Chapter 24

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thank you to June for doing the beta work for me in this story.

Chapter 24

Osiris and Crookshanks appeared back in Hermione's room. Crookshanks looked around and noticed that Hermione had not returned. Now he was really beginning to worry. Crookshanks knew that this wasn't like her; she would not have gone without him knowing, and even if she had, surely she would have been back by now.

"Is she here?" asked Osiris.

"No. I'm scared, Osiris. Where can she be?" Crookshanks walked to the front of the fireplace and hung his head.

Osiris flew to the coffee table and looked down at Crookshanks. He was about to say something when he heard knocking, and then Severus' voice.

"Miss Granger? Open the door!" Severus said, from the other side of the door.

Osiris looked at the door, then back at Crookshanks. "He can't see me here. He'll know I've been meddling," he said, as he waved his wings about.

"Go, then. See if you can find her. She's got to be somewhere around here." Crookshanks jumped on the couch and curled himself up as though he had been sleeping.

As soon as Osiris disappeared, Severus opened the door. He walked inside warily, and looked around.

"Miss Granger?" Severus called out, as he walked further inside. "Hermione, are you here?" He walked to the bedroom, and noticed the bed did not appear to have been slept in. Then he walked to the bathroom, which was empty, as well as her small office. 'Where could she be?' he wondered. He looked down at the coffee table and noticed what looked like a photograph sticking out of a book. As he bent down to inspect it, Harry walked in.

"Professor!" said Harry, a bit shocked. "I came by to see Hermione. Is she here?"

"She is not. I am looking for her myself," said Severus. "I don't suppose she will mind if you wait for her." As Severus turned to leave, Harry stepped in front of him. "Do you mind?" Severus said through gritted teeth. Harry was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"Since you're here, I'd like to talk to you," Harry said. He noticed the angry look in the older man's eyes, and hoped Severus wouldn't hex him into oblivion.

"All right, Potter. What is it? I don't have time to just stand here idly chatting with you, so out with it," Severus stepped back and stood next to the coffee table, a good distance away from Harry.

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, about Hermione," said Harry.

"Save it. I know all about your little scheme, as well as Miss Granger's part in it." Severus stared at Harry, wondering if he would crack.

"Scheme? What are you talking about?" asked Harry.

"Acting stupid may have gotten you out of trouble as a child; however, as an adult it doesn't suit you, Potter." Severus approached Harry slowly, only to have Harry back up slightly. He needed to get to the bottom of this whole situation, and if he had to hex Harry Potter to do so, then so be it. He was to the point where he wasn't sure about anything anymore.

"Sir, honestly, I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Harry shook his head.

"I heard your little conversation with Weasley the day the three of you had lunch at the Three Broomsticks. I was there, and I heard it all. So I say again, I know how Miss Granger was to lure me into believing she had an interest in me."

Harry struggled to remember the conversation he had that day with Ron and Hermione. Suddenly, it all came back to him like a tidal wave. He realized why Hermione had been so sad. There must have been something between her and Severus. The key word seemed to be had, since their relationship appeared to have changed so drastically as to make his friend almost ill.

"Oh, no." Harry turned and shook his head in disbelief. "Professor, please hear me out," he said, as he faced Severus again. "What you heard that day was only part of a conversation. I'll admit that Ron wanted to do that to you, but the minute Hermione came back to the table and found out about it, she was furious. She threatened to hex Ron within an inch of his life."

Severus looked at Harry as though trying to look through into his head.

"Don't ask me to tell you what she threatened to do to Ron. My balls have finally come out of hiding, and I don't want to think about it. Anyway, she hasn't spoken to him since that day." Harry was practically pleading now.

"You have to believe me, sir. I'll take Veritaserum, you can use Legilimency on me, anything. Please, what Hermione feels for you is real, and what's more I'm pretty sure she has felt this way since our seventh year. She's never told me, but I've always suspected it. I'm sure that day at lunch she was going to say something about it, but then Ron was being an ass and...well, she just stormed out of there."

Severus felt like had just been knocked upside the head with a bludger. Not only had he just found out what he had suspected that morning was true, and that Hermione had been honest with her feelings towards him, but she had felt this way since she was his student. He looked down at the coffee table and reached for the picture he was going to look at before Harry came in. It was the picture he saw in her mind the first day of their Legilimency lessons ... the picture Colin Creevey had taken of him for Hermione.

"I've been a fool," Severus said as he shook his head.

Much as Harry wanted to agree with him, he knew it wasn't completely his fault. "Don't be too hard on yourself. If I had heard the same thing you did, I may have jumped to the same conclusion. Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do about it?"

Severus turned around and looked at Harry with bewilderment. "Are you encouraging me to go to her?" Severus was astounded.

"I suppose I am," Harry said with a smile.

"Why?" asked Severus warily.

