Disclaimer: Not mine.

Hermione's Son

Chapter 8

Hermione was buried under two blankets and a quilt when the sound of Hugo's shouts and a crash came from the kitchen. Bolting up right and fighting to get out from under the coverings that caught and wrapped around her legs she fell in a heap on the floor.

"Hugh! Hugh! Run!" she shouted, confused and disorientated as the last of her dream played out in real life, her right hand grouping the back of her waist band, her left protecting her chest.

"Sis!" Hugh ran out from the kitchen waving his Hogwarts letter in the air. "What are you doing down there?"

"Bloody hell boy," she hissed, kicking the blankets away and managing to get to her feet. "I thought the house was on fire! Calm down!"

"After I leave you can use my bed," Hugh said, biting back a laugh. "You don't look so good."

"Thanks, just what I need…a kid telling me I look like shite. Now let me see that thing."

She sat down while he finished the tea and took down bowls for a cold breakfast. "This list is twice as long as mine was and you even have to pay a supply fee."

Hermione waved him to the cupboard and told him to grab honey while she went over the list. She cringed seeing they still used the expensive parchment and quill, and thought that although it was one of her favourite memories, paper and ballpoint would be much more economical. Continuing on, she noticed two books on mathematics and raised an eyebrow, surprised that they had finally realized the importance of math to the Muggle-born who may someday want to return to what they had known.

"I want you to spend some of your personal time on Muggle books," Hermione muttered. "That or your entire summer is going to be spent in your room reading and catching up."

"Ah, come on…I just…"

"No, young man, you come on. It took me years to catch up and I will not have that happen to you. Anyway, you'll like most of the books on the required reading list. I'll add some history and some on geography but most of it won't be bad."

"I can take your old reading thing. You still have it? That kindle or whatever you called it?"

"No electricity, so no lap tops, telle or video games," she muttered as she read, smiling to hear his whine. "Sorry kid, hard as it is, you'll have to hold a real book and learn penmanship, spelling, grammar. No more, type, spell check and print for you. That's one reason you'll grow to love your books. There's not much else to do up there."

"So…what's on it?" Hugh tried to look over her shoulder to see what it contained. "Can I at least have my phone?"

"No. Oh, Hugh, you have no idea what you're in for. Uniforms, one set of dress robes… if we buy them now they will never fit by the end of the year. We'll put off getting them until the hols at least. How are last year's boots?"

"Can we go today?"

"I have work. You know, when I went it was popular to wear hats and scarves in your house colours. Once you get sorted I'll make you one." She sipped the tea while making a mental calculation on the cost of all the supplies. "Professor Snape said he would take you if I couldn't."

"Today?"

"I don't know," she said tapping the list. "If we wait to get some of these books at the hols they may be on sale. We'll do just fine. You don't need them all at once and for the reading books I have some saved back and the rest we can get second hand."

"Do ya think he'll come today?"

"I…listen. We need to talk before you go. There are some things you need to know about me, Uncle Harry and a lot of people you will hear about."

"Him too? Is that why he had a row with…"

"Yeah, he's a wizard too, but I don't know about the row. I'll hazard a guess that it was about me leaving." She looked at the clock and grimaced. "I'm going to be late again if we do this now. Tonight?"

"Will they know about …you and …you know…what you said?"

"No, the only person that knows at Hogwarts is Professor Snape and the Headmistress."

"He said he was your professor too."

"Yes, you'll have a few that were there when I was."

"Was Mum or Dad one?"

"No, that's what we need to talk about." She sighed and put down the list, turning to look at him fully. "Some people, not many, and none of those that will be your friends, will call you names and…"

"You said they wouldn't know."

"Not about me and you…not exactly. They'll call you …Mudblood or half-bred. They will say you aren't as good as them because your parents, because Mum and Dad, weren't magical."

"What about my dad….my real dad."

