A/N: I know that the whole Remus being Bridget's dad is sort of random but this is connected to one of my other fics that I sort of have posted here but I haven't really finished putting all of it up here. Hermione knew nothing of Bridge before this time because of some extenuating circumstances. This fic is a bit AU but Remus is a werewolf still and all that stuff. And Hermione doesn't want to impose any longer but they are insisting. And things are going to start happen in the next few chapters. Like maybe two or three from now…Maybe. Well… Enjoy.
Chapter 11
When Bridget stepped out of the house and leaned back against the door. She sighed heavily, there was never a good time to go and see your sick mother at the hospital. You could never be ready for such a thing. She looked at her watch and sighed again. She should really get there soon but she couldn't very well just disappear on her doorstep in plain view. And she couldn't apparate in the house because of the wards; this is why she was out here. She walked down the stairs and into the street.
She had to admit she was a bit concerned at leaving Harry and Hermione there, alone. But a second later she shook the notion out of her head. There was no reason to see Hermione as a threat; I mean she had only been his best friend for seven years, that didn't mean that there was anything between them. But then again there was something… She shook her head again. It was not the time to think about this. Right now she needed to think about her mother and be there for her.
She backed into a small alley and disapparated.
She reappeared in the lobby of the hospital in France. She looked around walked over to the front desk.
"Can you please tell me where Caitlyn Lupin's room is?" she asked as she let her bag drop to the floor.
The receptionist smiled kindly. "I am sorry but I have been advised to only let family members come a visit her. You do know she is in very critical condition, right?"
Bridget looked at her impatiently. "Excuse me but did you ever think to ask if I am in fact a family member? A very important family member I do think."
"Oh pardon me, I am most sorry. And how are you related to the poor woman?"
Bridget winced at the `poor woman' comment but managed to force a smile. "In fact I am her daughter Bridget Potter, I am sure someone must have told you I was going to be coming."
The receptionist stared at Bridget, shell-shocked, and wrote down the room number on a slip of paper and handed it over to her.
Bridget practically ripped the paper out of the woman's hand and shouldered her bag, brushing past the lady with hardly so much as a thank you.
She walked quickly down the halls, frowning more as each second went by. She same to a stop at a plain white door, she could tell it was spelled for health and cleanliness. There was a small plaque oh the door with the name Caitlyn Lupin on it and the room number.
She pushed open the door and walked into the big room. At first she couldn't see her mother; the room was filled with people. Bridget kind of understood why they were strict with whom they let into the room.
Her father was pacing beside the bed talking to someone who Bridget figured was her mother. Anabella was hovering anxiously over the bed, checking Caitlyn's pulse and her vital signs. Other doctors were running around obviously trying o figure out the mystery that was my mother's sickness.
She stepped further into room, careful not the trip over the wires from the many machines that lined the room. She stopped as she saw her mother lying in the bed. About a month ago Caitlyn had left to go on her vacation. That had been the last time that Bridget had talked to her. At that time she was so full of life: her brunette hair silky and shining, and her intelligent brown eyes sparkling with light and laughter. Her cheeks had a soft rosy color and her lips were full and soft. Bridget reeled at the change in her: her hair was a mousy brown color and it hung limply around her shoulders, and her eyes were dull and lifeless and all that was left was a miserable weariness. Her face was pale and drawn, she had dark purple circles under her eyes and her lips were thin and chapped. She was huddled under her blankets, shivering with intensity. She was dwarfed in the small bed with the heavy comforters.
Bridget breathed in sharply through her nose and took an involuntary step back, ready to turn and bolt. Unfortunately Anabella saw her and ran forward, scooping her up into a hug. Bridget sagged into her and Anabella stumbled with the sudden weight. She brought Bridget over to one of the uncomfortable plastic chair and sat her down.
"Bridget, dear, it is so nice to see you! Oh honey how are you? You look so pale." It was clearly an
understatement seeing as all the other people in the room looked to be ghosts.
Bridget smiled weakly at her mother's favorite cousin. "She looks…" she managed to say and trailed off as she stared at Caitlyn.
"Yes I know honey but we are doing our best. There might not be much more to do. Oh honey I am so glad that you are here." Bridget nodded and looked closer at Anabella.
She could detect a certain change there too, though not as much. There were shadows under her eyes that she was obviously trying to hide with liberal amounts of makeup. Her normally shiny black hair was dull and tied in a messy knot at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were kind but Bridget could detect an air of fatigue surrounding her from many a night of staying up.
"Well Bridgey come say hi to your mother."
She got up and walked over to where her mother lay. Caitlyn looked up at her with a wistful expression on her face as if she was dreaming.
