The Osgood Family Secret

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o 37 o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Osgood Family Secret

She was in a stone corridor lined with sturdy wooden doors and fallen debris. Huge fireworks and jets of bright lights lit the high ceilings of the corridor, the fireworks replicating themselves with each contact of the misfired spells. Hermione followed the curve of the corridor, keeping tight to the wall to avoid the jets of bright lights shooting around her. She was being followed, and down the corridor ahead of her, the person she sought eluded her, the hem of his dark robes always just at the edge of her line of sight. A loud explosion echoed off the walls around her, followed by another, frightening her.

Hermione pressed herself against the nearest door for what little protection it could give her, and she heard an angry voice growling behind the door: "Did you really think that it would be like in the dreams? Or possibly like our first coupling under the influence of your curse? You silly girl, reality rarely is." Hermione staggered backwards in shock, stumbling into another door, and Severus' voice became louder. "Honestly, do you really wish to be married to me? Do you expect me to think that I'm the man you would've chosen to marry? You did this with a spell – Dark Magic to be precise. You entrapped me into this – where this is the consequence. You are now stuck with me. Deal with it..."

"I don't like it; she was my girl, and he stole her! Snape! And now she's with him. Why him of all people?"

"I love you too, Ron," she started to say, but instantly knew that her feelings for him were not the same. "But as a best friend, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen," she said as he turned, but not before she saw the pain and hurt in his blue eyes, and he ran away. "I didn't choose him, Ron! It just happened!" she shouted after him. Too late; he was gone.

"I have not asserted my husbandly rights on you – even though you are my Bonded mate," Severus said smoothly, moving forward, matching her step for step. "As you are well aware, I have respected your wishes in every way while you deny me mine."

"I have you, Hermione. You made the arrangement, which we consummated. In regards to wanting you– we're Bonded. You're my wife. Why wouldn't I expect you to be in my bed?" he asked, kicking a large chunk of rock on the floor aside easily with his foot as he moved closer. "And I want to know why." He was so close she could smell the scent of cedar from his robes, mingling with the patchouli and citrus scent of his soap.

Hermione reached out for her, crying out, "Mum, wait... I haven't!" as Severus' fingers stroked her clit, making her knees buckle.

The owl tapped on the window again, this time more insistently.

"Maybe we should check on her?" Wendlynne asked, and a bit of bright light made Hermione turn her head.

"No, let her sleep. She came in late last night, and she does have a free period before Herbology," Alestra said softly. "Besides, it sounds like she's having a good dream."

Herbology? Monday? her sleep fogged mind asked.

"But she never lies in," Deborah said.

"When is...? Wh-hawt time?" Hermione asked as she rolled over, yawning.

"Hermione, I'm sorry to wake you," Wendlynne said, still holding one side of her bed hangings open.

Hermione sat up abruptly and stared at the girl. "What time is it?" The events of her evening came crashing down on her. She and Severus had stayed with Mr. Prince for at least two hours, maybe longer. Afterwards, Severus had taken her to the hillside of a lovely valley overlooking a lake. They had walked all the way to a quaint little village, identifying various plants and talking about which clubs she'd like to join and what projects she might try. They had enjoyed a leisurely dinner in a small inn, then had taken a stroll along the country road and had drinks in a local pub.

Afterwards, very late in the evening, Severus had Apparated them to the gates of the school. They had walked in relative silence through the castle, all the way up to the seventh floor, and stopped in front of the gargoyle. When Hermione had wished him goodnight, Severus had insisted that she go up to his rooms, which she'd protested, stating that it was late and she had school work to do. She'd hated the way his expression had become stony, hated it even more that he'd crossed his arms, remained silent, and had just stared at her.

"I really do have work to do – that has been put off all day to spend it with you."

He stood watching her at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed. "Fine. Go," he finally said, holding his hand out, indicating the way to her common room with his hand.

