Chapter 22

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks to June for doing the beta work on this story.

Chapter 22

Osiris and Crookshanks arrived in Hermione's rooms. She had decided to take a nap and was lying on the couch, with a blanket over her. Osiris flew across the room and landed on the armrest she was using as a pillow. He looked at her face. She was pale, and had dark circles under her eyes. He rubbed his head against her temple, wanting to somehow give her some comfort, even if she was asleep.

Osiris let himself drift into her mind, hoping to see something that could explain what had happened. He saw very little, and realized she must have taken a potion to help her sleep, since the images he saw were jumbled. However, he was able to see her sitting at a table with the two boys. He noticed how angry she was at the red-haired one ... Ron, he thought. Then Osiris faintly heard her saying something about hexing balls, and earrings. 'What the hell do balls have to do with earrings?' he thought for a moment, then noticed the other boy, Harry, looking rather angry. Osiris surmised that they had obviously fought about something, then drifted out of her head and looked at Crookshanks.

"You may have been right about her friends. I was looking in her mind, and it looks like they had some sort of disagreement. I couldn't get much, though; her mind is all garbled," Osiris said.

"How do you know what you just saw was recent?" asked Crookshanks.

"I don't, but she was wearing the same outfit I saw her in the day she went to meet them. Has she been to see them in Hogsmeade lately?"

"No. She's gone to see Harry once or twice, but she's gone to visit him at his house." Crookshanks came up next to Osriris.

"Well, that's a start, then. She looked quite angry with Ron. I know Severus followed her that day, and I have a feeling that this is all some huge misunderstanding. It's the only thing I can think of that might have happened," Osiris hopped onto Crookshanks' back.

"Claws!" hissed Crookshanks.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." Osiris hopped down to the floor. "I told you he thinks they were plotting something against him, some sort of revenge scheme, and how they were laughing at him. But I didn't see anyone laughing, and Hermione looked positively rabid."

Crookshanks shook his head. "I'll bet that little red-headed son-of-a-bitch had something to do with this. I never liked that little fucker, and I happen to know he can't stand Severus."

"Believe me, the feeling is greatly reciprocated. Severus can't stand him either."

"Okay, so now what?" asked Crookshanks.

"Do you know where Harry lives exactly?" asked Osiris.

"I've been to his house a few times. His godfather left it to him, but how do we get there? I can't exactly handle a broom, and I seriously doubt you can carry me and fly at the same time." Crookshanks' tail began twitching wildly.

"Hello, wizard here. I can still do some magic. I'll just Apparate us there. But we'll have to wait until tomorrow. I've been gone for a while, and Severus might start to wonder where I am."

"Right, same here. If I go missing for too long, she thinks I'm up to something. Can you believe that?"

"As Muggles say, you are preaching to the choir, my friend. I get the same thing, believe me," stated Osiris matter-of-factly.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, so it should be easier for us to disappear for a while, don't you think?" Crookshanks put his paw on Osiris' wing; it was as close to a handshake as they could both get.

"Definitely. All right, meet me at the steps then. See you, Crooks." Osiris disappeared just as Hermione woke up.

She stretched and took a sip of her now cold tea. She sat back and wondered what to do next. If she stayed in her room much longer, she would go positively insane. Turning around, she looked at the clock on the wall, and decided to take a walk around the castle until dinner. Hermione silently berated herself; she hadn't been eating well, and during her last visit to her Muggle doctor, he told her that she needed to gain a few more pounds. But that had been weeks ago, and even though she began her pregnancy with the best of intentions regarding her health, as of late it had gone downhill. She often forgot to take her vitamins, and she missed too many meals. She knew she needed to start taking care of herself better, if not for her own well-being, then for the well-being of her child.

Deciding it would be a good idea to get her health back on track, she went to Severus' lab to get some ingredients to make herself a potion. She had read of a special vitamin potion for pregnant witches, and thought it would be a good idea to make. When she entered the lab, she saw that Severus was there. It was after all his private lab, but she had hoped to avoid him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be here." She turned to leave, when he stopped her.

"I'm just adding a final ingredient to this potion. If there is something you need, you may get it." He turned to look at her. She looked so frail and weak, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Are you ill, Miss Granger?"

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all. I'll get what I need, then I'll be off." She walked past him and into the supply closet. Quickly getting what she needed, she hurried past him, but not before he looked at what she had taken.

