Chapter 15

Someone was shaking her arm, and Hermione found herself staring up into two huge, slightly bulbous eyes.

"Prossy is sorry to wake Miss, but Professor Sir is being awake soon and Master says Miss will want to see him. Master told Uppity to bring baby Snape."

"Thank you, Prossy; I do want to see him."

There was a heavy satin dressing gown at the foot of the bed, and a pair of silver slippers that perhaps had belonged to Narcissa. Hermione pulled them on and wandered out into the wide, white corridor. The carpet was forest green, and her feet seemed to sink into it. A small part of her was rather relieved that she was going to live for most of the year at Hogwarts; she could easily get far too accustomed to this level of luxury.

The door of the main bedroom was ajar, and she peered inside.

Lucius sat on the edge of the bed, holding Hugo in the crook of one arm. Severus pushed himself up against a heap of pillows and blinked rather dopily around the room.

"How are you?" Hermione asked, going to the bedside.

"Oddly empty," he said, "and clearly drugged up to my eyes on potions. What the devil have I been given?"

"Apart from a general healing potion, and perhaps a blood replenisher, nutritive potion, vitamin and mineral tonic, pain relief, sleeping draught and a mild sedative? I've no idea. Is there anything else you'd like?" Lucius asked.

"A large Firewhisky and a fag, but I doubt that I'll get them."

"I fear not," Lucius told him. "The smoke would be very bad for Hugo. Here, meet your son."

Lucius handed over the baby with the benign confidence of a father who had obviously had much more to do with his child than Draco ever let on. Hugo kicked his bootee-clad feet free of the shawl as Severus took him rather awkwardly and settled him against his chest.

Severus stared down at Hugo.

"One day, I shall tell you what you put me through, you little monster."

Hugo yawned and screwed up his face. "Exactly," Severus said. "I see you have your mother's nose, fortunately for you. Your hair has no chance of ever being under control, you may develop tolerable bone structure, and simple genetics suggests you will have a spectacular intellect – which is just as well, since you are a quarter-blood and have no established Wizarding family to fall back upon."

"He has us," Lucius remarked, casually examining his own fingernails. "What more will he need, hm?"

"God-parents?" Hermione suggested. Lucius gracefully inclined his head towards her.

"Of course. Who are you going to ask?"

"You," Severus said softly, and the note of cautious hope in his voice made Hermione's heart lurch.

"I would be honoured," Lucius murmured. He ran his finger softly over the baby's head. "Do you have anyone else in mind?"

"Harry," Hermione said.

"And Minerva," said Severus with an air of finality. Hermione smiled, more than happy with his choice. Severus looked down again and Hugo opened his eyes.

They stared at one another: the gaunt wizard with bedraggled greasy hair and the baby, one pair of dark eyes shrewd and mistrustful, the other pair wide, unfocussed and wondering. Perhaps there was a moment of unintentional Legilimency between them, or just a sudden realisation on Severus' part that this small thing, who had lived inside him for eight and a half months, was now a complete and independent person. Severus' gaze softened, and some of the lines smoothed from around his mouth. He raised his free hand hesitantly towards Hugo's face. Hugo made a sudden grab for him, and tiny pink fingers curled around his thumb.

"That's the thing, you see," Lucius remarked, "it's unconditional." There was a slight catch in his voice; he cleared his throat and looked away, suddenly fascinated by the view out of the window.

"It's not – I don't..." Severus allowed his voice to trail away into nothing.

"He's so perfect," Hermione said. It had never occurred to her how miraculous other people's babies were – James and Albus Potter, the Weasley children – they just were. They arrived after nine months of gestation, all pink and wrinkled, and she made the right polite noises and cooed as necessary, but Hugo was different. He was a part of her and Severus, their responsibility, entirely dependent upon them for everything.

"Yes," Severus said, "he's perfect. That's the terrifying part of it."

