Ah, yea, so I know this is long awaited, but I had a lot of things going on and I thought I lost most of this. I finished half of this tonight and figured I'd post it now before going to bed. I'm slowly getting back into my writing! Yay! Enjoy, read, review, please and thanks!


Chapter 4

Hermione sat down between Ginny and Ron and across from Harry who was sitting between Neville and Seamus. She sighed as she looked down at her food and started pushing the food around on her plate. It was nearing Mid- November, shortly before the American holiday, Thanksgiving, began and Hermione was trying to figure out how her life was going to put back on track after what happened toward the start of term. She couldn't believe that one night in September had torn her world apart. Slowly though, since then Ron had come around and even wasn't upset at it much anymore. He still pretended around Malfoy for the school as did her friends and well, of course her. It was drawing nearer the time that they decided to show the world they were together, and Hermione wasn't sure whether or not she was up for it.

Any moment now she was sorely tempted to crawl under a rock and let the world fade away. Sadly though, that would have to include bringing Draco under the rock as she literally couldn't live without him now. She was just glad that their professors weren't too upset and even Snape's portrait seemed to be able to handle the thought of them together. Snape and McGonagall's reactions surprised Hermione the most. Snape was accepting right off but McGonagall blew her top. It was actually quite funny now that she thinks about it, but still the old witch was scary when she got angry. That is definitely something Hermione never wanted to be on the receiving end of again. Hermione slowly started eating her food, for some reason it just wasn't appetizing when she knew she'd not be able to keep it down. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Maybe she just needed to lie down for a while and see if it was a bug or something.

Her routine really hadn't changed much from what it was at the beginning of the term, eat, class, eat, class, library, dinner, lake then bed. Just that now though her after dinner activities included Draco and as much as she loved that, she wasn't going to admit it anytime soon. She could, well she figured, they both could now feel each other's feelings toward the other, but it didn't mean that they were consciously giving in. The only time they were sexually active was after particularly bad rows that left their blood boiling and their passion soaring. Hermione sighed and looked up at Harry after noticing that he was staring.

"'Mione, you ok?" She nodded before shaking her head and slumping a little.

"I think I'm coming down with something. In fact I was just about to go up to see Madam Promfrey. Would one of you accompany me?" She looked between Harry, Ron and Ginny. Ginny nodded and they stood.

"I need to talk to her real quick anyway." The girls smiled at each other, both knowing the reason behind this and they were on their way up. "'Mione, I don't mean to sound nosy, but, uhm… oh hold on a moment will you?" They both stopped and Ginny raised her wand cast a Muffilato around them so no one could hear. "I don't think you're sick. I think you may be pregnant Hermione." The brown haired girl's eyes widened significantly before she vigorously shook her head.

"I can't be Gin, I just can't be. That would… That would not be beneficial to either him or me, not to mention school, and an eventual job as well as we're both to young and then not to mention we still haven't told our parent's, but we will, we will, soon, I think…" She caught Ginny's eye and sighed stopping herself mid rant before she went too far.

"I said think, not that it's for certain. Let's go now shall we?" They nodded and continued walking to the infirmary so they both could get checkups. Once there Ginny went first for her check-up. Madam Promfrey, as well as the other staff at Hogwarts, knew of Ginny's marital status and now pregnancy.

"Ginny, I need you to lay back on the bed please, no dear, this time you don't have to raise your shirt, you're far enough along." The old witch moved her wand over the red-head's stomach and after a few moments of silence the medi-witch smiled. "You are coming along greatly dear, not long before you can know the sex of the children." Ginny's eyes grew wide and she sat up quickly.

"Children? Twins? I thought I was just having one!" She exclaimed as her hands came up and covered her stomach. She groaned when Madam Promfrey nodded and lay back against the bed. "Great, the stretch marks will be bigger…" Hermione giggled and shook her head at her best friend. She sighed and before the medi-witch could turn to leave she lightly touched her arm for attention.

"Madam Promfrey… I… I need you to check me as well… Ginny seems to think… well, uhm…" She never had an issue with stuttering, but now she just couldn't seem to stop.

"She hasn't been feeling well at all and I think that she may be pregnant, either that or a lasting subtle cold. Please see what's going on with her." The older witch nodded and motioned for Ginny and Hermione to switch places so that the brunette was lying down on the hospital bed.