"I love her. She's my best friend, and she has been there for me through good and bad times. But I can't love her the way I'm sure you do. You do love her, don't you?" Severus could only nod. Harry turned to leave, but as he did Severus put his hand on his shoulder.

"Potter... Harry, thank you."

Harry smiled and nodded. "Just don't hurt her again," said Harry.

Severus crossed his arms. "I suppose you will hex me if I do?" asked Severus.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "I may have defeated Voldemort, but it was only because of your help. I don't profess to be powerful enough to hex you, but if you hurt her again, you'll have quite a few people after you. I'm sure between all of us we could do some damage." Harry turned to walk out. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone you thanked me. It wouldn't be good for either of our images." Then he left.

Severus put the picture of himself back down on the table and walked back to his rooms, with Crookshanks on his heels. As he walked through the door into his living room, he noticed Osiris perched on the windowsill.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you!" said Osiris.

"Not now, Osiris. I have to find Hermione." Severus walked to the fireplace, thinking he would contact Ginny to ask her if she had seen Hermione, when Osiris flew to the mantle.

"I know where she is," Osiris said as Severus looked at him, "Severus, I think she's sick. She isn't moving, and I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't respond."

"Where is she?" asked Severus desperately.

"She's sitting next to the Mirror of Erised."

Severus turned and ran. He knew that she had most probably been there all night. It was not good to spend too much time in front of the mirror, especially for someone whose mind and body was already weak. She was frail; he had seen her health deteriorate in the past week, and he blamed himself fully for that now. No doubt the ingredients she had taken from his stores was for a potion for anemia.

When he reached the third floor, he immediately ran to the room she was in and threw the door open. Severus saw her sitting on the floor, leaning against the mirror, with the velvet curtain partly covering her. He approached her slowly, then as he reached her he knelt down and moved the curtain away from her.

"Hermione," he whispered.

She stirred slightly, then raised a shaky hand and touched the mirror. She sobbed quietly and turned her face into the cold surface.

"You're not real, you're not him. Please, please, leave me alone." Her voice sounded as fragile as she looked.

Severus took hold of her shoulder and turned her to face him. When she looked up at him she gasped, and then fainted. He lifted her in his arms and rushed her to the hospital wing. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, and he could feel that her forehead was much too warm.

"Poppy!" Severus shouted for Poppy as he gently placed Hermione's limp body in the last bed of the hospital wing.

Poppy came running out of her office.

"Severus, what are you shouting about?" The Medi-witch looked at Hermione. "Hermione! Oh my, Severus, what's happened to her?" She immediately drew her wand and began her examination.

"I found her moments ago. She has not looked well for days. I don't think she's had much sleep either." He stood beside the bed, just behind Poppy, his eyes never leaving Hermione's sleeping form.

"She's has a fever, but it's not too high, thank the gods. She could certainly do with a bit of rest and food as well." As Poppy's wand neared Hermione's belly, the tip began to glow with a blue light. Poppy looked at Severus in shock. "She's with child!" she exclaimed.

Severus took a step back, then looked to Hermione.

Poppy continued her examination, and then shook her head. "He is weak, very weak. I can barely register his heartbeat." She looked at Severus. "I don't have any Fortis Cor Serum, and if we don't get some to her soon... the child will die."

Severus all but flew out of the hospital wing.

His mind was reeling. She was not anemic at all. She was carrying his child, his son. He threw open the doors of his lab and immediately began to prepare the potion. As he began to add the ingredients to the cauldron, he realized he had run out of the one key ingredient. Undeterred, he continued to make the potion, as he recited every possible replacement ingredient he could think of that would not take away from the potion's potency. As he reached the final stage, his actions slowed. There was no acceptable substitute.

"Was she all right?" asked Osiris, as he appeared with Crookshanks in tow.

"Hermione is weak, but she will be fine. It...it is our child that is in danger."

"What?" Osiris approached the cauldron. "She's pregnant?"

"Yes, and the child is weak. My son..." He stopped, then cleared his throat. "He needs a heart-strengthening potion, but I am missing the key ingredient," said Severus hesitantly.

"What is it?" asked Osiris.

"Raven's blood," answered Severus wearily.

"Well, have some of mine then," offered Osiris.

Severus took a ragged breath. "It is more than you can safely give," he said sadly.

Osiris backed away slightly, and looked at the simmering cauldron. He bowed his head, then looked up at Severus. He took a deep breath, then flew up and landed on Severus' shoulders. He placed his small head against Severus' temple as he closed his eyes.

"I know that I have lived as long as I have because of you. Those first days after Kito placed this curse on me, I wished she had killed me instead. But you have made me happy. You have taken care of me and never asked for anything in return, nor did you throw your kindness in my face. You have never made me feel like a burden to you, and have always treated me as an equal. I will always love you for that. For all that you have done for me, for all that you mean to me, please, let me do this for you. Take what you need, cousin... take what you need."

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Okay, I'm a softy, I wrote this and even I'm crying.