As usual...it all belongs to the talented JKR. I make nothing from this.

It has been in the 90s the past few days...so too hot to do anything except write furiously. So enjoy this a few days early...

Chapter 3

St. Mungo's

Hermione sat down at her desk and glanced down at the neat and tidy file sitting in front of her. She had spent the majority of the weekend working researching the patent application information for Professor Snape. It really was an amazing potion, assuming the trials at St. Mungo's would be successful. It was a memory potion to recover memories that were either wiped out from overuse of the cruciatus curse or obliviates. The patent application was for experimental testing only, and had to be tested thoroughly at St. Mungo's before it would be given full patent status.

She put the file aside, and began working on a stack of healing potions patent applications. Every few minutes she would glance at the file on the corner of her desk. He should be arriving at any moment, she smiled as she had that thought, I better be prepared.

She was just finishing her third patent application when she heard the familiar voice. "I do hope you are actually well today, Miss Granger. I'd rather not have a repeat of Friday's visit." She blushed slightly as she remembered getting sick in front of him.

"Hello, Professor. I feel much better today. I did have time to work on your potions application this weekend." She handed him the approved patent as she continued, "I looked at the theory and research you noted on the application, and saw no reason not to give it approval for testing. It looks very promising, and it would help many people with left over issues from the war if it was successful."

"Yes...well, thank you, Miss Granger."

She knew that he did not like any type of public praise or adoration, and from working with him for the past couple of years, she knew that she had embarrassed him.

"Professor, if you don't mind, I would love updates on the progress and testing of the potion. I...er...," she stuttered slightly as she tried to finish her thoughts, "I was thinking that it might help my parents."

She thought back to the obliviates she cast on her parents before she went on the horcrux hunt with Harry and Ron. Despite her best effort and over a year of research, she was never able to restore their memories. They still lived in Australia, totally oblivious to their previous life.

"Of course, Miss Granger. I must be heading back to Hogwarts. I have first years in one hour, and I will need all that time to mentally prepare for the little miscreants. Good Day."

She watched him head out the door, thankful that the she didn't shed the tears forming in her eyes. Even mentioning her parents had upset her greatly, and she was so hopeful that this potion could possibly help them. She had only told Professor Snape about her parents about halfway through her apprenticeship. They had never discussed the war, but she had finally gotten comfortable enough around him to ask him how he had survived Nagini's bite. This lead to a discussion about what had happened the year she was on the run. It was a pivotal moment in their working relationship to be so open about the war, and it was this conversation that had progressed their relationship from mere apprentice and master to a friendship of sorts.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione sorted through her wardrobe, trying to find one of the two loose robes that still fit her. It had been almost a month since she found out she was pregnant, and so far she had been able to hide it from her co-workers successfully. Her morning sickness was starting to go away, but now she was having a hard time finding clothes that actually fit.

She looked in the mirror before she put her robes on. Her blouse was very tight against her now larger breasts, and she had used an elastic hair band to loop through her pants since they would no longer button. She really didn't look pregnant yet, just podgy, as she turned different angles to look in the mirror. She threw on her robes and took one last look at herself in the mirror. Maybe I can go another couple of weeks before anyone notices that I'm pregnant.

She glanced at the clock, noticing she would be late if she didn't step into the floo within the next few minutes. She had dreaded today for the past week, it was just another reminder of the mistake she had made almost three months ago. She quickly tossed the floo powder and said, "St. Mungo's."

She quickly walked to the appointment sign-in desk, and signed her name as quickly as possible. She walked towards the waiting area, hoping that she would not see anyone she recognized. She had just picked up an old copy of Witch Weekly to read when her name had been called.

"Hello, Ms. Granger. Do you mind if I call you Hermione since we will be seeing each other quite a bit the next six months?"

"Er...um...that is fine. I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous." Hermione spoke softly as she sat on the exam table.

"My name is Healer Smythwick, and I'll be your assigned healer and midwife until you deliver. I'm assuming this is your first pre-natal visit since you found out you are pregnant?"

"Yes. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know I was pregnant until I was ten weeks. So...um...yes, this is the first visit."

"That is okay. Many first time mums don't realise they are pregnant immediately. From looking at your chart, you should be about fourteen weeks. I can tell you the sex of the baby this visit when I do the diagnostic spell, if you would like to know."

"Oh...I didn't realise that you could tell this soon." Hermione was a little startled. She had tried not to think about the pregnancy too much so far, but learning the gender of the baby would make it very real. She was unsure whether she was ready to know, but she blurted out a quick "yes" without really thinking it through.

She laid back and watched the healer cast the diagnostic spells on her abdomen. She watched the familiar gray appear above her, but then with another swish, she heard a faint, but rapid thumping noise.

"Is that...is that the baby's heartbeat?"

"Yes. It is very fast at this stage of pregnancy, almost 150 beats per minute, which is on the higher range of the normal scale. There is an old wives' tale that girls have faster heart beats than boys. Let's see if that is true in this case." She quickly cast another spell over Hermione's stomach and watched as a white orb appeared and then turned a very pale pink.

"You are having a baby girl, so it appears to be true this time."

Hermione sat herself up and simply stared into space for a moment. A daughter. She could see a little girl with curls like her own. She wondered for a brief moment what characteristics she would get from her father, but quickly dismissed those thoughts. She didn't want to go down that road at the moment.

"I am finished with the exam, Hermione, and I will be back in a few minutes with a script for your prenatal potion. It can be filled at the apothecary, or it can be made easily if you wish to just purchase the ingredients."

She was quite distracted as she left the clinic portion of St. Mungo's. She was still deep in thought thinking about the pregnancy when she ran into a wall of solid black. She started to fall backwards until a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright. Apparently the wall of black was Professor Snape.

"Oh...Professor. I am so sorry! I was deep in thought and not paying attention to where I was going." She knew she was mumbling, but she was so embarrassed running straight into him like that. "What are you doing at St. Mungo's?"

"Surely you have not forgotten that I have potions trials, already, Miss Granger. You approved the patent yourself not even a month ago." He looked down at her with his crossed arms, and gave his best Snape smirk.

"Yes...of course. I-," but she was interrupted by a voice calling her in the distance. She turned towards the voice to realise the receptionist from the clinic was walking towards her with a piece of parchment in her hand.

Oh, gods, she thought. I forgot to get my prenatal potions script. Please, please don't let her say anything about the pregnancy. Before she could even say a word to the woman, she spoke to Hermione.

"I'm glad I was able to catch you, Miss Granger. You forgot your prenatal potions script in the exam room."

Hermione took the script, and stared at it. She was too mortified to even say thank you. She prayed silently to every deity that Professor Snape wasn't still standing right next to her. She slowly turned towards him to see him staring at her stomach.

"You...you're pregnant, Miss Granger?" He spoke in a tone far softer than she was used to hearing from him.

"I...I have to go. Good day, Professor Snape." She literally ran towards the floo, not wanting to deal with the situation.

She knew she was being a coward, but she couldn't deal with seeing disappointment on her Professor's face. She spent two years working towards her potions mastery, and now she would be staying home changing nappies. She would go home and try to think things through before she had to go back to work.

A/N...My own OB told me about the old wives' tale about the baby's heartbeat. It was never correct for any of my kids. My daughter had the slowest heartbeat of all three of them (I also have two boys). But I threw it in, anyway.

I honestly have no idea how long this story will be. I keep getting ideas for sub-plots in my head almost daily. At least I already know how it will end :)