Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I decided that this chapter needed to be more lighthearted than the last one. Hope you like it.

Mistletoe and a Teddy Bear

After three days in the hospital wing, Ryan was finally released and allowed to see Hermione. He found her in her chambers, reading quietly. She had her legs stretched out on the couch and she was wearing some blue cotton pants with a white t-shirt. On her feet were some thick socks, undoubtedly to give her aching feet extra comfort on the stone floors. Ryan frowned at the shadows under her tired brown eyes. Guilt clawed at his stomach as he realized that her sleepless nights and anxious days were likely his fault.

"Hermione?" he said quietly.

Her head jerked up. "Ryan," she said in surprise. "How are you feeling?"

He moved to sit next to her. "I'm fine," he responded, the shame he was feeling visible on his face. "Are you ok?"

Hermione looked away. "I'm really upset," she said, refusing to meet his eye. "I can't believe you did something so stupid. I know that you spent a lot of money on drugs," she said, her tone frosty. "I know that you've been lying to me for months about your whereabouts and activities. A marriage should be built on love and trust, but I see no evidence of love in you. Nor do I have any reason to trust you."

"Hermione, I'm sorry," Ryan said. "I do love you. I love you more than anything. And I know I have to earn your trust. Please forgive me."

Hermione sighed. "I know you can be a great person Ryan," she said quietly. "You can still make things right. But, you must know that I won't allow our baby to suffer for your bad decisions. I won't let you put this baby through what you put me through."

"I'd never hurt our baby," Ryan said softly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'll be a great husband and father. You'll see." He held Hermione close, stroking her hair soothingly. Hermione cried silently against his chest, fighting down the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed teaching, but as the term progressed, she became exasperated by her expanding belly. Her back ached, her feet hurt and she felt as if the baby was determined to crush her lungs and pelvic bone at the same time. Before she knew it, Hermione found herself watching students leave for the Christmas holidays. She ducked into the library after breakfast to avoid being jostled too much by students in a hurry to leave. She moved to a bookshelf and reached to pull a book down. A cramping pain in her side made her drop her arm with a sharp intake of breath.

"Is everything alright?" said a rich baritone voice. Hermione turned her head to find Severus sitting at a nearby table, watching her with a slight frown.

"I'm alright," Hermione replied. "I just hurt myself."

Severus was at her side in a moment, his normally stern face full of concern. "I'm fine," Hermione assured him. She rubbed her enlarged abdomen ruefully. "My abdominal muscles are stretched tight around my belly and the baby..."

"So, movement involving any stretching is painful," Severus concluded. "Which book did you want?"

"Third from the left," she directed him. He pulled the book down, smirking as he read the title.

"Hogwarts: A History again Hermione?" he drawled.

"It relaxes me," she mumbled, blushing. To her surprise, Severus led her to the table and held a chair out for her. He set the book in front of Hermione and sat down in his chair across from her. She smiled gratefully.

"Why did you not use your wand?" Severus asked.

"Poppy told me not to use magic unless it was necessary," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "I get tired very quickly, you see. Using magic makes it worse. So, until the baby is born, I'll have to be careful."

A voice behind her made her jump slightly. "We're all going to make sure that you are careful," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Very pregnant," Hermione replied with a grin.

"Hello Professor Snape," Harry said politely.

"Mr. Potter," Severus nodded.

Turning back to Hermione Harry said "What's this I hear about you staying here?"

"Harry, the baby is due in about a month," Hermione said. "The last thing I want is to be going anywhere by floo or apparating."

"But, it's Christmas," Harry objected. He frowned slightly. "What about Ryan?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't see him much," she said quietly. "We obviously have a trust issue, and I don't feel comfortable staying at the flat with him right now. I'm not sure that he'll ever completely go back to the person he was before. So, he'll visit here sometimes. I thought some time apart would be a good idea. He's got a lot to lose if he doesn't get his act together, and it's time he realized that."

Harry and Severus glanced at each other, there expressions doubtful. Shaking his head slightly, Harry said "Well, we'll just bring Christmas to you."

Without another word, Harry left the library. Hermione watched him leave rubbing her round belly thoughtfully. She noticed Severus watching her hand as if mesmerized, before shaking his head slightly and returning to his book. Hermione smiled to herself and opened her book.

Christmas day turned out to be fairly pleasant for Hermione. She woke up to hearing her name being called from the sitting room. She pulled on a robe and poked her head out cautiously to find Severus standing near the door, looking quite uncomfortable. "Is there something wrong?" Hermione asked.