"You'll muddle through," Lucius told him, patting his shoulder with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "I did, and Draco seems to be making a decent job of it."

Hermione lifted her legs up onto the bed and settled beside Severus with a suspicion that she was going to have to wait quite a while before she would be allowed to cuddle her son.

oooOOOooo

Hermione jerked awake from a dream in which she had been trying to recognize the almost-words whispered by the rustling flowers in the green bathroom. It had been so important that she understood.

She sat up and asked aloud, "What happened to the flowers?"

A low red sunset spilled through the mullioned windows and glowed across the thick rugs, sumptuous bed linens and polished wood. There was an abrupt pop and Prossy appeared at the foot of the bed.

"Did Miss call?"

"I'm sorry, I was dreaming. What time is it?"

"It is half an hour before dinner time," the elf told her reproachfully. "Master says that guests are to sleep as long as they likes even though it is very near dinner time."

"I'd better get up then, Prossy."

"There is clothes over there. Master sends Prossy to fetch them."

"Thank you."

The elf glowered and Apparated away. Hermione looked at the wizard beside her. Without opening his eyes, he remarked, "You shouldn't thank him. He didn't do it for you, he did it for Lucius. Thanking him makes it appear that he acted on behalf of someone outside his family."

"We very nearly are family, aren't we? Are you getting up for dinner?"

"I suppose so."

Severus threw aside the bedclothes and swung his legs off the bed. He ran his hands down his nightshirt, pressing the soft bulge of his belly. "I hope this isn't permanent, I feel positively obese."

"It'll go down over the next couple of weeks; Ginny lost her bump pretty quickly."

He nodded and stood up, wincing as he walked across the room to collect his robes. They dressed quickly and made their way down towards the dining room, Severus walking carefully, as if no longer accustomed to his own body.

"Ah, there you are!"

Lucius popped his head out of a doorway and smiled as though he was heartily pleased to see them, and as Hermione followed Severus into the drawing room, she realised why. Harry and Ginny Potter sat stiffly in front of the fireplace, holding glasses of sherry and appearing no more comfortable than their host.

"Sherry?" Lucius asked solicitously and Hermione nodded. Severus shook his head.

"I promised myself that as soon as the squirt was out of me, I'd drink his health in Firewhisky."

"And why not? One glass of Old Ogden's Old twenty-five-year cask-matured Special Reserve coming up."

Lucius busied himself pouring drinks as Hermione sat down next to Harry.

"Are you all right?"

"Feel like I could sleep for a week," he admitted, "but otherwise okay. You?"

"I'm fine. You did the impossible again, didn't you?"

He gave a self-deprecating little grin.

"Only because I had Snape's help – again. I could tell even the birth magic wasn't going to be enough until he gave me all the magic he'd got. We're lucky we didn't both end up Squibs."

Severus lowered himself into a chair and grimaced.

"I bet you're sore," Ginny said and he glowered.

"No worse than I would have expected; I'm bleeding, which is embarrassing to say the least, my arse is numb, and I still have mild cramps."

"Sounds about right."

Hermione looked at the vase of hot-house orchids on the mantelpiece.

"What happened to the bunch of flowers?"

"Expect it's still at Azkaban, in the cell. Why, d'you want it as a souvenir?"

She frowned. "No, Harry, I want to have a closer look at it. There's something niggling at me about the flowers..."

Lucius clapped his hands and Prossy appeared on the hearthrug.

"Is Master ready for dinner?"

"Not quite yet. One of you, go to Azkaban and bring back the bunch of flowers that was used to Portkey Master Snape and his companions."

Prossy Disapparated with a crack. After a moment, Ginny gave a little gasp. "We could have..."

"Yes, I know," Hermione said, sensing rather than seeing Lucius' discomfort. "We've already realised someone could have sent a house-elf to find us. Kreacher probably knew where you were, too."

"Shit! We could have called him to us!" Harry exclaimed but Lucius shook his head.

