Hey! Thanks for all of your reviews! I'm actually very excited to write out the duck story:)

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(Hermione pov)


Day 46/47: Dropping Rhymes and Thinking Silver

A grand adventure is about to begin.
-Winnie the Pooh


"Don't panic!" Ginny was rubbing her temples as she sat on her sofa, having just put James to bed. She looked up at me and sighed. "Seriously, stop! You're going to pace a line in my floor!"

"I can't not panic!" I continued to pace, much to Ginny's displeasure. "Ginny, I'm late! Do you have any idea what this means!"

"Go look at my son and ask me again if I know what that means."

"Good point," I mumbled. Ginny, having had enough, got up and grabbed my wrist, practically shoving me onto her sofa next to her. "Ow!"

"There are imprints on my floor," She grumbled. "I told you to stop, and now there are marks. Now I'm going to have to fluff that part of the carpet and the rest of the room is going to look stupid, and then I'll be a bad housekeeper, which makes me a bad wife-"

"Ginny, are you feeling alri-"

"NO!" She shouted. "You're having a crisis and I'm about to have a mental breakdown here, and now my carpet has little marks in it!"

"I-I'm sorry..."

"No, honey, I'm sorry." Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting a few seconds to exhale. "There's just a lot on my mind right now and I've got no idea what to tell you, other than to get a blood test."

"I'm being selfish," I shook my head patted her knee. "And I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

"Ah... it's nothing. Harry and I are just think about having another baby, they're making him and Ron work more hours at the ministry, I'm scared to have two children under the age of two at the same time... just a lot." She shrugged. "But I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's talk about you."

"Are you sure?"

"Hermione."

"Right," I was about to get up and start pacing again, but held myself down. "I don't really know where to get tested. I'm sure I could get Blaise to sneak into the lab and do the test for me, but that would be wrong and, besides, Blaise sucks at keeping secrets. I'm surprised he's kept the duck thing to himself-"

"I will find that out-"

"Let it go." I gave her pointed look and she winked at me. "I guess I could go to a muggle hospital... I just don't know if they would catch it. You start counting the weeks form the first day of your last period, and mine just so happened to be 2 weeks before Draco and I... were together. Muggles- although slightly more advanced in these things- still can't detect pregnancy very early sometimes. I'm worried that if I am told that I'm not pregnant and get my hopes up, that I will be later on."

"There are home potions. Home spells," Ginny pointed out. "They're weak, but you can try them."

"I'd rather just be sure, and blood tests are the most accurate."

"You're off today, right?" Ginny stood up.

"Yes... why?"

"We'll go right now," She pulled me off of the couch and ran over to her shoes, slipping them on. "James will be asleep for a few more hours, so we can take him without much trouble."

"You can't just walk into a hospital and get seen like that." I snapped my fingers for emphasis.

"I've been reading about muggles, and don't they have those clinic things like us? You know, you just walk in and get seen when you're seen?"

"Yeah, but... we could be there all day."

"Do you have anything better to do?"

I did not reply.

"I thought so. Now, grab the pram from the closet and come on."

After situating James in his pram, Ginny and I made our way to the muggle world, towards the hospital I frequented as a child. As we walked toward the door, a shiver made its way up my spine as I remembered the last time I was here. I was ten and had just fallen off a swing at the playground, breaking my leg in the process. It was an open fracture and I could still remember the blood and seeing my bone stick out of my skin. I'm pretty sure that was the moment I wanted to become a healer or a doctor, because even the sight of my own bloodied bone didn't creep me out.

It was actually pretty cool... not that I had any time to say that, because they'd shot me up with so many medicines that I couldn't remember my own name.

Once I had signed myself in and sat down next to Ginny in the waiting area, James started to cry. Ginny had gone to the bathroom so I picked him up, situated him in my arms, and slowly rocked him back and forth. He soon started to sniffle, falling asleep in my arms a minute later.

"Is he yours?" The woman sitting on the other side of me tapped my shoulder, smiling down at James.

"Oh, er... actually-"

"He's gorgeous. He's got your nose," She rubbed her stomach gently and I noticed the small but pronounced bump there. "I'm very nervous about mine... it's a little girl. I'm having her by myself and I just keep thinking about hard it's going to be, but then I see a baby like yours and start thinking, wow. I'm actually growing a person."

I smiled as best I could and looked at her with a confused expression.

"I'm sorry I just dumped that all on you... hormones, you know?" She laughed.

