My beta has vanished. So this is riddled with mistakes, just a warning. Anyone willing to beta, drop me a pm. Please review, good or bad.
Once again: not mine never will be.
Severus had enough presence of mind to wrap Hermione in a cloak before taking her to the headmasters office. Unfortunately the headmaster wasn't there, so he handed Hermione the dose of sleeping draught he'd brought from his quarters, and before he could stop her, she downed the potion. It wasn't twenty seconds before she fell asleep and he caught her before she collapsed onto the cold stone floor. She had been too subservient, almost like a dog that's used to being kicked. Being this pliant, this soft spoken, was so unlike the girl that he was now half carrying, half dragging towards Minerva's quarters. He was unaware of the restrictions dealing with pregnancy in everything other than potions, so he felt it better to do things the Muggle way.
When he arrived at his colleagues quarters he cradled the sleeping Gryffindor to his chest and knocked. The transfiguration professor answered the door, a robe tossed over her night dress, and nothing hiding her sleep tousled hair. Severus forced her to step back as he walked into her rooms and deposited the sleeping student on the professors crimson sofa. He walked over to Minerva and slipped them both into the hall.
"Severus, this is most improper…" Minerva started, obviously flustered.
"Minerva, did I assume so incorrectly that you would rather not lose one of your students?" Severus said, cutting her off with a growl.
"You mean to say that she'd try to…" Minerva seemed lost now.
"I'm saying she already did. I'm going to find Albus and make him aware she needs constant supervision. I've concluded you'd rather have this cub under your watchful eyes." he said.
"Severus never once have you broken the faith I have in you. Forgive me if this is a little hard to swallow, but I'll watch her. More so than I have been." Minerva promised.
Severus nodded curtly, turned on his heel, and walked through the school until he reached his quarters.
When he got through his wards he noticed the green flash that signified floo travel was just ending, and a figure was now dusting itself off in front of his hearth.
"Severus, I do feel as if we have much to discuss." Albus Dumbledore said.
"I believe your right Albus." Severus said as he fell into the couch as the headmaster sat graciously in another chair. The room wasn't warm, or friendly, with it's dark greens and blacks to begin with, but the headmasters' projecting sense of foreboding left it with little happiness. "I trust you're aware of what happened tonight then?" Severus started, then gaped as the headmaster looked at him quizzically.
"No, I'm not aware. I was out of the castle tonight with Argus." The headmaster was now looking anywhere but at him.
"If you did not know, then what did you come to my rooms to discuss?"
"A letter, Severus. A disturbing letter sent from a father to his daughter, which hints at attempts to impregnate the girl. To aid his quest in keeping her at home, in his clutches, for as long as possible."
Albus noted looking conflicted on the edge of nausea and rage. He finally looked at Severus and his decision was clear through his obviously hate filled eyes. "I thought you'd like to read it."
"No, Albus. Just tell me, he was truly trying to get her pregnant?" he said little more than a whisper.
"Yes. I questioned him with a truth spell. He had even been taking fertility treatments. Apparently Muggles poke holes in themselves and ingest chemicals to have babies. Barbaric really. I'm just glad they didn't work…" Albus continued to ramble.
"They did work." Severus managed to croak out.
"What was that?" Albus turned his head to the potions master.
"They did work! The stupid girl tried to use a potion to rid her body of the parasite. Coincidentally she chose a potion that would also allow death to settle in and ingested it a short while ago. She's pregnant Albus. Bloody pregnant!" His emotions got the better of him, and ebony tendrils whipped against his face. He stood sharply and threw a glass goblet into the fire, which lit itself when the glass approached. A sharp shattering noise set him off and onto a rampage he was. Anything that could be shattered was until there was no glass, or porcelain, left in his sitting room.
"Severus." Albus said calmly. The man in question melted into the couch.
"Albus, what are you going to do? According to the laws the school board has written she can't stay here. I'm guessing if you questioned Mr. Granger then he is out of our custody, and he had guardianship of her. It will take at least a week to change that in the Muggle systems. I doubt your going to send her home."
