An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 29 ~ Unwelcome News

“According to this list, Eileen likes fish and chips—“ Hermione said to Ron who was eating his breakfast.

”Everyone likes fish and chips, Hermione,” he replied around his sausage.

”She likes Shepherd’s Pie, Scotch eggs, Roast Beef and English Trifle, too,” Hermione went on with a smile. These were foods she liked as well, particularly the trifle.

”Everyone likes food like that, Hermione, there’s nothing special about it,” Ron told his wife, trying to keep her on level ground.

”Her favorites subjects are Arithmancy and Potions, but she does well in all of her classes. I wonder why Charms isn’t listed,” Hermione said, her nose in the parchment.

Ron wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. He had to get to work and so did Hermione.

”Maybe because Snape overloaded her with spells and she can’t stand the subject any longer,” he suggested. “It’s probably boring for her. Now, Hermione, you’ve got to get to work. You can look at the list later.”

Hermione reluctantly folded up the parchment and took it to her writing desk, sticking it in the top drawer. It was exciting to find out about Eileen. She idly wondered if Severus had any pictures of her as a child. She’d have to ask him.

”I’ll see you after work, Hermione,” Ron called, then left for the Ministry.

Hermione put on her heavy traveling coat, and matching Weasley hat and gloves. She wondered when Severus would contact her about what happened at Hogwarts. Surely Eileen had owled him about her close call. Hermione wasn’t looking forward to talking to him about it. No doubt he’d be livid. Hermione still couldn’t understand what Rose was thinking. Well, she’d be home for the holiday soon and she’d find out more then.

She exited the house, warded the door and Disapparated for work.

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Snape was blissfully unaware of what happened with Eileen, because she didn’t owl him. She’d escaped after all, so no real harm was done. If she owled him, Snape would be at Hogwarts instantly, demanding everyone involved in the incident be expelled. Eileen didn’t need him there raising hell, especially now that the knowledge that she was Hugo’s and Rose’s sister was out.

Currently, she was in Arithmancy class and in a horrible mood because she could feel everyone looking at her. The news that she was closely related to the Weasleys had spread quickly, and everyone was speculating how that could be. Hermione and Ron were both heroes in the fight against Voldemort and it was common knowledge that they’d married almost right out of Hogwarts. It was also common knowledge that Eileen was Severus Snape’s daughter, so that could only mean one thing—if Eileen was Rose’s sister, Rose’s mum must have had an affair with Snape while married to her husband.

Which meant one of the most respected heroes of the wizarding world was an adulteress.

Professor Vector left the classroom to run to the library for a reference book, leaving her students to read several paragraphs during her absence. Eileen studiously opened her book as the whispering started. She did her best to focus, but soon the whispering became too much for her, and she slammed her book shut, gathered her things together and left the classroom before she hexed someone and got detention.

Damn Rose Weasley. Why couldn’t she have just kept her big mouth shut?

As she walked down the corridor, she ran right into Headmistress McGonagall, who eyed the young woman as the stairs connected to the landing. She was wearing black robes and a worn, pointed witch’s hat, her snow-white hair pulled back into a neat and rather severe bun.

”Why are you out of class, Miss Snape?” the witch asked her, not unpleasantly.

Eileen was caught off-guard, and said, “Um—“

”Um is not an answer, Miss Snape. Please present your pass,” Minerva said tightly as the stairs began to move.

”I—I don’t have one, Headmistress. I walked out of Arithmancy class,” Eileen admitted with a sigh.

”Well, walking out of a class without permission carries the punishment of three days detention, Miss Snape, with professor Rubeus Hagrid,” Minerva informed her. “No exceptions.”

They both mounted the next set of descending stairs.

”Great,” Eileen muttered under her breath, scowling at the floor.

”May I ask you why you walked out of class, Miss Snape? I’ve never known you to break rules before,” Minerva said, although she was aware Eileen probably broke plenty of rules. She was just very good at getting away with it, like most Slytherins. With Severus as a father, she’d probably been schooled in escaping consequences.

