A/N- Right, well, it's taken longer than I thought it would…namely because another plotbunny leapt into my head and demanded I start writing another fic. The story in question is now up for your viewing pleasure, and is titled Close To You And More. I know, shameless plug, but I am relatively pleased with how well it's coming along so far, and suggest that you give it a squiz…and a review or ten. ((Grins)) And now, onto chapter 11…which is full of Fluff and Angst. I shall call it…FLANGST!
PS – MAJOR thanks go to Dafina for her AMAZING insight and the fantastic idea which spurned the most dramatic/angst-ridden part of this chapter. Without you, Dafina, I really think I would have been lost…She is a goddess and I highly recommend reading her fantastic stories…but only after you've read and reviewed this chapter. ((Grins again))
Chapter 11 - Love and Attraction
The rest of the journey to Snape Manor was spent in quiet contemplation. Hermione, for her part, was torn. On one hand, she was glad to be back on civil terms with Severus, but, on the other, she worried whether his newfound care and understanding would wane again upon their return to Hogwarts. Though she realised that he was and would always be, first and foremost, a gigantic git, she didn't think she could survive another round of emotional manipulation.
Severus was also worried about his tendency to hex first and ask questions later. He knew he was a prickly person, but he wanted to do this right...or, rather, with respect for Hermione and his unborn child. He knew that this time he couldn't afford to allow his paranoia to ruin everything between them, which meant that he would have to be completely honest with her from the get go. Merlin, but that seemed so daunting!
"It's just as I remember it," Hermione mused upon their arrival, jolting him from his musings.
He offered her a small smirk. "Did you believe it would suddenly crumble in your absence?"
She grinned at him. "Naturally."
"Typical Gryffindor." He rolled his eyes as he collected their belongings and paid the driver of their carriage. "So arrogant."
Hermione pouted in mock petulance. "Now, Severus, really…It's not just a Gryffindor trait. In fact, if we were to be completely honest with one another, it's easy to see that I developed the trait after spending so much time with you."
He chuckled at that. "That might be true…but only due to the fact that I fed that ego of yours far too often."
Shaking her head, she started down the driveway. "You're impossible." She informed him, her tone light and friendly.
"I have never denied it." He replied, easily catching up to her.
Unable to formulate a response, she merely laughed and fell into stride with him. After a minute of silence, she sighed. "I've missed this."
He glanced down at her. "This?"
"This," she gestured between them, "Us. Just…bantering and so forth. Being comfortable with you, I guess."
"Indeed." He focused on the Manor once more. "I must confess…I had missed this, as well."
She smiled and tentatively linked her arm in his. "I'm glad."
-?-
It was almost too easy, she mused later that evening, just how rapidly they'd fallen back into old patterns. No more was spoken about their rift, nor her moment of insanity with Malfoy, and, for the first time in months, Hermione felt comfortable in her own skin again. It irked her, though, that she'd had to rely on her association with Severus for that to occur. After all, she'd always considered herself an independent woman, enlightened by feminist theory and empowered by her own strength as an individual. And yet, all that had been unravelled by him and she hadn't been able to fix it on her own. She'd needed him to make it all better.
Sprawling out on the bed in the main bedroom, she sighed. But is that so terrible? She asked herself. I am still strong and independent…I just love him terribly. And, though it is incredibly cheesy, they do say that love can be debilitating… She frowned. And if I am…er…expecting, then it is to be anticipated that my hormones and emotions and all that will be a bit out of whack…
"Hermione?" His voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"Are you well?"
She glanced up at him as he seated himself beside her. "Don't I look it?"
"You look a little pale, actually…"
"Oh," she blushed, "I've been a bit under the weather lately. It's nothing."
"Nonsense. I am a Potions Master. I can brew treatments for just about anything." He stared into her eyes, pointedly. "What ails you?"
For one fleeting moment, she felt like confessing her suspicions to him, but decided against it. They were, after all, only just working through their issues. She didn't want to make him feel pressured into rekindling their relationship simply because she might be carrying his child. She'd rather they sorted things out because he wanted to, not because he felt he had to.
Unbeknownst to her, though, Draco and Greg had seen to it that it would be a little of both columns A and B.
"Oh, nothing, really. Just a little stomach bug. It's practically gone." Well it wasn't really a lie, now, was it?