"Actually... no, I don't," I gently put James back in his pram and scooted it closer to me, while turning toward the woman. "He's my godson and, truth be told, I'm scared shitless about having kids. I'm half-hoping the doctor will tell me I'm not pregnant today, but... you've just got to take whatever life hands you and make the best of it."

"Oh. Well... if it makes any difference, you seem very comfortable with a baby," The woman's name was called and she got up, flashing me a small smile before she left. "Good luck."

"You too," I waved and- as if by coincidence- Ginny walked out of the bathroom as soon as the doors closed behind the woman.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" Ginny immediately took to looking over James, making sure he hadn't grown an extra toe or something in her absence.

"I had an interesting chat with a stranger about children," Ginny raised her eyebrows at me. "Well, it wasn't really a chat... she said James a pretty baby and that he had my nose. That was pretty much it."

"Merlin," She laughed. "Even you look more like my baby than I do! Only thing James has got from me is my eyes. You know, I blame this on the Potter genes. Harry told me his family is known for putting out exact clones of the men."

"Not true!" I wiggled my finger at her. "James has your... um, well, his... Oh! He's got your ears!"

"Sort of," She squinted her eyes and nudged James's hat down a bit to look at his ears. "His lips are red instead of pink... that's a Weasley thing."

"See! Maybe the next one will have red hair."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

We laughed until my name was called. Ginny squeezed my hand and gave me a thumbs up, wordlessly reassuring me that I would be alright. I was led down a long hall my a very old, frail-looking nurse, eventually being left alone in a gray room. It was all very dreary and unsettling.

"Miss... Granger?" A small, kind-sounding woman came into my room with a chart in her hand. I nodded. "Okay, what brings you here today?"

"I think I might be pregnant." I said quickly.

She must have had experience with nervous people. "Have you had any nausea, fatigue, or-"

"No, nothing like that." I interrupted her. "I just have a feeling. I had sex with a coworker a few weeks ago and we didn't... use anything."

"Alright, when was the first day of your last period?"

"June 11th."

"Any past pregnancies, miscarriages, or termina-"

"No. None."

She gave me a pointed look that clearly said 'stop interrupting me'. I smiled sheepishly and answered the rest of her questions. At the end of her questions, she brought in an ultrasound machine with a very thin wand. I lifted up my shirt and she laughed.

"We're not doing an abdominal ultrasound. Change into this gown and lie back." She handed me a blue plastic gown and pulled the curtain back.

Damn it. One can hope.

After I'd changed, she started moving the ultrasound around down there, much to my embarrassment. After a few minutes, she smiled and pointed to a dark, peanut-looking thing on the screen.

"There it is," She tapped it again. "Do you want a picture?"

I stared at the screen, my mouth agape and my eyes wide. My hands started to shake and I could feel a round of hyperventilating coming on.

"A-Are you sure?" I asked as best as I could.

"I'm sure. You're roughly five weeks and everything looks good. I'm going to put your due date around-"

"March 18th." I mumbled the words, still staring at the screen.

"Are you a doctor, Miss Granger?" She raised her eyebrows at me. The question was malicious, just... curious.

"Yes. General surgery," I replied. "C-Can I have the picture?"

"Certainly." She pressed a few buttons on the monitor and told me to put my clothes back on, handing me a piece of paper as I put on my sandals. She gave me a few booklets as well. "I recommend seeing a doctor every month until you are advised otherwise. Do you have any questions?"

"When can I expect symptoms?"

"Such as?"

"Vomiting."

She smiled. "Around week 6, and on until you hit your second trimester."

"Delightful," I groaned. "That's it, I guess."

"Have a nice day," She shook my hand. "The receptionist will take care of you out front."

I nodded and left the room, clutching my photo in my hands for dear life. Once I got my billing information straightened out, Ginny and I began the walk about to her home. I hadn't said anything yet and neither had she, but once we got back to her home, she almost exploded.

"So! Tell me what happened!"

I sat down on her sofa, my head in my hands. After a few minutes, I took the photo out of my purse and slid it across her coffee table. I heard her gasp a few seconds later.

"Sweetie," She said gently, gathering me into her arms. "It'll be alright."

I didn't have the strength to argue with her, so I laid my head on her shoulder and cried.

What the bloody hell was I supposed to do?

I was carrying Draco's baby for sure, now. It was real and it was frightening. What if he took the baby away from me because he wanted an heir? Or what if he wanted nothing to do with us and pretended I didn't exist?

And what was everyone going to think? Merlin, this was terrible. I'd lose my respectability at work, Ron would hate me once he found out Draco was the father, and there was no telling what Blaise would do. He was very overprotective of me, but he was also Draco's best friend- he was a wildcard. The only people who would be happy about it were my parents, who always wanted grandchildren.

