Augury & Ardor

Author's Notes: For those who are anxiously awaiting news on Severus' fate. Erm...it's coming, I promise! Don't hurt me! I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy the story! :)

I did a bit of looking around for the perfect name for Hermione and Severus' son and came up with what you'll read below. It's a Hebrew name and means, "scribe".

Enjoy the story -- I love hearing from you, so please review if you have the time! :)

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Hermione continued to hum softly to the infant in her arms despite the fact that he was deeply asleep. She hated to relinquish him to the cradle when she could hold his slumbering form and admire each perfect eyelash resting against his flawless cheeks. The door cracked open and she fell quiet, looking up from her son’s face.


“Hi.” Ginny stepped inside the door and shot Hermione a little grin. “Do I get to meet the new man in your life?”


“He’s asleep,” Hermione said, smiling in return, “but come in and sit down anyway.”


“Do I get to hold him?” Ginny asked, her voice dancing with mischief. “If I don’t, I’ll be going. I’ve got a good book to read…”


“Of course you get to hold him,” Hermione replied, blinking away threatening tears to give Ginny a tremulous smile. It was just like her friend to cut through all the awkwardness and put her immediately at ease. She transferred the precious weight of her son into her friend’s arms. “Oh, Ginny, I’ve missed you!”


Ginny leaned in and gave Hermione a firm kiss on the cheek before taking a seat in a nearby chair. “I’ve not only missed you, Hermione, I’ve been frantic with worry. How are you?”


“I’m good.” Ginny raised an eyebrow, and Hermione amended, “Okay, not good, but all right at least.” Before Ginny could reply, Hermione quickly peppered her with questions. “Have you heard anything? Have they found out where they might have gone? Has Severus contacted anyone in the Order?”


Ginny blinked, gobsmacked, and Hermione shot her an apologetic look. “Sorry to pounce on you like that. It’s just, I’m desperate for news. No one tells me anything.”


Blinking a few more times, Ginny attempted to absorb the fact that her friend had just called Professor Snape by his first name as casually as though she were referring to Ron or Harry. She’d been right when she’d told Harry and her brother that things had changed, but up until that moment, she hadn’t realized just how much. “I – I know they’ve been following some leads, but no, there’s no fresh news, I’m afraid.”


Hermione bowed her head and struggled for composure. “It’s been two weeks,” she said, her tone a melding of fear, anger, and despair. “He’s at their mercy.” She let out a laugh as harsh as sandpaper. “And we all know they haven’t a dram’s worth among them.” Her shoulders slumped as she gazed at the infant in Ginny’s arms. “Merlin knows what’s been done to him already.”


“Remus and Tonks are out right now, along with Charlie and Bill,” Ginny said, her tone bracing. “Another group was out earlier, but came back for a bite and some sleep. Someone’s out searching -- trying to dig up information -- at every moment.” A short silence ensued as Hermione pulled herself together and Ginny studied the infant in her arms. “He’s certainly got your hair,” Ginny finally said with a wry grin.


A bubble of laughter burst from between Hermione’s lips. “Looks a bit like a Pygmy Puff, doesn’t he?”


Ginny laughed and smoothed a hand over the baby’s tawny hair. No sooner had her hand passed over it, the hair sprang back up in spiky disarray. “I’ve never seen so many cowlicks on one head.”


“My mum--” Hermione’s voice broke. With a quick clearing of her throat, however, she continued on briskly, “My mum said my hair was like that when I was little. I’m hoping he’ll end up with a head of curls instead of a bush of hair, though.”


“How did they take it?” Ginny asked, not fooled by Hermione’s brave tone.


Hermione sucked in a deep breath and gave a brittle shrug that belied her nonchalance. “Not well. We argued.” She expelled the bracing breath she’d taken, deflating along with the air. “It was a bit stiff when they left, but…but I’m hoping they’ll come around.”


“Surely they weren’t mad at you,” Ginny said, taken aback at the idea.


“No, no,” Hermione said, “well…yes. I suppose, in a way, they were.” At Ginny’s curious gaze, Hermione continued, “They were fine until I stopped them from making Severus out to be the horrible villain who’d destroyed their daughter’s life. They wanted to stand here and vilify him and I wouldn’t allow it. I suppose my father didn’t like that; he’d have preferred to continue thinking of me as the sinless victim violated by her evil professor.” When Ginny didn’t comment, Hermione leaned forward. “You do know he had to do it, right? He didn’t want to.”


Ginny nodded quickly to let her friend know her silence hadn’t been damning. “It’s not that, Hermione,” she hurried to say. “It’s just…I suppose even though I knew you’d understand why he’d done what he’d done, you’d still be…well, I suppose it’s just I didn’t expect you to… I mean, after all, he’s so . . .Professor Snape.”


For a minute, silence rang between them and Ginny wondered if she’d offended the elder witch. Then, Hermione burst out laughing and the next few minutes were dedicated to lulling a startled baby back to sleep. Once the danger of a squall had passed, Hermione shot Ginny a grin. “Yes… Well, it’s true that he’s very Professor Snape, but you can’t live with a man for nearly a year and not glimpse his more approachable side. Severus can, despite what many would argue, be kind and even thoughtful.”


“Forget the rest; it’s just weird to hear you refer to him as ‘Severus’,” Ginny admitted on a giggle.


Hermione laughed in response before falling silent. Then, a blush crept to her cheeks and she glanced up at Ginny through her eyelashes. “It would have been stranger, still, to continue referring to him as Professor Snape.”


Ginny flushed at the implication and clamped down on her tongue to still the dozens of questions she’d have liked to ask, all of which were inappropriate. “So, I’ve asked Mum and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, but they said I’d have to wait to hear it from you. What have you named the baby?”


