Maternal Instinct

Severus had never been worried like this before. Worried because the Dark Lord was mad and trying to take over the world? Yes. Worried because he was about to marry Amy? Yes. Worried because he was going to be stuck in said marriage because of a baby? Yes. But he had never been worried about one person like this before.

A cold voice in his head said that she had probably just decided not to work her two weeks notice; but she was a Gryffindor. She wouldn't let the thing that had made her leave stop her working for just two weeks. She was probably just fine, curled up some where with Krum, because she was too stubborn to leave him.

Corrin kept asking where she was and the girl was missing her; she was acting like the world was about to end, just because Hermione Granger wasn't with her.

Severus... well, he actually missed her. And he missed her laughter and Corrins laughter. He was just glad that Dumbledore never did home visits during the holidays, because he couldn't cope with the old man and that eye twinkle thing he did, when he found out that his Potions Master was discovering new emotions. And he would be especially bad because it was one of his Gryffindors that Severus was thinking about.

But he couldn't help thinking about her. One night. It had only been one night, but he was totally... obsessed. He wasn't even thinking about the new first years he would have to teach soon; Hermione Granger had him completely distracted. And the longer she was away, the more he wanted to know why and the more he wanted to see her. The more he wanted to touch her. The more he wanted another night with her; and another; and another.

He had planned to catch her before she left one day, when Corrin was usually in bed. He would have asked why she was leaving, and then changed anything he could to make her stay. And then after that, if she wasn't too flustered, he would have asked her why she had been avoiding him and maybe persuade her to talk to him more in the future.

But he hadn't had that chance, for she hadn't come back.

Amy still wouldn't leave, but at least they had stopped arguing, for Corrins sake. She knew he wanted a divorce, but she wouldn't acknowledge the papers and she kept ranting to herself about Hermione not working the notice that she had promised; that just made him mad.

Hermione Granger had been more of a mother to Corrin than Amy had ever been and she deserved a child more than Amy ever had. Maybe, when she left Krum, she would find some one that could give her that.

But then a thought hit Severus; if she had a child, she would have to leave her job at his house anyway. And she would probably resign to stay at home and look after her baby, as well.

Well, that wouldn’t do. How would Severus get around that problem if it ever came up?

""""""""""""""""""""

She had been found in a pool of blood, apparently. She couldn't remember collapsing, but the nurse told her that Viktor had found her in a pool of blood.

It had been the same the last time it happened, only Ron and Harry had found her in the living room of The Burrow. Hermione had been so busy looking after Corrin and trying to get away from Severus that she hadn't seen the pains in her stomach for what they really were. And then she had taken the potion to take away the pain.

She blamed herself.

Viktor had been to see her once, three days after he had taken her to St. Mungo's.

"!"!"!"!" Flash Back "!"!"!"!"

Hermione heard the door open slowly, but she didn't look away from the window. It would only be Healer Angela.

Sure enough, the elderly Healers voice reached her ears, "Look, Hermione, your nice young boy friend sent you these." Hermione sniffed and turned her head just enough so that she could see the big bunch of flowers the other woman was holding. The Healer put them in a vase by the bed and Hermione turned back to the window. "He's coming to see you in an hour. If you don't want to tell him... you don't have to -"

"No," Hermione said, her voice hoarse from crying, "No... I'll tell him..."

The Healer left. An hour later Hermione had moved back into her bed and the door to her private ward opened again.

Viktor came in slowly, until he was standing by the bed nervously, "What is wrong? They would not tell me when I brought you in, but I had to be at a meeting so I had to leave. Will you tell me what is wrong? You look terrible."

Hermione knew she must have looked a state, but she didn't care, because tears were blurring her vision again, "I... I... um...well, I was pregnant -"

"You're pregnant!" He gasped.

Hermione burst into tears, shaking her head and only managing to choke out the word "Was..." before pressing her hands to her mouth.

Viktor just stood there, "That is impossible... you cannot have been pregnant..."

"Well I was..." She assured him tearfully.

"No..." He shook his head, "No... You cannot have been... I cannot make children..."

"!"!"!"!" End of Flash Back "!"!"!"!"

Hermione had told him to get out, but he hadn't left before he could blame her for putting herself through a miscarriage by having an affair.

But it wasn't just a miscarriage... The Healer that she saw this time had told her that the Healer she saw after her other miscarriage had got it wrong. She hadn't lost Ron’s baby because of stress and something down there wasn't working. She would be able to conceive quite easily - that had been proven twice - but... it would never go any further.

She would always miscarry.

And she couldn't stop crying. Healer Angela told her that it was perfectly natural for Hermione to grieve, but she didn't understand - How could anybody possibly understand?

She wasn't just grieving for the baby that she had lost, but for the baby that she would never have, as well. And Viktor just made it all worse; how could he have lied like that? He knew he was infertile all along and he just used her...

She knew she was not the first woman to be unable to have children, but she knew nobody like that and she felt so alone.

Healer Angela said that she would be allowed to leave St. Mungo's tomorrow. Ron and Harry had been to see her and Ron had offered her a room in his flat again, because it seemed that Viktor had already given him her stuff.

She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to talk to people.

Well, she would have to talk to one person, but what if he blamed her for losing his baby? What if he accused her of knowing that she would miscarry? She had resigned, so what if he wanted the baby and thought that she had quit because she wanted Viktor to think it was his child?

They were all horrible things to say to a person in Hermiones position, but he was Severus Snape. Why hadn't they thought of contraception? Having a baby had been the thing she wanted the most, the thing that Viktor had told her that he wanted. It had consumed her whole life, but the one time she didn't want to get pregnant she forgot to take the potion.

She would have to tell Severus, though, when she finally managed to go for more than two seconds with out crying.

""""""""""""""""""""

Another week passed, and with only one more week until the start of the Hogwarts year, Severus had given up hope of her coming back. He had convinced himself that it didn't matter; she didn't matter. But she did matter to him, for some strange, silly reason.

The house had just gone back to the way it was before Hermione ever came. Amy moaned and whined to herself when she wasn't putting make-up on; Severus stayed in the library all day; it seemed as if Corrin had just disappeared because she wouldn't even speak. It was strange, seeing as she was in the same house, but he actually missed his daughter.

Then, one day, Severus heard it. Amy was shouting and some one else was talking, but Corrin was in the garden. He left the library and waited just outside the kitchen, listening.

"If you'll just let me explain -!"

"Why should I? You just left! You promised me two weeks and then you had another week off! I had to miss parties! Parties!"

"Please! If you just listen -"

"Why should I listen? What could possibly have happened? Huh?" Amy screeched, "Did your ickle baby goldfish die and you had to take time off to mourn and grieve?"

There was the sound of a sharp slap, before the kitchen door was pushed open and Hermione came out, nearly in tears and rubbing her hand. When she noticed him, she wiped her eyes quickly.

There was silence for a moment; she took a deep breath and tried to blink away her tears, but they stayed in her eyes as she spoke, "I... I'm... sorry..."

Severus put his arms around her as she started to cry, feeling both relieved and puzzled. Amy stalked out of the kitchen, holding her cheek. She stared disbelievingly at them, and he glared back, until she ran away upstairs. When Amy was out of sight, Severus turned his attention to Hermione, who was crying hard. It was entirely possible that this was the first time he had ever seen somebody so utterly upset. The worry that had numbed over the last week flared up again. What was wrong?

If it had anything to do with Viktor Krum, Merlin have mercy on his soul, he would hurt the celebrity.