Suffering: Part 5

A Handful Part 3

"Can you watch the girls so I can shower please? When I get out, I'll make breakfast," Severus asked Y/N after he got her attention. "I think so," she replied as she got up from the sofa on the terrace.

They took the girls to their highchairs so Y/N could keep them from crawling off at the moment.

"I cannot hear your thoughts," Severus looked at her suspiciously as they buckled the girls in. "Oh," she replied.

Severus came over and held her face gently to look into her eyes. "Are you still under the effects of the mushrooms?" he asked. "Hmm, perhaps," she replied.

"Your eyes are moving very fast," Severus remarked as he looked into her face. He noticed she was squeezing her hands in her lap, grabbing them he inspected her with a look of disapproval.

"You're hurting yourself," he sighed. She had been digging her fingernails into her palms again, but this time she was making them bleed. "Princess, could you just sit here for a few minutes? I need to go get your grandmother," Severus told her as he rushed off to the bedroom to change quickly.

A few minutes later he came back with grandmother. She looked as if she had been tending to the farm when he grabbed her. "What did she take exactly?" grandmother asked as she went to wash her hands before she touched Y/N.

"She took several ounces of a toadstool we had in the cupboard for making her pregnancy tea. She took an enormous dose of it last night when our backs were turned. It was described as a handful," Severus replied.

"How much did she sleep? She looks exhausted," grandmother replied as she examined Y/N's face. She looked almost catatonic, barely keeping eye contact with anyone.

"I have no idea. I gave her a sleeping potion last night when I realized what she had done. She woke up and went out to the terrace to sleep under the stars," he sighed.

"She looked terrible the other day when she came to pick up the girls. She had been crying," grandmother remarked as she got up from her kneeling position.

"Not from me. Listen, Draco doesn't know yet and I would appreciate him not finding out until it's time. We have taken on Lucius Malfoy as our partner of sorts. It's difficult to explain, but I would prefer we keep this to ourselves. He is the one who found her on the terrace this morning and brought her inside," Severus told grandmother.

"Have you considered this could be from stress? Everything that was happening with her friend and other personal drama. That's without considering she's a mother of six month old twins," grandmother stared blankly at Severus.

"I feel as if you are looking at me like I'm forcing her to do this. A mutual decision between three adults. You know how she is, Penny. She does just as she pleases," Severus groaned.

"Why don't you get her into bed to rest? I can take the girls home with me. I'll have Stella come over and help me until you can get her lucid. Perhaps another sleeping potion," grandmother suggested.

"She started leaking water from her hands yesterday," Severus informed her. "Interesting. I'm going to have to think about this some more. It could be related to her abilities," grandmother replied as she paced around thinking.

"I am very tired," Y/N finally joined the conversation. "Perhaps, you should have stayed in bed instead of sneaking outside," Severus huffed in annoyance at her. "I had to talk to her," she replied before getting up to walk to the bedroom where she closed the door behind her.

Severus turned around to hide his face momentarily. "She was certain it was a girl?" grandmother asked softly. "That's what she said," Severus replied as he wiped his eyes quickly.