A Secret worth Keeping
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only those that I created myself. Please do not harm me in any way. I only do this for fun.
Chapter Three: Understandings
A faint sound of fussing brought Hermione back up to a dull consciousness. Familiar sounds echoed around in her brain until her eyes flew open as the memory slammed into her forcibly. She quickly sat up in a state of confusion, for a moment, she forgot where she was and her eyes searched in the near darkness. Her heart pounding furiously.
Her son.
" Sebastian?"
" He's right here, Miss Granger, quite safe, I assure you."
Severus's voice came from her right and she turned to see him standing next to the bed with their son cradled in his arms. She raised a relieved hand to her throat as the fear subsided at the sight that greeted her.
" How.... things go?" She moved to sit up placing her back against the headboard she could barely make out his form in the darkened room. "Did you two get along well?"
Severus whispered a soft. "Lumos." And the candles came to light casting the room in shadowy light. Hermione blinked a few times at the sudden light before turning her eyes back to the man and child.
" We got along quite well.... until a few moments ago." Severus replied and moved to sit himself down next to her on the bed, in his arms their son's tiny body was a torrent of movement, his small face, displayed a familiar redness that she knew all to well. "Did you sleep well?"
She smiled up at him and nodded. "Yes, thank you. I needed it. I didn't realize how exhausted I was."
" It nice to see you more rested.... however...." He indicated the child rustling restlessly in his arms a semi-hapless expression on his face.
" He has your temperament." She chuckled.
" I can see that." Severus replied haughtily still trying to hang onto the squirming infant.
Hermione smiled as she watched 'Sebastian's legs kicking furiously in agitation, knowing by his movements that he was just at the beginning of his anger. In a few seconds his warning whimpering will begin, then if he weren't eating within a few minutes after that, he would let loose a howl that would bring the ceiling down. This little bit of feet kicking was merely his pre-feeding fussing. Severus on the other hand didn't look too pleased.
" I do believe that he is hungry."
" I do believe you are right." She smiled tucking the comforter more securely around her before holding out her arms for the baby. "Hand him over."
Severus slowly passed the irritated infant to his mother. Carefully and gently so as not to accidentally drop him. He sat motionless on the side of the bed watching every little movement in silence as Hermione unbuttoned her blouse and proceeded to slip off half of the white fabric to expose herself. With barely a breath, he watched her feed their son.
The sight wasn't as erotic as he would assumed it would have been if things were to have proceeded as nature intended it to. He leaned forward to watch closer, no.... not erotic, this was, by far different. It was intoxicating. Watching her feeding Sebastian, he felt a stirring, not in his loins but in his heart.
" He's amazing." Severus whispered as he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of mother and child.
Hermione smiled down at the bundle, oblivious to the fact that Severus was watching him suckle with such an intense gaze.
" He has a hardy appetite." He whispered softly.
She glanced up and nodded. "Yes he does. I was sore for the first few days trying to learn to feed him properly. It was quite a task for me. Even the books I read did not prepare me for the pain that came along with breastfeeding at first. Not having anyone to show me how to do this, I had to learn from experience. I'm still a bit sore." She admitted.
" Your mother didn't give you any advice?" Severus's eyes strayed from his son to Hermione as he spoke.
Hermione face turned a shade of red and she looked quickly away, back to her son trying to speak around her emotions. "My parents. are very.... disappointed in me. They are having nothing to do with us."
Severus frowned at that. "Nothing? Surely, they were supportive of. "
"No.... " Hermione interrupted with a shake of her head sadly. She kept her gave on her son refusing to look up at the man again in case he could see the pain in her face. "They kicked me out of the house when I told them I was pregnant."
" Where did you go?" He couldn't believe parents would do that, not to their own child.
" Here and there. A few.... true.... friends helped me out when they could." She shrugged her shoulder trying to toss the pain away. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm hoping to be able to get a job in Diagon Alley or perhaps in Hogsmeade. If I can then Sebastian and I can stay in this world. If I can't we will have to return to muggle London."
" Did you tell them what happened? How you conceived?"
She shook her head, while sighing sadly.
" They didn't hear beyond.... I'm pregnant." She sighed as she gently tapped on Sebastian's mouth, breaking the suction. She deftly removed him from her breast and turned him in her arms. Before he started to howl in protest, she dropped the other side of her blouse to expose her other nipple for him to finish.
Severus watched on in amazed attention as she moved their child with grace and shook his head as the baby attached himself to her other nipple. He still had difficulty believing that her parents wouldn't take her back after seeing this bundle she held tightly against her.