"Your elf would not have heard you inside the wards. He might have found you, had someone told him to do so, and he would have been able to go through the wards because they were not designed to suppress elf magic, but your own magic would not have been able to call to him."

"Snape wouldn't have had to go through all that if you'd sent an elf to find him!"

"Mr Potter," Lucius said very quietly, "do you believe that I am not aware of that? Or that I shall not continue to berate myself for it?"

"Don't," Severus told him softly and reached out. Looking slightly bemused, Lucius took his hand. Severus squeezed briefly and let go again, turning his head away to take a sip of Firewhisky.

A different elf popped into sight.

"I is sorry, there is no flowers in Azkaban!" The elf began wringing his ears in his hands.

"There is no requirement for punishment, Hobbins," Lucius said loftily. "It is to be expected that the flowers were disposed of. Return to your normal duties."

The elf released his ears.

"Hessy is telling that dinner be almost ready, Master."

"Very good. We will make our way to the dining room."

Hobbins vanished.

"Do you have a Pensieve, Mr Malfoy?" Ginny asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"Of course. I shall fetch it immediately after dinner."

"We both examined the flowers, Hermione, so if you take a look at my memories and your own, you should see everything that was there."

Over dinner, Hermione realised that her presence allowed everyone else to relax. Because she was completely at ease with both the Potters and the two Slytherins, she acted as a social lubricant. She knew that Harry and Ginny would never be friends with Lucius, but they would tolerate him for her sake, just as he was prepared to act the gracious host for her friends.

Severus and Harry, however, seemed to have acquired a degree of mutual respect that boded well for a genuine friendship in the future. Ginny had a temper when angered, but usually she was as easy-going as anyone who had grown up with six older brothers. She had never had any particular reason to hate Severus, or he to dislike her, as Ginny had been generally well-behaved, good at Potions, and had not suffered from association with Harry in her schooldays since they had been in different years. As Severus and Harry got deep into an argument about the best way to counter an obscure curse, Ginny caught Hermione's eye and winked. Lucius noticed and smirked at them.

The Malfoy elves were doubtless constitutionally unable to produce a bad meal. After an excellent roast dinner followed by blackberry syllabub, Lucius led the way to the library and unlocked a cupboard beneath one of the bookcases, lifting out an ancient Pensieve.

After a brief lesson from Severus on how to extract exactly the memory they required, Hermione and Ginny took turns to place their memories of the flowers in the stone bowl. Then Hermione plunged in to view the results. She emerged almost immediately.

"I was right. Ginny, what's the meaning of pansies in flower language?"

"Depends. Wild pansies – heartsease – mean pleasant thoughts or 'think of me,' purple pansies mean that 'I'm thinking of you', and mauve and yellow pansies mean 'don't forget me.'"

"They were purple and yellow. To me, they seemed out of place with the other messages."

"I reckon they're telling us that we should remember Pansy Parkinson," Harry said. "She gave us the flowers."

"She said, 'You'll get what you deserve'," Hermione said.

"Pansy came along to all the Save Snape meetings," Ginny chimed in. "She worked hard to get the Slytherins on our side, and we ended up being almost friendly."

Severus shook his head.

"That was not Pansy Parkinson. Miss Parkinson and I had an excellent relationship throughout her school career."

"Right," said Harry, leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands, "who do we know who's got it in for Snape and can create an illegal Portkey?"

"I suggest you begin by speaking to Miss Parkinson herself," Severus told him, and Harry nodded. Lucius got to his feet, his heavy grey silk robes whispering.

"It is not too late to speak to the lady now. Do you wish me to call her?"

"Yeah, go on, why not?"

Lucius twitched slightly but made no response, sweeping out of the room to use the Floo in the hall. Harry grinned.

"I wind him up a bit, don't I?"

"Lucius is more tolerant now than he used to be," Severus remarked. "There's nothing like giving house room to a megalomaniac to make one reassess one's values."

