Maternal Instinct

"GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!"

Hermione pushed the covers away from her and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, "All right! All right! I'm up!"

Corrin pulled at her hand, "Come on! You said today! You said today!"

Rubbing her eyes, Hermione frowned, "What about today?"

"My room! My room!" Corrin continued to tug on her hand until Hermione staggered to her feet.

"Alright," Hermione sighed, noticing the girl was already dressed, her hair brushed, ready to go paint shopping, "Let me get dressed, then we'll go and get you the colour that you want."

"Like Muggles!" The girl said excitedly, "You promised we could do it like Muggles!"

Hermione realized there was no way for her to get out of it and started to find clothes to get dressed.

"""""""""""""""""""

Severus glared at his lunch for a full minute, before he stabbed at it violently.

Longbottom twins! He was in hell. They hadn't even been in his classroom two minutes before they had blown their cauldrons up! Severus had never thought there would be anyone as bad at potions as Neville, but he had been proved wrong; Neville's sons were a living, breathing, cauldron-exploding, Dungeon-destroying nightmare.

And, to add insult to injury, Minerva had only replaced the points that he had taken from Gryffindor - her house was now out of minus points, thanks to her.

Albus, sitting on Severus' left, turned to the Potions Master, staring at the way he was jabbing his fork at his food, "Honestly, Severus; I’m sure that poor chicken did nothing to you." As he chuckled, Severus glared at him. "How were you first classes of this wonderful year?"

"They nearly killed me."

"The classes or two individuals in particular?" Albus inquired innocently, his face completely straight, but his eyes twinkling.

"How could you possibly inflict those two imbeciles on me? I had to evacuate the classroom because their cauldrons exploded and gassed every other student, making them laugh hysterically. I would watch out for Poppy as well, if I were you. She had to look after them and she's not happy about having to try and force feed potion to a load of giggling first years."

"I am truly sorry, Severus." Albus smiled, not sorry at all, "I don't think you really want that food. Perhaps your lunch hour would be better spent elsewhere. Maybe... somewhere outside the castle and the grounds?"

""""""""""""""""""""

Hermione jumped back and looked down at the pink streak on her white t-shirt. She looked back up at the sniggering girl, "What was that for!"

Corrin was covered in paint of several different colours, "You're too clean!"

Hermione dipped her brush in light green paint and flicked it at Corrin. The girl squealed and turned, so that the paint hit her back.

Corrin hadn't been able to choose a colour that she definitely wanted, so they had bought about seven different ones from a shop in muggle London; Corrin had been fascinated with every muggle that passed them.

Hermione watched with horror in her eyes as Corrin cupped her hands and dipped them into a tin of pale yellow. Then she ran over and launched the handfuls of paint at Hermione, splattering her shirt once again. As the girl dipped her hands back into the paint, Hermione backed away.

"Don't you dare, Corrin!" She laughed.

But Corrin dropped the paint back into the tin, looking somewhere above Hermione's head. That was the only warning Hermione had, before she was covered by a torrent of dark green paint. Slytherin green paint.

Indignantly, Hermione whirled around, wiping the paint from her face with jerky movements, glaring at Severus as he leaned in doorway, putting his wand away, smirking. Growling under her breath, Hermione pulled out her own wand and went over to the pink paint. She waved her wand, then tucked it away. She dipped her hands in the now-red colour and turned around, hiding her hands behind her back.

Hermione moved over to him, smiling innocently. Severus raised a smug eyebrow, watching the green paint trickle from her. When she was near enough, she whipped out her hands and pressed them against his chest. Quickly, she pulled them back and took a few steps away from him.

""""""""""""""""""""

Severus stared down at the small red handprints, then glared up Hermione, amusement flashing in his eyes. He thought she was so beautiful, dripping in Slytherin green, but, obviously, she didn't see it that way.

They stared at each other for an unknown amount of time, until Hermione jerked and spun around to face Corrin. Severus smirked; there was a huge splat of silver paint on her back.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked Corrin.

"Watch!" Corrin said excitedly. She screwed up her face and stared hard at a tin of pink paint.

To Severus astonishment, a glob of pink rose into the air, slowly changing to a silvery colour, before it was launched at the wall. She had never shown any magical inclinations before, but it had never crossed his mind that she could have been a squib.

