Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I'm sorry that this has taken so long. I've been quite busy and had another case of writer's block. I have another story that will be coming out soon... I'm very excited about it. It's really funny. As for this one, it's nearly finished. I hope you all like it. I'm not particularly happy about it, but it was really tough to write.

A Queasy Christmas

Professor Snape stared up at Dumbledore's portrait from his seat at McGonagall's desk. Dumbledore stared down at him, wearing a frown. "Are you quite alright, Severus?" the old headmaster asked.

"Of course not," Snape growled bitterly. "I am completely out of my element in this situation. Why would you keep such information to yourself?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I did not wish to cause you distress. I feared what your reaction would be if I told you my suspicions and they weren't true," Dumbledore admitted. "I thought it would be best to tell you in the event that I was correct. Then perhaps your happiness would outweigh your anger with me."

"What happiness?" the potions master snapped. "This is a disaster. What am I supposed to do now?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I thought that would be obvious," he replied, his eyes twinkling merrily. "The woman you love has returned to you."

"She is my student!" Snape retorted. "That part of my life is over. She disappeared twenty years ago and it would be inappropriate to allow a more personal relationship now."

"And the child?" Dumbledore asked, peering at Snape over the rim of his spectacles.

Snape shifted uneasily in his seat. "I have told Miss Granger that I would help her in any way that I could," he replied stiffly.

Dumbledore sighed again. "She does love you Severus," he said gently.

"She never said that," Snape argued with a scowl.

"That doesn't mean that it isn't true. Love is like the wind," Dumbledore said seriously. Snape rolled his eyes. "You cannot see it, but you can feel it. And you can see it's effects. That child within her womb is evidence of the love that she has for you. She wouldn't have risked so much to be close to you if she didn't."

"There's no need to be so dramatic," Snape said. Dumbledore grinned, unapologetic about his theatrics. "It has been twenty years for me. I have led a dark life and I am too far gone. I could not burden her with my past. I have done too much evil."

Dumbledore eyed Snape for a few moments before speaking. "You have turned away from darkness," the old headmaster said carefully. "It may have been many years ago, but your feelings for her linger. The two of you could be wonderful together."

Snape looked down at his hands that were clasped together between his knees. "Do you really think I can change?" he asked quietly.

"You already have, my boy," Dumbledore replied. "And you will only continue to improve if you stop fighting this. You finally have a chance to be happy and you can have your own family. Enjoy it."

Snape stood up and began pacing with his hands clenched into tight fists. "She is still my student and for us to behave otherwise would be quite inappropriate," he snarled.

"I think we both agree that this is a special case," Dumbledore said reasonably. "She is already carrying your child. And it would be rather silly to punish you for something that happened twenty years ago while you were a student. You had no idea that you'd be her teacher."

"She knew," Snape cut in.

"True," Dumbledore agreed. "But, it's also in the past. She didn't have a relationship with a teacher. It was with a peer." At Snape's doubtful look, he continued. "I took the liberty of popping over to my portrait at the ministry and having a chat with Kingsley. All of this will be kept quiet for now, but when it is no longer secret, you will have his support."

Snape stopped pacing and released a weary sigh. "What do I do?" he asked slowly.

"Spend time with Miss Granger," Dumbledore responded. "Take care of her through her pregnancy. This is a perfect opportunity to get reaquainted with the love of your life."

Snape frowned thoughtfully. He glared up at the portrait and said "This doesn't not change the fact that you should not have kept any of this secret."

"You have my apologies," Dumbledore said with a nod. "I truly had the best of intentions and I hope you will forgive an old man for trying to protect an old friend."

Snape rolled his eyes again. He began to move toward the door and then looked back at the portrait. "You should watch out for Minerva," he said with a smirk. "She was hoping that I was coming in here to hex you." He could hear Dumbledore chuckle as he closed the door.

The Christmas holidays at Number 12 Grimmauld Place wa s full of excitement. Hermione battled with morning sickness most of the time, but she managed to enjoy herself. Her friends stayed close by at all times and she felt so grateful for their support. The biggest surprise came when Professor Snape made several stops at the house to see how she was feeling. He said very little to anyone but managed to be civil to everyone at the house.

On Christmas day, McGonagall and Snape joined the occupants of Grimmauld Place for dinner. Hermione was in good spirits though she was a bit tired. Lupin exchanged grins with Harry when Snape went out of his way to get Hermione anything she wanted. Hermione appeared to be a little surprised by the potions master's behavior. Seeing Hermione's slightly baffled expression, Ginny sat down next to her in the sitting room. "Everything alright?" the red-head asked.

"Fine," Hermione said, shaking her head slightly. "It's just a little strange for Professor Snape to behave like this."

"What's he been doing?" Ginny asked.

"When I'm thirsty, he get's me a drink. He helps me up from my chair. He offered to get me a potion for nausea," Hermione said.

"What's wrong with that?" Ginny asked, thinking that it sounded very sweet.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Hermione replied quietly. "It's just strange. He's not affectionate or anything, but he seems determined to not let me lift a finger."

"Enjoy it," Ginny chuckled. "He told you that he loves you in the past. He probably still does and he's trying to work out how to handle it. He's readjusting to his memories and now he's going to be a father. I'm surprised he hasn't cracked yet."