" Will your parents take you back once they see him?"
" Doubtful, they haven't spoken to me since October. They are very prideful people. They see him as.... a disgrace."
" Miss Granger.... "
She suddenly looked up at him and felt guilty at her words. Of course, he would start feeling guilt himself right about now. She really didn't want him to feel that way, not now. Hermione shook her head and gave him a timid smile trying to sound more sure of her self that what she was actually feeling.
" We'll be fine, Professor, I've done all right so far. It's been tough but we're surviving."
Severus's eyes were focused on his son as the baby's figure was lulled into sleep, sated from a full belly. No, he was not going to allow them to just survive. With a determined grace, he stood slowly from the bed gazing down at them both. "Allow me to make some inquiries on your behalf? I would feel more secure if I didn't have to worry about your and Sebastian's safety."
" Professor."
" Severus."
" Sir?" Her gaze locked with his.
" You are the mother of my son. It is only right that you should call me by my given name.... Hermione."
" Thank you." She blushed delicately as she removed the baby from her breast and tugged back into her blouse to hide her from his view. "That is kind of you, but.... But I did not come here for your assistance or help. I do not expect anything from you, Profess.. Uh.... Severus, I.... I just wanted you to know Sebastian.... existed."
" And now that I do, I intend to help in his care, surely you can not deny me that?" He argued logically as he watched her struggling in her emotions.
" Help in what way?" She managed to whisper under his intense gaze. "I.... We.... don't need much."
He nodded. That was a first step in her accepting his offer. He looked around the room of the Leaky Cauldron and sneered. "A different place for shelter first. I don't like the idea of raising our son in a pub. After that we can discuss future endeavors together."
" I.... that is.... " She sighed and nodded her head. " If.... that is what you wish."
He reached out to brush his hands over the baby's soft black fuzz of hair on his head. "I will be back within the hour." He stated and turned on his heels to leave. Striding to the door he paused and looked back at her with a look that took her breath away.
" Thank you.... for telling me about him, even if I can't remember the occasion."
She smiled then seeing another man standing there than the man she grew up with. "You're welcome.... Daddy."
He flashed her a rare grin and disappeared out of the door leaving her to smile down at the baby sleeping contently in her arms.
" Things will be fine now Sebastian, Daddy will see to it now."
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only those that I created myself. Please do not harm me in any way. I only do this for fun.
Chapter Three: Understandings
A faint sound of fussing brought Hermione back up to a dull consciousness. Familiar sounds echoed around in her brain until her eyes flew open as the memory slammed into her forcibly. She quickly sat up in a state of confusion, for a moment, she forgot where she was and her eyes searched in the near darkness. Her heart pounding furiously.
Her son.
" Sebastian?"
" He's right here, Miss Granger, quite safe, I assure you."
Severus's voice came from her right and she turned to see him standing next to the bed with their son cradled in his arms. She raised a relieved hand to her throat as the fear subsided at the sight that greeted her.
" How.... things go?" She moved to sit up placing her back against the headboard she could barely make out his form in the darkened room. "Did you two get along well?"
Severus whispered a soft. "Lumos." And the candles came to light casting the room in shadowy light. Hermione blinked a few times at the sudden light before turning her eyes back to the man and child.
" We got along quite well.... until a few moments ago." Severus replied and moved to sit himself down next to her on the bed, in his arms their son's tiny body was a torrent of movement, his small face, displayed a familiar redness that she knew all to well. "Did you sleep well?"
She smiled up at him and nodded. "Yes, thank you. I needed it. I didn't realize how exhausted I was."
" It nice to see you more rested.... however...." He indicated the child rustling restlessly in his arms a semi-hapless expression on his face.
" He has your temperament." She chuckled.
" I can see that." Severus replied haughtily still trying to hang onto the squirming infant.
Hermione smiled as she watched 'Sebastian's legs kicking furiously in agitation, knowing by his movements that he was just at the beginning of his anger. In a few seconds his warning whimpering will begin, then if he weren't eating within a few minutes after that, he would let loose a howl that would bring the ceiling down. This little bit of feet kicking was merely his pre-feeding fussing. Severus on the other hand didn't look too pleased.
" I do believe that he is hungry."
" I do believe you are right." She smiled tucking the comforter more securely around her before holding out her arms for the baby. "Hand him over."
Severus slowly passed the irritated infant to his mother. Carefully and gently so as not to accidentally drop him. He sat motionless on the side of the bed watching every little movement in silence as Hermione unbuttoned her blouse and proceeded to slip off half of the white fabric to expose herself. With barely a breath, he watched her feed their son.