"Please lift your shirt to just under your chest Ms. Granger." Hermione shifted uncomfortably and wanted to correct the medi-witch and say it was Mrs. Malfoy, but technically only 6 people knew and that is how it should stay for now. Hermione lifted her shirt and Madame Promfrey quickly started waving her wand around above her exposed stomach. After a moment she stopped and a crease started on her brow. "You are neither pregnant, nor sick. If you are pregnant though, it may just be too early to tell. I'm sorry but with not really knowing I can't give you anything to take for pain just in case. Come back in a week and we will see what the tests say then if your symptoms do not dissipate by then." Hermione nodded and the witch turned and left, Hermione pulling her shirt down in the process.

"Well, that was anti-climactic. Seriously..." Ginny laughed at the tone Hermione used with her rolled eyes. They both got up and turned to leave as both Draco and Ron stepped in through the doors. Ron was sporting a few visible bruises and Draco seemed to be nursing his right hand. Both Ginny and Hermione stopped as soon as they saw the two men and Hermione shook her head. "I honestly don't even want to know…" She waits till they are far enough from the door before she continues walking to head to her first class of the day.

"'Mione! Wait up! Don't you even want to know what happened?" Ginny yelled out as she ran to catch up with her a few moments later just before she made it to her class. Hermione shook her head and kept walking.

"No, not really. They're boys, it could have been anything." She looked over her shoulder at Ginny but kept walking.

"Anything like your honor as both a woman and a witch?" Ginny yelled at her getting slightly frustrated and Hermione stopped completely. Ginny quickly caught up to her and pulled her over to the wall and cast a silencing charm on the area where they were so no one could hear. "Look, I know what you're thinking and actually, you'd be surprised. Draco actually defended you against both Goyle and Ron. Apparently Goyle started and Ron started defending you before going along with it. Draco quickly shut them both up. Only reason we didn't see Goyle there was because someone has to levitate him up and Draco and Ron walked up faster…" Hermione had started walking again silently fuming.

"Hermione!" Ginny yelled after her but the older witch kept walking and Ginny sighed before shaking her head and heading back to the infirmary to yell at her brother. Hermione on the other hand was having an internal fight with Draco, who Ginny could only notice he was getting more and more infuriated, but he wasn't saying anything. When Madam Promfrey let him go he stalked from the room and Ginny could only guess to go find Hermione. For her part Hermione was smart enough to not be in the Great Hall, but out in the hall in front of it, so less people, but still more than either would later wish there had been. When Draco caught up, Ginny and Ron hot on his heels, he stormed up to Hermione and grabbed her arm before turning her to him, and yelling at her there in front of everyone.

"How dare you! You tell me all the time that there is no difference! That the only thing that stands is an old prejudice that does not belong in this world! Then turn around and scream at me for defending you against those prejudices! You're a fucking hypocrite! What the fuck is your problem you insufferable bitch!" This is the part that if they were in their dorm room he'd have her pinned against the wall and slowly working her clothes off by ripping them in places, but he had enough presence about him to remember that they were not in their room.

"Draco! Let her go!" He could hear a few people yelling at him but at the moment his eyes were for non-other than the witch in front of him who was fuming and he swore he could see smoke coming from her ears she was that pissed. If he was anyone else he would have known to back away slowly but Draco wasn't anyone else so he didn't move until she slapped him, there in front of everyone. He was slowly seeing red and really wished that they were in their room away from prying eyes so he could ravish her there on the floor.

"Me? How dare I? You are the one! The…" She looks around quickly and sighs before turning her temper on him in full force. "You are the one who still calls me a Mudblood! You tell me constantly that I do not deserve what I have!" Here he yelled over her.

"Because you deserve better! If you have ever truly listened to what I say you would realize this you bitch! Stop yelling at me and hitting me for once and open those ears of yours! Goddamnit!" She realized he still had a hold on her one arm but her other one, the one she'd slapped him with, was still free, she brought it back and punched in the shoulder hoping that it would get him to release her, it didn't, his grip tightened and he quickly gripped her other arm to prevent her from hitting him again. "Stop that!" His volume and the malice in his voice had raised some and she could do nothing but stand there.

