Unexpected Places

The next couple weeks went by too quickly for Hermione and Snape. They only saw each other during lunches and several times had to cancel that because of other duties. It seemed to Hermione that the closer it got to Christmas vacation, the rowdier the students became. She was doing double duty monitoring the halls with the Head Boy, Justin Finch-Fletchley. Snape was busy with projects that the Headmistress needed as well as student’s problems.

It was a relief one day, during lunch when Snape told her that the potion would be ready on Saturday morning and not to make any plans. The week went by quickly and Friday night, Hermione spent most of the night with Alex. He had grown chubby and was such a happy baby. Everything seemed to grab his attention and he laughed like an angel. Almost everyone adored him.

She washed and fed him, singing a lullaby and then talked to him as he watched her with wide blue eyes that were turning brown. She was going to miss him, she thought, if she had to give him up. He was one of the best things in her life. She secretly hoped that his father would be dead or a Death Eater so she could keep him, which was likely considering who the mother was but there was always the chance he would be someone respectable.

Hermione spent most of the night cuddling and holding him so she was very tired the next morning. Harry and Ron could tell she had been crying but didn’t say anything. They also loved the little bloke and didn’t want to see him go. Hermione picked at her breakfast while Harry and Ron took turns holding Alex.

“Even if his father wants him, he won’t be taken away today, right? We’ll still have time with him.” Ron tried to reassure Hermione but she gave him a wan smile and didn’t answer. At the teacher’s table, Snape watched Hermione and knew what she was thinking and feeling. He had grown attached to the little boy as well and didn’t want to see him go.

After breakfast, Hermione carried Alex and took the longest route to Snape’s workroom. He was waiting for her patiently. The potion had been finished and there were two bottles. Snape picked up one and added some of the blood he had taken for the maternity potion. It had been kept in stasis to keep it fresh. He didn’t wait for Hermione to say anything before mixing it and pouring it on the parchment. It was absorbed into the parchment. He let it roll up and handed it to her.

“It should take a little bit to finish. Do you want some tea?” he asked softly, knowing this was painful for her. He knew she had grown to love the child. She sat in her usual chair in the corner and held Alex close. He had been asleep for a few minutes. She clenched the roll of parchment in her fist.

“No, I’m fine. It feels good to rest for a bit without someone chasing me down.” She said, closing her eyes. Snape examined her for a moment. This was the first time he had been alone with her in three days. She looked even more tired now than she had then. She looked as though she had lost weight as well. Head Girl duties, Alex and N.E.W.T.S. were taking a lot out of her.

They waited in an uncomfortable silence. Hermione was dreading this moment more than anything. Would she have to give the child she called her son up to someone else? Would she ever get to see him, if that happened? What if the man wouldn’t allow her to? What was she going to do? She wanted to take the scroll and toss it into the nearby fire but she knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t let Alex grow up not knowing his father. Or at least about his father. It was still possible that Lucius was the father or another Death Eater and if that was the case, the father would never even find out about the existence of her son.

Finally Snape cleared his throat and she looked at the clock. A few minutes had passed and it was more than enough time for the potion to work. She situated Alex in her lap so she had both hands to unroll the scroll. She slowly unrolled it, looking at her son’s father’s family tree until she reached the end. She stared at it, her face a blank mask but when she looked up at Snape, he could see the anguish in her eyes. She tossed the scroll to him and he quickly unrolled it. She noticed he did not look particularly surprised.

“You knew there was a possibility and you didn’t tell me?” she asked in a low, hurt voice.

He couldn’t meet her eyes. “I… I didn’t want… I don’t…” he started but he didn’t know what to say to make things right. She stood up and faced him, Alex cradled in her arms.

“You should have never kept something like this from me. You knew! And yet you did nothing. You could have told me.” She said to him on the verge of tears. He stood up and reached for her but she pulled away.

“Don’t touch me! I don’t want to talk to you right now. You knew how I felt and you could have told me, Severus Snape that there was at least a chance you were this child’s father.” She cried before fleeing the room. He watched her go and with a sigh, sank down into his chair. He unrolled the scroll again and read the damning words, Severus Alexander Snape, son of Tobias Snape, son of Alexander Snape, son of…

Hermione ran through the halls, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t know what to think, but couldn’t help feeling betrayed. On one hand, she knew he hadn’t known for sure but on the other, she thought he should have told her that there was at least a chance. She was rounding the corner to the hall where her door was when she ran into someone.

“Careful, there, Hermione.” Harry said, steadying her. He saw her tear streaked face and quickly asked. “What’s wrong? What happened? Is it Alex? Is Lucius the father?”

It took a moment for her to process the questions and then she stared at him stunned. “You knew Narcissa was his birth mother? How? Is that why you wanted me to do the Blood adoption?” she asked sharply, feeling betrayed all over again at his guilty look.

