Chapter Nine – Resolution

For the rest of the night and into the morning, Severus paced the fifty feet back and forth across his private quarters. The encounter with Hermione had answered his question and confirmed his suspicions: somehow, without realizing it, Hermione had taken the ancient Unbreakable Vow, the Iuris Veneficus, which required her to heed all of his commands without fail. He was caught in between pitying her and thinking of a way to use this knowledge to his advantage. From the very beginning, however, his decision had been more or less made: he was going to milk Hermione for all she was worth.

But how?

Severus paused with a slight growl as a loud 'crack' reverberated throughout his dungeon, announcing the arrival of one of the many house elves employed within Hogwarts. Though he saw them on almost a daily basis, he found himself somewhat repulsed by them, and perturbed by their ability to apparate to any place within Hogwarts at any time.

"Sir," the house elf squeaked, and Severus reluctantly turned to face the small green creature. He cringed slightly at its meager appearance; for though it had been employed at Hogwarts for many months, it had a slightly emaciated look about it, its pale green skin hanging off its bones like a deflated basketball.

"Er … yes?" asked Severus finally, realizing that he had been staring blankly at the creature for some time.

"You is receiving a letter, sir," it squeaked, shuffling forwards to thrust a letter up at him. "You is missing the owls at breakfast, sir."

"Oh … um, yes. Er … thank you." Severus dug around in his pocket absent-mindedly as he scanned the front of the envelope, embroidered in a loopy scarlet print. His probing fingers closed around a few bronze Knuts and he held them out for the house elf as he flipped the letter over in his other hand. The house elf made a noise of deep disgust, threw Severus a look of purest loathing, and disappeared with another loud 'crack'.

With a shrug Severus strode to his desk, rifled about for a moment in one of the drawers and withdrew a letter opener, its copper handle polished to a shine. With it he slit open the back of the envelope and withdrew the letter. His expression blackened with every line that he read and soon the letter had found its way to the very bottom of his wastepaper basket.

Another stupid witch, he grimaced, wanting to become the surrogate mother of my child … no doubt of the same quality as the others.

As Severus raised his arm to toss the crumpled envelope into the garbage after the letter, an idea came to him that was so wicked and deceitful that he nearly laughed.

Even I'm not that wicked.

But the more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. No matter what he did, he couldn't chase the thought from his mind. It roused his dark nature, the side of him that lusted always for power and domination. It was so far-fetched, so unlikely to ever work … but if it did, Severus would have gained the thing he now wanted the most with almost no personal loss. The risks, however, would be great – and the consequences potentially life-changing.

If he was caught.

.x.

Hermione stared blankly at the hospital wing wall, administering the final touches on a particularly efficient batch of Pepper-Up potion. Her mind drabbled in the events of the previous night as she tried vainly to make heads or tails of Severus' actions. No matter how many different scenarios she imagined, however, she just couldn't come to terms with the idea that he may be interested in her in a less-than-professional way.

It just isn't logical, Hermione mused miserably. Why would he turn me away at the age of seventeen, only to pursue me less than two years later?

There's something else going on here, nagged a little voice in the back of her mind. And you would only be wasting time and energy trying to figure it out before he tells you himself.

Her resolve strengthened for the time being, Hermione decided to join the other teachers for breakfast in the Great Hall. If Severus had been expecting her to withdraw or show any sign of weakness, he was sorely mistaken.

The hall was unusually empty that morning; Hermione guessed that many students were attempting to polish off some of their homework early to avoid letting procrastination win them over as the day progressed. She noted, too, the absence of Severus; strangely, her stomach jolted uncomfortably, and she caught herself anxiously wondering what he was doing more than once throughout breakfast.

Just as Hermione had begun to tuck into a plate stacked high with bacon, eggs and toast, the morning mail arrived in a flurry of frost and feathers. A sunlit, golden flash caught her eye, and she glanced towards the knot of birds now circling overhead, searching for the recipients of their packages. Among them flew one of the most magnificent creatures Hermione had ever seen: a grand Steppe eagle, its golden feathers glowing as if alight, with a wingspan that could easily have been as long as Hermione was tall. And so, naturally, she was more than a little surprised when the bird descended gracefully onto the table directly in front of her.

