Unwanted

"What the hell do you mean you've lost my wife!?" Snape snarled at the healer standing in his front door. "All you were supposed to do was transfer her to the psychiatric unit and get her comfortable. She is recovering from childbirth, and has had a mental breakdown, you dunderhead! Hasn't anyone tracked her down? And why did you wait an hour before informing me?" He stalked toward the shorter, stockier wizard, making him swallow audibly and take an automatic defensive step back from the Death Eater.

Upstairs Tristyn screamed over the murmured cooing of her nanny-elf. She'd started when her father, while holding her, had lost his temper when confronted with the news of his wife's disappearance.

"M-Mr. Potter was in the room with her and fell asleep. There was an emergency that prevented her from being transferred as soon as he arrived so he decided to wait in her room. No one had seen her move more than her head in the four days since her admission, sir, so she was not bound magically nor physically to her bed. She dressed in her clothing brought to her by Mr. Potter and stole his wand while he still slept. Then she cast a deep sleep charm on him," the healer finished, not wanting to tell the taller, menacing man the rest of what happened at the hospital, why it had taken so long to discover her getting away.

Snape looked into the other man's eyes, seeing some of the truth.

"There was a mix-up. Someone thought she'd been transferred. Because of your idiocy, my wife, a fragile woman both physically and mentally, is running around Muggle London with a contraband wand." Severus hissed. He advanced on the healer again. "Why did she not get transferred immediately? You have no idea what she had gone through, is still going through in her mind And she is very powerful. I'm assuming Aurors have been notified to search for her?"

"Well, eh, we told the Ministry that a patient left, but..."

Severus clasped the smaller wizard around the neck with his right hand and lifted him up so their eyes were even.

"You will get your fat head out of your arse and find my wife. Go! Before you find out just what I will do to you!" he shouted, figuring if his daughter was screaming he might as well take advantage of the chance to vent his irritation at the little git. He dropped the healer to his feet when he wanted to throw him across the yard.

The healer turned and ran down the walk, forgetting for a moment that he could Apparate out of the area and back to the hospital.

"Dopey! Floo Headquarters and tell them the situation. I'll be upstairs with my daughter." He turned with a swirl of his black robes and ascended the stairs so gracefully he seemed to float. Maaki was rocking his daughter, trying to console the child whose sleep had been interrupted so rudely by her father's outburst earlier. Her face was tomato red with rage, arms and legs thrashing about in her blanket. "Maaki, I fear there will be more interruptions tonight. Cast a silencing spell around her room, please."

"Little Miss' mother is missing. Poor little miss." Maaki frowned in empathy with her employer and the baby cradled in her arms.

"Those bloody idiots at the hospital and the Aurors better find her. I'll start flinging hexes indiscriminately if they do not. No god damned security worth mentioning," he muttered more to himself as he tried to calm down in Tristyn's presence, cupping her head and revelling in the silky curls beneath his fingers. No matter how her existence had started, she was his daughter, his and Hermione's and he loved the baby more than he thought he'd love any living being. He wished he could give the girl the same assurances about her mother's feelings. But he had a feeling that Hermione, without the help she needed, wouldn't be the maternal type at all. "Calm down, Tristyn. Everything is alright, little one. Maaki, maybe another nappy change and a bit of a bottle might settle her."

"Yes, Master." Maaki jumped from the rocking chair and took the baby down the hall to the back staircase leading directly to the kitchen. He took the elf's spot and leaned his head back against the wooden back, closing his eyes. He needed to keep calm, to not let his irritation with the situation make him lose his focus. They had to find Hermione.


A/N~~I am amazed at the wonderful reviews and the encouragement I've received. And thanks to all who are understanding that this story isn't about porn, smut or gratuitous sex (ok not yet, for a while at least ). Well in the next chapter, it's Hermione somewhere not England, but I'm not sure when I'm going to upload....One of the kids accidently deleted the notes I had for the next five chapters I was going to work on LOL. Again thanks and I hope you enjoy!

Marti