It was obvious now to him that she was not well, since she had taken ingredients to make a very powerful vitamin potion. As he recalled, it was taken by many women who are either anemic, or with child. Severus had noticed her pale complexion and her frail appearance, and shook his head. She had obviously made herself ill. 'No,' he thought guiltily, 'I have made her ill.' He sighed heavily; knowing that her poor state of health had all been his doing.

As she left the lab, Hermione hoped he had not seen what she took. Either way he would most likely think she was sick, since she admittedly looked like ten miles of bad road. She put the ingredients in her robe pocket and went for a walk. She had been to places in the castle she had never seen. Hermione looked at her small watch and realized she needed to start heading back to her rooms and prepare to go to dinner. Before she reached the stairs, she noticed a large door with huge metal knockers. She turned the knob and was surprised that it opened quite easily.

As she walked inside she noticed the many columns in the room. The room was completely void of furniture, save for a very large object covered by a velvet curtain. She walked towards it, and felt a flutter in her belly; she wondered if it was her baby letting her know it was there with her, or apprehension at what she was about to see. Hermione knew exactly what she was walking towards. As she reached the object, she gently moved away the curtain and saw her image. She looked at herself, and knew this was not the image she had seen of herself earlier that day. In the mirror, she was wearing a dark purple dress, and her hair was swept up in a loose bun, with curls cascading down her neckline

Hermione reached out and touched the image, but stopped when she saw Severus appear behind her mirror self. She quickly turned around, only to find the room empty. When she looked back into the mirror, she saw her mirror self in the arms of Severus. She inhaled sharply, and began to reach to the mirror. She tried to touch him, but felt only the hard surface of the mirror. They were happy and laughing as they held each other. The mirror-Severus took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly.

The Mirror of Erised was cruel, because it showed her what she desired the most, but it was something she could never have. She bowed her head and wiped her tears. When she looked back up into the mirror, she saw the image of Severus holding a black-haired baby, wrapped in a tiny bundle with blankets of green and silver. The mirror-Severus looked up and smiled at her, and mouthed the words he had never really said to her, "I love you." Hermione sank down onto her knees and wept harder than she had wept in the months since their relationship had ended.

There she stayed for hours, until she fell asleep, not realizing she had missed dinner.

Severus sat in the Great Hall at his usual place, and wondered if Hermione had just decided to have dinner in her rooms. Perhaps she had been too tired to deal with him this evening. He threw his fork down and pushed his seat back. As he passed Albus, the old man stopped him.

"Severus, would you come by my office in about an hour. I have some things I need to discuss with you," he said. Severus nodded and walked away.

As it turned out, Albus had been called to the Ministry for a few days. It seemed that several renegade Death Eaters had been caught just outside of St. Petersburg, and Albus was needed to preside over the Wizengamot during the trials. He asked Severus to assist Minerva with running the school, and assured them both he would be gone no more than two or three days.

As Severus walked back to his quarters, he thought about going to see Hermione. He could not help but wonder if she may have been too ill to come to dinner, but stopped himself just before he knocked on her door. Perhaps she had gone to see Ginny and Draco. He turned and continued walking to his room. As he got ready for bed, he decided to just put his pride to one side. In the morning, he would ask her how she was feeling, and perhaps even offer to make her the potion she had most probably taken the ingredients for.

~*~*~*~*~

Morning came and Severus didn't see Hermione at breakfast. He was now beginning to worry. He had not seen her since she came by his lab the day before. Minerva also noticed her absence and walked over to him after breakfast.

"Severus, do you know where Hermione is? I haven't seen her since yesterday," she asked.

"No, Minerva. I myself have not seen her since she went to my lab yesterday. I thought perhaps she might have gone to see Ginny and Draco."

Minerva noticed he seemed worried.

"Severus, I know I have no right to ask but, am I right to assume you were both involved?" she asked, only to receive a nod from him in affirmation. "You both seemed to have drifted apart. You seemed quite inseparable during the first two months of classes, but something happened between you two, and I can't help but notice you have both been quite detached," Minerva said.

Severus bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand.

"You have every right to ask, Minerva. You and Albus are like family to me; if I cannot trust you, then whom can I trust. Hermione and I were close, but things happened, and, well...things happened; let's just leave it at that. We have barely spoken since the end of October," he said as he shook his head.

Minerva put her hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you two should have a talk." He just looked at her. "Whatever happened, Severus, is it not worth it to try and work things out?"

"I will do my part; that is all I can promise," Severus said, and then walked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Severus is at least willing to extend the olive branch to Hermione. Will she accept?