He furrowed his brow, seemingly prepared to argue with her, but said nothing. "If you change your mind-"
"I'll let you know, I promise."
"Hmm."
-?-
Hermione woke the next morning to the now familiar urge to lose the previous night's dinner. (Greg had placed a couple of slow-acting charms on her nightgown earlier that week, as it had been getting increasingly difficult to lace her drinks at meal times.) She raced to the bathroom and knelt in front of the loo, heaving with all her might.
"Hermione?" Severus was crouching by her side in an instant. "For Merlin's sake, Woman, this is not 'nothing'. You will allow me to treat you this instant!"
She moaned, though neither of them was certain whether it was assent or not. He summoned a cold cloth and a small vial of an anti-nausea draught, which she accepted with trepidation. If she was indeed pregnant, this might harm the baby. But she couldn't ask her ex-lover whether it was safe for pregnant witches to imbibe, because that would certainly give her secret away. Hoping against hope that it would be fine, she downed the contents of the vial in one gulp and made a face at the taste.
Severus scowled. She hadn't even asked him if the potion was safe for their child! It seemed she was set on keeping the news from him; so determined, in fact, that she would risk the baby's safety to keep the secret safe. He resolved not to push her, though. She would turn to him when she was ready.
"Thank you," she murmured, wiping her face with the cloth.
"You're welcome." He replied, pushing himself to his feet. "I will leave you to shower and dress and will meet you in the kitchen for breakfast."
She nodded and closed the door after he left. Disrobing, she put a hand to her abdomen –which was starting to look a little more round than it had been in recent months, though that was due to a harmless hex, discovered by Gregory, that gradually bloated the stomach of the victim- and sighed. She would have to know the truth and soon.
-?-
The next few days continued without further incident, and Hermione was still attempting to gather the courage (and potion ingredients) to test herself for pregnancy. She'd decided to brew the potion on Wednesday –which would be the next day- as she knew Severus had to attend a staff meeting in the morning and wouldn't be returning until noon. She felt guilty for not yet informing him about his possible impending fatherhood, but wanted to be absolutely certain before she said anything. Besides, a part of her was still holding on to the hope that they could reconcile their relationship before he knew about the (possible) baby on the way…
Therefore, when Severus left on Wednesday morning, Hermione raced into his recently improved private laboratory and set about brewing her potion. Thankfully, Severus had restocked his shelves, which meant she had everything she needed at her fingertips. It took an hour to prepare the draught and, as Hermione set it aside to cool, she glanced at her watch. She had to leave it for at least three quarters of an hour, before she could add a drop of her blood, for the results to be as precise as possible. That left her just enough time to clean herself up and have a short snack.
When she returned to the lab, however, she stopped short in her tracks at the sight of her other Potions Professor. Just how the lunatic had bypassed the wards on the property, Hermione had no idea. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now just past eleven o'clock; Severus should be returning soon. She just had to stall the Matthews bint a bit.
"Professor Matthews," she intoned casually, "What a pleasant surprise to find you here. Has the staff meeting finished early?"
The older woman sneered at her, gesturing towards the cauldron of completed potion, which was now useless as there was every chance that she had tampered with it. "What's this, then?" She grinned wickedly. "A potion to test for…my, my…pregnancy." She tutted in mock disappointment. "Miss Granger, how sad. The world has expected so much more from you…Thankfully, I've always known better."
The teenager held her ground and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Really Professor, even you should realise that Professor Snape has certain potions with which he needs to stock the infirmary." She silently applauded herself for her quick thinking. "He deemed this one simple enough for me to brew for him. Madame Pomfrey requested a number of fresh vials of various Draughts…I can fetch the list, if you'd like?" She moved to leave, though consciously not turning her back on the wand-toting cow at the other side of the room.
Siobhan's face fell for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes. "You're lying," she accused, now pointing her wand directly at the Head Girl. "Madame Pomfrey doesn't stock this particular potion…"
"Oh?" Hermione couldn't resist sniping, "You've learnt that from experience, have you?"
