A/N: Sorry its been a while since I have updated. Life has sucked for the last week or so, therefore I'm having a bit of writer's block. I don't think this is the last chapter, I'm going to stop trying to predict how long the story is going to be. Just know that it is getting close to the end.

It was double potions with the Slytherins and Gryffindors, Severus did not fell like messing with the dunderheads today so he had chosen a safe potion for them to brew. Once everyone was seated , class began.

"Directions are on the board, this is a very simple potion,…well at least a safe potion, " he looked at Longbottom.

It was still complicated, called for exact number of stirs , the heat had to be increased and decreased at the correct time. None of the ingredients would be dangerous if added together wrong as long as the did not add something that was not on the board it would not cause harm. So he didn't have to keep such a close eye on them.

Severus sat at his desk to grade papers, as the students busied themselves with their work. An hour into class and all was well. Every now and then, he looked up from his work and scanned the classroom. All the dunderheads were feverishly working to complete their potion, except for Hermione. She was calm and relaxed, this was first year work for her, should be a breeze. He went back to work but it wasn't long before he was looking for Hermione again. About the time he saw her, Malfoy was walking by and dropped something into her potion. Severus jumped up from his desk, but before he could get to her there was a small explosion.

Hermione had no idea what happened. She turned to her potion to stir it and it just blew up in her face. Smoke invaded through her mouth and nose and the potion squirted out on her robes. She fell to the ground just as Severus reached her. She moaned in pain before she lost consciousness.

"Hermione," he said softly as he touched her face. He noticed the potion had started to eat at her clothes. He did a quick wandless spell to rid her clothes of the potion, but not before it put a few holes in her robes and the clothes underneath. He took off his own teaching robes, leaving him in his black trousers and white shirt, and laid them over her. "Harry, get Albus to met us in the hospital wing," Severus picked up his wife as he stared at Malfoy. "I suggest you be long gone when I return," he threatened.

He carried his wife, cradled against his chest, one arm under her knees the other under her back. He practically ran to the hospital wing. Hermione's friends and Dumbledore weren't far behind. Pomfrey saw him walking in with her. "Oh my ! What happened?

"Malfoy dropped something in her potion," he said as he gently laid her down on the nearest bed and stood back up as he looked at her helpless body.

Pomfrey gasped as she saw bright red blood covering his white crisp shirt. "Where is she bleeding?"

He looked down at all the blood on his shirt and shook his head. "I don't know, she fell to the ground but not hard enough for that much blood."

Pomfrey closed the curtain leaving just the three of them in privacy. She undressed Hermione with a wave of her wand and found Hermione's inner thighs were covered in blood. Severus began to feel sick.

Pomfrey asked, "Is it possible she is pregnant?"

"…we haven't been using anything, that's the whole idea of this marriage," he stared at his wife. She would have said something to me…right? If she knew she was with child she wouldn't keep it from me. Unless she was afraid of what I would think. Severus' mind was bombarded with thoughts.

His chest tightened, he had never really thought about being a father. He knew it would happen, by law they had to conceive, but he thought he would have more time.

Pomfrey continued her examination of Hermione and cleaned her up, putting a gown on her. The diagnostic spell showed major internal bleeding, it seemed the potion caused almost every organ to hemorrhage.

"Severus,"

He didn't answer he just stood and stared at his wife. Her hair fanned out on the pillow.

"Severus…" Pomfrey said again, a little louder this time.

He finally acknowled her by looking over at her, but didn't say anything.

"She was not pregnant, Severus. The potion fumes caused major bleeding but I have stopped it. I have given her pain potion to keep her comfortable and asleep….all we can do now is wait."

Relief flooded over him. At least he didn't have fatherhood taken away from him before he knew he was to be a father.

"Will she be okay…will she be able to… conceive, later?"

"Honestly I don't know, there was a lot of internal damage, we have to wait and make sure everything heals correctly."

He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. "She's in good hands Severus," Albus said.

Minerva looked at him with concern. "Why don't you go down to your chambers and get cleaned up?"

"I'm not going to leave her alone."

"I'll stay." Minerva offered.

"No , I'm not going anywhere." he conjured a chair and sat by the head of the bed. He sat straight up , in his normal fashion.

Albus and Minerva watched him for a while quietly. Minerva saw the blood on his shirt. "At least allow me scourgify your shirt."

Wordlessly and wandlessly he moved his hand in front of his shirt and removed the blood. "May we be alone for a while?" Severus said with a shaky voice, without looking away from his wife.

"Of course, my boy," Albus said as he gathered Minerva and left the two alone.

Severus sat and watched the rise and fall or her chest. He could not imagine his life without her, he was actually happy for the first time…ever. He couldn't lose her now. Thoughts of the last few months ran through his mind. The way she smiled and laughed. The way she made him smile and laugh, when they were alone at least. He smiled as he remembered her Slytherin act to get him to the New Years party.

An hour past and he sat in the same spot trying to make sense of his feelings. Pomfrey came in , he didn't budge…didn't realize she was in the room. He just sat straight up in his chair and stared at his Hermione.

