The Beauty Found Within the Beast

JKR owns it... She created it... I just like to play with it!

This newest chapter is short and sweet... Ok well, maybe not that sweet... I give it to you, my wonderful readers and reviewers... You tell me what you think of it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shocking Arguments


The next morning, Hermione found Harry sitting in the library. He was searching through the text of a certain dark arts book. His demeanor seemed almost urgent as he searched through it.

Sitting down across from him, she watched as he continued on, oblivious to her presence. Finally, she leaned forward and spoke softly. “Good morning, Harry.”

Slowly, Harry raised his eyes to meet hers. Then, closing the book, he cleared his throat. “I just want to know one thing.” His voice was dangerously low.

Hermione took a deep breath and sat back in the chair. “Okay?”

Harry’s eyes never left hers. “Have you fucked him?”

Taken back by his abrupt and rude question, Hermione dropped her jaw. “What? Oh dear Merlin! What does my sexual life have anything to do with why you’re here?”

Harry stood suddenly., his chair crashing to the floor. “It has everything to do with why I am here!”

His eyes searched hers and there was a fury there that she had never seen before. Standing herself, she glanced at the open doorway before turning back to glare at him. “I love him, Harry.” She shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively. “I don’t expect you to understand, or even like the fact. But if you are my friend... you’ll accept it.”

For more moments than either could count they just stood in silence. When Harry finally took the book in his hands and sent it sailing across the room, Hermione flinched. “I’m not sure I can be your friend anymore, Hermione.” He spoke in a furious whisper. “I look at you right now... I don’t even know you! The girl I knew would never want anything to do with that blond bastard!”

Hurt by the vehemence of his words, she swiped the tears that were now coursing down her cheeks with the palm of her hand.

“Harry–“ she started, but he raised his hand, silencing her words.

Moving to stand closer to her, he continued. “You are a different person than you used to be.” He looked her up and down, adding, “you disgust me!” Turning, he swept out of the library, leaving her staring after him, mortified.

Shocked, she sank back into the chair she had been sitting in. There had been times in their past when they had disagreed about something. But she had never witnessed an anger in him such as this one. Burying her head in her hands, she gave in to the tears that now consumed her.

When she felt a gentle hand on her back, she looked up, half expecting to find Ron there. Instead, Severus was looking at her through an intense gaze. “He reminds me of someone I once knew very well.” He said softly.

Once again wiping the tears away, Hermione asked, “Who?”

Snape sighed and moved to sit in the chair across from her. “Me.” He said simply.

Baffled, Hermione sat back and studied his face. She had never seen anything to make her think Harry and Severus had any common ground between them. But at his words, she wondered. “I fail to make a connection.” She said innocently.

Severus smirked. “Miss Granger, do you know why I hated Harry’s father so much?”

Hermione shrugged. “I always assumed it was because of the way Sirius, Remus, and he treated you when you attended Hogwarts.”

He nodded. “Yes, that is true, There was that. But there was also Lily.”

For the first time in all of the years that she had known him, Snape’s face lit up. The mere mention of Harry’s mother’s name seemed to take years off of his appearance.”

“Lily Potter?” Her voice trembled in awe. “You were in love with her?” She asked in a whisper.

Severus nodded. “Oh yes.” He actually smiled at Hermione’s expression. “I fell head over heels in love with her. My second year in Hogwarts she was the only person, aside from Lucius, that treated me as if I was worth anything.” he spared her a glance at that and sneered a little. “Oh please! Do pick your chin up off the floor, won’t you?”

Hermione had been staring at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed at that point. When he caught her, she covered her mouth with her hand, and shook her head. “I didn’t... I mean I... You never... But then, why would you?”

Realizing how incredibly stupid she was sounding, Hermione shut her mouth and looked down at her hands that were fisted in her lap. Well, that was incredibly stupid behavior! she chastised herself silently.

“Yes, it was.” Severus agreed to her unspoken thought, confirming her theory that he knew Legillimancy. “But it is not my point.” He continued, explaining, “Harry loves you, Miss Granger. Not as a sister, or even a friend. He loves you as a man loves a woman. He gave you up willingly when he thought that you and Ron were destined, because you were both his best friends and he wanted your happiness.”

“But now, you are not only not going to be with Ron. You are choosing to be with someone that Harry has hated ever since he has known of the man.” Severus straightened in the chair, gave her a pointed look, and asked, “Really, how would you expect him to react?”

Hermione considered this. She had never even considered that Harry would think of her in that way. It was almost more than her mind could fathom.

Suddenly, her stomach did a nauseous flip, and she covered her mouth in alarm. “I’m sorry, Professor. I’m suddenly not feeling very well.” Rising, she fled the room so quickly, she missed seeing Ron staring after her in the hallway. A nonplused expression on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she reached her bathroom, she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Thankfully, the toilet was charmed to flush immediately upon receiving contents from an outside source.

Once the nausea had passed, she moved to the sink and used a damp cloth to wipe her face. The cool dampness of the cloth felt good against her skin. Leaning against the sink, she closed her eyes and sighed.

“I’ve heard that saltine crackers help.” The charmed mirror spoke softly.

Hermione looked up to see the reflection staring back at her. A look of motherly understanding on it’s features. “Help with what?”

The mirror smirked at her, “Why, the morning sickness, of course!”

Hermione’s eyes widened. “Morning sickness? I don’t have morning sickness.” She shook her head, in denial. “That would mean that I’m....”

Hermione’s reflection nodded. “Yes, you’re pregnant. Dear child, didn’t you know?”

Stunned, Hermione dropped the cloth in the sink and left the bathroom to go stand next to her bed, where Lucius still slept. Reaching out in a fury, she tugged angrily at the covers that were over him. “I’m pregnant?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Yes, this chapter is short, but it is a pivital point in the story... I think. Hope you guys won\'t be too mad at me for it!