Severus cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at her. "I am here to collect you for breakfast," he said stiffly.

"Ok," Hermione said, her tone puzzled.

"Your friends are here and waiting for you," he said.

"Why did they send you?" Hermione said, feeling rather sorry for the embarassed man.

"I do not know," he said rolling his eyes. "I suppose it could be a tradition to torment me for the holidays."

Hermione grinned. "I need a few minutes to get ready," she said.

"Off with you then," he replied, shooing her back into her room and sitting down on the couch.

Hermione took a quick shower and then cast a drying spell before pulling on her clothes. She pulled on a pair of maternity jeans and a blue sweater than clung to her swollen belly and full breasts. She pulled her hair into a loose pony tail and applied some light make-up. Satisfied with her appearance she slipped her feet into her shoes, walking inot the sitting room to tie them. She smiled slightly at Severus as she sat down on the couch and leaned over to tie her shoes. Gasping softly at the discomfort she sat back up. Frowning, she took a breath and attempted to reach her shoe laces again. Her large belly was in the way. She sighed in frustration.

"Having problems?" Severus asked, his voice full of amusement.

To Hermione's dismay, tears of frustration began to fill her eyes. She blinked them back furiously, telling herself that it was a stupid thing to cry about. Before she could say anything, Severus knelt in front of her and tied her shoes for her. Once finished, he lifted his head to look at her. The smile on her face made his chest feel tight for some odd reason. His gaze drifted down to her stomach, a small smile playing on his lips. "Ready?" he asked simply, looking back up at her face. Hermione nodded and Severus stood, offering her his hand. He helped her off of the couch and led her out of the room and through the halls.

They arrived in the Great Hall to find that it looked more festive than usual. A huge Christmas tree sat glittering on one side of the room, brightly wrapped presents tucked beneath it. There were small tables clustered on the other side of the room covered with either a red or green table cloth. Candles gave the hall a soft glow and mistletoe was hanging in several place. The Weasley's were there, their red hair standing out amongst those gathered. Many members of the Order were sitting at the tables. Hermione's parents were sitting near Minerva chatting enthusiastically. Tears filled Hermione's eyes again.

"Those had better be tears of joy," Severus whispered, attempting to sound stern. "I was forced to help decorate."

Hermione looked up and gave him a watery smile. "Thank you Severus," she said softly.

"Watch out you two," Harry said, approaching them with a wide smile. "You're under the mistletoe."

Severus and Hermione looked up and spotted the plant hovering over them. Without giving much thought to it, Severus leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Hermione's lips careful to avoid putting pressure on her stomach. He pulled back, slightly breathless with a glazed look in his eyes. Hermione looked at Severus with surprise and slight confusion. Harry's eyes were wide, and he fought the urge to laugh out loud. "My turn," he said hastily, before Severus could react properly. Harry pulled Hermione to himself and kissed her swiftly.

Hermione grinned. "Happy Christmas Harry," she said, a blush creeping into her face.

"Happy Christmas," he replied. "Come on. We've been waiting for you." He led Hermione toward the other people in the room, Severus falling into step next to them. Harry looked at Severus. The potions master seemed thoroughly surprised by his actions and his reaction to them. Severus returned Harry's gaze, expecting a glare or some rebuke. Instead, Harry smiled slightly, though he looked a bit puzzled.

Harry then glanced at Hermione. She looked slightly dazed. She reached up and touched her lips, obviously deep in thought. When she lowered her hand, she had a small smile on her face. Harry shook his head. He couldn't imagine how Severus had suddenly developed an interest in Hermione. The timing was a bit odd, with Hermione being married and pregnant.

Hermione spent the morning eating with all of her friends and colleagues. After breakfast, they had gathered around the tree and Harry passed out gifts to everyone present. Hermione had received many books, a sweater from the Mrs. Weasley, and many items for the baby. Most surprising of all was a package from Severus wrapped in green and silver wrapping paper. Hermione eyed the box curiously before unwrapping it to find an adorable teddy bear with a green ribbon around it's neck. Hermione stared at it in amazement. "This is from Severus?" Hermione asked Minerva softly, holding out the teddy bear.

Minerva chuckled merrily. "He did it for the baby," she said with an amused smirk. "It plays lovely lullabies. It'll help the baby go to sleep." She leaned in closer to Hermione, lowering her voice. "I think he's pretty excited about the baby too."

Hermione grinned, glancing briefly at the potions master. "I'm sure he'd rather snog Harry or Ron than admit it though," she said giggling.

"Indeed," Minerva laughed.