Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything. Darn. It's still all JKR's.

"It's a simple, Hermione."

"Just because you want a private wedding with practically no one there." Hermione fell into the chair across form Snape's. Tears prickled her eyes but she wouldn't give in to them either. "I'm beginning to think you don't wish to marry me."

"Damn right I'm thinking it."

"Severus, how could you!" Hermione said as she rose to her feet again. "And to a pregnant woman nonetheless." She'd only just begun to show and no one save a few required parties even knew she was with child. Most people just figured she'd taken to eating with the stress of exams.

"It is for that reason I want a small ceremony," Snape said. "The fewer people who know I knocked you up while you were here the better."

"It'll be pretty obvious when the birth announcement comes out."

"I'd rather deal with it then. You can be such a witch, Granger."

"Drama queen," she said with a pointed look in his direction.

"I learned from the best," he said in the campiest way he could muster.

Hermione, finally succumbing to the mood sing that was upon her, giggled uncontrollably. "If only people knew. You'd completely lose your reputation."

"Which is precisely why they mustn't know." Snape wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms snaked around his neck. "I am ridiculously fortunate." He rested his forehead on hers and looked straight into her eyes. "What good is loving a know it all witch if she doesn't know it all? Hmm?"

Hermione sighed contently and snuggled into his shoulder. "You'd be useless without me these days," she said.

"Completely and utterly," he agreed. "But we're still having a small wedding. I have no desire to blow my meager retirement on some grand party I'm doomed to hate."

"You're right. An intimate affair sounds much more enjoyable. And regardless what Ginny's thinking, I will never agree to a double ceremony."

"I've quite threatened Draco out of it, I assure you."

"How sweet of you." She kissed him and snuggled closer.

---

"Hermione, you're ruining my future,' Ginny said as they crammed for their NEWTS. "If I can't be with Draco, I'll –I'll."

"Ginny, stop being so dramatic. Your wedding will be some overblown thing anyway seeing as your mother is going to be sure her only daughter has everything she'll ever want from a wedding. She'll laugh. She'll cry. She'll jinx the groom."

"I'm starting to see your point."

"Have you even told them yet?" Hermione said.

"Well, Dad knows, but you know how he is when he's got some new Muggle contraption, and you try to talk to him."

"Ginny, you need to tell them all. Sooner rather than later."

"Instead of not at all like you're doing?"

"Don't follow my example."

"I wasn't planning on it."

---

NEWTs came and went. Snape listened to his fiancé ramble on about what she was sure she "failed," and he reassured her she was well beyond NEWT level anything even before she left school to go Horcrux hunting.

Hermione, of course, could have cared less what he said on the subject as she was the one who took the tests and not him. He obliged her a shoulder rub, and a neck massage, and a good foot squeezing, which all eventually led to something a tad more rigorous on both ends that put her sound to sleep allowing Snape a few quiet moments to himself.

Despite Hermione's condition, Snape hadn't spent much time thinking about fatherhood. He was terrified of it, and, thus, tried to avoid the topic. Looking at Hermione, however, brought it all back and he'd end up terrified and trying to avoid the topic all over again. It as all a very pointless exercise that had him getting less sleep than normal and made his reputation as the surly potions master all the more sinister once again.

Half the school was sure he put some sort of spell on Hermione because she positively glowed in his presence, which did little to help Snape's cause. In fact, out of Snape's company, her disposition had the tendency to match his. Harry and Ron were not immune to her mood swings either. Ron had quite given up any hope of winning Hermione back when, one morning, a small square box arrived via owl post and was set in front of Hermione. She blushed, caught Snape's eye and set the emerald and ruby jeweled ring upon her finger. And that was the end of that argument.

Harry had not given up on Ginny since he was convinced that Draco was not her one true love. He openly pined for her even when she very purposely ignored him. Draco dueled Harry to a stalemate, and Ginny herself seemed unable to completely commit to Draco.

So Harry proposed. Draco proposed promptly thereafter. Ginny accepted the latter's request and not the former's in a very public manner. Harry, once again, dueled Draco to a stalemate, but Ginny's attentions wavered. Progress made in Harry's book.

But then wedding plans were announced, invitations sent, and RSVPs magically arrived. Harry hung his head in defeat and watched as Ron helped Hermione plan his sister's wedding unsuspecting he may have been aiding in Hermione's wedding plans as well.

---

"We're going to sabotage them," Harry said pulling Ron aside after Potions one morning. "We'll sabotage their weddings. They'll hate us, but it's all I can think of. We need to do something."

"Harry, I can't do it."

"What are you talking about?"

Ron gulped. "Listen, mate, I was lonely and tired of chasing Hermione and, well."

"You didn't, Ron."

"I asked Lavender to marry me and she said yes and it's all happening a week after Ginny's. Mum couldn't be happier."

Harry would have killed Ron if Snape hadn't rounded the corner just then.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Potter?" Snape said narrowing his gaze on the pair.

Snape was a reminder of everything he lost. Harry began to cry.

"You'll have to excuse him, Sir. He's a little emotional these days with the wedding and all," Ron said taking Harry by the arm.

"Remove him from my sight, Weasley. You're a disgrace, Potter. Your father would be quite ashamed."

"And my mother?" Harry choked out. He'd hoped brining up the subject of Lily Potter would hurt Snape in some way.

"She'd tell you to suck it up and get back what's yours." Snape brushed past them.

"What's that about?" Ron said pulling Harry the opposite direction.

Harry sucked up the snot gathering in his nostrils. "Ginny's mine, Ron. That's what he's on about. He knows something about it after all." Harry wiped the tears form his eyes and gave Ron a pointed look.

"I don't follow."

"You really are daft, aren't you?"

"I'll take that as an insult. You've wounded my pride."

"Good. Now excuse me while I steal Ginny from right under Draco's nose."

Ron could only follow in Harry's wake.

"It hasn't even crossed your mind you might be mistaken?" Hermione asked. She and Ginny were pouring over seating arrangements. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get away from seating a Malfoy relative near a Weasley relative.

"It's crossed my mind. But I'm right, Hermione. I love Draco."

"But you love Harry too."

"Not like that."

Hermione sighed and reshuffled a couple tables with a wave of her wand. Severus couldn't have been wrong in his assessment. They'd both seen the same thing, hadn't they? She just had to make Ginny see the truth. Harry had thanks to Snape. There was hope.

TBC . . .

Heidi191976: Thanks for continuing to follow the story and you'll just have to see what's next. But you shouldn't have to wait long.

AryaDrottningu - Keeping Snape in character is work, but the payoff is well worth the effort. Thanks for the compliment and for reading.

Neeps, LilacGrace, and LK: lovely to hear from you again. I find I quite look forward to hearing from you.

A/N: Okay, two chapters to go. If things don't get too crazy, the next installment will be up Tuesday and the last one Thursday or Friday. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I love my reviewers. Ya'll rock! R&R at your pleasure, as usual.