Author's Notes:
March 2006. This story has been reedited to fit The Half Blood Prince. It now has spoilers, so read book six first.
Thanks to everyone, who has reviewed this story so far. I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter, but I had fallen behind on my other story and needed to get a couple of chapters done for it. I'm already work on the next chapter so it won't be to long. You can trust me; I'm just as reliable as every other author on this site.
This chapter was beta'd by Severus Snape maternal grandmother Nakhash Makashefah. She took time out from scarifying young Authors to do this chapter for me.
Warning! This story contains strong sexual content.
Disclaimer. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.
The Improper Use of Potions
Chapter 05. Decisions.
"Professor Snape is your grandson?" Hermione said to the Headmaster, with a shocked look on her face.
"Yes, Miss Granger, he is" Dumbledore answered with a smile.
"But how is that possible? Aren't you too old to be his grandfather?" she asked, still in disbelief.
"I'll have you know, Miss Granger, I had barely turned a hundred when his mother, Eileen, was born," Dumbledore answered, sounding a bit insulted. Hermione was still very confused. It just seemed impossible that Snape could be related to Dumbledore. And the idea of a hundred year old wizard getting laid was even more disturbing. "Perhaps, I should start form the beginning," the Headmaster suggested.
"Please, Professor," Hermione said.
"Just over sixty years ago, while I was traveling through the Middle East, I met a powerful Sorceress named Nak Makash. She was the leader of a very powerful Hebrew coven. We had a brief one night affair that resulted in the birth of my daughter, Eileen."
"Because of my many enemies, I didn't give Eileen my name. I let her be raised by her mother, which Nak preferred. I don't believe the women ever really like me very much. She simply wanted a child by a powerful wizard. Eileen never knew I was her father. I had lost all four of my previous children to Dark wizards. I refused to take any chances with my last child.
"When she was eleven, Eileen's mother sent her here to Hogwarts, against my wishes. As happy as I was to have my daughter near me, I was terrified for her safety Thankfully her mother had the foresight to give her the last name Prince. She had told Eileen that her father has a British Royal that was killed in the muggle war against the Germans Africa Corps. She said that the brave Royal wizard never told her his full name, so she just use his title, Prince."
Hermione instantly thought about Harry's mysteries Half Blood Prince. 'Could Snape be the Prince?' she thought to herself. She disregarded the idea very quickly. Harry's book was too old to be Snape's and she was sure the author might be female.
"When Eileen was twenty, she met a young Muggle from Scotland named Tobias Snape. I approved of my daughter seeing Tobias, at first. He was in England to study Archaeology under my friend, Nicolas Flamel, who taught at Oxford posing as a Muggle professor. Nicolas introduced him to Eileen. Being a Muggle I knew he wasn't connected to any Dark wizard in England or Europe. He had a very academic mind and cared nothing about pureblood politics.
"Unfortunately, because of my obsession with Eileen's physical safety, I neglected to safeguard her emotional well-being. Only after they were married, did I become aware of Tobias' vindictive, prideful nature," Dumbledore said with regret.
"Did he beat her?" Hermione regretfully asked.
"Not that I'm aware of. But his constant mental abuse and harassment left psychological scars on both Eileen and Severus. While I have no doubt that Tobias did love my daughter, he was never able to keep the frustrations of his work from effecting how he treated his family. Tobias had been working on a connection between the Stonehenge ruins and the Egyptian pyramids for most of his adult life. His pride would never let him accept his own failures. He would, instead, blame those around him. In the end, his pride proved to be just as lethal as any Dark wizard," the Headmaster sadly stated.
"What happened?" Hermione asked.
"Just before Severus was to graduate from Hogwarts, we received word that Muggles had killed both Tobias and Eileen in a small village in northwestern Africa. They were there trying to seek out the location of a very rare artifacts Tobias needed for his research. From what I was told, Tobias had gotten into an argument with some of the men in the village. Apparently, he tried to use a gun to settle the argument. Even with his gun, Tobias was eventually overpowered and stabbed to death. Eileen was killed trying to rescue him from the angry mob," Dumbledore told her. "I never really knew my daughter, Hermione. It is one of the biggest regrets of my life."
"Did Professor Snape join the Death Eaters because Muggles killed his parents?" she asked.
"Yes, Severus was devastated by the loss of his mother. She was the only one he had ever been able to truly count on. He had sworn to take her away from his father once he finished his own apprenticeship. He had watched his mother suffer and deteriorate under his father's browbeating for years. Her sudden death sent him over the edge," Dumbledore informed her. "Luckily for us, Severus was able to quickly recognize the same ugly, arrogant, prideful nature in his fellow Death Eaters that his father had possessed. Only twenty months after taking the Mark, he came to me to seek my counsel."
