The Sound Of Silence

After a slightly tense lunch, Stephanie and Snape went back to the Dungeons. Mrs. Weasley put Harry, Ron and Hermione in an empty sitting room and threatened bodily harm if they tried to leave.

They were all sitting, looking at each other. Finally Harry spoke. \"You look good Hermione.\" She smiled and thanked him. Ron started to speak, but closed his mouth.

Hermione sighed. \"Just say it. I hate just sitting here.\"

Ron looked at her. \"I guess it\'s his child?\"

She nodded. \"I just told him today as well.\"

Harry looked at her. \"Was our argument so bad that you had to run away for twelve years?\"

Hermione looked at him. \"I know I shouldn\'t have run away. It wasn\'t a very Gryffindor thing to do. It was just, after our argument, I went back to Professor Snape. He turned me away too. I didn\'t know what else to do. I went home to Mum and Dad, but then I found out I was pregnant. I didn\'t want to make him feel trapped and I didn\'t want to burden Mum and Dad, so I left. I ended up in America, working for a Muggle magazine. It\'s not the glamour life that I wanted, but I couldn\'t imagine it any other way.\"

Ron turned and looked at her. \"I\'ll bet the old bat almost died when you told him about Stephanie. Does he hate her?\"

Hermione shook her head. \"You remember when she was here sixth year, he really liked her. He still does. It\'s me he hates.\"

Harry glared at her. \"Are you going back to him?\"

She shrugged. \"He hates me, but we share a child. I have to see him from time to time. I can\'t keep him away from her anymore. She likes him to much.\"

He walked around the room. \"So you are going back to him?\"

Ron scoffed. \"Harry, she just said he hated her. I don\'t want to fight about this anymore. I\'m happy to see you Hermione. It was to long and the fight was st in in the first place. Forgive me?\"

Hermione had to shut her mouth when she looked at Ron. He was being rational about this? What happened to him? \"Thank you Ron.\" She grinned. \"I missed you guys. I wanted to owl you when she was born. I wanted you to see her so much, but I didn\'t think you\'d want to.\"

Ron knelt in front of her. \"We were bloody . Fo. Forgive us?\"

She smiled and leaned forward to hug him. \"You\'re still bloody gits. Don\'t let it happen again, you great idiot.\" They looked up at Harry.

He sighed. \"I\'m sorry too. I shouldn\'t have let you go away. I\'m not sorry I tried to protect you.\"

She reached for his hand. \"I\'m a big girl Harry, but thank you.\"

He smiled. \"So you\'re a Mum. How does that feel?\"

***

Snape watched Stephanie\'s hand again. He nodded. \"So this,\" he touched his forehead with the thumb of his right hand, fingers open, \"means Father?\" Steph nodded. She made the same sign, but with her thumb on her chin. She wrote the word \"Mother.\" He nodded. \"What\'s the sign for daughter?\" Steph traced the right side of her jaw with the thumb of her right fist and then flattened her hand, palm up and placed it in the crook of her left elbow.

Severus followed her movements and, after a few corrections from Stephanie, he had it. He smiled. \"I want to learn how you speak. I don\'t want you to keep asking you to write things.\" Steph smiled. She pointed to herself, then put right hand flat against her temple and moved it forward, then she put both hands at the front and sides of her head and moved them forward, closing her fingers together. Then she pointed to Snape. He frowned. She did the motions again and then wrote, \"I will teach you.\" Snape smiled. \"Thank you.\" She touched her fingertips to her lips and moved them forward as she mouthed \"Thank you.\" Snape smiled as he made the same gesture.

***

The next few days settled into a routine. Breakfast was with the Weasley\'s, all of them, then the mornings were spent doing different things, then going to Hogwarts for lunch and dropping Steph off with Snape. Tea was taken with Albus and Minerva and then the rest of the day was spend worrying about Steph.

Harry and Ron were gems about the whole thing. They took her on shopping trips and let her spend as much time as she wanted in the book shops. She loved having her two best friends back and they absolutely adored Stephanie. They even managed to pick up a few signs from her.

Steph adored them too. Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron. Harry was teaching her to ride a broom, Ron was dealing with Quidditch. Fred and George were dealing with the finer aspects of prank pulling and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were spoiling her rotten. It was almost perfect.

***

Hermione hugged Steph as they stood outside Snape\'s office. \"You be a good girl today. I\'ll see you tonight.\" Steph nodded and knocked on the door. Hermione waited to make sure Snape was in.

He opened the door and smiled at Stephanie. He nodded to Hermione. \"Ms. Granger.\"

She smiled politely. \"I\'ll expect you at the regular time.\" He just nodded as she kissed Steph\'s head. \"You know where I\'ll be if you need me.\" Steph hugged her and looked at her Father.