"How dare you imply-"
"I haven't implied a thing. Your tone implied everything." For Mordred's sake, Hermione, stop provoking her! "And I will ask you, Professor, to not accuse me of being dishonest. I have brewed this potion for Professor Snape in his absence." Bravo! Again, it's not entirely a lie…
Her words didn't appear to penetrate the other witch's skull. "You little brat," she hissed, wand never wavering, "I should hex you now…"
"But that would be illegal, Professor," Hermione reminded her, her tone infuriatingly gentle. "And then where would you be? Jobless? Certainly not in Professor Snape's good graces…"
That did it. The other witch snapped. "Stupefy," she seethed, sending the spell towards Hermione, whose reflexes caused her to dive out of its path.
"What on earth are you doing, you stupid-"
"Relashio!" A stream of fiery sparks flew from the clearly mad woman's wand, and Hermione rolled out of their way, thankful that they only just grazed her shoulder.
Aiming her wand in Matthews' direction, she cried, "Expelliarmus!" but the other woman was quick to avoid being hit by the spell, and quickly returned fire with a strong hex set to squeeze her insides until she imploded.
Now standing by the lab desk, Hermione staggered backwards at the blow from the curse, having been too slow this time. She howled in pain, clutching her abdomen as her internal organs began to tense and crush. She fell forward, knocking the large cauldron to the floor, where it spilled over her feet and the formerly pristine tiles. She slipped, then, at the shock of the hot liquid scalding her skin, and landed in a foetal position, crying for mercy.
Siobhan Matthews grinned wickedly and loomed over her, prepared to cast another curse, before being taken by surprise by Severus' incensed "Expelliarmus." Her wand flew into his hand with a resounding 'smack', before she turned to smirk at him.
"I have proof," she laughed, sounding incredibly deranged. "She'd brewed a draught to test for pregnancy, Severus. Tsk, tsk…how the two of you will get into trouble…"
"You fool, Siobhan." He hissed, rushing to his student-come-ex lover's side. "Did it not occur to you that she might have been carrying a peer's child? That I am her guardian under the Headmaster's orders?" Her face drained of colour and he sneered. "I thought as much. The Aurors will have your wand for this. Attacking a student in cold blood was a stupid move." He bound her with another spell to prevent her escape, before casting "Finite Incantatem" on Hermione's flailing form.
She stopped writhing for a moment and then cried out, feeling a sudden, powerful cramp and then a significant amount of blood seep through her undergarments and robes. Unbeknownst to both of them, the reaction was merely the reaction of her body to the final cessation of Greg's spell to pause her menstrual cycle. It had been held for too long and her body needed to return to its correct state. Of course, Hermione could only jump to the conclusion that she had miscarried under the strain of Matthews' hex, and began to sob uncontrollably.
Sparing a scathing glare in Siobhan's direction, Severus lifted Hermione into his arms and moved her into the next room, where he gently set her on the couch. "I'll be just a moment," he said softly, before moving to the fireplace to alert the Headmaster -and the Aurors- of his intruder. Once the task was complete, and he'd assured Albus that Hermione was shaken but healthy, he moved back to the young woman on the couch. "It's alright," he soothed, holding her close as she wept. "Aurors will be here soon…"
She shook her head. "It's not alright," she howled against him. "If I'd only-" she hiccupped "-told you…If I'd only been honest…the b-baby would be okay…" Her pretty face crumpled again, "Oh, Gods…it's gone…it's all my fault…" She babbled, crying against his chest.
He closed his eyes, swallowing his own disappointment and hurt. "Shh," he kissed the top of her head tenderly. At least she wasn't terribly harmed. He would never have forgiven himself for leaving her at the Manor if she, too, had been taken from him. "Shh…"
He felt so inadequate in that moment. Unable to soothe her pain; unable to offer her condolences. All he could do was hold her and whisper meaningless sounds. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. Rage bubbled up inside him. How had that insufferable lunatic breached his wards? He'd been suspicious at her absence from the morning's staff meeting, but had never believed her capable of trespassing onto his property and torturing her own student. Then when he'd arrived home to find her looming over Hermione, wielding her wand, ice cold fear had gripped his heart. He'd been too late to save their child, but at least he'd been able to save his young friend and once-lover.
"Professor Snape?" An Auror jolted him from his musings.
He glanced up and met the concerned gaze of a past student. "Auror Sheffield," he nodded gruffly. "The intruder is in my lab."
