All characters still belong to JK.
A/N: Thanks to my lovely reviewers—Looks Far Woman, debjunk, Hermioine09Weasley, duj, notwritten, zule bean, MaritimeStars
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Severus Aparates us to my next appointment and this time Dr. Bella is there instead of Dr. Griffin. That makes me happy, and I tell her so. She just laughs and reminds me that she's only the junior partner to him. "Besides, he's the country's leading expert on muggleborn disorders, so you're lucky to have him."
"Yes," I say, "But you're nicer."
She shakes her head and hands me a potion.
Severus stays with me for most of the treatment, which is nice and I appreciate it, but there is something I need to discuss privately with Dr. Bella. So I send him out to stretch his legs and take a little walk out in the hallway. When he's gone, I lean towards her.
"I thought you should know, my husband has been researching my condition. He wants to make potions for me, too. Is that okay?"
"Okay? If I were sick, I'd be thrilled to have Severus Snape compounding my potions. Did you know I had him at Hogwarts?"
"No kidding!"
"Oh, he was a tough teacher. We were all a little afraid of him. But you know, when I got in to Healer training, I realized that I learned more from him--and Professor McGonagall--than all the other profs put together. But if he's making potions, it would be helpful if he knows what you're already taking." She lowers her voice. "He's coming back. I have an idea--I'll do the talking." Severus joins us and Dr. Bella opens her box of exami-wands.
"I'm checking Mrs. Snape's reactions to the treatment," she tells him as she waves the wand over my body and records the color on her enchanted parchment. "And...she's doing well so far." She passes another wand over me, and then another. She nods pleasedly. As she puts the wands away, she says to him, "You probably don't remember me, but I was a first year when you started teaching at Hogwarts. You taught me how to make potions."
"I do remember you, Dr. Bella. That's why I'm allowing you to treat my wife."
"Really? Wow," It's obvious she's flattered, and she flashes one of her big sunny smiles. "Oh, wait, I want you to have this," and she snatches my chart out of the air and flips to the back for a piece of parchment. She hands it to him. "This is the formula for the potion Mrs. Snape is taking. Of course, as her status changes, the potion will change. But I'll make sure you're told of anything new."
I turn away to hide a smile as Severus nods at Dr. Bella and pockets the formula. I have to give her credit--she really knows how to manage him. Of course, she's had lots of experience dealing with patients and families, but I find myself wishing I'd known her at Hogwarts. I'm sure we would have been friends. That's not disloyal to Harry and Ron, but Harry drove me crazy with his constant procrastinating and Ron drove me crazy with his just plain carelessness about his work.
"Just do me a favor?" She continues, looking around furtively and lowering her voice. "Please don't tell Dr. Griffin I gave you that. He doesn't really like input from other healers, so I know he wouldn't like suggestions from patients' families. Nothing personal, he's just that way."
"Agreed."
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After the treatment I'm exhausted as usual, and Severus Aparates us to some secluded place near the sitter's. Before I got sick, we rarely needed anyone to watch the baby because we usually stayed home, and if we did go somewhere, we just brought her with us. But lately we've been using a friend of Mum's, and I have to get her. I wish Severus would pick her up himself, but he doesn't like my parents' muggle friends. Actually, he's never even met any of them, but he doesn't want to. And even my being sick hasn't changed his point of view about this. So I have to go up to the door and get Inanna.
When we finally do get home I collapse into bed, but before I fall asleep, he says, "Lucius will be coming by this evening for a potion he ordered from me."
"Oh goody. Another Malfoy."
"Hermione..."
"Can't anybody in that family take care of themselves? They're supposed to be so powerful, such an illustrious family..."
"You know as well as I do, that their power comes primarily from their wealth and connections rather than their magical skill. But why do you hate them so much?"
"Because none of them ever lifted a finger when you were investigated and brought to trial over Dumbledore's murder, and it was all Narcissa's fault that you got involved in the first place. And if Draco had succeeded in doing what the Dark Lord wanted him to..."
"That's enough, Hermione. I wouldn't dream of asking for help from a Malfoy--I have more pride than that. I'm also not stupid enough to imagine that any of them would offer to help. But that doesn't mean I can't make a potion for Lucius and have him pay me for it."
"Fine. But don't expect me to make dinner while he's here."
"I wouldn't expect you to make dinner today anyway. I can conjure something. But what did you mean by that?"
"I'm not going to give Lucius Malfoy any chance to gloat over me now that I've lost my powers."
"It doesn't matter what the Malfoys think."
"You're wrong. It matters to me. I have my pride too, you know."