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Time's Up	By : Gotbooks00 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Blaise Views: 23286 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I own many things, but not any recognizable characters, things, or places in the Harry Potter series. Somehow, I doubt that JKR would agree to joint custody…shame, that. Also, no profit is being made from the writing or posti

Chapter List
- 1-Time's Up
- 2-TWO
- 3-THREE
- 4-FOUR
- 5-FIVE
- 6-SIX
- 7-SEVEN
- 8-EIGHT
- 9-NINE
- 10-TEN
- 11-ELEVEN
- 12-TWELVE
- 13-THIRTEEN
- 14-FOURTEEN
- 15-FIFTEEN
- 16-SIXTEEN
- 17-SEVENTEEN
- 18-EIGHTEEN
- 19-NINETEEN
- 20-TWENTY
- 21-TWENTY ONE
- 22-TWENTY TWO
- 23-TWENTY THREE
- 24-TWENTY FOUR
- 25-TWENTY FIVE
- 10
- 11
- 12
Time’s Up, by Gotbooks93

Summary: After successfully hiding the existence of her son for eight years, Hermione is out of luck and out of time. When the father of her child discovers her secret, their quiet worlds are changed forever. Will things become better, or worse? Join Hermione as she finds out.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“What happened to your face?!”

“Nothing!”

“Xander, there’s a huge gash on your forehead!”

“No there isn’t.”

“Alexander, stop trying to flatten your fringe over it- you aren’t fooling anyone.”

“See Father? This is why I didn’t want a haircut!”

“I do see. It seems highly inconvenient.”

“No, Blaise, you do not see. Oh Xander, stop messing with it, let me look…Merlin, how did this happen?”

“It doesn’t even hurt that badly. Aunt Luna already healed all the bruises-”

“Bruises? What bruises? I don’t see any bruises.”

“I told you- Aunt Luna already healed them!”

“Don’t use that tone with me. Now what were you doing to get a bruises and a cut like that?”

“Well, Teddy and I were watching the little telly that Uncle Harry hides in his study, and then we were watching Teen Titans, and then Teddy said BeastBoy was better than Cyborg, and I said he was wrong, because Cyborg can shoot a laser cannon out of his arm, and then Teddy said BeastBoy was better because he can become a giant gorilla like King Kong, and then I said that wasn’t a good argument ‘cause King Kong wasn’t even real-”

“Alexander, please get to the point.”

“Oh yeah. Um, Teddy and I got in a fight, and we both got a little bit banged up, and Aunt Luna healed us up, but she left some stuff so we would Learn Our Lessons.”

“Good for her, I would have done the same thing.”

“Out of curiosity, what did she leave to teach Teddy a Lesson?”

“A wicked bad black eye. And she made him heal it the muggle way, with meat, but you can still see it.”

“Must have been a pretty nice punch. That’s my boy.”

“Blaise!”

“I mean- Alexander, fighting is wrong. I will not have you brawling like a muggle. At least wait until you get your wand so you can duel properly-”

“Blaise!”

“-But of course that would be wrong too, so just learn to talk about your feelings, like some bloody Hufflepuff pansy-”

“BLAISE!”

“Oh Hermione, come on, I can’t have him getting picked on at school. The Slytherins will eat him alive.”

“That’s it!”

“Wait, Mother, where are you going?”

“Inside to find Aunt Luna, since the two of you are obviously daft.”

~(o)~

“Honestly Lu, you should have left him the bruises. They’ll teach him more of a lesson than his father will.” Said Hermione as she entered the kitchen. Harry, who was sipping coffee at the table, laughed at her statement.

“I wouldn’t want to endanger permanently harming your son’s pretty face.” Luna smiled.

“His pretty face is going to get him in trouble one of these days.” Hermione stated. “And probably at least a few of the girls in his year too, in a few years.”

Luna laughed, sliding into the bench beside Harry. “All jokes aside, have you spoken to Ginny lately?”

“Gin? Um, no. The last time we talked must have been last week, at Bill and Fleur’s.”

Harry and Luna exchanged a glance.

“What?” asked Hermione, slightly alarmed. Her friends both wore looks of discomfort, and she couldn’t help the worry that bloomed inside of her.

“Well…I mean, we don’t want to spread any rumors.” Said Harry hesitantly. “But apparently she’s having a bit of a job scare over the Harpies lawsuit.”

“The one Blaise is working on?” asked Hermione. She felt stupid directly after asking it. What other Holyhead Harpies lawsuits were currently going on?

