Choices: Chapters 101 to 110

Summary: He was a fool to hold Hermione to her original promise. It was time to rectify that mistake. But it seemed fate, and Hermione had other plans. Can Severus learn to live with the choices he's made, even at the cost of his own happiness?

A/N: The story is written in drabble form, one hundred words per chapter. The brevity of the chapters forces the emotions to stand out sharply against the action. The first forty chapters were posted in the drabble collections – Round Nine through Fourteen. Since so many have asked me to post these as their own story, I've decided to compile them here.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings, etc., of the Harry Potter series are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling and Co. I promise to return them when I am through. Well, most of them anyway.

The Choices We Make

Chapter 101: Control Is A Relative Term

Refusing Severus's offer of help, Hermione Floo'd home almost immediately after her appointment, weariness evident in the effort it took to walk back to his office. He was sure stubbornness kept her from asking Albus if there were quarters available in the castle.

He would've preferred her back home...with him, but he would've settled for just having her in the castle for now, if it came down to that.

The cauldron bubbled merrily, the base of the first vitamin potion almost complete. Severus chopped the daisy root with an economy of precision movements, his mind, however, was not as controlled.

Chapter 102: Quidditch For Newborns

Hermione stifled a yawn as she stepped through. Junior had been particularly active last night, waking her periodically as he moved about. She looked longingly at the worn leather couch in the corner, thinking she'd kill for another fifteen minutes of sleep. "Good morning."

"Morning. Trouble sleeping again?"

"How can you tell? I think Junior's practicing his Quidditch moves. It's never too early to learn the Wronski feint, it seems."

"Try this, it should help. The other two potions won't be ready until after dinner, the Revitalization Draught needs a minimum of twenty-two hours to simmer to reach full potency."

Chapter 103: From Pink to Blue and Back Again

Hermione eyed the bubble-gum pink phial. "Shouldn't it be baby blue, not pink?"

"Hermione." His tone was gruff, but his eyes shone with amusement at her comment.

"Fine." With practiced ease, she flipped the stopper and drank the contents of the phial.

Almost immediately Severus could see the difference in the witch - her eyes sparkled, her skin glowed, even her stance seemed straighter.

"That's amazing, I feel better already."

"Good, it's a variation on the Pepperup Potion. I'm glad it helped.

Hermione smiled. "I guess it pays to have my own Potions master on call."

"So it would seem."

Chapter 104: I Say Hello, You Say Goodbye

Once again, Minerva and Flitwick monopolized Hermione's time at lunch.

Severus barely had time to say hello and goodbye before exchanging Hermione's books with the stack she'd left in his office that morning. He knew it was childish to feel jealous, but how was he supposed to woo her if he didn't talk to her?

"Enter!" he barked, the knock on his door during his office hours startling him. It was rare for him to have a visitor, even rare still for it to be a student, so bold as to seek him out.

Sheepishly, Hermione peered around the doorframe.

Chapter 105: A Nap Is A Terrible Thing to Waste

"Hermione? Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have any more of that potion you gave me this morning?"

Severus shook his head. "It can only be taken once every twenty-four hours. Are you feeling tired again?"

"Just a bit worn out."

"Poppy said you were to take a nap during the day."

"Did she say where I should take this nap? The teacher's lounge is too noisy and I'm too tired to Floo home and back."

Severus led her over to the couch in front of the fire. "How about here?"

Chapter 106: Yours, Mine, and Ours

"You used to like to curl up and read in front of the fire, if I'm not mistaken."

"I don't want to bother you."

"Hermione, it's no bother. If you don't want to nap here, you can always sleep in our quarters."

"Severus, they're not..."

Severus held up his hand. "We've been through this before, they're our quarters. When is your next class?"

"In an hour."

"Lay down." He gestured to the couch, snagging the coverlet she left there the last time she'd used the couch. "I have class in a few minutes, but I'll come back and wake you."

Chapter 107: Down For the Count

"I seem to be intruding on..."

"You need to think of you and the baby." His voice softened as he draped the blanket over her still form. "Please think about moving back to the castle. If not our quarters, I'm sure spare rooms are available. It would be so much easier on you."

His concern was lost; Hermione had fallen asleep almost as soon as she lay down.

Gently he brushed her hair back. "How do I convince you to come back to me?"

Silently he left the office, setting a timer-charm lest he forget to wake her on time.

Chapter 108: The Garden of Snape Revisited

"The Revitalization Draught needs to cool another ten minutes before I can bottle it. Why don't you sit on the patio and have a cupppa while you wait? The garden is rather peaceful this time of day."

"You've sat in the garden?"

"Last night. It was...pleasant."

"You say 'pleasant' as if it were painful," she said with a grin.

"Go, sit. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Severus returned twenty minutes later with two phials and a small package. "There's enough here for five days. The draught and vitamin potion should be taken at the same time each day."

Chapter 109: Sometimes Even Magic Is Not Enough

"Have you given any further thought to moving back to the castle?"

"I suppose it would be the most practical solution, but I still have two weeks left on this month's lease." Hermione groaned. "I can't believe I'm thinking about moving again. I just don't have the strength to pack -again."

Severus shook his head. "Are you not a witch?"

"Yes, I am a witch," she said, a yawn distorting her comment. "A pregnant witch, who seems to be sharing her magic with your heir. It's all I can do to make it through the day and still remain upright."

Chapter 110: A Helping Hand

"That's exactly why you should be here, where I can help you, and not alone in Hogsmeade.

There's a suite of unused rooms just north of my office. It was originally used by visiting House alumni, an event that has yet to happen during my twenty years as Head of Slytherin," he said with amusement. "Stay here and rest. I can have you packed up and moved in short order."

Moving back to the castle made the most sense, but she couldn't shake the notion that she might be giving up something indefinable if she moved back. Hermione sighed, "Fine."

TBC

A/N: And for those of us who are a bit geekier, Chapter 103 can be expressed in hexadecimal format: From #FFC0CB to #0000FF and Back Again

Chapter 104: I Say Hello, You Say Goodbye – A play on the lyrics of the Beatles song, "Hello, Goodbye".

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and kind thoughts, my health is still somewhat questionable, but my husband's surgery went well and he's on the road to recovery. More information can be found on my LiveJournal (see my author's page for the link). Hopefully my life is back on track and I can get back to regular updates (including an update for Dances).

Pearle