Harry came in an hour later, after I'd stopped crying and sat on the sofa, numb. He immediately knelt in front of me, his hand on my forehead.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

I unfolded my hand and gave him the crumpled piece of paper inside, closing my eyes as he looked at it.

"Is this... is this an ultrasound photo?"

I nodded.

"Is it yours?"

I nodded.

Harry sighed and sat next to me, giving me a hug. It reminded me of our time in the forbidden forest, after Ron had left. Harry had comforted me then, too.

"If you don't mind me asking... who's the father?"

"Don't wanna tell you," I mumbled, fresh tears falling down my cheeks.

"Hermione, you can tell me anything. You know that." He squeezed me tight. I waited a few seconds and hid my face in his shoulder.

"Draco." I said so quietly that I was positive he couldn't hear.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said," I spoke louder this time. Ginny gave me an encouraging look from where she sat across from me. "It's... It's Draco."

Harry let go of me and his eyebrows knitted together. His mouth opened and closed several times and he eventually turned to me with a confused look.

"How?" He whispered.

"It was that stupid staff party... we were both drunk and it just sort of happened! He doesn't know about me or the baby, and... I'd prefer it to stay that way." I finished, taking the picture and tucking it back into my purse.

"He didn't force you or anything... right?"

"No. Nothing like that."

Harry clenched his fists and jaw, breathing heavily. He let out a big amount of air and his hands went slack. I patted him on the back and he leaned back, putting his hand on top of mine.

"I want to believe you when you say that Malfoy's changed. I really do." He sighed again. Always with the sighing. "But it's just hard, what with his past attitude towards us. I just really, really want to punch him right now."

"It's not only his fault, Harry. Do you want to punch me, too?"

"No."

"Why not? I was involved and irresponsible, too."

"Hermione, you're like the sister I never had. Brothers protect their sisters and- although irrational- it's a natural feeling to want to murder the guy who knocks her up. So, forgive me if I'd like to wring his neck."

I got that this situation was less than ideal, but why did men always have to solve things with violence? It was like their go-to answer. What do we do when we have a problem? Make whoever caused it bleed.

Because that solves everything.

"What are you smiling about?"

Was I smiling? I didn't think I was. Apparently, my inner thoughts are just so hilarious that I smile in serious moments. Merlin, I'm a piece of work.

"Nothing. I just had a funny thought, is all."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Ginny smirked at me.

"That rhymed." I chuckled. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, completely cried out.

"I rhyme all the time," Ginny smiled and her eyebrows knitted together for a moment, as if she was trying to think of another one.

"I'm good at this game. And that rhyme was lame." Harry winked at her.

"No it wasn't, dear. You obviously can't hear."

I was still trying to think of a rhyme to get in this game, but I was drawing a blank.

"Oh, I can hear fine. It's not my fault you can't rhyme." They were really getting into it now.

"You know, that was kind of rude. If you have any sense, you'll drop the attitude." Ginny game him a triumphant smile.

"What attitude, dear? You're the one who said I couldn't hear." Harry said it in a way that was clearly meant to throw Ginny's words back at her.

"If you keep talking so loud, you'll wake up your son. And I really don't think you want to deal with that one."

"So now he's just mine? You know what, that's fine. I don't go to bed until nine, and I've got just enough time."

Damn.

"I... I... that one shouldn't count!" Ginny jumped up and pointed her finger at him menacingly. "You cheated!"

"How could I have cheated!" Harry laughed.

"You used four rhymes in one turn! The rule is two!"

"No it's not! There aren't even any rules!"

"They were implied!"

Were they really fighting now? Over a rhyming contest?

"Tell him I'm right, Hermione!"

"No, tell her that I'm right, 'Mione!"

They both turned to me with firm looks on their faces. I immediately started to sweat.

"Um... I..." They encouraged me to speak, expectant looks on their faces. "Er... twelve?"

"Twelve isn't answer-"

"I don't know!"

"You have to pick who's right, Hermione. Me, or him?" Ginny put her hands on her hips and glared at Harry. He put on a calm expression and gave me a thumbs up.

"Well... if I had to pick..." I was sweating bullets under their intense watch. "Harry's right."

"HA!"

"WHAT! NO! HE CHEATED!"

Harry kissed her on the cheek. "Don't be a sore loser, love. Deep down, you know I was right."

"Well, deep down, you know you're not getting any tonight." Ginny turned, her hair whipping around in his face. "Or tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be a mature adult and feed our son."

"Yes, because sex bans are an extreme feat of maturity."

