Questions
An hour later the three sat around the dinning table and ate their salads. Minerva and Severus were sat next to each other while Hermione sat across from Minerva. They had made small talk for a while, discussing the Manor and some of the rooms that Hermione had found on her travels. Minerva started to push her food around after just a few bits, feeling her stomach already protest to the little she had eaten. Hermione had almost cleared her plate, has had Severus and she was now watching Minerva with worried eyes.
Minerva looked up and noticed this, she smiled weakly and said, "Hermione, I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Hermione didn't believe what Minerva was telling her but she brushed it off and remembered to ask her about it later. "Minerva?"
"Yes, kitten?"
"Can I ask you and Severus a few questions please?"
"Of course, my dear. If you're finished, we'll head into the living room." Minerva stood and walked straight to the living room with Hermione hot on her heels. Severus sent the dishes to the kitchen before following his girls.
Minerva sat on the sofa and curled up next to Severus, who held her protectively to him. Hermione sat herself on the floor in front of the couple and brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them.
"What did you want to ask us, Hermione?" Severus asked from his spot by Minerva.
"Why did you give me up?" Hermione glanced at the floor before she looked up at Minerva and Severus. 'That really didn't sound the way I wanted it to.' Hermione scaled herself. "I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to sound like that."
"It's quite alright, kitten. I'll only you tell you a little bit of the story and the rest when you're older. Okay?" Once Minerva saw Hermione nod she started. "It was during the first war with You-Know-Who and I was held by death eaters and the Dark Lord himself for months. I was already pregnant with you at the time. But when I was finally rescued, I hated myself and didn't believe that you were Severus' until you were born. I knew it was too dangerous for me to keep you. I knew that if the Dark Lord caught wind that we had a daughter and found you, he would have killed you, breaking me in the process." Minerva let the tears she had been holing in fall and she buried her face in Severus' chest.
"I understand."
"Believe me Hermione, I didn't want to give you to the Granger's. It nearly killed me." Minerva managed to say between tears and then she cried, "I love you Hermione. I always have done. There hasn't been a day go by I haven't thought about you." Minerva stood and rushed to the bathroom and emptied the little she had eaten and then she headed up to hers and Severus' room, collapsing on the bed in floods of tears.
"Do you have anymore questions, Hermione?"
"Just two."
Severus nodded.
"Can I live with the two of you, forever?"
"You want us to be your parents?"
"Yes."
"Then yes you can. We'll send the documents off to the Ministry first thing in the morning."
Hermione nodded and then asked, "Is Minerva pregnant?"
"She is. How could you tell?"
"She's glowing." With that she stood and headed to her room. She had found them earlier, the door was on the same floor as Minerva's but it spanned three levels. The top one a personal library, the middle her bedroom and bathroom and the bottom was her own living room with a beautiful marble fireplace.
Severus stood, sighed and went to his wife. He found Minerva under the covers crying. He slid between the sheets and pulled her close, kissing her passionately.
"What's wrong, my love?"
"She's never going to want to be my child. My little girl."
"But she does, sweetheart."
"Really?"
"Yes. She asked if she could live with us forever. Us as her parents. I told her we'd send of the documents first thing in the morning."
Minerva smiled the first real smile of the day, kissed Severus softly on the lips and then cried herself to sleep as her husband held her. She knew the nightmares would come back full force that night.