Chapter 26

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thank you to June for doing the beta work for me.

Chapter 26

Hermione woke up in the hospital wing. At first she didn't know where she was, then she remembered being carried by Severus from the room and the mirror. He had come looking for her, but why? She struggled to sit up, only to be pushed down by Minerva's hand.

"You need your rest, Hermione," said the older witch. "Why didn't you say anything about the baby?" Hermione had the good grace to at least look ashamed. "You had us worried. We thought something had happened to you."

"I'm sorry, Minerva. I hope Albus isn't upset with me."

"Albus is away on Ministry business. I was referring to Severus and myself," said Minerva as she smiled.

Hermione looked away. "I don't see why he would concern himself," she said as she absentmindedly rubbed her belly.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but I know he loves you," Minerva said. She stood, and began to leave.

"Did he tell you that?" asked Hermione.

"He didn't have to. You get your rest now."

As Minerva walked away, Hermione lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She faintly heard what she thought was Harry's voice, and turned to see him coming towards her.

"How are you?" Harry asked as he sat next to her on the bed.

"All right, I suppose. What are you doing here?"

"I was here earlier. Then I went to visit Albus, but Minerva told me he had gone to the Ministry, and then we heard you were here so I stuck around. Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? It's Snape's, isn't it?" Harry took her hand in his, and brushed a stray curl from her face.

"Everything is all messed up, Harry. I thought he cared about me, but he was just using me. I feel like such an idiot for thinking anything could have ever been between us." She wiped the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

"Hermione, I talked to him earlier."

"About what?" she asked.

"Well, I got a very strange visit this morning. Crookshanks showed up at my house, with this huge black raven."

Hermione immediately began to sit up. "What? Crookshanks and Osiris?"

"Yeah. I have no idea where that bird came from, but he's obviously very smart," said Harry as he laughed.

"That's Severus' co...family bird." Hermione caught herself before telling Harry the true nature of what Osiris was.

"Well, this bird kept hopping around and waving his wings at me. Finally he managed to write your name on a piece of paper. He wrote your name and the word 'sad.' I thought I better come see you, but when I got to your room I found Snape there."

"Why was he in my room?" she asked.

"I'm guessing he was looking for you. Everyone's been worried. No one had seen you since yesterday afternoon," said Harry. "Hermione, I know you were seeing each other, and I know why you stopped."

"He ended it. I told you he was just using me," she said angrily.

"No, he wasn't. Remember that day at the Three Broomsticks?" She nodded. "Remember what Ron said, about playing a joke on Snape?" Again she nodded. "Somehow Snape heard Ron talking about it. I guess he was too upset to stick around for the rest of the conversation, so you can imagine what he thought."

"He followed me." The realization stunned her. She laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, throwing her arm over her face. "That stupid jealous git. Doesn't he know he's the only one?" She now realized the meaning behind his constant usage of the word "game." She thought of his cruelness towards her, and the emotional pain he had put her through. Then it suddenly dawned on her. She thought back to the day Harry had told her what his father and the rest of the Marauders had done to Severus in school. She finally understood. Severus could never forgive being laughed at like that.

"He thought we were laughing at him," she stated.

Harry nodded. He sat with her until she fell asleep once again, and then left. He passed Severus on his way down the hall.

"She's just fallen asleep," Harry said. "Could you let her know I'll come by next week?"

Severus nodded, and then they both walked past each other. Severus walked into the hospital wing and stood next to her bed for a while. He quietly crept closer her and carefully sat next to her. He watched her in her serene slumber. He looked down towards her belly and lightly placed his hand on it. He felt a slight curve. This was his child, their child, and he knew it was a son. He felt her stir, then drew his hand back as he looked at her now open eyes.

"How you must hate me," he said. She stared into his eyes, but did not speak. "I should have trusted you more. I'm sorry. I will understand if you do not wish to give me another chance, but please, Hermione, I would like to be a part of our child's life."

Hermione took his hand and placed it back on her belly. "No, Severus, I do not hate you. Yes, you should have trusted me; and no, you cannot be part of our child's life."

He looked at her in shock, and began to pull his hand away from her belly, but she held it firm.

"I expect you to be part of my life and our child's life, you stupid jealous git."

Severus dropped his head, then leaned down and laid his head on her chest. He held her as though she would fly away at any moment.

She held him close as she ran her fingers through his silky hair.

"I do love you. I have always loved you, Hermione. I'm sorry for being so cruel to you; there is no excuse for my actions," he said as he kissed her cheek.

"Harry told me what happened. Why didn't you just ask me about what you heard?" she asked.

"I should have, but I couldn't see beyond Weasley's laughter and what I had heard. I'm sorry."

She looked at him and sighed. "I suppose I would have thought the same thing, had I heard what you did. Promise me from now on, if you ever feel something is amiss, to please ask me. We have to be honest with each other, Severus. If we aren't, then this will never work. I love you; please, believe me." She took his face in her hands, and kissed him.

"I do." He smiled, and looked into her eyes. "Will you tell me something?"

"Anything."

"What did you see in the mirror?

"The mirror?" Hermione caressed his cheek, not really listening to his words.

"When I found you, you were sitting next to the Mirror of Erised. I called to you, but then you told me to leave you alone, that I wasn't real," he said.

"I saw you, of course," she smiled. "But it was just an image of you. I wanted to touch you so badly. You were always within my grasp, yet all I could ever feel was that hard cold mirror."

He pulled away from her and studied her. He noted the shape of her eyes, the contours of her cheeks, the hair that framed her face.

"What is it, Severus?"

"When I first arrived here, as a professor, one of the first things Albus asked me to do was move the Mirror of Erised from its hiding place. A student had found it, and he needed to make sure it was kept from innocent eyes. The move went smoothly, until I placed it in its new spot. I had levitated it into the room, and as it came down to the floor, the curtain that had been placed around it came down. Before I could cover it up again, I looked into it." He took hold of a stray curl and wrapped his finger around it.

"What did you see?" whispered Hermione. His eyes entranced her, and she caressed the back of his neck as she listened to him.

"I saw a woman, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had deep brown eyes," he said as he lightly traced the shape of her eyes with the tips of his fingers, "skin like the palest bisque," he then caressed her cheek with his hand, "her lips, full and red," his thumb brushed her lips, "and her hair was a mass of brown," he pulled her to him, "curly," her lips were close to his now, "silk." Then he kissed her softly and laid his forehead against hers, as they both closed their eyes. "I have waited for you, Hermione. I have waited so long for you."

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

So now you know Severus' secret. If you recall in the beginning of the story he was shocked to have seen her and several times remembers the vision he had seen. Hermione was the vision he saw all those years ago.