"I warned him," drawled an elderly wizard from a painting on the wall, "told him nothing good would come of allying himself to a half-snake. Serpents have their uses but not as one's commanding officer, and certainly not when the serpent is no gentleman. A Malfoy should maintain certain standards."

"That smacks of half-snake prejudice to me," Ginny said with a snort. "That reminds me, Hermione, has your Patronus changed recently?"

"Has it? I hadn't noticed."

"You lie! That was no otter!"

Hermione glanced at Severus but he gazed calmly back.

"Go on," Harry urged her, so she sighed, drew her wand and cast the charm.

A long silvery shape burst from the tip of her wand and undulated around the room. It was unmistakeably snake-like, although it bore a plume of feathers around its head and down its back.

"Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent," Severus said. "The patron god of the Aztec priesthood and god of learning and knowledge."

"Close enough to the Slytherin mascot," Ginny stated smugly. "You should be flattered. She loves you for your brain, not just the wild passionate sex."

A slight blush rose over Severus' cheekbones, and he scowled at Hermione. "Have you been discussing our private – damn!"

"Go, me!" Ginny crowed, punching the air. "Don't tell me I just out-Slytherined a Slytherin!"

Harry sniggered and then elbowed his wife as footsteps approached the door.

Pansy followed Lucius into the library. She looked mildly puzzled to see them gathered around the Pensieve on the central desk, nodded a greeting to Severus and sat down on the chair that Lucius summoned for her.

"Thanks for agreeing to talk to us," Harry said, his formal Auror persona wiping out all trace of his recent amusement.

"Sure. I don't know what this is all about, though."

"Do you remember Professor Snape's court case?"

"Of course I do, Potter! It was only a couple of days ago."

"Do you remember what happened after Minister Shacklebolt announced the final verdict?"

"A bit of a riot. Everyone jumped up; I remember hugging Millie and Daphne. Draco was yelling something about arranging a party to celebrate. Why?"

"What happened next?"

"We must have all pushed out together, I suppose."

"Don't you remember?" Harry's voice was gentle and encouraging.

"It's a bit of a blur. We were all incredibly excited. I'd been very worried, you see, and Professor Snape looked so haggard. They shouldn't have forced you to go to court until after you'd had the baby! You looked exhausted."

"I was in labour," Severus told her. "Do you recall actually leaving the court room?"

"Yes, of course!" She frowned as she spoke. "That was odd, actually. I felt a bit dizzy and had to sit down, and when I felt better and looked around, everyone else had gone."

"Ah." Lucius sat back in his seat. "My dear, it appears you were subject to some sort of charm or curse."

"What?"

"Confundus," Harry said. "Or you were Obliviated, or maybe even subject to the Imperius curse."

Pansy narrowed her eyes.

"If you weren't the sainted Potter, I'd think you were trying to frame me for something."

"Someone else framed you, Pansy, not us. Someone who looked like you gave Professor Snape a bunch of flowers that acted as a Portkey to Azkaban."

Her eyes widened in genuine shock. The pupils were open and dark.

"I wouldn't!"

"We know that; we want to find out who would."

"Miss Parkinson, may I use Legilimancy on you?"

She stared at Severus and then nodded sharply.

"Yes, as it's you, Professor, you may."

He gazed into her face with an almost gentle expression, pointed his wand and murmured, "Legilimens." After only a couple of seconds, he lowered the wand again. "Thank you, Miss Parkinson. Potter, you need to find a woman; that is all I can tell you. Miss Parkinson recalls the end of the court case, as she described, and then woke on one of the benches at the back of the court room with a headache."

"Oh, yes," Pansy looked bemused, "that's right. Why didn't I remember that?"

"Because you were Obliviated. You glimpsed a woman out of the corner of your eye immediately before your memory faded completely. I suspect, from the dull headache and lethargy, that you were merely Stunned, your memory of whoever Stunned you rather sloppily erased, and left to come to your senses at the back of the room where you were hidden by the seats in front of you."