She'd hesitated as she decided what she wanted to do. Even the gargoyle had looked inpatient with her. She had finally relented to stay for a while longer and followed him upstairs. He had opened his door, allowed her to enter, and then had followed her up to his sitting room. They had sat in silence for a while, and Hermione had tried several times to engage him in conversation, but he'd resorted to his usual avoidance to her questions or had given only minimal answers. So, she'd started going through the copies of the Daily Prophet he still had stacked on his coffee table while he had read another – what had looked like this morning's paper, not an old one. When she'd had enough, she had risen to leave. He had walked her to the door and opened it for her, but he hadn't tried to kiss her. It had been awkward as she had stood there, stared at him in anticipation, and wondered if he would – but he hadn't. And as much as she'd tried to concentrate on her essay in the common room afterwards instead of why he hadn't kissed her, her mind had kept wandering to why he'd been so petulant that night.

"Well, it's six thirty; if you don't hurry, you'll miss breakfast...," Wendlynne stated.

"Thanks, Wendlynne," Hermione said as she scrambled from her bed and quickly dressed. She picked up her revision guide off her bedside table and checked her watch. She had an hour break after breakfast. Blake said something about Quidditch practice, I think... I might catch him at breakfast and ask. She looked up. Ginny's bed was empty. Probably already at breakfast. She wondered briefly what Harry and Ron were doing today. She packed what she'd need in her bag and hurried off for the Great Hall.

*

Severus walked to breakfast in a foul mood. Not only did it seem that he was losing ground with Hermione instead of wooing her, his inquiry into the identity of the blond wizard he'd seen in Ashton Foulkes' memory was at a standstill. Or at least it seemed that way.

The wizard Lucius had identified as Clemet King or Clement Richfield, he now assumed was his mother's brother, Charles Prince, and there was a definite family resemblance. The location of Charles' last known address matched the same general location of the Osgoods, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to believe that they knew each other, especially considering what Severus knew of the man. Charles Prince, aka Clemet, and the blond wizard were definitely involved in the poisoning of his great-grandfather. That could only mean the men were after the Prince family estate, assuming of course that Talfryn still had money. At one time the Prince family had been quite wealthy. Who knew if the old wizard still was? Although, Severus was willing to assume he was.

The thing was the blond wizard looked younger than Charles John Osgood, the son of John Howard Prince, more like Severus' own age if not slightly older. It was possible that Charles Osgood had a son – very possible.

Severus decided that he'd just have to ask Minerva for the school register for the 1940s and see if his uncle and Charles Osgood attended Hogwarts, and while he was at it, check the 1960s register to if there was any other wizard with the name Osgood. He couldn't recall anyone by the name Osgood in his year...or the year above his... and definitely not in Slytherin while he'd been a student. There was a girl in Hufflepuff who had been a second-year when he'd started teaching... but whether she had a brother or not should be easy enough to check on.

Severus neared the first floor landing of the marble staircase and watched as Hermione dodged through the students on the landing ahead of him, rushed down the stairs, and hurried over to a group of young men in the Entrance Hall. She came to an abrupt halt next to Mr. Blume and touched his arm. Severus watched from his vantage point at the top of the stairs, suppressing a feeling of jealousy as Mr. Blume turned, smiled, and touched her arm in response. The young men shifted to allow Hermione room in their little group as she and Mr. Blume spoke. Severus clenched his jaw upon seeing Mr. Blume's expression and how very intent he was toward his wife.

He couldn't see Hermione's face, but, by the body language of the four boys, all four of them were apparently on friendly terms with his wife. In fact, he'd seen her with Mr. Blume and Mr. Carlin a few times in the Revision Hall and several times working with Mr. Blume in the library, sitting with their heads close – too close in his opinion. Mr. Blume nodded and looked up at his friends. Mr. Stewart shook his head, and Mr. Carlin laughed, shaking his head.

Hermione nodded, and Mr. Blume placed his hand on her lower back briefly, his body language indicating that she go with him. The other boys parted to allow her to pass and then closed behind Mr. Blume and Hermione to follow them...

"Excuse me, Headmaster," a female voice said as the owner of said voice scurried around him, taking his attention off Hermione for a second.