Eileen looked up at the Headmistress. She was a Gryffindor, but maybe she’d understand.

”I’m sure you’ve heard the news about me and Rose and Hugo Weasley,” she said slowly.

Minerva’s brows drew together.

”No, I haven’t heard anything,” the witch replied, stepping on to the second floor landing, accompanied by Eileen as they headed for the narrow stairwell that led to the first floor corridor and marble staircase.

”Well, I’m their sister and the news got out this morning, Everyone is talking about it and I couldn’t take the whispering in class, so I left,” Eileen said, walking beside the witch.

Minerva was shocked by this. Snape and Hermione had a child together? Oh, the scandal! But, she kept a neutral expression on her face as she addressed the young woman.

”I see, Miss Snape, and I’m very sorry. But I assure you, the furor will die down as people get used to the idea. You’re just going to have to exercise self-restraint and not let it affect your marks or your behavior.”

Eileen just sighed as they walked down the stairs to the entrance hall. Minerva pulled out a parchment pad and wrote on it, then handed Eileen the pass she had written. She studied the girl, her curly hair, and her facial features. Yes, she saw the blend of mother and father in the girl, now that she knew what to look for.

”That pass excuses you from classes for the rest of the day,” Minerva told her. “I’m not unsympathetic to your situation, Miss Snape. However, the detentions will stand and your father will be contacted.”

”Does he have to be?” Eileen asked. He was going to be so disappointed that her detention-free record was going to be blemished.

”I’m afraid so. A parent must always be notified when his or her child receives any corrective reprimands,” Minerva replied.

Eileen brightened a little.

”Could you send it to my mum, then? Hermione Weasley? She’s my parent, too.” Eileen stated hopefully.

Minerva blinked at her.

”Yes, I suppose I could do that,” she said slowly, arching an eyebrow at the witch.

”Thank you,” Eileen said, giving Minerva a tight little smile that reminded her very much of Severus’ thin-lipped smile. Eileen turned to walk to the stairway that led down into the dungeons.

“Oh, and Miss Snape?” Minerva called after her.

Eileen turned.

”Yes, Headmistress?”

”Remember, you come of solid stock. Both your father and your mother faced adversity courageously and came through time and time again. This situation may seem unbearable, but you have the capacity to rise above it. Just be strong, my dear. Things will work themselves out.”

”Yes, Headmistress,” Eileen replied, heading down into the dungeons.

Minerva stood there a moment, considering the situation. She couldn’t believe that Hermione would have an affair with Severus while married to Ron. She was a loyal witch. Severus, on the other hand, was capable of anything. Maybe she needed to contact both parents and arrange a parent/Headmistress conference to find out the truth of the matter, and what happened. If she knew the truth, she might be able to help Eileen as well as Rose and Hugo, to deal with the fallout. Minerva felt it was extremely unfair that these children had to bear the sins of their parents on their young shoulders.

Yes, she would send both Severus and Hermione appointments at once.

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Hermione received the owl from Minerva while she was on her lunch break. She saw the Headmistress’ seal and assumed it was about the incident involving Rose and Hugo. Imagine her shock when she read it.

To Mrs. Hermione Weasley,

Your presence is requested for a Parent/Headmistress Conference on:

Hermione read the date and time. It was in the evening after working hours.

This conference is concerning your daughter, Eileen Hermione Snape.

I look forward to speaking with you.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hermione stared down at the parchment. Concerning her daughter Eileen Hermione Snape? Dear gods! The secret was already out!

Hermione’s face went black. Which one of her children disobeyed her? And why? They knew the kind of trouble they could cause. If the Headmistress knew, then all of Hogwarts knew, which meant that soon, everyone in the wizarding world would know.

Hermione dropped the parchment on the table. A co-worker looked at her with concern on his face from across the lunch table.

”Bad news, Hermione” he asked her.

Hermione looked at him with haunted eyes.

”The worst, Harold,” she replied, folding up the letter and putting it into her pocket.

