A Perfect Situation

Cathy hadn’t seen Severus or Hermione out and about lately. She spent a lot of time at Diagon alley, knowing he patronizes several shops there. Maybe her stint at St. Mungo’s was more than a mere exam. Maybe she was treated. A sinister smile graced her face. There was only one way to find out.



She hurried home and ran to her bathroom, searching for that treasured vial. Leaving the potion on the dresser, she changed her clothes. While she would never be caught dead in something so infantile and bookish, it would serve a purpose today.



She reached into her dresser and pulled out a little pouch, where several dark curly hairs were secured on a small box. Once she had on her cloak and her wand tucked away, she added the hairs and downed the potion. When she looked in the mirror a few moments later she gazed into the face of a librarian she met in Italy. Her face was plain, ordinary, and wouldn’t stand out. She had paid handsomely for the hairs and now it was paying off.



She apparated out of the house and into a nearby alley. Walking into St. Mungo’s she hurried down the hall until she found the room she was looking for. Records Hall. She sat for a moment in the hallway and waited until she had a moment when nobody was in sight, then she ducked into the room.



It took her several moments to find the file she wanted, but thank Merlin that the St. Mungo’s staff was so organized or it would have taken longer. She glanced over her shoulder, secure that nobody was around and opened it up. Her smile grew wider.



Little Miss Snape had a miscarriage did she? This was something indeed. It seems the depression she had shown was warranted.



A door opening made her swallow her heart. “Hey Sean, did you clean this one yet?” A muffled answer was too far for her Cathy to hear. “I’ll help you with that one then we can clean up……” his voice trailed off as he shut the door.



Cathy glanced at the file one more time and noted the time and date of Hermione’s follow up appointment. Slipping the file back she snuck out of the door and hurried home. Severus must be keeping her at home to recuperate. No doubt he doesn’t want to leave her alone, the poor little dear. She let out a chuckle as she fixed her dinner.











Severus kept his arm around Hermione as they walked through St. Mungo’s. He would have liked her to be in better spirits but after more than a year of trying, she would need time to get over this. A nurse led them into a room, and Severus helped her into a gown.



The past week she had been moving through motions, but not caring about anything. She brushed her hair, and although she wasn’t big on styling she hadn’t been putting in her shiny clips or pretty ponytail holders. She hadn’t touched her make up at all, even neglected her lip balm. She reverted to jeans and t shirts, not caring what she looked like.



It broke his heart, and he wanted more than anything to get her in a peaceful atmosphere and out of the house for awhile. He had planned two weeks in the country, and he would make sure she enjoyed it.



“Alright Hermione, lets take a look.” Neville gave her a quick exam and found everything back to normal. After making sure that she hadn’t been having cramps or pains, he declared her recovered and gave them the clearance to have sex again. Hermione nodded not saying anything. “And you can travel, I want you to get some fresh air and begin moving again. A little exercise will be good for you.”



“The cottage we are going to is near a village and market. A fair will be happening a few days after we arrive.” Severus told him.



“That’s good, enjoy it.” He took Hermione’s hand and gave her a smile. “I would love to see the pictures when you return.” The small gesture did wonders and she smiled back at her longtime friend. He told her to return if she had any more issues and enjoy her trip, then he left her to get dressed.



Hermione felt somewhat better. Being able to be with Severus again was going to be a comfort. She had been focused on trying to get pregnant that she forgotten that making love was a bonding experience. Not being able to have sex with him this past week when she needed to be close to him was a sorrowful experience. Regardless of trying to have a baby, she needed his love and now she was able to have it again.



Maybe this time away would be good for them. She smiled up at him and slipped an arm around his waist. The smile he gave her was golden, and his arm tightened around her shoulders. Maybe this was just nature changing its mind. Maybe this was supposed to happen? Maybe Neville was right, and she would still have a baby. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all. Maybe she could……



“Well, feeling better?” The smile drained from her face as she faced Cathy and her Cheshire smile.



“Come on Hermione.” Severus gave her shoulder a nudge but Cathy was already talking.



“I’ve never seen a woman smile after failing to carry a baby.” Her smile got bigger as Hermione’s face went white. “Happy that you couldn’t give Severus a child?”



Hermione turned her face toward Severus’s chest and in moments he felt her body shaking as she began crying. “You heartless bitch!” He yelled at her.



