That Is The Question

That Is The Question

Chapter 2

"Hermione? What's the matter, dear?" A very sleepy Madam Pomfrey held her lit wand to illumine Hermione's face.

"I'm sorry, madam, I wouldn't have disturbed you, but... but..."

After watching Hermione shuffle her feet, cross and uncross her arms, and look everywhere but at Poppy's face, Poppy finally reached out an arm to put around Hermione's shoulders and ushered her into her chambers.

After lighting the room, Poppy gently pushed the distressed young witch onto a thickly-cushioned claw-footed chair and set about making tea in her own little kitchen, waiting for Hermione to begin.

"I was in the library," Hermione began as she slowly started to lose the tension which had been gripping her, "I was in the library and - well... I heard someone, and it turned out to be Professor Snape and... well, I'm not going to deceive you, he was totally pissing drunk."

The vulgar euphemism seemed to exorcise the rest of the constraint in Hermione. She slumped in the chair and sighed, exhausted.

"I have absolutely no idea what he's doing here," she said. Poppy handed her a cup of tea. She cupped her hands around its warmth as she continued unraveling her confusion and worry. "I know for a fact he's still supposed to be in St. Mungo's because I talked to the Healers before they discharged me, and they said it would be a long while before he was up and about again."

"Severus is still in the castle, then?" Poppy asked, her brows creased.

"Yes, he said he was going to bed."

"Good, then, we needn't worry about him again until morning," she said dismissively and sipped her tea. "Go on, dear."

"Well... I'm not really sure what else there is to say." She paused. Poppy waited. "I don't know, I mean I'm obviously worried about him... physically... but...well you know that I... that I..."

"Saved his life?"

Hermione exhaled gratefully. "Well, yes. There's that and also...there's also another matter... which... which... well, it's quite delicate, you could say..."

"Hermione," Poppy said firmly, looking her in the eyes, "you have assisted me wonderfully in the past few weeks, with St. Mungo's overflowing with patients and the extra ones they've sent here... well, it's been a nightmare. However, you have handled the stress with the maturity and grace of someone much older than yourself. I have learnt to trust you a great deal. I hope you have learned to trust me as well. If you should choose to place your confidence in me with regard to anything, I promise that trust shan't be misplaced."

Hermione smiled mistily, attempting to cover her sentiment by taking a sip of Poppy's spice tea.

"Thank you." She paused. "After Harry and Ron and I found out that Snape – I mean, Professor Sna-"

"That's quite all right, dear."

Hermione giggled. "When we found out that he had been a double agent against Voldemort all that time... and that... well, that he..."

"That he loves Harry's mother?"

Hermione gaped. "You knew?"

"I know many things about Severus," said Poppy as she sipped her tea.

Hermione shook her head, assimilating the new information. "Yes... as I was saying, when we found out... well, to be quite frank, it shook a world that was already shaking violently. I felt horribly guilty for thinking so badly of him all those years and I didn't know what to do... All I knew was that a man who... who had... done that... mustn't... ought not ...to... to die like that! It was...it was terribly, fiercely wrong!" She attempted to still her shaking and wiped her face with her sleeve. Poppy moved to the chair beside her, taking her hand.

Hermione continued. "When I found the vial, I was so... so relieved that... I felt suddenly so tired that I... I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember was waking up in St. Mungo's..."

Poppy got up, replaced her own cup in the kitchen and refilled Hermione's with the soothing spice tea. Sitting down again, she peered into Hermione's face as she took a long, slurping sip.

"The... Healer told me... after I woke up... I remember he had the strangest look on his face... Well, it was a million to one shot that it could have happened. But it did. It did happen. In the process of... of saving his life, our blood mixed. I had quite a few wounds myself and, well, there you have it."

"Dear, Severus... he has not communicated a disease to you?"

"Oh, Lord, no! No, nothing quite so... Well, in short, the Healer said that it may be possible that we have created a... a Lifebond."