"Stop running in the corridors, Miss Wellington," he barked, making several students stop and stare or slow their own progress. "Five points from Ravenclaw." When he looked down into the Entrance Hall again, Hermione was gone. Severus ground his teeth in annoyance. He was certain that she hadn't gone down the stairs to the dungeons; she didn't have Potions until tomorrow, which meant that she had gone outside with the boys. Scowling, he walked purposefully for the front doors. Hermione did not have Herbology at this hour, and she didn't take Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid had lessons – lower years, he believed – so she wasn't going there. No, Hermione had gone out onto the grounds with those boys.

By the time he stepped through the oak doors and reached the top of the stairs to the school grounds, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Cursing silently, he turned heel, his robes flaring out, making contact against the ankles of several students, and he strode purposefully for his office.

Back in his office, Severus stood at the window, staring out at the grounds. There were small groups of students sitting on the grass and a few students tossing a Frisbee. One of the house teams was tossing the Quaffle on the Quidditch pitch, but he didn't see any sign of Hermione there. Besides, he knew that she wasn't overly fond of Quidditch; her friends were, and Gryffindor had not booked the pitch.

Severus barked for Mispy, asking the elf to bring him tea and toast.

~*~

Hermione sat crossed-legged on one of the benches in the bailey after her last class, enjoying the sunshine that pierced through the gaps of the leaves of the camellia bushes. She opened up her revision guide and pulled out her folder. She thumbed through the essays, making sure they were ready to turn in as she checked off her completed assignments in her guide. That done, she looked to see when her other assignments were due, mentally prioritizing which one she should work on next. Charms, she decided, closing her revision guide.

Ginny had wanted to work on their Charms assignment together, but Ginny, Wendlynne, and Veronica were in the Revision Hall on the fourth floor. Hermione still preferred the solitude and quiet of the library. The noise level of the Revision Hall could rival the noise of the Great Hall during meals, even with the dampening charms, the thick tapestries that hung on the walls, and rugs on the stone floor. It was also rather crowded in the evenings since friends from different houses could mingle there. Shrugging, she collected her things and headed for the Revision Hall, hoping that it wouldn't be too noisy.

She was getting used to the furtive glances from the other students and ignored the way they stopped talking when she approached. Rita Skeeter had made another jab at her and Severus in her weekly column in the Daily Prophet. Maggie Whitmire had obligingly verified that she and Severus had yet to sign her forms, saying that, 'the Minister's extension for the request of annulment or for signing the necessary confirmation to validate the couples' Bonding is still in effect, and as such, I am unable to bring this matter to a close.' Rita had taken great pleasure in expounding on the 'undefined period of time' she and Severus had been granted 'to resolve personal issues' and had made broad speculations about her relationship with Severus.

She'd even pointed out to the entire wizarding world that she and Severus were not sharing living quarters: she living in the Gryffindor dorm and he in the Headmaster's suite. Rita had quoted precedence which allowed Hermione to live with Severus, but Hermione already knew them, having looked them up in the library on her own.

Blanche Dakdduk, one of the Hogwarts School Governors, had indicated that the Headmaster was very tight-lipped regarding his intentions toward Mrs. Granger-Snape, but had indicated that he was allowing Hermione to decide if she wanted to reside with him or not – she also stated that she was pleased that he was allowing her to finish her schooling before asserting his rights. Ursula Waddlesworth, another member of the Hogwarts School Governors, had simply stated that the issue was 'tabled until they heard otherwise from the Headmaster,' but that Severus had 'made it quite clear his desire to have his Bonded mate live with him in the Headmaster's tower.' Rita's comments on the quote had made Hermione look like an insolent, spoiled school girl, afraid of her Bonded mate.

Thankfully, according to Rita, Minister Kingsley had refused to comment as had Harry, Ron or Mr. Weasley.

The most disturbing quote was from a 'fellow student and friend of Mrs. Granger-Snape,' which said that Hermione had been seen in the library lately with Blake Blume in 'a rather cozy manner' as well as having 'shown interest' in Lawrence Carlin or Dean Thomas – all of which were utter lies. She and Blake were still partnered for Ancient Runes, Lawrence and she were currently partners in Arithmancy on some very involved and complex calculations, and Dean was merely a friend. However, Rita had extrapolated on the rumor, even bringing up her past 'flirtations' with Harry, Ron, Viktor, and more recently with George and Draco Malfoy.