Hermione smiled, her eyes moving to rest with affection on her son. “Sepharus.”


Ginny considered it, a small smile quirking the corner of her mouth. “I like it. It sounds like a softer version of Professor Snape’s name.”


“Yes, that too,” Hermione said with a nod before continuing, “but I chose it because it means ‘scribe’ and I thought… Have you heard the prophecy?”


Ginny nodded but added, “Not all of it and not verbatim.”


“It says I’d bear the world a pen and he’d be mightier than the sword. The name Sepharus seemed apropos, considering. I thought . . . I thought . . .” Hermione’s brow puckered as she searched for the words to explain herself. “There’s no real fighting a prophecy, is there? You read all the time in literature about people trying and ending up fulfilling it, anyway. Even though Severus isn’t really a Death Eater, he still fit the prophecy’s criteria. I fit the criteria. So, if fighting is fruitless, I thought . . .well, I thought I’d submit to it in a way that was harmless.”


The baby released a shuddering sigh as if to agree with his mother’s resigned speech. Ginny gazed down at him and stroked a finger across his downy cheek. “What about the part with You Know Who?” she asked.


“It said he’d crush those who defied his father’s master, until everyone remaining served He Who Must Not Be Named,” Hermione said, her eyes and voice flat. “Hard to misinterpret that, isn’t it?”


“Did it specifically name Voldemort?”

Hermione frowned. “Well, no… I can’t be sure, because when I heard it read, I was scared out of my mind, but I think it referred to him as ‘the one unnamed’.”


“That’s a lot different than actually naming him, isn’t it?” Ginny offered for consideration. “And Professor Snape doesn’t really serve You Know Who, does he, so ‘his father’s master’ might refer to Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster.”


Hermione stared in wonder at Ginny, hope bringing light back to her eyes. “That’s true!” A smile had no sooner curved her lips before it faded and her eyes lost their glow.


“What’s wrong?”


“The part about Harry,” Hermione said, her voice heavy with dejection.


“There’s a part about Harry?” Ginny asked in surprise.


“He’s never named - no one is named - but it’s obviously Harry it’s referring to.” She pulled her bottom lip through her teeth, trying to remember the wording. “There’s a bit about lightning at Sepharus’ feet, which I know could mean anything, but then it said something about defeating the stag, which we both know is Harry’s Patronus.”


“Yes, but, both bits could mean anything,” Ginny argued, although her words were less sure than before.


“True,” Hermione agreed, but her tone remained grim. “But there was another part that didn’t seem to make any sense until I thought about it for a while – and believe me, I had plenty of time to think while I was being held. It talked about Sepharus molding clay and turning a wheel. That part didn’t seem to fit with the rest until I put them together. Who molds clay on a wheel?” When Ginny’s expression remained blank, Hermione answered, “A potter. It never names Harry, but you can’t get much closer to a name than that, can you?”


Ginny frowned and sat staring at Sepharus for a long time before breaking the silence, which had descended on the room. “But if it talks about Sepharus molding clay, that’d make him the potter…wouldn’t it?”


“But -” Hermione stopped and mulled over Ginny’s words. “But what about the lightning and the stag? If you put that all together with the clay and the wheel, it must mean Harry.”


“Prophecies are tricky things,” Ginny replied. “The more you try to nail them down, the slipperier they become. You could choose to ignore the fact that it says Sepharus is the potter and make it be Harry, I suppose, but then you’re forcing a meaning, aren’t you?” Before Hermione could speak, Ginny rose, gave Sepharus a soft kiss on his head, and handed him back to his mother. “If this is why you’ve been putting off Harry so long, you need to let it go. Harry loves you, Hermione; none of that is going to matter to him. And if you don’t see him soon, I’m going to strangle him; he’s been in a foul snit since we arrived.”


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“How come I have to wait? How come I’m the last to see her?” Ron griped. “I’m her boyfriend, but Harry gets to see her before I do?”


“Just a minute, Harry.” Ginny planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head at her brother. “She wants to see Harry first because she wants to talk to him about the prophecy. As for you being her boyfriend - have you forgotten that she’s married?”


Ron scoffed. “She was forced. The Wizengamot will give her an annulment, no questions.”


“Did it occur to you that she might not want an annulment?” Ginny asked. She’d have laughed at his expression had she not seen its twin on Harry’s face. “Look, before either of you see her, you have to know: she doesn’t hate Professor Snape. She doesn’t blame him for what happened. In fact, she’s concerned for him.”


“For that foul git? He’s been nothing but vile since we met him,” Ron spat out.


“Look, I don’t know the whole story and I certainly wasn’t going to pry,” Ginny said, glowering at her brother, “but something must have happened to make her feel differently about him during their time together. I’m sure having his child probably went a long way in softening her opinion of him, too.”


“But to want to stay married to him? You can’t be serious. He’s old enough to be her father!” Ron asked, looking to Harry for support.


“Well, he’s not her father, is he?” Ginny replied in exasperation. “I don’t know if she plans on seeking an annulment. Neither of you need me to remind you she might not need to seek an annulment. Professor Snape openly betrayed You Know Who; the chances of him still being alive are small. The point I’m trying to make is, you can’t go in there and badmouth Professor Snape; you’ll offend her. She’s already had a bit of a falling out with her parents over the same thing.”


This time, the look that came over Ron’s face squeezed Ginny’s heart. She traded a concerned look with Harry. “I’m sorry, Ron, but you had to realize things would’ve changed after all this. Things were hardly serious between you two beforehand…”


Ron turned to the window, leaned against the sill, and stared out with a stony expression.


“Ron…” Harry began only to have Ron interrupt.


“Go on and visit her, Harry. I’ll talk to you later.”