"I think Severus is happier about this baby than he's letting on," McGonagall said, having heard Ginny's comments and moving closer to the two young Gryffindors. "Give him time."

A moment later, Molly Weasley pushed open the door announcing that dinner was ready. The tantalizing aroma of the food wafted into the room with her. It made Hermione's stomach turn over. Assuring her friends that she'd be fine, she hurried out of the room and up the stairs to the room she shared with Ginny. She layed down on her bed, willing her stomach to settle.

Snape entered the dining room with Lupin and Harry and looked around. "Where is she?" he asked Ginny stiffly.

"Apparently her stomach couldn't handle the smell of the food," Ginny said in a sympathetic tone. "She went upstairs to rest for a moment." She smiled when McGonagall winked at her as Snape swiftly turned and left the room.

Hermione was a little surprised when Snape knocked on her door and then stepped inside hesitantly. "Miss Weasley said that you were feeling unwell," he said gruffly.

"Just a little," Hermione said quietly. "I'll be fine."

Snape strode over to the bed where she was sitting and handed her a small vial. "This will take care of the problem," he assured her.

Hermione frowned slightly. "I have to be careful about taking potions while I'm pregnant," she said hesitantly.

Snape snorted at this. "I am a potions master. I am well aware of what is safe for you to take," he told her with a smirk.

"Of course," Hermione said, feeling a bit silly for not considering that. She accepted the vial and quickly drank the potion. She shuddered at the taste and layed back on the bed for a moment.

Snape watched her for a few seconds. He really had no idea what to say to her. Her eyes were closed tightly as she waited for the potion to take effect and one hand was resting lightly on her belly. She wasn't really showing yet, but he thought that maybe her stomach was just a bit rounder and her breasts appeared to be bigger.

Hermione opened her eyes to find him staring down at her. She felt herself blush slightly and pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him better. "Would you like to know what it is?" she asked him.

Snape's eyes widened. "Poppy has already done the spell?" he asked in surprise.

"She has," Hermione confirmed with a small smile. "Would you like to know the results?" When he gave a tiny nod she said "It's a boy."

Snape sat very still for a moment. He felt suddenly overwhelmed by the reality of the situation. "A son," he murmured softly.

"Are you pleased?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

His eyes met hers steadily. "Very," he replied with a small smile. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "I think we should discuss this. I do not wish to have only minimal contact with my son."

"You want to take him?" Hermione asked, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"No. Why would you think that?" he asked in exasperation. "Is raising our son together really such an obscure idea?"

Hermione gazed at him with wide watery eyes. "I just thought..."

"That I would not desire to be with my child and the young woman I..." His voice trailed off and he looked away for a moment. "Perhaps, if you wish, we could try to work this out and be able to raise our child together." He braced himself for her rejection of the idea. After all, he was no longer that she'd conceived the child with.

"I'd like that," she said softly, causing him to look back at her with surprise. "I don't want to do this alone. And, he's your son too."

"I am not what I used to be," he warned her. "I have changed much since my youth."

Hermione smirked slightly. "I knew you as my Professor first," she said. "I wanted to get to know the younger version of you. You're the same person, just with a difficult past and life experience. Nothing will change the fact that we created this baby together, even if it was technically twenty years ago," she added with a smile.

"Indeed," he said, gazing thoughtfully at her. "Are you sure?"

Instead of answering, she reached over and took his hand, placing it on her stomach. "Before long, we'll be able to feel him move," she said, meeting his eyes.

Snape nodded in understanding. On an impulse he leaned forward, his hand lightly caressing her face, and kissed her gently. Her lips were warm and responsive against his and he felt his chest tighten. He scooted a bit closer, not releasing her mouth and wrapped on arm around her back to hold her close. His other hand caressed her face again to find that it was wet with tears. He pulled back and stared down at her with concern. "What is it?" he asked her.

She swiped at her tears in embarassment. "I didn't expect this," she admitted softly. "I thought that you'd be angry with me, and that you'd hate me when I returned to this time. I didn't think that this scenario was even possible and I'm not sure how to handle it without crying." She gave a quiet rueful laugh, making Snape smile.

"One day at a time," he said reasonably. He helped her to rise from the bed and led her toward the door. "We should return before your friends worry." She nodded and smiled when he swiftly kissed her again.

Everyone looked up when they entered the dining room. Snape guided her to a chair next to Harry with his hand on her lower back. He sat down next to her, pointedly ignoring everyone's curious looks.

"Feeling better?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Much better," Hermione replied, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.

Lupin barely managed to turn his laugh into a cough. He wondered what had passed between Snape and Hermione, but he knew that asking, at least at the moment, was out of the question. McGonagall was obviously thinking along the same lines because she biting back a smile. Ginny was smirking.

Harry was struggling not to smirk to much as well. "Glad to hear it," he said. "Those potions work wonders." As everyone began eating and talking amongst themselves Harry leaned toward her and whispered "Care to tell me what really happened with you and Snape?"

"He gave me a potion and we talked for a bit," she replied quietly. "That's all."

"What did you talk about?" Harry persisted.

Hermione glanced around quickly and then explained the conversation in a hushed voice. "That's great Hermione," Harry said quietly. "It's still weird, but I really do want you to be happy."

"Thanks," Hermione said with a grateful smile. She turned back to her food, casting a small smile at Snape when she felt him discreetly reach down and give her knee a gentle squeeze.