Hermione was certain that Severus would be furious about the article, but hoped that he didn't think she was the least bit interested in Blake, Lawrence or Dean.

When Hermione entered the huge Revision Hall, it took a moment for her to spot her friends all the way in the far corner. She hurried over and sat down next to Ginny.

"Have you seen the assignment board for Potions? You and I are brewing Polyjuice and Verso-Quixotically Potions. Should be easy for us right? You've already brewed Polyjuice," Ginny said.

"I'm surprised that Professor Reynolds gave us those two," Hermione said and quickly greeted Wendlynne and Veronica.

"I'm not; the Verso-Quixotically Potion uses some of the same ingredients, and it's a really tricky potion. Have you seen it?" Ginny asked, pulling a book from her bag.

"You brewed Polyjuice Potion? When?" Veronica asked, gapping at her in astonishment.

"Yes, in my second year," Hermione said as she read over the potion that reversed the effects of the Quixotically Curse. It was tricky, several of the ingredients were class level B Regulated-Tradable Goods, and the acidity would get rather close to melting the cauldron... and both potions would take a month to brew.

"You're joking, right?" Wendlynne asked.

Hermione looked up at the girl.

"Nope, brewed it in a girls' loo," Ginny said and laughed softly. "So, how about it? We can use them as our N.E.W.T. project if you'd like?"

"Well, I was hoping for something a bit more challenging," Hermione stated as she continued to read the directions. What she really wanted to brew was the Médousa Potion with Severus as her N.E.W.T. project.

"But at least we can be partners in Potions Club if you like," Ginny suggested, angling her head to look Hermione.

"Sure, Gin, that would be great." Hermione's finger stopped right after the boomslang skin on Chimaera eggs... a Grade A Non-Tradable Good. She looked up, shocked. She'd never seen any school potions that required a Grade A Non-Tradable Good. "Gin, did Professor Reynolds say why we're doing this one?"

"Yep, he said it would be a challenge for you," Ginny said with a huge grin, "and I can't wait to give it a go."

"Did you know that your article about reversing the Inferius was in The Quibbler?" Veronica stated, showing Hermione the article, clearly impressed.

Hermione looked up and sighed at the picture on the page. It was taken at St. Mungo's at some point when she'd been about to enter a lift. The image of herself turned her head to face the camera as she walked as if someone had called her name, but Hermione couldn't recall the picture being taken.

"My mum wrote me; she saw your paper in her Charms journal as well as in the Healers' journal," Veronica stated, taking the paper back.

"That was fast," Wendlynne stated, "but then it is you, right? The famous Hermione Granger, er, Snape. Even the Daily Prophet had an overview of your success. 'Course that was on page four – Miss Skeeter's article about your refusal of your Bonded mate made the front page."

"I haven't refused him; I'm just finishing my schooling," Hermione stated, and both Veronica and Wendlynne stared at her. "I haven't."

Ginny turned in her seat to face her squarely. "I've been meaning to ask you how it's going between you two. You were spending more time with him, then you – just stopped. What happened?"

"School work – you know how much the teachers dump on us – it's like they are cramming everything they can on us for our exams," Hermione said, trying to justify why she'd not found time to visit Severus more often. It sounded lame even to her.

"Yeah, just like in our fifth and sixth years," Veronica said. "I'm spending more time in here and the library than with Jeremy."

"Well, why haven't you signed the Bonding papers from the Ministry?" Wendlynne asked, tipping her head slightly.

Hermione sighed. "Severus won't. He said it's – he just won't. So it's a moot point, isn't it?"

Veronica's forehead creased, and one side of her mouth twitched. "So you're staying Bonded after all?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's permanent, isn't it – there is no way to reverse it. So he's my Bonded mate, for better or worse," she admitted.

"Glad you've come to your senses," Ginny said with a grin and a wink. "So, partners in Potions Club?"

"Only if you'll Partner with me in Charms as well," Hermione said, glad for the change of subject.

"You're on," Ginny stated, pushing the potions book at her. "Now, about the potion. So, should we ask Myrtle if we can use her loo?"