"Polyjuice, then," Harry said.

"Indeed. Someone who can brew a rather complex potion..."

"No," Lucius interrupted him. "I know who it was." He got to his feet, robes snapping and swirling as if they were imbued with his anger. "Damn it, this was my fault!"

"How?" Harry demanded. "How was it anything to do with you?"

"Because I gave her the Polyjuice!"

"That Slytherin you told us about?" Hermione asked. "When you came and ..." she cleared her throat, "... visited us?"

"That one, yes. She told Draco that she couldn't obtain credit and he sent her to me, as no doubt she suspected he would. I asked her as a favour to Polyjuice into me ..."

"That is an uncharacteristic thing for you to do, Lucius. You are generally so protective of your reputation."

"We made an agreement that I'd do nothing illegal and she'd go shopping. There seemed to be no harm in it ... Why in Merlin's name did I do that? She might not have actively committed a crime, but she could have made me a laughing stock ..."

"Come here, Lucius. Let me look."

Lucius actually dithered for a moment before going to sit opposite Severus. Hermione suspected that he was not so concerned about his friend poking about inside his head, but rather afraid of what they might find out. Severus gazed into his eyes and Hermione held her breath.

"The Imperius curse," Severus whispered, and Lucius collapsed back into the chair with a groan. "Very lightly applied, more a suggestion than a compulsion. Not easy to spot, although clear enough to one who knows you as well as I do. Who was she, Lucius?"

"Apollina Carrow."

"Carrow?" Ginny shot upright in her chair. "One of those Carrows?"

"Younger sister to Alecto and Amycus," Lucius said heavily. "I gather you knew her older siblings well, Mrs Potter?"

"I'll say! Evil bastards, the pair of them."

"I wouldn't argue with that assessment," Severus told her. "Even Miss Parkinson might concur."

"They were rather over the top," Pansy agreed. "Using the Cruciatus curse on first years who forgot to wipe their shoes was a bit much. Can I go now? I was supposed to be going over to visit Draco and Astoria this evening."

"Of course," Lucius purred. "Thank you so much for your invaluable assistance, my dear. Allow me to see you to the Floo."

"Do you know anything about Apollina, Severus?" Hermione enquired.

"They all attended Durmstrang; the family hated Dumbledore and did so even before the Dark Lord rose. She would have seen her brother and sister only in the summer holidays; she was a great deal younger, so they had left school before she started. I remember meeting her once or twice in the company of Alecto, but she was too young to join the Death Eaters."

"I bet they filled her head with tales of what they got up to," Ginny said with disgust. "The twins and Ron used to drive me up the wall, but I remember hanging on Bill's or Charlie's every word. I bet she was the same."

"Now they're in Azkaban for life," Harry said, "and she wants someone to blame. I put them there, and Severus is the headmaster who betrayed them and their cause."

"How did she ... Hold on," Hermione stared at Harry. "I think we've met her, all of us. Lucius? Would you take a look at this memory?"

He paused on his way back to his seat and watched as she withdrew a memory and placed it into the Pensieve. He leaned over the stone bowl, did not even bother to touch the surface as a tiny picture formed in the reflective mist, and stood up again.

"Yes, that is Apollina Carrow."

Hermione let out a great huff of mingled frustration and relief. "We met her at the Ministry ball; she's Gaius Stott's girlfriend! I knew she reminded me of someone; I spent long enough staring at the Carrows during their court hearing. She was probably there in court as well, but we wouldn't have noticed her."

"Stott!" Harry groaned. "That's how she knew how to make the bloody Portkey; Aurors are taught how to do that for emergencies! I bet he told her all about Azkaban as well; he's escorted enough prisoners there over the last eight years." He got to his feet. "May I use your Floo to contact Kingsley? We need the pair of them brought in as soon as possible, and I'd better warn Ron in case Stott tries anything on him, too."

