Chapter 13: Is it love?
Severus stayed at Hermione's bedside for the last 17 hours straight making her potions to help her come back to him. He never understood the feeling that came over him suddenly now that he was married. Severus saw by her side and watched her sleep, unaware of the shadow creeping up behind him.
Severus got a chill down his back like someone was there, he stood up andturned around abruptly to see that it was his mother, his wand was clenched in his robes.
"So, how is she?" Jayla asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
"She has not woken upyet. I want to be here when she does." Severus said. He was slightly leaned forward with his elbows rested on the arms of the chair. His chin rested on his two thumbs and his two index fingers grazed his nose.
"I understand that, Severus. It is late, so why don't you rest over on the futon." Jayla suggested motioning with her hand towards the futon near the window.
"I'd prefer to be more closer to her." Severus told her. Then he climbed up in the large bed next to her and kept a distance so that he could watch her.
"Since you have come back home, you have been acting very strange. Far away from your normal snarky self." Jayla said noticingly.
"I've noticed that also. Since I was wed to Hermione, I've been possessive, protective, and a little sensual." Severus stated the obviousness of how he felt.
"Sensual?"Jayla repeated with bewilderment in her voice.
"Yes, I am use to sleeping with her. While I was at Hogwarts, I always slept against her back and wrapped my arm around her. She would hold my hand on top of mine." Severus paused as he caressed the top of his hand. He remembered her touch, which was something that he wanted. "Then, we got into a fight and she dropped all my classes. She started to throw her future away and she would completely ignore me as if I never existed. But I then found myself getting spies to watch over her. I gave her the space she needed, I bought her the things she had to have or want. Then, when we got here, my father blew up on her and now this happened." Severus said sadly.
Jayla looked at him with a slight shocked look in her eyes.
"Well, how do you feel about her?" Jayla asked.
"It's like..I want her touch me more. I don't care where she touches me, a touch on my hand, through my hair, caress my face..I don't care. I just want her to wake up, mom." Severus told his mom at almost the breaking point, but he pulled the tears back and collected his composure quickly before his father would notice it.
"Tell me, Severus. Have you had any type of intimacy with Hermione." Jayla asked straight-forwardly.
"No, I am waiting for her to give me the signal that she is ready." Severus answered shaking his head.
"Well, she does seem the shy type. Especially around you, however, in her eyes there is a longing ache for love. She wants you to love her, for us to love her and give her what she so desperately wants and lacks in life." Jayla told him.
"See, I got up that far, but I do not know what it is that she lacks. She is bright, intelligent, witty, bossy at times ( which I like), beautiful.." Severus trailed off thinking of other qualities Hermione has.
"Beautiful? Severus I think it is time that you make a move on her." Jayla advised.
"I can't, you know the tradition. I have to fight my father for that right." Severus reminded her.
"Nothing says that you cannot kiss her or other things like that." Jayla stated.
"I see." Severus said as he laid down on the bed and propped himself up on his elbow and his head rested in his hand. He then glanced over at Hermione to see her still asleep.
"Mom, what time is it?" Severus asked curiously.
"5 a.m." Jayla answered. "I hear the morning lark."
"So do I. Well, it is time for her medicine and this is the last set of potions. So we will just have to wait until it fully kicks in. I hope I got to it in time?" Severus said sounding worried.
"What is it she is sick with by the way?" Jayla asked wanting to learn about it.
"Scarlet drought fever. I am lucky I had a batch of potions in the lab or she would be gone. I nor her friends would ever forgive me for that. I wouldn't live on much longer if I lost Hermione. I.."
"Love her." Jayla finished his sentence.
Severus looked at her in astonishment and disbelief that she was right.No, wait. Is my mother really right? I mean, let's look at the basic signs of love:
1. You are protective over the girl you fancy.
2.You are possessive as in to who she sees and where she goes.
(I would fight anyone over her, but would I be willing to fight the Darklord? I asked her about where she was and she lied to me for god knows why.)
That must mean one thing, I do love her!
"Mom, I do love her." Severus admittedpositive that he was.
"Good. Now, let's try to convince her. So,here is what I am going to do. I will tell you about her past; whatI have learned from Albus." Jayla said.
"Ok. I am ready to hear aboutit." Severus said as he was already comfortable where he was.
"Well, Hermione came from a very abusive family. For the things I am about to tell you are far more worse than your father has done." Jayla said in a warnful voice.
"Damn. It must be bad." Severus said shaking his head.
"Since Hermione was discovered to be a witch, her parents have hardly taken care of her. They never bought her the things she needed. Her mother whipped her with the buckle of a belt. Her father molested her sexually until this very day. From what Albus was told, her virginity has not been broken." Jayla stated the last two sentences quickly by the look Severus got on his face.
Severus then became enraged and started to talk loudly, " When I see that dirty fucking asshole, I am going to go to Azkaban for illegal use of magic in front of muggles. I am going to kill him with the Avada Kedavra curse as well as the filthy mother. How can you do that to your own child is something that I can't understand."
"She has the marks on her back to prove it. Also, Her father tied her up and had his friends over touching her and all." Jayla said sounding sick.
"I've heard enough. If you tell me anymore, I will go over there and kill them both right now." Severus said through his teeth and his jaw clenched.
"No, we will just make her a new family here. Kind of give her a fresh start. I want you to be nice to her so that she feels secure around you. I see in her eyes a little fear, so it makes me wonder if you are treating her right."
"I even asked Albus for a raise and I got it because of Hermione. So I intend to put her before me." Severus told her.
"Ok. Well, I think it is time for you to feed her the potion."
"Actually two, one is the medicine and then the other is food. So it keeps her healthy." Severus then got up and gave her the two potions on the table. " I am out of the food potion, I have to go brew it." Severus told his mom.
"Well, do you feel you are being helped with our conversation?" Jayla asked hoping that it did help him some how.
"It helped me more than you know." Severus told her. Then he walked into his lab.
Jayla walked out of Severus' room happy that he finally told her how he felt for Hermione.