Chapter 25: The Pain of Loss
{A/N: Late post I apologies for any errors...will fix later...}
My thanks to all my readers and reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
Hogsmeade, Wizarding World...
Hermione had not seen Severus since Friday afternoon's potions class. The bushy haired witch had figured he had been summoned by the dark lord and would be out until further notice. She had hoped and prayed that he would be alright. His usual return from those meetings had always ended with him being brutally beaten and riddled with tremors that seemed to go on without end. The bushy haired witch would be lying if she had said that she wasn't getting attached to the snarky bastard. She meant it when she had told him she loved him. Though she wasn't sure how much he believed of her declaration to be credible given the state she had been in when she made it.
"Severus." she said fondly stroking her belly.
Never had she imagined being married to The Potions Master would feel like this.
Ginny shared a small round of giggles with her long time friend and they continued on their way toward the village. Harry and Ron were ahead of them joking about. Ginny had been remarking on how Hogsmeade had been much better than she had pictured when she had to stay behind all those years ago while Harry, Ron, and Hermione went.
Hermione pointed out that Harry couldn't always go. Especially when Sirius Black was thought to have been his parent's killers. They laughed about how Fred and George gave him the marauders' map and he came anyway pelting Draco Malfoy and his goons with snowballs.
"I would have gladly punched him in his arrogant little face, but Harry got to him before I could." said the bushy haired witch.
Ginny shook her head.
"Sounds like you guys had fun." she said.
"Yeah." replied Hermione. "I'd like to think that we did given the circumstances."
Ginny nodded.
"I want to thank you for keeping my secret about the baby." said the bushy haired witch.
"No problem." replied the red haired Weasley girl. "I'm sure you'll find a way to tell both Ron and Harry eventually."
Hermione nodded.
The two of them continued to walk and casually converse. Before either of the girls knew it they were caught up to Harry and Ron. The four friends entered The Three Broomsticks. All four of them had been greeted quite warmly by Madam Rosemerta. They grabbed a table and Ron immediately ordered four Butterbears.
"Oh, none for me thanks." said Hermione.
Ron looked at her stunned.
"Mione, you always get a Butterbeer." he said.
"Well, she isn't this time around." interjected Ginny. "Us girls will have a cherry syrup and soda with ice and a little umbrella."
The waitress nodded and went off to get their drinks.
Harry and Ron looked at her suspiciously.
"You do always get a butterbeer when we come here, Mione." said the green eyed wizard.
"Maybe she felt like a change." said Ginny covering for her friend.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention to taking in the sights.
The waitress came back with the butterbeers and the cherry syrup and sodas.
Ron chugged his butterbeer and Harry slowly sipped his.
Hermione and Ginny both sipped their cherry syrup and sodas.
"Would there be anything else?" asked the waitress.
"I'd like a round of fish and chips for the table..." said Ron pleased at the prospect of food. "Oh and a shepard's pie."
Ginny shook her head. To her it seemed that Ron was a bottomless pit when it came to food.
As the minutes passed the four friends chatted, laughed, and ate while enjoying their respective drinks. After sitting through Ron gorging on the first serving of shepard's pie, Hermione found herself feeling a bit queasy and decided to go out and get some air.
She took a few steps needing to get away from the scent of food in a bid to calm her churning stomach. The cool breeze that happened by did wonders as she got a little further from The Three Broomsticks and onto the path. Before she knew it she had wandered a bit too much from the Inn and her friends and turned to make her way back.
Amid the trees, Hogsmeade...
Little did Hermione know, she was being followed by a certain wizard clad in gray robes. He had been terribly thin with a bearded pale face wild eyes and short tangled hair. He stood amid the trees like some rabid dog in the middle of a hunt. His dark eyes locked onto the unsuspecting witch as she did her best to settle her churning stomach and take in the fresh air. He had been watching her for several minutes before she decided to get to her feet and head back, that was when he decided to strike. Relishing the terror that filed across her youthful face once Dolohov stepped from the trees.
"So this is the pretty young little mudblood wife of Severus Snape?" he asked taunting the frightened witch.
Hermione gripped her wand tightly in her hands. Severus had en-steeled the need to always have it at the ready into her, especially when she was out and about with her friends.
"Get away from me." she said.
"How adorable." said Dolohov. "Too bad that won't save you."
Hermione flicked her wand in a bid to hex the creepy death eater but he was much faster. Before the bushy haired witch knew it she was sent to the ground with minimal effort on his part. Filled with panic and concern about her unborn child Hermione kept her wand in her grasp. She used it to cast a charm just before Dolohov uttered the next incantation.
Silenced but still quite deadly, Dolohov had only just a few moments to curse the bushy haired witch before he was pelted with a series of attacks. Fearing that he was surrounded by members of The Order or worse Potter and his other friends, Dolohov made a hasty retreat. Hermione had been relieved to see the creepy death eater go but found herself in a world of pain. The last thing the witch saw before everything went dark was the pale and terror stricken face of Draco Malfoy.
Draco kneeled down beside Hermione unsure how to help her.
He had managed to fool Dolohov and get him to leave the young witch alone. When the creep had vanished the junior Malfoy made his way over toward his uncle's wife and tried to help any way he could. It was sheer dumb luck that Draco happened upon the scene and utter bravery that he intervened. He had not known what to make of the death eater's appearance at Hogsmeade or why he had been watching Hermione Granger. The young albino blond hid behind the nearest tree until he summoned the courage to save the bushy haired witch.