“I…” Harry started to deny it but something in her expression made him tell the truth. “Yes, I was there when he was born. Narcissa came to my-the orphanage and was in labor. She wouldn’t tell me who the father was so I guessed it was Lucius. After Alex was born, she named him and disappeared. About a week later, her body was found.”

Hermione could only gape at him. He had known all along who Alex was, though he didn’t have the correct father. The feeling of betrayal was great and it took everything in her not to burst into tears again. Instead she felt her anger grow stronger.

“Then I suppose you knew the girl who gave him away. You lied to me Harry, you and Snape both. I don’t want to see either of you right now.” She growled, shoving past him and running to her room. She ordered the portrait not to allow entrance to anyone and went up to her room. She lay Alex in his crib and began to pace.

She was not going to let Snape take her son, she thought though deep in her mind she knew he wasn’t going to try. She didn’t think he was that cruel. Finally after muttering to herself about the perfidy of men for a while, she lie down and fell into a restless sleep.

It was late afternoon when she woke up to a knock on her door. Forgetting she had ordered her portrait not to allow anyone entrance, she opened the door to find a smiling Draco standing there. He had a bouquet of Moonflowers in one hand and a large bottle of butter beer. She sighed and let him in, too weary to argue.

“I thought you could use some cheering up. I saw you in the hall earlier crying. Do you want to talk about it?” he asked and she shook her head. She didn’t see him lips tighten in anger.

“Well, I brought you some butter beer because I know it is your favorite and of course flowers.” He said charmingly, handing his gifts to her. She took them and sighed.

“I’m not in the mood, Draco. Will you please go?” she asked.

“At least drink the butter beer and talk to me for a while. You have been so busy and haven’t been able to relax for quite a while. At least I can do some good.” He said and she gave him a tired smile. She looked at the clock and saw that Alex would be waking soon, hungry and ready to play. Thinking of Alex brought back all her anger and hurt from earlier in the day.

“Fine, you can stay for a while. Don’t start thinking we are getting back together though, Draco. We are friends only.” She warned opening the bottle of butter beer. She took a drink and smiled at him. He shrugged.

“So, how is the little tyke doing? He must be getting big.” Draco said, changing the subject.

For the next half hour, they talked about Alex. Draco asked questions and she answered them, telling anecdotes about caring for him. Draco seemed genuinely interested, which made Hermione happy. She drank her bottle of butter beer and was playing with one of the flowers when a wave of dizziness washed over her. She swayed in her seat and saw Draco give her a worried look.

“Are you alright?” he asked. She shook her head as another wave washed over her and the room began to darken.

“What did you do, Draco?” she slurred, seeing the look of satisfaction on his face. He gathered her into his arms gently and smiled down at her.

“I made sure we will be together my love. You and I shall raise Alex and be a happy family.” She heard him say before everything went black.

Snape sat in his workroom for a while before picking up the other bottle of potion and leaving the room. He made his way up to Hermione’s room. He wanted to talk to her before delivering the potion to the person who had requested it. Just as he reached the door to Hermione’s quarters he heard voices and habit made him duck into the shadows.

Draco had opened the door and led Hermione out by the hand. He was holding Alex and the blue baby bag that Hermione carried everywhere.

“Tell me you love me” Draco murmured to Hermione, seeing Snape in the shadows out of the corner of his eye. His words were not audible to Snape.

“I love you Draco.” Hermione intoned in a slightly slurred voice.

“Tell me that you want to be with me. Tell me that we are going to be a happy family forever.” Draco instructed, still in a low murmur.

“I want to be with you. We will be a happy family forever.” Hermione obeyed. Deep in her mind, she felt like she was dreaming and couldn’t wake up.

“Tell me that Snape meant nothing to you. That you were only using him.”

“Snape meant nothing to me. I was only using him”

Draco made several more orders until he was certain Snape had understood what he was trying to say. Hermione was his and always would be. She didn’t need Snape or Harry or Ron or anyone but him and their new son.

Snape who had been listening felt his heart break. He didn’t hear the slurred and lifeless quality of Hermione’s voice, stuck in his anguish and growing anger so he believed everything that came out of her mouth. Draco led Hermione past where Snape was hiding and down the hall. Snape waited until they were gone before fleeing to his rooms. The potion lay in his pocket, all but forgotten.

Draco led Hermione out to the empty Quidditch pitch where he had a broom waiting. He climbed on and ordered Hermione to follow suit. Together on the one broom, they flew away.


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A/N I don't know if I explained this before but the maternity/paternity potion works like this: Potion brewed and poured on parchment. The parchment soaks up the potion, give it some time, the names will appear, just like magic. I just didn't want any confusion about that. I also don't know if I came up with that on my own or if I read it somewhere so if it was your idea, then I give you credit.