"I believe you forgot the one addendum to the school boards precocious law. I believe law 429 addendum 1 states; A witch who is pregnant cannot have a long term residency at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, unless the aforementioned pregnant witch is bound into a marriage. Long term residency is categorized as more than six months. I will broach the subject to Miss Granger after breakfast tomorrow and see if she has any suggestions. No matter what you think, it is a horrendous, but fortunate event that Miss. Granger did in fact conceive," as Severus whirled at the other wizard, Albus put his hand up. "because of two things. The first reason is that Minstry law states that Muggles may only be prosecuted by magical means if there is a personal tie with them to someone of magical means. That means that Mr. Granger is now a contender for Azkaban. Then, Ms. Granger can't be indifferent about this. This is a decision that she has to make for herself. I'm glad you stopped her today, Severus. I do not believe that she could live with herself if she were to kill the child. Although, I could be wrong. I will not insult you in asking if she is alright, I know that since you are here you felt it safe enough to leave her."
"Albus, it isn't safe to leave her. I brought her to Minerva's quarters so she may have a proper chaperone. And what if there is something wrong with the child?"
"Severus, you know as well as I do that every person whom has magic running through their veins has less than a one percent chance of having any sort of birth defect aside from being born magic-less. She's not susceptible to the problems from inbreeding that we have researched with the pure bloods either. Mr. Granger is by all means her step-father." he said.
"What do you mean?" Severus turned towards the dotty old man.
"Miss Granger was never aware, Mrs. Granger probably never figured it out, but Mr. Granger is not Hermione's father. It seems that the Muggle plot of many romance novels is at work here. A couple fights, they separate, both bring other people to their bed, then realize they've made a mistake and go back to their partners. The elder Grangers always believed that Hermione was conceived on the night they decided to stay together. Unfortunately Mrs. Granger realized a little too late that she'd made the mistake of infidelity." he stated calmly. "Have you made any progress in talking to the girl?"
"She is broken Albus. I cannot fix that which is irreparable."
"If I believed she was beyond repair then I wouldn't have given you the task, my boy. It will take time."
"If she had show any sign of wanting to live, I would say you are right. She has not. She has not shown one sign of life since we have taken her out of there. She is like a ghost, Albus. A ghost who creeps around everyone and everything afraid to leave her mark."
"That is the point. With this she cannot. She has to choose what she can live with. Only select people know, will know, what her father has done to her. And I will keep it that way. You were her rescuer, and as such may have a key the rest of us do not in which to open her up."
The headmaster got out of the chair and headed to the hearth.
"Once again, Albus, you've appointed me to pick up the pieces." A remark, dripping with disdain.
"What was that?" the headmaster turned towards the professor.
"I meant, Albus, that I am once again fixing everything, with a healing charm and a spell, that you've broken in the first place. This is your fault." the last was said deadpan.
"If you think that I do not know that, then you truly do not know me at all, Severus. I sent that girl to a fate worse Chelsea's, and I did it with a wave of my hand and a smile. I've made the same mistake twice, I know what I've done." with that Albus swirled into the hearth and disappeared into the roaring green flames.
Severus couldn't tell when he went to sleep that night, however, he knew it was after the dusky sky had blossomed, his dreams and thoughts filled of Chelsea.
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"Minerva." Severus said, the woman turned toward him in the cold hall. "I have a need of Miss Grangers assistance today. I am to go to the apothecary garden." It was enough said in front of the invisible listening ears of Potter.
"Of course, Severus. I imagine she should be eating by now in the Great Hall." Minerva too sensed the presence of the-boy-who-managed-to-skulk-about.
Snapes nod was the only acknowledgment before he turned and walked through the castle and into the giant double doors. He silently gave Potter a couple of mental brownie points for finding a shortcut through the school when he saw Potter enter the dining area before he himself could. He gave himself a moment to allow him the element of surprise back on his side again, then stalked in. He only had to pass about a half of the Gryffindor table before being put directly behind the girl.
"Miss Granger." He drawled.
She looked up at him with an emotional mask on her face. A glance at Potters white knuckles told him that Potter knew too, but Weasley was most definitely oblivious as he bit into another pancake.
"When you are finished masticating the rest of your meal, I believe you have detention with me."
He didn't listen for a response before he walked to the head table. From there he saw when Miss Granger left the table. After that he finished his meal of eggs quickly, he left the hall and upon arriving at the door to his classroom he saw Hermione already inside. She was slowly walking examining the various bottles of ingredients.
"Planning on stealing again? It didn't work too well last time." He drug the deepest sound he could make from his lung, and was satisfied when she jumped back.
"Sir, I…" He cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Has the headmaster spoken with you?"
She nodded her head, as he opened his mouth to reply the headmaster stepped out of the roaring green flames in the hearth.
"Ah, Severus, I need to speak with you Miss Granger I trust you can keep yourself busy." At her nod he all but drug the potions master to the fireplace.