The younger wizard turned to two of his fellow Aurors and gestured for them to retrieve the assailant. He turned back to the Potions Master. "Was the young lady harmed?"
Severus shook his head. "I believe she suffered under a number of hexes, but I managed to terminate them before any permanent damage could be done."
"While I trust your skills implicitly, Professor, I would like to conduct a few diagnostic charms, to be safe."
Though he was reluctant to let Hermione go, Severus nodded his consent and rose from the couch. Robert Sheffield had been one of his better students –a Ravenclaw- in his early ears of teaching, and he trusted the younger man to do his job well. He watched as the Auror conducted his spell and recorded the results.
"Is she well enough to remain here, or does she require medical assistance?" He asked impatiently.
"Though her organs were put under a fair degree of pressure, she has, as you assumed, suffered no long-lasting effects. However," he frowned, "she is bleeding rather heavily…though the cause appears to be menstrual. Perhaps an after effect of the curse…"
Severus nodded in acceptance of Sheffield's reasoning, glad that he'd been able to avert suspicion about their relationship. "I will brew an adequate pain reliever for her discomfort. I believe she will have means to control the bleeding."
"Of course."
The other two Aurors emerged from his lab moments later, supporting Siobhan Matthews between them. Sheffield directed them to take her into custody. He needed to collect statements from the Professor and his young charge before he joined them at the Ministry holding cells.
Severus summoned a Calming Draught for Sheffield to inspect before he gave it to Hermione to ingest, praying to all the deities above that she'd have the good sense not to mention their child to the Auror during her questioning.
"Professor, as is procedure, Auror McCormack will escort you into the other room, while Auror Jesson and I talk with," he consulted his notes, "Miss Granger. I will join you once we are finished here."
"Yes, of course." He responded diligently. It would not help his cause to be noted as bitter and snappish at this point -however badly he yearned to throw the three remaining men out of his home- particularly if he wanted to discredit Matthews as much as possible.
He waited not-entirely-patiently for Sheffield to join him and take his statement. When the time finally arrived, the routine questions were asked: 'Where were you during the assault?' 'What did you do when you arrived at the scene?' 'How well do you know the assailant?' 'How well do you know the victim?' 'Why was the victim staying with you?' 'Why was the victim left unsupervised in your home?' and, finally, 'How would you like to proceed from this point?'
Severus paused to consider his final response. "I would like to have Matthews charged with trespass and assault, as well as grievous misconduct towards a student under her care, and would request that, in the unlikely case of her release, a Restraining Order and the appropriate Restraining Charms be allocated towards both Miss Granger and myself."
The Auror nodded and recorded the requests. "Well then, this all appears to be in order." He snapped his notepad shut. "We will, of course, contact you with the details of the proceedings from here on in. You and Miss Granger will most likely have to testify in front of the Wizengamot, though the case appears to be simple enough. It will merely be routine questions…well, you know the drill."
"Indeed." Severus sighed, then rose from his seat. "If that is all, then…"
Sheffield nodded, realising that their welcome was now quite worn. "I suggest you and the young lady get some rest. It was a harrowing ordeal to be sure, Professor, and I wish you and Miss Granger the best of luck in overcoming it."
"Thank you," the Potions Master nodded in response. "Your assistance in this matter has been invaluable."
"Just doing our jobs, Professor." And, with that, the trio of men exited the house, leaving Severus alone to comfort Hermione once more.
-?-
"Drink," Severus commanded an hour or so later, having prepared a fresh batch of pain-relieving draught.
From her position on the couch (she hadn't moved since he'd left her there upon the Auror's orders), Hermione shook her head. "I deserve the pain…"
"Nonsense, you foolish woman." He pushed the vial to her lips. "Wallowing in self-pity will do you no good. Now drink."
With a resigned sigh she complied, not even bothering to make a face at the foul taste. She remained silent for another minute before starting, "I'm sorry."
"Whatever for?"
She met his concerned gaze and immediately felt even more ashamed. "For not telling you about…" she pointedly placed her hand on her abdomen, "when I had the chance…"
"You've nothing to apologise for. I gave you no reason to trust me with the information until just recently…"
"And I should have told you then…" She was trying hard not to break down again. "I've been such an idiot…and now an innocent being –our child- has had to suffer…"
"Hermione," he gathered her in his arms without a second thought, "What's done is done. You cannot blame yourself for what that…abomination to the name 'witch' has done."
