To Lead or Follow

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter Seven: To Lead or Follow

Hermione was over to Snape in a flash, taking her son from the taller man.

"Excuse me, but I have to feed and change him," she explained, giving both Severus and Harry a pointed look. "I don't want either of you fighting over this until I get back."

She heard Severus snort and Harry grumble as she closed the door behind her. As soon as the door closed, she glanced around and gasped. The chamber was so unlike anything she expected, unlike anything she could imagine Severus to come up with. The room was painted in a pale green color with hints of red. Gold and silver adorned the furnishings. It was obvious that he had tried to combine the two House colors that they shared, and she was touched by that. How in the world did he do this in a few hours? She giggled softly. Probably Professor Dumbledore's doing, now that she thought about it.

There was an elegant hand-carved wooden crib sitting underneath a fabricated window, which allowed in the evening moon's brilliance. Next to the chair on the other side of the window was a glider, a combination rocking chair with a gliding feature. It had a matching ottoman as well. Her eyes wandered the room to the other side where she noticed the changing table with her giant nappy bag sitting next to it. Her attention was then diverted back to Sebastian as he let loose with another howl.

"It's all right, honey. Mummy's gonna make it all better," she cooed and quickly scooped up the nappy bag. She brought out all the necessary tools required for the task and slowly changed the kicking newborn.

Still a novice at the job, it took her a few minutes to rid him of the soiled nappy. Finding a bucket at the back of the table she quickly tossed the used nappy in it and watched as it disappeared, probably going straight to the laundry room. This was going to be much easier than the way life was in the Muggle world. She doubted she would ever run out of nappies here, nor ever have to resort to napkins in times of trouble. She sighed trying to push those memories away. That little flub-up only happened the second day after she left the hospital, but it was one day too many for her, and she didn't want to ever have to try to improvise like that again. In the days since Sebastian's delivery, she continued to astound herself as to how creative she could become in a pinch.

She pulled out the last clean nappy and sighed. She had forgotten about the soiled ones. Quickly she found the plastic bag with the dirty diapers and placed them into the pail as well. She intended on cleaning them earlier after Snape left but never got around to it. Things had progressed rapidly in the last few hours, and she had just forgotten to do it. The bag disappeared from the basket, and she smiled down at her squirming son.

"I think you are going to like it here, Sebastian."

The baby cooed, kicking his feet in all directions as he waited patiently for her to finish.

Hermione leaned over to kiss his tiny cheek and sighed. Had it only been five days since she'd had her son? It felt like a lifetime ago. Technically, it was six days now since his birth. It was well after midnight on the thirteenth of July. Sebastian was born exactly on the stroke of midnight on Saturday, the seventh of July, almost a full week past her due date. She had been miserable during the last trimester and was finally glad to be able to see her feet again, even if she still had to bend over a little to look over her still stretched belly. It would take forever for her to get back into shape.

"Oh well, its not like I'm going to get a date anytime soon, so no need to worry about getting fat... right honey?" The baby gurgled in response, and she went to work finishing getting him changed. Gently, she rubbed a cream on Sebastian's bare bottom to prevent rashes, then applied a liberal amount of powder before securing the clean nappy.

His cries had died down, but she knew that he would start up again soon as his feeding time was quickly approaching. She glanced once more at the door, wondering how the other two were getting along but then shrugged. They would have to start to get along if they both wanted her to stay.

She picked up the newly cleaned child, settled into the rocker, and quickly unbuttoned her shirt to feed Sebastian. She wanted to get the baby back to sleep so she could go out and see what Harry and Snape were up to.

Leaning back into the chair, she allowed her eyes to close as Sebastian started to feed.

~00~

In the adjoining room, Severus Snape sat brooding across from Harry, both men trying their best to ignore the other. Sebastian's cries drifted from the other room and had Severus's full attention. He wanted to get up and toss the boy out of the room so he could just be alone with his son and Hermione.