"Oh... piss off." She grumbled, stomping up the stairs.

"Harry-"

"She'll get over it," Harry waved me off. "She's always like that when she loses something, but she'll come around in a few hours."

"Yeah, well... I think I'll be going." I stood up and clutched my purse, hugging Harry as I walked towards the door.

"Hermione," As my hand was on the door handle, Harry called my name. I turned to find him standing in front of me, hesitant. "Even if Malfoy doesn't... if he won't be there for you, we will. Just... whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask. We'll always be here for you."

"Thank you," I could feel myself tearing up, but held back. "And I'm sure Molly would love to have another 'grandchild'."

"Ha, yeah..."

"I'll see you later, Harry." I smiled at him, turning and walking out the door.

"You're still having dinner with us on Sunday, right!" Harry yelled as I was already out on the street.

"Wouldn't miss it!" I laughed.


I woke up the next morning to find that I'd cried in my sleep. I dragged myself out of bed and to the mirror, groaning. If death had a face, it would be mine. My eyes were red and puffy, and dark circles had found a home under them. There were tear tracks on my cheek and I had to put effort into scrubbing to get them off, leaving angry red streaks in my wake.

My floo made a sound and there was a loud oomph sound, so I already knew who it was before I walked into my sitting room.

"Good morning," Blaise was dusting off his clothes. "I swear, that floo of yours is the devil- hey, what's wrong? You look like someone ran over you with a hippogriff."

He had just looked up and noticed the state of my face. "I can't tell you yet."

"Why not? I'm one of your best friends. You can tell me anything." He walked over to me and took my hand, leading me over to the sofa. "What's wrong?"

"Blaise, please understand. You weren't supposed to come over this morning and see me like this." I was suddenly feeling self-conscious and pulled my night shirt farther over my stomach. "You'll be the first one to know when I'm ready to tell people; I promise."

"You're not... dying, are you?"

"What? No! No, nothing like that."

He eyed me warily and sighed. "Fine, don't tell me. I'll wait." I stood up and smiled at him, walking to my room to get dressed. I heard his footsteps come to the door before he started talking. "But I'll get it out of you, mark my words, Hermione Granger. You have no idea how annoying I can be."

"We'll see about that." I replied.

Once I had gotten dressed and gathered my things for work, I met Blaise by the front door. He opened it for me- always the gentleman- and walked beside me on the way to work. He kept asking 'are you ready yet?' to the point was I was just about to tell him, but Gwen saved the day.

"Hey," She walked up and slid her arms around Blaise's back, reaching up on the tips of her toes to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Someone's happy," He smiled at her. They seemed so comfortable together- so loving towards each other. I hoped Draco would still accept me after he knew.

"I've got a lot to be happy about."

I walked away from the pair before I could start to cry.

I walked into my office to find a pair of clothes and a note in my locker, along with a piece of chocolate sitting on top. Remembering that I hadn't eaten anything that day, I unwrapped the candy and shoved it in my mouth, picking up the note.

Lioness,

The hospital is implementing uniforms for all of its staff, so I grabbed you a pair in red, because I know that's your favorite color. The rest of the chocolate is waiting for you in my office. I do so hope you'll come see me; I feel like it's been ages since I've kissed your beautiful lips.

-Draco

I blushed and shoved the note in my pocket, praying that no one read it before I got here. Suddenly, I was tapped on the shoulder and let out a scream.

"Calm down! It's just me!" Gwen laughed from behind me.

"You scared the bloody hell out of me." I panted, my hand over my heart.

She dismissed my jumpy mood. "So, are you gonna go see him?"

My eyes widened. "You looked?"

"I know Draco's very talented, but he can't guess the size of a woman's clothes without some help." She winked. "So?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business." I blushed.

"Quit with the innocent act, Hermione. I'm a woman- same as you- and I know with absolute certainty that we need to talk to other women from time to time about our men." She winked. "So are you going?"

"Maybe," I lied. I was certainly not going down there, having just learned of the pregnancy yesterday, to make an awkward fool of myself.

"Good." She nodded. "He's seems to like you a lot, and he's not hard to look at." She smiled and whistled lowly. "You too."

"I can see why you chose to study obstetrics and gynecology," I eyed her. "You're not embarrassed about anything."

"Why should I be? The human body is a beautiful thing," She quipped, then smiled. "Some more than others, though. I delivered a baby last week who had two thumbs on his left hand and 4 toes on his right foot. Bless his little heart."

I chuckled. "Well... I better be going. We made a breakthrough on that mystery potion case, so I better get started."

