Chapter Eight

Thanks to peskipiksi -- you are the best! Just swinging in the HP playground. I don't own.

A light snuffling sound broke in on Hermione's recollection. She only wished that she could see the faces she was positive were being made by her friends. She was sure that shock at the Potions master's easier side was the least of the emotions being felt.

Molly came forward and touched Hermione's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I frightened you earlier. It's just we've missed you so." She started crying again, this time joined by Hermione.

Severus said nothing, just handed his wife a handkerchief. Before she could even open her mouth, Severus said, "Yes, I know, why carry one, when your husband does." This snarky remark caused a ripple of laughter to flow through the room.

"So, what happened next?" Luna chirped. "Who handfasted you? Did you have any Swillowswots to bring you luck?"

Hermione smothered a laugh. "I'm not sure about the Swillowswots, Luna, but our luck has been rather good, so there must have been some around."

Luna nodded sagely. "We need all the luck we can get!"

"As to what happened next, well we had to be handfasted as soon as possible because the spell Bellatrix cast on whatever blood or hair of mine that she had was becoming stronger and stronger."

*****

Eileen finished brushing out Hermione's hair and began plaiting it into seven braids. She started with a long, heavy braid at the back, followed by three smaller braids on either side of Hermione's head. The three on either side were plaited again into one larger braid into which Eileen wove a pink and a blue ribbon representing love and loyalty. The two side braids and larger braid were then plaited together with black and white ribbons representing protection and purity, and all was secured by binding the ribbon ends together.

Eileen stepped back and told Hermione. "You look radiant, my dear."

"Thank you, Eileen."

"Hermione, I love my son with all my heart, but I've always wanted a daughter, too. I would like to think that perhaps I might stand in for your own mother."

Hermione started to speak and burst into tears instead. Eileen immediately went to her knees before the girl and gathered her into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, forgive me; and on your wedding day! Oh, Hermione, I don't want to replace your mum, I just... "

"I know," Hermione sobbed. "It's just... I've started to look at you as another mum, and when you said that, it overwhelmed me."

"There, there. Let's get you calm and fix your face. We don't want Severus to think you didn't want to marry him."

Hermione's face took on a rosy hue as Eileen repaired the damage caused by the flood of tears they had shared. She finished none too soon when a knock on the door alerted them to the time. The two ladies, dressed in their transfigured best, followed Severus out into a garden that in the Spring would be bursting with color. Right now, it was various shades of green marked by splashes of red berries, and furred with late season snow. They made their way to a small pavilion decorated with holly and evergreens and bright ribbons. It was here that Severus and Hermione would make their vows to one another.

Eileen led Hermione to the center of the pavilion and helped her to kneel on a soft cushion. As she waited there, she could feel the proximity of Severus as he knelt too, his strength and his magic ebbing and flowing around her. When he took her hands, the magic he possessed tangled with hers, dancing and caressing and joining. When they started the ritual, and Eileen wrapped the ribbons around their hands, their magic began to pulsate and become tangible.

Eileen wrapped the ribbons loosely, but didn't tie them. When she had finished, she spoke. "As you have agreed together to come to this place, in this time, you will now give your vows. Do not take them lightly. The ribbons wll knot themselves as you make your promises one to another. Hermione... "

Hermione took a deep breath to try to control the trembling in her hands. Whether it was caused by fear or the frisson of entwined magics, she didn't know. When she spoke, her words were quiet, but strong. "By the life that courses through my blood and the love in my heart, I take thee to my hand, my heart, my spirit. You are my Chosen One. I wish to desire thee, and to be desired by thee, to possess thee and be possessed by thee. I wish to hold thee, and to be held by thee; I wish to love thee, and be loved by thee."

Severus thrilled as she spoke these words to him. The magic was dancing around him now, and he took his turn to repeat the same vows to Hermione. As they both spoke, the ribbons wrapped around their hands cavorted with the magic flowing around and between them, and tied themselves in knots, binding the two for a year and a day.