Just then, there was the sound of the stairs creaking. All three of them turned and found Albus surveying the scene; Corrin shaking with laughed, Hermione dripping in Slytherin colours, Severus with two red handprints on his chest.

The old man chuckled, "What is going on here? Honestly, Severus, I send you home out of the goodness of my heart and when I decide to come and see our dear Miss Granger, I find you all covered in paint! Very good colour as well, I might add." he nodded to the red marks on his black clothes. Then he looked at Corrin, avoiding Severus' glare, "Now, young lady, I hear you have a cat?"

"Yeah! I'll go get him!" Corrin ran from the room.

Albus came further into the room and smiled at Hermione, "I just thought it was rude of me not to inquire as to your health after your ordeal with the late Mr. Malfoy."

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." She smiled back.

Albus inclined his head slightly, "You get on with Corrin very well, I see. That must be useful; I've heard of your," he motioned between Hermione and Severus, "relationship. And I am sincerely sorry to hear about the bad news you received a few weeks ago. I can honestly say that I would trust you with my child. If I had one."

Hermione smiled weakly, thanked the old wizard again and busied herself by using her wand to clean the paint from her.

When she was finished, Albus went on, looking between them, "You are a Potions Master, Severus. Surely you can find some way to help."

Severus was about to speak, but Hermione beat him to him, "No... It's not fair to put so much pressure on him. And Corrin would feel very left out... Honestly, I was really upset when I found out..." She took a deep breath, "that I couldn't have children - I still am - but it's just a case of having to adapt."

Albus shook his head, giving Severus a meaningful look that the Potions Master didn't understand, "It is such a shame. Severus is very capable -"

"I don't doubt that," Hermione said quietly, the emotion being held in tightly, "But really, his first concern should be Corrin and if I, by some miracle, became pregnant, she wouldn't be happy. It's not fair to either of them."

Severus put his arm around her protectively, as Albus smiled benignly, "It is good that you know what's best for a young girl; it is a rare thing these days, when lot's of people like to go out instead of looking after their children properly. I think that was the case with Amy, was it not? Ah well, it is nice to know you are on your way to recovery, physically and mentally, from both of those terrible situations. Unfortunately I cannot stay longer." He turned towards the door, looking at his strange watch, "I suppose you will be back at Hogwarts in approximately thirty-seven minutes, Severus. Goodbye."

The old wizard went downstairs. There was the sound of him talking to Corrin, then the pop of apparation. Severus looked down. Hermione had wrapped her arms around her stomach and was biting her lip.

Severus put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "I could -"

"No," She said adamantly, "Honestly, just leave it."

There was silence for a moment, and then it was if a light bulb was switched on over his head and Severus sighed with understanding. His arms tightened around her, "It would kill you if it didn't work."

She almost stopped breathing, "I just... I don't think I would be able to cope if it didn't work." Her voice became slightly hard, "It's hard to keep ones hopes down when ones emotions are so deeply involved."

Severus kissed her temple gently, "Corrin loves you dearly; like a mother. But... you seem a bit distant."

She sighed, "God knows I... I love her, but Amy should be here, doing this."

"In an ideal situation?" Severus shrugged, "No. Because Corrin doesn't love her and I don't love her. I love you and Corrin needs you. You want a child; Corrin is a child. Personally, I don't see the problem."

There was a trace of humor in her voice as she said, "You wouldn't, would you."

Severus held her close, as she buried her head in his shoulder. After a moment Severus sighed quietly, "I don't want to go back to Hogwarts."

She laughed slightly, her breath warm on his throat, "Don't be stupid."

"You could -"

But Hermione had anticipated his question, "That castle is no place for a child."

"And why not?"

"It's massive, cold, there are weird stairs, there will definitely be a few nasty students, there's Peeves, there's The Bloody Barron, there's Hagrid with his strange, and probably dangerous, creatures and then there's Dumbledore with his Lemon Drops. As I said, it's no place for a child. Now," She stepped back and pulled out her wand. Seconds later, the red handprints on his chest disappeared, "Go back to Hogwarts, and stay there. Until the week end at least."

Severus touched her jaw gently as he kissed her, trying to show her how much he wanted to stay. But soon he had to pull away and she gave him a look that said 'nice try'.