A/N- The characters (sigh) are not mine.

Monkeywand, you blind me with your awesomeness!

To all you readers and reviewers out there, I luv you! Yes, you! ;-P

Right… On with the story!

0o0o0o0

"Mi..."

In the distance, the young witch heard someone calling her name but she was too comfortable drifting in her own dream world where there was no hate, no suffering and no war to be bothered with identifying the intruder.

"Mione..."

The voice was getting closer and her dream world was slipping away.

"Hermione!"

The witch jumped slightly as her eyes flew open, disoriented from sleep. "What?" she rubbed her eyes and looked around to see the tent was dark except for the lantern lit at the table. Ron was kneeling next to her cot, "What's happened?" her heart sped, "Where's Harry?"

Ron smiled, "Harry's fine. He woke up an hour ago and went to the pond to bathe before taking watch. I thought we could use a bit of privacy."

"Oh," the witch sat up and rubbed her eyes again, "What time is it? Why did you wake me?"

"It's midnight," the redhead grinned, "and I woke you up to wish you a happy Valentine's Day."

Hermione froze. Was this pillock serious? "You woke me up, out of a deep sleep, at midnight...to wish me happy Valentine's Day?"

Ron nodded happily with a stupid smile on his face as he pulled a bouquet of wild flowers from behind his back with his right hand and a single, wrapped chocolate frog was in his left.

Pissed off, shocked and somewhat flattered, Hermione just sat there; staring.

"I worked for hours trying to get the charm right. Would have gone all about the forest to pick them for you...you know, if they were in bloom," he handed the object of his affection the wild flowers and then presented the chocolate frog box. "I got this back when...well, I left. I know it's not much but..."

After a long, long pause, Hermione found her voice, "Ron...I-I'm flattered, really I am but..." She looked at the flowers and the frog box and wondered where this romantic side was back when she actually had feelings for him, "But we're just friends. We already talked about this. We're friends, but no more."

He chuckled, "You don't mean that. You told me yourself...at dinner."

Hermione frowned, "No I didn't."

"Yes you did," he smiled and rested his right hand on her knee, "I should have put two and two together sooner, really; what with all the quiet tears and you clinging to your blanket. Oh, and let's not forget all the sad little love songs you sing when you think no one's around."

Moving her knee so Ron's hand was no longer on it, the witch shook her head, "I don't know what you think you've seen but-"

"No, love, don't deny it!" he shuffled closer to her, "I saw the way you hesitated when I asked you about what you smelt on your blanket, you were lying. You just didn't want us to know you really smell me..."

Hermione blinked owlishly.

"...the tears you've shed and the sad songs you've sung, they're all for me." Ron smirked, "and I get it now. You want to be with me but don't feel you can-"

At that, Hermione protested, knowing she had to stop Ron before he headed too far down this insane avenue of thinking. "No! No, Ron, you misunderstand-"

"I don't think I do, love," he interrupted her, "you want to be with me but you feel you can't because you're afraid I'm just going to abandon you again-"

"What? No-"

"Sh, sh, sh, Mi, you don't have to deny it anymore. I know I still have a ways to go to prove myself to you but I want to tell you right now that I'm never, ever going to abandon you again." the redhead moved to frame the witch's face but she pulled away and scrambled to stand.

"For fuck's sake, Ron, stop it! I am not denying anything," Hermione moved to put some distance between them; her stomach still roiling in a mixture of anxiousness and anger. "What I told you the night you came back, that night back in December, it still stands. I love you, Ron, dearly, but only as a friend."

Standing, Ron frowned, "Then why did you hug me...let me kiss you...tell me you sang that song for me?"

"I did NOT tell you I sang that song for you, Ronald! I said I sang it for someone 'in particular'!" Hermione gestured wildly with her hands, "We used to hug all the time before we had any attraction between us...and even then! I didn't know you'd take it as some sign that I want you!"

But Ron was still stuck on her previous statement. "But...what you sang was a love song...a sad love song," his face suddenly twisted with rage, "If you weren't singing that song for me, Hermione, who in the fuck were you singing it for?" He shook his head, "I knew I shouldn't have believed anything you and Harry were saying about just being friends! Giving him your blanket...him telling me to lay off of you! I'm gonna kill him!"