"I-I don't know how to help you Granger." said Draco noting the blood that seemed to have pooled around her from out of nowhere.
"P-Please..." said Hermione in lucid state. "My baby...please save my baby..."
Draco could hardly believe what she had said. A Baby? She was pregnant with his uncle's child. And there was so much blood. The junior Malfoy did the only thing he could at that point. He gathered up the bloodied witch and carried her in her arms back to The Three Broomsticks. He had hoped one of her friends would know what to do to get her help.
The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade...
Ginny looked around rather nervously for Hermione. She had been gone longer than a few minutes and Ron had already finished off his shepard's pie. Harry had been thinking that Hermione had been gone for too long as well. They were each about to suggest going out and looking for her when they heard a few shocked gasps fill the room. Sensing trouble, Harry jumped to his feet and had his wand at the ready. Both Ginny and Ron had done the same especially when they saw that Draco Malfoy had entered The Three Broomsticks. Ginny screamed when she saw that Hermione had been out cold in the albino wizard's arms and there was a great deal of blood coming from her.
"Malfoy!" said Harry ready to hex Draco on sight.
Ginny noted the anguish in the Slytherin wizard's eyes.
"Don't just stand there Potter!" shouted Draco clearly upset "Help me!"
Seeing that Draco had been distressed seemed to shake Harry from his hate as he ventured over toward the sleek blond haired boy. Harry had looked as thought he had been punched in the gut when he saw the condition Hermione had been in.
"What did you do to her Malfoy?" asked Harry suspicious.
"I didn't do anything Potter, this was Dolohov's doing." said Draco. "He must have been after Granger the whole time."
"What?" asked Harry confused. "Why would he be after Hermione?"
"Are you daft Potter?" asked Draco still upset. "She's Muggle-born, married to a death eater, and pregnant."
"Pregnant?" asked both Harry and Ron in unison.
Draco had been stunned that they had not known.
"It doesn't matter right now...we have to get her help." said Ginny coming to Hermione's side.
"It was a wordless curse I think." said Draco. "Granger must have cast a silencing charm to stop it but it still hit her full on."
The three wizard's and Ginny managed to get Hermione back to Hogwarts in one piece. Draco had refused to allow either Harry or Ron to carry Hermione. He did not seem to notice that she bled all over his expensive black suit. All the junior Malfoy wanted at that time was to see Hermione Granger well.
The Infirmary, Hogwarts...
After a good deal of waiting around and fearing the worst, Madam Pomfrey came to the group and informed them of Hermione's condition. They had been shocked to learn that she was hit with such a powerful curse that it would still take a while for her to heal. Even more shocking to Harry and Ron had been the confirmation of Hermione's pregnancy. Draco and Ginny found themselves floored when Madam Pomfrey informed them that the baby had not survived the attack. Draco leaned against a nearby wall. His eyes wide with terror and red from his sorrow. He knew what would happen next. It was to be the worst that could have ever happened in that moment. Tears started to stream down the pale cheeks of the junior Malfoy.
His sadness had puzzled both Ron and Harry.
"Why are you upset Malfoy?" asked Ron defensive. "She's our friend not yours."
Draco scrambled to his feet glaring at the red head wizard murderously.
"In case you have forgotten Granger is the wife of Professor Snape." he said bitterly. "The child she was carrying was also his and now I have to go tell him that it didn't survive."
Ron had been thrown through a loop at Draco's words.
"YOU LIE!" he shouted irate. "HERMIONE WOULD NEVER MARRY THAT GREASY GIT...SHE WOULDN'T EVER LET HIM TOUCH HER!"
Draco had arched an eyebrow in confusion at this and finally put it together.
"Oh." he said softly. "I suppose you didn't know."
Ron had attempted to attack Draco, his nostrils flaring in rage.
Harry and Ginny pulled him away from the albino Slytherin.
"He's telling the truth Ron." said Harry at last coming clean.
Ron glared at Harry.
"Y-You knew about this?" he asked.
"We both did." said Ginny not willing to let Harry shoulder the blame.
Ron had been stunned.
"Even my own sister knew about the girl I love being married to that greasy git and I..." he started. "She was going to have his baby?...she was going to have a child with that monster and..."
Unable to finish Ron walked away from the group, his blood boiling in his veins.
Draco took his leave as well deciding to get to Malfoy Manor as soon as possible. He had no idea where Snape had been but he felt it was his duty to let his uncle know the news. He had not known how Snape was going to take losing another child, but he had hoped that his father would be there to help smooth things over. It had been sheer dumb luck that he had decided to be petulant that day and head to Hogsmeade late, it was even worse that he decided to go by himself. He had been fortunate that his godfather taught him the Distant Shimmer charm that he used to make Dolohov believe that he had been surrounded.
It was unfortunate that he had been too late to save his godfather's unborn child. The albino blond wizard grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the flames.
"Malfoy Manor." he called and took a deep breath.
The junior Malfoy stepped through the emerald flames and into his father's sitting room. A feeling of dread filled him as he ventured out into the main parts of the house with Hermione Granger's blood still wet on the outside of his nice black suit.