"That's why he still hates Muggles and Muggle-borns. Because of the death of his mother," Hermione suggested.
"Severus has never gotten over his mother's death. I doubt he ever truly will. I must admit, even I find it hard to accept Eileen's death," Dumbledore sorrowfully said.
"Does he know?" Hermione asked the old wizard.
"No, he has no idea that I am his grandfather. If it were ever known, Voldemort would stop at nothing to extinguish my bloodline. Severus is in enough danger as it is" the Headmaster told her.
"That's why you were angry with Madam Pomfrey when she gave me the Night Shade Potion for the first time. You thought I might be pregnant with your great-grandchild," Hermione said.
"Yes, I have to admit, the possibility did occur to me. I had long since given up hope that Severus would ever father a child. I believe his relationship with his father has soured him on the idea of a family. You will have to forgive my selfishness, Hermione, but I believe your child may be the last chance for the Dumbledore bloodline to continue," he told her.
"Your brother doesn't have any children?" she asked.
"I'm afraid Aberforth was never the most sociable of people. He preferred other forms of companionship," Dumbledore answered, with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
"Is he gay?" Hermione asked.
"No, let's just say he has a real sympathy and friendliness towards certain kinds of livestock," Dumbledore cryptically answered.
"Oh Kaaay," Hermione said slowly. She reminded herself never to go in the Hog's Head tavern, again. "Professor, if Snape hates the idea of a family, what makes you think he'll want this child anymore than me?"
"I cannot tell you truthfully what Severus's reaction will be when he learns you now carry his child. But, I don't think he's capable of turning his back on his daughter," Dumbledore assured her.
"Daughter? What makes you think it's going to be a girl?" Hermione asked sounding puzzled.
"The medallion has already told us, Hermione. The crystal glowed pink, not blue," he informed her.
"Oh," Hermione said, as she placed her right hand on her abdomen. Somehow, the thought that it was a girl lessened her anxiety about it.
"Hermione, I want you to see something," Dumbledore said, as he removed the medallion from the velvet cloth. "Take it in your hand and close your eyes," he told her. Hermione gripped the medallion loosely in her left hand. She didn't want to impale herself again on the sharp point at the top, and then closed her eyes, as he asked. "Hermione, I want you to empty your mind. I want you to think of nothing but the child within you."
Slowly, a cloudy image formed in her mind. As it became clearer, she recognized the image as one of Hogwarts' school corridors. A lone figure moved closer down the long hallway. As the figure neared, the image suddenly sharpened. Hermione let out a small gasp as she recognized the figure. It was a girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old. She looked remarkably like Hermione with the exception of long straight raven-black hair and beautiful dark shiny eyes. She wore school robes, but Hermione couldn't tell what house insignia was on them. The insignia seemed to keep changing between Gryffindor, Slytherin and Ravenclaw colors. The girl's necktie changed as well. Slowly, the image began to fade.
"What was that?" she asked, as she opened her eyes. "Was that the future?"
"No, not the future. The medallion will only show you what is possible, nothing more," he told her.
"That was very unfair of you to show me that," Hermione irritably stated.
"Indeed," the Headmaster agreed, with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Hermione could tell right then how badly the old wizard wanted this.
"Professor, I cannot agree to keep this child. At least not yet," she told him.
"Of course, Miss Granger. I would not expect you to make a decision on a matter this serious right away. However, the time for you to make a choice is very short," Dumbledore, told her.
"I thought I had thirty days?" Hermione asked.
"Thirty days from the start of your pregnancy. The Ministry will consider you pregnant a week after conception," the Headmaster informed her.
"How much time do I have?" Hermione nervously asked.
"A week," he answered.
"A week, that's it?" she desperately asked. "How am I suppose to make a decision this big in that short of time?"
"I doubt that it will take much time at all to decide what it is that you really want, Hermione. As soon as you have all the facts, I'm confident that you will make the best choice," the old wizard told her with a smile.
"How can I have all the facts? I don't even know what Professor Snape thinks about all this," Hermione said, uncertainly.
"Then it might be wise of you to speak with Severus, before the week is out," the Headmaster suggested.
"I thought no one knew where he was?" she asked.
"This is true. The Order hasn't turned up a single clue as to Severus's whereabouts. But, that will soon change now that you seek to know where he is," Dumbledore told her.
"What do I have to do with it?" Hermione asked, sounding a little mystified by what the Headmaster just said.