"Very funny, Gin," Hermione replied. "I'd rather use the lab."

~H~

Hermione finished her History essay and put it in her folder, then crossed it off in her revision guide. She was up to date with her assignments, enough to give herself a break. It had been a week. A very busy week. Hermione did manage to find times between her revision to look through the Daily Prophets in the library, but not a lot of time. Glancing at her watch, she decided to follow an idea she had regarding the Osgoods.

She did have what she considered a fairly accurate family tree for the Osgoods. John Howard Prince had sired a son with Frances Prince; however, the infant, for some reason, had been registered as Thomas Osgoods' son, Charles John Osgood. Charles, apparently knowing that he was John Prince's son, named his own son John Talfryn Osgood after his grandfather, John Prince, and great-grandfather, Talfryn Prince. It couldn't be plainer; Charles knew he was related to the Prince family and not Osgood's.

She put her things away and went to the section where the old Daily Prophets were. She opened the binder containing the Daily Prophets from the 1970s, knowing that John Talfryn Osgood was six years older than Severus, so she knew he'd have left Hogwarts either in 1972 or 1973. She used the Word-Search Charm on the name Osgood again to save time. This time the announcement was much larger.

Mr. and Mr. Draken Graven

Sturminster Newton, Dorset

The Gravens for some reason struck a note with Hermione. She remembered that someone named Graven was one of the wizards who testified against Severus at his first trial in 1981, in order to get a lighter sentence for himself. She quickly went and pulled out the heavy binder for the period of Severus' trial and easily found the page. There were many pictures in the Daily Prophets during the trials. She flipped through them and found one – a picture of a burly wizard, possibly in his late twenties, in chains between four Aurors standing in the center of the courtroom next to Severus, who was bound by the chains of the magical chair in the center of the courtroom. The caption read, Ludwick Graven, accused Death Eater, testifies to atrocities made by Severus Snape at his trial.

Using the Word-Search Charm again, Hermione flipped through the papers, looking for any other reference on Ludwick Graven. She located the articles covering his trial.

In one of the pictures of Graven from one of the articles, the picture showed some of the people in the courtroom seats behind the accused. Hermione used the Magnifying Charm on the picture. Just behind Graven was a boy who greatly resembled the stocky, blond haired man from the Pensieve sitting with a young dark-haired witch who somewhat resembled a young, gangly version of... Miss Priswell – Severus' great-grandfather's Healer? Cedella Wendelline Graven? Not Priswell – an alias. The young girl was wringing a handkerchief in her hands until the wizard next to her reached over and clapped her hands with one of his. The girl looked up, sat straighter and tried to appear more composed. It made her look arrogant in Hermione's opinion.

Just next to the couple sat an older, well-dressed witch, also looking worriedly at the scene before her. The older woman had the same tall, skinny frame, brunette hair with angled facial features of Talfryn's Healer as well. Only, the older witch's facial features were sharper, but her expression, though it was somber, was not as snooty as the younger witch's. Looking down, Hermione read the article, smiling when it mentioned that Ludwick Graven's mother and sister attended his trial.

She looked at the next edition of the paper and saw the article pertaining to Ludwick Graven's sentencing. He'd been convicted, of course, but the scowling glares of both Cedella Graven and John Osgood in the picture above the article showed how very angry they were at the outcome. Beside the girl, his mother was, understandably, slumped in her seat, crying.

Hoping that Madam Pince wouldn't notice, she placed a marker and shrunk the binder the best she could, then shoved it in her bag and did the same with the binder that had the marriage announcement.

Curious about the older woman, she began searching the Daily Prophets from the 1950s, starting from the latest issues, for any mention of a Cedella Wendelline Graven. She found three.

The first was a birth announcement for Cedella Wendelline in 1957.

Cedella Wendelline Graven was born to the proud parents Draken and Wendelline Graven this last Friday evening at nine fifteen, the seventeenth of May in West Yorkshire.