Hermione stepped in his way and pushed him back, "Would you stop thinking that Harry and I are lovers! It's maddening, not to mention disturbing on an almost incestuous level!" the witch spat. "Harry and I are not, never have been and never will be anything more than best friends!" she roared with frustration, "That song I sang before dinner was for someone else! Someone I care for deeply...someone I… I think I love." Hermione went silent as she took in what she had said with a fair amount of shock.

The tent was uncomfortably silent for a long length of time.

"You...love someone else?" Ron looked torn between wanting to hex her and wanting to cry.

Squaring her shoulders, the witch nodded, "Yes."

"And it's not Harry?"

"No."

"Then who is it?"

She stayed silent.

"Hermione, who the bloody fuck is it," he took a step towards her.

The witch shook her head, "I'd rather not say."

"TELL ME! I deserve to know!" the redhead shouted. "Were you with him when I left...Were you with him before, when you and me were-"

"THAT IS WHERE YOU SEEM TO BE HAVING TROUBLE, RON! THERE WAS NEVER A YOU AND ME...EVER!" Hermione screamed and shook her head, "No matter how much I wanted it once upon a time." The witch crossed her arms, "I'm not telling you or Harry or anyone else who he is because until this war is over and we can stop running, it doesn't matter who he is."

Ron looked broken and righteously angry all at once. "Why him, whoever the wanker is?" his voice cracked, "Where is he? If he loved you, Hermione, he'd be right here with you." He took another step towards the witch, "But I'm right here, Mi. I can love you, protect you...be right here for you always." a tear slipped from his eye.

Before Hermione could respond, Ron framed her face with his hands and pulled her into a kiss. Once the moment of shock wore off, she moved her hands between them to lay flat on Ron's chest as she tried to push him away; her stomach suddenly twisting again. Finally, with one hard push, she shoved Ron away.

What followed next may have been cripplingly embarrassing if the witch was in any frame of mind to care.

Immediately after she and Ron broke away, Hermione vomited all over the redhead's shoes.

Ron looked horrified as he lifted his soiled shoes from the puddle of sickness on the floor. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Daintily wiping her mouth with her right hand while her left clutched her unsettled stomach, Hermione stated with an angry tone, "That is what you get for forcing a kiss on me, you git!"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish before he said with a fair amount of hurt tingeing his voice, "I disgust you that much?"

"No-"

"Can't stand the thought of me romantically… I sicken you so much; you throw up all over me for kissing you?"

Not at all in the mood to soothe his hurt or assuage her guilt, Hermione sighed, "Can we have this conversation later, like when the sun is up?

"NO, YOU FRIGID LITTLE BITCH!" Ron roared, "I want to know who you've been whoring around with and I want a fucking apology for retching on me!"

Hermione jumped but her eyes quickly narrowed. "Get. Out… Get out of here, Ron before I reach my wand!" she made for her cot while Ron took heed and made for the exit, but not before mumbling.

"Stupid PMSing slut?"

Wand in hand, Hermione turned around and made her way to the entrance of the tent. "RON! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" she glanced over to a thoroughly bewildered Harry as he stood and took in the sight of his two friends. "Retching all over you is not the worst I can do. If you even attempt to set foot in this tent tonight, I will tie you up to the nearest tree and use you for target practice!" With that, Hermione used her wand to seal the entrance to the tent so it could not be separated, cast a silencing charm on the tent, vanished her sickness from the floor and walked back to her cot in a huff.

0o0o0o0

Sitting upon her cot more than an hour later, the witch muttered angrily to herself as she finally vanished the wild flowers and ate the chocolate frog, "I cannot believe the gall...the nerve...the ugh!" she couldn't even come up with words to describe Ron's actions. Yes, vomiting on him was a bit much but he shouldn't have forced a kiss on her. It wasn't her fault retching was a largely involuntary reflex.

"Frigid bitch, whore, slut...PMSing...that's rich...and incredibly overused. He should just wait until I really am PMS..."

Suddenly, the witch froze as her mind quickly thought back to the last time she'd had her period.

"Oh no..." She stood quickly and began to pace, "Oh nononononono..." Hermione made her way to the table and sat dejectedly as the last time she had a menstrual cycle came to her. "November," she whispered absently, "the end of November."

Due to the stress and strain she'd been put under since they've been on the run, Hermione's menstrual cycles have been erratic at best. But never had it ever been this far apart.

"Th-the vomiting, the tiredness, the moodiness..." She stood again and fumbled for her bag and accio'd The Healer's Helpmate before quickly flipping the pages to the chapter on female hygiene and health; reading at a fevered pace to find the spell she'd only skimmed over earlier that day.