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At his shop, Snape read his notice with a slight frown on his face. A conference about Eileen? It had been years since he’d been called to the school. He’d gone to Hogwarts several times during Eileen’s first year to defend his daughter, who’d been hexing students left and right when she first arrived.

“My daughter has been trained to defend herself, Minerva, and I refuse to have her set upon by Gryffindors like I was when I attended this school. A blind eye was turned to it, and I’ll be damned if my daughter goes through the same situation. If you want her to stop hexing students, then I suggest you tell them to leave her be. If she is unfairly punished for defending herself, Minerva, I promise you, I’ll make such a stink that the odor will reach the Board of Governors.”

Minerva had tried to reason with Severus, stating the spells Eileen was using were too advanced for a first year to know. The other students hardly stood a chance.

”They shouldn’t be targeting her, Minerva! If they do, they get what they get. My daughter will NOT be a victim and she has my full support. House rivalries have been going on since this school started. My daughter didn’t begin this, but if attacked, she will end it. Again, I say talk to those students who are trying to attack her if you are so worried about them. They are the idiots setting themselves up for repeated trips to the infirmary to have appendages removed. Once should be enough, don’t you think?”

Eventually the students learned to leave Eileen alone. She never served even one detention because of her actions, thanks to Snape’s hell-raising. He believed she was completely justified and made sure that her record remained pristine.

Well, whatever this conference was about, he would defend her again if necessary. Eileen was a good student and he was sure if there were any problem, it was someone else’s fault, not hers. He’d be at that blasted conference with bells on.

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When Hermione arrived home that evening, she found Harry and Ginny waiting for her, along with Ron, who looked a bit flustered. They were sitting in the living room, looking at her soberly. She took off her coat, hat and gloves, hung them up and entered the living room with a smile.

”Harry! Ginny! It’s good to see you. What brings you by?” she asked them.

Harry held out a piece of parchment.

”This. It’s from Lily. She sent it to us from Hogwarts. What’s going on, Hermione? What does she mean Rose and Hugo have another sister?” he asked her directly.

Hermione read the letter. James and Alsop had gotten into a fight that morning, and Rose stopped them by saying the witch they were fighting about was her sister and she was a Slytherin. There weren’t any details because Lily didn’t know exactly what was going on, so she just wrote the most important stuff.

Hermione dropped heavily into an armchair and massaged her temples for a moment, both Ginny and Harry waiting for an answer. She looked up at them.

”I have a daughter by Severus Snape,” she said softly as both Harry and Ginny gasped.

Ron hadn’t told them anything, but said Hermione would explain it when she came home. He stood up and walked over to the armchair and took one of Hermione’s hands.

”You cheated on Ron with Snape?” Ginny asked her, frowning.

”No! No. Magic was involved. Remember when Severus saved me from Fenrir? He claimed a Life Debt from me. He only told me he needed me to help him collect an ingredient. I had no idea he was going to perform a fertility rite to produce a child with me. He took her, kept her magical viable for several years before placing her in a surrogate mother. I didn’t know anything about her until she became sick recently and needed a transfusion from her mother. So—“

Hermione shrugged.

”I have another daughter,” she said with a sigh.

”And you didn’t tell anyone?” Harry said accusingly.

”No, I didn’t. I’ve hardly had a chance to digest it myself, Harry. Besides, it was a family matter,” she retorted, clenching Ron’s hand tighter.

”But, we are family. This affects everyone, Hermione! There’s another child in our family! We had a right to know about her!” Ginny said angrily.

Ron frowned at his sister.

”Don’t browbeat Hermione, Ginny. It’s a lot to absorb. You couldn’t expect her to shout it from the rooftops. Besides, she’s only related to you by marriage. She’s not a blood relative. The only ones she’s really connected to are Hermione, Rose and Hugo.”

”That doesn’t matter, Ron. Even if it’s only by marriage, she’s still part of this family just as much as Hermione is,” Ginny retorted. “She could have said something.”