\"Come along Stephanie. We have things to do.\" She walked into his office and he shut the door in Hermione\'s face. She gritted her teeth and turned to go meet The Headmaster and Minerva for afternoon tea.

***

Minerva could tell that Hermione was upset. She poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. \"Hermione, is something bothering you?\"

She looked at her former Professor. \"It\'s Snape. I\'m her Mother. You would think he would have a tiny bit of respect for me, if for no other reason than that!\"

Albus offered candy as he sat down. \"Well dear, not to offend, but you didn\'t show him much respect for that reason either did you?\"

Minerva smiled. \"That\'s true Hermione.\"

She glared at them. \"I was trying to let him live his life. I\'m the one that worried about her when she was sick. I\'m the one that gave up my life for her.\"

Albus nodded. \"That\'s true, but don\'t you think Severus would have wanted those opportunities as well?\" Hermione bit her lip as she thought.

Minerva patted her hand. \"Give him time my dear.\"

***

Harry and Ron were trying, bless their hearts. Hermione was to wrapped up in her thoughts to notice. Ron finally shook her shoulder. \"Hey \'Mione! Where are you?\"

She shook her head and looked at him. \"I was unfair to Professor Snape.\"

Harry sighed. \"I\'m not discussing this.\"

Ron frowned. \"What do you mean?\" They walked in the front door of Harry and Ron\'s house.

Hermione found a chair and sat down. \"I shouldn\'t have kept Steph from him. That was unfair and selfish.\"

Harry snorted. \"It\'s Snape. Sure he helped defeat Voldemort, but that doesn\'t absolve him of his past sins. He was a Death Eater. What does he know about fair?\"

Hermione folded her arms over her chest. \"I am not fighting about this. I loved him Harry. He was fun to be with. You may not like it, but it\'s not your life.\"

Ron nodded. \"Hermione\'s right. She did just fine without us Harry. I\'m not saying it doesn\'t hurt that you don\'t need us, but I know you don\'t. Then again, you\'ve never really needed us. We\'ve always needed you.\"

Hermione looked at him with tears in her eyes. \"But I did need you guys. I needed both of you. I was a wreck in America. I\'m still a wreck. I missed both of you so much.\"

Harry sighed. \"I\'m sorry honey. I do love you, I just worry about you. You\'re family. I just didn\'t want to see you hurt.\"

Hermione stood and hugged them both. She laughed softly. \"I do love you guys. And thank you. I was stupid back then. I thought he loved me. I thought that would be enough.\"

Ron pulled her down on the couch. \"He must have loved you \'Mione. I remember how he acted around you. He was almost human! Besides, you fell in love with him for some reason. You\'re to smart to be tricked into anyone\'s bed.\"

Harry sat down on the other side of her. \"He\'s right. You must have seen something in him no one else did. You wouldn\'t have given up so much if you hadn\'t.\"

Hermione nodded. \"He was special. Intelligent, funny, caring, just overall amazing.\" She giggled at the guys expressions. \"I\'m just saying I did see something. I see a lot of him in Steph too. I haven\'t even thanked him for her.\"

Ron shrugged. \"Maybe you need to talk to him. I can\'t say that I liked the idea, but it would be better for Steph if you two could at least be civil.\"

Hermione nodded. \"You\'re right. I\'ll talk to him tonight.\"

***

Hermione looked at the clock again. 10 o\'clock. Where were they? She paced around the small room, her arms folded and muttered about Snape. How dare he keep her out so late? He was doing this just to make her mad. She jerked the door open as soon as she heard him knock. \"Do you know what time it is?\"

Severus frowned at her and motioned to Stephanie who was curled against him, asleep. Hermione led him to Steph\'s bed. He lay her down gently and helped take her shoes and cloak off. Hermione pulled him out of the room, shut the door and then went back into the main room. \"I\'ll get her in her pj\'s later. Right now, I want an explanation.\"

He sighed. \"Ms. Granger, Stephanie and I were gathering night blooming plants. We returned to my rooms and I was putting them away, she fell asleep. I finished putting them away and then brought her home.\"

Hermione folded her arms. \"It is well past her bed time. You may not care about her welfare, but I do.\"

Snape grabbed her arm. \"How dare you accuse me of that? I do care about her well being. I am trying to be her Father, even though you do not want me to be.\"

Hermione slapped him. \"You bastard. All I eventednted was for my daughter to be happy. In case you didn\'t notice, she was happy without you in her life.\"

Snape put his face inches, no centimeters from hers. \"Is that so? She is happy wearing transfigured hand me downs because you couldn\'t afford new clothes? She is happy skipping dessert because it\'s not in your budget? She is happy watching you slave for a meager paycheck and then worry about not making ends meet? She is happy watching you sacrifice your own well being for hers? She\'s told me about her life, Ms. Granger. She doesn\'t know life outside of what you\'ve shown her, but I swear to you, I plan on treating MY daughter to the life she should be living.\"