"You only have one father and he raised you. Remember that." She stopped and looked at the clock. "We'll finish this tonight when I get home. Until then you know the rules and only call me on the cell in an emergency. You can go over the list and see what you already have…and check the books on the bottom two shelves."

~o0o~

The Harrington Institute was a large facility that encompassed several smaller companies within it. Hermione had no doubt that the structure was to afford a level of legal protection to the parent company but found it rather cumbersome and restrictive. Each division was separated from the rest by mounds of paper work and policies restricting not only fraternization within ones work group, but rules that banned simple socializing with those in other divisions. What she had hoped would give her friendships only a short two weeks ago now seemed an overbearing and oppressive system of security and paranoia.

All day her mind kept going back to Hugh, how she should not leave him alone, and what she had to tell him about her part in the war. She knew as soon as his name became known he would hear stories and exaggerated tales about the war. Twice she contaminated cultures by improper handling and cursed aloud, drawing the attention of her employer and groans from her co-workers.

"Miss Granger," her boss sighed as he took the dish and threw it into the hazardous waste container. "We have a limited amount to work with."

"I know," she sighed. "I can't keep my mind on work."

"Problems at home?" he asked, sitting on the stool next to her, looking pointedly at her ring finger. "I hate to say this, but unless your work improves…well, we can't keep making exceptions."

"I had an old time table for the train. I don't mean to make excuses. I just want you to know that I will be on time…"

"We could talk this over, along with your future in this company, say over dinner?"

"My brother lives with me. I have to go right home," she turned back to her work, wanting this conversation ended.

"We could make it a Thursday. I'm afraid the little woman keeps me on a short leash over the weekends." His finger touched her hand and traced its way up to her elbow. "I think we need to come to an understanding concerning your…future performance."

"I understand that you are out of line." She pulled her arm away from his touch and stood glaring at him. "If you are done I have work to do and I strongly suggest that you consider this conversation over."

"I pulled your application and noticed some…discrepancies. Normally someone in an entry-level position such as yours is much younger. Perhaps we could…correct the situation. Move you up. I am looking for an assistant."

"Right," Hermione muttered, gathering up her personal belongings and cramming them into her handbag. "An assistant with benefits?"

"You catch on quickly. I thought you might. "

"No."

"I also noticed some gaps in time on your application that were not fully disclosed. You do understand this is grounds for dismissal. I could pull your security badge."

"Shove it," she hissed. "If you think I am going to fuck you just to keep my…"

"Miss Granger, it is I that will do the hard work. You just need to lie there and occasionally…"

That was when her open hand connected with his face. She turned on her heel feeling the eyes of the other lab workers on her, and all but ran from the room. Shite, shite, shite, she thought, what now? Riding the train back home, she knew she had handled it poorly. She should have reported him and made an example to the other woman she knew he must be intimidating. At the same time, she knew she would not be able to sit through an investigation about sexual misconduct.

Later that afternoon, she wrote a letter to her solicitor and to the institute's board, stating the reason she had left and repeating the conversation word for word. She referenced the part of her contract concerning severance pay and hinted very strongly that unless it was paid, regardless of her short time on the job, she would peruse the matter legally. She then sent Hugh to the post and felt vindicated as she once again sat and went through adverts in the paper.

"Sis!" Hugh called as he came in the front door. "He's here!"

"Manners," she said, walking back into the sitting room. "Professor Snape, how nice."

"I got my letter!"

"I am aware of that," Severus said. "I am prepared to fulfil my promise."

"Now?" Hugh smiled widely, unable to hide his excitement.

"Yes," Severus intoned.

"No, not until I tell him about …you know…"

"Mr. Granger, do you remember the conversation we had concerning your parentage?"

"Umm…yeah…I mean…Yes sir."

"That's good enough." He turned to Hermione. "He's ready."

"Git. He is not. As soon as his last name comes up…"

"Yeah, he told me." Hugh nodded. "He said you and your friends mucked things up all the time and got your name in the papers. He said just to ignore the looks I get and not to talk to bugs or people I don't know."

