A/N: Sorry for yet another long delay. I went on vacation for a week, and then came home to the HBP, so I haven't had much time to write. Needless to say this story is AU since HBP came out. But as my beta says, all fanfiction stories are AU anyway. Okay, well, I tried to make this chapter a bit longer, and I'll be sending the next one to my beta tomorrow, so hopefully it won't take so long to update.
Thanks KT!
BTW- I've been nominated for a multifaceted award! Go vote for Laws of Love under the Original Character category. Voting lasts 'till July 31! http/www.magical-worlds.us/multifaceted
Chapter 11
Hermione had agreed to help Rachel get ready for the wedding. The young healer was supposed to meet her in the Snapes's chambers at 6 o'clock that morning. When the clock chimed 7 and Rachel still had not appeared, Hermione got worried and went in search of her.
She found Rachel in bed, with the covers pulled up over her head, shaking like a leaf.
Rachel began moaning about how Charlie wasn't really in love with her and she was probably better off with Crabbe.
"What utter nonsense! Charlie is head over heels for you! You ought to know that better than anyone, seeing as how he can't keep his hands off of you," Hermione pointed out.
Rachel stuck her head out from under the blanket to glare at her.
"That's not love, its lust!" She wailed then burrowed back under the blanket.
Hermione sighed, and placed a hand on her belly. Didn't she have enough to worry about?
Saying a silent prayer for patience, Hermione walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Rachel, yesterday afternoon you were fine. What happened to cause this?" She asked as gently as she could.
Rachel was quiet for a minute, before she slowly sat up peeking at Hermione over the blanket.
"I told Charlie I loved him, and he didn't say it back," she answered, voice muffled.
Hermione felt her temper begin to rise again.
"He didn't 'say' he loved you? Rachel, you've only known each other for a month," she said slowly through clenched teeth.
Rachel dropped the blanket and glared at her.
"So? A month is plenty long enough to fall in love," she declared.
Hermione shook her head in exasperation.
"Honestly Rachel! Just because he didn't 'say' it back, doesn't mean he doesn't feel the same way," she chided.
Rachel gave her a skeptical look.
"When did you first realized that you loved him?"
Rachel thought for a moment.
"Last night. We were talking and it just kind of slipped out. I think I was more surprised than he was, but I immediately realized that it was true. So I said it again, and he didn't answer," she explained, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"You probably just startled him…"
"No! He just doesn't feel the same, and probably never will!" Rachel cried, pulling the blanket back over her head.
Hermione ripped the blanket away and threw it across the room, fed up.
"Let's say that he doesn't love you. Let's say that he never will. It changes nothing! None of us get to marry for love; we have to marry because of a law. Do you think Severus has ever told me that he loves me? Do you think I don't lay awake at night crying and longing to hear those words from him? I'll never get to hear those words from my husband, and it's all because of that stupid law!"
Hermione was panting when she finished and Rachel was looking at her with an expression of fear mingled with pity.
Hermione sighed and spoke more calmly.
"Look, I don't mean to belittle your feelings, because they are important. I'm sorry Charlie didn't say he loved you. You'll just have to get him to realize that he does. Charlie is a great guy, and he'll come to his senses, probably a lot sooner than you think. In the mean time, you've only got about forty-five minutes to get ready for the wedding. Think of your children, and the future of the Wizarding World. That's essentially why we're all doing this. If you find love along the way, more power to you."
They sat in silence for a few minutes then Rachel nodded and got off the bed.
"Thanks, Hermione," she whispered giving her a hug.
Hermione felt a lump form in her throat as she was seized with a sudden longing for her mother. The two women held the embrace longer than they normally would have. Each soaking up comfort from the other.
Rachel pulled away reluctantly.
"I'd better get in the shower," she said, brushing a few stray tears from her face.
"And I'll put out your gown," Hermione said, turning toward the closet.
"Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
"Professor Snape will come to his senses too. You'll see."
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Melanie sighed and picked at her scrambled eggs, lost in thought.
"What's up?" Genelle asked cheerily as she slid into the seat beside her.
"Nothing," Melanie answered quickly in a high-pitched voice.
Genelle gave her a look.
"Lanie, I've known you for five years, I know when something is upsetting you," she said, pointedly.
Melanie sighed again, her cheeks heating.
"I'm just worrying…" she trailed off, taking a big gulp of orange juice and hoping that Genelle would just drop it.
She didn't.