"I just…I can't help thinking what a wonderful Dad you would have been…no matter what our relationship was like…" She was shaking like a leaf. "And if I'd only-"
He silenced her with a glare. "I doubt that, had you informed me, it would have changed today's events at all. I would have left you, thinking you safe, and Matthews would still have attacked you." He shook his head. "I will not speak of it anymore."
"But-"
"No." He stood, suddenly cold and emotionless. "Do not mention it again." He softened marginally at the myriad of emotions playing out across her features - fear, anxiety and grief the forerunners. "Come, you should bathe and get into some fresh clothing. Do you require any…sanitary products?"
Hermione allowed him to help her to her feet. She was still a little shaky on her legs. "Sanitary prod…oh. Ah, no, I know a spell to conjure what I need. Thank you, though…"
He nodded stiffly. "I will leave you to it then. Get some rest, if you can. I have business to attend to. Do not wait up for me."
She watched him leave the room and stifled another sob. She had to be strong, now more than ever.
-?-
Severus sat at his desk in his office, head in hands. It felt, to him, as though all was lost. He had lost possibly the only chance he'd had at being a parent, and had, subsequently, instinctively pushed Hermione (the one person who was hurting as much as he, if not more) away. There was nobody he could talk to about this, not a soul who he could confide in and ask for guidance…and he had no idea what to do next.
Clearly, he couldn't just revert back to loathing the poor girl. Young woman. Whatever. No, that was not an option. She didn't deserve his scorn. Especially not now.
So where did that leave him? Should he continue rekindling their friendship? Should he leave it where it stood now? Or should he attempt to mend their relationship as lovers? Merlin knew he still cared for her deeply. Bugger it, he loved her. It wasn't simply that he found her attractive, though he most certainly did, it was that he loved her, but, more than that, he was in love with her.
But she deserved to be involved with someone else. Someone younger, who could offer her all the things he could not. Someone…someone who wasn't him.
However, the mere thought of her being with another man upset him more than he cared to admit to himself, which really meant that it wasn't a viable option to let her go. But how would she take to him seeking to rekindle their romantic relationship? Casting his mind back, he realised that he'd seen love in her eyes that afternoon; through the pain and the self-loathing, she'd still projected her love for him in her gaze and in the way she'd held onto him. All was not lost, then. It would take time and patience, but they would be able to mend things, he was sure of it.
He picked up a piece of parchment and a quill, scribbling two notes, and called for one of his owls. As he watched his bird fly off, he hoped against hope that his plan would work.
-?-
Harry Potter arched up from his position on a large bed, moaning, as his boyfriend's tongue did wicked things to his body. He was vaguely aware of a rapid tapping at the window, and then whimpered in disappointment as the larger boy rose from between his legs to see what the disturbance was about.
"That had better be an emergency, Greg…" he groused, rolling on his side to observe his lover.
Gregory read the note, feeling his arousal diminish with each passing word. He turned back to face Harry, thrusting the short letter into the other boy's face. "It's from Snape."
At the very mention of the Head of Slytherin, Harry's erection withered and he grasped the parchment, frowning at its contents. "This is very strange…" he murmured. "Why on earth would he willingly invite us 'round to his place at…" he glanced at his watch, "nine o'clock at night?"
The Head Boy shrugged as he tugged on a fresh pair of trousers. "Dunno. I get the feelin' it's about 'Ermione, though. Somethin's not right…"
"Right, then…" Harry rolled off the bed and began to dress as well. "I'll pack our things - you go tell your parents that we've accepted Snape's generous invitation." The note they'd been sent informed them that Severus had already petitioned Goyle Senior for his son's presence. Harry looked longingly at the still unopened jar of lubricant on the bedside table. "I doubt packing that would be appropriate, then?"
On his way out the door, Greg laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, Luv. Another time…"
Harry pouted. Even now, Snape was ruining everything for him.
-?-
The two boys arrived at Snape Manor, via the letter-come-portkey, half an hour later. They had landed in the lounge and Snape was waiting for them as patiently as possible. He gestured towards the couch across from him.