“Don’t be mad at me Severus, I’m not the one who failed you.” He said loudly. Hermione clutched his shirt front and her knees began buckling.



“What the hell are you doing here?” Neville came up quickly. “Go on, get her out of here.” Severus scooped up Hermione and vanished through the floo. Neville rounded on Cathy and glared at her with murder in his eyes. “What the fuck was that for?”



“Such language from a distinguished healer.” She did nothing to hide the sarcasm in her voice.



“Don’t give me that.” Neville shot back at her.



“You can’t forbid me to speak my mind, nor can you in any way curtail my actions. I will do what I want.” She said.



“Yes I know that, and Severus was right about you.” Neville knew from what he was told that she would take this badly and he was right. Her smile vanished and her face took on an ugly sneer.



“What do you mean Severus was right?”



“He said you don’t like it when things don’t go your way and he was right.” Neville smiled as her face got uglier. “Not being able to fuck him has turned you into a vengeful cunt.” He spoke calmly as he drove the knife deeper. Her fists where white knuckled as she held her anger in check.



“You…..you…..” She couldn’t find anything to say.



“I may not be able to stop you from saying what you want, but I can evict anyone from this hospital that doesn’t need to be here. So I’m going to check the appointment logs and if you aren’t listed I’m going to have security throw you out on your elegant little ass.” He never once stopped smiling as he spoke and made sure she saw as he walked away to a nearby nurses station and glanced at several parchments. Cathy turned and walked away, knowing he would carry through with his threat. It was the only thing he could do to her, so he would take the opportunity.



When she left, Neville got another healer to cover for him with patients then left through the floo. Severus had left his fireplace open for Neville in case of emergencies and as he entered the couples front room he heard Hermione crying in the distance. “Severus!” He called.



“In here.” He moved toward the voice and found both of them in the bedroom. Hermione was curled up on her bed crying, Severus was kneeling next to her, and from the anguish on his face he was failing to comfort her.



“Hermione I want you to take this.” He pulled a vial out of his robes and opened it. Hermione shook her head and kept on crying. “Hermione,” he said in a firm voice, “I want you to take this now.” Hermione had looked at him when he changed his tone. She was still crying but she managed a nod, knowing he was serious and speaking as a healer rather than her friend. She took the potion and after a few minutes she drifted off to sleep.



Neville left the room and after Severus settled the covers over her, he joined the healer in the front room. “What the hell was she doing there?”



“I don’t know, she didn’t have an appointment but maybe she was visiting someone.” Neville speculated.



“Her family lives in Italy, and she spends too much time traveling to have close friendshi……”



“Severus, forget her,” Neville gestured to a chair, “sit down. I came to talk about Hermione.”



Severus nodded as he sat. “What did you give her?”



“A hormone stabilizer and sleep aid.” He said.



“Hormone stabilizer?” He asked. “What for?”



“From the reaction I saw at the hospital, Hermione is going through post partum depression.”



“Post partum depression?” Severus sat up straight. “Doesn’t that happen after you have a baby?”



“It happens when a pregnancy ends, and is caused by the shift in hormones. It’s affects women differently and sometimes it doesn’t affect them at all. In Hermione’s case the longing for a baby, sadness of a miscarriage and the fact that her hormones are still not at their normal levels are all contributing to it. Her hormones shifted when she became pregnant, and now that she isn’t they been thrown out of control. Have you ever seen her break down the way she did, or not care about anything?” Severus shook his head. “The potion I gave her will calm her down, and I can give you more for the trip, but this will take her awhile to get over. That’s why I agreed so strongly that you take her away. She needs it.”



“I agree.” He said. “I had planned to leave tomorrow morning.”



“Can you leave tonight?” At the older man’s nod he rose. “I’ll have more potion sent to you right away.”



“When will she wake up?” He asked, rising with the healer.



“In about 20 minutes. The potion will help her body regulate her hormone balance, so you will be able to talk to her about what Cathy said. She will still be emotional, but she won’t be irrational.” He approached the floo.



“Will she sleep every time she takes it?”



“No, I added the sleeping agent, so we could talk and she could relax.” He vanished through the floo, leaving Severus alone with a murderous urge to kill Cathy Haversham.