. The little girl suddenly jumped up and grabbed Hermione's hand.
"Come on Mione! Mummy and Daddy need help! Get your stick; we have to go!" she called, pulling Hermione. Hermione, resolutely, pulled the little girl back to her.
"Maddy, it's too late. The bad men got them, Maddy. Stay here; we're safe here." Hermione whispered, trying to pull the little girl back to her. Maddy resisted, turning on Hermione.
"You lie! I'll help them myself!" Maddy called, running out of the Hospital Wing. Severus ran after the little girl as Hermione dissolved on the floor.
"Madeline. Stop."Severus said, grabbing the little girl and swinging her up into his arms.
"Who are you? Take me home!" the little girl ordered, kicking and fighting. Students were beginning to leave their first classes.
'Oh great. Now everyone gets to see me fighting with a little girl.' Severus thought. The students seemed largely more surprised to see him with a child. They were surrounding him though. He could see that they were going to force him to drop Maddy, and she was going to run away. Just when the situation seemed impossible, Hermione popped through the crowd.
"Sissy! Stop him! He's trying to hurt me!" Maddy squealed.
'Oh great.' Severus thought.
"Hush, Maddy. He's not trying to hurt you. He's trying to keep you from running out and getting yourself hurt. Now, come with me. We need to talk." Hermione said forcefully. Severus set the girl down and Hermione took her hand firmly. She led the little girl away as Severus snuck down to his dungeons. The students stood there, confused.
Hermione took the little girl to her room and told her everything she could, as best she could. Maddy cried, as she was expected to, then she began clinging to Hermione. They went down to lunch and Hermione forced Maddy to sit beside her instead of on her lap. As soon as lunch was over, she made the little girl go make friends with her 'Uncle Severus'.
Hermione and Maddy were sitting in the Gryffindor common room that afternoon when Alex came in with Harry and Ron. Hermione got up and ran to him, Maddy hot on her heels.
"I came as soon as I could, Hermione. Are you okay?" he asked, holding her close.
"I'm fine. Maddy's doing better. Maddy, this is Alex, my fiancé." Hermione said, introducing her sister to him. Maddy came close and silently held up her hands to the tall man. He picked her up and she cuddled into his shoulder comfortably, still not saying anything.
"Well, come on and sit down. Can you stay for awhile?" Hermione asked.
"I can stay for the rest of today if you need me. I told Tonks I had a family emergency. She understood of course and gave me the rest of the day off on emergency leave. I stopped by the house and Julia gave me a package for you. Severus told her about your sister and she sent me with this box full of clothes and toys for her, along with the family's condolences." He said, settling onto the couch with Hermione sitting beside him and Maddy resting with her head in the crook of his neck.
"I'm surprised at how calm you've gotten her, just by being here. She was always a Daddy's girl, so I guess having a man around makes her more comfortable. Harry and Ron have tried sitting with her, but she knows they're just boys my age."
"That's one benefit of us, I suppose. She doesn't know me to know how old I am, and I'm well used to calming children. Quinn still cuddles up to me like this when she doesn't feel good. It aggravates Severus to no end that the children will come to me with their problems rather than him. It's just a side-effect of his having to be here most of the year though." Alex said. They spent the afternoon visiting. His presence made Hermione feel stronger, like she could do anything since Alex was there to help.
'Quiet, everyday romance.' She thought to herself as she lay in bed that night, long after Alex had gone.
AN: Okay everyone, there's chapter 9. Sorry it wasn't up at the usual speed. I hope you are all more pleased with this chapter. It's sad, I know, but it was necessary. I always think it's funny how easy it is to kill people in fanfiction. I'd be horrified if JK killed people as much as I do.