Enthalpy

Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.

It was midmorning when the doorbell rang. Severus answered, since Andromeda was in the garden hanging out the laundry. He wasn't surprised to see Draco, but he didn't expect Draco's father. "Lucius! This is a surprise."

Lucius held out a cigar. "Congratulations on the birth of your daughter."

Severus sniffed it before sliding into his robe's inside pocket. "I take it that Hermione has visited you since she left here, yesterday?" He led Lucius and Draco into the lounge.

"Ah yes. She told Narcissa quite a tale. You've been a busy man since the Dark Lord fell, Severus."

"You're jealous." Severus smiled. "I didn't have to spend five years worrying about whether Cygnus Black was willing to part with one of his pampered darlings. I fell in love with my witch and let her decide, despite Druella's worst yowling. And now I'm to be a father."

Another cigar was handed over. "Yes, Miss Granger-or is it to be Miss Snape-told us all about it. Congratulations, again."

"Is that from you or from all the Malfoys?"

"I am delighted, Uncle Sev." said Draco.

Severus's mouth twisted. "You haven't been back that long, Lucius, and he's already speaking like you, again. Very well, thank you, Draco, and how did the chatelaine of Malfoy Manor take the news? Where is she, anyway? I would have expected her to come with you."

"Mum did her nut, yesterday," said Draco, "and she's in the garden with Aunt Andie, now."

"Narcissa saw that Andromeda was in the back and walked around the house to congratulate her," said Lucius.

Severus got up and walked quickly to the door to the kitchen. "That was imprudent of you, Lucius. Narcissa can't be trusted around Andromeda."

When they got to the back garden, they saw that Narcissa was lying at Andromeda's feet. Andromeda had her wand drawn and was breathing heavily. She saw them coming and turned to face them. There was a very clear, very bright pink handprint on her cheek. "She called me a common whore and then hit me. I didn't mean to hex her... it did itself."

Severus pulled his wife close. "I warned her, Lucius. I told her never to raise her hand against Andromeda." He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Are you all right, my dove?" He pulled away to look more closely at her face.

"I'm just angry. Why can't she let me be happy?"

"You weren't supposed to get involved," hissed Narcissa.

"It doesn't matter. What you wanted can't happen," Andromeda shot back.

"It doesn't mean you can have Severus! Mother and I had so many suitable husbands lined up for you."

"Severus is suitable!"

"He's half-blood!"

"You idiot! That's all done now. I don't care about that sort of thing."

By now, Lucius had picked his wife up off the ground and was backing her away. "You were correct, Severus. It was most imprudent. I shall bring her back when she's in a better frame of mind." Narcissa was trying to aim her wand at Andromeda over her husband's shoulder, but Lucius finally took it away.

Severus guided Andromeda toward the house. "Let the laundry dry. Draco and I will entertain Teddy, and you can rest a while."

Hermione woke early in the morning under the body of the person she'd asked Draco to help her find. She eased her way out from under him, kissing his nose when he murmured and reached for her. Sitting up carefully, she massaged her temples and glanced around for restorative potions. She found a bottle that looked likely on the kitchenette counter, sniffed it, and took a dose.

After a minute, she felt better, so she started to look for her clothes. The wizard had been sweet. He'd realized that it was her first time, and he'd been gentle, until he couldn't help himself. By then she hadn't been able to help herself either. She'd chosen him because he had a passing likeness to Severus, but they had discussed things, renewing an acquaintance they'd once had. Over the course of the night came to decide she actually liked him, too.

Which is why she had to be gone before he woke. This was destined to be a single night, and she wouldn't be able to stand it if the goodbyes were ugly. It would be too much after everything that had happened yesterday. She found her clothes and put them all back on. Then she leaned over and kissed him one last time.

"Look me up, sometime," she whispered. "Maybe, if we started actually dating like real people..."

She slipped out the door.

Harry and Ron were sitting at the kitchen table when she returned to Grimmauld Place. "Thank Merlin!" said Harry, "we were trying to decide if we should look for you."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I just need to get to bed."

Ron shrugged and swallowed hard. "Is everything all set between you, then? Should we congratulate you?" He was blinking.

She shook her head again. "No. It turns out I had it all wrong. Everything is all set, but not between us." Ron looked hopeful, and she couldn't face it, not now. "I'm sorry, I'll explain it all later."

She went to bed and slept until the afternoon. After a shower and some tea, she felt more herself and sat down to think. Getting drunk and losing control like that wasn't the best idea. There was also another consideration she should have realized before going out the night before. Her eyes grew wide when she saw it. She'd been very foolish yesterday.

A clock tolled the hour; Harry and Ron would be home soon. Hermione decided not to be home when they got there. She'd explain it all to them eventually, just not now. For now she'd go out to some Muggle places she'd always heard about and wanted to visit. She'd take some potions to keep herself from having too much, and she had a portkey that would get her out of any difficult situations. As for the other thing, it was unlikely, and she'd know for sure within a week or so.

Days later, Hermione sat down with Ron and Harry to explain it. She'd finally reached the point where she could be rational and explain everything without crying. Even so, she was shaking by the time she finished her story.

"So all this time, Snape's been your dad and you've been my sister?" Harry seemed a bit incredulous.

"I've checked it out. It's true. I was born at a hospital near where Lily and Petunia Evans grew up. Then I was placed for adoption."

Harry was frowning at some sort of strange magical device on a shelf. "So you got to grow up with loving parents."

"I got thrown away!"

"She found you people who would love you and raise you as their daughter."

"She wanted you!"

"It didn't work out any better for me, though did it? If I'd been raised by parents like you had-"

Ron held up his hand. When the two were finally silent, he shook his head, as if it clear it. "Hermione, you know we love you. Whatever the situation is, it's going to take us a while to figure out what it means, but we love you."

He looked so dear that she wanted to hug him, but she didn't. Somehow, just as with Andromeda, his kindness was too much. Instead, she summoned a decanter and some glasses.

"It's going to take a while to get to the bottom of it," she said. "We may as well get comfortable in the process."

She woke to banging on the door of 12 Grimmauld Place. Clearly her housemates were either away from home or more groggy than she was from the events of the previous night. She threw a robe around herself and went to answer it.

"Can I use the Floo from here?" It was Tim.

She folded her arms and glared. "Good morning, Hermione, I wonder if I might ask a favor. Sure thing, Tim, what can I do for you? Well first off, Hermione, why don't I tell you what the hell is going on?!"

Tim ran his fingers through his hair. "It's that guy who says he's from the US..."

She knew whom he meant instantly and changed her stance. "The one who gives everyone the creeps?"

"He's been taking a potion or charming himself or something, but he's really Rabastan Lestrange."

Hermione shuddered. She'd met Rabastan. "How do you know?"

"I found another Arithmancy problem in Snape's book. He's going to try to get revenge. It's not just Mum, Hermione. It's my brother or sister. I've already lost Nym..."

She reached for being the voice of reason. "How do you know you're right about Lestrange? And that he's got Andromeda?"

"Was I wrong about the pregnancy?"

She didn't want to think about that, and what a fool she'd made of herself. "All right, then, just wait long enough for me to get dressed."

"What? Why?"

She sighed. "It's my sibling, too."