Maternal Instinct

Disclaimer: I don't own this, the genius that is JKR does!

Thanks to Lady Lynn for reminding me about the disclaimer! And thanks to takemeaway for correcting my spelling of Viktor! :)

And thanks to everybody who's reviewed, as well!

Xxx

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Corrin was in bed, so Hermione got her bag and was putting her coat on in the hall, when she heard some one coming down the stairs.

"You've got a wonderful daughter." She said quietly, knowing that it was almost certainly her old Professor.

Mrs. Snape always went out at night.

"Really, Miss Granger?" He replied acidly.

Hermione opened the front door and turned to look at his dark figure, "Yes, Professor Snape. Really."

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Severus watched the front door close. Stupid woman! Bloody annoying know-it-all with her know-it-all remarks. It didn't matter that she had said a nice thing - it was her tone. All-knowing; a bit like Albus, only more smug.

Stupid, smug Gryffindors!

Severus sat at the dinning room table. The house was silent. Dark and silent. Usually, he liked it that way, but after all the laughter it seemed... too quiet.

Then he noticed his finger tapping on the table. His finger never tapped. He growled, pulling his hand away as if burned. Irritated, he got up, stalking out of the room.

He prowled around the house like a caged tiger. What was aggravating him so much? His pain-in-the-neck wife was out; his daughter was asleep; Granger was gone.

He was fine until that woman had come back into his life and this time into his home. It was her fault he was so edgy.

She would have to go.

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Hermione apperated back to her house. She was so tired. She only had the weekends off, and even then Amy had flooed her last Saturday to look after Corrin while she went for a weekend away.

She threw her coat off as Viktor came striding out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel, that was quickly dropped when he realized she was in the room.

Hermione moaned, dragging her feet over to the bathroom, "I'm going for a bath."

Viktor grabbed her around the waist and crushed her close to him, saying in his practiced English accent, "There is no harm in me taking two in one hour."

Hermione sighed, "I meant on my own, Viktor. I'm tired... Maybe if you worked properly, instead of the odd Quiditch match, we might have more money for this baby that's supposed to be happening."

He seemed to be in a good mood, stroking her hair and saying quietly, "Do not worry. My family does not know that it is your fault yet. Although, they are getting impatient. You should try a bit harder, so that they do not suspect."

Try a bit harder! How dare he! It wasn't Hermiones fault! She pushed him away and headed over to the bathroom.

When he followed, she snapped, "On my own!"

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Severus waited up until well past midnight for Amy. She apperated into the living room, giggling and tottering around on ridiculously high heels.

"S-S-Severus!" She tittered, "You're up... e-early!"

Giving her a disgusted looked, Severus got up and left the room. There was no point in talking to her when she was drunk. Tomorrow, he would just get rid of Granger himself.

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Hermione made sure she was out of the house early the next morning. Viktor was really getting on her nerves, blaming her when he was the infertile one.

Hermione really wanted a daughter. Not because she wanted to dress her up in pink frilly skirts and flowers, but because... well, she just did. She knew that, at twenty-eight years old, she was ready for a baby. But it didn't look like it would be happening any time soon, or at least not with Viktor.

Hermione let herself into the house, as she always did. It was a bit strange for her to think that Snape lived here and for her to be letting herself into his house, but she was getting paid so it didn't really matter. Viktor’s career seemed to have come to a slow stop. He had been dropped from the team and was only being asked to play about three times every year for very little money.

Going upstairs quietly, Hermione looked in on Corrin. The girl turned over in bed and looked up at Hermione.

"Don't feel well..." She moaned.

Hermione sat on the edge of the mattress and felt Corrins forehead, "You're on fire... Alright, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"My head hurts... and my ear hurts... and my tummy hurts..." The little girl whined, "... and I feel sick..."

"Alright," Hermione sighed, "I'll -"

"A word, Miss Granger." Said a voice from the door way.

Hermione looked up at her former Professor. She frowned and shook her head, "It'll have to wait, Professor, unless you want to go and get your wife to look after -"

"No!" Corrin moaned, grabbing Hermiones sleeve, "I want you to stay here!"

Snape was frowning at his daughter, but he nodded slightly, "Later then, Miss Granger."

She nodded, "When I’m finished I’ll come and find you."

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Severus shut the door. That was disturbing. Amy never looked after Corrin like that. His mother had never looked after him like that.

He heard footsteps behind him and then Amy’s voice, "Is that woman here yet? I haven't seen them running around. Is that child still in bed? She's so lazy!"

Severus rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth, "Corrin's I’ll and Miss Granger's looking after her."

Amy’s lips pursed in disgust as she pointed to Corrins door, "In there?" Severus nodded and she took a step away from the girls’ room, "If you've been in there, stay away from me! I don't want any germs from that child! Yuck!"

He watched with contempt as his wife hurried back to their bedroom. Why had he married her? Because he had been lonely? He wasn't really sure, but he suspected he had married her to shut her up.

Voldemort had only been dead three months when they met and for about a year after it had only been about sex, but then the hints had started. She had nagged and nagged until one day he had just asked the question, to keep her quiet. He had just asked, no sugar coating or flowers or rings in ridiculous boxes - just the question.

He had refused to have any type of wedding. She had been annoyed about that, but two days after he asked the question, they went to the Ministry and signed the papers.

Then, five years ago, she had got pregnant. How, he didn't know! Well, of course he knew how a woman got pregnant, but she was supposed to be taking a potion for that.

Amy had told Severus that she had forgotten it. He really had walked into that trap. He should have known she was untrustworthy.

He had the divorce papers, but there was no way she would sign them and, at the moment, there was nothing to gain by divorcing her. He couldn't look after Corrin because - apart from the fact that he worked at Hogwarts for most of the year - he had no idea how to care for a child. And Amy certainly wouldn't want their daughter; she didn't want Corrin now, when they were together.

He loved his daughter - of course he did - but he didn't know her. He had never spent any time with her or even talked to her for more than ten minutes, in the whole five years of her life.

Even Hermione-bloody-Granger had a better relationship with Corrin than he did.

What a complete and utter mess.