Maternal Instinct

It was Wednesday and Hermione was making a cup of tea in the kitchen when Corrin ran in, waving a letter.

"Look what the olwie gave me!" The girl giggled, thrusting the envelope at Hermione.

Hermione took it and pulled out a piece of parchment with a short note on it:

Floo me A.S.A.P
Ron.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her forehead. Leaving her tea and the letter on the side, Hermione went to the living room and stared at the fireplace. If she only put her head through the floo, then her concentration would be taken off of Corrin, and the girl needed an eye kept on her all the time! And if she went all the way to Ron's house she would have to take Corrin, but she didn't want Corrin to witness an argument.

But she would have to take Corrin; Ron probably only wanted to apologize.

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Severus stood just inside the door or the Hospital wing. He felt like banging his head against a wall! It was only their second lesson with him, but that time with the twins had turned him three times as mad as seven years spent with their father.

He had only just managed to refrain going home and staying there. The thought of Hermione and Corrin and his house was so much more favorable to the Dungeons.

Poppy stormed up to him, hissing sharply, "I wish you would try and control your class! The second time this week! I don't have enough supplies for this type of thing! Either restrain them in some way or treat them yourself! I will not keep doing this!"

Severus glared at her back as she walked away. He would talk to Albus; she would, no doubt, have to treat them again, whether she wanted to or not. Because Severus certainly would not do it!

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Corrin was settled safely in front of the TV, and Hermione made her way to the kitchen. Ron was leaning against a counter, shifting slightly as she closed the door.

"What do you want?" She asked, "Please don't say you got me here to argue again. I don't want to shout around Corrin and I’m tired."

He sighed, pulled a bunch of flowers from behind his back and held them out to her, "I'm sorry." Carefully, Hermione took the flowers. "They smell nice," he offered nervously.

Gingerly, she sniffed them and fought the urge to make a face. The smell was kind of bitter and left her nose tingling. But she smiled at Ron anyway, "Thank you."

"But I just want to ask you one thing," He was watching her face carefully, "Was it Snape's baby that you lost?"

Hermione looked at him for a long moment, then nodded, "Yes."

Ron sighed with what seemed to be relief. Hermione couldn't really see why he would be relieved, but she didn't ask. Instead she turned and opened the kitchen door, "I really have to go now, but thanks. I hate fighting with you."

His expression was somewhere between regret and resignation, and when he didn't say anything, she called Corrin and they left.

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

Severus stared at the crackling fire, then at the powder next to it. It had been dark for hours and he should have been asleep, but if he just put that powder in that fire, he could get to a place where he would much rather sleep.

But he couldn't. He had to work because Corrin had to eat and there was no other job that he could imagine himself doing. Hogwarts was his home - had been for more years than he cared to remember - but now somewhere else held more appeal than the castle and he was finding it hard to remember what the school ever had going for it in the first place.

Except protection from the Dark Lord, of course. But that was in the past. At one time, despite the students, he had never wanted to leave the castle, yet now he was most eager to get away and to be with the two people he loved.

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Hermione crawled into bed, turned the lights out and fell into a fitful sleep.

Someone was touching her. Familiar, urgent, not all together pleasant touches. Some form of clothing was pulled roughly over her head and she looked up, but, instead of the face of a man, there was a bright light and she had to look away again.

Strange, she thought. But it was only a dream; it had would be over soon.

But it wasn't. Finally Hermione woke with a start. The room was still dark and silent; only her labored breathing making a sound. Sweat clung to her, she could feel it. After a few seconds, she realized her nightdress was... gone.

Hermione reached over and pulled her wand from the bedside table. Waving it, the room was illuminated and she sunk back into the pillows.

Never had she experienced a dream so explicit, with a man so familiar who was just out of sight. It had not been rape, for she, in her dream state, had known the man and trusted him, and he hadn't hurt her. She just hadn't been particularly interested in him.

It was the feeling of foreboding that was making her uneasy. It was just a dream; a silly, stupid dream. They were an aspect of Divination - a silly 'art', if it could be called that - and they meant nothing.

Unless, of course, you just so happened to be Harry Potter. She was Hermione Granger, therefore, it was just a dream.

Slowly, she got out of bed, her muscles sore for some reason. Her nightdress was on the floor. Ignoring it, Hermione went into the bathroom that connected to the bedroom and turned the shower on.

She sighed and stepped in. Something was wrong. Just because one dreamt about having sex didn't mean one should ache when one woke up, right?

Maybe she was dwelling on it too much. Perhaps she had thought on it too long and made herself, and her body, believe that it had actually happened. Shaking her head at herself, Hermione let the water run over her.