"Hi mom."
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Hermione took a sip of her tea and looked across to where Harry sat on the couch next to Kate. Hermione had been firing off questions. She knew that most of this wasn't really her business but she couldn't help herself. She was always on a quest for knowledge.
"So Bridget's mother is sick?" she could see Kate wince at the question but she nodded.
"Yeah my grandmother."
"And your grandfather…"
"Remus Lupin," Harry replied flatly. Hermione nodded. She couldn't think of Lupin, Professor Lupin, as a married man with a grown daughter.
"Wow." It was all she could say. "Did you know that before you married Bridget?"
He gave her a strange look. "No, why? Do you think that it would have done anything to change my decision to marry her? Because it wouldn't you know that don't you?"
Hermione looked momentarily shocked. "No of course not. I was just wondering. So Bridget's mother is Caitlyn Lupin? And she went to Hogwarts?"
"Yes she did," Harry looked tired and Hermione realized how upset he must be.
"Oh okay this is more than enough questions. I just have one more to ask though. What was Caitlyn's maiden name?"
"Treta," Kate replied matter-of-factly.
Hermione mouth dropped open. "The Caitlyn Treta? Like one of the most powerful seer in the entire nation for centuries upon centuries?"
Harry nodded weakly.
"So that means that Bridget is a seer and-"
Harry cut her off by putting out his hand but it was already too late and the damage was already done.
Kate's jaw dropped as the meaning of what was said finally sunk in. "B-but that m-means…Seer powers go through the generations…S-so that would mean…I'm a seer." She shook her head hard and then nodded, shook and nodded. "I mean that would really explain it, why I have those feelings and what you might call visions. And how I felt that I knew Hermione from somewhere…"
She raised her hand to her mouth, at a loss for words. "I don't understand why I didn't realize." Suddenly her jaw dropped. "Wait that might have been what mom wanted to tell me, but I already know…"
Hermione gasped. "Your right! Oh dear I am so sorry. I really don't want to deprive her of something that is rightfully hers to tell. Oh dear I didn't know!"
Harry frowned. He really didn't like having two near hysterical people on his hands. It didn't help that is was his young daughter and his best friend whom he couldn't even begin to understand. "Okay," he started calmly. "Kate honey how do you feel about finding out you are a seer?"
"It feels like this whole big secret has been uncovered. I fell sort of elated but almost like I wish it was still a secret, because this is such a big thing to have to handle. I have to learn to control it and - oh! I just hope that my grandma can be here to help me do this."
"She will honey, she will." He sounded so sure about it that she felt encouraged but at the same time she felt that underneath he really didn't know. He turned to Hermione. " `Mione don't worry about it. Bridge doesn't have to know about this, she can still tell Kate about it, okay? Now Kate, dear, I think we have had enough excitement today. I believe that maybe you should get to bed soon. We can talk more about this tomorrow."
He went over to Kate and scooped the girl into his arms. Over her shoulder he mouthed to Hermione, saying he would be right back.
When they got up to her room he set her down on her bed and pulled up a chair beside her. "Kate honey are you really okay?"
She sighed and nodded. "It was just so surprising. Daddy do you think that grandma's sickness was because of her powers? Maybe it all got too much for her and she just broke down."
Harry didn't know what to say. When she go this way he always knew that he needed to let her finish.
"How can mom do this so calmly? I mean it's her mother! If she was the one dying I wouldn't be able to take it, I really wouldn't." She choked over her words and let out a dry sob.
Harry rested his hand on her hair and ran his hand through her light hair. "Oh Katie," he said, using the pet name he used to call her when she was a small baby. "You don't know the half of what your mother is feeling. She is trying to stay strong for you but I think that you need to try to be strong for her. She is so close to her mother. They were best friends for years and years, and no matter what Bridget loves her mother too much to even attempt to act calm with any sincerity."
Her eyes filled with tears. "I can try but I can't offer any guarantees. I don't know my grandmother nearly enough to let her go now and grandpa needs her and-and mom really needs her too and she is way too young to die. We are going to see her tomorrow right?"
"Yes."
She nodded. "Okay then I can show her how brave that I can be and I am going to help all that I can. I just hope it is enough."
"Oh honey you will do more than enough." He hugged her lightly and wiped away her tears. "You are really terrific, I am so glad that you are my daughter, I couldn't possibly need anything more than what I have and I don't want anything else than what I have."
"I love you dad."
"I love you too."
She watched him as he left the room and closed the door.
She sank to the ground and knelt by her bed. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes tight. "Oh please god don't let my grandma die. I love her and my mother loves her even more. I love my mom too much to see her hurt, oh please god, please."
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