“Yeah. Apparently the managers are thinking about sacking the whole team and just building a new one. The player’s contracts, including Gin’s, run out in September, anyway.”

Hermione felt guilty. Blaise had told her the same thing last night at dinner, but she hadn’t thought of Ginny at the time.

“And if Gin does loose her position, she’d be in a bit of a pickle, right? I mean, all the professional teams already have their picks for the next season, and their reserves are in training, too.”

There was a pause. “I can try to talk to Blaise about it. I think he knows the owners, a little.”

Luna broke in. “Hermione, please don’t think we only told you this because of your connection with Blaise.”

“I know, Luna.” Hermione reassured. “Seriously, though, I do need to get Xander home.”

Hermione, Blaise, and Xander soon floo’ed home, and Xander slunk off after saying goodbye to his father. He and Teddy had obviously stayed up late the night before, and Hermione guessed her son was already napping in his room.

“I actually need to go.” Said Blaise, not moving from his place next to the hearth. “I’m meeting Draco and Theodore for brunch. But I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, so we can all go to Xander’s appointment together.”

Hermione nodded distractedly, her mind still on Ginny’s predicament. She was quickly brought back to the present when she realized Blaise had stepped closer to her, winding his arms around her waist.

“I’m not sure if I mentioned, but I had a great time with you last night.” He murmured into her ear, nibbling her earlobe lightly. “We should really go out more, just the two of us.”

Biting her lip, Hermione nodded. “I had a lovely time, too. Maybe…maybe next time you could come home with me, instead of being a gentleman like you were last night.” She lightly traced her fingers over his arms, nuzzling his jawline. He hadn’t shaved that morning, and the light bristle she found there was a direct contrast to the soft skin of her lips.

Blaise turned his head, capturing her lips with his own. The pair kissed lightly, languidly, and Hermione felt desire begin to pool in her belly. Their kisses became more aggressive, and soon Hermione was pulling her mouth from Blaise’s, gasping for air. Undeterred, Blaise trailed a line of kisses down her throat, and sucked at a sensitive point at her collarbone. Dazedly, Hermione knew his little bites and kisses would leave a rather dark love bite, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Pulling his head back up to her own, Hermione immediately opened her lips to his tongue. Her hands slid down from her place at Blaise’s shoulders, to the line of buttons on his shirt. Just as she managed to undo one, Blaise pulled back. His hands, which had been gripping her hips, eased their hold. He leaned his forehead against her own, panting softly.

“If we go much further, I’m going to be in a very uncomfortable position when I meet Draco and Theodore.” He said.

“Skip brunch. I have something more fun in mind.” Said Hermione, without thinking.

Blaise chuckled lightly, nudging his nose against hers. A moment later, his countenance changed suddenly, and Hermione was caught in the amber glow of his eyes. “Hermione, it’s been almost nine years since I’ve had you. When we come together again, it won’t be a substitution for anything else, and our son will not be sleeping in the next room.”

His reminder of Xander jolted Hermione from the hazy mindset that had overcome her. She leaned back slightly, feeling guilty. What was it about this man that took over every other thought?

“You better go.” She said, smiling slightly as she re-did the button on his shirt. “I don’t know Nott, but I’d rather not be on the receiving end of Malfoy’s wrath if you’re late.”

Blaise nodded, kissing her on the nose. “I’ll drop by around two tomorrow. See you later.”

Hermione made her way down the hall, quietly opening the door to Xander’s room. He was spread out across the bed, one of his skinny legs hanging over the edge. What was it that allowed children to sprawl out like that, and yet slumber on?

While Xander had abandoned his pillow completely, it was not unoccupied. Selena lay in tight coils on the soft cushion, presumably asleep. Her contemplated moving the serpent to her aquarium, but decided against it for safety reasons. Better to let sleeping snakes lay, then.

An hour later, Hermione found herself in her office, making tweaks to next year’s lesson plan. She was interrupted by a light, unexpected tap at the door. Calling for her visitor to enter, she was both pleased and surprised to see Ginny Weasley come in.

The light streaming in the window played off the brilliant red shade of Ginny’s hair, and Hermione felt a pang of envy. The other woman was undoubtedly gorgeous, although her troubled countenance somewhat offset the overall image.

“Ginny! Hi, I wasn’t expecting you.” Hermione said, surprised. She stood up from her desk, briefly embracing the redhead. Calling for Kurty, she ordered a tea tray from the kitchens, much to his delight- the Hogwarts house elves didn’t have much to do during the summer months.