Pomfrey was taking care of her patient, she ran another diagnosis spell and gave her some potions. When she finished she looked over at Severus. She could see the emotion in his face, she was surprised…all the years she had known him both as student and professor and he had never showed any emotion other than anger.

"Her vitals are improving," Pomfrey said.

"When will she wake up?"

"Probably a day or so, I'm still keeping potions in her to keep her out of pain while she heals."

He didn't say anything nor take his eyes off his wife.

"Ill watch after her for a while. You go on and rest," Pomfrey said.

He only shook his head no.

"Very well, at least lay in one of the beds and sleep," she left to go to her office.

The next few days Severus stayed by Hermione's side, only leaving to use the loo. He had his house elf bring him some fresh clothes and a book which he had read the same sentence a thousand times before giving up on it. He was trying to sort out all his feeling, it had been so long since he had any it was complicated to sort them out.

He never planned on falling in love with her or anyone else for that matter. Is that what this was…love? He knew this was more than lust but love? He did care a great deal for her. He wanted her to be happy and safe. He missed her when she was gone. He hurt when she hurt, both mentally and physical. He could not picture himself without her in his life.

He bent over and took her hand in his…kissed it. "Don't leave me Hermione," the pain welled up in his eyes. "I love you."

He watched her still form, he had admitted his feelings for the first time in his life and she wasn't even conscience. He had promised to protect her from Malfoy and failed. He laid his head down in disgust, on the mattress beside her…with her hand still clutched in his.

A few minutes of silence past.

"Severus," a hoarse voice whispered.

His head popped up with a big smile of relief.

"Hermione."

"What happened?"

"Malfoy dropped something in your potion and it exploded. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?" he bombarded her with questions.

"I'm just tired, and little achy, the only thing I need is you," she said and attempted to raise up the sheet beside her, inviting him in bed.

He got in the bed with her, he remembered to remove his shirt this time since he never found the last one. She cuddled up next to him with her head on his chest and instantly fell back to sleep. It wasn't long before he finally fell asleep knowing now that she was safe.

The next morning, Minerva and Albus woke him up again. He started to get up from the bed, when he moved the covers over he found that he was naked, luckily he had caught it before he exposed himself completely. He looked over to Hermione and smiled.

"Minerva you may want to turn around for a moment, it seems as though my trousers, and my boxers were aggravating my wife last night."

It took Minerva a second to get the meaning, her eyes widened as she quickly turned away.

"How is she doing," Albus asked as Severus got up and looked around for his trousers.

He gave up on trying to find them and just puts his robes on over his bare body. He put a silencing spell over Hermione so as not to disturb her. "She woke a few hours ago, said she was fine just tired."

The two older professors watch him as he watched his wife sleep for a while.

"We are so pleased she is all right," Minerva replied as Severus turned back to them. She looked a little uncomfortable standing with him, knowing he wasn't wearing anything under his robes. And remembering the morning he answered his chamber's door without a shirt.

"I as well," he smiled not even trying to hide it.

Albus spoke. "Well,..Mr. Malfoy has disappeared.

Severus face turned hard with fury. "How could you let that happen, he almost killed Hermione."

"He left immediately after the accident."

"It wasn't an accident," he steamed. " I witnessed him intentional drop something in her cauldron."

"It has been reported to the Aurors, they are looking for him and there will be a full investigation." Albus looked over at the bed and saw Hermione start to stir. "Looks like your lovely wife is waking up."

Severus walked over and sat in the chair by her bed after removing the silencing spell. He watched her slowly sit up in the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked.

"Better."

"Very good to hear, my dear." Albus said.

"You had us all worried." Minerva chimed in. "Especially Severus."

Severus ignored her. "Do you need anything?

"I'll get Pomfrey," Minerva offered.

"No need, I'm right here," Pomfrey said as she walked up to the bed. "Its good to have you back with us, Ms. Snape."

"Thank you. So am I going to be okay, no long term damage?" Hermione asked. She had been in the hospital wing many times before and always bounced right back so she was sure this time was no different.

"There is one issue we need to discuss," Pomfrey said sadly.

Albus cleared his throat. "Minerva and I need to be going."

"We will come see you later. Make sure you get some rest," Minerva looked at Severus.

They left and Hermione turned her attention back to Pomfrey.

"You inhaled quit a bit of fumes from the potion and it caused a lot of internal bleeding. Everything has healed well, but….there is a possibility you will not be able to conceive a child."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "How big of a possibility?" she asked as tears started to fall.

Without hesitation Severus sat on the bed beside her, facing her and wiped the tears from her eyes. Leaving his hand on her cheek. "Let us not worry about that right now."

"Severus is right, the main thing we need to worry about now is getting you back to full health. And then in a week or two you need to visit St Mungos for a check up. You need to speak with someone who specializes in reproduction. Thankfully I don't see a lot of that here."

Hermione hiccupped. She looked up at Severus. "That gives you a way out of the marriage. If I'm infertile than you can divorce me."

"I'm not going to do that," he shifted to sit beside her and pulled her to him, held her tight.

Pomfrey quietly closed the curtains and left the two alone.

