Chapter Six: Family Reunion
The Grangers had arrived via the floo. They hadn't changed out of their travel clothes; dropping their bags before running to their Muggle fireplace in order to floo to Hogwarts. With "Aunt Minnie" entertaining Sabrina for a few minutes, they had a chance to quickly speak with Snape before their arrival was announced to everyone.
Ron and Hermione's apologies drowned out by laughter and yelling coming from the other side of Snape's quarters. Sabrina's voice carried down the hall, her grandparents had arrived.
Running towards the living room, she found her mother coming from the other direction. Wrapped in her mother's arms, Hermione wept. Her father appeared with Sabrina on his hip, and gathered all three of his girls into a group hug.
"See Nana and Papa, see! I told you Mummy was awake." Sabrina's voice trilled over the hiccuping sobs.
Typically a stoic man, Mark Granger could not stop the tears from flowing. Sabrina wiped away at the tears running down his face, "Don't be sad, Papa!"
A sniff and squaring of the shoulders, Mark pulled his emotions into check. "Not sad, pumpkin! Those were happy tears."
"Come on, Nana and Mummy! No crying, please." She scrambled out of his arms and walked back to the living room.
The Grangers found themselves alone in the professor's quarters with Sabrina. The Potter / Weasley clan had left after brief hugs and handshakes. Snape excused himself for the evening; dinner in the Great Hall and rounds.
Anna Granger presented Sabrina with a stuffed kangaroo from their holiday in Australia. The newly named pet, Kanga, joined the other stuffed animals in the quest to rid the Forbidden Forest of scary spiders. Hermione had an inkling of where this idea had come from.
Sitting on the couch, her father's arm around her; Hermione watched as her very muggle mother, use the floo to order tea service and move around the home as if it was her own.
"How did all this happen?" A bewildered Hermione asked her parents.
Mark said, "This world of magic you live in turned out to be quite a bit more than we ever expected. Creating a life without procreating."
Bustling around serving tea to the adults; Anna sat down after she gave Sabrina a spill proof cup of milk and a small plate of cheese and crackers.
"Well, where should we start?" Anna said, "Harry came to us after you were attacked. He said you were hurt and he apparated us to the school grounds."
"When we arrived, there were so many people in the infirmary. We had to push people out of the way and it was a gruesome scene. Healers surrounded you and we couldn't get close. You were so pale I thought for sure you wouldn't make it. Severus was in the next bed with Poppy and more healers around him. A few healers grabbed Harry as he walked in and tried to treat his wounds but he just yelled at them to help you. It was hours before anyone spoke to us." Anna's eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Oh Mum, I am so sorry." Hermione reached out for her mother. She pulled her from the armchair and onto the couch.
Anna held Hermione's hand and continued, "The healers said you were stable and they would wait for you to wake up, probably in the morning. We sat with you all night and in the morning, Poppy looked you over and said that the potions had worn off and you would wake soon but you didn't."
Anna succumbed to the tears and Mark continued the story. "They brought in healers from around the world. Severus had healed after several days and he got involved. He said it was Bellatrix's curse that held you between life and death. He said you were free of poisons but he still tried different antidotes and spells. Harry travelled all over Europe looking for anyone with a mastery of the dark arts trying to identify the curse."
Wiping under her eyes, Anna laughed, "Harry said you would do anything to get him into a library; he researched for years. The Weasley's helped too. Bill even brought in a few goblins but they said it was a curse they had never seen. The Weasley's took such good care of you and of course Molly adopted us as well."
Sabrina interrupted the adults to request biscuits for herself and Kanga. Smiling at her daughter, Hermione put a few on the plate and moved to the floor to sit with her. She found herself in charge of Hippo and made sound effects for the running spiders.
Mark continued the story, "After a month in the infirmary, Poppy informed us of your pregnancy. Needless to say, things did not go well after that."
"Harsh words and hurt feelings lasted most of your pregnancy but Severus and I came to an agreement. Everyone else fell in line after that." Anna said with a smile.
Hermione looked to Mark for clarification, and he nodded, "We were too scared of Severus and your mum."
"Severus was kind enough to provide us a guest room and we were able to help with Sabrina when she was born. Our house is hooked up to his floo so they both come and go as needed. She stays with us all the time especially now that's she a big girl. " Anna said as she smiled at Sabrina.
"I am three and a half, Nana!" The little girl held up three chubby fingers and used her other hand to bend her pinky into half.
"You are so big and quite smart." Hermione said, "When is your birthday?"
"My birthday is Setember tree and I'mma be four." Sabrina bounced on her bottom, "And Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are going to get me a kitty cat. Uncle Ron said he will give me a broomstick and Nana Molly and Papa Arter said they don't know."
After a nice dinner of roast chicken and vegetables (delivered from the Hogwarts kitchens), the Grangers returned home. Hermione and Sabrina were left alone to tackle bedtime.
"I hafta wash my face, brush my teeth and brush my hair." Sabrina told Hermione after she was dressed in a long Little Mermaid nightgown and penguin slippers.
Hermione took out Sabrina's braids and brushed through the thick hair as gently as she could.
Sabrina took over the brushing and then washed her face. "Now you hafta sing so I know how long to brush my teeth."
With memories of her own childhood running through her head, she put toothpaste on the brush and handed it to Sabrina. Hermione started to sing, "Brush, brush, brush your teeth. Brush them everyday."
"What's next, Sabrina?" Hermione asked.
"Daddy reads to me but it's your turn, Mummy." Sabrina led Hermione to her room and pushed her into the rocking chair. "We are reading the Little Mermaid."
Sabrina picked out a large and heavy hardback book from her shelf. The book contained a collection of Disney stories. Hermione snickered under her breath at the idea of the Potions Master reading these stories out loud.
Enjoying the story, she made up voices for the characters as Sabrina giggled and snuggled in close to her mother. Feeling the sensation of being watched, Hermione looked up from the book as Snape stepped into the room. She finished up the page and marked it. Sabrina leapt from her lap and ran at her father.
He swung her up and hugged her to him, "I see you are ready for bed."
"I want two kisses tonight, one from you and one from Mummy." Sabrina informed him as he tucked her into bed.
Kissing her forehead, Snape whispered his good nights and stepped back.
Flustered, the book dropped to the floor as Hermione stood up from the rocking chair. She returned it to the shelf and went to Sabrina's bed. Sitting down gently, she hugged and kissed the girl. "Sweet dreams, Sabrina."
She looked to Snape as she stood up. He gestured to the door with an incline of his head. As she passed through the door, he flicked his wand and the fairy lights twinkled in the darkness.