Ginny smiled sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind me popping by like this. I actually wanted to ask you a favor.”

“Oh?” questioned Hermione, although she suspected it would be similar to the one Harry and Luna had asked earlier that morning.

“Yeah, it’s about my job.” Continued Ginny hesitantly. “I don’t know if Zabini has said anything, but there’s a rumor going around that the owners might cut the team, because of all the animosity over the lawsuit. I mean, we can’t play properly if we all want to slit each other’s throats, right?” She laughed nervously.

Discomfort bloomed in Hermione’s stomach. While she was fine with asking Blaise to talk to the owners, she didn’t want to get Ginny’s hopes up.

“So, I wanted to ask you… IheardMadamHoochwasthinkingaboutretiringandwouldyouputagoodwordinforme?”

“Wait, what?” asked Hermione.

Ginny’s ears tinged red in her embarrassment. “I heard Madam Hooch was talking about starting her retirement, and I’d really like to take her place if she steps down. But I know the competition for the job is going to be pretty fierce if she does, and I’d really appreciate it if you would mention I’m interested. I mean, I really hate to have to ask, but the adoption agency has finally given Pansy and I the thumbs up to start looking at the kids, and they’d put up a red flag if they found out I wasn’t fully employed anymore-”

“Ginny, I’d be happy to put a good word in for you, but I thought you loved playing Quidditch, not teaching first years how to ride brooms, or refereeing school Quidditch matches…”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” Said Ginny hurriedly. “I would love to keep playing pro, even if it wasn’t with the Harpies, but me and Pansy’s chance at starting a family is on the line, here. I can’t risk that just to keep playing in the big time.”

Hermione smiled, nodding. She knew what it was like to decide to choose between old dreams and one’s family.

“No worries Gin, I’ll make sure both Hooch and McGonogall know you’re interested.” She said.

Ginny heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Hermione. It really means a lot to me.”

The pair soon fell into easy conversation, discussing the adoption process and Pansy’s most recent redecorating of their flat. They sipped their tea, and Ginny munched on the accompanying biscuits. After an hour, Ginny made her way home, still complaining about Pansy’s insistence that they needed a zebra print rug in their flat.

~(o)~

“Mother, this is silly. Let’s go home.” Xander said, his voice holding no small amount of frustration. He shifted in his seat again, swinging his legs.

“Xander, sit still. You are driving me mad.” Hermione said, reaching out to still on of his swinging legs.

“But why do I have to do this? I promise not to get angry again. Truly.” Her serious little eight year old maintained steady eye contact as he made the oath.

Hermione sighed, seeing the anxious flick of his eyes when he looked at the doors that lead out of the waiting room and to the offices beyond.

“Alexander, there is no reason for you to be frightened. They’re just going to run a few tests, talk to your mother and I, and maybe speak with you for a moment. It’s nothing to be afraid of.” Blaise said, running a soothing hand over his son’s back.

A moment later, a woman with a clipboard came out and called for Alexander Granger. The trio stood from their uncomfortable plastic chairs, and moved toward the long, sterile hallway, following the woman. She waved them into a room- one which reminded Hermione remarkably of a standard muggle examination room- and told them their healer would be in before long.

Hermione lifted Xander onto the examination table, the thin plastic covering crackling under his weight. Running a gentle hand through his hair, she could practically feel his tension. She had rarely ever brought Xander to the Ministry or St. Mungo’s, as Poppy Pomfrey would perform checkups and healing as needed. The process was much less costly, and the paperwork required was minimal. However, as a result, Xander’s inexperience obviously had him on edge.

The door soon opened to reveal an older wizard, dressed in healer’s robes. He was followed by a middle- aged man in the standard Ministry uniform.

“Good afternoon!” said the healer as he entered, giving a broad smile at Xander. “My name is Healer Stiles, and this is Mister Lang, the agent in charge of Alexander’s case file.”

Xander mumbled a ‘hello’. Hermione and Blaise both introduced, shaking hands with the two men. Hermione tried not to let her disgust show when Mr. Lang’s eyes raked over her, taking in her body from her head to her toes. His thinly disguised lechery had her pulling her hand back before long, and the reassuring feel of Blaise’s palm on her lower back calmed her.

“Now, my understanding is young Alexander may be a candidate for ECES- Extreme Childhood Energy Syndrome.” The healer continued jovially, and Hermione couldn’t help but like the man. He vaguely reminded her of her elderly grandfather, especially by the kindly way he spoke to Xander.