"Of course."

Severus leaned back in his seat and Summoned a bottle from the dining room.

"I believe we all deserve a drink, do we not?"

Lucius waved airily and conjured a tray of glasses. "Don't jog the bottle; that's a fine old crusted port."

"So it is, Lucius. I hadn't realised. How do you like being a member of the dream team?"

"I could get used to it," Lucius said. "Port, anyone?"

oooOOOooo

Hermione's feet seemed to have developed a magnetic attraction for a sunny room on the first floor of Malfoy Manor. There, she would find the little house-elf, Uppity, humming softly as she washed, changed, fed, rocked and attended to her charge. It was clear that Uppity loved her role as Hugo's nursemaid.

"Did you look after Master Draco when he was a baby?" Hermione asked her. Uppity's ears drooped.

"Yes, Uppity was Master Draco's elf, but Master Draco left home to start his own family."

"Didn't you want to go with him?"

Uppity looked sorrowfully at Hermione.

"Master Draco took four elves to start his home: Uppity's daughter, Downy, and Downy's mate, Puckins, and Whispery and Nudger. Downy is having little elves soon."

"Don't you go to visit them?"

"Uppity goes with messages and Downy comes here. Downy is getting a fat elf!" She mimed a large round stomach. "Master Draco says that when Downy's baby elf is ready to be born, Uppity is allowed to be with her! Master Draco is a very kind master."

"That's good," Hermione said. She was wary of accidentally hurting the feelings of Lucius' elves. Uppity pointed at a pile of baby clothes, which floated to an oak dresser and folded themselves neatly into the drawers.

"Miss is not to think bad thoughts about Uppity's family!" the elf squeaked suddenly.

"Oh, I don't!" Hermione protested immediately. "In fact, I'm getting extraordinarily attached to at least one member of your family."

Uppity sniffed.

"Miss is not a good Miss."

"Why?"

"Master thinks you is a bad Miss!" The elf stamped a tiny foot on the floor, although not loudly enough to wake the baby.

"Why, Uppity?" Hermione felt something clench in her chest.

Uppity folded her arms and scowled.

"Master is telling Master Snape that you is a bad Miss! Master is telling Master Snape that you isn't making an honest wizard of Master Snape, and Master is a governor of Hogwarts, and he says Headmaster ought to be happily married and be an honest wizard and not make baby Hugo Snape have unmarried parents! Master Snape says you isn't having him because you is too good and too young for Master Snape."

"Master Snape is an idiot," Hermione breathed, once she had worked out what the elf was talking about.

"That's what Master says," Uppity squeaked. "Master says Master Snape needs a clip round the ear. Master Snape says Master is a poncy dunderhead."

Hermione stifled a chuckle. "I bet he did."

"Uppity isn't liking it when people calls her Master a poncy dunderhead, so Uppity is hoping Miss will marry Master Snape and make him stop." Her ears drooped and she looked at the cradle. "But when Master Snape goes to Hogwarts, little Master will go too."

"I wonder if Lucius will loan you to us, just to look after Hugo until he's old enough to go to school ..." Hermione suggested tentatively. Uppity looked horrified.

"Uppity is a good elf! Uppity doesn't want to go and live with those wild elves at Hogwarts!" She lowered her voice to a squeaky whisper. "There is wicked elves there! There is free elves!" She shuddered.

"We'll just have to ask Master Lucius to invite lots of people with babies to come and stay, so you can look after them."

Uppity puffed up her chest inside her starched pillowcase.

"Uppity is looking after Master Scorpius when he is visiting and Master Hugo when he is visiting, and Uppity will look after other babies when they arrive. Miss is not to be interfering with Uppity!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Hermione assured the elf and, after leaning down to kiss Hugo's downy head, left the room in a very thoughtful mood indeed.