This is it, we can let them know now by my kissing you and blowing it all, or we can just continue to yell at each other, which is it Granger, think quickly. The crowd around them seemed entranced by the way the two were glaring at each other, a pin could be heard now if it dropped while everyone waited to see what happened.

Wait till I start yelling again, and then cut me off with a kiss. It'll be effective to say the least. Draco didn't do or say anything to acknowledge what she'd said through their link just waited.

"Does it Matter that I listen to you when you never listen to me you bigot! You have no righ-" He cut her off then with a kiss, there in front of everyone, the gasps were heard all around them but they didn't care. He'd pulled her close by his grip on her arms and slammed his mouth down on hers roughly, a move they both knew the other liked, her hands quickly fisting in his shirt front. Ron, for his part in this as planned previously, pretended to blow his top and he marched over, grabbing Draco's shoulder and wrenching him away from Hermione. Draco let her go and turned toward Ron.

"Ready for round two again there Weasley? I don't need to remind you who won the last round." Ron scoffed and swung at the blonde who barely dodged the act, Hermione and Ginny both at this time were yelling for them to stop. Before Draco could start throwing his own punch a few teachers walked in on the scene and one quickly cast a shield between the two males, also effectively separating Hermione and Ginny from the group.

"Malfoy, Weasley, what is the meaning of this?" Flitwick asked as Vector, Sprout, Sinistra, and himself came through the larger than original sized crowd. None of the ones in the middle of the problem answered so he turned to a student closest to him and asked the question again.

"Malfoy came down yelling his head off at Granger then kissed her out of nowhere which pissed off Weasley who started a fight with Malfoy just now." The student said in a small voice, the student seemed to want to melt into the crowd now.

"Thank you young man." Flitwick waited till each teacher was directly behind one of the problem student's and released his shield. Immediately Draco and Ron tried lunging for one another to fight, Hermione and Ginny lunging to try to stop them, but they were all stopped by the teachers who cast spells on them to keep them in place. "Now, I do think that we shall continue this up in the Headmaster's office. Let's go, now." Flitwick said with an authority not usually heard in his voice. The four of them nodded still glaring at each other for their own reasons before they were all taken one by one from the crowd by the respective teachers.

Once they were a respectable distance away from people, well on their way to the Headmaster's office the teens relaxed and Draco moved closer to Hermione, wrapping his arm around her. Ron nodded at him and stuck his hands in his pockets and started whistling a tune he'd picked up from Luna. Ginny was smiling now and after a moment stopped and turned looking back the way they came. Everyone else stopped and the teachers were bewildered as to the sudden change in their students. After a moment of waiting Blaise and Harry were seen running up the corridor to them and the teens started walking once again.

The teachers could do nothing but glance back and forth trying to see if the others knew what was going on. Blaise was now walking in step with Ginny, who was trying to appear as if she wasn't waddling. The moment of shock passed quickly and the teachers were picking up their pace to catch up with the teens who were almost to the Headmaster's Office. Once there Ginny, oddly enough, was the only teen to know the password and as they had just made it before the teachers she figured she might as well make it easier. They all headed up the stairs and Harry was the first to knock on the door.

"Harry… Oh my… What're you all doing here?" McGonagall asked as she opened the door, quickly moving so that everyone could enter. Once they were all in the spacious office she turned back to a shelf next to the door and shifted something off of it before going back to her desk. She put the object, one of the many Harry had seen Dumbledore tinker with, on the desk and ignore it for now, turning her attention to the ten extra people in her office. Ginny stepped forward and let her glamour on her stomach wear off, since they all knew anyway, and made her way to the chair in front of her desk, Blaise moving to stand behind her.

"Before we tell you Headmistress, we need the teachers who don't know about my full situation to leave, or to take the vow." The older woman looked up at her staff and took note of each of their expressions. They were going to hear out what needed to be said, and only Flitwick knew the full story. She motioned for Vector, Sprout and Sinistra to step forward as she motioned for Flitwick to ready his wand as she made the vow with each Witch in turn. When done she moved to her desk and leaned back against it in front of Ginny and pointed at Hermione and to the other chair. Hermione got the nonverbal order and moved to sit, Draco mimicking Blaise's action of standing behind the chair.

"Now, will someone please explain to me what you all are doing up here and why the boys look like they've been fighting." Ginny smiled and nodded, shifting and coughing before starting her explanation.