”I was going to, but first I wanted to get to know her, Ginny,” Hermione said softly. “I have a daughter and I know next to nothing about her. I haven’t even talked to her yet. How do you expect me to tell you about her when I haven’t—“

Tears began to fall from Hermione’s eyes and Ron scowled fiercely at Ginny and Harry.

”All right. That’s enough. Hermione is upset about this enough without you two passing judgment on her. She needs some time, so—out you both go,” he said darkly.

Harry blinked. He hadn’t meant to make Hermione cry, he was just mad he was left out of the loop. Ginny looked reticent as well.

”I’m sorry, Hermione,” Harry said softly, standing up. “I just—“

”Just go, both of you,” Ron said angrily.

”Sorry, Hermione,” Ginny said, her own brown eyes glistening a bit as she stood up too.

Hermione just nodded, wiping at her eyes as she looked down at her lap.

Ron walked both of them to the door and let them out.

”Ron, it was just a shock,” Harry said apologetically.

”Neither of you are as shocked as Hermione. Give her some space, ok?” Ron said to his brother-in-law.

“Fine. We will. But mum’s going to have to know. She’ll kill us if she found out we knew and didn’t tell her,” Ginny said.

Ron sighed. Ginny was right. They’d never hear the end of it.

”Do what you have to, but tell mum don’t come flying over here. We’ll come to the Burrow when we’re ready to talk about it. I mean it, Ginny.”

”I’ll tell her,” Ginny said. “Probably in front of dad. He’ll make her respect your wishes.”

”Do that. Bye,” Ron said closing the door.

He walked back into the living room and looked down at Hermione, who looked up at him.

”I guess it’s all out and about now,” he said to her softly.

Hermione nodded miserably. Ron drew her out of the armchair and into his strong embrace, petting her hair and rocking her gently. He kissed her temple.

”It’s going to be all right, Hermione. A few months from now, this will seem like an unpleasant dream. Everyone will accept the situation. They don’t really have a choice, do they?” he said to her softly.

”I didn’t want it to come out this way, Ron,” Hermione sniffled against his chest.

”I know, but it did and all we can do now is deal with it,” he told her. “We’ve been through rougher patches than this, Hermione. It’ll be all right. How about I draw you a nice, hot bubble bath so you can soak your worries away? Jasmine-scented bubbles? A few candles? You love that.”

Hermione sighed against him.

”Ron, you always seem to know just what to say to make me feel better,” she told him.

Ron smiled.

”Maybe now. There was a time I couldn’t say anything that didn’t piss you off. I’ve learned a lot over the years.”

Hermione drew back from him, and gave him a little smile.

”Yes, I have to admit your emotional range has expanded beyond that of a teaspoon since we married,” she said to him softly. “And I’ve never regretted marrying you.”

She kissed him lightly. Ron smiled at his wife. They’d get through this.

”How about I draw that bath?” he said, releasing her.

”That would be nice, Ron. Thank you,” she replied.

”Anything for the witch I love,” he said, heading down the hall and turning into the bathroom.

Hermione looked after Ron with a fond smile. He was still such a simple soul. Ron was one of those people who believed good food and a bit of pampering could make anything seem better. He was like his mum in that respect, and she loved that about him.

She pulled the conference notice out of her pocket again, wondering just what it would be about. It would be awkward talking about Eileen. She knew so little about her. But, Hermione was concerned about how she was doing at Hogwarts. This would shed some light on that at least. She then pulled out the detention notice, which stated Eileen would be serving three days of detention with Hagrid because she walked out of Arithmancy class. Hermione wasn’t sure why Eileen would do such a thing, but suspected it had something to do with the news of her real parentage getting out.

Serving detention with Hagrid. Merlin.

The half-giant was still at the school, and still resided in the caretaker’s hut, although he still taught Care of Magical Creatures. He was just comfortable there, rather than inside the stuffy castle.

”Can’t breathe in thar,” he told Minerva when she tried to convince him to take quarters in the castle. “Too many walls. Not e’nuff windows.”

Hermione sighed. Eileen would probably be in for quite a bit of hard work helping Hagrid with his menagerie of creatures.

Hopefully, she could handle hard work.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. ***