The wand movement was slightly intricate but, if done right, the spell would tell her all she needed to know.

Standing next to her cot, Hermione nibbled her lower lip and took several shaky breaths before doing what needed to be done. Raising her wand, the young witch waved it in an intricate series of connected, tight circles before speaking the incantation, "Essegravidam. "

Her stomach glowed a silvery color before white writing formed in the air in front of her.

Positive.

The young witch stared at the white illuminated word until it faded away.

Positive...I...I-I'm pregnant... She dropped back down to her cot, in shock before turning back to the medical tome and skimming for another spell. "Nothing..." the medical book didn't have the type of spell she was looking for which was one that would tell her the health of her baby.

Slamming the book shut, Hermione covered her face with her hands and allowed herself to vent the overwhelming mixture of emotions roiling inside of her.

I'm pregnant...pregnant with his baby... Hermione let out a strangled sob. Pregnant with his baby in the middle of a war that neither of us is likely to survive...

It took hours of leaking her sorrow before her other emotions had leave to show themselves.

Lying on her cot with bloodshot, puffy eyes, the witch stared down at her flat stomach before mumbling, "Well...fuck me." Hermione chuckled humorlessly, "No, that's what got you into this mess!"

She thought back to that night and fisted her hands repeatedly. "With all the potions he had with him, you would think he would have shoved a contraceptive potion under my nose!" Getting up, she paced back and forth as she laughed again, "This is almost comical, the git practically had a whole potions store room in his robes and he didn't give me a contraceptive potion." she stopped suddenly as her heart about plummeted, "What if that was the plan."

For weeks, Hermione had been trying not to dwell over the possible 'whys' in which Snape let things go as far as they did that night. After all, before that, she'd thought he'd hated her. Even now, Hermione didn't know his feelings at all.

"Fucking git!" Tears began to leak from her eyes even as her face twisted with anger, "That slimy fucking snake! I bet this was on purpose...I'll KILL him if this was on purpose!"

He had been resigned in not surviving the war. Maybe this was some convoluted attempt to have a piece of him live on, Hermione thought as she dropped back onto her cot and stared up at the canvas ceiling. "Without even consulting me." her right hand came up to rub her flat stomach, "Not that my mind was on contraception. I mean it took me this long to figure out that I'm pregnant."

Pushing her anger aside, Hermione took a moment to think rationally. "If Snape had done this to me on purpose as a means to live on in some way, it was stupidly selfish, entirely Slytherin," she paused, "and...perversely sweet," She shook her head in frustration at the last word. "But if I, the female, was not even thinking of contraception, I doubt he was." After a moment, she asked no one in particular, "Could he really be that twisted?" Rolling her eyes, she answered herself, "Probably."

Extinguishing what little light there was coming from the lantern on the table; Hermione covered herself up with her quilt and put her hands on her tummy while she thought about this drastic change in her life. "Don't worry, little one," she whispered, finally acknowledging the life inside of her, "I will make sure nothing happens to you. None of this is your fault and once I see your father, I will take great pleasure in hexing him into a eunuch."

With her last words bringing her some calm and a bit of a smile, Hermione closed her eyes and whispered, "Happy Valentine's day, little one."

0o0o0o0

Hermione awoke unable to open her eyes for they were swollen and matted shut by the dried goo that always came after crying for hours and then falling asleep. With a resigned sigh, she groped around for her wand and cast a quick aguamenti on her face so she could work her eyelids apart.

After that task was done, the witch sat up and summoned a mirror before cringing at what she saw. She looked down at her stomach and smiled slightly, "Good morning, little one. Your mummy looks a fright at the moment," her eyes traveled back to the mirror, "and is in need of one hell of a glamour."

Usually, Hermione was not so vain or so shallow as to believe she should ever have to rely on a glamour charm. In fact, she hated them because she felt it was a charm that promoted and perpetuated the epitome of 'fake'. No, she hated glamours but she would be damned if she would show her swollen, bloodshot eyes to Ron. He would most likely think he was the cause of her tears and the last thing she wanted was for him to believe he had such power over her. And since she wasn't at all ready to let the boys know the real source of her tears, a glamour charm seemed the only viable option.