Hermione wrenched her arm from his grip. \"Buying her love Professor Snape? I would have expected more from you. Then again, that is the only way you can get people to love you, isn\'t it?\"

They both jumped at the sound of the door slamming. Hermione glared at him and walked to Steph\'s door. She knocked. \"Steph, honey, open the door. Honey. Open the door please.\"

Severus knocked as well. \"Stephanie, I demand you open this door.\"

Hermione sighed. \"That\'s good Professor.\" She put all her disdain for him in that one word. \"Threaten your own child.\"

Snape glared at her. \"This from a woman, no girl, who kept this child from her father for ten years.\"

***

Steph wiped her eyes as she finished thttertter. She folded it and put it in her pocket. She pulled her cloak and shoes on , then slid out the window. She walked around and into the front of the Broomsticks.

She walked to the counter. Madam Rosmerta looked at her. \"Hello Steph. Isn\'t it a little late for you to be up?\" Steph nodded. She pushed the letter across the counter and scribbled on another paper that she needed the letter to go to Harry Potter right then. Rosmerta shook her head. \"The Post is closed honey.\"

Steph frowned. She scribbled again. Rosmerta nodded. \"Yes, Harry\'s house is connected to the Floo.\" Steph smiled and wrote again. She pulled out two sickles and put them on the counter. Rosmerta read the note and shook her head. \"Of course you can use the Floo, and I\'ll only charge you one sickle.\" They walked to the fireplace. Steph bit her lip. Rosmerta smiled. \"Just step in dear. I\'ll do the rest. Just make sure you prepare yourself for the landing on the other side.\" Steph nodded, stepping into the fireplace and disappeared with Rosemerta\'s words.

***

Harry was surprised when he heard his Floo activate. He was even more sured wed when Steph fell onto his rug. He jumped up and helped her to his feet. \"Steph, what are you doing here? Is Hermione ok? What\'s wrong?\" Steph pulled the letter from her pocket. He read it and looked at her. She was crying again. He pulled her into a hug. \"Shh. It\'s not your fault. It\'s not.\" Steph pulled away from him and nodded. She scribbled another note. He read it and pulled her to the couch. He sat and pulled her down into a hug. \"Honey, you had every right to want to meet your Father. This whole mess is on the shoulders of your parents. They should know better.\" Steph snuggled against him and sniffed back her tears. He kissed her head. \"You\'re staying here tonight. It\'ll serve them right.\" She smiled up at him.

***

Severus had \"Alhomora\"ed the door, but found it was still blocked. He and Hermione pushed against it until it gave way and they fell into the room. The chair Steph had braced against the door was in pieces. Hermione repaired it as Severus looked out the window. \"She left this way.\"

Hermione turned and headed out to the bar to look for. Rr. Rosmerta was closing up. She looked up when she walked it. \"Hermione. I didn\'t get to send your letter to Harry. Steph was a dear and offered to deliver it personally.\"

Hermione stopped. \"She delivered a letter to Harry? Thank you Rosmerta, thank you so much.\" She was ready to apparate to Godric\'s Hollow when Severus grabbed her arm and was pulled with her.

***

Harry tucked the blankets around Steph\'s sleeping form. He lowered the lights and turned to see Ron leaning against the door frame. \"Mione isn\'t going to like this.\"

Harry shrugged. \"So?\" He walked into the living room. \"Obviously they didn\'t care about her feelings. They were fighting right in front of her, Ron. I may not be fond of Snape but I love Steph. She deserves better.\"

Ron nodded. \"Think we should put a silencing spell on the room?\"

Harry nodded. \"Yep. The happy couple should be here any minute.\"

***

They apperated in front of the house. Hermione threw his hand off her arm. \"What are you doing here?\"

He pulled his cloak around him. \"She is my daughter as well.\" Hermione rolled her eyes and walked to the door.

Harry opened it even before she could knock. \"I want to talk to you. Both of you.\" He stepped aside and let them enter.

Ron stepped in from the kitchen. \"There you are. We\'ve been expecting you.\"

Severus glared. \"Where is my daughter?\"

Harry stepped in front of him. \"She\'s sleeping in my room. Now, both of you sit.\" Hermione knew the look on Harry\'s face. She sat and then looked at Ron. He gave her a pointed look and then looked back at Harry. Snape leaned against the mantle.

Harry sighed. \"Look, both of you know that I didn\'t approve of your relationship. I still don\'t, but there is a beautiful, ten year old girl asleep in my room who thinks it\'s her fault her parents hate each other. She came to me crying because of your fight this evening. I\'m not asking for you two to love each other, but damnit, Steph deserves two parents that can be in the same room with each other. I don\'t care how you do it, but tonight you will come to an agreement. Steph will be fine. Leave her where she is and get out.\" He walked to the door and opened it.

