Closer

Hermione stayed up unpacking until nearly midnight. She brought as much stuff as her trunk would hold. She didn't know when she would get a chance to drop by her house again.

When she was finally done she collapsed onto the bed and lay there staring at the ceiling. She was thinking about everything. Severus really seemed to care about her and she cared about him. She was ready to use the 'L' word but she did care.

Part of her couldn't wonder if she was forcing herself to care. Maybe she wanted her children to have parents that were in a normal relationship so bad that she was forcing herself to fall in love.

She quickly shook the thought from head as she climbed under the blankets. Crookshanks jumped up from the floor to cuddle on her stomach.

Hermione let out a loud yawn and fell asleep.

---

She was jolted awake when she felt someone grab her shoulders. She went to scream but a hand quickly covered her mouth. She started to kick and she could hear Crookshanks hissing.


"What the hell are you doing here?" a familiar voice asked.

Hermione recognized the voice but she couldn't place in. She was still confused from being woken up so suddenly. She tried to see who the person but she couldn't see anything through the thick darkness of the room.

She bit down on the hand that covered her mouth. A sharp pain filled her face as she was struck. She finally managed to get out a scream. She tried to crawl away from her attacker. The person grabbed her wrist and tried to hold her there.

"Get off me!" Hermione yelled thrashing out. "Help me! Someone help me!"

Hermione heard someone running towards her room from somewhere down the hallway. The person holding her shoved her away and disappeared.

The young witch lay on the floor in tears when someone appeared at the bedroom door. She was relived to see Minvera standing there.

"Hermione?" she asked lighting the candles in Hermione's room. "Are you OK?"

"I don't know," Hermione whimpered. "Someone attacked me."

"Who was it?" Minvera asked helped Hermione up from the floor.

"I'm not sure," she said leaning against the older witch. "It sounded a lot like Ron."

"Ronald Weasley?" the older witch asked in a shocked voice. "You think he attacked you?"

"It sure sounded like him," Hermione said in a confused voice. "I don't know what is going on."

Hermione put a hand on her stomach. Something didn't feel right. She whined a little when she felt her stomach start to cramp.

"Are you alright?" Minvera asked in a concerned voice.

"I'm just cramping," Hermione explained. "It's probably just from the stress of everything."

"Come on," she said putting an arm around Hermione. "I want Poppy to have a look at you."

Hermione didn't say anything. She just nodded and leaned on Minvera. Together the two of them walked out of Hermione's room and headed for the hospital wing.

When they got there they weren't surprised to see Poppy awake. Poppy always seemed to know when something was going on that needed her help.

"What happened?" she asked running over to her.

"Someone attacked her," Minvera answered helping Hermione to one of the beds.

For the first time Hermione looked down at her hurt wrist. There was a very large black bruise.

"Who was it?" Poppy asked applying a cream to the bruise.

"I think it was Ron," Hermione explained. "He is pretty angry with me."

The young witch let out a whimper as she was hit with another cramp.

"What's hurting?" she asked.

"My stomach," Hermione whispered. "I'm nearly two months pregnant."

"Just relax," Poppy said. "Minerva get me a bottle of muscle relaxer."

Minvera quickly darted into the supply cabinet.

"It's just the stress of the attack," she said. "You just need to relax and the pain will stop."

Hermione closed her eyes and lay her head flat on the pillow. A minute later Minvera returned with the correct vile. Poppy quickly helped Hermione drink it. The pain stopped at once.

"She'll be fine," Hermione heard Poppy say. "She just needs to rest."

"Thank Merlin," Minvera said and let out a relived sigh.

"You should go," the med witch said. "There isn't anything you can do."

"Yes," she said. "It's nearly morning."

Once the room was completely silent Hermione fell asleep.

---

Minvera thought about going to Severus and telling him what happened but in the end she decided not to. There was no point in getting him worked up at three in the morning. She headed back to her bedroom and was surprised to see Severus waiting there for her.

He was sitting on the floor next to the door that led to her room. He had a worried look on his face.

"Is she alright?" he asked getting up on his feet.

"How did you know about that?" Minvera asked in a shocked voice.

"Everyone knows about it," Severus explained with a slight snort. "Sound travels fast in this old and castle and so does news."

"She'll be fine," she explained. "Poppy says that she just needs rest."

"Who did it?" he asked.

Minvera didn't answer him. If she told him Hermione said that she thought it was Ron he would go right to that boy's house. Severus felt at once she was hiding something. It only took him a second to jump inside her mind. Caught off guard she didn't fight him back.

"Ron," he said and left her mind.

"Don't do that," she said sternly. "There are some things that should remain private."

"Ronald," Severus said in angry tone. "That little animal."

"Don't do everything," Minvera said. "Hermione wouldn't want you to."

Severus knew she was right but he couldn't control the rage he was feeling. How dare he hurt Hermione? That little monster was going to pay.

"I won't do anything," he lied. "You're right."

"Good," she said letting out a relived sigh. "Well I'm going to bed and you should too."

"Goodnight," he said.

Minvera bid him goodnight before disappearing into her room. Severus headed down to his room to wait for dawn. He was going to go have a word with a certain Weasley.