"Yeah, sure." She patted my shoulder. "Oh, and these uniforms? Super comfortable." She winked at me and left the room like we hadn't just had the strangest encounter in all of history.

I shook my head and took off my clothes, putting them in my locker. Once I'd put on the new uniform, I felt an odd sense of deja vu. They very closely resembled muggle scrubs but in red and had black lines on each of the shirt's edges. Overall, they were pretty nice.

I walked out of the room and dove behind a pillar when I saw Draco heading this way. He walked right past me and stuck his head in my office, giving me enough time to hurry down the stairs. I forgot about the spot in the floor that always creaked, so when I stepped on it, Draco turned.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," He said huskily, wrapping his arms around me. I tried not to squirm out of them.

"I-I was busy," I stuttered. "I am right now."

"Then I best not keep you occupied for too long," He smiled. He then leaned down to kiss me.

This is too much!

"Uh- actually, I have a cold sore, so we probably shouldn't do that." I ducked my head out of the way and prayed he bought my excuse.

"Oh, okay." He seemed slightly disappointed. "I have something for that, if you-"

"I-I'll just let nature run its course," I chuckled nervously. "Well, uh... I have to go, but I'll see you later?"

"Um... sure," He seemed confused. "Are you okay?"

"Never been better!" I replied, darting down the stairs.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I was out of his sight. That was definitely too much for me to handle, all at once. I composed myself and walked into the critical care unit, stopping in front of room 7. I went inside and Ashley's vital signs, noticing they were the same as usual. Her heart rate was a bit better, though.

"What did you find?" I asked the doctor standing outside as I slid the glass door back in place.

"Dr. Malfoy made a discovery with the potion that seeped into her skin," He was almost bouncing up and down. "He's isolated three of the ingredients and now knows what all of them are. We've been able to determine that the potion was a sort of organ dissolver, which can cause seizures, sickness, and paralysis. It had a very low concentration gradient, so most of her organs are fine."

"Course of treatment?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"It looks like her right kidney was the only organ severely damaged. You're going to remove it," He looked at me questioningly, and I nodded. "And then we'll give her a sort of antidote-"

"You keep saying 'sort of'. Is it not definite?"

"No. It's experimental and might work, but its all we've got. If it doesn't work, we'll have about 2 weeks before her heart or something equally important liquefies."

I nodded, taking it in. "I have a slot open this afternoon to remove the kidney." The man scribbled it down on the OR schedule and looked expectantly at me. "Have there been any brain changes?"

"No," He sighed. "There's no way to tell if she'll ever wake up from the coma, but we can hope."

We finalized the plan and I sent him away so I could go back into the room. Ashley laid in the bed, her chest rising and falling. They put her in a medically induced coma last week because she couldn't go longer than two hours without a seizure, and the last one was severe. Her family had been by at least once a day and were heartbroken to find out that there was no cure yet. Hopefully, this worked.

"So, I've got something to tell you," I sat down in the chair by her bed. "First off, I know that some people can still hear while in a coma, but I really hope I'm not talking pointlessly here, because I really don't want to repeat myself." I sighed. "It's about me and Dr. Malfoy, and when you wake up, I'll tell you about it." I whispered. "I knew you'd be the most excited, since you always thought we would look cute together."

As I'd expected, she did not respond.

"Hopefully, we'll get you to wake up soon. Dr. Malfoy is a great potions master, so I'm sure it'll work." I patted her hand one last time as I stood up. "If you can hear me, I'm sorry I have to leave. It must be boring sitting here by yourself, so I'll be sure to tell the staff to talk to you when they come in." I smiled and left the room, slumping a bit.

My interns waited for me by the desk, some of them with charts in their hands. They had been on their best behavior for the past few days, listening carefully and doing exactly as told. I wondered what they were up to.

"How many of you are familiar with comas?" I walked over and asked. Each of them straightened up, as if they were afraid I would berate them for speaking to each other. "Smithers?"

"Er..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's when you are in a comatose state and cannot be awakened, usually as a result from a serious injury."

"Good." I nodded. "What do you see there?" I pointed to Ashley's room.

"She... she's in a coma, Dr. Granger." One of the girls spoke up. "They put her under because she was having seizures."

"Correct," I turned around and walked forward, all of them following me. "Unfortunately, we don't really know what happens to a person's mind when they are in a coma, whether medically induced or not. A lot of people suffer from amnesia after waking up, so if they could sense what was going on around them, we wouldn't know. Some people can remember, and some people can't." I sighed and looked at all of them. "I've met a lot of doctors and had a lot of teachers in my years here, and I don't want any of you ending up like them. Even if they're unresponsive, you have to be respectful of every single patient that comes through these doors, and that includes respecting theirs and the family's wishes."