"This is what you think dealing with children is? Good one. Now he thinks I was a troublemaker. Stop looking at me like that…I was not."

"I didn't say a word," Snape said with a small smirk on his face. "Mr Ganger, setting people on fire, stealing supplies, sneaking out of your room after curfew, and chasing dangerous animals through the school are all henceforth to be considered mucking up, and as such will not be tolerated. There is a complete list of one Hermione Granger's infractions in a Mr. Filch's file cabinet. Perhaps I will be able to gain access and show you."

"Hugh, don't listen to him. He lies. He lies all the time." She grinned at Severus then quickly frowned. "Filch is still there?"

"No, however his files are," Snape said, smirking at the sudden change in her demeanour. "We also touched briefly on your part in the war and the fact that he should not let the recognition of his name go to his head as Potter did."

"Hugo, we need to talk. You and me…without him."

"Hey, what? Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"Manners, Mr. Granger." Severus pinched his nose.

"Yeah, well…she called me Hugo and when she does that it means…"

"All women are like that. I believe it is taught in Muggle Social Studies. We, however, learn it as a first year."

"Fine, we'll talk about it later," she told her son, not sure if Severus was joking or just being his sarcastic self. "Just listen to the Professor and don't go off the list. Listen to what he tells you…but only about manners and such…not what he says about me. Oh, and an owl… I have no idea how much they cost but we need a small barn owl I can keep here."

"I have three that were raised in the yard here. The youngest is not acclimating to the owlery. It would be helpful if you were to keep her. She is fully trained and would free me from constantly monitoring her progress."

"Wow, do they live that long?"

"Hugo Sullivan Granger!" Hermione heard Snape's snort of laughter and glared at him. "It's my mother's maiden name. Shut up."

"It is quite alright," Snape said, his lip fighting to curl up into a smile, looking down at the boy. "I lived here in the summers until this year. The owl is young and will see you through your school years. I am sure your mot…sister can show you the proper care and feeding. If not we will purchase you a book."

"Another one?"

"I'll have tea waiting when you get back. Something special," Hermione smiled thinly at Hugh. "You can't look it up on the internet…yes, another bloody book that I expect you to read."

"Why don't you come? Come on, Sis, it'll be fun. Please?"

"Not this trip. I need to get a new paper to check the adverts and put dinner on." She bit her lip and looked up at Snape. "So, being near the train is no longer an issue."

By the time they returned, laden with packages, Hugh full of energy and Snape looking somewhat pained, Hermione had a celebration tea set out, telling him their Mum had done the same thing when she had received her letter. Insisting that Severus stay she pushed him toward the kitchen as Hugh talked non-stop about everything he had seen and heard. Severus seemed at ease and comfortable, helping Hermione clear the table and promising to wait while she took Hugh up to bed.

"Leave the rest," Hermione said, with a quick look around the room. "You look exhausted."

"It was a simple shopping trip," he said, raising his chin.

"Right," she sniggered. "I've taken him shopping in a Muggle district. I can only imagine what he put you through."

Using magic, Severus sorted the kitchen in a few minutes. Then, walking into the sitting room he was at first surprised to see the furniture moved and his bookcases rearranged, until he noticed Hermione had put all of his tomes higher up and out of the way. New curtains hung on the windows and a bright flowered slipcover hid the shabby sofa.

Squatting down next to the kitchen doorframe, he ran his hand over faint nicks under layers of paint, still visible to his eye. Starting at the lowest mark, he slowly felt his way to the top groove and remembered the last time his mother had recorded his height. He had been nine. Only nine years old and trying to stop his father from hurting his mum, he thought, younger than the young boy upstairs. Nine years old when he first lifted his hand to hurl magic at a man who had dared hit his mother and the first time he had felt the power of magic flow through him.