"Hermione, look at the medallion in your hand. Do you recognize it?" he asked.
She looked at the object in her hand. She turned it over and studied the symbols that were etched along the perimeter of the medallion. " I have never seen anything like it before. But the symbols look Egyptian," she told the Professor.
"Correct, it is Egyptian. It's a Maternal Magnetism Charm that once belonged to Cleopatra, herself," Dumbledore explained. "It was said that she used this charm to keep track of her child's father, Julius Caesar. This medallion will lead you right to your child's father. You just have to close your eyes and concentrate on Severus as you did on your daughter, before."
"You want me to find Professor Snape?" Hermione asked.
"As I said before, the Order has had no luck in finding Severus. It is imperative that we locate him before any of Voldemort's Death Eaters do. I believe you are our best hope. You, of course, will not be seeking him out alone; a member of the Order will join you," Dumbledore informed her.
"When?" Hermione asked simply.
"Tomorrow morning," he told her. "If that not too inconvenient for you, Hermione?" he asked.
"No. I'd rather get this out of the way as quickly as I can. Tomorrow will be fine," she answered.
"Hermione, I have one favor to ask. As I said before, we have had no sign of Severus since he left Hogwarts a month ago. Not even magical locater spells with Severus's own blood have been able to point us in any direction. It is entirely possible that he is no longer alive. It would explain why we haven't been able to track him. Could you allay an old man's fears and try to see if the medallion can point you towards Severus? It will only work if he is still alive," Dumbledore asked, with a worried expression on his face.
Hermione was hesitant to try. If it failed, she didn't want to be the one to tell Dumbledore that his only grandson was dead. Deciding it would be best to get it over with, she sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
After a minute of concentrating on nothing but Professor Snape, Hermione couldn't sense anything. She was just about ready to give up when she felt something pulling at her mind. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. Hermione opened her eyes and looked in the direction her mind was being pulled. "He's that way," Hermione said, as she pointed out the infirmary window.
"Southwest. I would have guessed that Severus would head to the northeast, back into Eastern Europe," Dumbledore said, with a look of relief on his face. "Were you able to sense anything else, Hermione?" the old wizard asked.
"I couldn't see anything, but I could swear that I smelled the ocean," she answered.
"He must be on the coast. That will help us narrow down his location," Dumbledore told her.
"What do I do when I find him?" Hermione asked.
"That is entirely up to you, my dear," Dumbledore told her. "You might start with explaining your current situation," he suggested.
"Who are you going to send with me?" she asked.
"I believe Miss Tonks will be an excellent choice. She can blend in with Muggles and wizards alike," Dumbledore recommended.
Just then, Pomfrey came back into the infirmary, returning from her trip to the greenhouse. Along with bag of herbs in her left hand, she held a black bottle in her right. The matron set the bag of herbs down on the small table next to the bed, then handed Hermione the bottle. "This is a calming draught I retrieved from our potions stores. It should help calm you until the other potion stops its effects," Pomfrey said, as Hermione took the bottle from her. "Be very careful with that, Miss Granger. Calming draughts can be highly addictive. No more than one tablespoon a day and for no longer than a single week," the matron warned.
"I understand," Hermione answered. "Professor, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Anything, my dear," the Headmaster answered.
"I was wondering if I could see Professor Snape's private quarters. Just to see if I can find something that will tell me more about him," Hermione suggested.
"I think that is an excellent idea, Miss Granger," the Professor told her. "Tomorrow, after breakfast, I'll have Miss Tonks meet you in the dungeon. After searching Severus's quarters, the two of you can set out to find him."
"I guess I should go to my dorm and pack. I want to get as early a start as possible, tomorrow," Hermione told the Headmaster.
"Do you have anything further for Miss Granger, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, Miss Granger is free to go," the matron answered.
"Well, you best be on your way, my dear," Dumbledore said, as he took the medallion out of Hermione's hands and put it around her neck.
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, as she hopped off the bed and headed for the exit.
Unnoticed by anyone in the infirmary, a small green housefly sat on the wall watching the teenage girl leave. The fly had heard every word spoken, but of course couldn't understand any of it. The blond- headed Slytherin boy, who had enchanted the fly, was able to hear and understand everything that was said.
Hermione had decided to skip dinner and stay in her dorm room. She was trying to avoid Parvati for as long as possible. She packed enough clothes for three days. She hoped that it wouldn't take any longer than that to find Professor Snape. The image of the beautiful girl in school robes still plagued her. Hermione was definitely not ready to become a mother, but she knew the girl's image would always haunt her if she did give up this baby. Hermione decide that she would pay a visit to her mother while she was gone. Her mother had had her at the very young age of nineteen and still was able to become a dentist before she was twenty-five. If anyone knew how to raise a child while still in school, it was her mom.