Standing, the witch spoke to her tummy again, "It's not that mummy is ashamed of you, I could never be ashamed of you, but mummy's friends wouldn't understand and I haven't the patience to try and explain." She went silent with thought for a moment before pointing out, "They would probably treat me like shit… Or like some fragile porcelain doll and I'll not have any of that. No, little one, you'll be my little secret for now." That said, Hermione turned back to the mirror and pointed her wand at her puffy eyes, "Oculous Pulchritudo!"

Instantly, the red in her eyes receded as the swelling of her eyelids disappeared and the dark circles around her eyes faded into nonexistence. She looked rested and -best of all- like she hadn't been crying for most of the night.

Satisfied with what she saw, Hermione banished the mirror to her bag and busied herself with getting dressed.

Once she was all put together, the witch took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before canceling her sealing and silencing charms on the tent; stepping out to the bright, albeit chilly morning. What she saw had her blinking owlishly.

Sitting next to the fire on opposite sides, where two very battered and bruised boys.

"Harry...? Ron...?"

The redhead turned and sneered at her, sporting a split lip and black eye, "About bloody time!" He stood and walked passed her into the tent.

Wearing only his denims, Hermione could see all the bruises present and forming on his pale torso. Frowning, she turned back to an equally battered Harry. "What in the hell happened?"

Harry smiled as much as his swollen cheek would allow him. "Morning, Mione."

"Harry!"

He heaved a sigh and shrugged, "We got into it after you kicked him out of the tent."

Hermione walked over to him and sat down.

"He told me what happened...what you did," he smirked crookedly before it faded at his next words, "and what he called you." He shrugged again, "What can I say? Yelling turned into shoving and shoving turned into...this." he gestured to his bruised body.

"Oh, Harry, you shouldn't have bothered. Do you need any pain potion?"

He nodded reluctantly, "Especially if we're moving camp today. I suspect Ron will need some too but you best just give it to me to give to him. He is still sore...you know, emotionally."

Hermione nodded as she summoned the pain potion and handed the entire beaker to Harry.

"So," Harry uncorked the container and took a sip, "you're in love with another." He sealed the beaker again. "Don't suppose you'll tell me who the lucky bloke is, will you?"

Shaking her head, she went about getting breakfast started. "No Harry. I really don't like keeping anything from you and Ron but I just don't see the relevance of you knowing who he is until the war is over."

"Why?"

She was quiet as she focused on her task for a moment, "Because we are at war and on the run. At the moment, there can't be anything between me and...Him,"

Harry seemed to accept her answer, "But, you'll tell us eventually, right? Say at the celebration after we've defeated old Vol-"

Hermione flew to clamp her hand around Harry's mouth "Never..." she hissed, "Never say that name, Harry." When he struggled to free his mouth, the witch shook her head. "I know you think it's just a name, Harry. But it's not. It carries a curse on it. That is how those snatchers and Death Eaters found us the other day. His name carries some sort of tracking charm on it." When Harry seemed to relax, she let him go.

"Sorry," He rubbed his face, "That must be new."

Hermione only nodded.

"How do you know that?"

"Um…I-I…I was told."

"Aw, by your boyfriend?"

Hermione fought her blush as her voice turned a bit shrill. "He is not my boyfriend, Harry! And, yes, he told me."

"How?"

The witch didn't answer.

"Right…"

Silence descended upon both of them for a moment before Harry asked,

"Is your bloke anyone I know?"

Laughing, Hermione nodded.

"And you'll tell us?"

"Trust me, Harry; sooner or later I'll have no choice but to tell you. Until that time, though, can we keep off the subject?"

He nodded as his friend passed him some toast and tea, "Alright."

Hermione had just poured some cereal and transfigured the water into milk when the frowning ginger-head stalked over to them. She wordlessly handed him his porridge and tea.

They all ate in silence until Harry cleared his throat, "I think we should apparate north, you know," He handed Ron the beaker of pain potion. "Like Manchester or Sutherland. Those are muggle populated areas and we've already figured staying around muggles keeps things quiet for us the longest." He looked apologetically at Hermione, "And as much as I like this forest, Mi, I don't think it would be wise for us to visit here again."

She nodded as she finished her cereal.

"Must be where her mystery man took her once," Ron said acidly as he sealed the beaker again.

"Ron." Harry warned.

"Have a nice little picnic and shag session with him here, then?" the redhead ignored Harry's warning.

Hermione cleaned her bowl before standing, "I'll get the tent, shall I?" She ignored Ron, "Harry, if you could clean and put away the dishes. Ron, if you could manage to be a mature adult today, it would be greatly appreciated." She walked off.