"About what?"
Melanie sent her friend an irritated glare.
"About marrying Prof- Harry! What else?"
Genelle smiled.
"I thought you were okay with him now. You said that the wedding details were all finished, and that your mother was the trouble-shooter for it anyway. What are you worried about?"
Melanie contemplated her friend for a few minutes in silence.
She was embarrassed about her particular concerns, but if you couldn't talk to your best friend about this kind of thing, who could you talk to?
She took a deep breath before mumbling, "I'm worried about the wedding night."
To her surprise Genelle just nodded in sympathy.
"He still hasn't told you where you're spending your honeymoon has he?" She asked.
"Huh? Uh, no, but that's not what I meant."
Genelle gave her a confused look.
"What did you mean then?"
"I mean, the wedding night. You know, sleeping together," she explained slowly.
"Because he snores?"
"Genelle!" Melanie practically shouted, earning a few curious stares from her fellow students.
Genelle laughed and gave her a mischievous grin, letting Melanie know that she was being teased. For the first time since she'd met Genelle, Melanie began to see the 'Slytherin' in her friend.
"I know what you mean. You're worried about having sex. I'm pretty sure that's normal, but I'm not really an authority on the subject," she said, and began buttering some toast.
"I just wish I knew what was expected of me," she said, taking another bite of her breakfast.
"Talk to Professor Potter," Genelle suggested.
"I can't do that!" Melanie cried with a horrified look.
"Why not? You want to know what he expects from you. Who better to tell you than he himself?"
Melanie frowned, not liking her friend's words, and yet knowing there was a truth to them.
"I can't talk to Harry about sex. It would be too awkward," she moaned.
"Well, you two will be doing a lot more than just talking about it next weekend," Genelle pointed out.
A minute later Harry was passing by them on his way to the Head Table.
"Morning," he said, giving them a slight smile.
"Uh, Harry?" Melanie asked, and he stopped and turned to look at her.
She quickly went to him, and pulled him off to the side so that they wouldn't be overheard.
"Are you okay?" he asked with a frown, his eyes shifting distrustfully to the other students at the Slytherin table.
"Oh, no! I'm fine, I just… I wanted to discuss some things with you, privately, when you get a minute," she said, quickly.
"What about?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
She flushed and looked at the floor.
"Oh, just some general 'marriage things'," she mumbled.
Harry blushed a little too.
"Um, okay. How about this afternoon, after the wedding reception? We can go back to our rooms and talk, okay?"
"Sure."
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Katie fidgeted nervously in her seat as she waited for the wedding to begin. George was on her right discussing something with Fred in hushed tones. They were ignoring her as usual.
She let out a soft sigh, truly unhappy.
At least he's not Flint. She told herself sternly for the hundredth time.
She turned her attention to the castle, hoping they'd hurry things up. An outdoor wedding was a nice idea, but it was beginning to look like it might rain.
She checked her watch again.
It was almost nine-thirty. Didn't the invitation say it would start at nine?
She sighed again and George turned to face her looking irritated.
"What?" he demanded.
Katie blinked at him in confusion.
"That's the fifth time I've heard you sigh in as many minutes, what's wrong?"
She glared at him.
"I'm surprised you heard anything at all, as you've been so absorbed in your conversation with Fred," she said, snippily.
"Oh, so now that we're engaged I have to make sure that you have my undivided attention every second of every day?" he demanded harshly.
"No, actually it'd be nice to have your attention for even one second any day, but I guess that's too much to ask," she bit back.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times, flushing in anger.
"Look, I'm marrying you aren't I? I'm saving you from a fate worse than death, can't that be enough for you?"
She looked away from him, her eyes burning.
"Katie?" he asked, tentatively, as if he realized he'd gone too far.
She ignored him and fished a handkerchief out of her purse to dab at her eyes.
A couple of people in the row in front of them were looking at her questioningly.
She shrugged at them.
"I always cry at weddings," she offered, then blew her nose.
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Ron hurried toward the wedding, hoping he hadn't missed too much. He couldn't believe he'd overslept and almost missed his own brother's wedding.
He came to an abrupt halt when the alter came into view and the bride was no where to be seen.
Good, they hadn't started yet.
He was about to go sit next to Harry when he heard a small sniffle.
Ron looked over to see Katie staring resolutely at the ground, dabbing her eyes every few minutes.
George was sitting next to her, his expression a mixture of guilt and irritation.