“We believe so, yes.” Answered Blaise. “He has accidental magic every once in a while, just like every other child, but it seems to be a bit more…potent than others.”

“I see, I see.” Said Healer Stiles, jotting down some notes on his clipboard. “And can you describe some of these outbursts to me, Mr. Zabini?”

“I think I might be a little better suited to describe them.” Interjected Hermione. “Xander lives with me, and I’ve been present for most of the incidences.” If possible, Lang’s face became more lascivious, his eyes darting to Hermione’s unoccupied ring finger.

“Please then, Ms. Granger, tell me of the ones you can remember.” Healer Stiles invited.

“Well, he doesn’t have them too often- maybe four per year- but they’re usually rather. Um. Destructive.” Hermione felt a pang of guilt, knowing Xander was listening to her every word. “The first time it was anything significant, he was around three. We had just moved into Hogwarts- I’m a teacher there- and I came into the room and he was making all of my books floating around the room. I guess I must have startled him when I came in. But instead of all the books dropping, they began to fly around the room, knocking things over; a few smashed through the windows.” Hermione continued to tell of Xander’s magical exploits, and Healer Stiles jotted down every incident as she told it. He had a rather sizeable list by the time she finished.

Looking over the parchment, Healer Stiles nodded to himself. “Plenty of parents we see are convinced their child is ‘special’ even though they’re usually around the normal range for magical power. But judging by your accounts, Alexander is definitely a candidate.” He confirmed. “We’ve actually had a decrease in ECES kids in the past few years, but he’s not alone. Now, the next step in the process is to have his magical power measured.”

“Why doesn’t every child have their power measured?” asked Hermione. “I mean, it would be a way to figure out who’s a squib, and I’m sure most parents would be interested in their kid’s magical abilities and levels.”

“The way we measure it is somewhat controversial.” Confided Healer Stiles. “The tool needed is one of four in the world, and before it was perfected there were some defects. It’s highly regulated, and it can only be used during certain months, but it shouldn’t be a problem to do it today. But not to worry- the new model poses no danger to Alexander or his magic.”

“Will it hurt?” asked Xander warily.

“No, my dear boy, it won’t hurt.” Reassured the healer. “Although you will feel rather peculiar when it happens. You see, the device- called an assessing amulet, goblin made, of course- takes your magic out of you, measures it, and returns it to you without delay. No one will be able to touch you or interfere with the process while it takes place, and the only side- effects are slight fatigue and maybe a greater appetite for a week or so.”

Xander squeezed Hermione’s hand tightly at the announcement, and Hermione gave a reassuring squeeze back.

“Shall I go and fetch the amulet, then?” asked Healer Stiles. After he received a confirmative answer from both Hermione and Blaise, he bustled off down the hallway.

“Mister Lang, was it?” Hermione heard Blaise’s smooth voice from behind her. “My understanding is you were old friends with my mother, Elena Zabini?”

Hermione turned in time to see Lang’s beady, blue eyes tear away from her back, turning to face Blaise. She shuddered, repulsed. The man’s greasy, dirty blonde hair was slicked over to the side, and his teeth had a faintly yellow tint.

“Yes, Elena and I have been good- er, friends- for some years.” Lang responded after a moment.

“She gave me a message for you. Perhaps we could step into the hall and discuss it?” While Blaise’s voice was polite, there was obviously no other acceptable answer other than ‘yes’.

Blaise and Lang stepped into the corridor, leaving Xander and Hermione alone in the room. Silence reigned for several minutes.

“Mother, what is Father talking to that man about?” asked Xander.

“Oh, nothing to worry about, I’m sure.” Reassured Hermione, although she did feel a twinge of unease. “Probably something to do with your father’s-”

Hermione’s voice faded out as they both heard a distinct thump against the wall outside the door. Hermione and Xander exchanged a glance, and Hermione scrambled to find an acceptable reason for the noise.

Before she could, Xander casually said, “Father’s a bit frightening sometimes, isn’t he? I think I’m very glad he’s on our side.”

Giving a weak laugh, Hermione nodded. “Yes, I think I am, too.”

A moment later, the two men walked back into the room; Blaise wore a slightly smug expression, although he was trying to hide it from Hermione’s assessing gaze. Lang was too busy straightening his rumpled robes for Hermione to see his expression.

“Glad we could have that chat.” Said Blaise genially as he came to stand behind Hermione. His hand gently cupped the curve of Hermione’s waist through her robe. “It’s always nice to keep up with old friends, isn’t it?”