"Mister Potter, Mister Goyle, please sit." They complied and he smiled softly. "Thank you for joining me at such late notice."
"It was nothing, sir." Greg replied, silently daring Harry to contradict him. The poor boy was still in a sexually frustrated funk. He would have to remedy that at the first possible chance he got.
"Indeed." Severus motioned to the refreshments table in front of them. "Do help yourselves."
Greg nodded and poured himself a lemonade. "Sir," he began, pouring Harry a glass of the beverage, "If I might ask…why are we here?"
The Potions Master sighed wearily. "Just how much has Hermione told you of our relationship?"
"Well," Harry now began, sensing that it was now his place to speak as Hermione's best friend, "She loves you, Professor. Very much."
Severus was inexplicably warmed by the boy's admission that she had, in fact, informed them of her feelings. He nodded. "And of our…physical relationship?"
Harry blushed. "She…er…didn't go into specifics, Sir."
Goyle coughed, trying to smother a laugh. "No, 'arry, Luv, I think the Professor means to ask us whether we knew that 'e and 'Ermione were, at one point, intimate."
"Oh," Harry wanted nothing more than to die of sheer mortification. "Then, er, yes…She had told us…" He swallowed nervously. "Why do you ask, Professor? She's not going to get in trouble for telling us, is she?"
Taking pity on the embarrassed youth, Snape shook his head. "No, Potter, Hermione is not in any trouble for confiding in her friends."
"Oh…good."
"I merely wished to make certain you knew of our relationship. I am well aware that you know of her dalliance with Mister Malfoy…however, I wasn't certain she had been completely candid with you about us."
Greg frowned; something about this conversation told him something was terribly, horribly wrong. "Has something happened, Sir?"
The two boys watched as Snape's expression became cold and guarded. "I believe that is something you will have to discuss with Hermione. She was…attacked earlier today. That is all I can tell you. She has been inconsolable…I believed that the presence of her close friends might be beneficial…"
"Attacked?" Harry echoed, horrified. "By who? Is she okay?"
Meanwhile, Goyle was already putting two and two together. Snape wanted to know how much Harry knew about their relationship. He hadn't been questioning him, though, because Snape had already known that he and Draco knew about…dear Merlin! The not-exactly-real baby! And now Hermione had been attacked and she was inconsolable…
They think she's miscarried!
Alarm bells began to ring in Greg's head. Their plan had gone horribly wrong! And now he and Draco would have to reveal their plot in order to fix things, which meant that they would be in a lot of trouble.
Snape's going to kill us!
Worse, still, Harry would be incredibly upset with him…and he wasn't certain he could seduce his way out of this mess…
He sighed. "Luv, why don't you go up an' see to 'Ermione, yeah? I'm sure she'll appreciate it…I'll stay 'ere an' talk with Professor Snape."
Harry, in his innocent enthusiasm, happily agreed to the suggestion and bounded off in the direction of the stairs. He already knew his way around the Manor, having stayed there the previous holidays. Greg turned back to his Head of House, steadying himself for the conversation ahead.
"Professor," he began, forcing himself to meet the older wizard's gaze, "There's something I have to confess…"
Severus studied the boy in front of him. "Indeed?"
"I…I've done something terrible, Sir. Draco and I both." He was a Slytherin and thus it came quite easily to him to nominate his co-conspirator.
The professor leant forward in his chair. "Go on."
"Professor Snape, Sir, 'Ermione isn't -wasn't- pregnant."
Severus felt his heart stop. "I beg your pardon?"
"I…We…we hadn't meant for it to go this far…"
"Mister Goyle, I suggest you start explaining yourself properly, lest you find yourself at the wrong end of my wand." Severus was trying his absolute best to maintain control of his temper, but, after the day he'd had, it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so.