"Yeah, like I'm about to- umpf!"

"Shut up, Ron!" Harry shouted.

Not even looking back, Hermione rolled her eyes.

0o0o0o0

That evening, the trio made camp in Northumberland National Park; another muggle park that they felt was largely unknown or forgotten by the wizarding world.

It had been a long day. Since they didn't want to leave any magical signatures, they apparated to Newcastle and then hiked to the park.

Twelve and a half hours later, Hermione couldn't be happier to sit down, even if it was on a mound of dirt with pine needles sticking into her arse and legs.

"I'll get the wards," Harry wiped the sweat from his brow, "Ron; you want to get the tent?"

He leaned against a tree and frowned, "Why can't she do it?"

Hermione frowned as Harry turned to his redheaded friend. "She probably can, but I asked you. She's tired and it's the gentlemanly thing to do."

"And why should I be a gentleman to a little-"

"RON!"

"That's fine, Harry." Hermione stood and brushed herself off, "I'll just do it because sitting here and listening to Ronald whine is about as appealing as playing leapfrog with a unicorn."

"Yeah," Ron plopped down on the ground, "Like a unicorn would come anywhere near you."

"RON!" Harry shouted again after casting a muggle repelling charm.

"Ron, don't piss me off today, I'll have to find a place to stash your body and I really can't be bothered at the moment." Hermione said as she summoned the tent and began walking away to set it up on level ground.

"Oh, leaving so soon? I was just about to poison the tea..." the redhead mumbled.

Hermione turned around and dropped the tent to storm over to Ron. "Okay, what in the hell is it, Ron? Why are you so bent out of shape?" she shouted, "If it's because I vomited on you, I apologize truly, but it's not as if I did it on purpose. If it's because I have feelings for another, than I don't know what to tell you because I sure as hell am not going to apologize for it!"

"Why am I bent out of shape?" he stood as he thundered, "I kissed you and your reaction was to retch all over me, like me kissing you was so repulsive!

"It wasn't you, it was just bad timing!"

"Do you know how damaging that is to a bloke?" He shouted, "Especially me, Mione? I love you."

Hermione took a deep breath and forced a clam tone. "No, Ron, you don't." she held up a hand at his protesting mumbles, "As a friend, I have no doubt that you love me. But in a romantic sense, Ron? I think it's just misplaced affection or something. I mean, think about it, why did you come back so set on us being together after you'd left?"

Ron frowned as he thought about it and eventually mumbled, "I...I thought that's what you wanted." He scrubbed his face with his hands and elaborated, "I knew you had a crush on me for some time. When I came back...I-I was so determined for the both of you not to be angry at me that I was ready for a relationship. I just needed the opportunity to find you two again." he shook his head, "When you told me there would never be more than friendship between us, I felt rejected. It hurt. I just assumed that it was because I really wanted to be with you."

Hermione shook her head. "Ron, that isn't love."

He nodded, "I know." then he looked at her, "How would you know you what love is, though? How do you know you love mystery man?"

"Honestly, I don't." the witch confessed. "I've never been in love before, but what I feel for him is stronger than anything I've ever felt for another...romantically, that is."

"And does he love you?" Ron asked with a hint of hostility in his voice.

Hermione shrugged, "I don't know." Not likely, she thought.

The redhead grunted before tunneling a hand through his hair. "I… I don't like that you have feelings for another, but I guess I'll just have to get over it." he said honestly. "I care for you a lot, Mi, and I don't think I'll ever be okay with you being with another bloke; no matter what was or wasn't between us...but, I'm sorry for everything I've called you today...and for the way I've been acting."

Smiling, Hermione nodded, "Apology accepted."

Ron looked shocked. "Really? Wow that was easy."

"Yes, that was easy." Hermione chuckled, "We're on the run and all any of us has at the moment. I hate fighting with either of you under normal circumstances, but when we're roughing it together, it's unbearable." She looked to make sure Harry was paying attention, "We have psychotic witches and wizards after us who worship a half human megalomaniac; we have to stop bickering amongst ourselves because we are strongest as a united front."

Harry nodded, "Here, here." he looked between his friends, "So, are we on the mend, then?"

Hermione looked to Ron who gave her a crooked smile, "Yeah, I think we are."

Ron nodded, "So what's for dinner?"

0o0o0o0

Yes, yes, I know many of you figured out what was coming! So did it live up to expectations?

More to come soon!

Thanks for reading!