"Dr. Granger... why are you telling us this?" Smithers asked.

"Because I believe that every one of you has the potential to be a great doctor," I replied. "And if I didn't teach you something, I would be failing all of you. Just because you can make a successful cut or prescribe a treatment does not make you great; it's your actions and how respectful you are in them that will get you places here."

"Noted." One of them said.

I sighed again- something I had been doing a lot lately- and began to give them their day's assignments. Soon, an intern was going to perform their first solo surgery, and I'd heard it would be one of mine. I was trying to prepare them, so I sent each of them to either watch a procedure, or stand in on one. Smithers gave me an odd look, thanked me, and walked off to watch Arthur 's procedure. I had a weird feeling about him, and so far, it wasn't going away.

After my interns had gone, I walked out of the critical care unit and down the stairs to check on a few patients, avoiding Draco as much as I possibly could. Later in the day, Elora came by, pushing a pram and waiting for me. I came down the stairs and smiled, kneeling in front of the pram and cooing at the brand new baby inside.

"She's beautiful," I said to Elora, smiling when the baby grabbed onto one my fingers and tried to stuff it in her mouth. "What's her name?"

"Sophia Oria," She leaned down and smiled at her daughter. "I know the middle name is a bit... weird, but it sounds nice."

"No no, it's perfect." Sophia started to gurgle and Elora picked her up, handing her to me. I looked the girl and my grin was uncontrollable. "Hey, little girl."

She gave me something akin to a grin and reached for my hair, pulling it sharply into her mouth. I gasped and Elora start fussing over it, but I just laughed it off. After all, she didn't know any better.

"She's got quite the grip," I chuckled, pulling my hair out of her hands.

"You should have felt her kicks- she was very skilled at them." Elora smiled.

As I held the brand new, week old baby in my arms, I couldn't help but think that this would be me in roughly 35 weeks. Oh Merlin, I was going to have a baby...

Don't start crying. Don't start crying. Don't start-

"Hermione, are you alright? You're tearing up."

Damn it.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine," I sniffed, handing Sophia back to her mother. "Just allergies."

"Allergies?" Elora raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yes, they've gotten pretty bad as of late. The pollen count must be high."

The pollen count must be high? That's got to be the dumbest excuse I've ever heard.

"Sure... pollen," She smiled, putting Sophia back in her pram. "Well, I've got to get upstairs; appointment and all. I've been having some problems breast feeding."

"What kind of problems?" I asked, suddenly needing to know. It could happen to me.

"It really hurts to breastfeed and Sophia keeps biting me, so my nipples are all bloody and chapped and... it's terrible. And my chest will hurt if I go more than a few hours without feeding or pumping, and I want to know what I can do to make it easier for both of us."

I suddenly felt the strong urge to wrap my arms around my chest. I mean... I didn't want to be bit there, for Merlin's sake!

"S-Sounds painful," I stuttered out.

"Oh it is. You'll know too."

"W-What?" My eyes widened. "What makes you say that? Do I look pregnant?"

"I didn't mean to insinuate-"

"Because it could just be fat, and everything has been so stressful lately and I really like candy, so I've been eating a lot lately-"

"Hermione, I-"

"-so that could just be it, but do you think I look pregnant? Because I'm not-"

"Hermione!" Elora laughed, throwing her hands on my shoulders to stop my blabbering. "You're talking a mile a minute! Calm down!" She took deep breaths with me, rubbing my arms in the process. "Better?"

"Better." I nodded.

"Now, I only meant that you would know when you have kids someday. No, you don't look pregnant- you're as thin as a stick; I don't think you could put on an ounce of fat if you ate a candy bar as big as Sophia." I immediately calmed at her words. "So take a breath, okay?"

After a few more seconds of deep breathing, Elora let go of me and started to push the pram past me.

"I think paranoia is a sign of pregnancy," She said in her sing-song voice.

I turned around and gave her a wide-eyed stare.

"Kidding, kidding." She assured me, laughing as she waved at me. "Sam says hello!"

"Tell him I said to take it easy!" I replied. She simply chuckled and went further down the hallway, out of my sight.

Was I really being paranoid?

She probably thinks I've gone mad.

I was going to have to tone it down if I wanted my secret to stay a secret. Had Blaise been there, he would've have freaked out, screamed 'you're pregnant?!', and then apologized when everyone within a 50 mile radius heard it. Merlin, it was going to be terrible when I told him.