What did that bludger-head do now?
He walked toward them, grabbing one of the blush-colored roses that had been enchanted to float in the air.
Making sure to walk behind their row so he could 'accidentally' ram his elbow into George's head, he made his way to the empty seat beside Katie.
"Hi Katie, is this seat taken?" He asked offering her the rose.
She looked stunned at first, then shook her head and gave him a bright smile.
"For me?" She asked, taking the rose from him and bringing it up to her nose.
Ron felt his heart skip a beat as she peered at him shyly from beneath her lashes. He wanted to kiss her. To wipe away the tears his brother had put on her face. But he couldn't. Katie belonged to George for all intents and purposes, and Ron didn't even know if Katie thought about him that way.
Giving into the impulse, he wiped a stray tear from her cheek and sent a glare to George, who was immersed in his conversation with Fred again and not paying them the slightest amount of attention.
She was staring at him with wide eyes, and he finally sat himself in the chair beside her.
Hermione suddenly appeared, looking flushed and a bit disheveled. Ron gave her a questioning glance, but she just shook her head at him and settled in a chair next to Snape.
The wedding march started then and everyone turned to see Timothy leading Rachel down the aisle.
The crowd murmured in appreciation of the beautiful bride. Her golden hair shining in a ray of sun that had managed to slip past the clouds.
Charlie looked deliriously happy and Ron was relieved that at least things were going well between those two.
Katie gave another mournful sigh as the two exchanged vows and George sent her a quick irritated glance. She ducked her head and felt another tear slip from her eye.
She had to bite back a gasp as a large warm hand suddenly took hold of her own.
Ron hated seeing her cry, and had decided that if George wouldn't do what he was supposed to and comfort his fiancé, then he would have to do it for him. Katie would soon be his sister-in-law. However, as the wedding progressed and their hands remained entwined together, Ron found that his drifting thoughts were much more than brotherly.
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Harry took his time changing out of his dress robes, knowing that Melanie was waiting for him. He thought he knew what she wanted to talk about and he was not looking forward to it.
He thought back to the few sexual experiences he'd had. Sadly, none of them had been with Ginny. After losing her in the war he felt hollow inside and incomplete because of his hand.
The first woman he'd ever slept with was the nurse that had taken care of him after that final battle. She was a good ten years older than him and married besides. However she, and a couple of other women after her, felt as if they owed him something for 'saving the world'. All in all, he'd only slept with three of them. Only because they had red hair and brown eyes, and they'd come to him when he was good and drunk. He'd awaken the next morning feeling disgusted with himself, and missing Ginny even more.
He never heard from any of them again, and only assumed he'd been a lousy sex partner. That thought had never really bothered him before; he hadn't cared for any of those women anyway. However, he did care for Melanie, and he wanted her to have a good experience with him.
Hermione had been with Snape for a month now, and she still wasn't pregnant as far as he knew. And with Melanie's 'condition' after being attacked, it might take even longer for her to get pregnant.
Harry caught his reflection in the mirror and his thoughts turned to the future. He smiled as he imagined a baby with his green eyes and Melanie's perfect bow lips. A real family of his own was all he'd ever wanted. It almost seemed unreal to him that it was actually going to happen. He wished that the circumstances were better. He would have rather fallen in love with her, and have her marry him because she wanted to. But then, he never would have looked at her twice if it weren't for the law.
He straightened the collar on his shirt and headed for the door. Enough procrastinating, it was time to get this over with.
Melanie was seated on the sofa with her legs crossed and her hands clasped in her lap. Harry was struck again by how classy she looked when she wasn't wearing her uniform. She was wearing peach robes with a khaki skirt, and had her hair pulled back on each side of her face with barrettes.
"You look nice," he said, before he could stop himself.
She gave him a nervous smile as she mumbled a 'thank you'.
Rather than joining her on the sofa like he normally did, he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. For some reason, he felt more comfortable with the coffee table in between them.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at his choice of seat, but she didn't comment on it.
"Harry, this could be a really awkward conversation, but I'm just going to speak my mind and hope we can get it over with quickly," she said, blushing and looking at the floor.
Harry braced himself and said, "Go ahead."
She took a breath and spoke quickly.
"I need to know what you expect of me."
Harry blinked.
"What I expect of you? I'm not sure I understand."
She frowned, and tried to think of the best way to phrase it.
"Um, on the wedding night. According to the law, we have to consummate the marriage that night. But I've never…" she trailed off with a blush.