"We were going to come to you sooner Headmistress, but we felt it was easier to make it more believable for the staff to not know." She got a look and put her hands up in a defensive gesture as she kept talking. "The night I found out that I am pregnant with my husband's child," the three staff members that had not known she was married gasped and they could infer that it was Blaise's by how he was standing protectively behind her, "Hermione came to me distraught about a predicament she had gotten herself into that she didn't know how to handle." She turned and motioned for Hermione to continue where she left off.

"You see, Headmistress, Professor's, that night Draco and I got into a huge row, one that had started that afternoon in public, but once in our own dorms escalated." She looked up at Draco not knowing how to continue; he nodded and looked up at McGonagall.

"It escalated to the point we were both seething and physically harming each other, but for us that was more of a… uhm, well, frankly, a turn on. We'd both come to a point where we needed a spark back in our life and we only found that in fighting with one another. It led to us having sex, it got rough and blood was shared. We bonded, not knowing we'd done so until afterwards." He shifted where he stood before continuing. "We separated, and I went to both Snape and Dumbledore for guidance, but they only confirmed what, at the time, I felt to be the end of my world.

I went back to talk to Hermione about it and we ended up in another row and again sex ensued, strengthening the bond further. She ran from me and later came back with Ginny. Ginny helped her explain the situation better and I went to Blaise; we both found out about their Blood Bond, marriage and now pregnancy. When Blaise and I headed back to my dorm I knew something was wrong, I could feel Hermione's fear and apprehension. Turns out Ron and Harry had found out, on some level, about her and I they were furious. We all talked that night, seriously talked, secrets came out and stories told.

We came up with the perfect plan about how to go through with everything. McGonagall, you remember that third Hogsmead weekend where Hermione and I came back late?" Said woman nodded. "We had left from Hogsmead, going straight to the Ministry where we met my mother, who I had been conversing with through letters previously, Hermione's parents, who had been picked up by my mother and Kingsley Shacklebolt. We proceeded down to the Department of Magical Nuptials; honestly that's a stupid name; where Minister Shacklebolt married Hermione and me.

We knew that we couldn't come out and say anything outright, or act married in public. Nor could we ask that of Blaise and Ginny, who've supported us through it all. We decided that over the next few months we would stage fights and such between Hermione, Ron, Harry and I. The fights between Hermione and me were made to appear as if our hate slowly was turning into a like for each other to the point that I would start defending her. The ones between Ron and me were made to look like we were fighting over her and the ones between Harry and I just for looks. We didn't intend for it to blow up today, but the opportunity was too god to pass up."

The teachers' shocked faces looked between themselves and the Headmistress before each teacher tried getting a few question out there, each trying to shout over the others to be heard. McGonagall soon put an end to this with a clap of her hands before walking over to Dumbledore's portrait. She gave the old wizard a look before crossing her arms and waiting on the man, who looked like the examination of the frame of his portrait was a very interesting thing.

"Albus Dumbledore. You knew what they had planned didn't you?" He nodded, still not looking at her. "And you chose not to say anything at all? What were you thinking?" He looked at her, the twinkle in his eyes evident and Harry smirked knowing that look well.

"Ah, but it was not my place to tell such sensitive information Minerva, simply put." He shrugged and made to stand, crossing his hands behind his back and leaned forward in a half bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do believe that the Fat Lady had a new bit of gossip she wanted to share with me sometime today. Good day." He winked over at the teens before waltzing right out of his portrait. McGonagall was livid and would had hexed the daylights out of the painting but refrained. She calmed herself before turning back to everyone else in the room, a calmer look upon her features.

"Well, seeing as you two are now made a bit more public I think that your living arrangements can be discussed in a bit more detail. Since you two are married, and I wished you hadn't left this out when you confessed to me months ago, your dorm room will be transfigured into a one bedroom, if you want that is?" Draco and Hermione shared a look and shrugged before Hermione smiled a bit timidly up at the much older witch.

"That would be lovely Headmistress." Hermione answered and made to stand up but was stopped.