As Hermione lay on her bed contemplating her future, shouting rang out from the common room below, follow by a loud crash. She quickly got off her bed and ran to the door to see what the commotion was about. Just as she reached the main stairs, Parvati bolted pass, heading for their dorm room. Parvati looked angrier than Hermione had ever seen her before. Lying on his back, in the middle of the common room, was Neville, holding his now bloody nose.
"What happened?" Hermione asked Lavender Brown, as she came up the stairs after her friend. Hermione had been a bit frosty towards Lavender lately. The whole "Won Won," thing got under her skin. Hermione knew she wasn't jealous that Lav was always sucking face with her best friend. It was just the Potion affecting her. "Just the potion," she always told herself every time she saw the two of them together.
"I don't know. Parvati just started yelling at Neville, then punched him in the face," Lavender told her, as she passed. Hermione turned and followed Lavender back into their dorm. Inside, Parvati was angrily pacing back and forth. "What's wrong, Par?" Lavender asked her irate friend.
"That stupid fool, Longbottom, that's what's wrong," Parvati irately stated. "Hermione, tell her what that moronic klutz did to us."
"Uh, he blew his potion up on us," Hermione said, feeling confused as to why she would still be angry about that.
"He also turned us gay with that disastrous potion of his," Parvati said in a fiery voice.
"HE WHAT!" both Hermione and Lavender shouted.
"He turned us gay. We were all over each other in the shower after being covered in that orange goop; weren't we, Hermione?" Parvati said.
"Parvati, I don't think Neville's potion could affect us that way," Hermione told her.
"Of course it did, there's no other explanation for it. You would never have done what you did if you weren't affected by a potion. Would you?" Parvati sternly asked. Hermione had to admit; she had her there.
"No," she answered weakly. She hated letting Neville take the blame, but she promised Dumbledore that she would tell no one about the potion.
"Wow, that's incredible. What did you guys do in the shower, together?" Lavender asked with a look of prurient interest on her face.
"Just stuff," Parvati simply answered, with an annoyed look on her face.
"Well, are you still gay?" Lavender asked.
"I don't know. I haven't checked," Parvati told her.
"How would you check?" Lavender curiously asked.
"I guess, like this," Parvati answered. Then, without warning, she marched up to Hermione, put both her hands on the sides of her head and deeply kissed her. Hermione felt her blood begin to boil once again as Parvati's soft tongue invaded her mouth. Besides being able to tell that Parvati had had some kind of strawberry dessert for dinner, it was obvious that Parvati was an expert at Frenching.
Parvati slowly moved her left hand down from the side of Hermione's head and finally rested it on her right breast. Hermione let out a low moan as the girl massaged her right bosom. Abruptly, without warning, Parvati pulled away. Hermione just sighed with frustration.
"Yep, I'm definitely still feeling pretty gay," Parvati, announced. "What about you, Hermione?" she asked.
"Maybe, just a little," she answered, as she continued to breathe deeply.
"Wow, that was so cool," Lavender stated. "Are you two only attracted to each other or do you want to have sex with other girls, too?" she asked.
"There is only one way to find out," Parvati said, than took Lavender in her arms and kissed her even deeper than she had Hermione. Lavender responded by bringing her hands up and putting them in Parvati's black mane. The two girls continued to snog one another without any signs of stopping. Slowly, they moved over and fell onto one of the beds.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally broke their kiss. "I guess you're really gay," Lavender said, as she tried to catch her breath.
"Yeah, but I don't think I'm as gay as I was earlier," Parvati told her.
"Maybe the more gay sex you have, the quicker the potion wears off," Lavender suggested.
"That's a excellent theory you have there, mate," Parvati said, as she began to unbutton Lavender's shirt.
Hermione watched the two girls on the bed with the eyes of a predator. If she hadn't already packed her bottle of calming draught away, she would be tempted to take another dose. Hell, she would probably drink the whole damn bottle.
Parvati stopped nuzzling Lavender's neck to look back at Hermione, and say, "Come on Hermione, join in. If we work real hard, we could be cured by morning."
"It's going to be a long night," Hermione said to herself, as she put a locking charm on their door.
Next chapter coming soon.
My next chapter might not be beta'd, because I wrote that my beta had sex with a hundred year old man in this chapter. She does have a thing for older guys.