"Consummated before," Harry finished for her with a small smile.
She cringed and nodded, watching him closely.
Harry sighed and ran a hand down his face.
It was times like this, when she looked so young and vulnerable, that he really felt their age difference. Briefly, Harry wondered whether Snape had had as much trouble accepting the terms of the law. Hermione was a lot younger than Snape, but at least she was really and truly an adult when they slept together. The girl in front of him was barely eighteen and at the moment, seemed even younger than that. Plus, she was still his student!
The thing that bothered him the most was that she was insisting they discuss it. This only proved how worried she really was about it, and Harry really had no idea what to say to ease her worries.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, finally.
She bit her lip and glanced away for a moment.
"I just… Will you… That is… Will it hurt much?" she asked slowly bringing her gaze back to his.
How the hell was he supposed to know that?
"Not me it won't," he quipped before he could stop himself.
She paled and looked away again.
Harry felt like beating his head against the wall. Instead, he got to his feet and went to sit next to her on the sofa.
"I'm sorry, Melanie. I just…" he began but stopped when she flinched away from him.
He was dismayed to see the fear in her eyes as she looked at him.
Harry sighed and tried again.
"That was rude of me, Melanie. I know you just want some honest facts, but I'm afraid I don't really know enough to help you out much," he admitted, and was pleased to see her spine straighten a bit as she regained her usual confidence.
"You've surely slept with women before, did it hurt them?" She asked, pointedly.
His memories of the other women weren't much more than drunken hazes. In the end, he decided that honesty was the best policy.
"I don't think so, but all three times I was pretty drunk. They never complained, but they never tried to get me in bed again so you make what you want to of that. Then again, none of them were virgins, and I've always heard that it's a bit painful for a girl her first time. But I'm not a girl, so I couldn't possibly know for sure," he told her.
"But…"
Harry held up a hand to stop her.
"I'm a guy, it's a lot different for me. Look, if you want to know how things feel, or tips on what you can do to make things better, I'd recommend talking to Hermione. As for what I expect…" he trailed off with a shrug.
"What do you expect?" she asked when it was clear he wasn't going to continue.
He sighed again.
"I expect you to let me know if I do something you don't like," he said, seriously.
She nodded.
"And when I do something you do like," he added with a grin.
She nodded and blushed again.
"And, you'll do the same?" She asked, hesitantly.
"Sure."
She smiled at him and they both visibly relaxed. The awkward conversation was over.
"Thanks Harry," she said, getting to her feet.
"Anytime," he said with a smile.
She paused at the doorway to her room and turned back to face him.
"Do you think it would be okay to talk to Hermione now?" she asked.
"I don't see why not. You can floo her chambers from my room," he said, standing and gesturing for her to precede him.
She quickly entered his room, and tripped over a pair of tennis shoes that were lying in the middle of the floor.
Harry, who had always had quick reflexes, caught her instinctively and helped steady her.
He was about to let go of her when Melanie suddenly cried out and nearly toppled over again.
"It hurts," she said, pointing to her ankle, that Harry could see was already starting to swell.
He picked her up and carried her to his bed.
"I'll get Ra- Oh, I can't get Rachel, she's on her honeymoon."
Melanie watched Harry struggle to think through the problem and rolled her eyes, gasping when her ankle gave a painful twinge.
"Get Hermione," she said, gritting her teeth against the pain.
"Right!"
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Rachel couldn't stop her smile as Charlie scooped her up into his arms to carry her across the threshold. The room was lovely. It looked like on of those muggle hotel suites, only with magic to make it more luxurious.
The room was Dumbledore's wedding present to them; he'd actually made it himself. She was a little disappointed when they decided not to leave Hogwarts for their honeymoon, but with Poppy gone again, Rachel knew that it was best she stayed near should any emergencies happened.
Dumbledore had sworn that they would not be bothered at all during the weekend unless it was a life-or-death situation.
Her earlier conversation with Hermione was floating around in her mind. Part of her wanted to confront Charlie about his non-response, but another part wanted to forget it had happened.
Whether Charlie actually loved her or not remained to be seen. He'd tell her when he was ready, and confronting him now would probably just lead to a big row.
And rows were not conducive to sex. Well, not usually. She smirked remembering a particularly wild night with her boyfriend at University.
She looked at Charlie to see him almost shaking with anticipation.