"Hermione, I'm not going to leave you," he reassured.

"Your just saying that to keep me from breaking down."

"Have you ever known me to say something I didn't mean?"

She shook her head, and after a few minutes she feel asleep.

The next few days were better, as Hermione healed. She spent most of the time with Severus, talking and debating as usual or sitting in her bed with Severus reading.. Two days later after she woke up, Minerva and Albus were visiting. While they are talking, Pomfrey came in to do a check up.

"I believe you are well enough to go back to your chambers, just take it easy, no strenuous activity, for a week or so," she looked over at Severus, "And performing activities in a chair that would normally be done in the bed does not count as taking it easy," Pomfrey said as she put her wand back up.

Hermione looked at Minerva, "I hope everyone enjoys gossiping about my sex life. Maybe we should have tea one day and I will give you all the juicy details."

"I think not," Severus said.

Hermione was starting to see why none of the other professors were married. They gossiped just as much as the seventh year girls.

Albus excused her from classes for a week. Severus spent the first day off from classes to stay with her. She read her texts and caught up on her work which really wasn't that much since she was ahead in all her classes. That night they went to bed and she rolled over on her side of the bed. A few seconds later Severus grabbed her and rolled her over so she was facing him and pulled her into him so her head was on his chest.

"Should I go ahead and vanish my boxers to save you the trouble," he joked.

"I'm sorry I did that, I just…." she trailed off.

"Just what?"

"..It makes me feel better when I'm close to you. The closer the better," she admitted.

He vanished their clothes so they were skin to skin. "Is that better?" he asked softly.

"Much."

Truth was she needed to be much closer, she needed him inside her, but she was still feeling weak from the accident for the closeness that she craved. So this would do for now.

She had an appointment with the healer at St. Mungos in a week. She was anxious and couldn't help but think the worst. She was sure she would be told she would never have children and Severus would say he was filing for a divorce. The ministery would match him with someone else who he would fall in love with and have ten kids with. He would laugh at her for loving him, when he found out, which he would because she would obviously break down, and profess her love for him.

After agonizing over everything for a week, it finally came to the day of her appointment. Severus went with her to the check up. She was obviously nervous as she sat in the waiting room next to her cool calm husband.

In reality, Severus was going crazy inside. He had never thought about children , even when he had to marry for the marriage law, but now for that to possibly be taken a way from him,…. was eating him away inside. It would crush Hermione, she was so young, and to have that taken away from a young woman would be devastating. He looked over at his wife next to him he could tell she was anxious. He gazed around the crowded waiting room and recognized some of his former students, who quickly looked away when they met his glare.

"Everything will be okay," he said as he turned back to her and hesitantly took her hand in his.

She gave him a fake smile and returned to her thoughts. A few minutes later she was called back into an exam room, he walked with her still hand in hand, getting some weird looks from a few of the people in the waiting room.

It was not long before the healer entered the exam room, and ran a few complex diagnostic spells.

"There is one more thing I need to do, it may be a little uncomfortable but it is necessary."

"Ok," she said unsure.

"It is a muggle pelvic exam."

Severus crooked his eyebrow, he wasn't sure what that was but it better not involve his wife getting naked.

"Take everything off from the waist down and change into these." The healer handed her a gown.

The healer left for a few minutes and came back to find Hermione changed and sitting on the table, Severus standing uncomfortably beside her.

The healer took a seat on the stool in front of Hermione's legs. "Lay back and put your feet up in the stirrups," he wheeled over to the counter to pick up something metal.

She slowly laid back, put up one foot and then the other, leaving her knees together.

The healer rolled back over to her. "This won't hurt…it might be a little uncomfortable but you shouldn't feel any pain. If you do then let me know." He patted her knee. "You have to spread your legs for me."

Severus looked agitated. "She only opens her legs for me," he snapped.

The healer froze. "Professor Snape I assure you this is purely professional."

Hermione interrupted "Its alright Severus its part of the exam."

Severus watched as another man poked around between his wife's legs, looking at her most intimate parts.

After a few minutes of prodding the healer told her to close her legs and took off his gloves. "Everything is fine, there is no reason you should not be able to have a child. I will let the ministry know that they will have to extend your time period to conceive. You will need to wait awhile before you start trying, just to make sure everything has healed properly to keep from having complications during the pregnancy."

They walked out of the exam room. Hermione had not stopped smiling since she heard that everything was fine,

Once they were out of the building, Severus told her, "When you do get pregnant you will have a female healer."

She smiled, "And why is that?" she agreed she would be more comfortable with a female but she wanted to know what his answer was.

"I do not think it is right for a man to do…THAT, with someone else's wife."

"It's a medical procedure there is nothing sexual about it. Muggles do it all the time."

"Tell that to the little stiffy he had in his pants," Severus growled

"You are exaggerating, he was very professional."

"Maybe,… but it still isn't right."

Hermione laughed.

"What is so funny," he raised an eyebrow.

"You seem jealous…" she smiled, ".. I think its cute."

"So lets go out to eat, to celebrate," he quickly changed the subject.