Child of New Beginnings

-----



Chapter 18



“What do you mean he’s your baby?!” Ron asked in outrage. He was seated right next to Hermione in one of the tables, while Harry and Ginny sat from across them both.



“Just like I said,” Hermione said as she looked at Harry and Ginny who were too speechless to speak. Hermione had just explained everything about having a relationship with Severus to having Sebastian with him. With Ron, she knew he wouldn’t be too happy with the news.



Ron had been nagging to go out with Hermione since fifth year. During their sixth year, Hermione finally gave in and decided to give Ron a chance. She knew things wouldn’t work out well between them because she didn’t return the same feelings that he had for her. She just said yes so as to shut him up. And then when she broke it off with him, he got mad to say the least, and never accepted it as that, telling her that he would give her time to adjust and then later, go and say that she too loved him.



“You were seeing Snape behind my back?!” Ron shouted at Hermione, his face continuing to get redder by the second. Sooner or later, it would be as red as his hair.



“I broke it off with you Ron, or are you forgetting that?” Hermione asked firmly, standing her ground. She then turned to Harry and Ginny. “Please say something,” she begged, because neither of them had yet said a word.



“You and Snape?” Ginny frowned.



“And Sebastian is the child in the prophecy?” Harry asked, needing to hear the answer again.



Hermione nodded. “I would have told you if I could, but it was a risk that Severus wasn’t willing to take. Sebastian already shows magical powers, and since the Death Eaters know, I am asking you to accept Sebastian and promise to protect him.”



“Hell no!” Ron said. “I am not going to protect the kid at all. He’s the spawn of Satan I tell you!”



Hermione snapped her head at Ron and slapped him firmly on his cheek as hard as she could. “Do not ever call Sebastian that! He is my son!”



“Not when Snape’s going to feed him to the Death Eaters,” Ron said as he clenched his fists at his sides. He turned to Harry and then said, “Voldemort will rise again, and we will lose!”



“Shut up Ron!” Hermione screamed. Her blood was boiling. “You are being an arrogant, hard headed, bugger-“ A sudden pain had hit Hermione square on her jaw, making her fall on the floor, painfully on her back, and head.



“Ron!” Harry shouted. He leapt up on the table and held onto him before he could hit Hermione again.



“Hermione!” Ginny gasped as she got of her chair and ran to Hermione, kneeling at her side.



Hermione had her eyes closed as the back of her head pulsed and hurt. She curled up into a ball and tried to count, wishing the pain to go away. It only got worse though with Ron shouting more and more.



“What is wrong with you mate?” Harry said through clenched jaws, trying to get a firm grip on Ron as they both wrestled on the floor. “You didn’t have to hit her!”



“What is wrong with you?” Ron spat back. “You want him to come back again? You’re nuts!”



Harry then elbowed him in the ribs, so that Ron would stop wrestling back. After, he was able to hold Ron firmly on the ground. “That’s why we have to protect him. I do not care if he’s Snape’s kid or not. I do not want him to come back either!” Harry was very angry at Ron, and when he turned to look at Hermione, he started to understand and feel sorry for her.



---



The double doors of the Great Hall opened in full swing. In came Lucius and Severus, along with others close behind.



“Hermione!” Lucius said aloud as he ran to her, with Severus right next to him.



Ginny moved aside and allowed both men to kneel next to Hermione. “She hit her head pretty hard on the floor,” she informed them.



“Let me take a look,” Lucius said to Hermione as he moved closer, and reached behind her head to feel the injury.



Hermione winced in pain when Lucius’s fingers made contact with the bump.



“It’s a bad bump,” Lucius said as he turned to Severus, who was still holding Sebastian, but he wasn’t crying as much anymore. He then noticed that Hermione’s jaw was slightly different in color, and there was some blood coming out of her lip. “She got knocked down!” He got his handkerchief out of her pocket and started to wipe the blood away.



“What happened?” Severus asked angrily as he handed Sebastian to Minerva.



Ginny looked at Harry who didn’t say anything. So she answered, “Ron hit her sir.”



Severus glared daggers at Ron as everyone, most especially the entire Weasley family gasped in shock at what they just heard.



Harry pulled Ron up onto his feet, but never let him go, still holding his hands behind his back. His hold got stronger as Ron tried to slip himself away.



When Ron set his eyes on Sebastian, his eyes narrowed. “Spawn of Voldemort!”



Severus advanced quickly at the boy and punched Ron hard. Harry let Ron go and allowed his body to fall to the ground. When Ron let out a groan, Severus got on top of him, and landed a few punches on the boy’s body, giving him a bloody nose and a split lip.



“Do not ever call my son that! And don’t ever lay a hand on my Hermione again!” he shouted. He so wanted to kill the stupid Weasley boy.



Remus and Sirius went to Severus and started to pull him off Ron. By the way things were going to go with Severus’s punches, Ron would have had some brain damage if it continued.



After being pulled off Ron, Severus knelt right next to Hermione and gathered her up in his arms. Her body was trembling as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.



“Severus…” she murmured.



“I’m here Love. I’m here,” he said softly just for her to hear.



“Severus, take her down stairs and let Poppy check on her,” Albus said.



Severus didn’t say anything, and stood on his feet, carrying Hermione in his arms. Sebastian was given to Lucius before they exited the Great Hall.



Ron groaned and stood up on shaky feet. With his bloodied and bruised face, he looked around. Everyone looked at him with disgust as they shook their heads. Even his parents didn’t look happy, but disappointed.



---



Severus dipped the small towel into the ice cold water, with ice cubes. After, he placed the towel on Hermione’s cheek gently on its swollen area. “Hurts?” he asked as Hermione winced.



“Just a bit,” she replied softly.



“The swelling will go away with the potion that I mixed in with the water.”



“I still can’t believe Ron,” Hermione sighed. “He’s not my friend anymore, that’s for sure.”



“That boy always has had a short fuse.”



“And still thinks that I have something for him, because he still has feelings for me.”



“And do you?” Severus asked. He felt nervousness, but couldn’t understand why. He hoped that Hermione would say no.



“I don’t, that’s why I broke up with him long ago,” Hermione answered. “And plus, people think that I’m with you.” Hermione made one hand go up to her face, and hold Severus’s hand beneath hers. Somewhere deep inside her, she wished that it were true.



“That you do,” Severus said softly.



---



AN – Love? Denial? Are they starting to have feelings for each other, without even knowing? Hope you liked it when Severus beat the living shit out of Ron. Review!