Deciding that any serious relationship talks could wait, and that she should focus on enjoying her honeymoon, she suddenly launched herself at him, claiming his mouth in an aggressive kiss.
The room filled with the sounds of their gasps, moans, and ripping fabric. There was just something so hot about watching her husband physically rip the wedding gown off of her. Luckily, it could easily be repaired with magic.
It seemed like no time at all before Rachel found herself naked on the bed with Charlie pinning her down. He was just as naked as she was and obviously ready to fulfil the terms of the contract.
He took a deep breath to calm himself, not wanting to go too fast.
She tilted her head up for another kiss, savoring the close contact with him.
Charlie broke away from the kiss to run his mouth down her neck and chest, stopping to suckle a nipple.
Rachel moaned and arched her back in ecstasy.
His hands roamed the soft contours of her body, slowly making his way toward her center. He let out a moan when he discovered how ready she was for him.
Charlie had to stop himself and take another deep breath. He deliberately rested his forehead against hers in an effort to get himself under control.
"Gods, Rachel, I don't know how long I can last," he gasped when she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her.
"Charlie, we've held out for a month, I think that's long enough," she said, boldly reaching down between them to guide him in.
They groaned in unison as he slowly sank into her, finally joined after a month of 'almost'.
He kissed her again, then started moving. He watched her face as he thrust, and when he found the angle that seemed to cause the most pleasure for her, he held it. His whole body was shaking with the effort of holding back, but he was determined to succeed in pleasuring his new wife.
Just when he thought he could take no more, Rachel suddenly stiffened and cried out his name, tossing her head back and forth.
Relieved, Charlie finally let himself go, and nearly blacked out from the pleasure.
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Hermione stood at her dresser staring into the mirror.
Her face looked thinner and her eyes had dark rings under them. She'd looked this way for the past couple of weeks, but had been using a glamour to hide it.
She was barely pregnant, and already she was having a tough time. Rachel had heard through a couple of colleagues that other witches on the pregnant potion were experiencing extreme symptoms very early in their pregnancies too.
After seeing the effect on Hermione, Rachel had decided to give herself a few weeks to get pregnant on her own before resorting to the potion. Lucky Rachel.
At this particular moment in time, Hermione was green with envy over Rachel's life. She'd got to marry Charlie, who was kind, caring and not at all snarky. She had a great career, a lovely figure, gorgeous blond hair, and she'd probably not even be sick at all when she got pregnant.
Hermione gave a weary sigh and hung her head. Hugging Rachel earlier had made her miss her mother. Hermione already felt like a mother, taking care of the boys, advising and heartening the girls. She didn't mind helping out. In fact she rather enjoyed having everyone lean on her and her knowledge. But that didn't mean she didn't need someone to lean on herself.
Would Severus comfort her if she asked him to? Or would he just roll his eyes and ask, "Is this a pregnancy thing?"
She heard footsteps walking toward the bedroom door and hastily put the glamour back in place.
Severus strolled into the room and met her eyes in the mirror.
"I was planning on going to bed early, unless you require my services tonight?" he asked, dryly.
Hermione felt something snap deep in her heart. She calmly walked over to him and slapped him as hard as she could.
He put a hand to his stinging cheek and stared at her in shock.
"Oh, sorry Severus. It must be a pregnancy thing," she spat and stalked out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
She marched across the sitting room, opened the liqueur cabinet, and poured herself half a glass of brandy before she realized what she was doing.
"Shit," she hissed and threw the glass into the fireplace.
She allowed a grim smile of satisfaction at hearing her husband's favorite crystal wineglass shatter into a thousand pieces.
"Bloody Hell!"
Hermione whirled around to see Harry's head bobbing in the green flames of the fireplace.
"Oh Harry! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," she gasped out, rushing to the grate and dropping to her knees.
"It's okay, Hermione. You missed, but just barely," he said, picking glass out of his hair.
Hermione grinned at him sheepishly.
"What did you need?"
"Oh, Melanie hurt her ankle. It's not serious enough to hunt Rachel down, but I was hoping you might be able to look at it," he explained.
Hermione felt a flare of indignation at being 'second' to Rachel, but quickly pushed it aside.
"She also wanted to ask you some questions about… you know…"he trailed off.
Hermione could see a pink tinge on his green face.
"Sure Harry, I'll come on through."
Harry helped her step through the fireplace and brush off the soot.
Hermione quickly walked over to Melanie and pulled out her wand.