Next was the birth announcement for Ludwick Hayward Graven from 1952 and finally a wedding announcement for a Miss Wendelline Priswell to Draken Graven. She is using her mum's maiden name as an alias. Grinning, Hermione placed markers for the articles, shrunk the thick binder as much as she could and jammed the binder into her bag between her books.

"Hermione. Blimey, girl, I've been looking everywhere for you," Blake said, walking toward her.

Hermione hoped he hadn't seen her putting the shrunken binder in her bag, ever grateful for the Extension and Disencumber Charms she'd placed on her bag. "You've found me. What did you need?" she asked, trying to mask her guilt at possibly being caught stealing the binder.

"Well, I'm done with my essay and thought you'd maybe want to try working on the translation again. I have two hours of free if you have the time." He sounded hopeful in his usual upbeat attitude.

"Sure, I've got about an hour," she replied, shouldering the strap of her bag, and he smiled.

"Great."

They talked about the translation all the way to the Revision Hall. He waved to his friends, guiding Hermione over to them.

Lawrence Carlin smiled and moved some of his things to make room for them. "You found her," he said as Hermione kneeled on the bench.

"In the library," Blake stated, kneeling next to her.

"So, not much of a search then," Eduardo Delgado, Blake's dorm mate, said with a smirk.

"Very funny," Blake sneered and then turned to her. "So, who does the Charm – you or me?"

"It's my turn," she replied as she pulled out the parchment. "Ready?"

"Always," he replied, grinning, his wand in his hand.

Hermione cast the charm on the parchment, the soft glow from her wand illuminating a nine-inch circle on the parchment.

"Damn, you're good at it now," Blake said, the shield charm from his wand making her hand warm.

He was mumbling as his Dictation Quill jotted down the runes revealed by the spell, but she forced herself to concentrate on her part of the task. She held the charm in place until she knew that she was starting to read the same lines over again. She disengaged the spell and watched the undulation illusion of the curse fall back into place.

Blake double checked what the quill had written down. "Not bad – I've got another five inches of it."

"That's all?" she asked disappointed. She'd hoped for more. "Go again?"

"Sure. Ready?" he asked. The second time he managed to get at least seven inches. "How are you doing?" he asked, looking at her intently as if reading her eyes.

Hermione held up her hand with her fingers fully extended. "No shakes, no blurriness – and the light isn't hurting my eyes."

"Wanna stop?" he asked, flexing his wrist.

She shook her head. "We only have six and a half inches to go; we should be able to finish it tonight," she stated.

He looked dubious, but shrugged. "If you think so, but it's not due until Friday," he said. "I have time Thursday night."

Hermione didn't want to put it off so close to the day the translation was due. "No, I'm fine. Let's do one more and then quit," she suggested, hoping it'd be enough. She cast the charm again, holding her wand steady, keeping the tip of her wand four inches off the parchment, making the nine-inch circle of illumination again. Beside her, Blake maintained the shield between her and the funnel-shaped distortion created by her charm and the curse on the parchment. She was determined to hold the charm until he said he'd finished copying down the revealed runes. She could see him from the corner of her eye, mumbling what he saw as the magical quill copied it down for him. Her eyes felt strained, and she was starting to feel the onset of a headache, but they only had two inches to go, so she was determined to finish up the translation.

"Hermione, stop," she heard someone say from somewhere off to her right. "You're starting to shake, stop."

"We can finish this," she wanted to say, but no words came out.

"Hermione," the voice said, "you're not moving, and I've got the translation already. Stop. We have to stop."

From deep inside her she knew the voice was right: she'd been holding on to the charm for too long. With great effort she managed to concentrate on releasing the charm and mentally braced herself for the backlash of the curse. Her head ached now with a dull pounding, and her vision was starting to blur. She could see the magic of the curse lift toward her as the charm faded, but it dropped just an inch from her wand tip, making the parchment seem to undulate and form rings like a large drop of water falling onto the surface of still water.

"Hermione, look at me?"

She set her wand down, and using her thumb and middle finger of her other hand, she rubbed circles around her eyes to relieve the pain. Someone gripped her chin with rough, calloused fingers, turning her head to the side, making her squint at the bright light from the magically illuminated windows. She could barely make out a curly, brown aura around the head of a silhouette in front of a large rectangle of light. "I'm fine," she finally managed to say.