Greg swallowed nervously. "Draco and I 'ad wanted to give you a nudge in the right direction. We thought that if you believed 'er to be carrying your child, you'd at least talk to 'er again…" He sighed, "But when that didn't 'appen, we upped the stakes a bit. Got hold of a few Weasley products –without Ron's knowledge- and, ah, spiked 'Ermione's meals to make it look a bit more convincing. But when that didn't work, either, we took it even further an' I…er…I put a modified stasis charm and a bloating hex over 'er to make 'er suspicious. She was supposed to 'ave run to you an' taken a test an' then that would've broken the spells and nobody would've been hurt…an' the two of you would've been talkin' again…"
Snape couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gregory Goyle, the Head Boy, had, essentially, cursed and poisoned Hermione into believing that she was pregnant. The plan was absurd, foolish and illegal, and it had hurt both Hermione and he, Severus himself, quite terribly. Of course, the boy's motives hadn't been to harm them…his intentions had been quite innocent, actually…but the fact remained that he and Hermione were overwrought over the loss of a child that had never existed in the first place! And it was all Gregory Goyle's fault!
In a way Severus knew he should have been suspicious of the fact that the Auror hadn't detected evidence of her 'miscarriage' in his Diagnostic spells. After all, if she had been pregnant, she would have been in her second trimester and the foetus would have had to have been removed by a Mediwitch or wizard, which would have been the first thing the Auror would have noted…Merlin, he was a fool! He was no teenager! He'd studied Mediwizardry as part of his Masters training! And yet he'd forgotten it all in a crucial moment, believing 'heavy bleeding' to be the completion of her miscarriage. The knowledge of his own stupidity only served to make him angrier at the boy in front of him.
"You loathsome wretch!" He eventually snapped. "You stupid, foolish child! Have you any idea of the damage you've done? Hermione is distraught, blaming herself for the loss of a baby that you made up! She has spent the last nine hours crying inconsolably, and for no reason! How do you suppose she is going to react when you tell her what you've done?"
Greg winced but continued to hold his Head of House's gaze. "I don't doubt that she'll hate me for it. An' I deserve it, too. 'Course, we didn't plan for someone to go and attack her. Merlin, she was here. She was safe. Well, supposed to be…" He shook his head, knowing that this was neither the time nor place to interrogate his Professor about the lack of security at his Manor. "But she deserves to know the truth."
Severus nodded, still cursing himself for being so blind to the evidence in front of him. "You will tell her. Immediately." Without waiting for a response, he stormed from the room, a morose, guilt-ridden teenager following him towards his intended destination.
-?-
"You...were pregnant?" Harry echoed his best friend in a tone of disbelief. "How on earth did you hide that from us, then?"
"I didn't know I was…" she sniffed, averting her gaze. "It wasn't until Greg cracked a joke last week that I even suspected it…I'm such a fool…"
"No," the Boy-Who-Lived shook his head and hugged her. "These things happen to lots of people, 'Mione. The Sexual Education text book has entire chapters devoted to ramming that message into our heads."
She gave him a small smile at that. "I know, Harry…" She sighed. "I just feel like an idiot, you know? I mean, how could I have missed the signs for so long?"
"Because they weren't there." Greg's voice entered the conversation, and the other two young adults turned to look at him in surprise.
"What?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'they weren't there'?"
"Yeh see, 'Ermione…It wasn't s'posed to end up like this…" And Greg explained his and Draco's foolish plan, apologising profusely for every single step along the way. As the minutes passed, Hermione could feel herself getting angrier and angrier. She glanced up to meet Severus' gaze as he lingered in the doorway and noticed that he, too, was incensed. At the conclusion of the Head Boy's spiel, both Hermione and Harry were astonished and disgusted.
"I…don't know what to say." The former spoke, fighting back tears of humiliation and frustration. "You…betrayed my trust as a friend, poisoned and hexed me, manipulated my body…" She swallowed and glared at him. "I don't want to even look at you right now," she concluded, averting her gaze. "You've really hurt me, Greg. Just…leave."
In a way she felt relieved that she hadn't lost a child, but the pain from the thought that she had still lingered. She was confused and hurt, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in Severus' arms and be told that everything would be alright in the end.
How pathetic, she mused, internally berating herself. 'Brightest witch of the age' my arse.
Harry, on the other hand, was ropable. He couldn't believe that his boyfriend –his loving, caring, sensitive, understanding Greg- could stoop so low as to set his best friend up like that. "How could you do something like that?" He cried, unable to control his temper. "How could you have ever thought that tricking everyone like that would be 'okay'?" He clutched Hermione tightly, whether to comfort her or himself he wasn't sure. "I can't believe you would hurt Hermione like that. Or the Professor, come to think of it." He shook his head. "I…I don't think I want to talk to you right now, either. Hermione needs her real friends to try and fix what you've done."