" A Lifebond?"

"I had never heard of it, either. That's what I was trying to find in the library tonight. Apparently, it's very rare. I'm hoping that that hasn't happened with... with Snape and me... but... but I think it has. Except it might not have, because how would I know what that would even feel like?"

"Do they have no magical tests for this sort of thing?" Poppy said indignantly.

"Well, according to the Healer, the last medical record of a Lifebond occurred in 1528." Poppy smiled as Hermione began to sound like herself again. "The mixing of blood and the actual moment of salvation have to occur roughly within 3.33 milliseconds of each other. In addition, there has to be some sort of communication between both subjects, in order for the bond between their respective magicks to arrive."

"Did the Healer say anything about the likelihood of the two of you having created a Lifebond?"

Hermione looked down at her tea. "He said that none of their testing apparatus could possibly show anything other than the fact that it appeared that the magical properties of both Snape's and my blood have altered... somewhat."

"Somewhat?"

"A bit."

"A bit?"

"Dramatically, was what he actually said," Hermione relayed in a small voice, apparently trying to shrink into her tea.

0o0o0o0o0

"Well, Poppy? How may I assist you?" Severus Snape drawled.

"You may assist me by sitting down and eating precisely everything on this plate," replied the older woman, pushing him forward to the chair in her office.

"I have already partaken of breakfast," Severus said silkily, looking down at her underneath his heavy eyelids.

"Oh, you have in fact eaten?"

He glowered.

"We can have this silent debate of wills as long as you want, Severus."

Silently, he sat and slowly began to eat the eggs in front of him, clearly showing his distaste.

"It's true, Severus," Poppy said, going around to the other side of her desk. "Breakfast is not just coffee." She sniffed. "And it is certainly not brandy!"

"I had a headache," he said, blandly.

"Hm... I wonder why," she said, pursing her lips and raising her brows.

He smirked and slid his fork from between his lips smoothly.

"That's quite a trick," Poppy said, dryly. "Now, Severus, we have other matters to discuss."

He swallowed. "Such as?"

"Such as the matter of a brilliant young woman to whom you may or may not have recently contracted a Lifebond."

He choked.

"There are worse things, Severus."

He wiped his mouth and sneered. "Very true. I suppose I could have contracted a Lifebond to a Blast-ended Skrewt."

"Severus," Poppy said, sharply.

"Very well," he said, silkenly.

"Just so," she replied, primly. Getting to the point of their tête-à-tête, Poppy added, "The two of you must talk. Hermione!"

Hermione entered quietly.

"Please attempt to behave like an adult, Severus," Poppy said and exited.

0o0o0o0

It was just like Poppy to leave him alone in what promised to be deucedly uncomfortable situation.

"Well, Miss Granger," Severus said, consciously taking Poppy's chair behind the desk, straightening the sleeve of the robes he had obtained from the house elves. "Are you also of the opinion we should discuss this tragedy which has befallen us?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione said bravely, consciously standing beside the desk. "I do."

"Very well, then."

Hermione fidgeted.

"Sometime this century, Miss Granger."

"Oh, you're quite busy, are you?" Hermione said tartly.

Severus glowered, biting back the urge to subtract points from Gryffindor. "Shall we spar, or shall we talk?" he inquired slowly.

"I believe talking might be a better use of our time," Hermione agreed. There was an uncomfortable pause. "Well, let's get right down to it, then." Hermione sighed. "The Healer said there was a dramatic change in the magical properties of our blood, but that's all they know. Have you felt anything different?"

"Not markedly," he said succinctly.

"Neither have I... at least... no, not markedly."

He ignored her hesitation. "I suggest we do our best to live without each other."

She blinked. "Oh... yes... Yes, why don't we do that?"

"The matter is settled, then." He stood and bowed. "Miss Granger."

Exiting the room, Hermione's sigh of relief reached Severus' ears. He smirked bitterly.