"No, you're not. Open your eyes, Hermione. Can you see me?"

He leaned in close to her, and for a moment Hermione thought that he was going to kiss her. It felt wrong; he didn't smell right. It wasn't an unpleasant odor, just not the spicy and woodsy smell Severus had, more like leather, musky vanilla, frankincense, and sage, and she tried to pull her head away.

"Hold still," Blake said, sounding to her as if he were talking through a can. "Your eyes are really dilated. I think I should take you to see Madam Pomfrey."

"Don't worry, mate, I'll pack up your stuff," Lawrence Carlin said, sounding to Hermione as if he too was talking in a can.

"Thanks, Lawrence." Blake said. "Give her bag to one of the Gryffindors, will ya?"

"Sure," Lawrence said, and Hermione felt a moment of panic that he'd see the shrunken binders.

Her vision was starting to clear a bit. She was starting to see shadows and forms; she'd be fine in a moment. I can pack up my own stuff, thank you, she wanted to say, but didn't – couldn't.

Blake put his arm around her to haul her to her feet. "C'mon, I think we overdid it. Let's get you checked out, all right?"

Hermione nodded, feeling lightheaded now that she was on her feet. She leaned on Blake as they walked because she was feeling really dizzy at the moment, thankful for his strong arm about her waist. She allowed him to maneuver her through the corridor, thankful that he was avoiding colliding with anyone.

Suddenly he stopped, and his arm tightened on her waist to keep her from falling. "Headmaster," he said in mild surprise. "I was just helping her to the hospital..."

"I can take it from here, Mr. Blume." Severus' voice sounded hard and cold, and Hermione cringed. He bent down and swooped her up in his arms, carrying her as if she weighed nothing at all. He smelled right, the soft musk and cedar scent mixed with lemons, mint, and patchouli. Hermione wrapped an arm around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, trying not to give in to the nausea her dizziness was causing.

When she realized that they had finally reached the hospital wing, Hermione lifted her head. "It's the Bedydrian Curse," she said softly to Madam Pomfrey when she approached them.

"Yes, Professor Botcher informed me that you were working on cursed parchments," Madam Pomfrey stated. "Headmaster, if you'd place her over there, away from the windows."

Severus turned, making Hermione clench her mouth closed and groan as the nausea threatened to make her hurl on him. He set her down on the cot and pulled up a chair. "How long were you and Mr. Blume, I presume, working on the translation?" he asked.

"Maybe forty minutes – or more," she replied, thankful for the cool hand he placed on her forehead. She opened her eyes when he took away his hand. "We were almost done with it."

His face was inches away from hers as he stared into her eyes. "You're not too warm. Was it forty minutes straight or in increments?" he asked.

"Increments – we were on the third try," she replied. She struggled to sit up as the Healer arrived with her potions, and she swallowed the first dose Madam Pomfrey gave her.

"That will help the nausea and dizziness," Madam Pomfrey said, then cast a series of diagnostic charms on Hermione. She asked her to follow the tip of her wand with her eyes as the Healer moved it slowly side to side. "No apparent trauma." She gave Hermione another potion. "This should help your vision."

When Hermione handed back the cup, the Healer insisted she change into pajamas, then helped her into bed. The matronly woman stood up and handed Hermione a warm eye pillow that smelled heavenly of lavender, chamomile, and a hint of eucalyptus. "Lie back and place this on your eyes. No reading or eyestrain for the rest of the day."

Hermione lay there, trying to let her mind relax, already feeling a little drowsy. "Are you still there?" she asked. She could sense Severus near her, but he wasn't making a sound.

"I'm here," he replied softly.

"Thank you for helping me," she said with a yawn.

He reached down and touched her cheek. "You're welcome. Now rest."

*

Severus waited until the Sleeping Potion Poppy had added to the Nausea Potion kicked in, then stormed out of the hospital, intending on finding Mr. Blume, furious that the boy had allowed Hermione to hold the curse long enough to nearly blind her. Three months of detention with him would make the boy more cautious in the future.

~ T B C ~>

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