She cast an anti-swelling charm on the ankle and felt the familiar pleasure of a job well done as the appendage returned to its normal size. Melanie let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Hermione. I'm going to visit Dobby and see if we can get some food. I barely ate at the reception," Harry commented and headed for the door.
"Get some for me to," Melanie called. Harry nodded and left.
Hermione settled herself at the foot of the bed.
"Harry said you might have some questions for me about sex," she said, bluntly.
Melanie smiled, wondering why she hadn't gone straight to Hermione in the first place.
"Does it hurt?" she asked without preamble.
Hermione thought about her experience with Severus the night before.
"Sometime it can be uncomfortable if the guy goes to fast. The key to good sex is taking your time," she said.
Melanie thought that over for a minute.
"But what about the first time? I heard that it always hurts then," she asked, anxiously.
Hermione paled and looked away.
"What is it? Was it really painful your first time?" Melanie asked, curious.
"Yes it was. But that's because I was raped," she whispered, hoarsely.
Melanie gasped.
"Profes- I mean, Hermione, I'm so sorry! I had no idea," she began but Hermione held up a hand to stop her.
"It's okay. That was a long time ago, and … Well, I guess I'll never get over it completely, but I haven't thought about it in a while. After I married Severus, I realized that I enjoy sex a lot. He's never hurt me. And Harry would cut off his other hand before he'd hurt you, Melanie. Just tell him to slow down, or stop and he will. He cares about you, and that's the most important thing about sex."
Melanie remembered how Harry had caught her when she fell and carried her gently to his bed. She remembered the night he'd awoken her from a nightmare, and lay down with her as she slept. And finally, she remembered waking up in the infirmary after being attacked to find that he'd slept in an uncomfortable chair at her side all night.
She smiled at Hermione.
"You're right, he does care about me."
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Melanie's words rang in Hermione's head as she flooed back to her own quarters. How nice it must feel to know that your husband cares about you. She sniffed and walked over to her desk picking up a framed picture of her parents.
They knew nothing of her marriage only that she was teaching. After everything they went through because of her, she couldn't bring herself to burden them with more troubles. They wouldn't be pleased when they discovered she'd gotten married without informing them first. But she'd have to tell them eventually. They'd expect her to at least visit at Christmas, and she'd have a newborn then. Besides, she couldn't deprive them of the Grandchildren she knew they wanted.
Severus would just have to pretend he was in love with her when they were around. If they believed she was happy, they would be happy.
"But I'm not happy Mum. I'm alone and I'm scared," she whispered, as she allowed herself to sink to the floor shaking with sobs.
Severus found her a few minutes later.
She pulled her knees up to her chest, hiding the picture in her lap. She buried her face in her hands and tried her best to stop crying, but she just couldn't.
"Hermione?" he asked, touching her arm, tentatively.
She swatted at him and started sobbing harder.
"Now really, you're acting like a child," he reprimanded as gently as he knew how.
She wanted to yell at him to leave her alone, but her anger just made her sob that much harder, making it impossible to speak. The glint of the metal flame caught by the firelight drew Severus' attention to it. He deftly snatched it from her and took a moment to study it.
It was of her parents, and seeing them again brought back the memory of that awful night. Unconsciously he raised a hand to the scars on his face, and felt a lump form in his throat.
When he first tried to lift her she fought him, but soon she began to cling to him and sob into his chest. Somehow, he managed to get them into bed. She continued to sob into his chest for several minutes while he stroked her back trying to calm her. When at last she had quieted, he summoned her some water to drink, then a warm wash cloth to clean her face.
Hermione was exhausted after all of her crying, and soon fell asleep clinging tightly to her husband. Severus watched her sleep for a while. He knew these sobs had been from a true broken heart and not just a result of pregnancy hormones. He also knew that he was more than likely to blame for them, a thought that made his stomach hurt.
He thought back to their first morning as husband and wife. He had rudely informed her that he would never change for anyone, but now he realized just how much of a lie that was. He had changed the night he saved her. And every day he woke up beside her softened his hard heart just a fraction.
He gave a heavy sigh and looked down at her, surprised to see her eyes open and staring at him.
"Severus, do you care for me?" she asked timidly.
A thousand sarcastic replies popped into his mind and battled to jump to his tongue, but she just looked so vulnerable. She really looked like one harsh word would rip her heart in two.
"Yes."
Then he placed a kiss on her forehead and told her to go to sleep.
End Chapter 11