Well speak of the devil.

"Hermione!" Blaise ran up to me... apparently soaking wet, and panting. His leaned over and put his hands on his knees to catch his breathing. "Do you... still have those... towels in your... office?" She said through panted breaths.

"Um... yes," I said confusedly. "Come on."

I led him up to my office and tossed him a towel from under my desk, which I had brought weeks ago when I had spilled something on my chair, watching him dry himself off in a hurry.

"Mind telling me why you're wet?" I finally asked, the suspense suffocating me.

"I went swimming in that river to try and find Arthur's watch," He said simply.

"So you just jumped in?"

"Pretty much."

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared, trying to understand why he would just jump into a river- fully clothed- to find a watch that had been thrown into it many years before. Did he think he would actually find it, just sitting at the bottom?

"Why are staring at me, 'Mione?"

"Because for a doctor, you can be a moron sometimes." I rolled my eyes at him and took my towel back, putting it back into my drawer after I'd put drying and cleaning spells on it. Blaise just looked me, confused. "I get that you want to make this right, I really do, but that watch went into that river 10 years ago. You did't have to jump in to find that it wouldn't be there."

"What else was I supposed to do? Click my heels together and say 'there's no watch like Arthur's' three times?" He said sarcastically. He noticed my astonished look and waved me off. "I may not be a muggleborn, but I know a good movie when I see one- despite their twisted views of wizards."

Blaise watched the Wizard of Oz? I wonder what other muggle movie I could get him to watch...

"I'm not watching movies with you." Blaise said quickly.

"How did you know I was thinking that?"

"Because I know you, and you would want to teach me about 'the joys of muggle cinema' or something like that. And nobody has time for that."

"You shouldn't insult people who give you towels. They might be tempted to set a hexing charm on you."

His eyes widened and he coughed. "Sorry."

"Alright." I smiled at him, patting his slightly damp shoulder. "Now, why didn't you just try a tracking charm? All you need is a piece of the watch- a spare wrist band or a broken dial- to track it down."

"There's a tracking charm?!" He shouted.

"We're magical, Blaise. Of course there's a tracking charm."

"What's the incantation!" He grabbed onto my shoulders and started shaking me.

"It's not going to fall out of my head if you keep doing that!" I threw his hands off of me and he backed away, apologetic. "I don't know it by heart yet, but it's in most every spell book. Do you have one you can look-"

He ran out of my office with a quick 'goodbye' before I could finish my sentence. I shook my head, sighing loudly. Blaise was going to kill himself trying to get that damn watch back. It was a valiant effort, and certainly not a terrible thing to do, but the odds of him finding it after so many years was around one million to one. And I didn't want to be around that kind of disappointment when he didn't find it. By the time Blaise gave up- if he did not in fact find the watch- I would probably be well into my second trimester.

And then I still had to deal with that. It was only a matter of time until Draco cornered me and demanded to know why I was acting the way I was, and knowing me, I would probably tell him. Then I would have to deal with whether he would want to claim he child as his or not; both choices would prove difficult. I honestly didn't know which one I would prefer. I could definitely handle single-motherhood, but it would be nice to have someone to help me. On the other hand, we got off to a rocky start and things could get strained, which would be good for anyone involved.

Everything was just a big mess.

Suddenly, the familiar nurse came back into her portrait and sat down on her stool, staring straight at me.

"You are needing in critical care," She spoke, somewhat emotionless. "A patient is being prepped for surgery."

Ashley.

"Tell them I'll be there soon," I jumped up and she nodded, walking out of her portrait. I scrubbed my hands over my face in an effort to calm myself, my emotions again rising. The past few days had just been terrible. "Merlin."

My stomach growled and a stray thought popped into my head. Ginny or Molly would've said something like, 'You should eat more. Remember, dear, you are eating for two' if they'd been here. It made me miss my own mother. I would have to call her soon; they would want to know they had a grandchild on the way.

I stuffed a granola bar into my mouth as I ran out of the room, walking instead of apparating so I could finish it. The nurse in the portrait said to go straight to O.R. 7, so I was currently on my way there. I was removing Ashley's kidney earlier than I'd expected, so I would need to be caught up on any recent changes in her status. By the time I got there, she was already on the table and a nurse was waiting with my gloves, gown, and face mask. I quickly washed my hands and stepped into the room, letting them put the gloves on my hands and tie the mask around my face.

