In Which Discoveries Are Made

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Thanks to ancientgirl and bekbek01 for all your encouragement and help! And special thanks to my wonderful beta, June.

Chapter 1 - In which discoveries are made

Snape glared down at the three sitting along the lake’s edge. They had completed their Hogwarts education almost four years ago. Why he had to be cursed by their lingering presence, he didn’t know. Still, the Headmaster had requested his co-operation in the matter. He watched now as the Bossy Know-It-All began lecturing her friends about something.

“I told you, Ronald, we are gathering the bog-myrtle in order to complete the potion for our final project. We need this to graduate from University.”

“Hermione,” Ron whined. “It’s just that I don’t see why we couldn’t have gotten it in Diagon Alley.”

“Come off it, Ron,” Harry growled in frustration. “Even I remember what Professor Barnestoodle said about it. It has to be freshly picked bog-myrtle gathered on the seventh day after a full moon.”

“Honestly,” Hermione sniffed.

From his vantage point, Snape sighed. He really didn’t know how Weasley had managed to get into University. He knew the boy had plans to continue on to Auror Training School as well. He was sure the boy wouldn’t have gotten in, if not for the fact of his participation in the downfall of Voldemort.

Even then, during the final battle, the fool had managed to fumble his way into another Death Eater while under the Jelly Legs Jinx. This had caused the Death Eater to fall right into the path of Voldemort’s Avada Kedavra aimed at Harry, thus giving Harry the chance he needed to catch Voldemort off-guard and defeat him once and for all. Snape knew this because he was right there beside Voldemort when it all happened. Voldemort never suspected him as being anything but loyal. In truth, Severus had been doing his job, working for Dumbledore all along. And Dumbledore, who was still very much alive, cleared his name at the Wizengamot soon thereafter.

Snape had lived rather quietly these past few years at Hogwarts. That is, until this.

Dumbledore had requested his guidance for the Golden Trio in their final year at University. “Your assistance is greatly needed in their final potions project,” was what Dumbledore had said.

Severus had agreed but only begrudgingly. While he had shown the trio where the bog-myrtle was, he had not told them how to pick it. Too long a stem, and the potion would boil over. Too short, and the brewer would get a rather nasty surprise as he was turned into a newt. Snape really hoped it would be the last of these.

The Gryffindors had just returned to their bog-myrtle when the shadow of a large bird flew over them.

Startled by its sudden presence, Snape looked up only in time to see it drop something from its mouth. That something was making a horrible shrieking noise and plopped quite loudly into the shallow water near the lake’s edge.

“What was that?” Harry yelled as he pulled out his wand.

Hermione rushed over to the small creature wailing and shrieking in the shallow water. Though the shrieking was nearly unbearable, it had a familiar sound to it that drove Hermione instinctively. She let out a gasp when she saw what it was.

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” Snape bellowed as he hurried down from his perch on the rocks above. “You have no idea what it is. There could be dark magic…” he started to say but broke off.

Hermione was now knee-high in the water, holding what appeared to be a shrieking and crying baby. Snape blinked, but upon closer inspection, realized the creature had a tail – a fish tail.

“It’s a baby,” Hermione said, clutching it to her. “A merbaby,” she finished as she followed his eyes to the tail.

“Bloody Hell!” bellowed Ron as he too stumbled down the rocks, less than gracefully, and saw the baby in Hermione’s arms. He then quickly put his hands over his ears. “Make it stop, Hermione! Make it stop!”

Feeling frustrated, Hermione shouted back, “It’s hurt, Ronald. You’d shriek, too. Harry, go and fetch Hagrid, quickly!”

“I’m off!” Harry shouted over the din and made a quick retreat to Hagrid’s cabin not too far away.

“Bring it here,” said Snape, collecting himself after a few minutes.

Hermione dutifully brought it over to him. Snape carefully and quietly set to healing some of the wounds left from the bird. She watched mesmerized as the wounds magically began to heal while Snape whispered spells that sounded like a lullaby.

There was a great booming bark as Hagrid, Fang and Harry reached the group.

“What’s goin’ on?” asked Hagrid. “Whatcha got there, Hermione?”

“Oh, Hagrid,” said Hermione. “It’s a baby, a merbaby. And it’s been injured.”

Hagrid approached them quickly and took a good look at the babe. “Looks like someone has done much o’ the healing already. Who did this work?”

“It was Professor Snape,” said Hermione, nodding in Severus’s direction.

“Well, he did a good job, then. There’s not much more to be done abou’ this,” said Hagrid.

“Not much more? What do you mean, not much more?” asked Hermione shrilly.

“Yeah, what do we do with it now?” asked Ron.

“Put it back,” said Hagrid with a shrug.

“Put it back!” Hermione said incredulously.

“Yeah, tha's all. It’ll find its own way home,” said Hagrid.

Hermoine looked in desperation at the men surrounding her. “Put it back? A baby? You can’t be serious,” she said in frustration.

"It will go back to its own kind, Miss Granger," said Snape. "Release it."

Hermione looked at the small merbaby sobbing in her arms. “Release it back into the water so some other bird or worse can make off with it? I think not,” she sniffed.

Severus narrowed his eyes. The girl – he corrected himself as he appraised her figure – no, the woman had already grown attached to the thing. Women seemed prone to this. Still, she was intelligent. Perhaps appealing to her reason would work.

“Miss Granger,” he said smoothly. “The merpeople are not known for their kindness. They would not take well to a witch or wizard in their midst. Releasing the child would be the best thing.”

Hermione frowned at him, seeming to have made a decision. “Lac lactis Appareo,” she said with a wave of her wand, and a baby bottle appeared. “Hagrid, it does drink milk, doesn’t it?”

“Can’t say as I know much about the young’uns, Hermione. ‘Tis worth a try,” said Hagrid.

Hermione gently pushed the nipple into the baby’s mouth, and the shrieking stopped. The baby began to suckle hungrily.

“I’d say that was a yes then,” said Harry. “Hagrid, isn’t Dumbledore friends with the merpeople? Couldn’t he help?”

“Good question,” said Ron. “Want me to go and fetch him?”

“Yes, please, Ron,” said Hermione.

“If you insist on this, Miss Granger,” Snape interjected, “might I suggest you lower the child a bit more into the water?”

Hermione glanced down at the babe in her arms.

“It would be more accustomed to the water than not,” he said quietly.

Hermione gently lowered herself and the merbaby deeper into the water, and it did indeed seem happier.