This was not the way he wanted it to be. He wanted nothing more than to go into that room and just be with the two of them, not sitting out here with the bane of his existence, Mr. Bloody Harry 'Pain in the Ass' Potter. His future was in that room, and he was stuck out here with a boy he couldn't stand. Life was going on beyond that door, and he wanted to be a part of it. So absorbed was he in his door watching, he was completely unaware of the other man studying him obtrusively.

Harry leaned back and watched the Professor. It was weird to see him so focused on one single solitary object such as a closed door. He was used to action and precise movements from Snape that watching him sitting silently seemed to be a freak of nature.

To Harry's amusement, the man's attention barely waved from the other room for more than a second at a time. When the older man did happen to look away, he caught Harry's gaze and managed to look menacing at Harry and sneer in his traditional way. Harry simply shook his head, and the man's gaze would return to the door.

Harry couldn't stop his wonderings. This was a part of Snape which he'd never expected to see in his lifetime. This worried man was the same person that had tormented him, Ron and Hermione for years during school. Snape was a bastard, then and now. Nothing had ever changed the man's demeanor, no matter how hard they all tried. He and Ron had decided long ago, Snape was incapable of being happy.

He didn't think Snape capable of any emotions except hate and anger, yet, it was the look in his face, the yearning in the older man's eyes. An obvious yearning to be in the other room and not here that had gained Harry's attention.

The young man leaned forward as the sounds of Sebastian died down. Whatever Hermione was doing, it was working, and he noted with a small grin that Snape seemed to relax a bit when the crying stopped. This was a worried man sitting before him, and one not used to showing his feelings.

"So... " Harry cleared his throat causing Severus to jump slightly and flash his dark eyes to him.

"So... " He let his eyes return to the younger man.

"How long are you going to let them stay here?"

"As long as Hermione wishes to."

Harry nodded and leaned back once again into the leather. "For how long? She can't stay here forever. I mean, after the school year ends she'll have to leave with the rest of us, won't she? And her parents have to be wondering where she is. From the last time I talked to them... "

Severus's eyes narrowed at his words.

"You talked to her parents? When?"

Harry frowned turning inward to think. "I'd say about a couple of months ago. Ron and I were determined to find her, and we contacted them at their office. They said that she took off and they didn't know where she was." He frowned, turning his gaze back to the closed door. "That's not like Hermione, to just run off like that without any word on where she is or how she's doing."

"No, not unless she was forced out." Severus spat out and gave the boy a pointed look.

"Forced out?" Harry looked confused, and Snape shook his head at the idiocy of the boy.

"Her parents threw her out, Potter, tossed her into the world without a care." Snape snarled and stood to his feet. He had no idea that he felt such anger toward her parents until now. Thanks to those selfish, moralistic and prejudiced Muggles, his son could have easily never come to be.

"They... " Harry stood up to face the other man. "Who told you that? They acted very... "

"Hermione herself told me, and you know that she does not lie, especially about things like that."

"They never said... never gave any clue. Those Bastards! I could kill them."

"You will have to stand in line, Mr. Potter. I do believe I have first claim in their blood letting."

Harry watched as the man paced the room in agitation as they both waited to Hermione to return from the other room.

"Anyway... you didn't answer my question." Harry prompted.

"Which was?" Snape retorted with a snarl, causing Harry to grin good-naturedly.

"Are you going to let Hermione and the baby stay, after school ends?"

Severus sighed heavily and promptly collapsed back onto the leather chair. "The offer will stand to her, Potter. I am fully aware that she will be graduating along with the rest of you, but I will extend the offer of my home as hers as long as she wants or needs it. I refuse to let her and our child live in the poverty of which I found her."

Harry nodded, convinced that Snape would indeed take care of Hermione and Sebastian as long as she wanted it. However, knowing Hermione, this wouldn't be a permanent position. She was too headstrong and independent to trust her life to anyone other than herself.

"What will you do if she decides to leave?" he asked, watching the man intently for his reaction. To his surprise, Severus's dark eyes found his, and the man's answer threw him into complete disbelief.

"Follow her, of course."