Help Needed

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. That all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

'Hi, Poe, what does he need?' as Hermione took a note from Severus's raven.

Ms. Granger

I need your assistance on a project. Purebloods are not able to reproduce. I think it is a blood issue. Can you please research this potion and see if you can improve it.

Severus Snape, Potion Master.

'Wow he is asking for help.' Draco grinned.

'He must be at stumped. Well then he can help me in return.' Hermione said as she wrote a reply.

~o~

The explosion rocked the room. 'What have you done?' Severus snarled.

'I added powdered gillyroot.' Hermione said as she waved her wand to clean up the mess, as Draco rushed into the lab.

'Is everyone ok?' Draco asked the room.

'Yea we're fine.' Hermione said as she scowled at Severus.

'Silly girl I have already tried that.' Severus snarled.

'Well if you had shared your notes I would have known that. If you're not going to share how am I to know what you have tried and not tried.' Hermione was close to tears. 'You know what... I'm done, I can't work with this snarky, self-centered bastard. I have been here two weeks and not once has he even looked at my…' pointing to her stack of notes as she turned to leave.

'Severus? She only agreed to help you if you helped her.' Draco shook his head.

'But this is important, it will help all of the pureblood witches get pregnant.'

'And hers will help her get pregnant. If she can't get pregnant we will be split up and I will have to marry some simpering bint that just wants to spend my money.' Draco turned to leave.

'Fine I will look at it.' Severus snarled.

'No don't put yourself out,' as Draco reached for the box and notes Hermione had left behind.

'I'm sorry Draco, I didn't know. I guess I got so focused on my task.'

'Yea, Hermione chose to help you so you could help her and all you did was delay her on her solutions. Now give me your notes so she can fix your problem.'

'She won't help me now.'

'No she won't.' Draco held out his hand for the notes. 'But she will help all of the women affected.'

'Tell her thank you and I will see what I can do for her.' Severus handed all of his notes to him.

Draco left to go look for Hermione. He found her standing at the window overlooking the black lake.

'Hey, let's go home and read these.' holding up the notes.

'He still expects me to help him?'

'No, but I know you. You will help the woman affected by this curse.' as he pulled her into a hug.

~o~

'Narcissa, when Draco was born did they give him vaccinations?' Hermione asked as she flipped thru the notes.

'What?' Narcissa replied with a confused look.

'Um, potions for health?'

'Yes, I think all babies are given a potion just after birth to strengthen them. Why?'

'Well some of these test show different values and I'm noticing that the ones with a lower value are home births. Like Draco's.' as she pointed it out to Narcissa.

'Draco was a home delivery and we had a French midwife. So he wasn't given the strengthening potion. But I can ask Andy as she is working in the maternity ward.' as she got up to go to the floo call her sister. Within minutes Andy stepped out of the floo with a bottle.

'Oh please let this be the problem... solution to this.' Andy smiled.

'Draco can you and Lucius go break this down?' Hermione asked.

'Of course we will.' as Lucius took the bottle and left the room.

'Wow, what has happened to him?' Hermione asked the room, surprised at the drastic change in Lucius.

'If this is what has caused the birthing issues among purebloods. He will do his best to help get it sorted.' Narcissa said as she smiled proudly. Within hours they had found the cause and started to find the solution.

'Thank you, Andy this has helped.' Hermione said as she started to look thru her papers.

'You might want to go to St Mungo's and stop the use of the "Strengthening Potion" until we can get this all sorted.' Narcissa spoke as she added more to her notes.

'Here are the preliminary papers.' Narcissa handed some papers to Andy. She nodded and left the room.

~o~

Draco entered the dungeon and threw the stack of papers on Severus's desk.

'Why is her name first on this? And all of these named as assistants, with my name listed last?' Severus snarled as he read the front of the report.

'We… mother, father, Aunt Andy and I helped Hermione. You only gave up your notes as a last ditch effort to save face.'

'Um, interesting that Hermione has your notes and within 72 hours we have a solution. After spending two weeks with you and nothing.'