Standing up he glanced up the stairs and wondered how much different his life would have been if his home had been what it was now. He could hear their quiet voices, the boy as he chanted nighttime prayers, and Hermione's soft questioning about brushed teeth and washed hands.

"Sis," Hugh said as he lay on the bed and Hermione pulled up the covers. "Was my dad a wizard? He must've been."

"Yes, yes he was." She sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand through his hair. "But that doesn't mean anything. Mum and Dad were normal Muggles yet I was born a witch."

"Was he powerful?"

"Power in the magical world is what you do with your magic. Look at Professor Snape. He grew up in this very house, not even a full wizard, and he is one of the most …maybe the most powerful wizard there is. It's because he studied and learned how to use his magic. That's what makes him powerful. Perhaps one day I'll tell you about someone else that could use wandless magic, someone that was even a werewolf."

"A what?" Hugh's eyes grew large as he struggled to sit up.

"Lay back, that's a story for another time. You are going to find an amazing world. One you can only dream of. You need to keep an open mind and not judge people…or things…you have to learn about them…and accept people for what they are. People like, yes, werewolves and people you don't understand. When you arrive on the train, there will be a large man waiting. His name is Hagrid. I want you to introduce yourself. "

"He's a werewolf?"

"No," she said grinning," a half giant and the nicest person you will meet in a long time. Tell him you're my brother and I a sure he will invite you to his hut for tea, just don't eat the biscuits."

"But my dad…was he a wizard?"

"Just a wizard, yes. Is that important to you?'

"No, I guess not," he sighed loudly.

"All you need to know is that you can be anything you want to be. You can become the strongest or…you can come back to this world when you are done at Hogwarts. No matter what happens, Hugh, I love you. You need to remember that. No matter what you hear, no matter what people say to you, I love you. You just remember Mum and Dad and how proud they would be of you."

"Sis," he sat up and stopped her as she had her hand on the light switch, ready to leave. "What happens to us now? You lost your job."

"I have some money put back," she grinned. "I know I always harp about the prices but this is why. I always have enough for a few months, more because we don't have to pay rent here. Just go easy and we'll be fine for a long time. Don't go worrying about it."

From the top step, she saw Severus standing with a picture of her parents in his hands and started down. "That was taken the year before Dad died. He knew but didn't tell anyone. Then, when he asked me to take a year off and come home…I didn't do it. I'll always feel guilty for that."

"Heart?"

"No, he had cancer. It had already metastasized to the brain by the time it was diagnosed. I guess he decided not to go through with useless treatments. Mum said he didn't want me to know. Her heart gave up a year later."

Returning to the kitchen, she thanked Severus for his time as the stacked Hugh's supplies in one of the now empty cupboards. Sitting opposite him she asked him about what they had encountered, paying close attention to the type of wand Hugh had been fitted with. Surprised that his included a dragon heartstring she had laughed and said it was a sign of a true Gryffindor.

"He seemed to accept everything," Severus said. "I had, however, hoped you had explained more."

"I wanted him to see it with fresh eyes. You never felt what I did when I saw it the first time. With your mother being a witch, even if she didn't use magic in the house, you were aware of it. It's like…like seeing a rainbow for the first time and understanding that it's not only you that can see it. It's the first time I felt I really belonged some place."

"He was unprepared. Unlike you, he is uncomfortable with the unknown. He should not be so when he arrives at school."

"He asked about his father."

"I would be surprised if he did not."

"I think he is trying to …to find a replacement for my dad. Enough of this maudlin talk," she said with a laugh. "Have you had time to look at any of the potions we talked about?"

"Yes, I have not had time to brew enough to say with certainty that you are correct. However, at the preliminary level there is merit."

"Enough to continue?"

"Most certainly."

"I'm out of work. I have more than enough time to help." She stated flatly. "Come on, at least look surprised. Say something smart…you know…Oh my, Hermione, how could they let such a bright and beautiful person go? You know…something to make me feel better."

"You quit."