"Why, Hermione Granger," whispered Professor McGonagall in a tone that suggested she was highly amused. "I believe you may have a secret admirer."

The eagle nipped at her finger gently as she leaned over her plate to untie the yellowed parchment wrapped around the bird's leg, tied with an elegant silver ribbon. Embarrassed, Hermione tucked the parchment hastily into her pocket, withdrawing a single silver Sickle and pressing it into the eagle's pouch. After it had taken a bit of bacon from her plate it alit once more and soared gracefully out the window through which it had come.

.x.

Hermione,

Meet me at the Three Broomsticks at midnight. There are many things we need to discuss.

Room 214.

Though Hermione was puzzled, she had no doubt whom the letter itself was from. She realized instantly that it would be foolish to think that Severus wanted to apologize for the way he had treated her the night before, and doubted very much whether the subject would be something that she found to her benefit. A spike of anxiety and suspicion gripped her nerves immediately. Something about it just didn't feel right. What could he be up to?

The rest of the day passed in a whirl of potions and ingredients, and not to her surprise, her day was completely Severus-free. It did little to calm her nerves, however; in fact, his absence only added to her doubt and anxiety. What was he planning to do that was so horrible that he was afraid to see her before he did it?

At 11:30 that night, Hermione changed into a clean robe and threw her black cloak on over top to avoid being noticed. She sat in front of her mirror nervously, staring at her reflection as she brushed her hair to a shine. A small part of her still felt the need to impress Severus, though she had convinced herself that it was simply because he was her elder and superior.

Hermione set out at fifteen minutes to, casting a Disillusionment spell over herself just in case. Although Lord Voldemort had been defeated, many Death Eaters still roamed Britain – and Hermione, despite her proficiency with defensive spells, would be very nearly at the top of their list. They simply didn't want such a good witch to be allowed to fight on the side of those against them, and at night she was particularly vulnerable because of her diminutive size.

The grass, laced with frost, crunched beneath her feet as she made her way across Hogwarts' grounds. Her breath rose in chilled puffs as she exhaled, betraying her position. She made her way across the grounds and through the front gate; from there, it was just a short walk to the Three Broomsticks.

The atmosphere of the little pub was altogether different than it was in the daytime. Most of the tables that held occupants hosted couples, and Hermione couldn't help but feel something similar to longing as she watched them. Her resolve wavered as she began to climb the stairs to the second level.

Room 214 was the second door on the left. Her heart gave a violent tremor as she paused before the door; it seemed to be telling her that she was making a huge mistake, and she'd never agreed with anything more. Drawing a final, strengthening breath, she turned the knob and stepped into the doorway.

Severus' face wasn't immediately visible, but as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could just make out his dark form, edged in light – his silhouette against the fire. She realized that he was facing away from her, and she could imagine his black eyes, dancing with light, as he stared into the flames. She almost wanted to turn around, hoping he hadn't heard her come in—it's not too late to leave—but as she turned quietly to exit the room, that deep, smooth voice that she loved so much beckoned her to stay.

"Come and sit down, Hermione." With some restraint, he added, "Please."

Hermione's feet carried her forward and her body, so at odds with her mind, forced her to sit. Nothing but a strong urge to satisfy her curiosity, and a little bit of something she wished so desperately to ignore, could have made her stay. She sat in complete silence, her eyes trained obediently and submissively on the ground, waiting for him to speak.

"Hermione…" he began, and she thought she could sense something a little more intimate than hesitancy in his voice. She lifted her honey-golden eyes slowly, deliberately; they met his own obsidian glare with a shock that made her heart race and something below her belly tingle. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, unable to break his liquid gaze.

Something in her broke when he sighed and averted his gaze, finally, back to the fire. She knew that something was wrong then.

"Look at me, Severus," she whispered, "why can't you look at me?"

"Hermione," he repeated, his voice little more than an inky whisper. But she felt it everywhere, caressing her body like a lover's touch, and she knew, knew before he even finished his sentence.

"You're going to bear my children."

OMG, guys, I'm SO sorry that it took this long to update, LOL. I've been really, really busy for the last while, what with graduation and apply to university and stuff. Please forgive me. T.T