Lang, his ego bruised, grumbled the affirmative, and kept his eyes studiously away from both Hermione and Xander. Hermione wanted to twist around and ask Blaise what he had done, but was unable to do so as Healer Stiles came back into the room. His face displayed repressed amusement, and Hermione couldn’t help but suspect he might have caught part of the conversation taking place in the hallway.

“Here we are!” said the jolly healer, holding an intricately carved cherry wood box. The surface gleamed in the artificial light of the room, and Hermione immediately felt the subtle pulse of a highly powerful object in the vicinity. The feeling was similar to the one she had felt near the Goblet of Fire, and again near the Veil in the Department of Mysteries.

“Now, the process is quite simple.” Said Healer Stiles. “I will place the amulet around Alexander’s neck, and he will lie back. For several minutes, he will go into an altered state of mind while the magic is drawn from him and into the amulet- I’m told there’s a faint sucking feeling that accompanies the process.” He said, addressing Xander before continuing.

“After the amulet has harnessed his power, it will display several things that will tell me about his power levels and possibly abilities, before it will return all of Alexander’s power to his body.” He said, turning to Xander. “You might feel a bit overwhelmed for a second, and fatigue will set in a moment later. Do you have any questions?”

Xander shook his head, and Hermione hugged him, trying to ease his nerves. “Then let’s get started! Ms. Granger, you’ll have to let go of the boy- none of us can touch him during the process, as it can become dangerous to both him and yourself.”

Reluctantly, Hermione drew away as Xander shifted on the plastic- covered padding of the examination table. Behind her, Blaise placed his hands on her shoulders. Hermione could feel the tension in them, and hoped Xander couldn’t see his father’s anxiety.

Taking out his wand, Healer Stiles cast several assessing spells over Xander. To the side, Hermione noted Lang’s bored expression. He had obviously seen this procedure performed before.

Taking out the assessing amulet and placing the delicate chain around Xander’s neck, Healer Stiles slid it beneath his shirt, against the young man’s chest. Hermione admired the amulet.

It was large, clear crystal, inlaid in what looked like platinum. There were various runes sketched into the edges, and the chain was a series of different- sized links. Xander shivered under the cool metal.

After confirming that Xander was ready, Healer Stiles cast an activating spell Hermione didn’t know. “Tui Facultas!”

Immediately, Xander’s eyes began to droop and the crystal began to glow in a clean, white light. The light became brighter and brighter, pulsing in clear, heavy beats. Then, ever so slightly, the light changed from a clear white to a coral pink. This was followed by sea- green, butter yellow, and a green so dark it was nearly black. As the colors blended from one to another, Hermione saw certain runes around the crystal light up. The healer, scribbling furiously on his clipboard, also noted these runes, as well as the colors.

After the colors had repeated themselves three times, the crystal began to fade back to its original white. The process overall had taken nearly ten minutes, and at some point Hermione had taken Blaise hand, holding it tightly with her own.

Quickly releasing his hand from the death- grip she held it in, she noted the faint semi- circles her fingernails had left in his skin. Giving him an apologetic smile, she turned back to Xander. The white light had begun to fade, leaving the crystal altogether. Soon, it simply looked like an ordinary piece of goblin- wrought jewelry, worn by a very tired- looking eight year old.

Healer Stiles cast a careful “Wingardium Leviosa over the amulet, magically placing it back in the velvet- lined box. After releasing the spell, Hermione heard his quiet exclamation of “Well, that was interesting, hmm?” As he looked over the notes on his clipboard.

Hermione noticed a moment too late as Xander began slowly tipping to the side. Xander lost consciousness, landing on the examination table with a quiet thud.

Chapter 11 Author’s Note:

Hey guys,

Soooo, what do you think? Kind of a detailed process, and this scene will pick back up next chapter. Was it too much, or good? Personally, I liked how the chapter turned out.

As I said last chapter, it seems the interest in this story has taken a bit of a fall. Hopefully this jogged your interest, and I’d love to hear what you think. I’ve said before that I won’t withhold chapters for reviews, but reviews really do help me write better. As a writer, it’s very discouraging to get such a small number of reviews on something you spend so much time on. Even though this story has almost 20,000 hits, the constructive criticism and positive feedback are even greater motivators. I honestly think any fanfiction writer would agree.

Okay, guilt trip over. Hope everyone is doing well. See you in a week.

Gotbooks93
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Time's Up