Hermione looked at him. \"I\'m not leaving my daughter.\"

He shrugged. \"Then sleep on the porch. I\'m tired of the childish bickering you two are doing. Go somewhere, talk, fight, kill each other. I don\'t care. When I see you tomorrow, I expect at least civil conversation.\"

Severus snorted. \"I can not believe Harry Potter is giving me orders. What surprises me more is that I am going to follow them.\" He took Hermione\'s arm. \"He\'s right Ms. Granger. We need to do this for Stephanie\'s sake.\" He led her out the door, her protest disappearing as they apperated back to The Three Broomsticks.

Ron looked at Harry as he slumped against the door. \"Wow mate. That took guts.\"

Harry nodded. \"I figured Snape would have killed me before I got finished with my speech.\"

Ron chuckled. \"Well, I\'m turning in. We\'ve got to face an irate Hermione tomorrow.\" Harry groaned as he lay on the couch to sleep for the night.

***

Back in her room, Hermione started pacing. \"I can\'t believe I left her. I shouldn\'t have. I shouldn\'t have left her with them.\"

Snape sat. \"I do wish you would quit pacing. As much as I detest Potter and Weasley, I do feel confident they will care for her.\"

Hermione turned to look at him. \"She is my daughter. She has never been away from me overnight.\"

He snorted. \"Overprotective. I wouldn\'t have expected less.\"

She glared at him. \"Forgive me for caring and worrying about her.\"

Snape ran his hands through his hair. \"I don\'t doubt your love for her. I love her as well. This night away could be good for her.\"

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself. \"She\'s just so small and without her voice.\"

He snorted. \"She\'s far from helpless. Do you recall the incident with her in your sixth year? The culprits behind the attack were kept secret. It wasn\'t to protect them. Parents emb embarrassed. Imagine a ten year old besting two wand carrying Slytherins.\"

Her eyes went wide. \"Draco and Pansy? So they didn\'t take holiday with their families?\"

He shook his head. \"Concealed in the Hospital Wing until they recovered.\"

She smiled. \"So much like her father.\"

Snape smiled. \"Does this mean we are going to be civil?\"

Hermione sighed. \"For Stephanie\'s sake.\" She held out her hand. \"Hermione Granger, mother of your daughter.\"

Severus shook her hand. \"Severus Snape, father to your daughter.\"

The contact went on longer than normal. Hermione finally pulled away. \"Well, if that\'s settled, I\'ll drop Steph off at the same time tomorrow.\"

He nodded. \"Yes, and I will have her home at the expected time. If not, I will contact you.\"

She nodded. \"Thank you.\"

He stood and looked at her. \"Goodnight...Hermione.\"

She smiled slightly. \"Good night Severus.\" He disappeared with a pop.

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FranfluteWitch: Thank you for reading. I\'m sure that he was very surprised. Stephanie just loves him. She\'s constantly trying to get me to write more scenes with them together. I\'m trying!

Deb: Maybe this is his reality check. He can see how much he missed when he was being a bastard. He pushed her away and she kept the baby from him. I want him to be still snarky and as canns pos possible, but I know that Steph will change him somewhat. Thanks for reviewing!

Barrie: Thanks for reading! Of course Snape is going to be difficult. Can he be anything else? He should have known better, but of course, he didn\'t. Ah well, it makes for a good story! Thanks again.

Tina: Thank you! I\'m glad that you\'re enjoying it. I really made you cry? Wow. I think that\'s a first for me. I hope that they decide to get back together. They\'re not telling me what they have planned. Don\'t you hate that? Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Nesscafe: Of course there\'s angst in the air. Steph is going to hold her own in this story. She\'s not going to let her parents ruin her dreams of them getting back together. She\'s a tough little girl. Thanks for reg!
g!

Euridice: I understand completely. My computer has been doing some wacky things as well. I\'m looking to buy myself a new one. Maybe after Christmas. Well, you\'ll have to talk to Snape about him loving Hermione. He\'s being mean and not telling me what his plans are. Well, I don\'t have a lot of time right now. I would love to do it, but I\'m not sure I have time right now.

Ettirgam: Thanks! My senior thesis is due next semester, but I\'ve got a little headrt ort on it. My research paper is done. I\'ve just got to format it. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I\'m glad you\'re enjoying it so much!

Travelgirl: Thanks for reading!

Solitary Aries: Sorry that I fooled you. Well, not really. I\'m glad you\'re reading. Thanks for reviewing. Now, get that homework done!!

Five points to your house if you tell me the importance of Steph\'s birthday in the last chapter.