The sight wasn't as erotic as he would assumed it would have been if things were to have proceeded as nature intended it to. He leaned forward to watch closer, no.... not erotic, this was, by far different. It was intoxicating. Watching her feeding Sebastian, he felt a stirring, not in his loins but in his heart.
" He's amazing." Severus whispered as he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of mother and child.
Hermione smiled down at the bundle, oblivious to the fact that Severus was watching him suckle with such an intense gaze.
" He has a hardy appetite." He whispered softly.
She glanced up and nodded. "Yes he does. I was sore for the first few days trying to learn to feed him properly. It was quite a task for me. Even the books I read did not prepare me for the pain that came along with breastfeeding at first. Not having anyone to show me how to do this, I had to learn from experience. I'm still a bit sore." She admitted.
" Your mother didn't give you any advice?" Severus's eyes strayed from his son to Hermione as he spoke.
Hermione face turned a shade of red and she looked quickly away, back to her son trying to speak around her emotions. "My parents. are very.... disappointed in me. They are having nothing to do with us."
Severus frowned at that. "Nothing? Surely, they were supportive of. "
"No.... " Hermione interrupted with a shake of her head sadly. She kept her gave on her son refusing to look up at the man again in case he could see the pain in her face. "They kicked me out of the house when I told them I was pregnant."
" Where did you go?" He couldn't believe parents would do that, not to their own child.
" Here and there. A few.... true.... friends helped me out when they could." She shrugged her shoulder trying to toss the pain away. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm hoping to be able to get a job in Diagon Alley or perhaps in Hogsmeade. If I can then Sebastian and I can stay in this world. If I can't we will have to return to muggle London."
" Did you tell them what happened? How you conceived?"
She shook her head, while sighing sadly.
" They didn't hear beyond.... I'm pregnant." She sighed as she gently tapped on Sebastian's mouth, breaking the suction. She deftly removed him from her breast and turned him in her arms. Before he started to howl in protest, she dropped the other side of her blouse to expose her other nipple for him to finish.
Severus watched on in amazed attention as she moved their child with grace and shook his head as the baby attached himself to her other nipple. He still had difficulty believing that her parents wouldn't take her back after seeing this bundle she held tightly against her.
" Will your parents take you back once they see him?"
" Doubtful, they haven't spoken to me since October. They are very prideful people. They see him as.... a disgrace."
" Miss Granger.... "
She suddenly looked up at him and felt guilty at her words. Of course, he would start feeling guilt himself right about now. She really didn't want him to feel that way, not now. Hermione shook her head and gave him a timid smile trying to sound more sure of her self that what she was actually feeling.
" We'll be fine, Professor, I've done all right so far. It's been tough but we're surviving."
Severus's eyes were focused on his son as the baby's figure was lulled into sleep, sated from a full belly. No, he was not going to allow them to just survive. With a determined grace, he stood slowly from the bed gazing down at them both. "Allow me to make some inquiries on your behalf? I would feel more secure if I didn't have to worry about your and Sebastian's safety."
" Professor."
" Severus."
" Sir?" Her gaze locked with his.
" You are the mother of my son. It is only right that you should call me by my given name.... Hermione."
" Thank you." She blushed delicately as she removed the baby from her breast and tugged back into her blouse to hide her from his view. "That is kind of you, but.... But I did not come here for your assistance or help. I do not expect anything from you, Profess.. Uh.... Severus, I.... I just wanted you to know Sebastian.... existed."
" And now that I do, I intend to help in his care, surely you can not deny me that?" He argued logically as he watched her struggling in her emotions.
" Help in what way?" She managed to whisper under his intense gaze. "I.... We.... don't need much."
He nodded. That was a first step in her accepting his offer. He looked around the room of the Leaky Cauldron and sneered. "A different place for shelter first. I don't like the idea of raising our son in a pub. After that we can discuss future endeavors together."
" I.... that is.... " She sighed and nodded her head. " If.... that is what you wish."
He reached out to brush his hands over the baby's soft black fuzz of hair on his head. "I will be back within the hour." He stated and turned on his heels to leave. Striding to the door he paused and looked back at her with a look that took her breath away.
" Thank you.... for telling me about him, even if I can't remember the occasion."
She smiled then seeing another man standing there than the man she grew up with. "You're welcome.... Daddy."
He flashed her a rare grin and disappeared out of the door leaving her to smile down at the baby sleeping contently in her arms.
" Things will be fine now Sebastian, Daddy will see to it now."