When the ribbons were tied, and the magic dulled to a low roar that both could still feel hovering just within reach, Eileen declared them handfasted and then said, "You may kiss your bride, and after one year and one day you may choose to finish the vows and seal yourselves one to the other, forever."

Severus and Hermione, both somewhat shy in the aftermath of the ritual did indeed kiss. Severus pressed his lips softly against Hermione's and she reciprocated. With a gentleness no one knew him capable of, Severus gave Hermione her first taste of passion. An easy kiss, all soft lips and tentative tongues, ignited something in the two lonely souls that were now bound.

*****

The handfasting ceremony was complete, and Eileen smiled brightly at her son and new daughter. "Come you two, let's go enjoy your wedding supper."

The trio made their way back to the Lodge. "I wish I could see all this," Hermione remarked as they walked through the snowy garden. "I imagine it is beautiful still covered in snow, but starting to come to life." The wistful tone made both Severus and Eileen flinch in sympathy.

Eileen quickly answered. "Hermione, I will be your eyes for you until Severus finds a cure for your affliction. After your honeymoon is over and the weather moderates, we will start taking your exercise outside if that suits you."

Hermione's face couldn't have been anymore animated and happy. "I would love that, Eileen."

Eileen smiled and touched Hermione's hand. "Mum," she said before hurrying ahead of the new couple.

The three made their way to the dining room and were dazzled by the repast the house-elves had laid out. All of Hermione's favourites, and a fair few of Severus' were laid out for everyone to enjoy. Severus took Hermione by the arm and led her to the table where they sat and started to eat. Food was washed down by a light, delicious wine, and tea was served with the wedding cake that was pudding. After everyone had eaten their fill, an ice bucket bearing a bottle of sparkling wine appeared at Severus' arm. He poured each a glass, and the now extended family shared a toast to the newly bound couple.

"May your every wish come true," Eileen toasted Hermione and Severus. She soon excused herself for the evening and left the two alone.

*****

"I never asked you, where will I sleep tonight?" Hermione's quiet voice broke the silence that had stretched a little too long for comfort.

Severus drained his glass, and pondered his answer before he spoke. "Unless you have a valid objection, I would prefer that you move into my rooms. The ones you have used are normally guest rooms. I will, of course, follow your lead."

Hermione let out a breath of relief. "Oh! Thank you, I was afraid you wouldn't want to be more than... "

"Hermione, for all intents and purposes, you are my wife, if only for a year and a day. As such, I will give you your due, and I never want to sleep apart unless we have to." Severus went to Hermione's side and knelt down in front of her chair. "I am a difficult man, I know. I won't always say or do the right thing, and I am quite sure your feelings will be shredded more than once. I can promise that I will try to reign myself in around you. I feel more at ease in your presence than I have in anyone else's, including my mother. I don't know why I feel that way, but I will try not to ruin that."

Hermione reached a hand out, and touched Severus' face. "I will try to do the same. And I will always give you the benefit of the doubt because you ask it of me."

Severus leaned his face into Hermione's small palm. "Shall we retire, my dear?"

A most becoming blush stained Hermione's cheeks. "Yes," she answered just a bit breathlessly.

*****

The next two weeks passed by too quickly for both Hermione and Severus. They spent a portion of their time trying to find a counter-curse for the one that Bellatrix had used to blind her, but the majority of the holiday was spent learning each other. The requisite consummation out of the way, Severus and Hermione determined to make that facet of their relationship more important than just an act done to keep Hermione safe.

Hermione was sitting in the library in her favorite chair when Severus came to take his leave. He had stayed in the Vale for as long as he could, but now it was time for him to return to Hogwarts. Fortunately for him, the Dark Lord had been out of the country chasing down some illusive magical tome, and Severus had not been summoned over the Easter holidays. Severus was well aware that break would be over too soon, and for the first time in a long while, he dreaded his return to the real world.

He stood in the doorway and looked at Hermione sitting by the window. She was bathed in a mixture of firelight and the moonlight that flooded through the windowpane. He hated to disturb her, especially to take his leave, but needs must, and he had to get back to ensure he was ready for classes the next day.