"I didn't say smart arse…I said say something smart. And yes, I did." She grinned and stood to begin washing dishes chatting on about potions and the number of trials that he needed to complete to know for sure if the methods would work in every case. "I really didn't like doing someone else's grunt work at the Harrington. The experiments they are working on are going to fail. I was just going through the motions."

"Hugo was looking for a book today. He says you are researching for a book you plan to write. When we were in the book shop he was interested in seeing the biography section." Severus managed to change the topic as soon as there was a lull in her banter.

"Just something to pass my time," she said, turning around and meeting his eyes. "He thinks I am planning to write about post war Europe."

"How could he possibly…"

"We were in the library and he found me reading up on Albania. I had to think of something fast. I hope you didn't give him Riddle's Wizarding name."

"No, that is something he will learn within the first week at Hogwarts. He was looking for wizards that had fought in the Muggle war."

"Severus," she said, returning to the table. "I want to write about him. Not about the horrors or the war, but about him. I want to find out why it happened. Why he became the psychopath he was. Was he born that way? Was he so greatly abused himself that he lost his humanity? I have the time now to find out. That is if I can continue to stay here."

"Of course." He shifted in his chair.

"If you want us to move just say so."

"No, it is …no."

"You're sure? Because if you want your house back I …"

"I have been offered a summer position at Hogwarts. Since I am no longer tied to this house I am free to take it."

"Then I can get started in earnest. All I need to do is find a publisher."

"You may find the market full. There are several books on the market since the war ended. Several recount his time between the two wars."

"That's what I mean…between the wars, or from just before the first. Not like this. I've seen what's out there and they have the same premise which is nothing more than a regurgitation of known facts. I want to take a different approach. I don't see him as evil through conscience thought…not in the traditional sense. He didn't have that kind of mind…or heart. He didn't wake up one day and decide to turn to the dark arts. Was he born that way? Was he made that way as a child? I am putting this poorly…I know that. I want to find out the why. I want to explain how he was able to convince people to follow him and why they did it. Logical, basically good people."

"Do you forget whom you speak to?"

"No…you were good, Severus. You were young. He knew what to say, what to promise to get your loyalty. He used you and every one else. I want to know how he did it. What did he say to you to make them trust him? I can understand you…at the age you were and by your own admission rather lost at the prospect of leaving Hogwarts and with no real home. But… how about the others? What did he say to his original followers? What did he say to Yaxley? A man his senior. A man a hundred …a thousand times richer, with better bloodlines and a fierce fighter. What did he say to convince him and others like him? What did he say to the Malfoys? Lucius' father? To the generation before …what did he find to compel them to sacrifice their sons?

In your own words, you came from an abusive household. After Hogwarts, you could not very easily return here, to Spinner's End. You had top grades but not the financial resources to survive an apprentice program. He paid for it, didn't he? He convinced you…"

"This is neither the time nor the place for this conversation." He stood stiffly and collected his outer robes. "I am sure you remembered the last time you spoke so freely with your son upstairs."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, following him to the door. "I should have presented this differently and you're right. Now is not the time. It sounds as if I am …digging up your past and that is not my intention. I'm sorry…I shouldn't have brought it up. I just can't believe a simplistic story about his mother using a love potion."

"In doing so you will uncover all his followers. Make sure you are ready for the truth. Make sure that when you find your rapists name you can handle the knowledge."

"I only intend to cover his life up to the first war. From that point, everything is well known. So no, Severus, I have no intention and no desire to know the extent of this …this list of names you seem allude to. You know many of his followers didn't wear a mark. Even if I wanted to know, which I most assuredly do not, a list of his chosen few would be of no use."

"I would think your unwillingness to face the aftermath of the war would extend to your wanting to forget all of it. Do not expect sympathy from those you seek. They too are attempting to forget and move beyond what happened."

"Good night, Severus. I shouldn't have mentioned it until I had more prepared to show you. Perhaps another time?"