After I was told there were no changes and handed a scalpel, I stepped up to the table and took a deep breath. Carefully but firmly, I slid the knife across her skin and handed it back to the nurse when I was finished. I breathed incantation after incantation under my breath and the area was ready to be worked on when I had finished. I was almost as good as Harry at wandless, wordless magic, but I definitely wouldn't perform it in surgery without being completely sure of my abilities.

As I around half an hour into the surgery, I began to think of an enormous problem. I knew I was planning ahead and I probably shouldn't get my hopes too high, but I couldn't help but wonder. I knew my parents would come around to the idea of having a grandchild- hell, they might even be ecstatic about it- but I had no idea about his parents. I ready in The Daily Prophet that Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced to 30 years in Azkaban, and still had 23 years left. His mother was last seen a year and a half ago in Diagon Alley, but had since disappeared. She could just be staying in the Manor, since it was still illegal to search it without just cause, but I honestly doubted it.

What would they do when they found out? Surely, Lucius Malfoy would have something to say about a half-blood Malfoy heir, and it was bound to be unpleasant. His mother had never outwardly expressed a hatred for Muggle-borns and Half-bloods, so I had no idea what to expect from her. The only definite thing was that Lucius would never meet his grandchild until he/she was ready to visit him on her/his own terms. I would be lying if I said that that wasn't a big relief.

"Dr. Granger...?" A voice behind me snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized that I had taken my hands out of Ashley's body and held them in front of me. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," I shook my head a bit and brought my hands back down, continuing. "I... my arm... just a passing pain."

"Oh. Alright," The nurse replied, handing me more tools.

Technically, it wasn't a lie. Since The Daily Prophet had published the story about my torture in Malfoy Manor- without my permission- everyone knew about it. They knew that the arm Bellatrix had carved into still hurt, because of the enchantments on the blade, and they always let me stop whatever I was doing for a few seconds until it passed. I wasn't having any pain at that moment, but it was a good excuse.

I focused and finished up the surgery, vigorously washing my hands afterward. I went upstairs to check on Ashley and was told they would be administering the medicine tomorrow, so I went downstairs and into my office. I slammed my head down with a defeated sigh, fatigue clouding my mind. I looked at mind and saw that it was 3 o'clock; I had missed lunch. I was got off at five but had to come back at nine, so I figured I could get a quick nap in at home once I left. Accidentally, I fell asleep and Blaise came to get around 4:50, shaking me awake.

"You don't have to help me," I yawned, holding my arms out as Blaise put my jacket on. "I'm a grown woman."

"A grown woman who's about drop unconscious if she doesn't get help." He snorted. "Now come on, 'Mione. I'll walk you home."

He put his arm around me and we walked out of the hospital, onto the street. "Hey, weren't you reading or something...?" I rubbed my eyes again.

"You must be tired." He chuckled. "You told me to look in a spell book to find Arthur's watch. I was doing that when I remembered your shift ended at 5, so I got up and came to walk you home."

"Oh," I nodded. I could feel my eyes drooping as we walked. I had slept an accumulated total of 8 hours in the past four days, and I was starting to really feel it. "How much farther?"

He laughed again and stopped, making me confused as to why he did. Before I could object, He put one arm around my back and other on the back of my knees, hoisting me into the air and into his arms.

"Blaise," I whined, almost too tired to put up much of a fight. "S-Someone will see and draw a wrong conclusion."

"Let them. I'm not taking you back to the hospital when you fall and break something, so just be quiet and go to sleep already." He said firmly.

I narrowed my eyes and leaned my head on his chest, closing my eyes. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but the movements of his walking were almost soothing. The last thing I saw was my building in the distance before I fell asleep.

I woke up sometime during the night to get a glass of water when I realized that I was supposed to go back to the hospital. Before I could start to panic, I saw a note taped to my kitchen cabinet. I tore it off and opened it.

Ducky,

I got Nova to cover your shift tonight. Don't even think about coming here, because I will take you straight back home. You need to sleep, or you're no good to anybody here, alright? Nova asks that you cover her shift next Tuesday, because her son has a Quidditch match... or something like that. So get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow.

Blaise

P.s.- Draco thinks you're avoiding him. What secret are you keeping?

My eyes widened. I had no idea what to do, so I did the only sane thing possible.

I went back to sleep.


A/N: Sorry this one's a little late. There are a lot of things in this chapter that needed to be said, so it took a long time. This is over 8,000 words and took me days of procrastination to get finished. The ending was a bit rushed, but I needed to end it then. So, how are we, kids? I'd appreciate a review. I fully expect a review from everyone next chapter, because of what's in it, but I honestly love your feedback. -Nikki a.k.a.- Twipotterfreak28

Next chapter: Finally... that damn duck story.