A/N: No Author's Note now, but there is one at the end.

Disclaimer: I'm too distracted to make an original disclaimer, so let's just say it's not mine, eh?

Banned Love

Gabrielle gasped as she pulled away from the toilet. Finally, a relief. She closed her eyes as she wiped the sweat off her brow. This was the fourth time it had happened this week. She sighed and tugged her locks into a ponytail, in case it would happen again. Just her luck, as she finished tying the elastic around her hair she felt another strong wave of vomit coming up.

Gabrielle heard the bathroom door slam as she backed away from the toilet once more. "Gabrielle! Are you all right?" she heard Emily call. She flushed the toilet and wiped her mouth as she exited the stall. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She was engulfed in a hug by not one, but three people. She backed away in fear of puking on her best friends.

"Are you sure? Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?" Rebecca asked. She moved to feel Gabrielle's forehead, but retreated in slight disgust at the perspiration that was coating it. Maddie rolled her eyes and left to get a wet towel.

"You guys, I'm fine!" Gabrielle resisted their remarks, but not the towel that Maddie had brought – that felt good. "I'm sure it's just a stomach virus or something."

"All the more reason to go see Madam Pomfrey! It's bee going on for two weeks, it can't be good!" Emily exclaimed.

"Fine," Gabrielle sighed, giving in just to get that mixture of pleading and worry off of Emily's face. "I'll go today after classes."

"Gabrielle? Gabrielle? Gabrielle!" Gabrielle jumped at finally realizing someone was calling her name. Harry chuckled. "Gabrielle, time to stop zoning out and to start zoning in on class."

With that he walked up to stand in front of his desk, facing the students. His eyes widened slightly as he realized all of his students were in attendance. He shook his head to get rid of the shock.

"Who can tell me what a Patronus is?" As usual, Maddie Menzel's hand shot up like lightning. "Yes, Miss Menzel?"

"A Patronus is a defense charm used to protect the caster from dementors. The fully-fledged charm takes the form of an animal significant to the caster. It is derived by happy thoughts, so it is difficult to perform in front of dementors."

"Difficult, indeed," Harry chuckled. "Might I ask, Miss Menzel, can you produce a corporeal Patronus?"

She looked embarrassed, as if it was mandatory. "No, sir."

"It's quite alright if you can't." He stepped back so he could see the whole class.

"Miss Menzel mentioned the charm was for protecting oneself from a dementor, but now we don't see much of those. However, the Patronus charm can and is used frequently as a messaging device. This could be a great thing to learn if you become an Auror or something of the sort. Now, the seventh years don't have a choice, but I'm supposed to ask you guys if you want to learn this. So all in favor, rai-" He stopped and smiled. Before he could even finish every hand in the room was raised "I guess that's unanimous. Now, who can produce a fully-fledged Patronus?" Immediately he saw Gabrielle's hand shoot up. "Anyone besides Miss Delacour?"

Slowly and shyly, he saw Emily's hand raise next to Gabrielle's. "Ah, Miss Jantz. You know how?" She nodded shyly. "And would you mind sharing with us the memory you had the first time you produced a full Patronus?"

"Okay, that's private," she said, becoming the bold girl he met in seventh year. He laughed.

"Would you two care to demonstrate for the class?"

Gabrielle and Emily smiled as they walked to the front of the classroom. "I'll go first," Emily told Gabrielle and Harry. She closed her eyes, searching for a memory.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The class oohed and ahhed at the silver hedgehog that was running around the room. Emily laughed as she called it back and it vanished.

"Okay, Gabrielle, your turn!"

Gabrielle's eyes closed, and a look of sudden bliss came over her. She opened her eyes and said the incantation.

"Expecto - "

She gasped out of the blue and covered her mouth, running for the door.

"Professor, may I..?" Emily asked, worry painted onto her features.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Harry rushed her. He would have followed too, had he not had a class to teach. He noticed Rebecca also leaping up to pursue her friend, but Maddie reached out to pull her down.

"Sit down!" she hissed.

"But Maddie - "

"They know the spell. We don't!"

"But Maddie-"

"She'll be fine. She's with Emily."

Well, Harry thought, it was fun while it lasted.

"Gabrielle, I'm so glad you decided to do this now," Emily jabbered as she took Gabrielle's arm and dragged her upstairs.

"Actually, you kind of decided it for me," Gabrielle pointed out. True, Emily decided it was time to go see Madam Pomfrey at that instant after Gabrielle had thrown up for the third time that day.

"Yes, but I was only thinking of your health!"

"And I'm only thinking of your homework pile. Why don't you go to class?"

"But-"

"Em!" Gabrielle stopped her friend short. "I think I can handle this myself. Plus Harry might be teaching something you don't know."

"Maddie and Rebecca can give-"

"Just go! I'll be fine!" Gabrielle laughed as she pushed her friend toward the staircase. As Emily huffed back to Defense class, Gabrielle walked through the hospital wing doors, realizing how often she'd been saying that phrase over the past few weeks.

"Ah, Miss Delacour, what a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you today?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Gabrielle was startled at how quickly Madam Pomfrey noticed her. She then noticed that she was the only patient in the wing.

"Erm, Madam Pomfrey, I think I've come down with a stomach virus."

Madam Pomfrey ushered her over to the first bed and started doing a series of charmed tests. Gabrielle recognized these as a way to determine what illness she had come down with. So far only white puffs of smoke had come out of the tip of the wand. She knew that if she had what the spell indicated, a green puff of smoke would emit.

After a series of spells cast for naught, Madam Pomfrey stepped back, a look of deep concentration on her face. "What exactly gave you the impression that you have a stomach virus?"
"Well, ma'am, I have been sick almost every day for the past two weeks."
"Ah. And why didn't you come to me sooner?"

"Because I thought it was just a mild illness, and that it would pass in a few days."

"Hmm… I wonder," Madam Pomfrey muttered. She drew her wand and cast one last nonverbal spell. A puff of pink smoke erupted from the tip.

Gabrielle's eyes furrowed in confusion. She knew green smoke meant illness, but what did pink smoke mean?

"Miss Delacour, I can assure you you aren't ill," Madam Pomfrey said slightly crossly. Gabrielle could have sworn she saw disappointment on her face.

"You are, however, pregnant."

A/N: This chapter was very fun to write, seeing as I wrote it all while in NYC! A few of you guessed what happened in this chapter, and no two of you answered the same to the poll question, so I'll ask it again: Who should Hermione be dating/married to in this series BESIDES Ron? (If you've already voted, please don't vote again.) Please review, review, and review!

-Signing off, GabbyGal!