"Luv, I-" Greg tried, only to be cut off by his boyfriend.
Harry shook his head. "Leave. You've done enough damage for the moment."
Instead of arguing and justifying his actions, the Slytherin merely nodded and left the room. At least Harry hadn't dumped him then and there. That meant that there was still a chance –however slim- to resolve things and he would try his hardest to put things right again. And he knew the perfect place to start…
-?-
An hour later found Severus and Hermione alone in what they both came to view as their bedroom. The tension between them was palpable. Harry had taken one of the spare rooms down the corridor, while Greg had been sent home, as it had been unanimously agreed that he was neither needed nor wanted in the Manor any more.
Though they were both exhausted, neither Severus nor Hermione could sleep. In the end, it was Hermione who broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, Severus."
He shifted to face her. "Whatever for now?"
"For all of this. If I had just swallowed my pride and come to see you last week, none of this would have been happening." She shrugged. "It was just that…some part of me wanted us to work everything out on our own, without making you feel as though I expected something from you because I might have been pregnant…Merlin, I feel so foolish, now."
Realising that this was his chance to set things right between them, Severus smiled gently. "Nowhere near as foolish as I, I'd wager." He responded softly. "I've been trained in basic Mediwizardry…if I'd only confronted you and run a Diagnostic charm when those two idiots began their epic plot to ruin our lives, I would have immediately discovered the truth."
Despite herself, she snorted. "I can only imagine how impressed I would have been should you have done so…"
"Perhaps you'd have been as impressed as I was when Minerva felt it prudent to check that I had taken the Disillusionment Draught after those damned children disappeared."
"What?" Hermione was grinning now, incredulous that her Head of House had even thought to question Severus Snape on that issue. "Why?"
"She felt that I was 'more emotional than usual' in the days following Sophia's removal." Snape rolled his eyes. "I assured her that I was the first to take the Draught, and that I am never 'emotional'."
Hermione laughed outright at that. "Of course not." Her tone was laced with sarcasm. "I've never seen any emotion on your face, Professor."
He smirked. "Even if you had, Miss Granger, I'd have obliviated you."
"Oh," she mock-gasped, "Is that why I seem to be missing…oh, the last six years of my memory?"
"Brat."
"Git."
"Know-it-all."
"Er…Hermit."
"Gryffindor."
"Slytherin."
He paused to observe their positions. They'd moved closer to one another with each passing jest, and now lay stretched against one another, their bodies touching. He felt a thrum of arousal pass through his entire being at the sensation of merely being with her in bed once again. Despite the fact that they had shared the bed for the last few nights, they hadn't felt close…until now. "Tease." He whispered, swooping down and capturing her lips in a chaste kiss.
She melted as his lips pressed against her own. "Mmm," was all she said when he pulled away.
"Mmm indeed." He agreed softly, searching her gaze for any sign that his attentions were unwanted. However, all he found was love, desire and a glimmer of uncertainty – emotions which he, too, was feeling at that moment. "Hermione-" he started, only to be cut off.
"No…don't. Let's just enjoy this for now, okay? I'm too emotionally exhausted to talk about any of it right now. In the morning we will, I promise. But…not now."
He nodded, understanding her babbled request. It had been a long, emotionally draining day. "Of course." He replied, settling down and pulling her against him. "Sleep, then?"
She yawned and snuggled against him as she had all those months earlier. "Sleep," she nodded.
And that was that.
A/N – Right, well, I really relied on the Harry Potter Lexicon for this chapter. Without that wonderful site, I would have been lost completely on the spells named and how to (no pun intended) spell them. I know, this was a very OOC chapter, but, seeing as the entire fic is OOC, I think this went rather well anyway. Very fluffy... But, the story is winding down…only three more chapters to go, now, including the epilogue. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's definitely not one of my best, I know. I had a bit of Writer's Block with it, and couldn't seem to get the characters to react as I wanted them to…but I'm relatively pleased with the result anyway. Tell me what you thought!
Oh, and I assure you, Severus is most certainly not done with Greg and Draco, however complacent he may seem right now. Once the shock of the situation subsides, those boys had best run for cover…Mwahahahaha….