"Are you just going to stand there watching me, or do I get a goodbye before you leave?"

Severus smiled slightly and moved across the room to take a seat next to his bride. "I just wanted to capture this image of you for when I return to school. I won't be able to come back until the middle of June because of exams and my extracurricular work."

Hermione bowed her head. "I know, and I will miss you terribly." A pink flush crept up her throat and suffused her cheeks. "I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep alone in that big bed."

Severus snorted. "You, my dear, have no trouble sleeping anywhere, if the occasion calls for it."

Hermione laughed. "Thanks ever so... " She said. "I truly will miss you, but I'm sure that Eil... Mum... and I will be quite busy trying to figure out the genealogies we have been working on."

Severus ran his fingers along Hermione's cheek. He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, coaxing her to open to his kiss. His fingers ghosted down her throat and across her collarbone until they gripped her shoulder. His other hand he tangled in her long, curly tresses. Hermione returned his kiss with fervour until he broke away reluctantly. Leaning his forehead to hers, he spoke softly, breath puffing across her face. "I must go," he whispered. Then he was gone.

Eileen met him in the hallway as he made his way to the front door. "Please, Son, stay safe."

Severus kissed his mother's cheek and nodded. "I will certainly try."

"That is all I can ask," she sighed as she followed Severus to the foyer. "Is Hermione still in the library?"

"Yes, she was trying to keep from crying in front of me, so I left her as soon as we said our goodbyes. I refuse to make this any harder on her."

Eileen looked at her son. "Do you think she conceived?"

"I don't know. It's possible that our luck held out. I did everything that I could to keep her safe, but I also didn't want to treat sex as something we simply did to protect her from Greyback. That would have done more damage, I think." He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't see any reason in bringing it up to her as of yet as she hasn't shown any magical symptoms. Of course, she could develop them in the next week or two. You know what to look for."

Eileen hugged Severus. "I read that book you found, and I will certainly keep my eye on Hermione. I'll contact you only if I need to."

"Thank you, Mum. I need to get to Argante. I'm running out of time to cover my trail from here to Hogwarts. Goodbye."

Severus turned and billowed away as Eileen stared after him. The cold evening air forced her to shut the door, and she took a few moments to settle herself before returning to the library and her daughter-in-law.

*****

Several weeks passed, and the weather began warming up. Eileen and Hermione spent as much time as they could outside, enjoying the warmth of the Spring that was blossoming over the Vale. Eileen had kept a sharp watch over Hermione, watching for magical signs that she might be pregnant. So far, nothing had happened and she was beginning to feel both relieved and a touch sad.

Hermione was working on yet another genealogy when it happened. She was standing by a bookcase, levitating one enormous tome back to the shelf it rested on when she experienced a sharp surge of power. The shelf she was aiming for exploded, and papers and wood splinters went everywhere. Hermione's startled shriek drew Eileen's attention, and she rushed to her daughter-in-law's side. "Hermione, what happened?"

Before she could answer, Hermione began to feel nauseous. "I'm going to be sick," she groaned. Eileen barely had time to conjure a bucket, when Hermione began retching. Eileen held Hermione's hair back out of her face and then sponged her face off when she was done.

"Are you all right? Can you get up?" Eileen queried anxiously.

"I think so." Hermione groaned wearily. "I haven't ever felt so bad before. What's wrong with me?"

"Let's get you to bed first. Then we will see."

Eileen called Posey to prepare the bed in Severus and Hermione's room, and then she helped Hermione ease off the floor and down the hall. They had to stop twice more at the onslaught of the nausea that overwhelmed the younger woman. She was quickly tucked into bed and dosed with an anti-nausea potion. Hermione promptly fell asleep, and Eileen performed the ancient spell Severus had found in the library. Glowing white runes crystallised and danced above Hermione's sleeping form. They settled into a pattern and then shifted color. The runes shaded into a deep blue before fading away.