"Sit. I am not done." Hermione sat right back down, a slight disgruntled look upon her face. "You six should have at least informed a current, and living, member of staff about what your plan was and in doing so, probably could have pulled this all off a bit less dramatic than it had to have been. Now, that being said, fighting, under no circumstances is allowed. Five points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin for fighting." She turned to look at Ginny and Blaise before she nodded. "Five points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin for having to put up with the drama while in a sensitive position such as yours." She smiled lightly and sighed, sitting at her desk. "Is there anything else you would like to be discussed? Any of you?" Everyone but Hermione shook their heads.

"We may need to inform Madam Promfrey. She called me Granger today while she gave me a checkup because I wasn't feeling well. In light of… recent… events she may as well be brought up to speed." McGonagall nodded at this and Draco shared a look with Hermione, clearly they were having and internal discussion.

"I will inform her and have her take the vow as well." She smirked and shook her head before giving a slight chuckle. "I will say this about you lot, you sure do know how to make the school years eventful. Now off with you all, shoo, I can't do my work with you all just standing around. Go on. Be glad it's a Saturday because you all," she gave a look to the teachers here as well, "would have missed over half a class! Now go on." She gave a shooing motion again and they all moved out of the office, taking the stairs two people at a time. Once down in the hall the teachers awkwardly stood watching their students, not knowing what to say after that bombshell.

The students decided to meet up in Draco and Hermione's common room after dinner and they each left in groups. Hermione and Ginny heading down to the library to 'study' until dinner; Harry and Ron out to the Quidditch Pitch, and Blaise and Draco down to the lake. The latter couple of friends soon came to regret even leaving the castle soon enough because they were in the open and nowhere to go as they noticed Pansy making her way toward them, followed by Theo Nott, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, and Goyle. Draco groaned and knew that they, no, he had to face this sooner or later, he just preferred the latter option.

"Draco, you care to explain what that scene in the entrance hall was about?" Theo had stepped forward to talk first, the girls fanning out behind him. Before the year had started they all had been friends, he and Blaise would poke fun with Theo at the girls over nothing and they'd fawn over the boys. It had slowly started changing last year but was now blatantly obvious this year how noticeable that was. He shrugged before standing and lending Blaise a hand up then he turned back to this fellow Slytherins.

"It's complicated. All I can say is that this isn't a fling." They shook their heads at him and Theo sighed.

"You didn't think to tell us? Thought you were our friend Drake, we haven't even seen you much this year since you don't live with the rest of us anymore." Draco looked at them confused for a moment before Theo stepped forward and clapped his back. "Nice catch though, heard she's feisty." Theo's grin and the smiles on the girl's faces caught him off guard and it showed.

"What, thought we weren't going to accept something we saw happening for years?" Pansy laughed at his obvious discomfort now.

"What… What are you talking about? Years?" He scoffed at the idea of it. He knew that even without them being accusatory about what was happening with him and Hermione; he still had a role to play. He also knew that they grew up together so they could see certain parts of his acting, but he hoped they would take it as an 'I didn't like this whole time, you're crazy' act. From the 'yeah right' look on all their faces he knew they fell for his act.

"Draco, Hun, we've known you our whole lives, we've seen this coming from day one." Daphne quirked and he sighed, looking down. He knew they thought that they knew him well enough to know him and his thoughts and actions so he acted accordingly to how he wanted them to think. He looked down at the ground and shrugged, kicking at some dirt under his shoe.

"I don't know what you mean. This is just something that's happened recently after living with her all this time. That was bound to happen, right?" He glanced up and the girls nodded. Blaise had been quiet during all this and when he turned to look at his friend he noticed an odd look on his features. He knew that look; he'd shared something with him similar to that before. He straightened up and caught Blaise's eye and they shared a silent message: Ginny was in trouble. Draco turned to the pitch and yelled out and waved an arm quickly getting Weasley and Potter's attention. They flew down quickly and once they caught the pained expression on Blaise's face didn't have to ask.

They landed and Blaise climbed on Weasley's broom and Draco on Potter's. They all ignored the shouts and questions from his friends, getting to Ginny was the most important thing right then. They raced up to the castle and once at the doors they all landed, hopped off the brooms and followed Blaise as he ran off, not particularly waiting on any of them. Once they got close to the infirmary did Blaise slow down and just outside the doors he stopped. For some reason he couldn't go in there. Draco sent a question out to Hermione, trying to feel where she was. He felt her panic and rushed past Blaise into the room and forward to where Hermione was leaning over a bed with Madam Promfrey.