Eileen settled heavily into the chair Posey had placed beside the bed. 'Pregnant,' she thought. 'I'm going to be a grandmother!' She pushed herself out of the chair and called for Posey, trying not to disturb Hermione. Posey Apparated in and promised to watch over the sleeping girl throughout the night while Eileen tried to get some sleep herself.

The next few weeks were hard on both Eileen and Hermione. Hermione was constantly sick and having problems controlling her magic, to the point that she was put on bedrest by both Eileen and Posey, and told not to even turn over without help. Hermione's independent nature fought against this stricture, but another part of her felt so ill that she simply obeyed without protest.

Eileen sent an owl to Severus as she had reached her wit's end, and Hermione was beginning to lose weight from her illness. She did everything she could to make sure that Hermione and her baby were safe, but she knew she needed potions that she couldn't make and didn't have access to. By the middle of May, her owl still hadn't been returned, and she began to worry that she wasn't able to do enough and that maybe, just maybe, Severus was hurt or worse. Just as she was about to leave her sanctuary for the first time in years, the front door banged open, and in a swirl of robes Severus was there.

He was pale and haggard, but he forced himself to face his mother. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. There was an incident with the Dark Lord and I have been under house arrest in Poppy Pomfrey's care for the last three weeks. She held the letter you owled, and if not for my attempt to leave the hospital wing today, I would not have received it." Severus rolled his eyes. "She tried to stop me from leaving, and I fell into her desk. When I braced myself to straighten up and walk out, I saw your seal on a scroll. Poppy will not keep my things again."

Eileen burst into tears. "Oh, Severus, I'm so glad you are finally here. Hermione has been so ill. I don't know what else... "

"You can explain as we walk. I need to see Hermione."

*****

Severus entered his bedroom to see Hermione kneeling on the floor, Posey holding her hair as she was sick into a bucket the elf had conjured. He immediately went to her side and took over from Posey, telling the house-elf to go to his lab and get the emerald green bottle from his stores. Posey disappeared as soon as he was finished speaking, and Severus then turned his attention to his wife.

"Hermione, I'm here. We will get you better as soon as we can." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and gently cleaned her face.

"Severus, you're home." Hermione said nothing else as sobs wracked her body.

He picked her up and laid her on the bed that Eileen had cleaned and changed as she waited. A wave of his wand had Hermione freshened and changed into a clean nightgown.

"Everything will be fine now, Hermione."

Posey Apparated back into the room and handed Severus the emerald green bottle. He uncorked it and coaxed a dose into Hermione's mouth. She swallowed weakly, falling asleep before Severus had the bottle resealed. He sat back on the edge of the bed and brushed the tousled hair from Hermione's face. Then pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, he stood from the bed.

"Posey, watch over her; if she needs anything I will be in the library."

"Yes, Potions master, Posey will watch the Miss."

Severus left the room followed by Eileen. Neither said anything as they made their way to the library. Severus made his way to Hermione's chair and too the seat next to it. "Tell me everything," he demanded of his mother.

"She had no symptoms until the end of April. Her magic has been erratic, and she has had morning sickness just about all day for the past few weeks. I wasn't concerned until she started losing weight."

Severus nodded. "I was afraid of that. She and I are both descended from the originators of magic. We were bound to create a powerful child. It seems that the Lady was correct that great care should be taken if these bloodlines ever mixed."

Eileen nodded her agreement. "That could be why the only time two of the bloodlines combined was when the Eldest and the Knight joined to create your immediate line." She stood up and paced before asking, "Do you have all the information we need to see this safely through?"

"I believe so. Much of it was in that book you read, the one with the spell to detect the magic of a foetus."

"That's the spell I used to determine if she was pregnant. The usual charm didn't detect it early enough."

"No, it wouldn't; the spell I gave you detects living magic tied into the bloodline. The charm detects the heartbeat. This spell won't work unless one of the parents has the Vale blood. Now we watch and wait and make sure that Hermione stays safe."